Song of the day: “When the going gets tough (the tough get going)” by…okay give me a sec. I need to look that up. Oh yeah, Billy Ocean…and Boyzone. Right. Well, let’s just say there’s no pun intended with the day’s events.
So, it started out like any regular day, really. The alarm went off, the dogs were being obnoxious, and my eyes were at their presently preferred position: half stock. Grrr.
The sun was shining brightly; birds and cicadas sang and a fresh eastern breeze came from the sea. It all seemed quite idyllic, really, no reason to feel uncomfortable, and yet there was something; something in the air and in my brain, rumbling in the background much like you would see a movement from the corner of your eye, and then when you really look, nothing’s there.
The morning rituals get done, of course; the dogs follow me noisily down to the house…and for some peculiar reason the uncomfortable feeling keeps increasing. It is slowly getting stronger, like a niggling sense of impending doom creeping up on me. My particular mood appears to be shared by both big brother and grandpa when I arrive in the main building, and put my bag away to start on the day’s laundry.
I’m just about done when the dogs start barking, throwing a fit up by the fences and drawing my attention away from the morning chores. Putting on my shades, I head out the courtyard to see what is up the mountain, grandpa, who heard the noise as well, appears in the carport, the hark in hand (he was cleaning some of the reed mess the younger sibs made yesterday).
Calling out to him that I’ll check it out, I climb up the incline, look over the rocky surface to where the dogs are attacking the fence and freeze. Right there, in the bright light of day, a strange distortion in the air hulks behind the boundary of the diamond fence that surrounds the property.
I blink, not sure whether my eyes are playing tricks on me as I watch it literally ooze in the air, sliding right and then left, shying back every time one of the dogs pounced the metal wiring, which appears to hold “it” at bay. Though almost completely transparent…it kind of reminded me of the camouflage used in “Predator”, for some reason…long tendrils of shifting air began to spread out. It moves sluggishly, almost octopus-like, spreading the ten or so dogs thin as they bravely defend the property.
Fear clutches at my chest when finally my brain begins the function and I push farther up the incline while I shout at the dogs to come to me. I don’t know how, but for some reason I sensed that whatever “it” was, it was dangerous, malicious and playing with the dogs, it’s intentions not at all benign.
Knight II is bouncing against the fence, doesn’t appear to hear me, while Amri and Mosha distractedly glance back at me, as if not entirely sure what it is I want. I’m rapidly nearing to where they’re attacking the fence, a peculiar, somewhat sour smell in the air. It is foul, but I pay it no heed while I grab tails, scruffy necks and paws alike in an attempt to get the dogs away from there…it.
Most of the ten are finally paying attention, are backing up towards the narrow path that leads to the house, when suddenly a high screech rips through the air. I look back and see Trin Trin, the Monster Boxer. She has her mighty jaws over a tendril of distorted air, her dark beady eyes fanatical and delighted as the hulking mass ripples massively, sweeps at her and tries to dislodge the hold she has on it.
Desperately I call for her to let go and come to me, while stilly keeping the other dogs at bay and threatening them with bodily harm if they don’t get their butts inside.
Trin Trin sways back and forth, she sails through the air, sturdy paws clawing the air and translucent “it” alike, until the tendril, on which she hangs, whips out and dislodges her at last.
She tumbles away, a tiny squeak indicating her hard collision with the rocky ground before she rolls to her feet, shakes her big head and looks torn between following me and trying another attack. When “it” screeches again, time for vile playing over apparently, Trin Trin feels daunted at last and scurries after me while I hurriedly chase the dogs down the mountain.
“What’s going on? What’s happening,” shouts grandpa, running down from the carport, and hustling the dogs along even though he isn’t sure what’s going on yet. We have the dogs inside the walls by then, but before I can say a single word, another eardrum shattering screech makes us spin to look up at the incline from which I came.
“It” is right there, at the top of the ridge, seeming twice the size it was before, as it comes lumbering down, much like some sort of…heck, I don’t know what!
Grandpa’s eyes widen, blink incredulously, before he stumbles through the gate right behind me. The rest of the pack, they too have heard the commotion, gather around us, howling and barking as through the trellis we see “it” come ever closer.
“What the---” I glance back to see big brother stand over by the olive tree, he’s scowling severely, squints at where we and the dogs are clustering by the gate. Slowly his gaze slips beyond us, settles on where the air distorts as if too few pixels are available. “Crap!”
“Uh-huh,” I counter, absently bringing the second lever down…never realizing that it is ridiculous, what with the courtyard being open overhead and the trellis, openings in the walls. If “it” wants to come in, the lever is not going to stop it. Especially since it had gone through the fence, rather than over it.
We stare as “it” decreases speed, throttles down to a near crawl and then stops just a few yards from the gate. It lies there, long tentacles…still barely visible in the bright light of day, almost fragmenting the sunlight, it seems…tentatively creeping closer, running lightly over the rocks of the wall and then shying back as if shocked.
By this time the younger sibs appear, the commotion just too much to ignore. Very few words are exchanged when suddenly the…well, for want of a better word, the creature begins to move sideways, appearing to search for something as it trails the walls like some sort of stalking predator. While grandpa opts to stay by the gate, we edge with it, keeping a weary eye out as we try to figure what it wants.
Suddenly, really out of the blue, “it” suddenly roars and leaps straight at the wall. Since it was the spot where I’d been peering over the edge, I stumble back, land flat on my back and blink up as I see the large tendrils hover overhead: It is trying to get over the wall, and I can actually see the stones shake in the cement.
