Merry Christmas

Song of the day: “Chandelier” not by Sia, but rather by Jasmine Tompson, who did a wonderful cover of the song. Hah.

Right, another blog from the UK. No worries, I’m not driving y’all bonkers by being back here permanently, it’s just for the holidays, so the friends that we made over here, could have a break while the dogs were taken care of.

Wasn’t looking forward to it, I’ll admit, but that was emotional rather than realistic problems. Annoying, really, how in your head things get blown out of proportions and a part of you starts to forget that it is only for a few days, and not indefinitely. Strange how that works, in particular that panicky feeling that gnaws at your chest, while everyone was happy to see us, and welcomed us heartily. Messed up, for sure.

As to what has been happening since the last blog…well, there was the usual stuff at the house in Spain, added to the fact that the day before we left we spent several hours cleaning up the yard. Mom had a visitor coming, and the place was a mess, of course. Had been focusing more on the inside of the house, rather than the outside. *sigh*

Mom went to the doctor and got the OK to walk again, which is hard, of course. Having been pretty much immobile for the past six weeks, being bed-bound and everything, muscles are incredibly sore after one trip to town, meaning that she’ll have to start with little bits here and there.

Did manage to post several recipes on my other blog, you know, the one about cooking. At the moment I’m using basic pictures, and a prefab background, but as soon as I get a little more time, I’m going to take pictures of my own for it. Way more fun…but time. Time. TIME!!!

Had several weird dreams, but they didn’t stick, so no harm no foul. I do remember bits and pieces about it involving family members I haven’t seen in more than twenty years, at the very least. Odd that.

Heard from tenant, who isn’t doing all that well. She has a catheter in her kidney (again) due to a kidney stone that got stuck in the tube. She was once again forced to go to hospital with the infection, making her too week for the operation, which should be done on the 29^th…but regretfully, about two weeks after returning home, she got ill again, this time severe diarrhea bringing her near to dehydration, and therefore hospitalized, in hopes of keeping her strength up for the operation. Poor tenant. If only she didn’t find drinking so bothersome…otherwise she would have so much less trouble.

Managed to get some stuff done here in the UK, though, so that’s good. For me it’s hard, since the animals take a lot of time, so while big brother gets to put some backbone into whatever we need to do during the day, I have to interrupt all the activities for their daily care. Ah well, one does what one needs to, right?

Been putting up a fence, which is not bad work to do with weather that turned chilly, but sunny, at least. Fixed a gate. Did some serious cleaning, naturally. Sorting is part of it too, seeing as I left rather abruptly at the beginning of the month.

Also been doing bits and pieces all over the place, so luckily we’ve been outside a lot. I’m managing the cold reasonably well, at least. It helps that there is no wind at the moment, just cold and sunshine, the latter which was rather wonderful on the early morning walk…getting lots of walks in again, meaning that my feet are bugging me considerably. Seriously, by the end of the day I wanna remove them, violently, but what else is new in that regard, eh?

I heard from my pilot buddy, pen pall, yay. Alive and well, different location, but still saving people. Was such a pleasure to hear from him, in particular since it had been so long, and I had been thinking of him for about a week, and whether I should write to him, or just let the friendship fade naturally…in other words, or NOT bug him with senseless letters about my messy life. Hah. And suddenly there he was, out of the blue. Very nice.

Dax is doing really well. The reason, I think, is none of the meds we have been giving him. Nope. It was a week or two ago, late at night, me picking him up and something snapping in his spine (seriously, I freaked me out, it was such a loud pang) making me fear he’d broken his back, or something. No such thing, thankfully. Almost the next day we could see a change in him, his strength coming back. Yay.

On the down side, Knight II isn’t doing well at all. He is rapidly losing muscle tissue in his back legs, making grandpa afraid to have him going up and down stairs, because he has a tendency to topple over, poor darling. Added to that, grandpa is a little worried that Knight is depressed, because he doesn’t want to go up, and is just sleeping a lot. Poor baby. Just a couple more days.

Well, it is late now, so I gotta go. I’ll try to write another update soon.

Until then, I hope that all you readers have had a marvelous Christmas and are heading straight for a wonderful New Year.

Change...

Song of the day: “Let her go” by Passenger. Gorgeous song, if somewhat sad.

So, let’s start with a bit of news. Due to a friend wanting some place to send people interested in vegetarian cooking (in particular folks who were at the Christmas lunch I cooked for) I’ve decided to just add to the daily tasks, and opened another blog dedicated solely to cooking. Yep. I folded. Since at the moment I don’t have time to work on my cook book…at least not in a way that would have anyway, I figured I might as well put some of the recipes on the new blog and see if folks like it. I’m starting out with simple dishes, really, side dishes, soups, sandwiches, etc, just to see if there’s interest for it.

I’d love for y’all to drop by there, try them out, and give some nice tips if you have any about delicious chances you’ve thought of, or a particular dish that you just want to share. If enough of you do so, I’m definitely thinking of doing a once a week guest post with a recipe of my readers 0that I want to try myself.

So anyway, drop on by, tell me what you think of the place…right now the background is a standard one, but as soon as I can, I’m going to try to take out my camera and shoot some pics that I want to use for that. The text, as always, is a work in progress.

http://samayascooking.blogspot.com.es/

Right, that dealt with…what’s been going on since I’m back?!

Well, not a whole bloody lot. Hah…well, that’s not entirely true. Biggest news is that big brother and I decided to take the offer of friends to buy a new 2^nd hand car (the Izusu Trooper of all things- *sigh*)that we got for a very good deal. Here it is:

It’s an oldie (24 years old, I believe) which is part of the attraction, naturally. It’s basic, seeing as it doesn’t have an A/C, or anything, but that’s OK. It’s big. It’s more frugal than our beloved (Gawd, I get choked up about giving up our baby) Land Rover, and the insurance will be less costly. *sigh*

Now, the plan is for us to spend the next months fixing it up, so that we can get a better price for it.

It is a difficult choice to make, really, considering the Land Rover basically is the last thing we have from when things were still okay. It kinda feels like giving up on everything, you know. Going back yet another step in the quality of life, for no other reason than being without a steady income. Makes you wonder how deep you have to fall before finally going back up, eh? Depressing and sad, that’s what I think of it, but one does what one needs to do, right? *sigh*

Which led to this afternoon, out on the mountain, despite the miserly rain, washing the Land Rover which is set for tomorrow at the MOT. Need to have it looking a little presentable, rather than shock the mechanics, eh? Hah. Anyways, since we need to go to Malaga anyway, we also have an appointment at Traffico to finish the transfer of the new car.

