That time of year again

Around this time, three years ago, Steve arrived in Florida for the week. We quickly obtained a marriage license, a suit, and a hotel room at the Polynesian Resort before our big day the following Monday.

Our anniversary is next week, and we will once again be heading across the pond. We’ll visit my parents, go to Disney, sit along Cocoa Beach, drive across Central Florida, and just enjoy being on our yearly holiday.

I am so happy to be going since we’ve just had a hard week with the wasps that will not go away, my not working because teachers don’t get tired of students until October, and my crazy scramble to find some contacts for the trip when Specsavers didn’t order them in time.

I had written a whole blog post about these incidences but, alas, I’m fully of worry and nerves about how many bugs are going to be in the flat while the cat and the cat sitter are here. I try not to get myself this distracted, but I can’t write, can’t read, can’t eat, can’t sleep, can’t do anything without constantly wondering where the next wasp is going to show up. Luckily we only see one or two a day, but that’s still way too many. They’re coming in from somewhere downstairs and no matter how much we plug and seal off holes in the windows, walls, floors, or doorframes, they still just appear. Absolutely maddening.

So, yeah, escaping at this time of year is awesome. I want to come back refreshed and renewed and ready to prepare for supply teaching and NaNoWriMo. Honestly, the cabin fever of being in the house for six weeks without work is probably the main cause for my worry, but there’s nothing I can do about any of it. That’s the worst part. I cannot stand not being in control of a situation, and feeling absolutely helpless.

But, anyway, I’ve had my hair done, painted my toenails and fingernails, and found my list of things to take with me that we used last year. I just want to focus on being happy about the vacation, so I will. I will update when I can and get myself plenty of Instagram photos during the trip.

Florida, here we come!

Wasp killing and allergy attacks

I’m writing from the living room on the netbook. I have had an interesting last couple of days.
On Sunday morning, when the wind got a little colder, I awoke at 7AM to buzzing in my bedroom window. I sprayed him, and went back to bed. Then Steve said he heard another one. We taped up the window where there had been a gap that whistled when it was windy out. We thought we’d figured it out, so we went to McDonald’s for breakfast.
We came home, went to bed. Slept for a couple hours. Heard another bee. I sprayed that one, got up, went to the computer. Steve said there was another one. I sprayed it too. We spent all morning trying to figure out where they were coming from. We filled every crevice around the window we could find, even having one fly towards Steve as he investigated the window.
I was ready to cry by the time we had eight of them come in. We couldn’t figure out where/how they were getting there, and I even had to chase one (who started chasing me) that was aiming for the overhead light.
Finally, Steve figured out there was a soft spot in the wall next to the curtain rod. He shoved a ton of Blu-Tac in the crevice, and even said he could feel cold air coming from there. We could see the little buggers coming in, but didn’t know where they were coming out. After he plugged that hole, we didn’t seem to have anymore in the bedroom at all.
However, that didn’t convince me. I was totally freaking out; convinced I heard them everywhere, and knew I’d never be able to sleep in that room if I thought one would come back. Steve sweetly agreed to sleep on the couch with me all night.
Then I ended up with a cold. Well, I’m not sure if it’s a cold or an allergy attack from the wasp spray. Whatever it is, it started off with the chills before bed (a tale-tell sign for me) and then my eye felt itchy. Eventually, as the night progressed, my eye was red, puffy and irritated, and my nose was runny. Steve has been sick with a virus that the doctor said just needed to run its course, so I’m wondering if that’s what is going on with me too. I slept on the couch all yesterday and today. We finally slept in bed last night without incident, but I’m much more content on this couch.
Sunday night we called an exterminator who said they’d put us in as “urgent” but they didn’t call back until noon, so I arranged for another guy to come (whom I’m waiting for now) and help us out. He said that if these things are living in the eaves of the windows, they’re wasps, not bees.
Yuck! Yuck! Yuck! As if that buzzing wasn’t creepy enough, now I can’t even think of them as cute little bees? Blech! Kill them! Get them outta here! Pronto!
I saw the first one outside my computer room window in April or so and I haven’t been able to keep my window open since then. We’ve had them coming in all summer and I’m tired of it. It’s driving me crazy and keeping me from getting anything done now because I’m worried about them all the stinking time.
I really would be useless during a zombie apocalypse. Just give me a bubble to live in.
UPDATE:  It’s 11PM and the exterminator has been here. I showed him the computer room window out back and he agreed that it was odd that our window was their choice in the whole building and the eave has a big gap above the window and he said that needed to be solid. We’ll have to get that sorted this winter.
Anyway, so the guy asked if the window opened because he wanted to go into the house, open the window, and kill them from there. I took him back to the computer room, let him move the electronics around and let him have at them. He had this crazy bee keeper type suit, and he just pumped poison dust up in the hive and shooed the wasps back outside when they tried to come inside. Only one was in the room that he swatted before he left, and when Steve and I got home, one was half dead in the kitchen window.
They were all mad outside, which the exterminator said will last for an hour, then it would be over. By the time we got back home, there was no swarming around the window anymore either. Apparently the only reason they tried to get into the house via the bedroom window was because they’re just trying to find their hive and get confused. A window is a window.
Stupid wasps.
Anyway, I’m so, so happy that they’ve been poisoned and I’ll keep checking on them to see how long this takes for them to get gone completely.

#AugustBreak2013 Day 31

I skipped yesterday. Totally forgot. I had a photo to use for the sign theme [HERE] too but I just didn’t even remember to do it. I was busy editing and trying to keep myself awake long enough to get some work done before bed last night.

Today was a pretty leisurely day. We walked into town (a new routine we’ve had the last couple of weekends – really helps my back to exercise like that) and Steve ordered a pair of sunglasses from Specsavers. I forgot to bring my glasses to have them adjusted though. I always end up getting them too lose, so they fall down my nose. It must be from wearing them while I lie on the couch on my side.

Anyway, it’s technically the first of September here in the U.K. School will start Monday, which is so fitting because it’s begun to feel autumnal outside. Sunny with a crisp breeze. Even the living room was chilly today and I wore a cardigan out. Wow.

Better than stifling heat in here though.

This month will be our anniversary and my birthday as well. Exciting times!

Anyway, August has been good. I got a lot of what I wanted to get done, and I really enjoyed the photo prompts for the blog posts. I’ll have to look up another challenge for September or October too.