Song of the day: “I hope you dance” by Leann Womack. Whenever I hear it, I keep thinking that it’s Dolly Parton, but there you have it. Gorgeous song, and it has been in my head more often, if memory serves me right.
First of all, it has been effing cold. I know, compared to the northern parts of Europe our measly 30 degrees (they’re having zero, thank you very much) is nothing, but still, I have become a worshipper of warmth, and these freezing temps are not my thing. Makes me want to crawl into bed an hibernate until the summer returns. *sigh*
No matter, though, life as we know it continues, and stuff needs to be done. I had fully planned to dig under the storage under my bed yesterday, getting out my winter sweaters, but for some reason didn’t get around to it. First off I headed down into the yard for some harvesting. I had hoped that the cold wouldn’t be as prominent there (it often is, due to it being behind the ridge of the mountain) but was disappointed after I checked up on the greenhouse (I took as long as possible in there, hah). The wind was coming from the west, so it blasted me full force while he checked everything and then quickly headed up.
There were chickpea patties for breakfast, both today and yesterday. There was no bread, so we had to make due. Didn’t work bad either with a slice of cheese on it, and a pancake to take care of the morning sugar craving. Yay. Since the below freezing temperatures weren’t doing anything for our productivity, big brother and I decided to get our computers and get to work on the edit, rather than try to brave the cold. We lit up the stove (the dogs loved that. It took them five seconds flat to come inside and cluster around the heat) turned on the machines and got to work.
About three hours later we resurfaced, both of us mentally drained and ready for a break. Since we had to go out later in the afternoon we opted for a nap. Poor Chaos was freezing, so I took him under the blanket with me. He was still shivering then, but with the arrival of a sudden weight slinking its way between us, started to growl ferociously. A glance down showed Knight II, crawling on the bed with us, wedging himself higher and higher until I caved and threw the blanket over him as well. Thankfully that made him settle down real fast, about midway between Chaos and me. I dozed for a few minutes and then…another thump, followed by desperate scratching at my shoulder I growled and looked up in time to see Dax dive under the blankets and settle into the crook of my knees. Nice and toasty. I didn’t mind overly much. Another five minute doze later, thump, and Sitabah just barely missing my nose as she vaulted over Knight II, Chaos, and my head to settle on the pillow and curling herself around my skull like a hat. She was shivering like mad, and ended up sticking her head under the blanket by my shoulder and promptly falling asleep. I didn’t have the heart to smack her out of the way, so I ended up lying there sandwiched between the dogs, enjoying the warmth, rather than actually sleeping. Isn’t it weird that of my dogs the Labs are the only ones who are not bothered by the cold?
But anyway, my so-called nap done, it was out and about again, braving the cold to head on down into the yard to water the plants. This infernal western wind is simply devastating. Already we have lost several plants to the chilling cold.
Afterwards it was to town for us, picking up an order and a small donation to boot, allowing us to come back home around 10 in the evening at which time I went through my messages, chatted some online and then worked on the edit once more.
Didn’t get to bed until two in the morning, but that was okay seeing as I overslept anyway. Hah. Yep. My alarm went off at nine and yet I somehow managed to not become disturbed by the beeping sound until nine forty. Boy was it could. I folded right then and there, yanked up my mattress and dug through the many bags underneath until I found all my winter sweaters. Yay. Am wearing one of them, thank you very much. A wool fisherman’s sweater from Norway, or some such country which is so long it covers my butt and wide enough to allow for multiple layers underneath. Double Yay. Seriously, my upper body hasn’t been cold all day. As for the lower part. I am wearing sweats under jeans, and could do with another layer but fear that I would look like a Michelin man if I did. Hah.
After breakfast and laundry, it was down into the yard again. The greenhouse was blissfully warm, and I spent at least half an hour in there to search for bugs. I would have stuck around longer, but again the plants down in the yard had to be watered, requiring time an effort. No matter this time. Though the wind was still the same as yesterday, the sun was also fully out warming us at least a little.
What else. Well, there were repairs to make. Alta (perro the agua) recently wrecked the rubber wind block strip (rubber) so I put a new one on. The tarp closure that we made to keep the wind out of the carport had a rip in it ad a slat broke due to the massive winds. Both had to be fixed and even replaced.
There was a trip to the storage to get supplies, and there was my cabin floor which absolutely had to be swept today. Seriously, I don’t mind a little dirt on the floor. On the most part I arrive in my cabin late at night, about half an hour before bedtime. I turn on the light, change into my pjs, crawl under the blankets, turn off the lights and pass out. It’s as simple as that. But it was getting bad. I startled the other day because a pluck of dog hair made think there was a rat lying in the middle of my room. Now it’s clean as a whistle…sorta anyway. Hah.