Backpedaling, scared dogs scuttling out of the way, I can see the distorted air heave like a wave, gathering momentum in it’s attempt to cross the boundary. I won’t make it; I know it when my feet keep slipping on wet dirt and smashed plants; the sibs are shouting, the dogs barking and howling and just when it’s about to land on top of me…I wake up, with the dogs making a racket, of course. So darn frustrating when dreams don’t get completed.
But that’s what I was talking about when I made a wish for having something interesting to talk about on the blog, the other day. Doesn’t that read much better then just the daily toils? I have to admit that I thought just writing the dream down was vastly entertaining, so I’m not going to spoil it with chores, projects and whatnot but leave it at this instead. It was just wheeling something like 25 wheelbarrows of dirt up the mountain, hauling old materials up to the gate, etc. etc.
Gawd, it’s been ages since I had a decent enough dream to write about. Seriously, real life cannot compete with fiction like that. Hah.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Close call.
Song of the day: There were two for a change. “Forever” by Chris Brown and “I know what I know” by Paul Simon...oh my, it’s been a while since I last heard any Paul Simon that was a decent as his Graceland CD.
Okay, let’s get down to the day, ‘cause I wanna watch Blood Diamond and it’s already past ten. Hah.
So yeah, five minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off, my phone rings, pulling me from a deep sleep. Our friend Danni has a flat with her moped and asks if I can come and pick her up near the village, or else she needs to walk home. I do of course, offering to drive her to town, because she was on her way there when the moped broke down, and get the groceries she needs.
This means that I’m away a solid two hours before I get home, have a quick dip in the pool and then start on the day’s edit. We hack our way through several pages in the hours that follow, it goes pretty well however, so I don’t really mind - a good scene too, excellent dialogue that relatively needs little rewriting, or even editing. What with the difficult scenes these past few days, it is a rather nice change.
Four hours into the edit, my brain is rapidly turning to mush again, requiring a change of scenery for sure. Time to go outside…right after another dip in the pool. The temperatures are still relatively low and since we made preparations yesterday, it is time to start pouring the concrete in what soon will be our tool area in the carport.
I start making the concrete while big brother evens out the ground on which it has to be laid. Soon we’re pouring in the loads, with me working the mixer, little brother hauling in wheelbarrows of sand, and little sister changing shifts with me. In the mean time, middle sister is laying the last few rocks on the plant container on the wide path.
Okay, a bit of disturbing news: Apparently, I was close to death while I was making concrete. You see, the power line somehow got stuck between the mixer and motor, and they were completely bare before grandpa noticed what was going on. Phew. If I had wrapped my hands around the wheel to empty the mixer...well, can ya say medium rare? Gawd. Stupid, stupid, stupid, that's a fact. Should have paid better attention, I guess.
The dogs don’t like today’s work at all, especially not since they are not allowed inside the carport because they’ll walk on the new concrete every chance they get. I don’t know what it is with the pack and freshly laid concrete, really, but for some reason they must and shall walk on it, come hell or high water. So yeah, they need to be held at bay, and it isn’t easy at all to go back and forth through the gate, especially not when I need to take the wheelbarrow along. We manage, however; with the dogs looking pitifully at us through the fence.
Seeing as the small floor is soon laid, and big brother needs to head up to prepare for pouring the border on our tenant’s bungalow, I join middle sister so we can continue on the border wall that needs to run by the dog fence. We toil for several hours, and when the sun begins to set we finish what is left of the cement, and I head up to help big brother pour the last batch in the cast he has set up.
It is around dusk when we help our tenant down to the terrace in her wheelchair, she has been telling her caretaker that she wants to see all that has been done for days now; so seeing as we’re not going out today, big brother and grandpa carefully wheel her back and forth.
In the last half hour of daylight, we haul old banister pillars from the small garden in the courtyard and plant the two jasmine bushes and the small spruce we still had in a pot. They’re all looking quite good, and the garden is becoming quite civilized, all things considered.
And with a final dip in the pool to wash off the grime, and the hanging of a big batch of laundry, I finish up today’s work to head inside for dinner. Mom’s prepared us baguettes, so I pretty much stuffed my face with the meal. Nothing tastes better than a couple of tasty, crispy pizza rolls. Hah.
Next there’s today’s blog of course, and as soon as I can I’m going to head up to my cabin and see if I can fit in another hour or two on the edit, without falling asleep at the table. Hah.
Okay, let’s get down to the day, ‘cause I wanna watch Blood Diamond and it’s already past ten. Hah.
So yeah, five minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off, my phone rings, pulling me from a deep sleep. Our friend Danni has a flat with her moped and asks if I can come and pick her up near the village, or else she needs to walk home. I do of course, offering to drive her to town, because she was on her way there when the moped broke down, and get the groceries she needs.
This means that I’m away a solid two hours before I get home, have a quick dip in the pool and then start on the day’s edit. We hack our way through several pages in the hours that follow, it goes pretty well however, so I don’t really mind - a good scene too, excellent dialogue that relatively needs little rewriting, or even editing. What with the difficult scenes these past few days, it is a rather nice change.
Four hours into the edit, my brain is rapidly turning to mush again, requiring a change of scenery for sure. Time to go outside…right after another dip in the pool. The temperatures are still relatively low and since we made preparations yesterday, it is time to start pouring the concrete in what soon will be our tool area in the carport.
I start making the concrete while big brother evens out the ground on which it has to be laid. Soon we’re pouring in the loads, with me working the mixer, little brother hauling in wheelbarrows of sand, and little sister changing shifts with me. In the mean time, middle sister is laying the last few rocks on the plant container on the wide path.
