Monday 18 April 2011

Home alone

Tom and Betty went away on a jolly to visit friends last weekend - I really didn't feel like going (very stressful week) and so Dolly and I stayed behind.  And for the first time ever, I spent the night in our house, with no other adults present.

I spent all of Saturday mentally preparing, and trying to hypnotise myself into not being scared of the bleating sheep, the rustling trees, and the people hiding in hedges.  I had to wait until dusk when the pesky chickens had retired into their hut so that I could lock them up before I could retire to bed myself.  Because I was on high alert, mine and Betty's newly-installed homemade scarecrow, next to the chicken run, gave me the shock of my life and with heart pounding I ran back to the house, locked all the doors, hid all the keys, turned all the lights on, took a swig of rum, and went upstairs with my new box-set of Benidorm, an Easter egg, and Heat magazine.

From my bed, I nervously watched dusk turn into darkness and kept giving myself pep talks.  I reasoned that it would be pretty unlucky to get burgled on the one night I was alone in eight years.  Plus, I wasn't actually alone, I had Dolly sleeping soundly in her cot next door, but she isn't even two yet and wouldn't be that much use during a break-in crisis - though saying that, with her Phil Mitchell thuggish tendencies, she would probably be a hell of lot more use than me.

Still I was scared so I decided to sleep with the lights and the TV on in the bedroom - I found a channel showing snooker, so decided that would be calming enough to sleep through.  At 2am I woke to the sound of balls being potted, and Dolly crying.  Spotting an opportunity to join forces against the unknown terrors outside, I went straight to her and asked if she wanted to come into my bed. She said 'no'.  I took her anyway.  I turned the lights and the snooker off and cuddled up to an annoyed Dolly. 

Next thing I knew it was 6.30am, Dolly was fast asleep and as far away as possible from me in the bed, and it was light.  I felt so unbelievably relieved we had made it through the night, and although I had had the help of Dolly, the medicinal rum, the snooker, and all the lights, and had hardly slept, I felt this was a real breakthrough.

10 comments:

Mummy...Mummy.....MUM!! said...

I'm scared of being left alone at night too. It seems a big responsibility when theres little ones to look after. x

Expat mum said...

Back in the 90's my husband worked away a lot and even though I live in a city, I used to lie awake at night imagining someone coming up the stairs. Why we didn't get the alarm fitted then I don't know, but might I suggest one. Or a dog?

(My word verif. is "alarmu" - I swear.)

mum in meltdown said...

My husband used to work nights for a week at a time and although I have never been scared on my own it is very different when you have the kids with you as all responsibility falls to you! I didn't get much sleep then lol

Elsie Button said...

Hi Mummy Mum - i wish i had that excuse, but i think i was just as bad before kids...

Hi Expat Mum, yes i am def going to look into alarms (dogs, never!) it's weird because i was never scared on my own in london - surely the wrong way round?

Elsie Button said...

hi mum in meltdown, i think i actually feel safer having the kids there - dolly certainly made me feel safer, altho she was pretty annoyed with me!

Elsie Button said...

I have just noticed something quite funny... the scarecrow looks remarkably like the picture of Tom I drew on my header!

Pig in the Kitchen said...

Before my dear dog came into my life, I used to be shit scared at night as well.

One evening I rigged up a home-made burglar alarm. this consisted of placing a table in front of the front door and balancing a stainless steel bowl right on the edge of it. At the slightest nudge (caused by crazy rapist bursting into house lustfully to ravage me) the bowl would tumble down onto the tile floor and well, everything would be solved. I still didn't sleep well even with my bowl alarm.

Now I just rely on the dog to bark and lie awake panicking that the smoke alarm isn't going to work and we'll all die of asphyxiation.

My mind is a troubled place...

;-)

Pig x

Elsie Button said...

love the bowl alarm system - would expect nothing less from you Pig!

Tom thought that the whole scarecrow/tom likeness would amuse you - i told him that you proably had a quiet chuckle to yourself about it :-)

A Farmer's Wife said...

Really identify with this. I live on a farm in Australia - if I am the only on here at night our nearest neighbour is 10km away. I have got less nervous with time but still don't sleep well and keep a hockey stick near the bed (because obviously that would be really useful given I would be too scared to even move if I heard someone....)

Sparx said...

Gods you make me laugh. The Frog spends one night a week at his studio and I really enjoy it - not least because I haul Charlie into bed whether he likes it or not... normally I'm not scared but last time, I had a complete case of the heebie-jeebies and 2am saw me huddled under the duvet with the lights on and the cat being very, very grumpy about it...