Cleaning-wise there is still a lot to do. It’s as if basically only the daily used stuff has been kept clean throughout the house, while every other spot, corner, area became dirtier and dirtier. Daunting, for sure, but I’m getting to it, inch by bloody inch.

Another thing that I’m getting used to is the new bed that big brother and grandpa set up in my corner of the porch. It is about a foot narrower than my old bed (which was necessary because I could barely turn around in my “room”) and considering I’m sharing it with The Knight, Sitabah and Dax, space is…limited. Seriously, I’ve been downright wrecked in the mornings. It doesn’t help that Knight hogs the bed and insists on being under the blankets now that it’s so cold during the nights. Poor babies…all three of them. Sure, they are wonderfully warm for me, since I’m sandwiched between them, but it also means that turning is a no-go most nights. Wrecked, I tell you. Absolutely wrecked!

I did get around to unpacking part of my suitcases (not all, mind you, but at least half…I hope) so I am able to find stuff again. Got a serious storage problem going, and am unsure how to solve it. I’ve got lots of comfortable clothes that have holes and spots in and on them, which are not good for anything other than manual labor. They’re my favorites, they fit well, and the fabrics are nice and worn. Regretfully they take up space from my “better” clothes, which don’t really fit in the closet as long as I keep the comfortable ones, and that really gets my knickers in a twist, darn it.

Did some nice cooking, lately.

Made a good batch of buckwheat burgers last week, which went down well three days in a row. Same goes for chickpea patties yesterday, which served as an excellent Mcchicken (you know, the McDonalds type)…minus the chicken, hah…this afternoon.

The plan was that I would go for a hike today with a friend, but regretfully she was ill-disposed, and is spending the days with her two adorable pugs, in bed, hoping to be well enough to go to work tomorrow, poor girl.

Had a couple of workouts…day before yesterday an extremely good one. Have been sore from it for two days. Hah. Not surprising that I did the first real session, (more than an hour) in months. Maintaining isn’t at all effective in that regard, I’ll admit. But I missed training, needed it, I fear. It explains why my time in the UK was so difficult. A good kickboxing session would have gone a long way in relaxing me.

Seriously, yesterday any movement was downright excruciating, so I definitely did well.

Are well into the edits. A hundred pages, more or less, so we just might be in time to get it all done before the ABNA competition…if they’re holding it this year. Are enjoying it, especially after all this time, but the going is slow. It is difficult to get back into shwung after all this time, I guess.

Mom’s doing reasonably well. The cuts are healing, pain is getting less, and she went out a couple of times, so keeping our fingers crossed that all is well.

Went out into the yard the other day. Grandpa has been planting some winter veggies, which are doing well, all things considered…they, opposite of us, are enjoying the rainy days. Hah. Got a load of oranges hanging on the trees, not to mention tangerines, which are just weeks short of being ripe. Yay.

Knight II is not really improving, in fact I am worried when I see him move. He is rapidly losing muscle in his back legs, going through them and losing coordination. Poor boy. He’s walking into everything, loses his balance on slippery slopes, or simple inclines. I don’t like it. His age is showing, I guess.

Dax, on the other hand, is doing a lot better. Gaining strength, in fact. A relief, that.

Hauled one of the big water reservoir tanks up to the old horse paddock, where we’re going to see if we can use it to catch rainwater that’ll allow for some free veggies, come summer.

Wasn’t easy, either, considering we were experiencing some gale-force winds that day…week, actually.

Another one we need to set up for use on the main, in case we get cut off during the hottest month. I mean, seriously, can you imagine getting rationed on water while you’ve got forty something dogs around, making a mess. You need water then for more than just drinking.

Have caught up on sleep, thankfully. Slept in a couple of times, had some naps…it’s important. Haven’t gotten over the whole uncomfortable thing in the UK yet, but I guess that that will take time. Got that, at least.

Will be going to the UK for Christmas, by the way. It would be hard to get anyone to stay there who can handle the dogs, and since I feel bad about how it all went, I offered big brother and myself as replacement for five days. That way everyone is happy…well, almost everyone.

OK. It’s late. I gotta go.

Back where I started

Song of the day: “Love me again” by John Newman. Oddly enough, I would never have liked this song if I hadn’t heard it for Tom Cruise’s “Edge of Tomorrow”, for which it was absolutely brilliant.

Soooooo. Many, many things have happened over the past few weeks. Some of them awesome, some of them not so, and others pretty darn horrid. Let’s start with the good stuff and see if we can ignore the last bits, eh? Hah.

First of all, on the 22nd of November I went to my first Bryan Adams concert. Yep. Been waiting for that since the whole Hipodromo scandal in 2007, and now I just had to go for it, or forever stop whining about it. So I went. Yes!!! It was at the O2 in London, and I got off at work early enough to head on out, find a parking spot and have a nice pizza with mango ice cream for dessert, before it was time to go stand in line. I had my tablet with me, so the waiting was no bother whatsoever.
When acquiring the tickets, there was some fear that the seat would be too far away from the stage, but as it turned out I got extremely lucky. Not only was my seat some odd eighty feet from the stage and high enough for me to be on the exact level of the stage, nope, it also turned out that my ticket got me into the pre-show American Express Lounge, which was an experience, to say the least, not to mention comfortable.
It was an extremely exhilarating experience, I’ll say that much for it. I knew all the songs, so I sang my heart out all evening, cheering and clapping like the best of ‘m, and I had a blast. If nothing else, the concert on itself made my stay in the UK worth it.

Which brings us to one of the less nice points. I am back in Spain, without work, once again, but I have to admit that I mind it less than I should have. Those last few weeks had been rather heavy, stressful and emotionally draining for me. I think it had partly to do with being torn between two worlds, but also because I discovered that being a live-in is far from easy. There is too much collision of characters, I suppose, and considering my hostess was fond of her privacy as well, it was bound to go wrong at some point, wasn’t it? Regrets and dissatisfaction make people say nasty things, and some were definitely hurled my way, meaning that I feeling slightly dented, if you know what I mean. I will need some time to heal, regain my balance and some of my confidence.

It was a rather sudden thing, I know, but what with the mounting tension these past few weeks, I took the out I was offered gratefully. I had my ticket already for a trip home, so all it meant was packing my luggage (couldn’t take it all, because big brother had left some stuff there as well) and cleaning up my room, and then spending the remainder of the evening with my co-workers.
Was a nice evening with wine and talk, and saying goodbye to the dogs there, before we took out my luggage and I returned to my room for the night.

