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More Cranky Than Usual

10 September 2010

Well it is back to school time and don't I just know all about it. Gone are the quiet mornings in front of the telly and the easy drive in to work. In are screaming kids, constant yelling, running around, messy kitchens and traffic jams.

Our house has turned from a calm, relaxed environment in the morning to some sort of mad house. Claire is up at the crack of dawn ironing uniforms, making school lunches (and mine as well, of course) and getting breakfast on the table. I have reverted to getting up at the last minute to avoid the noise. And all this comes from just having one child at school. Who knows what awaits me when they are both heading off in the morning?

Then there is the traffic. Now I know that Mum's are stressed out and have to get to work themselves, but does this mean that they need to double park outside the school and constantly turn around to chastise some child in the back seat? Some of the Mum's I see dropping their kids off at the school near us are our neighbours. Honestly it would be quicker for them to walk their kids to school and then go home to get their cars. A little bit of exercise wouldn't do them or their kids any harm either.

So anyway, when I finally get to work this week, it hasn’t been much better than my drive in. Things have been going wrong left right and centre and it has pushed my schedule back by at least a week. In effect this pretty much destroys my bottom line. I have to push back my next job as well.

So what are the problems we have experienced this week? Well, there has been the usual poor quality fixtures from the major DIY stores, requiring three trips in the last week alone to return items for replacement. Then there is the fact that the dimensions of one shower screen turned out to be all wrong for the bath it was mean to go with. Add to this two boxes of cracked tiles for which no replacement seems to be forthcoming. This required some very careful positioning and cutting of the remainder to ensure an even finish.

Oh, and then there is the nightmare of the bespoke wardrobes required in the loft bedroom. Why I thought I could do these myself I have no idea. Yes, my carpentry skills are pretty good and yes I took advantage of as many off the shelf products that I could. But when it comes down to it, lofts are full of angles, nooks and crannys and each and every one seems to be out to get me.

So as you can tell the beginning of the new school year has made me even more cranky than usual. Here's hoping that next week brings a calmer and more relaxed, chilled out Marty. But don't count on it.