Well, that’s about it, I guess. According to the weather reports temperatures should go back up again the day after tomorrow. I for one can hardly wait. I am really spoiled when it comes to temperatures, or so I have found.
Right. I should get to work. Let’s hope I have more interesting news to report two days from now, eh?
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Checker tiling.
Song of the day: “Mongo Bongo” by The Mescaleros, Joe Strummer. Weird song, really, but big brother and I got into it after the movie Mr. & Mrs Smith, and it’s been on our iTunes ever since.
It’s been a busy couple of days, mostly involving putting in tiles in grandpa’s kitchen. Not the actual cooking area, but the dining area. In checker pattern, no less.
When I suggested doing it on Wednesday a few days ago, he was adamant that it might rain and that he’d go bonkers from the barrier that we’d need to put up to protect the new tiles from the dogs. And then, suddenly, yesterday morning he threw it on me and said he’d changed his mind and wondered if I could put the tiles in after all.
Now I am very much about spur of the moment, but you gotta understand that grandpa is not at all good at it. When he suggests something spur of the moment you can bet that stuff goes wrong. And it did. Multiple things. So much in fact that there was a point in the middle of the afternoon (when the twentieth thing wrecked my concentration while I tried to figure out with which side, tile and whatnot to start) where I just had to laugh.
Things that went wrong:
1. A bucket broke. White stuff flew all through the carport and streamed down the incline. He was not amused…I was.
2. Wrong tile glue. Grandpa made the stuff that turned hard within an hour and a half, meaning we lost two buckets of the stuff (and the buckets) within the first two hours.
3. Lost a bunch of tiles. Walked back and forth about six times before I finally found them all.
4. Twisted my ankle. Nothing too serious, but the foot started whining because of it, so I wasn’t happy about that.
5. The dogs kept making a racket, until I locked mine up.
6. Grandpa had to head back down to the carport twice for every one time, because he kept forgetting stuff.
7. I forgot something four times, and had to head back from whichever location I came. Aaargh.
8. What could have been done in six hours, was done in nine instead…but who cares. It’s looking good. Hah.
Where was I? Ah, right. I was heading down to lock my dogs up in my cabin because Sitabah was constantly attacking the fence of grandpa’s little yard (she has a thing with his dogs) and it was driving him bonkers. Hah. But anyway, I’d been “preparing” to lay tiles for three hours already, and every time I tried to get seriously into it, something would happen. So I laughed, and then with cousin Ed helping I started laying the tiles.
In the mean time big brother was dividing his attention between spray painting the damaged part of the Opel, and small repairs in the carport.
Grandpa, of course, started getting concerned around that time, making multiple suggestions for me to only do half, rather than laying it in one day (because it was already late) because he can’t stand the thought of working past seven in the afternoon. Can’t blame him, but since I knew I would have another day of finishing the edges anyway, I rather finished the majority all at once. I confidently told him that now that we’d gotten started it would only take a couple, or three hours, and did it in five to six (I feared it would take seven so six was good for as far as I was concerned. Hah).
Big brother and grandpa finished up the day by putting a wooden barrier around that section of the room, and I headed for tenant’s to sit with her for a bit by the stove and hope that my feet would carry me down to my cabin. Hah. It is normal to have a sore lower back, aching thighs, calves, feet and shoulders after tiling, so I wasn’t at all surprised that my gait was a little unstable on my way down. I relaxed with a book for about half an hour, and then headed for the computer to start on the day’s editing session.
Cousin Ed thankfully offered to make dinner of leftovers, so there was no cooking involved either. Yay.
Editing…Oh. My. Gawd!!! We are having so many rows these days. I think that at the moment our problem is a difference in style really. Where big brother likes the straightforward and simple cause and effect, I like the drama and the flair. Guess we’ll have to settle on a middle ground somewhere. I did manage to hold onto my equilibrium, and though frustrated I didn’t fight the urge to conk him on the head. Hah.
Was late getting to bed because we decided to watch an episode of Dexter. Though I still like the concept a lot, I didn’t really enjoy the episode (had to do with me, rather than the show, I think) for some reason. In the end I wished I’d opted for bed instead, but there was no helping it, I guess.
As for this morning…I slept through the night without interruption, waking up toasty warm with four dogs tight around me. Jeez, I was wrecked. You cannot turn around properly with four bony bodies pressed against you. *sigh* But anyway, I was running behind but decided to have a workout anyway. I was sore as heck from the tiling, and some exercise could only improve my condition for as far as I was concerned. Went through the entire routine at top speed, then headed down to do a massive batch of laundry, and settled for a short time into devouring breakfast. Hah.