Okay, a bit of disturbing news: Apparently, I was close to death while I was making concrete. You see, the power line somehow got stuck between the mixer and motor, and they were completely bare before grandpa noticed what was going on. Phew. If I had wrapped my hands around the wheel to empty the mixer...well, can ya say medium rare? Gawd. Stupid, stupid, stupid, that's a fact. Should have paid better attention, I guess.
The dogs don’t like today’s work at all, especially not since they are not allowed inside the carport because they’ll walk on the new concrete every chance they get. I don’t know what it is with the pack and freshly laid concrete, really, but for some reason they must and shall walk on it, come hell or high water. So yeah, they need to be held at bay, and it isn’t easy at all to go back and forth through the gate, especially not when I need to take the wheelbarrow along. We manage, however; with the dogs looking pitifully at us through the fence.
Seeing as the small floor is soon laid, and big brother needs to head up to prepare for pouring the border on our tenant’s bungalow, I join middle sister so we can continue on the border wall that needs to run by the dog fence. We toil for several hours, and when the sun begins to set we finish what is left of the cement, and I head up to help big brother pour the last batch in the cast he has set up.
It is around dusk when we help our tenant down to the terrace in her wheelchair, she has been telling her caretaker that she wants to see all that has been done for days now; so seeing as we’re not going out today, big brother and grandpa carefully wheel her back and forth.
In the last half hour of daylight, we haul old banister pillars from the small garden in the courtyard and plant the two jasmine bushes and the small spruce we still had in a pot. They’re all looking quite good, and the garden is becoming quite civilized, all things considered.
And with a final dip in the pool to wash off the grime, and the hanging of a big batch of laundry, I finish up today’s work to head inside for dinner. Mom’s prepared us baguettes, so I pretty much stuffed my face with the meal. Nothing tastes better than a couple of tasty, crispy pizza rolls. Hah.
Next there’s today’s blog of course, and as soon as I can I’m going to head up to my cabin and see if I can fit in another hour or two on the edit, without falling asleep at the table. Hah.
Floor all done. Yay.
Song of the day: “Not the doctor” by Alanis Morissette. Don’t know where it came from, but it made for a nice change.
Getting up on time today isn’t at all easy, but still it needs to be done ‘cause I’ve been sleeping in way too much these past few weeks; besides we really need to do more on the edit. I feel pretty sore this morning, joints and muscles complaining enough to require some serious stretches on my part before I take the dogs down.
It is no easy venture what with the new floor on the terrace circled by fencing. It actually takes me several minutes before I’ve got them all in the center yard…especially Bommel, who is completely confused by the temporary change. The poor old feller keeps bumping into stuff, for no other reason than everything being in different locations.
Once down at the house, big loads of laundry hung and folded, (no time for it yesterday) and breakfast consumed we start on the day’s edit. We try to work loosely today, casual reading, not too much focus and manage to rewrite and sieve through several pages before the ol’ noggin starts feeling like mush against. For some reason it feels like the brain got so overtaxed with the week edit (you know, the one we had, to get the manuscript done in time by doing nineteen hour edits a day, aaargh) that now it starts to whine…and I mean that literally…after just four hours.
Drat.
But anyway, considering that there is more than enough to do outside, we wrap up work on the computers and head into the warm sunshine. Still cool temperatures; if I didn’t know any better, I’d think we were in the end of December rather than the midst of summer. It’s weird I tell you.
The fencing around the new floor gets removed and it looks brilliant. Only two tiny cracks from sinking concrete, but otherwise it is completely smooth.
For the first few hours we work in pairs; the youngest sibs are back on the courtyard roof to attach the last of the mats, grandpa and I reattach the fence of the carport…which isn’t as easy as it seems, since it got all twisted during the past few months of construction. But anyway, after a lot of tugging, reshaping and then some more tugging we manage to attach it nicely tight between the poles.
That done, while big brother is working on a variety of project in the carport, middle sister and I work on the second to last part of the rock plant container. We actually manage to almost finish it with the two batches of cement we make by hand, but by then dusk has neared and we need to clean up for the day.
Afterwards I spend about half an hour evening out the dirt in the two higher containers and then big brother and I head out with the car in search of some more rocks: We still need a lot of really flat ones for the stairs that we have to build yet. Underway, with only a small selection in the back we find a dumpsite for wooden pallets, so considering that we’re going to need wood in the future (repairs, supports, etc. etc.) we pack them up and start to head home.
Much to our surprise, there is another dumpsite, just a mile farther down the road (yes, they’re tearing up the road and everything around it) and on it lies a big pile of slightly damaged, but still very usable concrete building blocks. It is so weird, we were just discussing that we were going to need to buy a dozen or so, for the tool shed under the carport. And there fourteen of ‘m were lying in a pile of rubbish, waiting to be smashed underneath the rest of the debris. You can imagine how quick we piled those blocks into the car. Hah.
We unload them as soon as we arrive home, go inside for another late dinner and then it’s blogging time, naturally. I figured that I might as well watch the Sarah Connor Chronicles while I did, since it won’t need all that much attention (know the basic story, naturally).
Yep, another day has come to an end. The floor is done, the planters are done (almost anyway) the fencing is done and the dogs are happy because they can walk around freely again. As for me…well, I certainly will have less dirt in my cabin come winter and still plenty to do. Hah.
Getting up on time today isn’t at all easy, but still it needs to be done ‘cause I’ve been sleeping in way too much these past few weeks; besides we really need to do more on the edit. I feel pretty sore this morning, joints and muscles complaining enough to require some serious stretches on my part before I take the dogs down.
