Going off road.

Song of the day: “A song for whoever” by The Beautiful South. Gawd, it’s been ages since I last heard it, let alone thought about it.

Well, I don’t know if today was interesting, but I did manage to stay busy, so that’s a plus.
First thing first, this morning…I’m only slightly late…I head down to the house, toss in a new batch of laundry and then head inside for the usual chores and get down to the edit. We manage four pages in the hours that follow and get some solid ideas to add details to the plot. It is going to take some work to include it all, but I think it will really improve the story.

It is a hot day, and while we sit at the table, the mercury rises up to a whopping 35 degrees, which makes me feel rather sluggish and dip in the pool three times in a four-hour time span. Oh my, it takes some getting used to after the last, somewhat cool, week. Heck, I even woke up with a head that felt like a piece of wood.

Since, as is usual with the rewrite edit, at some point my head can no longer formulate a single coherent sentence, we knock off and head out into the scorching heat of the courtyard.
Ticks are causing a lot of problems again…clustering on the dogs, and all…so we moved the old bathtub down and set it in the center of the courtyard.

For the next two hours, we dip dogs into the chemical bath; one after the other, going from big ones to smaller ones, until there’s too little water left. A refill is necessary and before you know it, we’re finally done…with the delicious scent of dinner being cooked by mom, making my mouth water.

We quickly have dinner, and then decide to head out with the Land Rover. The other day we got the brilliant idea to improve the appearance of the courtyard. The plan is to make big mats of reed which will then be stuck up to the metal roof and make it all look a lot more like a natural covering.

This means that we’re going to need to get a lot of reed and that’s going to be quite an adventure in the next few months. We head south west, down into the valley, where the head slowly turns into oven-like temperatures. Seriously, I can feel the moisture seep from my pores as we drive through plantations on dirt roads, following the small river until at last we come up on a section where we can cut away reed to our heart’s content.

I gotta admit that the area feels a little freaky. Sorta like those horror movies, like, “The hills have eyes”, “Wrong turn” or anything of that sort. Hah. Creaking branches make me jump, and there are many of those what with the wind blowing like a hairdryer. There is a lovely little river, however.
Here’s a pic:




The water is wonderfully cool, and I do take a moment to wet my skin before we head into the jungle-like reeds. On my way there, I come across a jeep with a bunch of guys drinking beer. They’re actually looking at me while they pass, slowing down and everything, so I quickly climb up the slope to join grandpa and big brother. Soon we start cutting the long stems into manageable lengths that fit into the back of the car.
When we stop, darkness has already fallen and we carefully pick our way out of the green area to head back home.

The Land Rover is perfect for back roads, or course; a trip such as this sure proves it. Hah. It bounces, it roars, but has not a single problem navigating over bumps and potholes, and within no time, we’re back home.

Seeing as I’m seriously overheated, I take another quick dip in the pool and then head inside to catch the end of a “Lost” episode and write down today’s Blog.
I just plug in on the power, when something pops and the TV shuts off. Since “Lost” needs to be recorded, we put in an extension cord, while big brother gets out his tools and starts checking the wiring. As it turns out it wasn’t a fuse that blew, but due to the heat some plastic of a wire connection melted, causing a short.

The problem gets dealt with in short time, and before you know it all is well again…but since I’d already moved to the kitchen to finish writing today’s blog, sitting at the counter on a bar stool. An interesting experience, especially since it is not at all comfortable. Hah.

Only another edit to go and then the day comes to another end. Phew. I do hope that the temperatures are going to drop a bit…but that might be asking too much. Hah.

Groceries. All very boring.

Song of the day: “The Four Seasons” by Vivaldi...spring to be exact. I know, technically, it’s not a song, but it keeps tumbling through my head, so it counts. Hah.

I’m running dreadfully behind, so let’s make this quick.
Today was grocery day, yay (Not!) and it was rather warm even when I woke up and faced the day ahead with my usual tardiness making me feel ragged before the morning is over. There are the usual chores, laundry - from the new lines, mind you - that has dried almost wrinkleless. Thrilled I am. Thrilled! Hah…one has to enjoy the minor things in life otherwise life passes by unnoticed, doesn’t it?

Breakfast over and done with, and with my habitual coffee going down by the mug, we get down to the daily edit fast. We have to go early today…seeing it’s Thursday and all, and our tenant needs to be picked up…so in order to get anything done, we need to leave less than four hours after rising.

