We have a very confusing little mystery and in the absence of Hercule Poirot, Robbie has been investigating. Just after Christmas I noticed that my tea had a funny taste, at first I thought it was just my imagination but then Robbie noticed that his coffee tasted a bit odd too. He insisted that the problem could be traced back to his mishap on Boxing Day when a bottle of vanilla essence launched itself out of the cupboard and spilled on to the worktop. He thought that some of the vanilla essence must have gone into the kettle, it seemed a bit of a long shot, but it could have been the cause of the trouble. After a couple of days I made a close inspection of the inside of the kettle and found that it was a bit greasy. I gave it a good clean and rinsed it about twenty times before drying it with a paper towel, but I didn't have a chance to test it before I went to work.
When I got home from work Robbie made me a cup of tea and to my dismay it still had a horrible taste. More detective work followed which led to us replacing the kettle in case there was something wrong with the other kettle. The first cup of tea seemed a bit better but then things went down hill and the nasty taste was back. I tasted the water from the cold tap and it seemed fine, but the water in the kettle had a horrible taste so the mystery deepened.
We had almost given up hope, but earlier this evening Robbie showed me the jug that he uses to fill the kettle. I always fill the kettle straight from the tap, but Robbie is a creature of routine and he insists that the correct way to do it is to use a jug. Unfortunately the jug that he uses is the old plastic measuring jug that I use to make gravy etc. It always gets washed up but I think it must be the jug that is tainting the water, I will replace it when I go shopping, but from now on Robbie will use a glass jug to fill the kettle. We have had two decent cups of tea since replacing the jug so we have our fingers firmly crossed. I hope we have solved the problem
Friday didn't start very well, Robbie seemed to take an age to get ready to go out. We went to Wroxham Barns, Robbie likes it there because they have a local Brewery called Uncle Stuart's. He had a pint of Uncle Stuart's Summer Ale, he said it was very nice and it certainly made him a bit more mellow. My pot of tea was nice too, it is just as well that I'm teetotal as I have to do all the driving. I have had some very good tea while in Norfolk - they could certainly teach Cross Country a thing or two when it comes to tea making!
There is lots to see and do at Wroxham Barns, shops and craft studios (including a model shop so Robbie was in his element), a junior farm, a cider and apple juice producer, restaurants and cafes, crazy golf and various rides. We enjoyed looking around and Robbie left with a selection of ales as wel as a stash of beer mats.
We had a walk on the beach when we got back, the tide was going out and the tide washed beach looked beautiful with the sun dancing on the waves and the little ripples of retreating tide running over the sea placed pebbles in the smoothe wet sand. We sat there just looking out at the sea and remembering the many special times we have spent here. I love this place.
Sunday mornings are special, but this week I was not best pleased with Robbie when I woke up on Sunday morning because he had woken me up at 3am when he came to bed. Does he seriously think that I want to chat at that time in the morning? He always knows how to get around me, very sensibly he didn't try to make excuses he just apologised and then plodded off to make me a cup of tea.
When he came back to bed he cuddled up next to me, looked me in the eyes and said that he had something to tell me. I wondered what he could possibly want to say, he looked very serious, then he announced that he had run out of marmalade! I told him that this wasn't the moment to be talking about marmalade, but he just gave me that lost little boy look that he does so well. Then he snuggled up closer and told me to make sure that I choose thick cut Golden Shred when I buy his next pot of marmalade. Sometimes words fail me!
The title for this post comes from the poem The King's Breakfast by A A Milne.
Robbie had undercarriage problems at the end of last week. On Thursday I bought him a Lego City police van set with the police dog and the police man minifigure. He sat down at the table to build it with a big smile on his face, but after a few minutes he announced that his undercarriage was missing. We checked but there was no sign of it in the box, all the other bits were there, but they were useless with the vital part missing. So Friday saw back at the shop in search of the missing part, the things I do to put a smile on his face! He was delighted when he got home and the part was waiting for him on the table. He built the police van, equipped the minifigure with an impossibly large pair of handcuffs and then called me over to admire his work - he even set the scene by creating a range of police dog noises! Okay, I know he is a bit weird, but it is a harmless pass time, there are plenty of worse things that he could be doing. Anyway seeing him smile makes me happy too.
This morning he cuddled up to me in bed and somehow got on to the subject of one of his odd little obsessions. We have two different sets of cutlery, but Robbie will only use a three pronged fork while my son insists on only using a four pronged fork. They are as bad as each other, but both try to convince me that the other is much worse when it comes to weird obsessions! Robbie warmed to his theme and went on to tell me about the perfect dimensions of a tea spoon. Apparently there has been a serious upset at work, his personal tea spoon which was perfect in every way has been stolen! According to Robbie it is irreplaceable - but that will not stop him trying, he intends to scour ebay in search of a replacement! I scored a minor triumph, I managed to distract him before he got on to the subject of knives! I'm sure I haven't heard the last of his very specific cutlery requirements, but there is only so much that I can cope with in one day.
A few weeks ago I went to Coombe Abbey with my friend, it was a very special treat because we had afternoon tea there and it was lovely to get a glimpse of the inside of the building. It was a very cold and blustery day and my asthma was playing up so we only went for a short walk before having tea, but we came across some beautiful clumps of snowdrops hidden away at the side of the building. They are so small and fragile but so beautiful, to me seeing them push through the ground when the weather is still so cold and miserable is a sign of hope that spring is not too far away.
Until this year I hadn't visited Coombe Abbey since 1986. Eric (my first husband) and I used to go there sometimes just after we were married; we lived in Rugby at that time. It has changed so 
much since then, but my life has changed beyond recognition too. Back then we had everything to look forward to, so much has happened since then, some of it good especially the children, and sadly some of it such as Eric's illness and death not good at all. My life is so different now, I have learnt to take pleasure in the simple things in life and to take time to enjoy what I have now rather than always looking for something better in the future
Robbie gets up at about 5.15am on weekdays and I get up shortly afterwards. I am not that keen on mornings, they always seem to come around far too soon. It takes a cup of tea and a large dose of Radio 4 (I have a radio in the bathroom) before I am ready to face the day. Even then I find the sight of Robbie trotting around the house in his knickers a bit hard to cope with and I am certainly not ready for 'meaning of life' type questions. This morning Robbie asked "Why are lemmings so suicidal?" I have no idea, perhaps it is because people keep asking them impossible questions first thing in the morning! Once again I was left wondering what exactly goes on in Robbie's head, but that is certainly not a question to contemplate early in the morning.
Well, I have more evidence that Robbie is losing touch with reality. At the weekend when I was feeling unwell he was very attentive, making sure tat I had frequent cups of tea, etc. He could see that I needed cheering up so he brought me his latest treasure to look at - a 1966 Rugby to Euston timetable. I suppose if I ever work out how to travel back in time I will at least know when to expect the next train!
This evening, having promised me his undivided attention he was busy chatting online to one of his colleagues about Volume 3 of LMS Coaching Stock - scintillating!