It is no easy venture what with the new floor on the terrace circled by fencing. It actually takes me several minutes before I’ve got them all in the center yard…especially Bommel, who is completely confused by the temporary change. The poor old feller keeps bumping into stuff, for no other reason than everything being in different locations.
Once down at the house, big loads of laundry hung and folded, (no time for it yesterday) and breakfast consumed we start on the day’s edit. We try to work loosely today, casual reading, not too much focus and manage to rewrite and sieve through several pages before the ol’ noggin starts feeling like mush against. For some reason it feels like the brain got so overtaxed with the week edit (you know, the one we had, to get the manuscript done in time by doing nineteen hour edits a day, aaargh) that now it starts to whine…and I mean that literally…after just four hours.
Drat.
But anyway, considering that there is more than enough to do outside, we wrap up work on the computers and head into the warm sunshine. Still cool temperatures; if I didn’t know any better, I’d think we were in the end of December rather than the midst of summer. It’s weird I tell you.
The fencing around the new floor gets removed and it looks brilliant. Only two tiny cracks from sinking concrete, but otherwise it is completely smooth.
For the first few hours we work in pairs; the youngest sibs are back on the courtyard roof to attach the last of the mats, grandpa and I reattach the fence of the carport…which isn’t as easy as it seems, since it got all twisted during the past few months of construction. But anyway, after a lot of tugging, reshaping and then some more tugging we manage to attach it nicely tight between the poles.
That done, while big brother is working on a variety of project in the carport, middle sister and I work on the second to last part of the rock plant container. We actually manage to almost finish it with the two batches of cement we make by hand, but by then dusk has neared and we need to clean up for the day.
Afterwards I spend about half an hour evening out the dirt in the two higher containers and then big brother and I head out with the car in search of some more rocks: We still need a lot of really flat ones for the stairs that we have to build yet. Underway, with only a small selection in the back we find a dumpsite for wooden pallets, so considering that we’re going to need wood in the future (repairs, supports, etc. etc.) we pack them up and start to head home.
Much to our surprise, there is another dumpsite, just a mile farther down the road (yes, they’re tearing up the road and everything around it) and on it lies a big pile of slightly damaged, but still very usable concrete building blocks. It is so weird, we were just discussing that we were going to need to buy a dozen or so, for the tool shed under the carport. And there fourteen of ‘m were lying in a pile of rubbish, waiting to be smashed underneath the rest of the debris. You can imagine how quick we piled those blocks into the car. Hah.
We unload them as soon as we arrive home, go inside for another late dinner and then it’s blogging time, naturally. I figured that I might as well watch the Sarah Connor Chronicles while I did, since it won’t need all that much attention (know the basic story, naturally).
Yep, another day has come to an end. The floor is done, the planters are done (almost anyway) the fencing is done and the dogs are happy because they can walk around freely again. As for me…well, I certainly will have less dirt in my cabin come winter and still plenty to do. Hah.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Two days in one. *sigh*
Song of the day: “One way or another” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor. I think I already had this one before. Considering I was unable to get yesterday’s Blog down, yesterday’s song of the day was: “Barrowland Ballroom” by Amy MacDonald.
So let me put together yesterday in a few words…or better yet one: Busy! Hah.
But of course I can’t leave it at that. I’m a yapper, and I have a serious case of TMI, so I’m just going to do a recount.
There was the edit, naturally, followed by building with rocks, plastering the upper part of an old window that has been waiting for completion since the house was built. The sand and cement we ordered from the construction company had arrived in the morning, so we had to start preparations for the pouring of concrete on top of the new terrace too.
Afterwards we went out to get reed canes. An old spot again, and though it wasn’t a marvellous spot like the later one we found, it was closer and access was a lot easier. Rather than drive back the usual way, we decided to head the opposite direction, just to figure out where near town it led. On the way there a large truck was unloading old doors at the local landfill (probably from a hospital or motel, or something) which we just had to have.
Grandpa would like to have the rock wall in his kitchen covered up against dust and such, so for that the perfectly white doors would be the perfect solution. With just a little work we could put them together, slap on some paint and turn them into a beautiful wall. But, of course the car was already filled to full capacity so first we had to head home to deposit the load; not an easy task with the road construction going on.
We did, in the end, manage to get the doors (just barely, since the seven almost didn’t fit in the car) but by the time we were finally back for the second time, it was already midnight. We were pretty darn bushed, so after another hour of editing I really couldn’t muster the energy for the Blog…thus explaining why there wasn’t a new one yesterday.
So, let’s move on to today - yes, it was busy too, and I almost decided against doing today’s Blog as well, but my blogging addiction prevailed and here I am. Hah.
Okay, today: I was about half an hour early today, as was planned when we went to bed last night.
Concrete pouring day has arrived, so if we want to get any editing done we’re going to have to get cracking fast. We actually manage a solid six pages before two hours earlier than usual.
The temperatures are still remarkably pleasant these past few days. Staying well under 30 degrees on the most part, and that is downright marvelous considering we’re doing so much outside work.
But anyway, first thing that needs to be done is remove the large rocks that are still lying on the terrace that we’re going to work on today.
Next is removing and cleaning everything else on it, before fences are set up to keep the dogs from getting in the way later on. The dogs are not happy, I tell you. They literally cluster around the new fencing the moment they’re erected, looking as if we’re giving them corporal punishment rather than keep them at a two-yard distance from where we work. Gawd, they are so darn dependent. Hah.
But it works; they are safely behind the fence when middle sister and I start making cement.