Didn’t get much sleep, lying awake most of it. Only two hours before it was time to get up I drifted off and even then it was fretful rest at best. Got myself ready, gathered my carryon and purse, and was on my way in less than thirty minutes. Had to arrive at the airport early to pay for my luggage, and go through customs, and all that jazz. Afterward I managed to get some reading done while waiting for my plane to arrive. Did the same throughout my flight, besides talking to my fellow passenger; a very nice fellow from Pakistan who was going on a three day vacation to Spain. Did manage a short nap, which was very necessary.

Arrived in Spain on time for my appointment with a local shop owner for whom I agreed to cook a company Christmas lunch on the 29th. I met with her at the store, and she was extremely nice about it all. I got the budget I needed, and went straight to the store to get the ingredients for the next day’s cooking job.

Did what prep work I could in the evening, like my pumpkin compote, real Greek yogurt, and the right selection of veggies and dairy products. Had a total of five pages stored in the car the next morning, and was on my way on the dot, to arrived there at the appointed time.

For the remainder of the morning Tina (she’s that friend I went on a hike with some months ago) spent in the kitchen, cutting, prepping and cooking an elaborate lunch that was, much to my pleasure, completely vegetarian. I made my Hallmark Chickpea patties, which were a big success. Also my buckwheat burgers (based on a recipe I got from Maggie…thank you Maggie!), which were loved, even by the carnivores there. Hah.
Made stuffed red bell peppers with veggies, herbs and cottage cheese. Bout ninety percent of these went, while my stuffed tomatoes with the same cottage cheese base and added mushrooms and black rice…even had some of the filling left, which I mixed with extra black rice and which the guests really liked.
From the leftover tomato filling I made a rather nice brown sauce, and served a yogurt salad dressing that was devoured with huge enthusiasm…in case you’re wondering, I was invited to stay for dinner, so I got to see everyone’s responses; very gratifying…
Added to that, there were the stuffed eggs, and boy were they popular. Ten guests devoured 24 eggs after all, so I would say that they worked out well. Hah.
The main course was an oven dish of potatoes with roughly cut veggies and loads of herbs.
I made too much, of course, considering I forgot to ask what the male/female ratio was. Turns out there were nine women and only on men, which means a lot less consumption. *sigh* Luckily I was well below budget with the buying of the produce, so it didn’t matter all that much. As it stands, the lady in charge won’t be needing to cook for several days. Hah.

Was of course properly exhausted that night, but I got to bed early and went to bed late, and woke up “not tired” for the first time in months. My dogs loved it…so did I, for that matter.

Which reminds me…as a surprise, big brother and grandpa put in a new bed for me while I was gone. A nice hospital style antique, that regretfully, was a lot narrower than my old queen size. I had agreed to narrow, mind you, knowing that I’d need the space, but still, for the past few mornings I’ve been kinda wrecked because Knight II is determined to sleep by my side with his spine in the width of the bed. And Dax either wants to be on the other side, or between my ankles, while Sitabah wants her spot somewhere near my head. *sigh*

What else…well, for what it is worth I did a rather nice restoration on a three legged chair, back in the UK. Also, big brother and I put in a rather nice circular piece of outside tiling. A circle and cross of ceramic rectangular, along with three quarters of gray slate stone. It looked rather fancy.

There were supports that we hammered into the ground for a rather endless row of conifers. There was fencing to be fixed, stuff to be cleaned, and, most importantly, woodwork to be prepared for what was going to be the greenhouse. Got most of the prep-work done, but alas, that will now be up to someone else.

As to my time there…I learned some valuable lessons, made some good friends, had a grand adventure, so on the overall I can’t say that I regretted it. It was an experience that has taught me many things, so in the scheme of life being one big lesson, I don’t think it was bad for me at all.
Still, I wouldn’t have minded it to be a little less traumatic. Hah.

Well, that is all for now, I guess.
Right now I am back with my dogs, doing a proper cleanup of a place that has turned into a proper pigsty. Been doing some serious cleaning for two days now, and am not seeing the end of it yet. Seriously, you’re away for three months and everything is a complete and utter mess. Guess I am not as dispensable as I thought I was.

Gotta go. It’s getting to be a tad late.
I’ll be back.

Housebound

Song of the day: “Crazy” by Patsy Klein. Still a good song.

So…the past few weeks have been heavy for as far as I’m concerned. Doing long days, having very little time for myself, and basically just muddling through the days only to shlog into the evenings waiting to go to bed. Babysitting an invalid dog isn’t easy by any means, and the past couple of weeks proved as much. Seriously, it is a heavy responsibility, which makes my present visit to Spain a welcome relief.

Yep, once again I am writing from a, at the moment, sunny Spain. Yesterday it was a miserable day weather wise. Our mountain was in the clouds, rain came pouring down and everything was dreary. This is much better. I’m sitting outside. Doggies all around me. Just finished cutting bread for their food, and they are content with the bits and pieces they thought to steal from me. Hah.

The flight: Well, it was a near thing. I left at 2:30, which should have given me plenty of time to reach the airport, but then we got into a traffic jam by the tunnel under the river, meaning that I arrived at the airport about thirty minutes before my gate closed. I did a lot of running, which was no fun since I’d been in the car for almost three hours, which aggravates my foot problem. Aaaargh.

Luckily customs went fast, and I arrived at my gate about 1 minute before it closed…which didn’t matter all that much because I had to stand in line to board for a good fifteen minutes, and there even were people behind me, so maybe I didn’t need to worry as much as I did.

The flight was uneventful. I spent the majority of it reading, really. Nothing like a three hour flight to work your way through your book list. Didn’t have a chatty passenger beside me, which was a pity. Always nice to pass the time talking a bit, but these two seemed completely absorbed in each other, if the leg rubbing going on beside me was any indication.

Though the plan had been for little brother to pick me up at the airport, something had gone wrong in the planning, everybody thought I was going to arrive on Wednesday, and when it turned out I was coming Thursday, he was unable to pick me up. So there was some concern as to how I was going to get home. Personally I didn’t much fancy the idea of having to take the train to the city, and then a taxi home around midnight, so I pleaded my case with a friend, who thankfully could come pick me up…am taking her out to dinner tonight as a thank you. We’ve agreed on a huge pizza, preferably eaten outside somewhere because I want to take Knight II along…something she fully understands seeing as she is a dog nut as well.

As to the time before my flight…well, besides the babysitting there was the planting of bamboo, digging ditches (most of it with big brother helping out, mind you) sorting out big machinery, vacuuming, cleaning, washing up, doing laundry cooking and all those pesky things that come with being housebound.