Big brother and I finally muddle our way through the hard scene (thankfully) and just when a new one is about to start, time’s up and I need to get ready. A second dip in the pool is warranted: the heat is somewhat fierce today, and in light of that, I am not really looking forward to spend the majority of the day in the car. But groceries need to be done, and since the younger sibs want to come along, big brother opts to stay home for a change.

In the hours that follow, we go from store to store, fuel up the Land Rover, go to some more stores…there was a 90% off in the big shopping mall, so I got some tops for three bucks a pop and summer jeans for 5. Little sister did the same, so that was successful at the very least.
Finally, with everything done, two weeks worth of groceries piled in the back…it’s for nine people so you can imagine how full the back was, hah…we are heading back home.

It takes almost forty minutes to get everything stored away, especially since the dogs always get in the way during this particular chore. I take a quick dip, feeling somewhat overheated after all the activity, and then head back inside to have dinner. Mom made spaghetti and fresh tomato sauce and that always falls well.

As is our habit on grocery shopping day, some DVDs were rented, and after dinner, we watch the new movie “Push”. It wasn’t bad. Not WOW either, but I’ve seen far worse, that’s a fact. Besides, I liked the leads, and Dakota Fanning was kinda fun to see now she’s past that scary-serious age that Haley-Joel Osmond also had. She actually reminded me of another, older actress, but for the life of me I can’t come up with a name.

I liked the “skills” the characters had. Such ideas do make the world interesting, and the “Perfect Soldier” bit, dating back as far as the 2nd world war, well...That’s always fun. I could have done with a bit more explanatory and less so-called pretty shots. For as far as I was concerned, the director, could have added a bit more dialogue instead.

But anyways, throughout the movie I’m picking ticks off the dogs that are within reach. There are many…dogs as well as ticks, hah…and I end up with a cup of water, black with the little buggers. I hate ticks, I seriously, seriously do; and with the way things are looking, at the moment, we’re going to have to bathe the dogs again, soon. It is getting scary again, seeing as the big fat ugly critters are literally crawling the floors.

Campo life: it has some major advantages, but also many things I could seriously do without.

No go.

Song of the day: “Our life is gonna change” by Simona Barbeiri again. Guess the ol’ brain’s depleted again. Hah.

I’m about twenty minutes late this morning…not that it matters, considering I don’t need to be anywhere specific. After hurrying through the morning rituals, letting my dogs out and such, I head down to the house for a quick dip in the pool, the laundry and half a gallon of coffee before I sit down and try to write for a bit.

Writing doesn’t go so well today, I fear. Only one page to add to yesterday’s two, and the edit, which lasts for only a few hours, brings us three more pages up. Only fifteen more to go before we’re at one third of the story. Yay.

Seeing as computer work really isn’t going today, we decide to go separate way. Big brother and grandpa head to the back of the house to deal with the sewer pipes, while I head into the courtyard. The laundry lines have been annoying the heck out of me for years now, so taking this opportunity, I take down the old and spend the remainder of the evening fastening the new lines…straight ones, that down sag this time. Hah. It takes longer than I had anticipated, but after dusk, with the wooden beams up, the lines fastened, I am able to hang laundry in prefect lines.

I know, I’m nuts, but I get a kick out of that sort of thing. There’s nothing like improving on daily tasks.

The summer is in full swing again, today. Blistering heat pours down on top of the courtyard roof, but it doesn’t matter, moving slowly it is quite bearable…added to that, there’s the pool to dive into when it gets too bad.

Lots of ticks again. I fear that we’re going to have to do another washing session of the dogs soon, ‘cause things are getting ridiculous. I’m actually removing clusters from between their toes, under their legs, ears and pretty much everywhere else.

By the way, while I was attaching the wires…well, we were, since grandpa and big brother finished with their chore and came to help me with the last bit…an email came in. The publisher we had sent the first three chapters of “Saving Nina” to (per request), said NO.

As far as rejection letters go, it wasn’t a bad one. They liked the characters, called them “good”, but since they could only publish a limited number of books they had to go with some other books that suited their company just a tad better with a stronger storyline. Since they only had the first three chapters, I’m not surprised: Can’t get much of an idea of the general storyline that way, but that’s what they asked for.