That done, we headed down into the yard to water stuff (the winds have been increasing again, meaning that the ground is drying pretty fast), check for bugs and harvest cauliflower and broccoli. The latter would serve as today’s supper.
That done we put the new berry bushes, raspberry vines, and three plants called Hardy Kiwis. Very strange little berries, supposedly tasting like kiwis, only sweeter. I wonder how they’ll flourish in this climate. We’re going to have to find a watery spot for sure. Be that as it may, we put them all in pots, and since they’re all weak little plants from the store, we’ve decided to try to nurse these in the greenhouse (and pots) for a year or so and give them time to develop a root system.
There were dog food stores to check. Expiration dates have a knack of sneaking up on us. Hah. Found a full batch that will need to be exchanged for a new batch within the next few months, so we did that while we were at it. Carla (red cocker spaniel) discovered the pile and spent the majority of the afternoon guarding the bags and snacking from the corner he’d chewed open. Hah.
As for my Jack Vance venture…I can’t admit to liking this one more than the ones I read already. (Lyonesse: Suldrun’s garden) In fact, compared to his other stories this one is a little grittier with a sometimes even unpleasant undertone. I get that the atmosphere of the “mid-evil” kind of era has something to with it (the others were leaning toward sci-fi after all) but still; there is a darkness to this story that unsettles me at times. Though I am enjoying the experience, in particular due to Vance’s colorful and elegant writing style, I do understand why I was unable to get into this particular writer when I was a young girl. His worlds, his vocabulary and his sense of adventure is splendid, but his sense of romance, character development and dialogue leaves me somewhat hanging, I fear.
Ah well, once outside work was done, and water for spagetti was on the fire, it was time to finish the tile floor of yesterday by putting in the final edges and cleaning out the grouts. Dani did the latter while I worked on the edges and grandpa supplied whatever it was we needed. I don’t know why, but I was in a strange mood today. Off humor, and giddy snorts and chuckles were the main theme by the time I started to get tired and it became clear that there would be no time to finish the actual grouting before the evening arrived. No matter, by that time I was so cold that I didn’t care one way or other (seriously the floor was freezing). Hah.
While grandpa and Dani finished up with the floor I started on supper. Broccoli, spaghetti and the satay sauce big brother made. I had planned to ad chickpea burgers (I made them during breakfast this morning) but since the broccoli was plenty, I decided against it. It was surprised how nice the broccoli went with peanut sauce. Hah.
So now I have to call this the blog, because I really, really want to go to bed in time tonight, and the edit is still waiting. Grrr.
It’s been a busy couple of days, mostly involving putting in tiles in grandpa’s kitchen. Not the actual cooking area, but the dining area. In checker pattern, no less.
When I suggested doing it on Wednesday a few days ago, he was adamant that it might rain and that he’d go bonkers from the barrier that we’d need to put up to protect the new tiles from the dogs. And then, suddenly, yesterday morning he threw it on me and said he’d changed his mind and wondered if I could put the tiles in after all.
Now I am very much about spur of the moment, but you gotta understand that grandpa is not at all good at it. When he suggests something spur of the moment you can bet that stuff goes wrong. And it did. Multiple things. So much in fact that there was a point in the middle of the afternoon (when the twentieth thing wrecked my concentration while I tried to figure out with which side, tile and whatnot to start) where I just had to laugh.
Things that went wrong:
1. A bucket broke. White stuff flew all through the carport and streamed down the incline. He was not amused…I was.
2. Wrong tile glue. Grandpa made the stuff that turned hard within an hour and a half, meaning we lost two buckets of the stuff (and the buckets) within the first two hours.
3. Lost a bunch of tiles. Walked back and forth about six times before I finally found them all.
4. Twisted my ankle. Nothing too serious, but the foot started whining because of it, so I wasn’t happy about that.
5. The dogs kept making a racket, until I locked mine up.
6. Grandpa had to head back down to the carport twice for every one time, because he kept forgetting stuff.
7. I forgot something four times, and had to head back from whichever location I came. Aaargh.
8. What could have been done in six hours, was done in nine instead…but who cares. It’s looking good. Hah.
Where was I? Ah, right. I was heading down to lock my dogs up in my cabin because Sitabah was constantly attacking the fence of grandpa’s little yard (she has a thing with his dogs) and it was driving him bonkers. Hah. But anyway, I’d been “preparing” to lay tiles for three hours already, and every time I tried to get seriously into it, something would happen. So I laughed, and then with cousin Ed helping I started laying the tiles.
