I've been sick

Well frankly, I still am. According to the doc yesterday, I've done a grand job of almost completely fighting off a case of chest infection. Wonderful. As an added bonus, if I don't feel better tomorrow, I get to go on antibiotics. Even better. needless to say, it will take a miracle for me not to feel better tomorrow.

So mainly over the last 3 days, I've been lying in bed/on couch/ on bathroom floor/ on kitchen floor, trying to gather the energy to get to the next place I'm going. During this time, as an indication of how sick I was, I didn't manage to finish one book. In fact it was worse than that - I still haven't finished the book I started LAST THURSDAY!!!

When I told my mother this, she was sure I was on death's door. It's amazing isn't it? Hearing me croak over the phone, the graphic descriptions of what I was coughing up (bright green), of how little I was eating (basically nothing), of how many night sweats I'd had (eight) and how many new pairs of jammies I'd had to buy (four) got a reaction of 'Oh poor you, I'm sure you'll be better soon.' One mention of having been incapable of reading a book and I get something akin to panic: 'I'll be on the next flight over, is Al there to look after you, does he know what to do'...... etc. etc. etc. Between that and the words 'chest infection' coming out of the doctor's mouth (words destined to put fear in mother's heart ever since the fever of '02 when our family doc at home was called out at 2am and told Ma there was no way on earth she should've waited til morning)...well my poor mammy was worried in the extreme.

And then the in-laws came calling.

OK to be fair, it wasn't like they were calling unannounced. The visit had been planned for about a month. But they knew I was sick. They knew Al had been sick last week. They knew our attitudes to taking time off work. All the signs were there that a visit was the last thing we needed. They even said on arrival they'd thought twice about coming since we were ill.

And yet they came.

And they're here til Monday.

So we're entertaining. I spent most of yesterday forcing the hoover across carpet that frankly could have gone another month or so without desperately needing hoovering. I dusted. I swept and mopped floors. I baked. I cooked. I washed. I dried. I did laundry. In short, I exhausted myself so that the first time my mother-in-law set foot in our marital home, she wouldn't have the chance to find fault with anything.

Why?

Cos I've seen the problems she's caused in her other son's house and I won't have that happening in my home. If that means I get up at 6am on my first day back at work to do the washing up and fold laundry - so be it. It's worth it for the security of my marriage. Do I resent her for it? Of course. Do I wish I could trust her to help out as I ask and no further? Of course. Is it going to happen? Hell no. They haven't learned a thing from the whole fiasco with the other son. They're trying to replay it all with us. I mean, who comes to visit people when they're both in work? It's plain unfair. It means instead of collapsing into jammies tonight when I get home and sleeping, I've to cook and play hostess.

So, another hour or so in work and then off I go. Home for a long tiring weekend.

Roll on Monday when I might get some peace and quiet!