AIBU? or am I justified in feeling totally, utterly, absolutely fed up? I have had the never ending cold since the middle of December with family and friends remarking that my cough sounds awful and I am the colour of a sheet of paper. This has not stopped them asking for lifts, school pick-ups, attendance at school concerts and extra shifts in the Christmas shop (to cover for people who were unwell or attending school concerts etc.)
As usual I bought, wrapped the Christmas presents, put up the decorations and shopped for and hosted Brunch for 8 on Christmas morning and 9 on Boxing day + a buffet for 7 on Hogmanay. There was consternation when I announced that I did not feel up to cooking New Year Dinner for 9 of us (including 2 veggies) and requiring the big dinner service currently lodged on the top of a big cupboard. I suggested that we might go out to a restaurant/hotel which the DDs booked. There we had a mediocre meal at enormous expense (I paid). Everyone remarked that it was not nearly as good as my usual homecooked dinner - I think that was meant to compliment me but it only served to make me feel a failure.
Since New Year, I have changed all the bedding again (we had o'night guests) taken down the decorations and seeing that the windows were filthy I washed them (now clean but streaky) and got soaked in the process - window cleaning was always one of DH's jobs - he is 9" taller than me - which he can no longer do. Also took down washed and rehung the nets. I helped with the clear out of the Christmas Shop, with DH in tow, completed his tax return with difficulty and paid it, did one school pick-up, entertained and fed the DGC, went wooding and chopped kindlings and logs, did the shopping, cooking, washing, cleaning as per usual and spent an inordinate amount of time looking for things DH has 'Lost'.
The DDs were very kind to us presentwise at Christmas but fail to realise that giving their father a weather station, a mushroom growing kit and a leaf blower, far from keeping him entertained just creates more work for me as he cannot follow the instructions but gets very anxious that his new toys must be put to use asap, so I have added mushroom farming, leaf blowing and sooking (the damn machine is bigger than me) and checking inside and outside temperatures several times daily to my workload.
I sat down for a rest this evening after an exhausting day and my restless leg kicked in. However I had to go for a walk anyway as DH spilt the last of the milk by dropping the whole carton into the cat's dish.
If anyone has got this far - thanks for listening - but if anyone comes on with facile suggestions of the 'you should do such and such' variety they are liable to get their nose to play with. I do feel the better for writing it down and having taken my pill the restless leg has subsided and I can Rest in Peace.
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