to complain all the time.
But it often feels like that's just what I do. And try as I might to be positive, there's so much going on that I want to speak about that it overwhelms and disables me.
For example. The situation with our drains and the problem with the sewers in the main road is something I'd prefer not to be involved in. I mean. The drains. Not very glamorous, is it? It's not a usual topic of conversation in 'polite society'. We flush, we wash, and we don't think any further than that.....
But, having endured the problems with the drains/sewers that we've had, recently as well as historically, and the fact that the problem has been acknowledged by Thames Water, and the lack of a solution because it's not cost-effective to fix, and their budget, and the bigger problems in the region, and the frustration of going nowhere, knowing that nothing will improve, nothing will be done, and yet they're starting the demolition of the building next door to us on Monday, and in the next 12-18 months will build 18 houses on the field behind us, which as like as not (pending discharge of condition 22), will additionally drain into the main sewers and add to the problem, because, excuse me, I'm no civil engineer, but how can adding 18 houses not add to the problem if they're not going to fix the problem as it exists at the moment???
I'd prefer to spend my time joyfully, positively, energetically, life-affirmingly. And being cross about Thames Water is making me feel like a child. Indignant, I feel powerless, isolated unheard and unvalued. Because the principle at stake is fairness, and like a child I want everything to be fair.
Still. Spring is well and truly here now, the days are finally starting to warm up and the garden is recovering from the flooding.
I've changed my dog walking routine. Since we changed Tom's school in January we don't do the Faringdon routes any more. On Tuesdays and Fridays when I start work at 9.30am it's a push, but I get dog walk, breakfasts, shower, Tom to school and me to Witney on time.
This last couple of weeks we've had a run-in with a rather boisterous pit-bull type 'puppy'. It charges towards you, and leaps, behaviour which indicates poor training, lack of control and bad manners. It's not the dog's fault, it's the owner, but the t-shirted bald-headed macho man attached to the puppy who says 'he's all right' as the missile heads towards you is the problem here, and I'm not certain how to tackle him.
The last time we crossed paths (literally, he walks round the park anti-clockwise, and I ambulate in a clockwise fashion) I was walking along with a more mature lady. The dog careered towards me, I put my hand down to shield my skirt as I'd prefer not to have muddy paws on my clothes, said 'No', and the dog nipped my little finger through my gloves. (I don't think the dog's aggressive per-se. Rather it's young, energetic, enthusiastic, still has sharp puppy teeth, and hasn't been told 'no' by its owner). She said to me 'that dog always does that', so I called out 'you should keep you dog under control', but didn't quite catch the verbal abuse I got in reply. So, like a coward, I've been avoiding the park since then, and am considering reporting the owner to the police - before his puppy charges into a child and things take a turn for the worse.
On the life-affirming side of things, I had a lovely chat on the dog-walk yesterday. Roly and I met a lady on the Letcombe path who was walking her two terriers and reading a book at the same time. I expressed amazement at her reading and walking and she confessed that she literally couldn't put the book down! We chatted about the author (Orhan Pamuk, I got 2/3rds of the way through 'Snow', which is very good, but was slow going. I ought to finish it as it's a 'do you good' sort of book - thought provoking, enlightening, educating and slightly claustrophobic, I seem to remember), and other authors/books we'd enjoyed, and it turned out she'd retired from publishing, and was recovering from cancer, but spending time with her and chatting about a shared passion left me feeling invigorated and uplifted.
We've a new little friend to look after in the house. Tom's had his 8th birthday, and as he'd been persistent (18 months of asking) in his desire to have a pet mouse, we got him one.
Tom's called his mouse 'Chocy' because of his dark chocolate colour coat. I think it suits him.
So we've a birthday party this weekend, 4 little boys to the Natural History Museum in Oxford for the 'Bang Goes the Theory - What? How?' free event, and then down to Giraffe (family friendly restaurant chain) for something to eat. Followed that evening with Tom's Beaver colony's swimming gala.