In the mean time big brother was dividing his attention between spray painting the damaged part of the Opel, and small repairs in the carport.
Grandpa, of course, started getting concerned around that time, making multiple suggestions for me to only do half, rather than laying it in one day (because it was already late) because he can’t stand the thought of working past seven in the afternoon. Can’t blame him, but since I knew I would have another day of finishing the edges anyway, I rather finished the majority all at once. I confidently told him that now that we’d gotten started it would only take a couple, or three hours, and did it in five to six (I feared it would take seven so six was good for as far as I was concerned. Hah).
Big brother and grandpa finished up the day by putting a wooden barrier around that section of the room, and I headed for tenant’s to sit with her for a bit by the stove and hope that my feet would carry me down to my cabin. Hah. It is normal to have a sore lower back, aching thighs, calves, feet and shoulders after tiling, so I wasn’t at all surprised that my gait was a little unstable on my way down. I relaxed with a book for about half an hour, and then headed for the computer to start on the day’s editing session.
Cousin Ed thankfully offered to make dinner of leftovers, so there was no cooking involved either. Yay.
Editing…Oh. My. Gawd!!! We are having so many rows these days. I think that at the moment our problem is a difference in style really. Where big brother likes the straightforward and simple cause and effect, I like the drama and the flair. Guess we’ll have to settle on a middle ground somewhere. I did manage to hold onto my equilibrium, and though frustrated I didn’t fight the urge to conk him on the head. Hah.
Was late getting to bed because we decided to watch an episode of Dexter. Though I still like the concept a lot, I didn’t really enjoy the episode (had to do with me, rather than the show, I think) for some reason. In the end I wished I’d opted for bed instead, but there was no helping it, I guess.
As for this morning…I slept through the night without interruption, waking up toasty warm with four dogs tight around me. Jeez, I was wrecked. You cannot turn around properly with four bony bodies pressed against you. *sigh* But anyway, I was running behind but decided to have a workout anyway. I was sore as heck from the tiling, and some exercise could only improve my condition for as far as I was concerned. Went through the entire routine at top speed, then headed down to do a massive batch of laundry, and settled for a short time into devouring breakfast. Hah.
That done, we headed down into the yard to water stuff (the winds have been increasing again, meaning that the ground is drying pretty fast), check for bugs and harvest cauliflower and broccoli. The latter would serve as today’s supper.
That done we put the new berry bushes, raspberry vines, and three plants called Hardy Kiwis. Very strange little berries, supposedly tasting like kiwis, only sweeter. I wonder how they’ll flourish in this climate. We’re going to have to find a watery spot for sure. Be that as it may, we put them all in pots, and since they’re all weak little plants from the store, we’ve decided to try to nurse these in the greenhouse (and pots) for a year or so and give them time to develop a root system.
There were dog food stores to check. Expiration dates have a knack of sneaking up on us. Hah. Found a full batch that will need to be exchanged for a new batch within the next few months, so we did that while we were at it. Carla (red cocker spaniel) discovered the pile and spent the majority of the afternoon guarding the bags and snacking from the corner he’d chewed open. Hah.
As for my Jack Vance venture…I can’t admit to liking this one more than the ones I read already. (Lyonesse: Suldrun’s garden) In fact, compared to his other stories this one is a little grittier with a sometimes even unpleasant undertone. I get that the atmosphere of the “mid-evil” kind of era has something to with it (the others were leaning toward sci-fi after all) but still; there is a darkness to this story that unsettles me at times. Though I am enjoying the experience, in particular due to Vance’s colorful and elegant writing style, I do understand why I was unable to get into this particular writer when I was a young girl. His worlds, his vocabulary and his sense of adventure is splendid, but his sense of romance, character development and dialogue leaves me somewhat hanging, I fear.
Ah well, once outside work was done, and water for spagetti was on the fire, it was time to finish the tile floor of yesterday by putting in the final edges and cleaning out the grouts. Dani did the latter while I worked on the edges and grandpa supplied whatever it was we needed. I don’t know why, but I was in a strange mood today. Off humor, and giddy snorts and chuckles were the main theme by the time I started to get tired and it became clear that there would be no time to finish the actual grouting before the evening arrived. No matter, by that time I was so cold that I didn’t care one way or other (seriously the floor was freezing). Hah.
While grandpa and Dani finished up with the floor I started on supper. Broccoli, spaghetti and the satay sauce big brother made. I had planned to ad chickpea burgers (I made them during breakfast this morning) but since the broccoli was plenty, I decided against it. It was surprised how nice the broccoli went with peanut sauce. Hah.