It’s my fault; since I aim for an old fashioned style: slow build up towards a culminating climax…or multiple ones, as is the case with this one. Hah.
Saving Nina is literally a story that is all about the characters, and their intricacies, and since the publisher only had the build up, the introduction scenes with the first chapters, this didn’t get through, apparently.

Now, emotions would have me totally depressed, but I’ve decided to say: “Screw ‘m” (the emotions, I mean) and just take it as a good sign. They liked the characters and that’s a plus any day, in my book.
Besides, this was the publisher who only wanted the sample chapters. The one who has the complete manuscript - well, that one still hasn’t gotten back to us, and we’re about to finish up with week four. Keep your fingers crossed.

Well, after that bit of…ehm, depressing news (hah) I stoutly continue with the work, until at long last it is finished and I am so friggin’ tired I can hardly stand, let alone think.
With a dinner of mac ‘n cheese, with a salad on the side, the evening comes to an end, and I can head up to my cabin for the evening. Yep. My back hurts, my limbs are tired and I really need to pass out for a bit.

First another edit, though.

Too many topics.

Song of the day: “Mr Rock & Roll” by Amy MacDonald. Good one to have in my head for most of the day. And while I was hanging laundry Paul Young featuring Clannad with “Both Sides Now”, which is a wonderful song that I first heard at the end of the motion picture “Switch”.

I am right on time this morning, as planned and head down to the house posthaste, so I have time for a quick dip in the pool, some breakfast and coffee, of course. Big brother and I need to head to the bank to arrange for the payment that needs to be cancelled before it is too late.

The village is busy as heck with tourists, milling about, so when we finally arrive at the bank, it is only 45 minutes ‘till closing time…a nasty side effect from living in Spain, in the villages, and even most towns, everything except the major supermarkets, is closed during the hottest hours of the day.

Luckily, the bank’s director is a nice guy, and he immediately helps us set the problem straight, and then assists big brother to set up an Internet profile so we can check his account on-line as well.

Less than an hour later, we’re back home. I take another dive, and hang laundry; head inside and start up the computer. Rather than begin on the edit the way we usually do, I take a while to work on a new scene for “Commanding Morgan” and manage to write two pages before we start on the edit.

Only an hour is left and since we get sort of stuck on a particular paragraph (seriously we got into a full-blown discussion of where the punctuation had to be, which words were more appropriate and didn’t manage to get it “just right” until forty minutes have passed. Aaargh!) but then our time for editing is up and we head outside.

First another dip in the pool. Hah. Next, I go to the carport to prepare a batch of cement for some more masonry on the wall. While little brother and sister continue with the paintjob, middle sister and I add thin layers to the top of the wall, and then finish up the last bit of cement on the fourth plant container that really needs to be finish at some point, but now only gets about eight rocks added to the whole.

Big brother and I head into the courtyard then, where we remove leftovers of the metal construction that held the roof, back in the day when we still had the entire courtyard covered up.
It takes some heavy machinery, but in the end, we get the metal away, and thus a much less cluttered area. Since we’re busy here anyway, I decide to remove some old paneling as well, and then remove the pile of towels from the pool for washing.

I’m just about done fixing the fence on top of it, when big brother decides that we’re going for a run after all.
Okay, that got me by surprise for a bit. We had planned to go, but then it turned out that the younger sibs wanted to play soccer tonight, so I had reset my mind to do without…which I now have to change again. Grrr.

But anyway, the run goes grand. I do the first stretch at the same pace as big brother, yay. And on the way back I manage to do in two quick top-speed sprints. Awesome! After about twenty minutes of stretches and other exercises we head back home where I quickly hang two more loads of laundry, try to calm down my INSANE dogs, and then head inside to have a very late dinner.

Phew. I’m a wee bit…ehm exhausted, but other than that, I would say that the day worked out just fine.

Some pics of the new banister...great edit!

Song of the day: “Sing, sing, sing” by an unknown artist, I would say, since I looked it up and got to hear the original voice that I didn’t recognize at all. Hah. But anyway, it’s a cool song, very cheerful, very SWING, so I guess that put me in a good mood.

Like yesterday I was about half an hour late waking up. Forgot to reset my alarm on my usual time, and left it where it stood. Ah well, I could use the extra sleep, so it was not necessarily a bad thing.

