Route Knowledge?

Robbie has been extending his route knowledge recently, or at least that's his excuse. The combination of disturbed sleep (due to pain) and new medication caught up with him on his journey to work and he fell asleep on the train before reaching New Street. He awoke to find himself heading for Walsall - the train had reached New Street and departed again! Fortunately he catches a very early train in order to have a more comfortable journey so even after his 'little diversion' he was still at work in good time. Poor Robbie, he put on a brave face and joked about 'route knowledge' but he was quite upset about it. Sometimes trying to manage chronic pain can make even the simplest things very difficult.

When I wrote my previous blog entry about Robbie leaving his trousers at work, I thought that was the end of his 'trouser troubles' but the drama continued. Despite being exactly the same size as the trousers that he already has (that fit him perfectly) the new trousers didn't fit, so I had to deal with a very disappointed Robbie. We had the folded arms, the sulky look and the jutting bottom lip, but eventually he had to accept defeat and order a different size. The new ones arrived on Friday, but he has been so poorly that he hasn't tried them on yet - I think I will cry if these don't fit! 

The Incredible Sulk!

I have been feeling really rough, I just don't seem able to get better despite antibiotics, steroids, inhalers and various other pills and potions, I am so frustrated with it. I would have liked to postpone Christmas, but it wasn't to be. I wasn't as organised as usual and we had a number of last minute preparations in order to be ready for the big day. Robbie had a strop because he wanted to set the kitchen out slightly differently and I wouldn't let him because it just wasn't practical. Robbie is so closely in touch with his inner child that he is capable of a 'terrible two's' style strop whenever the need arises, and since I have no need of an extra child I usually just leave him to it until he manages to recapture his inner child and behave like a human being again.

Unfortunately when Christmas Day dawned Robbie was still in a strop, he had most of the bed, and the whole duvet with covers pulled over his head and his rear end sticking out. My attempts to communicate were rebuffed so I left him in bed while I went down to watch the family open their presents. I knew it was going to be one of those days when I found the treat left for me downstairs – a pile of dog sick! Meg had stolen some chocolates the day before and obviously it didn't agree with her. Not only had she chosen to target the only piece of carpet on the ground floor, but everyone else seemed to be wearing blinkers, they managed to avoid stepping in it without even seeing it. After that glorious start to the day I stank of disinfectant as I settled down to watch them open their presents, but it was still very special. I had put hours of effort into wrapping everything up, but in a matter of minutes everything was unwrapped and the lounge was a covered in wrapping paper – more cleaning up! When sanity was restored to the lounge I plodded upstairs to see if 'the incredible sulk' had become human again, but he was still talking out of the only visible part of his anatomy so I left him to it and after a bath to get rid of the disinfectant smell, I got on with the cooking.

We had my brother and my parents with us for the day and we had a lovely time. It was tiring and by the end of the day I was so fed up with listening to Guitar Hero on the Wii, but it was a very special day and there is nothing nicer than being surrounded by your family. Thankfully Robbie got his act together by lunchtime, and he joined in with the day. He had to wait until everyone had gone home to get his presents, but I think they were worth waiting for. He gave me several nice things including a signed copy of Pete Waterman's book A Train is for Life. It is nice to have the adult Robbie back!

Plastic Pigs 11.01.07

Robbie managed to seriously annoy me tonight. It wasn't the usual combination of mild amusement and exasperation, I was seriously angry and ready to deck him. Robbie is a creature of habit and the trouble started this evening when his usual routine was disrupted. There was no conspiracy, it just worked out that way. First he wasn't able to put his briefcase in exactly the position that he usually does. Then Emily and I were preparing the evening meal together and Robbie had a king sized sulk, I would have been overjoyed if someone said I didn't have to cook but Robbie took it as a personal insult. He always makes a coffee, puts his 'lounge wear' on and then helps me in the kitchen, he couldn't cope with a change in his routine.

I am in the unenviable position of having two mother in law's, well almost, Robbie's mum is dead, but he has a step mum. Anyway my mother in law bought us an omelette maker for Christmas and Emily and I decided that it was time to try it out. Robbie announced that he hated omelettes and he hated salad too, he would just have chips. A different meal was cooked for him. He hovered around the kitchen banging stuff around, washing up things that I hadn't finished with, putting away things that I was still using and throwing away the ingredients for my omelette! Despite the adverse circumstances I managed to produce a meal for everyone with an alternative for him. All he had to do was to carry his meal to the table, but he failed to arrive. He was frying himself two eggs while the rest of his meal went cold, he could have done them earlier or asked me to do them for him. For me it was the last straw, I fantasised about creating a head sized dent in the frying pan, but I settled for a bit of 'fortune telling' instead. As we finished our meal he said 'those omelettes looked nice, I think I will try one next time'. I was speechless!!!

He did apologise later. They say that making up is the best part, but Robbie had his own unique ways of trying to get back into my good books. He sent me an email with his latest suggestions for dealing with overcrowding on the railways, I wasn't impressed! Then he asked if he could go out on Saturday because he wants to have one last ride on a Plastic Pig (train). I love him dearly, but just occasionally I wish he was a little more 'normal'. There is one thing to be thankful for - he's not twins!!