I did get to a little bit of wood work, and managed to restore a rather pretty antique wooden chest that had lost one paw to woodworm. Removed most of the damaged area, replaced it with new oak, then sanded the whole bit, filled up the gaps with wood filler, sanded the lot again, which was when the fun bit came: Painting. Considering that the color wasn’t like the two types of paint I had available, I had to do some fancy footwork to get it to look original, but succeeded, which was very satisfying.
A bit of bad news is that my mum fell a couple of weeks ago and broke her ankle, which was most unfortunate. She spent a couple of days in hospital, a triple break is nothing to sneeze at after all, and is now bed-bound for at least six weeks. Nothing is quite as frustrating as being a few thousand miles away during a family emergency, I tell ya.
But anyway, they all managed, and that is all that matters in the end.

Daxie has improved a lot since I last visit, thankfully. He seems a bit weak in the hips still, but almost his old self again. A big relief that.

As for the other dogs…big brother’s in this case, it’s great to see them again. Got Arthur on the table beside my computer right now, Knight on the floor in the sunshine, and the rest scattered in close proximity. All of them content to snooze in the sun.

Cooking wise I’ve done quite a bit of experimenting...in particular with meat. Yep. I have successfully prepared lamb chops, pork chops, steak, mince meat and bacon, so that’s not too bad. All of it was edible, some even a big success, so that’s good.

Writing wise I’ve done very little. Added maybe half a page to the “Gun” story, for which I have plenty ideas tumbling through my mind, but I need some mental stability and less exhaustion to do that. Maybe soon, I don’t know.

As to everything else, there are daily things I could jammer on about, I guess, just as I could whine and complain at how difficult I find it sometimes to be away from my dogs, and living in someone else’s house where you just never feel quite comfortable, do you. Ah well. Such is life at the moment, and I can either feel bad about it, or accept it.

Well, that’s it for now. I only have a limited amount of time here with my doggies, and I would like to squeeze in some time to clean out my sleeping corner, because, let’s face it, it’s a mess.
Gotta go.

Muddling through

Song of the day: “We Can’t Stop” by Miley Cyrus with Jimmy Fallon and Roots. Heard it yesterday. It’s completely A Capella. Very cute. Took me by surprise, really.

I know, I’ve been slacking in my blogging duties. But seriously, often when I get to bed I’m too tired to do more than stare at my computer screen, maybe chat a little, and then I basically pass out for the night. The thing is, I can’t even write this thing in one go, been trying to get it done for three days now, so…Anyways…

It doesn’t help that I worry a lot about Dax, who isn’t doing much better, but big brother and grandpa are doing their utmost to keep him from doing more damage. The little bugger is making a nuisance of himself. The moment they turn their backs, he’s trying to get on the tables, cupboards, counters, roof, walls and out into the yard. Apparently he’s a handful…of course.

As for the bad news, a good friend of mine was in hospital last week with a terrible case of shingles. She’s back home now, and hopefully doing a lot better. (Best wishes to you Mags!)

What have I been up to, I hear you wonder…well, for a while it was us again. Big brother was here for a whopping five days, which made work a lot more pleasant. There was a lot to do, including mowing of the lawn, working with the animals, and loads of repairs. Actually wasn’t tired for a day or two there, seeing as the load was divided for a change.

Been doing some woodwork, which kept me semi-sane, for as far as that is possible, anyway. Nothing can quite keep the mind occupied as figuring out how to put a piece of furniture together. It was good…that and starting on an inventory so everyone knows what is where and what we have.

The woodwork was two small pedestals for PCs. They’re identical, they’re stable, so that works. Added to that I’ve made brackets in the shed, where we can store the wood away from any flooding which tends to come into the shed when hard rains come in from the east.

Been having very little time for myself lately, so not a lot of writing got done. I’m hoping that after this blog I’ll be able to do at least something, seeing as today was not a maintenance day, but working with animals instead…including cleaning, but that’s not too bad. It’s a nice change, and at least I’ve been able to give my feet some down time.

The weather is turning, winter rapidly approaching. It’s been raining a lot. And there are lots of clouds. I did see the sun occasionally, which was bliss, but on the overall it is just gray with lots of green that is slowly turning yellow with autumn. I’m not doing too badly, concerning the drop in temperature. I mean, I’m wearing sweaters now, over flannel shirts and tops, but still, I’m not whining too much, and when the cold gets too much for me, I just roll into the bathtub until I feel warm again. *sigh*

Have been doing some reading on my tablet. Jennifer Crusie, mostly, since big brother stocked up on those when he gave it to me. Only two or three more of her to go and then I’ll start on the Amanda Quick’s I think.

Been doing fence work, which was definitely one of the highlights this week.
Big brother was still here, and the rain hadn’t started yet, not much anyway, so we got a nice amount done. About ninety feet of fence, dug into the earth about 1 foot. I liked it. Fencing, for some peculiar reason, always feels very satisfying.

Do have a rather disturbing thing going at the moment. Yesterday, during the night, every time I turned in my sleep I’d wake up dizzy as heck. Have been nauseous ever since, and nothing seems to be helping much, least of all this faint, pounding headache in the front of my skull. Wish I had dried Juniper berries, that at least would take care of the nausea.
Can’t help but wonder what it is, though. Stress? A bug? Whichever the case, it is vastly annoying.

Worked on getting an Aga fired up…wasn’t easy either, but I got it done…thankfully. Haven’t had time to cook on it, though, which should happen soon enough…like tomorrow. Got it on Friday, which was fish and chips day (for me spring roll and chips, but what the hey. LOL) and then today there were veggies that had to be used, while I wasn’t at the main house to cook. *sigh* Wasn’t happy with today’s meal either. The taste wasn’t good enough. Needed a sauce but I didn’t feel like making it.

Been hosing down terraces again, and a wooden pergola, which I’ve got clean about a quarter. Luckily it goes rather well with the high pressure machine. A lot of work, though, not to mention that it is bound to leave the one doing it soaking wet. *sigh*

Trimmed some plants, bound up roses, did loads of walking, which would explain why my feet are killing me again…also, I decided to start drinking a little less wine, and since that has anti-inflammatory properties, that might have something to do with it. I could of course just start again, but seriously, a bottle of wine a day is not a dependency I want to deal with at the moment. Added to that, even though it is nice to be numb in the evening, it does not improve on my state of mind during the course of the day. *sigh*

Don’t have a lot else to talk about. My mind is still an emotional wreck, but that is nothing new, my body apparently as well (duh) so…I guess I’ll just have to muddle on through and see where it’ll all get me, eh?