Should be fun.
ttfn. Kat :)
But it often feels like that's just what I do. And try as I might to be positive, there's so much going on that I want to speak about that it overwhelms and disables me.
For example. The situation with our drains and the problem with the sewers in the main road is something I'd prefer not to be involved in. I mean. The drains. Not very glamorous, is it? It's not a usual topic of conversation in 'polite society'. We flush, we wash, and we don't think any further than that.....
But, having endured the problems with the drains/sewers that we've had, recently as well as historically, and the fact that the problem has been acknowledged by Thames Water, and the lack of a solution because it's not cost-effective to fix, and their budget, and the bigger problems in the region, and the frustration of going nowhere, knowing that nothing will improve, nothing will be done, and yet they're starting the demolition of the building next door to us on Monday, and in the next 12-18 months will build 18 houses on the field behind us, which as like as not (pending discharge of condition 22), will additionally drain into the main sewers and add to the problem, because, excuse me, I'm no civil engineer, but how can adding 18 houses not add to the problem if they're not going to fix the problem as it exists at the moment???
I'd prefer to spend my time joyfully, positively, energetically, life-affirmingly. And being cross about Thames Water is making me feel like a child. Indignant, I feel powerless, isolated unheard and unvalued. Because the principle at stake is fairness, and like a child I want everything to be fair.
Still. Spring is well and truly here now, the days are finally starting to warm up and the garden is recovering from the flooding.
I've changed my dog walking routine. Since we changed Tom's school in January we don't do the Faringdon routes any more. On Tuesdays and Fridays when I start work at 9.30am it's a push, but I get dog walk, breakfasts, shower, Tom to school and me to Witney on time.
This last couple of weeks we've had a run-in with a rather boisterous pit-bull type 'puppy'. It charges towards you, and leaps, behaviour which indicates poor training, lack of control and bad manners. It's not the dog's fault, it's the owner, but the t-shirted bald-headed macho man attached to the puppy who says 'he's all right' as the missile heads towards you is the problem here, and I'm not certain how to tackle him.
The last time we crossed paths (literally, he walks round the park anti-clockwise, and I ambulate in a clockwise fashion) I was walking along with a more mature lady. The dog careered towards me, I put my hand down to shield my skirt as I'd prefer not to have muddy paws on my clothes, said 'No', and the dog nipped my little finger through my gloves. (I don't think the dog's aggressive per-se. Rather it's young, energetic, enthusiastic, still has sharp puppy teeth, and hasn't been told 'no' by its owner). She said to me 'that dog always does that', so I called out 'you should keep you dog under control', but didn't quite catch the verbal abuse I got in reply. So, like a coward, I've been avoiding the park since then, and am considering reporting the owner to the police - before his puppy charges into a child and things take a turn for the worse.
On the life-affirming side of things, I had a lovely chat on the dog-walk yesterday. Roly and I met a lady on the Letcombe path who was walking her two terriers and reading a book at the same time. I expressed amazement at her reading and walking and she confessed that she literally couldn't put the book down! We chatted about the author (Orhan Pamuk, I got 2/3rds of the way through 'Snow', which is very good, but was slow going. I ought to finish it as it's a 'do you good' sort of book - thought provoking, enlightening, educating and slightly claustrophobic, I seem to remember), and other authors/books we'd enjoyed, and it turned out she'd retired from publishing, and was recovering from cancer, but spending time with her and chatting about a shared passion left me feeling invigorated and uplifted.
We've a new little friend to look after in the house. Tom's had his 8th birthday, and as he'd been persistent (18 months of asking) in his desire to have a pet mouse, we got him one.
Tom's called his mouse 'Chocy' because of his dark chocolate colour coat. I think it suits him.
So we've a birthday party this weekend, 4 little boys to the Natural History Museum in Oxford for the 'Bang Goes the Theory - What? How?' free event, and then down to Giraffe (family friendly restaurant chain) for something to eat. Followed that evening with Tom's Beaver colony's swimming gala.
Should be fun.
ttfn. Kat :)
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