Soggy days

So, August bank holiday came and went, as is so often the case, in a shower of rain.  Or rather a downpour, all day, then again all day yesterday.  There was so much rain that the storm-drains were inundated and there was localised flooding on some of the roads.  It was very reminiscent of the problems we experienced this past winter; waterlogged ground unable to cope with huge amounts of surface water.  There was a lot of remedial work done in the spring and summer to try to alleviate further problems but it seems that just a couple of days of, admittedly, heavy rainfall and we are back to the same problems.  

The wet weather put paid to any ideas of getting out and about - a spot of walking or similiar - so we had to turn our attention to work indoors.  There's plenty of that still, indeed it was difficult to know quite where to start.  I cleaned the kitchen walls in preparation for painting (remembering just how horrible the gluey residue had been in the bedrooms) and N made a start at sorting out the garage, known hereabouts as the 'dumping ground'.  As so often happens, one job entailed tackling several others (none of which were planned as such) before the first task could be properly completed - you know how it is with these things - and what should have taken half an hour ended up taking about 3 hours and involving both of us!  Never mind, it's just how it goes some days.  A bit more was sorted, tidied away, found new homes for, added to the charity shop pile or put aside for the next trip to the dump.   We are gradually reclaiming the space.

I have finally finished upcycling my old jeans and although they are looking a little thin, they will certainly do another winter at least.  I'm now cutting out the lining for the charity shop curtains we bought a few weeks ago and will press on with that over the next couple of days.  

Our minds are somewhat preoccupied at the moment, waiting for some news which seems to be taking forever to be completed.  It is more than frustrating as we are very much at the whim of other parties and having done everything we have been asked to, and when we have been asked to do it, finding ourselves now having to wait for action elsewhere is becoming extremely tedious, to say the least.  There have been many phone calls and emails recently and our patience is being very sorely tested.  It is beginning to affect us both; our minds are not really on the work we have to do here and we find ourselves struggling to concentrate for any length of time.  Uncertainty can be quite an enemy!

That being said, I'm taking comfort at little achievements and successes - sorting  out a cupboard here; decluttering a drawer there.  The list may be long, but each item crossed off is a step in the right direction.