I’ll keep you informed.

Another blog, another week...or two???

Song of the day: “Rude” by Magic, I believe.
Very cute song. It’s on the radio a lot round these parts, and I enjoy it.

So I am feeling decidedly nasty at the moment, so I’m going to completely ignore that, and focus on the positive instead. No sense in maudlin, no matter that there are parts of me that want to. Hah.

First the good news. Well, sweet news, really, is that I got a very nice present involving a short trip home so I can see my doggies. It will be Tuesday, early morning, and three days later I’ll be flying back. But not before I’ve spent two nights between my four-legged ones, which is all that matters.
It is very strange, it is not as if there is so much to go back to. I mean, most of my possessions (I know they’re not supposed to mean much in life, but losing everything except your clothes, does leave an impression) are gone, my cabin, anything about the place that was home, and yet there it is, you miss what is familiar, you yearn for that freedom that allows you to just leave those dishes when you’re in a rush, or not do that one nasty chore that one day. It’s ridiculous really. You have to do the dishes anyway, and the chores need to get done regardless, so why something inside me would make an issue of it, is just strange. I don’t get the way my own mind works sometimes, if you must know. It seems perfectly content to just wreck my day. *sigh*

But anyways, back to being positive.
I made a semi-successful foray into the city this week. Needed to get loads of bits and pieces from the DIY store, went past a local charity shop to look at furniture, only to discover that they had a very nice table, which I loved, but they were located in a part of town where you’re unable to get your car to the storefront to pick up your purchases. Insane! I gotta say that the town is a friggin’ maze. Basically any road is one way, so despite the TomTom it is very confusing, because your course keeps crisscrossing.

Anyway, I did manage to get proper jeans from another charity shop, this one for animals in distress, which looks rather nice. A very nice pair of black jeans that actually fits…looks nicely slimming, in particular since it is not one of those awful models that are way too wide at the waist and hips.
Also got a turtleneck long-sleeved T and a nice turquoise green sweater, so that makes for a successful trip.
Had wanted a body warmer, but alas there were none to my liking. Did find a carry on suitcase, which was necessary because mine is falling apart. Cost me only four bucks, so, yay!
The day I was there, was a wet one, but thankfully the three hours I spent there, it was dry enough to do what needed doing.
There was even a Lidl there, meaning I could get some stuff that’s way cheaper than the local grocery store. Yay.

I do admit to still being in somewhat of a culture shock. Everything is very different here. The country, the towns, the people…not in a bad way, mind you, just different. Like the other day in the city, there was this strange pounding in my head, and I have no idea why. Guess it takes getting used to.

As to the work…I’ve been doing some carpentry, which is always good. I like it when I’m able to keep busy, because if I can’t, then that “bugging me” bit starts again, of course. Also did some serious gardening. Trimmed bushes, took out loads of thistles, and started on a compost heap for real, so yay.

Will need to mow the lawn again, in particular before Tuesday, so I hope that the weather will cooperate and stay dry. I mean, I don’t much like the lawn mowing, except that it looks nice now that I’m getting a hang of it, after several hours I feel very “Forest Gump” and not in a good way. Hah.

As to writing…haven’t gotten around to it much lately, much to my regret. I have had ideas playing in my head lately, but none have come to the proverbial paper…mostly because I am just so friggin’ tired when I get to my room in the evening. Let’s just hope that winter will allow for some writing time…it will, because according to rumors that I am not listening too, claim that it will be dark at four soon. Aaargh.

What else? Well, I’ve been cooking. Cooked my first (successful) lamb chops. I was actually surprised that they worked out the way they did, but my clueless volunteers truly enjoyed it…according to them. Yay! Should I put it in my cooking book, do you suppose?...Nah, it just isn’t my thing, is it? Still, it was nice that it worked out.

As to the other meals. I had a pasta that worked out splendid, and a stew, not to mention a rather nice apple pie.

Actually managed a workout or two. Not full blown but enough to lubricate the muscles.
Also have been chopping wood, meaning that I’m using muscle at the very least…and added to all that, this property is huge, so I get to walk long distances, if for no other reason than me forgetting one thing or other in the work shed while I’m working on the other side of the property half the time. Hah.

Have been experiencing loads of rain here lately, and last night a proper storm. Yikes it was blowing hard! On the overall the temps are still comfortable enough that I can manage. Have had some serious beefs being cold in the evenings, so I took several baths, which is very helpful when I’m cold, I must admit. It is just that at the end of the evening my engine stops, and I don’t have any choice but to suffer through that. *sigh* I’ll have to get used to that, I guess.

Had some scares with the Knight. He had a fever again, didn’t eat, and the wounded foot he’d been walking around on for several weeks, swelled up a little again, despite the wound on it being tiny. So he’s back to two socks, the silly boy. Added to that, he had an inflamed muscle in his neck, for some peculiar reason, so that had him off his feed too. Poor baby.

Now tonight I heard that Dax isn’t feeling well. He’s listless. Shivering. Keeping his head down. They can’t figure it out, and I can’t do anything from here. Let’s hope he feels a little better tomorrow.

Well, that’s it for me for now. It’s almost midnight, and I need to get up on time tomorrow morning. Got dogs to walk, stuff to do. Ya know…

Late

Song of the day: “Rotterdam” by the Beautiful South. It’s been in my head off and on several times during the course of the past week, or so.

Sorry to have taken so long, but I find it very hard to find a balance to write this thing. Hoping that once winter comes I'll get a little more time.

Emotionally things haven’t been easy. I mean, on the days that I am REALLY busy, I manage well enough, I suppose, but on the days that things are a little less hectic, as is prone to happen at some point (can’t get around that) I’ll be a complete and utter mess at the end of the day.

But it hasn’t been all bad. I’m learning, which is vital, of course. Getting a hang of the mowing bit. The lawns are actually looking nice and smooth now although, there are quite a few yellow patches. It has been rather dry here in the UK lately, so that might explain part of it.

Big brother arrived the day before yesterday, so we’ve been nicely busy, having the dogs with us, seeing as our colleague had time off. Was nice, the dogs, big brother, had me relax a little, unwind from the stress of the past week or two. Very difficult, this being on my own. I think I should try to look at it like a learning experience. Learning to be on my own, because…well, because everyone should be able to, really. I do have to say that so far these past couple of months have shown me that in all likelihood I am not cut out for this sort of work. I mean, it is not that I can’t do the work, it is just that I think I’ll be better off in the future either published (duh), or having our own freelance kind of work. Not a boss. It doesn’t matter that the boss is nice, or reasonable, it just means that the necessity of having a certain freedom is vital.

