“I wish I’d had the camera… it’d have been well worth a video.” I could, at least, be grateful for small mercies. The chill seeped into my underwear. My son was almost doubled up laughing. And laughing… “What are the chances?”
What are the chances indeed of walking past the stretched canvas of the gazebo at the exact moment the breeze should lift it, emptying the entire, gelid contents of snow-melt right on your head. And with an audience too.
To add insult to injury, I was wearing waterproofs. Trouble is, they are designed to stop water penetrating through the fabric and do little to stop several gallons of the stuff going down your neck. The outside of the coat was still relatively dry…everything on the inside was soaking up the frozen cascade, including me. And rapidly turning blue.
My reflection in the window, the current wild hair unusually flattened, looked a soggy, sorry state.
You could just tell it was Monday Morning.
Not that Mondays have any particular relevance any more… my duties take me to work every day of the week and every day… unless I have taken time off… the alarm clock drags me out of bed at some ungodly hour; early enough to shower, walk the dog and do some work before the world wakes.
I grumble about it a lot. I believe it is obligatory.
The thing is, when I think abut it, I have been getting up early since I started work as a window dresser at sixteen. They were very early mornings so we could travel around the country and still have the day to dress the windows of farflung shops. Even worse, when the boys were small I would choose to get up early every day, enjoying the quiet that allowed me to do the housework and prepare meals before they were up and thus have my day free to play with them. Sometimes I’d even get to read for a bit.
Even now I usually wake at the same time when I’m away. I certainly don’t grumble then, as once again it extends my day and allows me to do things I might not otherwise have time for.
The difference? In a word, choice. What we do through choice is always completely different from what we endure through obligation. Even if it is exactly the same thing. The difference lies not in the act or the situation, but in the state of mind.
Being still Monday, my son has just exploded his dinner. (I made no reference to his laughter and the popular conception of Karma). He and his kitchen require rescuing from a rampant lamb casserole. I also need to have a quiet word as his opening gambit when he called was unusual to say the least.
“I think I’m pregnant…”
“….?”
“…I have a craving for orange juice.”
So I’ll be calling at the shop on the way…
Later…
The rapacious casserole had run wild. By the time I had re-hung my curtains for Ani’s peace of mind (passers-by are not her thing…) and driven through the traffic of school closing time, the tomato-rich sauce had welded itself to the kitchen and soaked into the cream carpet in the hall. It had reached higher than I can without a ladder…
I delivered the orange juice and replacement meal I’d been asked to pick up, but that was consigned to the bin, being dry and tasteless, along with the mug I broke whilst perched precariously on the kitchen worktop hunting the elusive splatters of lamb. I made him a sandwich instead… filled with crisp and crunchy things and his favourite fresh chillis.
For some reason he was laughing quietly to himself. When asked for an explanation, he grinned and asked if I’d told my other son about the gazebo… Eight hours later, he was still laughing….
I left him to it. It seemed the right thing to do…
Halfway home the tiredness had got to me… I rubbed my eyes absently as I drove… and was forcibly reminded I had just cut fresh chilli peppers…
Yep. It was definitely Monday.
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
Some days, you just can’t catch a break 🙂
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Just the water 😉
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Oh bless you Sue!
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An interesting day, shall we say 😉
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When it rains, it pours… Isn’t that one of the truest sayings ever!?
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It certainly was yesterday! 🙂
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I couldn’t agree with you more about the importance of choice. Being forced to endure without any choice in the matter just brings despair and despondency.
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It makes a chore of things that would others be good.
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I guess it works the other way too, though. I suddenly remember the episode in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer where he gets the other kids to whitewash the fence for him.
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That’s usually the way to get things done.
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Tomorrow’s just another day.
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No it’s not… Tomorrow I go north 🙂
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Hooray!!!
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🙂
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😫 Poor Sue, and chilli eyes to crown the day. Things can only get wetter, I mean better! Have a good one x
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Wetter??? 😀 they have… It’s Tuesday:)
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Some people like to walk in the rain; others just get wet! Enjoy the rain☺️☔️💦
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I’ll just dance in it 🙂
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I’d like pictures please 😂
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No doubt there are some somewhere 🙂
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You’ve made it a fun Monday
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Only for observers, Derrick 😉
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-Brews you a lovely cup of coffee and puts a plate of freshly baked scones in front of you with butter and jam at the ready.-
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My kind of sympathy 😀
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You had your own Blue Monday then. Hope today is better. Must admit, I did have a chuckle though (I rubbed my eyes after using a vapour rub, so can sympathise)
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Well I was laughing too…eventually 🙂
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You make everything sound hilarious, but I bet the chilli in the eyes wasn’t a bit funny…
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The air in the car was blue, I’ll admit 😉
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Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie.
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Ouch! Odd isn’t it how once a day starts off so badly it continues in the same way? I do hope today goes better.
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So do I!
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That’s definitely a Monday. Hopefully Tuesday is better. Still cringing about the chili peppers. Did that with onions once, but their probably nothing compared to that.
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Chilli peppers are not a good move… I wouldn’t mind, but knowing the danger I had washed my hands thoroughly too…it doesn’t help.
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Water never seems to help. A lot of lotion-y soap sounds like a good idea, but the juice is potent.
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It lingers a bit… which I inconveniently forgot…
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I’m laughing out loud…still!
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So’s Nick, Sarah 😉
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Some days !! That sneaky assault from the chili peppers…caps it all off. Been there, done that. At least you had material for a very funny post; sometimes, all you can do is laugh ! Thanks,Sue. Hope today is going better for you. ☺
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Today was going very well, till I accidentally fell asleep after an earlier morning than usual and lost half the afternooon… on a day when I have too much to do as it is.
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Oh my goodness, Sue. What a day you had. It’s the kind of day I’d like to go back to bed and then start all over, hopefully with less trauma. Hugs, my friend.
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It was tempting, Michelle 😉
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What a day. At least you have a sense of humor about it – a good choice 🙂 Hopefully Tuesday was less eventful!
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Tuesday was much better… though Nick was still chuckling 😉
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Oh, God, what a day. Sorry to hear it was such a trial. I didn’t know that lamb explodes – no wonder I don’t cook it. 😉
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Even a vegetable casserole will explode if dropped from a high enough height… 😉
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Ah, rats, I see what you mean!
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Yep…
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Did the small dog benefit from the mishap?
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No.. there were onions and mushrooms in there.
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I don’t Wren would have minded. 🙂 Anything she doesn’t like is carefully licked clean and put aside – lol!
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Oh, Ani would have eaten them, but both are dangerous for dogs.
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Good to know, didn’t realize that. I’d only heard about grapes, raisins and chocolate. Hey, Ani, do you feel a post coming on? 😉
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Ani says she might, when she gets back from her travels. 🙂 Mushrooms are particularly nasty sometimes.
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What a start to the week Sue…I can only hope it improves as it goes along 🙂
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It has…I’m away !)
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You should have a film crew following you about. It’d be fun to watch! 😂😂
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Don’t tempt my film crew 😉
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Je temp…je temp 😂😂
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Well, it’s Thursday. I hope your Monday events didn’t set the tone for the week, though it’s hard to imagine things looking up too soon after the chili in the eyes incident 😉
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Anything would have been better than that chilli! But so far, the week is going beautifully… I’m on holiday 🙂
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Relax, or don’t, but absolutely enjoy every moment. You deserve it you hard working woman!!
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Can’t see much relaxing… but I will enjoy 🙂
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