So now I have to call this the blog, because I really, really want to go to bed in time tonight, and the edit is still waiting. Grrr.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Poor puppy...
Song of the day: “The voice” by Eimear Quin. There was something else earlier this morning, but by now it has faded into the bustle of no other than Grocery Shopping Day. Yay.
Yep, it is that time of the month again, and though I would have gladly postponed, it had to be done. For me it was a long day for sure. First of I had to head for the doctor’s (podiatrist, really) to pick up my insoles. The nice girl doctor was there again, but regretfully she forgot to bring my old ones in, meaning I have to go back around Monday to pick them up again. I got the new ones today, and at the moment, after walking on them for a solid eight hours, I am not pleased with them. Hah.
Seriously, they look cheap, as if they’re made of some sort of stuff that will fall apart within a week, and though they are softer (after a fashion) they are not all that comfortable. Seriously, it felt as if I was starting from scratch with the blasted things, and to add to the insult, they were twenty bucks more expensive. Grrrr. If I pay for something like that more than I do for the average shoe, I would like to see smooth edges, nicely trimmed colors and whatnot.
Ah well, no helping it now, I guess. I’ll just have to get used to them…or better yet, find a way to heal the effing foot. Yeah. That’s a much better idea. Hah.
But enough about today. It were just groceries and that really isn’t all that interesting. I mean, really, we went into stores, out, packed, unpacked, loaded, unloaded and again once we got home. All very boring…like usual, but since I can hardly just repeat any other grocery shopping day that I did before, we’ll just skip it.
Let’s do yesterday…which wasn’t all that more exciting but at least it was different. Hah.
Also an early day, by the way. We had an appointment at the MOT (blasted government demands that you have an all terrain vehicle checked every six months) and had to leave a little early because we wanted to stop at the gas station to pump the tires. Then it was off the Málaga where we arrived at the exact time of our appointment. Yay. There was some waiting involved, along with a short chat with a guy who also had a Land Rover and who was waiting for his turn. He ran a touring agency, like safaris through the local country-side. Got to talking a bit, since I was curious as to where he was located and how business was going these days. Though slower in the winter (which is normal, apparently) he was doing well. Good for him! By then our license plate number was broadcasted and we had to get into the hangar for our turn.
Gawd. The mechanic checking us over was there with about five percent of his attention, where he was with the other 95 percent, I don’t know, but he only checked the absolute basics, stamped our papers and sent us on our way. Now, personally I didn’t mind all that much, seeing as I consider the car’s condition/safety to be our responsibility and not that of the government, but I paid the obligatory 45 bucks for that check, and got a guy for it who stood staring vaguely in the distance the whole while.
Ah well, no matter. The brakes work, so do the lights, and that’s the stuff the cops look at, right? But anyway, we got our stamp and our sticker so we started homeward with only a slight detour to a Chinese food store to get coconut milk and a variety of noodles. After that it was on to home where the sun was shining beautifully and grandpa was waiting for help up at the storage. Big brother went there, while I headed down into the yard to water the greenhouse and raised seedbed, and then the sowed alfa alfa fields lower in the yard. Such a wonderful way to relax. I really wound down ‘round then.
The yard seen to, I headed up to the storage and helped sorting through panels and such which could be set in the sections big brother and grandpa had put together. It took until the end of the afternoon, but it was well worth the effort. It looks way better there now. Hah.
While we were busy there, the lady from the other day drove down with the her car. She was a bit upset seeing as she had found a podenco puppy by the side of the road. It was tiny, she said and had a ripped ear. And she was wondering if we could take him. We couldn’t, of course. We have strict rules about new dogs, and we made a decision not to take any anymore.
So I explained to the woman that we can’t risk a dog that isn’t vaccinated (seriously, we’ve had several contagious deceases raging rampant through the pack, and it’s not funny). She then of course offered to get him all his shots and whatnot, if only we’d take it. She clearly didn’t realize that getting the pup vaccinated wouldn’t do anything until a minimum of two weeks (which is the incubation period of most diseases) but ideally a good 3 months.
But that was all beside the point. We are trying to get less dogs, not more, and thankfully she did understand in the end. We ended the conversation with me giving her directions to two good vets in the village, and after she cooed a little with Knight II (who was being his beautiful self, of course) she departed with puppy and all.
So sad, puppies being dumped…gawd, the horror stories I could tell…but you can do only so much. There have to be limits, and ours is our present pack at the moment.
While big brother and grandpa finished up in the storage Cousin Ed and I went inside to start on supper. Noodles with veggie under a rather spicy satay sauce. Yummy.