Doing that from Spain isn’t possible, however. Not from where I’m standing. For me Spain is still over. The only question is, where are we going to start over…I’ll let you know when I figure it out.

What else has been going on? We have been nicely busy, partly scavenging the future bonfire in the back yard…added to that, I burnt a rather huge amount of cartons, because I was getting sick and tired of them taking up half the shed…which is huge, only you wouldn’t believe the amount of boxes were in there.

Please don’t mind my typos. I am trying to write this blog late at night…well, two nights, actually, but you wouldn’t believe the amount of strange sentences I had to remove from last night because I was falling asleep while writing.

This was big brother’s last day here, which is sad, but we all gotta do what we all gotta do, right? We got some serious stuff done, including burning down the mess of plant refuse. It was a massive bonfire, which was nicely warm during the miserly rain that wrecked most of the day.
Well, it didn’t wreck it. It just kept the day rather nippy. Also fixed fences, which is a never ending thing, isn’t it?

Did make use of Big brother being here by finishing this rather cute shelf for computer stuff. It took forever to make, but I finished putting it together today, varnished it, and only have to attach hooks on the back now.

Not a lot of writing lately. Let’s face it, at the end of the day I can barely keep my eyes open, and I am lucky to be coherent, which is iffy at the best of times.
Cooking is still part the day, of course. I gotta eat, and since more folks need to, I usually volunteer. Did my first cooking of lamb chops today, which were a big success, much to my surprise. I didn’t like he smell at all, and yet, no complaints. Even got some serious compliments. Nice. Added to that, I made a rather nice apple tart, served with a rather splendid dollop of fresh cream on top. Darn that was good. Ate way too much, of course. Hah.

Did meet some of the locals this week, which was nice. Friendly folks. Good thing. Neighbors should always be friendly, otherwise you have a problem.

Am having three dogs in my room tonight, which helps a lot with the homesickness…but I’m worried still. Knighty boy has been having some trouble lately again. He got a fever several times, despite his feet not looking bad at all, and missed quite a few meals during the course of the last few days, poor baby.

Well, I’m starting to fall asleep again. Not good, so I’m going to leave it at this. I gotta be up at six thirty to say goodbye to big brother after all. Short night.
Gotta go.

Change

Song of the day…well, I don’t actually have one in my head right now. Could be because I’m sick as a dog, of course, and drank a bit too much of cheap wine last night, but what the hey, this is worth celebrating: No song of the day!

Right. Where to start? I know, I know, I’ve been writing way too little lately. Life is busy, I fear and at the end of the day I often can’t muster up the energy to be awake long enough to write this blasted blog.

First of, I’m writing this while I’m visiting in Spain. I arrived the evening before yesterday (sick as a dog, I’m sorry to say) meaning that I did get to spend time with my doggies, in bed, sleeping it off. And it was wonderful, piled under blankets and dogs…especially because coming home felt a little iffy at first, when Knight was all remote for all of five seconds, taking the time to sniff the tires rather than me, but once we were inside the car again, he plastered himself all over me, which was also wonderful. I couldn’t keep my eyes dry, of course, same as when I finally got to the house and Sitabah and Dax saw me coming into the courtyard from their window and were screeching and bouncing impatiently, slobbering all over me when I was forced to sit down due to a little dizzy spell…blasted flu.

Anyway, the trip to Spain went well enough, the flight wasn’t too long, and considering I had my new tablet with me, I spent the time well: reading!!! Jennifer Crusie. I just love her work. Time past wonderfully fast because of it.

Did have some busy days before we left. There was the mowing of the lawn, raking up the grass afterward. Spent time with the animals, of course, baked a blackberry tart for Emma, along with a nice veggie dish that only needed to be popped into the oven in the evening so she didn’t need to have to worry about dinner. Had it all ready on time, and were right on the dot when our ride arrived. Of course, once we were in it, and about ten minutes away from the house, some awful smell came up from underneath the car, indicating a problem with the brakes. Triple A had to be called, and a taxi for big brother and me because otherwise we would be late for our plane. I, of course, ended up falling asleep during the ride, very elegant, mouth open, head back, soft snorts right until big brother thankfully woke me up.

Which reminds me, I got news. Things are going to be changing in the near future. We’ve been offered an opportunity to move to the UK , big brother and me, along with the dogs, and grandpa, which is not an opportunity we feel we should say no to…I mean, besides it being incredibly scary, an enormous risk, and so many things that would stop me from making this decision, it is also exciting, in a way, and an adventure, sorta, and flattering , I think, to have been asked, and offered the opportunity…right?
I mean, really, this is going to be a nightmare to get done, the arranging of everything, paperwork, the dogs, vaccinations etc, the actual moving. Oh my gawd, I will get so little sleep, especially since we are going to need to do at least one trip driving over to the UK, if for no other reason than to get Knight there comfortably, and our things, including the car. I mean, can you imagine, 2000 miles to drive in a day or two, maybe three, with at least four, perhaps up seven dogs in the car? Yikes! Shouldn’t think of that. All that is a mountain to climb when it actually gets here.

What else…well, big brother and I had a rather wonderful afternoon chopping firewood. He broke in the new chainsaw (that would be in the UK by the way) while I broke in the new axe…which was awesome exercise. Got a full pallet of it going, which means about an eighth of that work was actually done. Yay!

Added to that, big brother and I took down the roof of a small roman structure. Darn thing was heavy as heck, and it took him several hours to hack his way through wood and glass fibre and then lifted it right off, with a much appreciative audience…of course he was so busy he didn’t realize that he’d left the new angle grinder on the ground where the roof landed, splitting it in two…and then clean up started, which lasted almost as long as the actual break down.
Was so nice to have big brother there, because it gave me time to actually catch breath at times. Before his arrival I was sorta running ragged, feeling homesick to boot, trying to get everything done when there just weren’t enough hours in the day. Running ragged just isn’t good.

I am a tad relieved that big brother was included in the offer for our future, because I was very much afraid that I wouldn’t be able to keep up the pace, and therefore have to say no to the offer. Luckily big brother seemed keen enough on the idea.