The two youngest sibs have taken control over the sand supply, with little sister up on the mountain outside the fence where the sand is stored, little brother brings down the sand so we can supply big brother with cement.
Middle sister is soon preparing the cement and I disperse it wherever big brother needs it and so we start making the concrete floor.
Hours pass but the progress is excellent. After two hours of shoveling cement over the terrace, grandpa takes over from me, so I can help big brother create a smooth surface. Things really start to speed up by then, and before dusk arrives we have finally finished the floor. It’s looking gorgeous…I’ll add pictures at the bottom so you can see. Hah.
Big brother and I are both sore all over from the lifting, bending and squatting, so while the younger sibs head inside (They’re off to different ventures. Today the venture is a Soccer game on the TV…I don’t know where they’ve got it from, but for some reason they love it) big brother and I decide to head for the sea for a quick dip. After bending over most of the afternoon, doing a total different exercise is just what the doctor ordered, so to speak.
It takes us ages to find a parking spot in town. For some reason today the tourists were all out on the Boulevard, but we do manage to park the car in the end, and dive in to crawl a little and then float in the waves for a bit. The sea was rather pleasant today, nice and warm, and the waves gentle but reasonably high.
Once we’re back home, I’m running a little late on the Blog, so it’s a relatively short one, so who cares.
Here’re the pics of today’s project:
One side of the before.
The other side before.
After. Nice and smooth, isn't it?
After too. Yeah, it stunned me too that we actually managed it, but working together you really can get a lot done.
Well, that's it for today. I'm gonna be out like a light in no time tonight, I'm thinking.
So let me put together yesterday in a few words…or better yet one: Busy! Hah.
But of course I can’t leave it at that. I’m a yapper, and I have a serious case of TMI, so I’m just going to do a recount.
There was the edit, naturally, followed by building with rocks, plastering the upper part of an old window that has been waiting for completion since the house was built. The sand and cement we ordered from the construction company had arrived in the morning, so we had to start preparations for the pouring of concrete on top of the new terrace too.
Afterwards we went out to get reed canes. An old spot again, and though it wasn’t a marvellous spot like the later one we found, it was closer and access was a lot easier. Rather than drive back the usual way, we decided to head the opposite direction, just to figure out where near town it led. On the way there a large truck was unloading old doors at the local landfill (probably from a hospital or motel, or something) which we just had to have.
Grandpa would like to have the rock wall in his kitchen covered up against dust and such, so for that the perfectly white doors would be the perfect solution. With just a little work we could put them together, slap on some paint and turn them into a beautiful wall. But, of course the car was already filled to full capacity so first we had to head home to deposit the load; not an easy task with the road construction going on.
We did, in the end, manage to get the doors (just barely, since the seven almost didn’t fit in the car) but by the time we were finally back for the second time, it was already midnight. We were pretty darn bushed, so after another hour of editing I really couldn’t muster the energy for the Blog…thus explaining why there wasn’t a new one yesterday.
So, let’s move on to today - yes, it was busy too, and I almost decided against doing today’s Blog as well, but my blogging addiction prevailed and here I am. Hah.
Okay, today: I was about half an hour early today, as was planned when we went to bed last night.
Concrete pouring day has arrived, so if we want to get any editing done we’re going to have to get cracking fast. We actually manage a solid six pages before two hours earlier than usual.
The temperatures are still remarkably pleasant these past few days. Staying well under 30 degrees on the most part, and that is downright marvelous considering we’re doing so much outside work.
But anyway, first thing that needs to be done is remove the large rocks that are still lying on the terrace that we’re going to work on today.
Next is removing and cleaning everything else on it, before fences are set up to keep the dogs from getting in the way later on. The dogs are not happy, I tell you. They literally cluster around the new fencing the moment they’re erected, looking as if we’re giving them corporal punishment rather than keep them at a two-yard distance from where we work. Gawd, they are so darn dependent. Hah.
But it works; they are safely behind the fence when middle sister and I start making cement.
The two youngest sibs have taken control over the sand supply, with little sister up on the mountain outside the fence where the sand is stored, little brother brings down the sand so we can supply big brother with cement.
Middle sister is soon preparing the cement and I disperse it wherever big brother needs it and so we start making the concrete floor.
Hours pass but the progress is excellent. After two hours of shoveling cement over the terrace, grandpa takes over from me, so I can help big brother create a smooth surface. Things really start to speed up by then, and before dusk arrives we have finally finished the floor. It’s looking gorgeous…I’ll add pictures at the bottom so you can see. Hah.
Big brother and I are both sore all over from the lifting, bending and squatting, so while the younger sibs head inside (They’re off to different ventures. Today the venture is a Soccer game on the TV…I don’t know where they’ve got it from, but for some reason they love it) big brother and I decide to head for the sea for a quick dip. After bending over most of the afternoon, doing a total different exercise is just what the doctor ordered, so to speak.
It takes us ages to find a parking spot in town. For some reason today the tourists were all out on the Boulevard, but we do manage to park the car in the end, and dive in to crawl a little and then float in the waves for a bit. The sea was rather pleasant today, nice and warm, and the waves gentle but reasonably high.
Once we’re back home, I’m running a little late on the Blog, so it’s a relatively short one, so who cares.
Here’re the pics of today’s project:
One side of the before.
The other side before.
After. Nice and smooth, isn't it?
After too. Yeah, it stunned me too that we actually managed it, but working together you really can get a lot done.
Well, that's it for today. I'm gonna be out like a light in no time tonight, I'm thinking.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
I don't know. Just a day.
Song of the day: “By your side” Sade. A gorgeous song; I love listening to all the different instruments in the song, and considering I did just that last night, I couldn’t get the actual song out of my head during the course of the day.