There was a rather turbulent edit, where big brother and I really got into a row about several sentences. What I consider to be suspense, he thought tedious, which of course led to some serious discourse. Moments like that can make a body despair, and then I have to remind myself that every edit makes the story just a little bit better, so it really isn’t for nothing. *sigh* Sometimes there are moments I forget, however. *double sigh*
Well, I’m going to leave it at this. My doggie are demanding attention, and I for one wouldn’t mind an early night at all.
Yep, it is that time of the month again, and though I would have gladly postponed, it had to be done. For me it was a long day for sure. First of I had to head for the doctor’s (podiatrist, really) to pick up my insoles. The nice girl doctor was there again, but regretfully she forgot to bring my old ones in, meaning I have to go back around Monday to pick them up again. I got the new ones today, and at the moment, after walking on them for a solid eight hours, I am not pleased with them. Hah.
Seriously, they look cheap, as if they’re made of some sort of stuff that will fall apart within a week, and though they are softer (after a fashion) they are not all that comfortable. Seriously, it felt as if I was starting from scratch with the blasted things, and to add to the insult, they were twenty bucks more expensive. Grrrr. If I pay for something like that more than I do for the average shoe, I would like to see smooth edges, nicely trimmed colors and whatnot.
Ah well, no helping it now, I guess. I’ll just have to get used to them…or better yet, find a way to heal the effing foot. Yeah. That’s a much better idea. Hah.
But enough about today. It were just groceries and that really isn’t all that interesting. I mean, really, we went into stores, out, packed, unpacked, loaded, unloaded and again once we got home. All very boring…like usual, but since I can hardly just repeat any other grocery shopping day that I did before, we’ll just skip it.
Let’s do yesterday…which wasn’t all that more exciting but at least it was different. Hah.
Also an early day, by the way. We had an appointment at the MOT (blasted government demands that you have an all terrain vehicle checked every six months) and had to leave a little early because we wanted to stop at the gas station to pump the tires. Then it was off the Málaga where we arrived at the exact time of our appointment. Yay. There was some waiting involved, along with a short chat with a guy who also had a Land Rover and who was waiting for his turn. He ran a touring agency, like safaris through the local country-side. Got to talking a bit, since I was curious as to where he was located and how business was going these days. Though slower in the winter (which is normal, apparently) he was doing well. Good for him! By then our license plate number was broadcasted and we had to get into the hangar for our turn.
Gawd. The mechanic checking us over was there with about five percent of his attention, where he was with the other 95 percent, I don’t know, but he only checked the absolute basics, stamped our papers and sent us on our way. Now, personally I didn’t mind all that much, seeing as I consider the car’s condition/safety to be our responsibility and not that of the government, but I paid the obligatory 45 bucks for that check, and got a guy for it who stood staring vaguely in the distance the whole while.
Ah well, no matter. The brakes work, so do the lights, and that’s the stuff the cops look at, right? But anyway, we got our stamp and our sticker so we started homeward with only a slight detour to a Chinese food store to get coconut milk and a variety of noodles. After that it was on to home where the sun was shining beautifully and grandpa was waiting for help up at the storage. Big brother went there, while I headed down into the yard to water the greenhouse and raised seedbed, and then the sowed alfa alfa fields lower in the yard. Such a wonderful way to relax. I really wound down ‘round then.
The yard seen to, I headed up to the storage and helped sorting through panels and such which could be set in the sections big brother and grandpa had put together. It took until the end of the afternoon, but it was well worth the effort. It looks way better there now. Hah.
While we were busy there, the lady from the other day drove down with the her car. She was a bit upset seeing as she had found a podenco puppy by the side of the road. It was tiny, she said and had a ripped ear. And she was wondering if we could take him. We couldn’t, of course. We have strict rules about new dogs, and we made a decision not to take any anymore.
So I explained to the woman that we can’t risk a dog that isn’t vaccinated (seriously, we’ve had several contagious deceases raging rampant through the pack, and it’s not funny). She then of course offered to get him all his shots and whatnot, if only we’d take it. She clearly didn’t realize that getting the pup vaccinated wouldn’t do anything until a minimum of two weeks (which is the incubation period of most diseases) but ideally a good 3 months.
But that was all beside the point. We are trying to get less dogs, not more, and thankfully she did understand in the end. We ended the conversation with me giving her directions to two good vets in the village, and after she cooed a little with Knight II (who was being his beautiful self, of course) she departed with puppy and all.
So sad, puppies being dumped…gawd, the horror stories I could tell…but you can do only so much. There have to be limits, and ours is our present pack at the moment.
While big brother and grandpa finished up in the storage Cousin Ed and I went inside to start on supper. Noodles with veggie under a rather spicy satay sauce. Yummy.
