We've got a winner

Song of the day: “The Caravan of Love” by the Housemartins, I think. Hmmm. Maybe I should check. Nah. Whoever sang it, it was the A-Capella version.

So...very little writing these past couple of days. Very annoying, I know, but that is life getting away with ya, I guess. The car thing has kept us incredibly busy. It feels as if I’ve been living in the friggin’ car trying to get everything arranged.

But I’m getting ahead of myself, aren’t I. Let’s start with yesterday where I subbed as a cab driver...or at least that was how it felt. Seriously, I’ve spent more time in the car yesterday and today than I have in the past six months. And that is saying something. Hah.

Anyway, yesterday started early with me heading for town hall to pay this year’s taxes...yikes. That hurts the wallet seriously. Gawd. Then I had to have copies of my passport and drivers license stamped, which cost a solid six bucks per stamp, thank you very much. I can earn money that way, jeez.

Right after I head to head down to town to check what I was supposed to do once I bought a new car, at which time I was informed that they could just change the details of the insurance and that would be it. So yeah, I was somewhat reassured when I got home and got to writing. Only managed three or four pages before it was time to head out to our appointment in town.
We were meeting with two sellers at the garage, so basically it was a face off between the Hyundai Atoz and the Opel Astra Merit.

First one was the Atoz, and the mechanic warned that the engine usually starts falling apart after 80.000 km. I liked the car, but let’s just say that it didn’t pass the test. Turned out that if we bought it fixing it was going to cost us ‘bout a thousand box to have it brought up to part, regardless of the fact that it had a new engine four or five years ago. Added to that, getting new parts would be incredibly expensive because it all has to come from Japan. *sigh*

So with that ringing in our ears...it was a family outing, the younger sibs and mom were there too...we waiting for the Opel. The seller arrived about fifteen minutes early and there we went, going over the whole thing again. Luckily this car came out of the test a lot better. The mechanic even said that it would a good choice because it was well maintained. There was about three to four hundred bucks of repairs, which had the seller agree to taking off about a hundred off the price, and paying half of the repair as long as we had it done at a garage where he could get a big discount.

And yep, we agreed to buy the Opel. I paid a deposit, we signed a little note and agreed to meet this very morning for the transfer. Which meant that we could finally go home and try to get some real work done. Like writing. The fact that I was just too tired to do much more than a page had me give up around midnight and head to bed. Seriously, buying a car is not my favorite pass time.

So anyway, this morning was another early one (a. I am getting too little sleep again b. I am not eating well. There just isn’t enough time during the day. My doctor would frown at me, I’m sure. *sigh*) because the vet was coming in to vaccinate the dogs. Now I would have liked to be there, but we had the appointment with the car seller, meaning that little brother and I headed out to meet with him and drive to the village to arrange paperwork. It’s a hassle over here in Spain, really. You need a gestor who arranges everything for a fee and that cost us another solid 160, darn it. (Usually transfer costs are for the buyer around here) But we managed it, and are now the owners of a new 2nd hand car.

By the time we got home the vet had finished with the vaccinations, meaning that they’re all set for another year or so.*Phew*

Afterwards I managed to sort through our tile piles, getting stuff ready for tenant’s future floor, before it was time for me to head for town again and arrange the insurance. Worked out fine, and the car is now officially insured. Since I was in town anyway, I drove past our garage to deliver the last bit of paperwork for the Daewoo. Oh, did I mention that the young mechanic working there asked if I could take the Daewoo from me if he took care of all the paperwork and gave me a free check up for my future car. Yeah, well, that’s what I agreed to. I saw no reason to send the little thing to the junk yard if it didn’t have to, and having a mechanic check out your car for free is a nice thing, to say the least. Heck, they even did both of them without charge, so I’m a happy gal. A friendly lot, over there, not to mention helpful. I’m very happy we found them.

Be that as it may, I dropped off the last paper, drove past the other garage (the one the seller insisted on) to see how the new car was doing and the mechanic was working on it. I assured the feller I wasn’t trying to rush him, but only came by to check if replacing the belts was on the list as well. It was, so I left and headed home. Oh, you never guess who I saw walking beside the road for the past three days, or so. Yep, the seller of the Daewoo. Guess business is not going well enough for him to cruise in his big ass car. I can’t say I’m sorry to see that, considering that they didn’t treat us at all right. (Heard a similar story from the mechanic, who got screwed over by them as well.) If they had treated us right, I wouldn’t have hesitated to return, as it is...well, we’re all set. Hah.