Okay, the day:
After the usual morning routines, I headed down to the house on this rather cloudy morning. It’s amazing, but we’re well into August and we’ve got actual clouds. I mean seriously, this hasn’t happened in the thirteen years that past since we moved here. It’s just weird, I tell you.
But anyway, I did laundry, some other chores and then settled down for the edit. We managed a few pages and then a particular idea came to mind, which I just had to write down. A scene in “Commanding Morgan” that just fit. Until now the story was basically written from the perspective of the hero and heroine, but it was the perfect moment to add a new perspective: that of the man who’s tracking them.
The fun part is that this tracker is also the lead for “Saving Nina” (you know, the one that’s at a publishing house right now, and of which I STILL haven’t heard anything yet, aargh) so I got to write about an entirely different side of him. Kinda interesting; turns out that he’s a cool dude, chilly really, which is a fun facet of a character - especially to write.
I manage two whole pages in the new scene, and by then my head feels like mush. So I head outside instead, knowing full well that there’s only an hour left or so, for us to do some work outside. Today we plan to go to the second hand bookstore where we intend to exchange some books for new (old) ones.
You never know how short an hour really is until you actually have to do something in it. I only managed to chop and shovel away several wheelbarrows of dirt from under the carport. The plan is to expand the roof considerably, and then bring it out to the rock wall beside it where we will then build a small tool and work area. I couldn’t even get it done, because we had to check and clean the books we were returning. Right on the dot we leave.
So yeah, this was the first time that we had to park the Land Rover in an underground parking area. When everything appears full, we intend to head a story lower, but stop just in time when the sign says that the ceiling is actually lower than our car. Yikes. We just barely manage to back up again and promptly find a spot where the car fits with just a foot on each side to spare. Getting out is a little tricky, but soon we’re underway to the bookstore.
We find seven books in total, yay, so we actually have something new to read in the next few weeks. Next, we head to the video store to return out DVDs, and then the home improvement store to get some screws, which grandpa needs. While there we see a sale on Jasmine bushes, only four buck per plant, so we take two of those since we have been wanting to get them for a while now.
That done we headed into the country, or at least we tried to. Instead, we got a little lost in the neighborhood of mazelike streets. We do find a wonderful stash of wooden boards in the industrial area we pass through. New wood, that has been discarded in a dumpster, so we pile it up in the back of the car and head home on a long road that is under construction.
By the time we get back home, it is really dark, and the temperatures are downright chilly. Weird, I tell you. This is full summer for crying out loud. Chaos and Bommel are waiting for me up by the cabin, and jumping up against me…or at least Chaos did, seeing as Bommel is getting to old for that sort of thing.
The rest of the dogs are howling down in the courtyard, so I hurry inside before they go completely insane.
With a bami dish that little brother prepared, for dinner, the evening quickly draws to an end. Yep, just another edit to go and then I can call it a night. Strangely enough, even though the physical activities were minimal today, I still feel somewhat tired. Go figure.
Okay, the day:
After the usual morning routines, I headed down to the house on this rather cloudy morning. It’s amazing, but we’re well into August and we’ve got actual clouds. I mean seriously, this hasn’t happened in the thirteen years that past since we moved here. It’s just weird, I tell you.
But anyway, I did laundry, some other chores and then settled down for the edit. We managed a few pages and then a particular idea came to mind, which I just had to write down. A scene in “Commanding Morgan” that just fit. Until now the story was basically written from the perspective of the hero and heroine, but it was the perfect moment to add a new perspective: that of the man who’s tracking them.
The fun part is that this tracker is also the lead for “Saving Nina” (you know, the one that’s at a publishing house right now, and of which I STILL haven’t heard anything yet, aargh) so I got to write about an entirely different side of him. Kinda interesting; turns out that he’s a cool dude, chilly really, which is a fun facet of a character - especially to write.
I manage two whole pages in the new scene, and by then my head feels like mush. So I head outside instead, knowing full well that there’s only an hour left or so, for us to do some work outside. Today we plan to go to the second hand bookstore where we intend to exchange some books for new (old) ones.
You never know how short an hour really is until you actually have to do something in it. I only managed to chop and shovel away several wheelbarrows of dirt from under the carport. The plan is to expand the roof considerably, and then bring it out to the rock wall beside it where we will then build a small tool and work area. I couldn’t even get it done, because we had to check and clean the books we were returning. Right on the dot we leave.
So yeah, this was the first time that we had to park the Land Rover in an underground parking area. When everything appears full, we intend to head a story lower, but stop just in time when the sign says that the ceiling is actually lower than our car. Yikes. We just barely manage to back up again and promptly find a spot where the car fits with just a foot on each side to spare. Getting out is a little tricky, but soon we’re underway to the bookstore.
We find seven books in total, yay, so we actually have something new to read in the next few weeks. Next, we head to the video store to return out DVDs, and then the home improvement store to get some screws, which grandpa needs. While there we see a sale on Jasmine bushes, only four buck per plant, so we take two of those since we have been wanting to get them for a while now.
That done we headed into the country, or at least we tried to. Instead, we got a little lost in the neighborhood of mazelike streets. We do find a wonderful stash of wooden boards in the industrial area we pass through. New wood, that has been discarded in a dumpster, so we pile it up in the back of the car and head home on a long road that is under construction.
By the time we get back home, it is really dark, and the temperatures are downright chilly. Weird, I tell you. This is full summer for crying out loud. Chaos and Bommel are waiting for me up by the cabin, and jumping up against me…or at least Chaos did, seeing as Bommel is getting to old for that sort of thing.
