...I don't even

[gothams3rdrobin]

So last night Rowan and I moved back into our flat. Out of necessity, more than anything else, as my sister and neice needed the use of Mam's spare room ready for Rowan's birthday party this morning. I'm still surrounded by boxes, but capable of moving though the flat mostly unhindered.

Mam would have liked us to move out Thursday night, and I did try, but we just weren't ready. I haven't had the time to properly unpack, with working and stuff.

Anyway, we slept here at home last night, despite all the boxes around and that sawdusty flatpack smell. I struggled out of bed this morning and began sorting through the bags of clothes Mam sent us home with. Then, while I'm pottering in the kitchen, what do I discover?

There is water leaking through my kitchen ceiling!!

I popped upstairs to my neighbour, to see if she could shed any light on it, and she's apparently got the same problem. She's also called the out-of-hours repair line, who promised to send someone out to take a looksee this morning. So I give her a key to my place so she can bring them down here too if necessary.

We went out for Rowan's party, and didn't get back till about seven this evening. Checking the crack in the ceiling's artexing, everything seems to have dried up. Once I sent Rowan to bed, I turned my desktop PC on in order to fiddle with something, and discover my keyboard is sitting in a puddle of water - the leak's gotten to the other side of the wall, into my living room! And it's slowly dripping on to my brand new desk, bookcase and carpet!

I've pulled everything forward, and put bowls down to catch the drips, but....*sigh* There's a bump on the corner of the back of my desk, from where the water's been falling on it. I am so sick of this! I wish I could get out of here, but at this point I really don't want to move for a while - this whole thing has been just as exhausting as moving to a new house.

Rowan's ten-pin bowling party went well - Mam's declaration of "We're having a traditional party next year!" aside. There were thirteen children turned up out of the fourteen invited, between the ages of four and seven; we split them into two teams, which turned out to be boys on one team and Rowan, another lad called Edward and all the girls on the second team. The boys team raced through their game and finished about half an hour before the girl-heavy team, since the girls had a habit of wandering off...*sigh* Plus two of the girls were my little neices, Jessica and Katie, neither of whom had bowled before. I did have to coax the kids off the ball-return chute a few times, and be the meany who stopped them having lightsabre battles with the glo-sticks provided, but I think everyone had a good time. I will do the picspam thing sometime soon.

I've been involved in a kind of choral group at work, which is supposed to help with motivation in the workplace. We've only been at it for the last month, but the organisers arranged for us to have a twenty-minute gig at the Winter Wonderland, outside City Hall last night. My mother was picking my sister up off the train from Devon at quarter past six, and we were scheduled to sing at six thirty - I let myself assume this meant Mam, Rowan, Sarah and Jessica would be there to watch me, but no. I think it was because Mam didn't feel she could afford for the kids to want to go on the rides and things in the fairground section. Even so, it really, really hurt. Twenty-four hours later, nobody's even asked me how we got on.

The gig itself went reasonably well - as well as can be expected considering we'd had so little rehearsal. I'm glad to be passed the christmas songs though; as cool as they can be, I get bored of them incredibly fast. We're starting on some regular songs in January, with a view to performing at the company's AGM in April, and they also have us provisionally booked to sing at a charity concert in October - at the Albert Hall!

Of course, this means I have to still be working there next winter...

Comments

[catwalksalone]

Oh good lord, hon, when will it end? *hugs you so much* There is something seriously wrong with the universe that these things keep happening to you.

Yay, though, for singing! It's such a great thing to do and, for you particularly, a great way to express yourself vocally. I'm sorry your family haven't shown an interest this time, perhaps they don't understand that it's important to you, given that you've just started and there's been a whole lot of other things going on. The upcoming gigs sound very, very cool. Good luck!

[gothams3rdrobin.livejournal.com]

I know...*sighs* I want to be comfortable in my home, not constantly panicking about damp.

Yeah, I love singing - not all that good at it these days, but this thing involves actual vocal tuition so I have a chance of improving. Plus, I've always felt my voice got better during the periods we spent several months practising christmas songs.

I hope that's all it was. I think my parents are just so fed up of having me and Rowan around, they were just too relieved to be getting rid of us to think of anything else.

[fair-witness.livejournal.com]

Oh, NO.

[gothams3rdrobin.livejournal.com]

Oh yes... *sighs*

[alryssa.livejournal.com]

Excuse my language, but Jesus M Motherhumping Christ! Enough with the water already! *shakes fist at universe*

[gothams3rdrobin.livejournal.com]

I got woken up early hours of this morning by my bath backing up really loudly. I had to stick my hand out and touch the carpet just to reassure myself we weren't flooded again.

My bath's not blocked, and that's the first time I've heard it back up in a week or so, plus I haven't had a moat outside... but still. It has been raining pretty heavily this weekend.

I would like this to just stop now. It's bad enough I have to live here - I just want to live quietly for a while, kthx.

[alryssa.livejournal.com]

Living under that kind of constant stress isn't good for you, lovely. Moving would be stress, yes, but briefly, and you'd be moving away from that constant "Oh my God, is that leaking AGAIN?!" kind of hassle, so it would be worth it. I know - we were constantly living with that in our basement apartment at Brook Hollow, and while we had to move across the complex, it was to another apartment and the relief was such a weight off our shoulders, I can't tell you. Hell, knowing the council, even if you put in to get another place, you'd probably have to wait at least a year anyway.

[gothams3rdrobin.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was already feeling a little better, just having gotten the place decorated and furnished. I so didn't need this.

I keep meaning to go on the transfer list, I just never get around to it. But yeah, it would likely take ages.

[alryssa.livejournal.com]

'Almost' doing something won't get you anywhere. Trust me, my mother was on that list for a long time. Get it done now. By the time they get you a suitable place, it'll be six months down the road.

[aprilmay430.livejournal.com]

So sorry you're having problems with your flat again. *hugs*

[gothams3rdrobin.livejournal.com]

*hugs back*

[phoebesmum.livejournal.com]

Oh, honey. *hugs you very hard and, more practically, sends drying cloths and Wellingtons*

How much more suck can there be in the world?!