Halloween Party Surprise

I had the pleasure yesterday of helping out at the Springfield CommunityAssociation’s children’s Halloween Party.

After getting on for two decades of Summer Fairs, and fundraisers at Easter, Halloween and Christmas, for Woodlawn School it seemed a pity to let the skills I’ve learned go to waste.

However when I got there the organiser said

“Can you look after the craft table?”

Gulp.

Raffles and tombolas and other ways of parting people from their money I can do.

A children’s craft table!!!

Completely outside my experience…

However there was loads of stuff in the cupboard, a pile of orange and green painted paper plates and stencils of witches, bats and ghosties.  So I set to cutting them and black cats out on black or green coloured card, paper or felt.  I drew them onto more paper so children could cut them out for themselves.  Then poured pva glue into three jars with three brushes each and stood back.

I have to say I had a delightful time.

The children were all beautifully behaved and wonderfully creative.  They happily stuck a witch, ghost, cat or bat to a plate, added googly eyes and tiny pompoms, sticky jewels, coloured pipe cleaners, ribbon etc onto them.

The parents were all grateful for a pleasant event, and were quite creative too.

At the end of the event I helped clear everything away, and it was so nice to just put things in a cupboard and know I wasn’t going to be the one that had to sort it out later (I’ve spent so much time in Woodlawn’s PTA cupboard I’m have some of my ashes put there).

It was also nice not to be in charge.

Whenever anyone asked my answer was “I don’t know, ask Ricky.”

All the fun and none of the anxiety of responsibility.

Pillow Talk

Once again I’ve resorted to Facebook posts we missed earlier in the month.

Fester has sleep apnoea 

(see Torture My Nights) 

and now, mostly, uses a CPAP machine at nights.

Some of the names here have not been changed as they are relevant.

From Facebook Archives …

13 October 2014 at 12:42 

Last night Fester came home with a stinking cold after a weekend away with da boiz.  

It's bad enough having a conversation with him mumbling and my aging ears.

But he decided to growl all the gossip at me after we've gone to bed and he'd got his breathing machine on.

"Bribe him with sardines in the week"

I thought he was talking about the cat perched on my hip but no, it was

"Brownbridge was in Sardinia last week"

Then

"Your cat's getting confused in a week"

Any guesses?

"The Lucases are going to Corfu next week"

Sheamus Murphy  And I had a cold over the weekend but am now feeling better.   

Glad that Fester kindly took it up north😀

Bentonbag  I think he got it from Twinny on Wednesday night - but thanks for your contribution too.

Scenes From A Marriage

As Facebook Archives are empty for today we’re returning once again to those days we missed earlier in the month as I was away.

Some readers may have watched the BBC series Marriage with Sean Bean (I didn’t)

Here is a triptych of moments with my own Sheffield United supporter …

9 October 2017 at 20:11 

Guess who said what in the conversation my husband and I have just enjoyed. 

"I've just eaten that tin of rice pudding that's been in the cupboards for decades.  I used it to sweeten my ..." 

"Character?" 

"It'd take a f**kload of rice pudding to do that." 

Bazoukiboy Just a thought...what is the annual production of Golden Syrup?

7 October 2020

Sat here.

Fester belches horribly then says, by way of explanation "Kippers for lunch.  Cheap kippers for lunch."

"I know. I smelled them."

"Look on the bright side, at least you haven't got Covid." 

Kingsmen Cameraman  Having been through the ordeal of covid swabs twice now, I still think it is a more pleasant way to be tested than seeing if you can smell Fester's kipper-induced belches.

13 October 2021 at 15:28

So I come home from collecting Ferretfingers from the Rising Sun to find Fester nauseatingly cheerfully washing up or, as he puts it “doing the pots”, sink full of froth and agitation.

"Got to do me chores" he grins roguishly at me.

"Oh God!  What did I do to deserve this?  I must have done something awful in a previous life."

"You've done some pretty awful things in this one."

I didn't ask him to elaborate.

This Time Last Year or...

 ... The Tooth!  You couldn't handle the tooth!

From Facebook Archives

28 October 2021 at 10:31

Pravin the dentist has given up.

I am a hugely nervous dental patient and have a broken tooth that needs removing.  The problem is the teeth either side are really crowded into it so it's a very awkward job.

This morning Pravin numbed my jaw, scaled the inside of my front lower teeth whilst the numbing took effect and I squirmed because I hate it all.

He told me that there would be a lot of crunching noises and pressure, saw me tense up and then.

“I'm going to refer you to the dental hospital for sedation.  You're jumping about like anything - you're in danger of hurting yourself.”

I feel both awful and relieved at the same time.

But it would appear all my other teeth are sound, for the moment.

Mrs Lasagne  Oh Ben. !  I hope it gets sorted for you without pain !  Sending love xxxxx

Bentonbag  Except when it got infected a few weeks ago the broken tooth causes no pain.  I feel a real wuss though.

Birdfoodlady  Don't be. I'm just the same with stuff like that!

Miss Doozer  You have all my sympathy; my teeth are awkward too.  Let me know if you want company to the Dental Hospital.

Bentonbag  Thank you, I might.

Mrs Quilt  Mr Quilt had Treatment at the Dental Hospital because of his blood problems.  We are lucky to have one near.  That doesn't help the nerves but the fact is that it is the wisest option for you.

Mrs Whyte  The Dental Hospital are lovely I had an extraction under sedation a couple of years ago (I am terrified of dentists), but the dentist and nurses made me feel relaxed and it was all done so efficiently I did not realised it happen.  I hope you have the same experience xx

Mr Mull  I loathe going to the dentist as it ticks so many of my dyspraxic/asperger's boxes.  I'm a wuss too when it comes to pain but I've had a toe amputated and that was much less anxiety inducing than visiting a dentist!

Kentishlady  You are braver than me.  I've had a broken tooth for a year.  Sheer terror has stopped me getting it treated.

Bentonbag  It was pain that drove me to it.  As long as it didn't get infected I was ok. 

But when it did - Glory Be! - so I had to go for antibiotics if nothing else.  And once they've got you in their grip ... Actually both the dentists at that practice are really lovely. I've had fillings and crowns but this was just a step too far.

The tooth was finally taken out under deep sedation on 29^th June 2022.

I remember nothing between the drugs going in and coming back to myself in another room.

Brilliant.