The rest of the dogs are howling down in the courtyard, so I hurry inside before they go completely insane.
With a bami dish that little brother prepared, for dinner, the evening quickly draws to an end. Yep, just another edit to go and then I can call it a night. Strangely enough, even though the physical activities were minimal today, I still feel somewhat tired. Go figure.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Filk anyone?
Song of the day: “Me, myself and I” by, well, me. Thank the KTT11 on Amazon. Thought of a filk last night, kept me up half of it, and now it’s been going through my mind all day.
So most people down know what a filk is, basically it’s a song with funny lyrics that ideally rhyme...I think.
Here it is:
Inside the mind of the writing fool
Too many characters fill the pool
There's the idea, the to-be-written and the complete
Inside the crazy mind they all compete
From deep down below
They bubble up, come to life and overflow
Like a jackrabbit they bounce high and low
Never forget you reap what you sow
Me, myself and I
We never agree, no matter how hard I try
Basic thoughts that come to life
Bring lotsa laughter and much strife
Running off inside our mind
We have to follow, see what we find
Follow that rainbow
Haul, tug, drag and tow
Be careful, don't stub your toe
Remember what you reap is what you sow
Me, myself and I
We never agree, but we do fly
Stumble through a fighting scene
Laugh, cry or be serene
It matters not, we get where we have to be
Jump that hurdle, climb that mountain and you'll see
No simple words can bring fatigue
But perhaps a little mystique
They make us swear they make us whole
One by one they're a part of our soul
Me, myself and I
Who will win? It's a tie
Make my story, I wanna live
Come on, I've got so much more to give
They'll never stops they'll never cease
Not even when we say, pretty please
Write and write, go with the flow
Take it high, take it low
It doesn't matter if it's friend or foe
Just remember to reap what you sow
Me, myself and I
Maybe we should eat some pie
Take that next page to the limit
Come on, throw your heart out, give in, give it
You can do it, just coil that muscle, make it taut
Grind that last brain cell, spell it out
Thus the hero and his heroine come inside the brain
Is it a wonder that we are not so sane
Once they have a look, a face, a name
You cannot hold them back with a cane
Me, myself and I
We're here, just give a sigh
The chatter never stops
It will go on until something pops
Make it so, do this edit
You can make me, see, I just read it
Take a bow
Hug a cow
It's not so strange just wow
Just do it, do it now
Me, myself and I
We're together until we die
So yeah, there’s what’s been in my head most of the day. I was a little late this morning, so I was hurrying through the motions: Last night I managed to write an extra scene for “Commanding Morgan” and we want to do the edit this morning. The new scene is actually a good one, we only needed to make a few changes, afterwards we do several more pages and then it’s time to head outside.
The younger sibs wove another mat, while big brother started to saw through little brother’s wall so we could set the window. While they were doing that, I made cement and reattached several roof tiles before I could head inside and work on the plaster around the new window that fit perfectly.
It took some time, but in the end, I did manage to work it into the rather jagged edges until it looked as if the window had been there forever. Beautiful. Now all we have to do is the outside and both windows will be properly set.
When I brought the dogs to the courtyard, Knight II once again got into an argument with Fortuyn through the gate trellis, so yeah, he opened up his tail again by slamming it against the rock wall. He just doesn’t realise his own strength I guess.
As planned last night, we went for a run. Excellent distance, good time and feeling properly revitalized to get new batch of rocks in a spot we hadn’t yet located until tonight. We load the car up to full capacity in the dark and then head home for a really late dinner. Gawd I was so hungry, I ate a full plate completely empty. It was so good. Baked potatoes, red beets and cheese; absolutely delicious.
So, let’s see if I can do another edit tonight, but even if I don’t, this was definitely a good day.
So most people down know what a filk is, basically it’s a song with funny lyrics that ideally rhyme...I think.
Here it is:
Inside the mind of the writing fool
Too many characters fill the pool
There's the idea, the to-be-written and the complete
Inside the crazy mind they all compete
From deep down below
They bubble up, come to life and overflow
Like a jackrabbit they bounce high and low
Never forget you reap what you sow
Me, myself and I
We never agree, no matter how hard I try
Basic thoughts that come to life
Bring lotsa laughter and much strife
Running off inside our mind
We have to follow, see what we find
Follow that rainbow
Haul, tug, drag and tow
Be careful, don't stub your toe
Remember what you reap is what you sow
Me, myself and I
We never agree, but we do fly
Stumble through a fighting scene
Laugh, cry or be serene
It matters not, we get where we have to be
Jump that hurdle, climb that mountain and you'll see
No simple words can bring fatigue
But perhaps a little mystique
They make us swear they make us whole
One by one they're a part of our soul
Me, myself and I
Who will win? It's a tie
Make my story, I wanna live
Come on, I've got so much more to give
They'll never stops they'll never cease
Not even when we say, pretty please
Write and write, go with the flow
Take it high, take it low
It doesn't matter if it's friend or foe
Just remember to reap what you sow
Me, myself and I
Maybe we should eat some pie
Take that next page to the limit
Come on, throw your heart out, give in, give it
You can do it, just coil that muscle, make it taut
Grind that last brain cell, spell it out
Thus the hero and his heroine come inside the brain
Is it a wonder that we are not so sane
Once they have a look, a face, a name
You cannot hold them back with a cane
Me, myself and I
We're here, just give a sigh
The chatter never stops
It will go on until something pops
Make it so, do this edit
You can make me, see, I just read it
Take a bow
Hug a cow
It's not so strange just wow
Just do it, do it now
Me, myself and I
We're together until we die
So yeah, there’s what’s been in my head most of the day. I was a little late this morning, so I was hurrying through the motions: Last night I managed to write an extra scene for “Commanding Morgan” and we want to do the edit this morning. The new scene is actually a good one, we only needed to make a few changes, afterwards we do several more pages and then it’s time to head outside.
