In bed with Tony

Last night, I slept with Tony for the first time since 15 April, 2012, yes, 2012.

     I mean I slept with Tony in the same bed for the first time in almost sixteen months.

     The reason: renovations to our home.  And in true TI Time fashion, the renos are taking forever.

     If you are not a government department with a hefty purse, any building work is difficult to pull off. 

     First, it’s almost impossible to find a builder who will perform work at reasonable rates. 

     “Why would we do work for a private resident,” a builder said to me ten years ago, “when we can do the same work for the government and charge five times as much?”

     Bugger!  In year 12 modern history I was fascinated by the theory of communism, but I decided it could not work in practice because it is the inalienable right of every worker to charge according to the wonderful free-market forces of our Australian economy.  I am not so sure about that anymore.  Surely the ACCC has the power to cap prices, or something similar, at least on TI to make local home ownership and maintenance achievable.

     Secondly, on the off-chance the planets align and Aries is on the cusp of the ascendant, you may find a compassionate builder.  We found a wonderful builder who literally works 24/7.  You’ve heard the phrase, If you want something done, ask a busy person.  Well, that’s what JB is.  I don’t think he sleeps and he's a great builder.  Anyway, the deal was that JB would work on our place, subject to his other work commitments. 

     That was fine with us.  We could only have work done when we had money and that wasn’t often.  We did have money in February, 2012 which explains why we bought fibro sheeting and lengths of wood I believe are called battens.

     We were ready to start in April, after the school holidays when our full house had become less full (we had 9 – 14 children each day).

Before the renos: There were many children, always on mattresses.

They were on mattresses, day and night.

Or they dragged bedding out to the loungeroom.

I had no idea the children spent so much time on mattresses before the renos. You know, we always had tables and chairs. Four tables, in fact and lots of chairs.

     So, on 16 April, work started.  Forty year old masonite sheets that were walls and ceilings went flying over the veranda and shattered on impact.  Dustpan load of dustpan load of dirt, fur of some sort, electrical casing tidbits, cockroaches, rat droppings and the odd rat bone or skull filled the wheelie bin.

     When Tony and his mates tried to move our futon bed base (supported by four masonry blocks and held together with occy straps) it all fell apart. Tony and I could cope without a bed, especially since it wasn’t going to be for long.  JB said the fibro would be up in less than a day plus a day for painting and Bob’s your uncle!

     That’s as far as things got for eight months.  The rooms were naked; exposed beams and ceilings straight through to the aluminium roof. 

During the renos: These were our rooms for eight months.

On a positive note, there was great ventiliation!

     I started sleeping on a swag.  I loved laying in bed listening to a mysterious and soft whoosh-whoosh-whoosh that lulled me to sleep.  After three months I gave up trying to work out what it was and asked Tony.  It was the whirly bird that was audible without the ceiling.

     Very soon after the rooms were stripped, people dropped in to stay, as they do on TI.  Family stopping over, visitors to the island, friends of friends visiting the island who needed a bed.  People even slept on swags on the veranda when space got tight.

     So one night, during the June school holidays, I was ready for sleep when I found someone in MY swag, fast asleep. I needed to find something else.  The only thing was our former king bed mattress protector which, on a wooden floor, was surprisingly comfy. And that’s what I slept on for the next six months.

During the renos:  Gina Rose beat me to my mattress protector.

     My favourite Christmas present, actually only Christmas present was walls and ceilings.  But I did miss the whoosh-whoosh-whoosh of the whirly bird now the ceiling was up, including insulation.

     Walls and ceilings didn’t solve the problem of bedding.  We lost some mattresses when visiting dogs, including one we rescued ripped them to pieces or pissed on them too often that even Spray and Wipe lost its magic power. I am sure some mattresses fell apart or simply disappeared.

After the renos:  Everyone had a mattress or swag, well, most of the time.

Sometimes they had to share.  That's my mattress protector, by the way.

     Tony and I made do, him sleeping on a swag or directly on the wooden floor (when we had guests) and me on my mattress protector.  

Gina Rose loves that we have mattresses and swags instead of beds.  She is so fat, she simply cannot jump up on beds.

     Now I have a bed at Mum’s place, a double bed.  It’s a bit squishy and the surface is lumpy.  And it doesn't smell of Gina Rose! I miss my mattress protector.

     The first night Tony was down, I started the night in the bed with him then moved onto a swag, keen to spread out and not have to share space … as I have done for sixteen months.  

     The second night, last night, I started the night in bed with Tony and for some reason, stayed.  What surprised me is how hot it can be sleeping with a human.  I am used to sleeping with Gina Rose and she provides just enough warmth, probably due to her excessive adipose tissue! 

     Before I knew it, I had lasted the whole night, the first since 15 April, 2012, in bed with my darling.

     It wasn’t bad.  I think I might try it for a second night, even a third. 
     (Mental note to buy a double swag and freight it to TI before I fly home in August!)