thwarted by a thumb...

i had grand plans today to spend a little quality time with Miss Ethel

and then to pop on over here so i may tell about my lovely saturday morning.

but alas as per usual, my plans have been thwarted.

yes indeedy,

Thwarted with a capital 'T'

i am without doubt, you just sucked in your breath and let it go slowly,

your clans within your own nests turning to enquire as to what could have caused such a sharp intake of breath.

to which you reply

"must be big, must be something going down in mossy shed, for Tif has not only used the word thwarted but she has capitalized it!"

yes indeed dearest readers, a sharp intake of breath

and slight faintness at my capital 'T' did not go amiss in mossy shed.

let me enlighten you to the fact

i have been thwarted in my plans to stitch up a storm with Miss Ethel,

by a broken right thumb...

before you perhaps become too distraught on my behalf,

i must tell you, the thumb in question does not belong to moi.

the thumb that has thwarted my studio time

belongs to none other than Our #4.

the terrible mishap to befall his thumb happened late last night,

in the dark,

playing soccer in the back yard,

as boys are apt to do on long summer evenings.

earlier today he mentioned that perhaps his thumb was not behaving as it should.

on close inspection i felt a little queasy and i must confess a little guilty.

a trip to the doctors confirmed his thumb will be out of action for quite some time

i have rustled around in the kitchen drawer for my florence nightingale hat,

which is quite good really as i have had no chance to wash my hair

and voila! i now have the perfect disguise for my lanky locks.

i think right there, we can see every cloud does indeed have a silver lining.

and as if that silver lining were not enough to make me get over my thwarted 'fling' with Miss Ethel, i have another to think about...

all the waiting in various waiting rooms

which will continue tomorrow when we see the specialist

and not to mention

the sitting by his side in my florence hat making well meaning conversation,

fetching and carrying when needed

means i get to spend quality time with Mr Hook.

of course, as i tippity tap all my positive silver linings to what is quite a crappity crap turn of events for Our #4

a thought has suddenly dawned on me.

how on earth in the coming weeks, will he be able to keep his toenails squeaky clean with his newly found bookmark cleaning skills when his 'doing hand' is out of action?

she is off to study the small print in her florence nightingale contract ~ Tif

be careful Tif...

yes indeedy dearest readers,

all day yesterday the wise words of someone from long ago were going round and round my little head...

"be careful what you wish for Tif"

now i am quite sure when that wise person made up their wise saying,

they did not actually add the 'Tif' bit at the end.

but the little voice inside my head that would not switch off,

felt it most necessary to add the 'Tif' bit.

i am quite sure you are all wishing to know why i am being subjected to such wisdom from my inner voice?

if you are not, do you mind pretending you are, because then i will feel so much better about continuing to ramble on with my thrilling tale of 'be careful Tif'

over the past few weeks, ney months, i think it would be true to say

i have been a bit of 'whinger' about the lack of sunlight over mossy shed.

i think i contained my growing unrest with Mr Spring and Mr Summer quite well upon my shiny place...

but around the shed and in my head

(oh! i do like that little line, around the shed and in my head. i think such a line has great potential)

so around the shed and in my head

i was voicing some wicked thoughts in the direction of 'lacking Mr Spring' and 'missing in action Mr Summer'.

i went to bed nightly and along with my 'repeat after me' high hopes plan

i also sent out a silent little wish for summer to begin,

to lift the cloud of dull and dreary that was now the norm around the shed.

this week, on wednesday my wish was finally granted.

Mr Summer in all his glory shone around,

blue skies up above, not a cloud in view

there was a warmth in my shed and my head

(a line with potential to be used again and again is a line worth knowing)

however by thursday,

two days into Mr Summer shining down on moi,

the little voice from within was nagging,

ney mocking,

my perspiring body,

my lanky, dripping hair,

swollen ankles

and thumping head.