After the morning rituals, doing a quick cleaning of Bommel’s ears (poor bobtails, their ears are always a horror) and getting through the morning chores we have to postpone the day’s edit, and head for town instead. Yesterday we noticed that a payment was made to the Ford Ranger’s insurance, so now we head for our insurance agent to inquire after it.

Upon arrival, it turns out that it is an automatic payment and that we have to go to my bank to cancel it, while, on the other hand, the new insurance bounced for some reason, darn it, so that means that tomorrow we have to go out again to look into the matter, darn it.
It is not a huge problem, but it does eat into editing time when it really shouldn’t, darn it.

But, since we’re out anyway, we decide to drop by the supermarket to get a batch of veggies for the next few days, so with a little luck we should be able to stretch the groceries, ‘till at least Friday, and hopefully even Saturday.
Once we get home, I take a quick dip in the pool and then we dive into the edit for the next couple of hours, before the time to work outside arrives again.

The weather is still remarkably mild, all things considered; a wonderful 27 degrees and a cool sea breeze still blowing land inward. I don’t get it, but I do appreciate it. This particular effect of climate change sure helps our electric bill. Hah. Heck, during the nights it’s downright chilly.

I make a batch of cement by hand…as I’ve been doing for the past couple of weeks…and for the next few hours we work on doing some touch-ups to the wall, where the fence floats. We attach the last bit of the fence to the banister and then admire the end-result since the sibs have spent their time painting the wood in the same color as the cabin and the carport.

Things are definitely starting to look great…though I gotta admit that it has a zoo-ish overall style. I swear I wouldn’t be one bit surprised at seeing a giraffe, or an elephant behind that fence. Hah.
Here, have a look/see:


The view from the pool. It's a little blurry, 'cause it was really late, but I do love the way it looks. This was prior to painting.



This is the new terrace in front of my cabin. Oh my, I can actually walk there now. It's just so...flat! Hah. Chaos in front, Bommel in the back, and Gadah on the right with Amri's butt.



Banister on the side of the tower. It may have come out a little higher than intended, thus the Zoo-like look.



Banister on the opposite side under the Mimosa tree we had to mutilate.



The short section on which we worked today. It needs to be painted still, but it's solid at least.



The small wall by my cabin. So handy to have a tap there now, and I thought the rather peculiar pattern looks quirky.


The middle of the banister. Knight II, right there in the middle, surrounded by Amos (on the right) and Planni (on the left). Our big lug!


But anyway, as we have promised ourselves, once we finish up nailing the last piece of fence to the poles, we get in the car (little sister comes along) and drive farther up the mountain to get in a quick run before the end of the day. So it’s a good run, downhill at the start and up going back, so I’m seriously out of breath when we return to the car and spend the next thirty minutes or so doing the cool down exercises.

That done, and dusk almost there, we head home in time for a late dinner that mom prepared, and watch an episode of “Bones”. It’s a rerun, but since we never saw the beginning of the show, this isn’t a bad thing for a change. I try to trim Touri’s ears, which are a disaster areas, but the cocker spaniel acts like I’m going to ritually slaughter him, so I finally release him and resign in the knowledge that I need to get tranquilizers from the vet in order to get the task done soon.

Before I know it the evening has come to an end, and I head up to my cabin. We manage a solid edit of five pages, yay! Okay, I could barely keep my eyes open, throughout the procedure, but it was grand.

By the time we bring up the day’s quota to, not five, six, or seven, which would have been grand on any day, but NINE. Count them, 9! Yay. But then it’s time to get to bed. I’m definitely feeling the full day, but that’s a good thing; it’s the ol’ bod letting me know that it gave everything it could on this day. Hah.

Another beautiful day.

Song of the day: “Try” by Nelly Furtado. There was also another one that kept returning, but for some reason it slipped my mind during the course of the day.

I overslept at least half an hour, which wasn’t too bad considering I have been getting way too little sleep these past few weeks. I think I dreamed about “Lost” in that last half hour, but I really can’t be sure, it flittered from my mind to fast after I got up.

Once at the house, after the chores and a quick breakfast, it is time to start with the edit. For the next few hours, big brother and I delve into the manuscript of “Commanding Morgan” and manage to add another four pages to the whole. Today we tackle a complicated scene, one that requires a lot of concentration and that has my mind numb after three hours. It isn’t so much the actions in it, or even the dialogue, just the information it needs to hold, and while we go through the re-write, we’re skipping through the book constantly to verify that it is all correct.

