Hubby tells the story with adlib in brackets from me

I was really pleased with the house today, tidied up inside and it looked really nice.  (Grandma and her big sister were coming over). Miri lit the Rayburn last night after yesterday's problems and it was nicely warm, though we commented that it didn't seem as hot. (How foolish we were to think positively about it and decide the blockage must have cleared and it was running better)

About 7pm Miri was in the bath (a skanky left over kids hair washing night type bath, it was warm. It did the job) and I was in the kitchen making dinner for the girls, and I noticed some steam coming out the boiler door cover of the Rayburn.  Then there seemed to be more, and I could smell oil.  I opened the door and saw water coming down, and the more and more came.  The Rayburn was no longer lit and water was now pouring out below the burner.

The kids were watching and I panicked them by chasing them out of the kitchen as I was worried some boiling water might squirt out. (I heard a kerfuffle and pretended not to) Then I turned off the water pump and opened all the cold taps to empty the tank, as the stopcock to the Rayburn is jammed. (At this point I was shouted out the bath by panicked voices, I am naked)

The tank is big and lots of water kept coming.  We were putting down all of our towels to catch it.  (I am still naked) Miri noticed the back hall was flooded and lifted the linoleum. (Still naked but all less panicked) We weren't sure where it was coming from.

Eventually (after an hours naked towelling) the water slowed to a trickle as the tank emptied and finally stopped. (I got dressed)(I then start sweeping the water out the back hall, which brilliantly is made of concrete. Old Farms!! Yay!!!)

Meanwhile I'd called the emergency plumber, who didn't want to come out tonight. It was 10pm by the time the water stopped. (Meanwhile I make hubby call our emergency cover as it's still slowly leaking out the Rayburn and the floor) (Meanwhile I am still towelling the and gathering towels and squeezing towels and loving towels and thanking the G-ds I have SO many damn towels)

Then a different emergency plumber phoned Miri and said he would be with us in 10 minutes.  (Maybe he'd heard about the nakedness??!)

He fitted a stopcock on the pipe leading to the cold water inlet to the Rayburn and cylinder.  That meant we could turn the cold water back on but none would go to the Rayburn or the cylinder.

Then Miri realised we'd need hot water and so the plumber stopped off the pipe leading from the cylinder to the Rayburn, but so that the cylinder would still fill. (I then cheekily asked him to look at our leaking toilet and he said it needed a new syphon and basically the cistern was gubbed when put in, not impressed. Only put in two weeks ago)

All seemed great until we noticed the back hall was flooded again.  My diagnosis is that water is running back from top of the cylinder down the hot flow from the Rayburn to the cylinder.  This would normally flow the other way. (Whilst he was diagnosing, I was yet again towelling and brushing water out the back hall into the byre. I was dressed this time)

(The upshot of the following picture means we have water just no hot water and no Rayburn 😭)

Meltdowns - mostly mine

Losing the plot - big time when Ellie punched the newly recovered punch bag into Millie's face which made her fall off her chair and land on the concrete byre floor. 

Breastfeeding - I'm beginning to wonder if it will make me feel better 😳

Here to stay

Hello from beyond the Internet!! We are still not connected and it's probably a good thing. There is SO much to do every day that I would be terribly distracted by being able to communicate with the outside world. Even making a telephone call is difficult as the signal is so rubbish and we don't have a land line yet either!!

When we moved last year to the country from the city I was so full of excitement for every little thing. I made a post of all the things I loved about living in the country. This time, even though there are cool things and I still love living in the country, there is a slight tiny superstitious idiotic hesitation.....A little worry of what if.....a silly minuscule stumbling block that is stopping me getting giddy. I hate that little bit of negativity niggling away at my brain but I am still totally in love with living here, loving the country and not regretting moving here for one iota but I am suppressing my slight fear and am going to work very hard to remove any traces of it.  This time I'm practical. This time I'm super busy sorting and mending and fixing and cleaning and tidying and weeding and strimming and sweeping. So much sweeping!! 

I am motivated again to do all that needs to be done because I know it is ours and some crazy loon isn't going to come along and pull the doormat from under us.  I stopped caring about the other place for the rest of the 8 months we were there. I didn't want to get attached. I stopped calling it by its house name, which had been named by the landlords mother. I didn't put up any of our personal pictures and ornaments and chachtkies. I don't think I even cleaned the kitchen floor....!! 

Even though I'm occupied pretty much 24/7, I am still stopping to notice the amazingness of what we have done and enjoying watching the girls exploring their new environment. 

I read once that taking pictures of life stops your brain from remembering real moments. So, I am making mental images rather than pictorial ones. I am banking memories in my brain instead of in the my phone. Instead of rushing to get that perfect picture, I know they will be many memories, I know there will be loads of mental pictures....

Because this time, this is our FOREVER HOME. 

I can't wait for you to come and visit.....!!

Meltdowns - Millie is going through something and melting all over the place

Losing the plot - very frustrating having a mega clingy whining toddler when I have SO much to do

Breastfeeding - "I only want a little bit" for the hundredth time 

Crazy. Crazy for being so........

If its crazy to do something exciting and scary..,.

If its crazy to do something fun and difficult....

If its crazy to do something new and different....

If its crazy to do something cool and complicated....

If its crazy to do something I have literally always wanted to do....

Then I guess I'm crazy! 

It's funny how being called crazy by two different people can make me feel. The first one, due to previous experience, felt malicious and mean whereas the other one, coming from a friend, felt supportive and friendly. 

I had a difficult morning at the Drs with Millie who was head butting me, interrupting and generally needing a boob stuck in her mouth. She was WAY more unhappy about being there than usual, probably because I wanted the doc to look at her rash and she didn't want to lift her top. 

Anyway by the time I got to playgroup I was frazzled and spewing. Then I was crying and my friend was calling me crazy. No. Not really. Well she did call me crazy but there was a whole conversation before it where I told her I was exasperated by her behaviour and concerned the Dr would think I was some crazy mother who can't cope or control her child. She reminded me of the long term goal we are aiming for of confident, secure kids and that's why I don't use shouting (she doesn't know me well yet!!!) and naughty step and time outs and that kind of discipline and it all takes longer. Long term goal. And the fact that she is only three and that actually I am crazy so it doesn't matter what the Dr thinks. Only it might. Given what happened the last time a Dr thought I wasn't in control. 

Control. Control. Who is in control? It's not about control. It's about leadership and knowing what to do and when to do it and getting it done. I was recently reminded of the basics by a great wee course I partially partook in. (Harmony Eliane)  It's aimed at new mothers who want to break that cycle of negative discipline and negative parenting and is a wealth of brilliant information to remind us of how to parent gently in the younger years to prepare the ground for the future. Long term goal and all that jazz!! It was a timely reminder for me during a stressful move and the ensuing emotions and behaviours. 

So, my friend was brill. Said all the supportive things I needed to hear and brought me down off the stress edge which I was teetering dangerously close to. 

I should have just breastfed her. 

Meltdowns - starting to rise. The adrenalin of moving is wearing off....emotions are high. 

Losing the Plot - close the bloody doors we are trying to dry the house out!! 

Breastfeeding - magical elixer that I just sometimes don't want to use. I just don't. Do I need a reason? My boobs. My body. There's your reason. One day you'll be glad I showed you that boundary even if you don't understand it and think I am the devil incarnate for sticking to it!!