A frugal life is an easy life!

It has been a week since I last posted, a week of complete madness!

Measles:
Sprog2 has been refused an appointment to see our local doctor, who then miraculously changed their mind and deemed it an emergency case and found a slot, once a rash came into the equasion!
The doctor told us the four days of anti biotics were a complete waste of time, as poor lil sprog2's "virus" was completely resistant to them.
If anything they made matters worse because they brought about vomiting and diarrhea, a factor of the anti biotics working... which was puzzling as the doctor not two minutes earlier said they were having no effect?
The rash - pin pricks of spots forming into groups all over her body and face - was the body "reacting" to the anti biotics and fighting the infection - again, despite being told that the infection was resistant to anti biotics?

We were given a stronger version of anti biotics and sent on our way. The high temperature was still there, but strangely, still on just her head, her body, legs, etc were normal body temperature, even her ears!
By the fifth day (first day of new anti biotics), the spots were in full view everywhere, the temperature disappeared, the vomiting stopped.
Clearly it was measles, I'm guessing that because the breathing difficulties were missing, measles diagnosis was missed?

Driving:
Wednesday - 240 miles round trip to Sunderland and back
Saturday - 360 miles round trip to Carsington, Derbyshire - Sunderland - back home
Sunday - 240 miles round trip to Sunderland and back

Visitors:
Rarely are we honoured with a family visit from my sister - a smaller version of me but with more facial hair.
Our kid is a bargain hunter and a master at kajoling things she can use at home. Always a hard worker, loves kids, she would give you her last penny. A real salt of the earth person.
So the prospect of her landing at our house for a couple of days was a rare treat.
Sadly for me... my sister is jinxed hehe.
Landing Wednesday night, going home Saturday, her two day break proceeded as follows;

• Wednesday - A call whilst I was at her house, telling me the chest freezer I had paid for wouldn't now be available until the following monday. After a nice sunny trip down, we got within a mile of home and it chucked it down, continuing throughout the night
• Thursday - The replacement fridge that should have been ready to collect, would not now be available until Friday, which meant that our payday and a day out would be hampered.
  A look around where we used to live was going well, until we headed back to the car, half way around our trek and got caught in a 40 minute drenching, we all had to go home and change.
  It continued to lash it down, washing out the rest of our day.
• Friday - A quick trip to the cash & carry in the van, was cut short when we only got 2 miles into the trip and the van conked out. A two hour wait for the AA to come out and fix a loose wire, Hoovergerl drove out and picked up our kid and I sat there like a plumb.
  Of course my auto electrician couldn't fix the wiring until Saturday, which meant that the fridge and freezer I was collecting couldn't now be picked up. I gave it a temporary fix and managed it, which left the kitchen looking like a complete bombsite when all the old stuff and the new stuff was moved around.
  I couldn't put anything outside as once again it poured down.
  We didn't get our day out and the pies I was supposed to buy and take up north with me on Saturday, were not bought.
  Eazylee landed for sprog1's birthday night out, but the bed that was supposed to be set up for him, was conveniently forgotten about.
• Saturday - With our kid and Ams (my niece) we headed out in the rain down to pick Mum up from her Derbyshire break and return them all to Sunderland.
  We got stuck in traffic going through Stockport so arrive 45 minutes late picking mum up.
  We stopped at one services on the way up north, to find they had closed not 10 minutes earlier (24 hour service station closing at 1pm?) - the next service station we pulled into had not a single parking space so we drove back on to the motorway, turning off at Scotch corner where I was stung for £23 for 4 burgers, fries and drinks!
• As if this wasn't enough bad luck, sprog2 was ill and gurny all the time she was here.

Of course, my driving jobs continued, at just 10 minutes notice, when sprog1, who was supposed to escort eazylee home, informed me, "I'm not fit to drive I feel terrible!"
Which of course is sprog code for, can dad do it for me because I cannot be bothered!

It worked okays though, as I took the now fixed van up with our old freezer up for our kid, that she had declared she wanted on her visit. Problem was, I only do a maximum of 65mph in the van, it was gone 4.15am before I got back home!

A sunny day today, despite only six hours kip, I got chance to mow the lawn, cut half the overgrown grass borders down, fitted two pieces of glass into the greenhouse, weed the strawberry patch ready for the new seedlings to come through and nip down to Asda for some baby bits (I did manage to pick up a couple of Christmas presentes as well!)

It's fair to say.... I am a tad tired.