Bad mood rising

And home....

It was fantastic to walk around London in the heat and enjoy some really hot sunshine this week. So much so I walked for miles instead of taking the bus. I also had some lovely 'friend-time' and it's always so great to catch up with people. One particular friend, Suky, I've known for over 30 years from when we were pregnant with our No. 1 Sons and every time I see her it's like that was all yesterday. Both of us can't believe we have 30 year old children.

Mountain Man who was holding the fort at home had an emergency call to come and work on a gig in London over the weekend, so I had to curtail my visit - I was going to come back today - and came back yesterday to be on dog-duty. I had to cancel a couple of things... another dinner out and drinks with my beer-buddy from Thailand, but such is life.

The only thing I was pleased to leave London for was my mother. She was on true negative bitch form and spent as much time as possible criticising everyone and everything she could.

It started when I was travelling to London to go to my brother's retirement party at Edmonton County Court (he was a judge there) and just as I was coming towards London where all the tunnels interfere with any chance of phone calls my mother phoned me. I couldn't pick it up. Next I got a text from MM to tell me my mother had been on the phone to him asking where I was. Apparently I was expected at her house. Given that I was coming in to Kings Cross and going North to Edmonton and staying with my brother in Hertfordshire (something I'd discussed with my mother a few months ago) I couldn't for the life of me think why my mother would think I would be going to her house in Central London. I texted MM back and asked him to let her know.

I arrived at the court in good time and was enjoying my glass of chilled white wine, when my mother stormed in. She was not pleased at being late and her poor chauffeur had got it in the neck. I also got it in the neck for not telling her any of my arrangements (wtf?) and the rest of the family got it in the neck for various complaints.... in other words, she was in a foul mood.

The mood stayed and she failed to say goodbye to anyone but me, but I got a 'well I'll see you this year, next year, sometime, never' complete with a head toss (wtf? x2) and she swept out of the party.

My brother, his wife, two of my nieces and my brother's neighbours and I all went out for a Chinese dinner, which was fine. Just one faux pas on my part when I joked with my brother about his growing stomach and my sister-in-law pointedly turned to her neighbours and told them how like my mother I was. For yet another time that day I thought wtf?, but I let it go as didn't want to be the cause any more negativity and managed to get through the whole event pretty much unscathed.

I arrived at my mother's house the next afternoon to be met by an even worse mood. We sat and watched Heather Watson play Daniela Hantuchova and my mother spent the whole match denigrating Heather Watson, British tennis, my brother, my nieces, me and on and on. I was pleased to get out and meet up with a friend for drinks. Anything to be away. I got back late as I knew she'd be asleep.

The next day I had fun doing a bit of work and research and then back home to my mother's to be met by an even larger wall of bad mood. This time she started in on my boys and I'd had enough so told her I wouldn't listen to criticism of my children and left her to the tennis on her own while I got on with my own stuff. When she came to say she was going out she seemed to have calmed down, but no apology. I let it go as I refuse to let it get to me these days. And then I went out and had a great time, getting in late again so I didn't have to interact.

Yesterday morning while I was cooking my eggs for breakfast my mother came in and started criticising the way I boil eggs because I put the lid on the pan. Apparently this is so wrong and I'm the only person who does this. She turned to Bob, her chauffeur, and asked him how he boiled his eggs. 'With the lid on,' he replied. I couldn't help but smile!

So, it was a distinct relief to leave my mother's house and head home even if it did mean I had to curtail my socialising.

I'm looking forward to a restful weekend with my hairy monster and some good tennis and can only hope that by the time I go back down to London on the 19th July for work on 20th that her mood will have improved. I can but hope!