There was a rather turbulent edit, where big brother and I really got into a row about several sentences. What I consider to be suspense, he thought tedious, which of course led to some serious discourse. Moments like that can make a body despair, and then I have to remind myself that every edit makes the story just a little bit better, so it really isn’t for nothing. *sigh* Sometimes there are moments I forget, however. *double sigh*
Well, I’m going to leave it at this. My doggie are demanding attention, and I for one wouldn’t mind an early night at all.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
The wall, the wall...almost there
Song of the day: “Living Doll” by Cliff Richards. The one with the Young Ones, of course, which is just too funny for words. Hah.
I’m going to have to stick with a disorganized sum-up again because it’s been a long day and for the life of me I can’t recall the right sequence. I know that there were two workouts, so that covers both mornings, doesn’t it. I was a little late, but I did manage to do the full sessions without dawdling. This means that I was only fifteen minutes later than usual. Am adding a new three minute routine to the whole, step ups, which should improve my stair walking some…I hope.
Rather than going for chickpeas, lentils or white beans, I made soy bean burgers yesterday. I’d put the dried beans in water for a whole night of soaking the evening before and after boiling them for a couple of hours they were ready to use. I like the result, I’ve got to admit. They’re a bit tougher than I usually make them, grainy too, but it gives you the idea that you’re eating something properly solid. In fact, since there was no bread this morning, I ate a couple of the burgers for breakfast. Hah.
Edits…it’s tough going at the moment. Whether big brother is a bad mood, or I am, I don’t know, but we get into fierce discussions about every other paragraph, darn it. First edits are a pain, I tell ya. So much to keep track of, and big brother watches different stuff than I do. *sigh* It is bound to give friction. Ah well, no matter. Seventeen pages to go and then the first edit will finally be over. Yay.
Had two sessions in the yard. First one was checking up on everything after the massive hailstorm the other day. The cabbages show some damage, but they’re flourishing regardless. Seriously, I don’t know on which steroids the red cabbages are on but when I checked on them they were standing proud and strong as if saying: “Hailstorm? What hailstorm? I’m growing here dammit!” Hah. Got a nice batch of broccoli from the yard yesterday…and then again this morning, which was once again spent in the yard. There were bugs to be hunted, and the greenhouse and raised seedbed to take care of.
Then there was the borecole that we gathered or supper. Big brother is preparing it as I write this, which is nice because I didn’t particularly feel like cooking today. Hah.
Big brother and I have been working on a toolbox kind of thing for in the back of the Land Rover. The friggin’ package of obligated warning triangles, reflective jackets, and all that stuff, is constantly sliding through the entire car, meaning that a proper box is necessary. Got the necessities from storage and sawed most of it in the afternoon, creating a big, multiplex tube that we’ll (at some point) attach in the back of the car.
My stomach is giving me some trouble again the past couple of days, so after making and eating dinner yesterday, I just had to take a nap rather than risk losing the whole lot again. Eating, at the moment, is not a pleasant endeavor for me, I have to extremely careful lest I risk chucking it all up again. Dontcha just hate it when you’re being reminded of your sick days? I do.
I was of course freezing after my nap. I don’t know why but for some reason my body thinks it’s a good idea to shut down while I sleep. It makes keeping warming practically impossible…you’d think that the nap would help with my foot, but nope, that one’s still bugging me too. I am definitely looking forward to getting my new insoles the day after tomorrow…heck, if I could get away with it, I’d call the guy now and demand them. Seriously! He’s taking forever.
We’ve spent about four hours working on the wall, which means hauling freaky big rocks, wheelbarrows full of cement, but once again we have added another foot or two to the height of the majority of the wall. Got about fifteen feet the way it’s supposed to be, with drainage pipes in it, and attachment points for the future balustrade. It’s looking, folks. It’s really looking good. I was standing under it after working there most of the afternoon, and, boy, is that wall high now. Seriously, you do not want to fall off that one.
The dogs were, of course, their usual annoying selves during the work. At one point there was a line of six dogs lying on the exact path that we were constantly traversing with the wheelbarrows. All of them stretched out in the sunshine, literally ignoring us when we tried to get them out of the way. No respect. Hah.
Though working on the wall was absolutely divine due to the sunshine, I am now starting to get seriously chilled because I am standing on my terrace and the wind is coming from the north here (behind the house there was no wind, thankfully). I need to get this blog done and then get the stove on. I don’t like this cold at all, it is undoing all the good the sun did this afternoon.