As is usual after an edit, I am more than happy when it is time to start on today’s outside work. Some actual physical movement is always the best cure for a meltdown of the brain.

The weather is wonderful again, the sun is shining, but there is a fresh breeze still, rumbling in from the sea, and making the temperature downright pleasant. No more than thirty degrees: I really don’t know what to think about that, for this time of year. Almost as if we’re in spring time or fall.

Today I add a piece of wall for the ramp beside the stairs, making an incline that should do the trick for us later on. Next I go down to the courtyard room, in the tool room, to put the cabinet upon building blocks so the floor is free for cleaning. That done I head up to the balustrade of the terrace where grandpa, big brother and I spend the next few hours attaching fencing to the wooden structure, and adding the last bit of wood to the section beside the courtyard gate.

Bommel, the poor boy, is feeling a tad lost these days; age is getting to him, I think. He’ll be going up and down the mountain, obviously in search of me. It takes him a while, but when he does finally reaches my side, he sniffs my leg for a moment and then settles in the shadow of the carport, to snooze the afternoon away.

By the time dusk arrives, I’ve got sawdust all over my body, orange paint on my arms and hands, but it is looking mighty fine, if I do say so myself. The dogs are a tad restless today, and I have to keep an extra eye on Knight II all day. He’s got something up his craw, that’s a fact. I can’t explain why, either, it’s just a little strange.

A quick in the pool follows...rather nice after all the dust and paint stuff.
Dinner consists out of pasta and sauce with veggies on the side, which goes down really well after such a day. I’m a little weary, I’ll admit, so I’m looking forward to getting to bed soon…right after another edit, if we manage it. Hah.

A good day, lots of stuff.

Song of the day: “Ayo Technology” by Milow…not the Justin Timberlake version. Hah.

It was an interesting day, to say the least. The monster Boxer wakes me up three hours prior to waking time, and when I throw her out into the backyard and see her bouncing up and down in front of the door, I see it: The sky is completely and utterly overcast with thick clouds that have rolled in from the sea. It’s downright chilly, so I dig out a blanket and crawl under it for the necessary remaining hours of sleep.

When it is time to get up, the clouds are still there but I doubt they’ll stick much longer, so I dress in shorts and a top suited for an average summer day. Man, do I regret that when I’ve finished my chores and sit down for the day’s edit. I’m literally freezing and realize that the temperature is as low as 23 degrees, which is outrageous for this time of year.

I pull on my workout sweats; pour myself another coffee and dive back into the edit. Our brains are numb faster than we expected, and an hour before usual we head outside where the clouds are just about to dissipate under the relentless summer sun. The wind is still remarkably fresh, however so we head on out into the yard to tackle the vines once more.

In the weeks that have passed since we last did some gardening, AKA hacking, the purple flowered vines have been raging through the bushes and trees like mad once more, creating a thick carpet all over the place that needs to be removed. It takes us about two hours to get the job done…thankfully the younger sibs decide to join in on the “fun”, so it gets done faster than I anticipated.

Next we head up to the terrace under my cabin where the ground needs to be lowered three inches, and large rocks moved partially down the mountain. Then we tackle the ground, meaning chop, shovel and moving the dirt down into the path that we’re intending to put beside the short stairs near the carport. It is starting to get there, by the time the sun is starting to lower behind the mountain, but unwilling to call it a day I get out the power tools.

I round the corners of my new banister, sand them, and then help big brother and grandpa with the new balustrade on top of the wall. It takes some sawing, painting, and drilling holes in the small metal corners where the wooden beams will be attached. We get five out of six beams up, and basically have to mutilate the mimosa tree beside it, just to get it all up, darn it. That tree was so pretty, but it will grow again, I’m sure, so it is not a disaster in the end.

After we’re done, I take a quick dip in the pool and then head inside to have a quick dinner. What with the balustrade taking so long, and then cleaning up the mess, there really isn’t any time left to do more than another quick edit.

I take a moment to trim some of Bommel’s (Bobtail) hair, since he’s able to see even less without it and then head up to my room for the evening. Beautiful lanterns now light my way as I make my way up, their light sparkling rather merrily, giving the atmosphere a somewhat picturesque appearance.

The evening is still rather cool when I arrive up at my cabin, and settle down on my porch for the remaining hours of my day.