"be careful what you wish for Tif"

as i sat on the sidelines dripping whilst watching Our #4 play soccer

i thought how fortunate i was not to be the one having to run around kicking a ball,

indeed i am trying to think the last time i ran around and kicked a ball.

i have gasped a gasp!

have i ever run around and kicked a ball in my 41 years.

this is most bothersome,

most concerning i cannot recall ever kicking a ball.

if it were not so hot i would rectify the matter straight away.

leaving you pronto and heading into the yard,

donned in my thrift store cotton 'dress turned nightie' and clogs to kick a ball

so i can then put my hand up high and say proudly

"yes! i Tif, have run around and kicked a ball"

but alas it is not be,

for i am already past any kind of activity involving balls and running today.

but i have digressed,

and when i look at the above penned words

i see the sun has 'touched me' in more ways than one...

indeed my little head is a bit 'doolally' today.

what i have been trying to say is,

i have learnt my lesson when it coming to 'wishing'.

for it is most important when wishing

to mention the details.

i now see the 'small print' in a wish, is worth noting.

in failing to add the 'small print' to my wish

i am not enjoying a balmy 70 to 80 degrees as i had longed for,

instead i have been landed with 100 degrees or so.

on mentioning this to Mr Summer as i lay awake last night trying to breath surrounded by his sticky closeness,

he pointed out quite wisely, that i had failed to give enough detail in my wish

and therefore i had no claims on his return policy.

there is nothing for it but to

swan around the shed in my thrifted cotton nightie this morning

until the heat becomes beyond what my little british body can tolerate

then i shall lay upon the wood floor with used dog and little olive,

a piece of paper with scrawly writing laid across my chest saying

"out of action until further notice"

she is wishing you a peachy weekend of perfect temps ~ Tif

a couple of notes...

note number one:

i noted upon Our #4's return to the shed that a rather iffy 'whiff' returned with him.

this did not surprise me in anyway.

a boy of 12 at summer camp for a whole 8 days should indeed return home with a 'cloud of pigpen' following behind.

his 'whiff' told me he had the best time there was to have...

it also told me to tell him

"okay, much as i have missed you, i cannot talk nor look at you, until you have been in the bath"

a few minutes later he emerged, sparkling in some places and not so in others.

i noted his hair had not seen the shampoo

and when i glanced down, i visibly gasped at his toenails.

"never in all my born days have i seen so much yuck crammed under ten toenails, seriously could you not have sorted them in the bath?"

"nope" he replied, seeing nothing wrong with the thick brown line of crud under each of his ten toenails "we don't have a nail brush"

"not true" said i "it is somewhere lurking in the bathroom and i suggest buddy you find it pronto".

two days later,

Our #4 and myself are sitting in traffic on our way to soccer practice.

he turns to me, with 'thee' smile upon his face,

you know the smile that melts a mother's heart and

yet she knows what follows is not always what she wishes to hear.

"so i cleaned my toenails like you said" he beamed

"ahh, so you found the nail brush then?" i asked foolishly

"oh no, i used a bookmark i found, not my favorite one which is my green eggs and ham one. no i used the one ma and pa gave me for Christmas... it worked a treat" he beamed even more 'beamier' than before.

i left it there, for indeed he had made what was for me a tough day, melt away...

i was filled with warmt for my child, for all the little funny things he has done over the years.

reminding me once again, on a day when i had 'lost my rag' several times, why i am most fortunate to be a mother.

i did not wish to enquire where he was when he unearthed the goings on from under his toenails.

i decided somethings are much better left unknown

note number 2:

for reasons i cannot say at this momento,

i am working on getting a few action shots of moi in the shed...

this is not easy for me, for i am a cousin of flat stanley and cannot for the life of me pretend like the camera isn't there.

i become completely rigid and board like.

yesterday with the help of Carlos my camera and Our #3 we attempted some action shots within the shed...

i am not going to tell you how many photos we took, let me just say,

a digital camera is a marvelous thing.

in the end after the day was nearly done,

we had two action shots to show for our efforts.

Our #1 remarked whilst packing her case

"oh yes, this is a perfect 'vertigo' action shot, there you are one leg up and clutching your crochet to keep upright" with a twinkle in her eye.

then Debbie, my soul sister in old blighty pointed out that i may need to be a little less actiony for fear of someone seeing my leg and asking me to join the team GB and train for the next Olympics...

i am thinking this is why sometimes i prefer the company of ones that do not offer up advice even if i ask for it

she is delighted to report after a crappity crap start, Mr Summer is doing what he does best today ~ Tif