As to my state of mind…I find it hard, being part of the reason for change, especially when not everyone is ecstatic about it. I mean it is a big change, and well, it is a tad scary…but scary should never stop you, should it…well, at least I think it shouldn’t…fear is never good to use as a lead, is it? Doesn’t help to realize that though. I’ve got the stomach aches, the lack of appetite, the panic attacks, buzzing in my head, the worries, the stress etc, bugging me, making life unpleasant. Doesn’t matter, though, this is an opportunity that we can’t let pass, so we are going to go for it.

I’ll keep you posted.

Plenty to do

Song of the day: “Love Runs Out” by One Republic. I’ve heard that they’re all it, but this is the first song of theirs that jumped out at me. Yeah, I know. New song, right? Well, I have been listening to radio a lot again, meaning that I actually hear some new stuff occasionally, rather than just my favorites on iTunes.

Well, it’s been understandably busy. But for the good news is that Big brother was here for the last couple of days, which thankfully took the pressure off me for a bit. Good thing is, he managed to figure out how to operate the mowing machines, so we both spent a solid afternoon on a couple of mowing machines, mowing the two acres of lawn that had grown out of control. Was fun, for about an hour. Then it just got tedious. Added to that, it isn’t looking all that grand because the grass was so long, and really needed some serious hacking. But no matter. Will do it again in a day or two, which should improve the looks considerably.

Big brother also spent some time chopping firewood, which is one of our favorite occupations, naturally. Hah. Seriously, it is a wonderful bit of exercise.
In the meanwhile, as he sorted out the machines, the wood and a dying conifer…am going to have to order some serious support poles for a hedge of conifers. I think they were placed fully grown, meaning that they can’t keep themselves up yet. Will have to place about eighty poles when the time comes.

Been training the dogs here for quite a bit. They’re a disaster going through gates, so I’m either letting them through one at a time, or making them sit before they are let through. The youngsters are just so boisterous. Have had an occasional one sharing the night with me, which is nice. Reminds me of my four-legged-ones, which is a mixed blessing, really. Still miss them badly…but on the other hand, I’m going back for a two day visit, nine days from now, I should be able to survive that. Added to that, grandpa assures me that they’re doing fine, and that Sitabah is even rather fond of him, which is a pleasant surprise. He told me that this morning, Sitabah and Knight were playing on their way up the mountain.

So, what have I been doing so far? I’ve trained dogs, fed them, cleaned up after them, mowed lawns, hosed terraces with a pressure washer, cooked many a meal (a perk, that one), picked blackberries, fixed fences, fixed gates, trimmed trees, trimmed bushes, worked the yard, built a shoe rack, filled holes in walls, repaired a gate handle, set up a workshop, scavenged wood, did shopping, for food, clothes, and tools. Hung curtains, went to a salvage yard, several construction companies, DIY stores, vacuumed floors plenty of times, arranged flowers, cleaned out cat litter, played with cats and dogs and many more things that just aren’t worth mentioning. Let’s just say I’m keeping busy doing the stuff I know how to do. Not a bad way to spend the day…and so far the weather has been benevolent toward me. Might be it is lulling me into a false sense of security. Hah

Was a good girl and did exercises several times. Not as much as I should have, but some at least. Hah. Added to that, I had some treatments from a genuine physical therapist, who gladly tortured me for an hour both times he visited. Aaargh. Gawd, my back hasn’t been this sore in years.

Even managed an edit or two, despite the fact that after 10 in the evening my eyes start to droop somewhat badly.

My foot was absolutely fine, and then, on a dewy evening I went out for a walk on my new Wellies, and since then the stupid thing has been causing me all sorts of trouble. Seriously, I’ve been wanting to chop it off again.

But anyway, to get back to the fun parts. I did some serious experimenting food wise. Most in this place is organic and high quality and so far I’ve got a 90 percent success rate, I think. The trick is to keep cooking for yourself. The moment you start trying to guess what others will like, you mess up.
I got a squash again, so I’m definitely going for soup again. Nothing is quite a nutritional as a squash soup.

As to anything else…well, emotionally things are still iffy. I have my good moments when I’m just working pleasantly, content with whatever activity I’m busy, while there are other moments when a panic attack will hit me in the face, or I’ll miss something from home somewhat fierce. The latter doesn’t change anything, really. It is just a waste of time. I agreed to this “adventure” and I will darn well see it through, even when there is a part of me that still acts like that scared little six year old going out for a sleep over with a friend, only to end up insisting (in tears) that “mommy” comes pick her up. Annoying kid. It should just grow up. I’m nearing forty, for crying out loud! I should be friggin able to handle six months on my own, for EFFING sake.

But anyway. Three weeks in, only…well, that is depressing to think of, so let’s skip finishing that sentence, shall we. Hah.

Be that as it may, in the mean time I get to play with power tools. Got a basic set of hand saws, circle saws, jigsaws and hacksaws now. (used most already) Screw drivers. Hammers. Drills. Sanding machines. Crowbars. Axe. Got a chainsaw under way. Along with a hedge cutter and a strimmer. Got a nice assortment of screws, nails and the likes going, but that is going to take more time. I mean, I fondly remember our own workshop from way back when, before the disaster: A supply like that takes years to gather…darn it.
As it is, I got some wood from my scavenge trips all over the property, and from my trip to the salvage yard…the latter is ridiculously expensive, though, meaning that we’ll be better off getting new wood that we’ll then have to treat and batter until it looks like old. Hah.

Things I’m planning on making: A couple of night stands.
A small shelving set to hang in the kitchen. And a coffee table, which is starting to get very necessary. When I’ll have the time, that is the question. LOL
Added to that, there is loads of painting to be done. Barns, sheds, not to mention the woodwork in the house.
Then there is the garden to think of. Small trees that need to be transplanted. Bushes and trees that need to be cut back. Electrical wiring that needs to be put in for lighting around the house, as well as the fountain for the pond that I need to find and have installed. So I’ll have plenty to do this winter…and that brings us to the end of today’s blog, because it is after eleven, and already my eyes are starting to go half-mast…bloody things.

I’ll be back…at some point.

Not all bad...

Song of the day: “International love” by Pitbull and Chris Brown, of course. Not the deepest song you can imagine, but what the heck.

Right. Lots of time past since my last post, hasn’t there? Well, I’ve been keeping busy, a necessary thing also because I get bugged a lot (in my head) if I don’t keep active. Rather annoying, but since I get paid to work anyway, I’ll consider it a good thing.

Sooooo, what’s been going on? There have been some trips into town. Basically getting the necessities that any workshop needs. Haven’t been able to find a proper work bench, either on-line, or at the local shops, so I decided to wait until I find something affordable, and good. Instead I’ve put together a couple of work benches from old pallets, and dove into the big pile of wood that was meant for burning in the near future to take out old wooden beams that have now been incorporated into perfectly fine work benches.