Which brings us to now, a time when I really should have been working on the book, but since I am scatter brained from being all over the place for the past couple of days, I figured I might as well do this blog first.

Oh, good bit of news is that my dogs didn’t make a fuss at all during the vaccinations, so, yay. They just might learn after all. Hah.

Cars up the wazoo

Song of the day: “I will survive” by Gloria Gaynor. From my point of view it is very appropriate. Jeez. At the moment I just want to go to bed and pass out for a bit. Right after I eat half a bag of cornflakes to fill the pit that is supposed to be my stomach. Seriously, I’m friggin starving and for the past hour or so my stomach has been wondering whether my throat’s been cut. Aaaargh.
I didn’t have time for it today…heck, didn’t have time for it yesterday either.
Which means I need to explain, don’t I?
Well, yesterday was a doozy due to the fact that I had to go out way too much. It started early with Sally who had to go to the doctor and since the Daewoo is gone I had to drive her there. This meant that I had to wait for her to be done, which took two friggin’ hours that would have had me scream if I hadn’t been smart enough to take pen and paper with me. I managed to get down a solid scene. Yay.
It did make me incredibly grumpy when I got home, in particular because tenant also needed help, which took another hour and by then the entire morning was gone. So I took some time to get started, but I did finally manage to get down to the basin terrace where I spent the majority of the afternoon writing on “V.L.” The scene I wrote in the car and part of another one, so, another yay, right here. *sigh*
There was some gardening, naturally (not as much as I’d like) and harvesting, and cooking, which is incredibly boring to write about, but the zucchini soup was great. I wish some was left, but on the way up a large portion sloshed over dogs and ground alike. Bye bye soup.

I really should take some time to do some decent cooking again, though. The days are just not long enough for frivolous things like food, unless I make them.
But anyway...the afternoon was cut in because Sally needed a lift to her new job, only to need another one three hours later. That was when (after dropping her off) big brother and I, along with Dani headed out for a jog. I was in serious need to let of some steam, and I think I actually managed a relaxed run, rather than using all those muscles I’m not supposed to use. I mean it, it went well. Didn’t pull anything, didn’t lose my breath too fast, so it felt pretty awesome by the time we got back to the car and called it a day.

Good thing I managed to get to bed early too, because it allowed me to get up early this morning. We made to appointments, you see, to see a Renault Kangoo and a Citroen Berlingo. The latter had our favor, right until this afternoon it turned out that the add lied and that to look at it we’d have to go a solid fifty miles, which wasn’t worth it.

The other one, well the price wasn’t right after all, so that got canceled. It wouldn’t have been bad if that meant that we could stay home, but mom found an Opel Astra Merit that should be affordable. So we went there instead to look at it (did I mention I hate car shopping. I do. With a passion!). Personally I didn’t like it all that much, in particular not the seller, nor the idea the car gave, but what the heck, I will hardly ever drive it, so...whatever.

On the way back (we have an appointment at our garage tomorrow to see if we’re not buying a barrel) we came upon a Hyunday Atos (similar price to the Opel, and much more likable in my eyes, hah) whose owner showed up within fifteen minutes of calling. There will be two appointments at the garage tomorrow, where we’ll hear what the mechanic says.

Of course, the potential buying of a new car means that I will have to get up early tomorrow morning to get my registration form at city hall, and while I’m there I’ll have to pay taxes for 2010 as well. Home taxes, roads, garbage, etc. Very tiresome, but it needs to be done.

While mom and little brother dropped off Sally this afternoon, I had to pick her up again, right before big brother and I headed out to get gravel. With a little luck we’ll manage to pour concrete in tenants room one of these days. And when that is done maybe her new kitchen floor, which is high time.

Not much writing today, only a couple of pages that brought me up to one third of the book. Yay. I wish there’d been time for more writing tonight, but it’s already past midnight and I have to get up in time.

Okay, Knight II’s making a racket and I need to get ready for some serious zzzzs. Gotta go.

Tinkering.

Yadzia came through the night well enough. He didn’t cry, and peacefully slept in his place under the bed, where he feels safe from the other dogs. Gada was of course right beside him, the way she always is, but appears around morning to check out the ruckus when it’s time to get up.

