How many Polish people.....

....can you fit in the one bedroom flat in our basement?
Five at the moment, all adults. Remarkably quiet, apart from door slamming, they have to slam the door to get it to shut, so we don't blame them for that, we slam doors because we feel like it.
When our landlady said she was renting the basement flat to a polish man and perhaps his girlfriend, she told us that she had made it very clear that this is a family home, that we make noise and we make a lot of it, they had to live with that. They do, they are particularly polite, if we see them.
I am a martyr to smells. Smells rule my life, smells and noise. Visually, I am less bothered by things, long sighted and the least observant of people, I suspect I could ( and probably have) walked past my 'under the house' neighbours in the street and not even know it was them. I think the girl has blond hair and a less than cheerful face, the rest I have no idea about. I can tell you what they smell like though.
They cook delicious smelling food at the weekends and heaven help me, on saturday nights they have quiet parties where all their friends come over and smoke. They laugh, which is always a good thing at a party and they smoke, really a lot, of very strong smelling cigarettes. The smoke comes through the kitchen ( which is above their sitting room) and oh how it stinks.
I am not a fan of cigarette smell, I can appreciate the very first whiff of a newly lit cigarette and the occassional cigar will remind me of my grandpa at christmas time, anything over that and I really hate it.
I especially mind that smell in my house. I save drying for saturday nights ( actually, that's a lie, I don't save it but there is always laundry to dry) I put extra bounce drier sheets in and that masks the smell somewhat.
Naturally, because I do it so well, I worry about fires. All those people smoking in a tiny place ...throw the beers in and well, who's watching all those dog ends? I am comforted by the plethora of fire extinguishers we have in this house, we should perhaps read the instructions so we would know how to use them, rather than run around screaming like a demented lunatic wishing we knew what to do. I'm not sure how to even get them off the wall, I do know that a very loud alarm goes off when the boys try to get them off the wall.
I wish the people ( or the landlady) downstairs would arrange to have their mail delivered DOWNSTAIRS, there is a lot of mail for 5 adults and it all comes here and then we take it down. I give it to Jordan, he stacks it all up in his room and then when I have nagged him long enough he takes it down to them.
I am a bit sad when it comes to mail. I really look forward to the postman coming in the morning, I don't know why, it's not like I get much mail other than bills or official letters, ebay helps me feel people love me and are sending me presents, but I've been a bit ebay neglectful lately, what with being a born again miser and all.
So, when I hear the gate squeak, I smile inside and imagine what treats are about to be pushed through the letter box and plop on my coconut matting.
Usually some junk mail and 53 envelopes addressed to people whose names have lots of z's and y's in them. Even that joy is snatched from me.
My headache is a bit better, I'm down to that thumping empty feeling, I'll take that I suppose, it beats the bone crunching, brain squishing eye bulging headrot I had yesterday.
Isaac spared me this morning, I think the whole weekend of ' ooh Isaac, make sure you get some great books at SCHOOL on monday' and 'Isaac, I am so happy you are better and can go to SCHOOL on monday' must have worked.
He went to school like a good boy, he read 3 books with me and actually I got a real lift when we went to choose his books.....they are colour graded, starting at pink and working up to gold or white.....Isaac is on the blue level. I think that's about level 5 when we were choosing I noticed that the 2 children who were also choosing their new books, both in Isaac's class, were both choosing books from levels 2 and 3 levels lower than Isaac. Most times I get so wrapped up in the things Isaac can't / won't do, that it is refreshing to be reminded that there are things he excels at, when faced with daily reminders that this little boy is different and will always face these challenges it is easy to forget, that along with the difficulties, come so many incredible abilities.

I took the boys today as H is well and truly bedridden again with this flu ( hope its not bird flu, although why I think that is any worse then the flu he actually has I don't know. ) I hope I can get him to go to his doctor tomorrow, I don't think he could have actually made it there today he is so poorly. I do have sympathy when someone is ill but do wish they would see a doctor, take the medicine like a man and sleep. I don't suffer brave people well.
I think H was enormously relieved today when I told him to go to bed and sleep, he didn't take any persuading and stayed there the whole day. He looks terrible and I wish he would get that flu shot every year! I have an underlying and nagging worry about H lately, I wish I could put my finger on whatever it is, hopefully it is all in my mind anyway. When the spring comes and the sun is out I'm sure we will all feel better. He has had a rough winter. I think his Californian bones fine the weather here tough. He was so healthy in Cali, never saw a doctor ( of course, never had insurance so couldn't but we might tackle that topic another day !) since he has been here, he's had a heart attack, followed by Peri carditis, all kinds of illnesses that have laid him low. He must long for those days of sunshine even in february. He'd never say though, not like me when I was living there. I'm sure H was never in any doubt that I wanted to come home!
Ack, nearly 11pm and so much to do ready for tomorrow. Get well soon my H..the kitchen needs you!