Did buy some wood. First to heighten gates that the dogs have been scaling. Managed one without needing to buy anything, but I simply didn’t have enough for two. Secondly, the main house needs proper shelving in one of the cupboards, so I need to get those cut…by hand, mind you, because I don’t have a circle, or a jigsaw yet. *sigh* Life is hard when you’re cooping. Hah.
Also been sorting through the meager supplies of tools, so far, digging through rubbish and finding old ones that are perfectly fine to use too. I’ll get this set up yet.

Also ordered three proper shelving units. Sure, I could have made them myself, but I’d have needed more tools too, along with wood, etc, meaning time. So I’ve got three proper units, nice and sturdy, that I’m putting together bit by bit.

Since the digs through the waste stack in the yard, I have managed to scrounge up some workable woods, which is reassuring. Not by far enough, but I can work with it at least.

Been trying to familiarize myself with the area. Went out a couple of times…first time I got lost on all the tiny little roads, found my way back, thankfully, and now there’s a TomTom in the car making that a lot easier…of course the second time I went out I’d tried so many roads the first time that I already knew where to go without it. Hah. Will be handy for new locations, though.

The supermarkets are very different here. The sequence of how the products are placed, the products themselves, the people, lots to learn…like the other day I had to gas up and couldn’t get the blasted thing to open. So I asked three guys that passed if they had a clue, and they either looked annoyed with the question (didn’t have a clue in other words) and one looked frightened as if he was expecting me to rob him, or something. Anyway, in the end I found this little lever under the front seat that opened it up. Phew. What a relief. Also had to “top up” my phone. Didn’t know it was called that, so the poor boy at the gas station was all confused when I asked if it was possible to charge my phone there. Had a good laugh about that later.

Had a visit at a builders supplier, which was fun. I’m going to need a friggin’ dictionary because they use completely different words for everything here. I asked him about certain sizes, materials, and the poor guy looked at me as if I was talking Chinese. We did figure it out in the end, though. And though they doubted that it would be possible before the weekend, the next day they came to deliver the lot for me. Yay. Then I didn’t have my work area yet, though, so all I could do with the stuff was put it away, but still. Yay. Nice fella. Will probably be seeing more of him in the near future.

What else. Well, I’ve been doing some tree pruning. I know, not the right time of year, but some of these babies are looking completely neglected, and I just can’t help myself. Spent about an hour doing that yesterday, and since the sun was shining that was rather nice. I mean, what more can you want, right? Sunshine, a bit of music, plants to talk with. I was very relaxed afterward.

Since no one is vying for the honor of cooking, I’ve been doing a lot of it, which is nice. Had a nice curry yesterday…I know, curry’s are not my favorite either, but it went down nicely enough.
Also, there was a rather impromptu dinner for a supposedly picky eater (nothing too spicy or too strong in taste), which came out rather successfully. There were jokes of stealing me away as a cook, so, I’m thinking it went well. Hah. The meal did work out nicely. I had a starter rainbow salad (all the colors I could get basically) with deviled eggs. They are very fond of their eggs here, apparently, so that whetted the appetite for the main course. A penne pasta with a white wine/cheese sauce, tastefully enhanced by fresh garden herbs. I was told that the guest didn’t like spices or herbs at all, but the way I figured it had more to do with the combinations and effects of said spices and herbs. I kept the tastes mild, soft, and creamy, and it was good.

Today I made a pumpkin soup for lunch, because I am trying to maintain my diet of proper feeding despite me keeping busy and sometimes forgetting to stop and eat. Luckily around six the work day comes to an end, and I can focus on cooking something that will keep my nutritional intake up-to-date, so to speak. Hah.

So far the weather has been relatively mild. There’s been rain, sunshine and lots and lots of clouds…which reminds me, there are lots of air balloons around these past, just yesterday one almost landed on top of us, which drove the dogs here a wee bit bonkers.

As for the proper attire over here…I’ve got myself some willies, aka rubber boots, (yay!) a good wax raincoat, and a matching Australian bush hat of real leather that is supposedly water proof. Let the rains begin…well, not right this instance, and not permanently, please, but I’ll take ‘m all for a “test drive” just as soon as the opportunity arises.

Hauled around some trees…nothing big, mind you. 5-6 foot long at most, ten, maybe fifteen inches thick. The gates here are not properly installed to keep lively dogs inside, so I needed to put in some emergency thresholds. They won’t be permanent, since it needs to look better than this, but for now it’ll do. I call it a workout. *wink*

Been working with the animals some as well, in particular obedience training. They are eager to learn but working with bigger groups than just one or two, is difficult. You’ll have the full attention of a dog, and are trying to make it sit, or lay down, only to have it be distracted by some other nimwit jumping at the treat you’re trying to use as a lure to make it obey. Hah. Still, all things considered; not bad.

I might have good news in the near future, but I don’t want to jinx it, so I won’t share just yet. Might be nothing too, so it has no use to get you all excited about it anyway. Hah. We’ll see.

Will be going home for a visit in September, by the way. First big brother will come to visit, help me out a little, and then I’ll fly back with him to be home with my lovelies for a day or two. Can wait to see my Knight and Sitabah and Daxie…even Tadaika, and Indigo, and Jelly, and all the others. Very difficult to be away from the lot like this.
Less than six month to go, I have to keep reminding myself of that.

But, it’s not all bad. I am adjusting, I think. There are moments I can just let go and enjoy the scenery, or the work. Right now I’m still running on a basis, “be busy or crash” thing, but even that should get less bad at some point…I hope.

The foot…well, on that part things are pretty good at the moment. I wonder if it has to do with the flat ground, or the softness of it, or something, because despite the heavy boots I’m wearing most of the day, I’m not suffering from extremely painful conditions. How’s that for strange, eh. A positive thing.

Well, that about sums up the past week. Sure there have been unpleasant moments, and frictions and human interactions that might have gone better, but I rather focus on the nicer stuff, ya know. Heck, I even got some edits done.

Saying that, I have some concerns about the home front. Apparently Knight II is having some trouble eating, which could have to do with the warm weather there, but still. And grandpa had himself a scare while he was out in the yard. He stubbed his foot somewhere and ended up bleeding all over the place. Makes me worried that his blood thinners might be doing their job a bit too well. Apparently he had to apply pressure a long time before it stopped bleeding.

As to anything else. I’m too tired now…sorry. I’ll be back.