The younger sibs wove another mat, while big brother started to saw through little brother’s wall so we could set the window. While they were doing that, I made cement and reattached several roof tiles before I could head inside and work on the plaster around the new window that fit perfectly.
It took some time, but in the end, I did manage to work it into the rather jagged edges until it looked as if the window had been there forever. Beautiful. Now all we have to do is the outside and both windows will be properly set.
When I brought the dogs to the courtyard, Knight II once again got into an argument with Fortuyn through the gate trellis, so yeah, he opened up his tail again by slamming it against the rock wall. He just doesn’t realise his own strength I guess.
As planned last night, we went for a run. Excellent distance, good time and feeling properly revitalized to get new batch of rocks in a spot we hadn’t yet located until tonight. We load the car up to full capacity in the dark and then head home for a really late dinner. Gawd I was so hungry, I ate a full plate completely empty. It was so good. Baked potatoes, red beets and cheese; absolutely delicious.
So, let’s see if I can do another edit tonight, but even if I don’t, this was definitely a good day.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Rocks!!!
Song of the day: “Mighty Mouse”. I know. I don’t make this stuff up, it was right there and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. It was awful, horrific, I just couldn’t get it out of my head. Aaaargh.
But anyway, I was a little late getting up this morning. No surprise since I was late getting to bed again. The weather was rather lovely during the course of the morning. There were clouds so the temperature was downright wonderful, so lying in bed, the fan whirring beside me felt like pure heaving. I was actually regretful that I needed to get up and head down to the house to start the day.
The edit didn’t go brilliantly, but we managed to get several pages done at least. Good scene, even though I couldn’t really get into it, and that’s always a bummer.
But anyway, while going over the first fifty pages or so with mistakes one of our proofreader’s send back, stumbling on a few minor errors that we missed.
We head out to start on weaving, and the laying of the mats. Slow work, that basically has me walking back and forth carrying heavy mats, new canes and tools for those who are doing the weaving and laying. Not my favorite part of a project, but someone’s gotta do it, I guess. We put up a total of fourteen mats by now, got eleven more waiting, and maybe enough canes left to weave another two or three.
About an hour before dusk we head out with the car, little sister and grandpa come along, and drive in the direction of where we already got a nice batch of rocks several months ago. Seeing as we still need to build several stairs, we’re going to need more flat rocks than we have at this time.
We’re rather late, what with August underway, the night is falling fast, and we sort of miscalculated. But still, we got a good batch again, even though we thought it would be a long shot. The back of the Land Rover is literally filled up, and we are throwing in the last few when suddenly one of the heavy rocks slip through grandpa’s fingers and lands right on top of his foot.
Ouch. Not good. By the time we get back home, his foot is swollen, but it doesn’t look like it’s broken or anything. He’s going to have to take things easy for a bit, at least until the discomfort becomes bearable. Leaving him in his cabin, comfortable, albeit somewhat disgruntled about the fact that he hadn’t managed to hold onto that rock.
It felt kinda good too get rocks again. For some reason it is less heavy on the back than gathering and cutting reed, which is weird, right? Reed isn’t half as heavy as rocks; still, it does feel that way. Hah.
End of the day, yeah! Another edit to go, but then I can call it a night. I can hardly way.
But anyway, I was a little late getting up this morning. No surprise since I was late getting to bed again. The weather was rather lovely during the course of the morning. There were clouds so the temperature was downright wonderful, so lying in bed, the fan whirring beside me felt like pure heaving. I was actually regretful that I needed to get up and head down to the house to start the day.
The edit didn’t go brilliantly, but we managed to get several pages done at least. Good scene, even though I couldn’t really get into it, and that’s always a bummer.
But anyway, while going over the first fifty pages or so with mistakes one of our proofreader’s send back, stumbling on a few minor errors that we missed.
We head out to start on weaving, and the laying of the mats. Slow work, that basically has me walking back and forth carrying heavy mats, new canes and tools for those who are doing the weaving and laying. Not my favorite part of a project, but someone’s gotta do it, I guess. We put up a total of fourteen mats by now, got eleven more waiting, and maybe enough canes left to weave another two or three.
About an hour before dusk we head out with the car, little sister and grandpa come along, and drive in the direction of where we already got a nice batch of rocks several months ago. Seeing as we still need to build several stairs, we’re going to need more flat rocks than we have at this time.
We’re rather late, what with August underway, the night is falling fast, and we sort of miscalculated. But still, we got a good batch again, even though we thought it would be a long shot. The back of the Land Rover is literally filled up, and we are throwing in the last few when suddenly one of the heavy rocks slip through grandpa’s fingers and lands right on top of his foot.
Ouch. Not good. By the time we get back home, his foot is swollen, but it doesn’t look like it’s broken or anything. He’s going to have to take things easy for a bit, at least until the discomfort becomes bearable. Leaving him in his cabin, comfortable, albeit somewhat disgruntled about the fact that he hadn’t managed to hold onto that rock.
It felt kinda good too get rocks again. For some reason it is less heavy on the back than gathering and cutting reed, which is weird, right? Reed isn’t half as heavy as rocks; still, it does feel that way. Hah.
End of the day, yeah! Another edit to go, but then I can call it a night. I can hardly way.
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