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. First the Land Rover to the MOT and then once we get home, hopefully working on the Opel’s flank. I finally managed to get my hands on the paint (we ended up at a specialized shop in town where they had to mix it up for me) and lacquer so with a little luck we’ll get that done tomorrow.
Well, that’s it for me. I still have to go out later tonight, but before that I do hope to be able to get some pages edited. I’m not holding my breath, though. Way too dangerous. Hah.
I’m going to have to stick with a disorganized sum-up again because it’s been a long day and for the life of me I can’t recall the right sequence. I know that there were two workouts, so that covers both mornings, doesn’t it. I was a little late, but I did manage to do the full sessions without dawdling. This means that I was only fifteen minutes later than usual. Am adding a new three minute routine to the whole, step ups, which should improve my stair walking some…I hope.
Rather than going for chickpeas, lentils or white beans, I made soy bean burgers yesterday. I’d put the dried beans in water for a whole night of soaking the evening before and after boiling them for a couple of hours they were ready to use. I like the result, I’ve got to admit. They’re a bit tougher than I usually make them, grainy too, but it gives you the idea that you’re eating something properly solid. In fact, since there was no bread this morning, I ate a couple of the burgers for breakfast. Hah.
Edits…it’s tough going at the moment. Whether big brother is a bad mood, or I am, I don’t know, but we get into fierce discussions about every other paragraph, darn it. First edits are a pain, I tell ya. So much to keep track of, and big brother watches different stuff than I do. *sigh* It is bound to give friction. Ah well, no matter. Seventeen pages to go and then the first edit will finally be over. Yay.
Had two sessions in the yard. First one was checking up on everything after the massive hailstorm the other day. The cabbages show some damage, but they’re flourishing regardless. Seriously, I don’t know on which steroids the red cabbages are on but when I checked on them they were standing proud and strong as if saying: “Hailstorm? What hailstorm? I’m growing here dammit!” Hah. Got a nice batch of broccoli from the yard yesterday…and then again this morning, which was once again spent in the yard. There were bugs to be hunted, and the greenhouse and raised seedbed to take care of.
Then there was the borecole that we gathered or supper. Big brother is preparing it as I write this, which is nice because I didn’t particularly feel like cooking today. Hah.
Big brother and I have been working on a toolbox kind of thing for in the back of the Land Rover. The friggin’ package of obligated warning triangles, reflective jackets, and all that stuff, is constantly sliding through the entire car, meaning that a proper box is necessary. Got the necessities from storage and sawed most of it in the afternoon, creating a big, multiplex tube that we’ll (at some point) attach in the back of the car.
My stomach is giving me some trouble again the past couple of days, so after making and eating dinner yesterday, I just had to take a nap rather than risk losing the whole lot again. Eating, at the moment, is not a pleasant endeavor for me, I have to extremely careful lest I risk chucking it all up again. Dontcha just hate it when you’re being reminded of your sick days? I do.
I was of course freezing after my nap. I don’t know why but for some reason my body thinks it’s a good idea to shut down while I sleep. It makes keeping warming practically impossible…you’d think that the nap would help with my foot, but nope, that one’s still bugging me too. I am definitely looking forward to getting my new insoles the day after tomorrow…heck, if I could get away with it, I’d call the guy now and demand them. Seriously! He’s taking forever.
We’ve spent about four hours working on the wall, which means hauling freaky big rocks, wheelbarrows full of cement, but once again we have added another foot or two to the height of the majority of the wall. Got about fifteen feet the way it’s supposed to be, with drainage pipes in it, and attachment points for the future balustrade. It’s looking, folks. It’s really looking good. I was standing under it after working there most of the afternoon, and, boy, is that wall high now. Seriously, you do not want to fall off that one.
The dogs were, of course, their usual annoying selves during the work. At one point there was a line of six dogs lying on the exact path that we were constantly traversing with the wheelbarrows. All of them stretched out in the sunshine, literally ignoring us when we tried to get them out of the way. No respect. Hah.
Though working on the wall was absolutely divine due to the sunshine, I am now starting to get seriously chilled because I am standing on my terrace and the wind is coming from the north here (behind the house there was no wind, thankfully). I need to get this blog done and then get the stove on. I don’t like this cold at all, it is undoing all the good the sun did this afternoon.
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. First the Land Rover to the MOT and then once we get home, hopefully working on the Opel’s flank. I finally managed to get my hands on the paint (we ended up at a specialized shop in town where they had to mix it up for me) and lacquer so with a little luck we’ll get that done tomorrow.
Well, that’s it for me. I still have to go out later tonight, but before that I do hope to be able to get some pages edited. I’m not holding my breath, though. Way too dangerous. Hah.
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