The usual mess ensues, dogs bouncing about, barking, snarling occasionally and then storming helter-skelter over each other the moment the door bursts open to the bright and warm sunlight outside. Three seconds after opening the door quiet descends in the cabin, except for Chaos, who’s still standing on the bed and is waiting for me to come an help him to the floor.

Limping a little I make my way back to the bed and assist the dog in the controlled slide to the floor. The moment his paws hit the wood, he’s off in a burst of motion…for as far as this is possible with his massive bulk, and disappears around the corner of the door.

Shaking my head at his gallop I start tearing off blankets and the likes that have tangled considerably during the night and start remaking the bed from the bottom up so I won’t have to do so tonight when I return.
That done, I hurry through the morning rituals, get dressed and head down for the house with Bommel and Yadzia bringing up the rear.

After depositing my bag on the kitchen counter, I dig through the first aid box in search of some bandages and apply a large amount of arnica on my knee, which I then proceed to wrap loosely in the endless strip of stretchy fabric that is to help against the itchy burning sensation that’s bothering me since last night. I definitely did too much walking yesterday and am now suffering the consequences.

The cooling gel certainly feels good, and with that done I start on laundry. Grandpa and big brother insist on carrying out the new batches, and taking the dry inside for me, while I start hanging the stuff. The weather is really wonderful today. The wind is mild and the sun bright, making it a most pleasant task.

About half an hour later, after folding the dry laundry, we start on breakfast and are discussing the day ahead of us. There doesn’t seem to be much writing time, considering that the weather is so pleasant and we still need to take an old car wreck–set on our property–apart so we can move it out of the gate with the least possible weight to push. And I’ve promised the do Danni’s hair, both trim and dye.

With that in mind, I only get on the computer to do a quick round of the messages, answer a few while big brother already heads up the mountain to start on the fence that was opened up by the dogs again today.

While going over the mail of the day I find that Knight II has somehow managed to get bit in his tail, leaving a bloody mess that thankfully doesn’t appear to bother him much when all is said and done. A good cleaning and he should be fine.

The messages take longer than I’d expected, but in the end I finish up for today, grab scissors and a comb and head on up to do my hairdresser job for the day.
While I start trimming, big brother is already working on the car wreck, slowly taking it apart and by the time I finish with the dye job I join him.

The car is rapidly coming apart under his hands and tools. Dented doors being cut away, rusty engine taken apart, and all remaining extras removed to be piled in the back of the truck. It’s a mess, and the dratted thing has been rusting away on the property for way too long, that’s a fact.

The dogs, of course love the venture, all of them rutting about in the yard, and rushing up and down the mountain before finding various spots all around…most of them in the way, naturally. That’s the best part from their perspective, or so it seems. A day isn’t complete if you haven’t let one of the humans stumble. Hah.

It’s not that I can do much more than unscrew bolts and the like, while hobbling about, but still, I figure it’s the thought that counts when about an hour later we bring the dogs down to the courtyard and decide to do some practicing with the car for parking in line. Not that it is all that hard to do, but figuring that soon we’ll have to do exams we figure we might as well practice a little, just in case.
Four out of five times it goes well, and with that reassurance we head to the house to see about our evening meal.

No one is in the mood for cooking, so I make pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes grilled onion, red bell pepper and a yogurt sauce, which goes down well for everyone before I settle behind the computer, rather than the TV. Not much on anyway, so I might as well get some work done.

During this time we find out that my submission to the publisher of my short vampire story never arrived, so we have to resend it, preferably tonight. No biggie, but it is rather annoying that due to hearing this now three whole months have gone by for nothing. Ah well…nothing to do about it now, I guess.

I go over the remainder of the messages, chatting a bit on Amazon and then about an hour before midnight big brother and I decide to go over the book project and discuss the scenes that still need to be added. We’re halfway through now, so about sixty more pages need to be written before we come even close to finishing the story. Still, with ideas for scenes aplenty it should all work out well in the end.

By the time we finish I hurry up the mountain, only to realize that I need a new bag of dog food, and call to the house to ask big brother to follow me up to get it. He comes, and we end up talking about books and ideas for almost an hour. While he’s here anyway we also trim Mosha’s nails, of which one has been rapidly growing round and towards her skin. I hold her aloft as big brother sees to the task, our talk going well into the second hour and making me late…again. So frustrating!

At last I declare that I really need to get started on my Blog so he departs and I can start on the usual night rituals before getting to work.