Song of the day: Someone you loved, by Lewis Capaldi. Such a gorgeous song.

Life. It has a way of getting away from you...or at least it does in my case. So strange the way the world has changed, even since the last past here on the blog. As of today we are once again in lockdown, nuts, I tell ya. Totally nuts! But, it is what it is, right? The powers that be make a decision and we must all abide by it. I just can't help but feel bad for all those people who really can't afford this shaite. For the people who suffer because of these lockdowns and are losing everything.

But, the old mantra still counts. I won't care about things I cannot change. It has no use.So, let's see if I can bring y'all up to date to life as it is at the moment. What all has happened since the last time I wrote?

First there was school. I thankfully passed my exams with a respectable average of 9 (out of 10), so that was over and done with. Actually got my diploma last October so I've got that sucker in my pocket at long last. Was nice to see about half of my fellow students again, and to have a bit of a social distanced party with a shot of booze followed by a beer.

Work. Well, we have a forced close now again, but before that I had two lovely months working in the Buffet restaurant again. The formula was different, no more free for all buffet, but a 3 course dining experience instead. Though different from usual (and what I love most doing) it was still a nice challenge...until the corona measures got tightened again, of course,  meaning that our restaurants had to close and we were only allowed to offer take-away to our guests. But that, of course meant that we had too many chefs in the kitchen. So what does that leave for Sammie, you might wonder. Well, luckily I can be bumped to TD, meaning I get to help big brother out with the hated morning shifts.

The 4:20 wake up call is pretty much killing me, but work is work...or at least it was, considering things will change again now with the new lockdown. I might get lucky and won't need to start at 6 am until January, which should be awesome. I don't mind work, in any shape or form, but I do hate the early morning. Ha. We'll see how that goes.

Had friends over for dinner the other day. I miss cooking special stuff, so it was the perfect occasion to have some fun in the kitchen. Decided on three courses that started with a lovely fresh pumpkin soup decorated with fresh herbs and a blot of cream cheese in the center. The main course was a lovely experiment of red beet risotto topped by a bit of Parmesan. This dish had strips of veggies on the side and a yellow creamy sauce with saffron and rose. Last but not least was a strawberry tartlet made from scratch with a bit of whipped cream on top. Was a wonderful evening with friends and good food, so that was a successful evening in my book.

Been experimenting with bread, partly because I am playing with the idea of starting to do some kind of catering, or food take away on the side. I already have several people interested in my vegetable bread, which would be great if I can get regular orders for that in the future. They would be more interested in seasonal veggies, though, so that meant I had to do some experimenting. Ended up with 3 new recipes from that. One with cauliflower and carrot. One of three types of cabbage, and one with pumpkin and parsnips. Definitely fun to try, and there might even be a restaurant interested in it, so I will keep you posted on that.

As for Mr. Whitney, the absolute gorgeous fella (aka golden retriever) I adopted this spring is still with us. He's amazing. Such good company and hardly ever a bother. He's adjusted well to his new life with us, absolutely loving our 3x daily walks, and enjoying his very own home-made food. He's no longer skinny. He's got muscles now and his confidence is still improving daily. He's such a marvelous addition to our lives, I can barely remember a time when he wasn't here. He's been making sure that we go on plenty of walks, which is of course very good for us since going to the gym isn't actually in the realm of possibilities at the moment.

As for the house. My...our lovely house. We got quite a bit done in the months that have passed since my last blog. First of, we have upgraded our electrical system, meaning that now we can have a proper kitchen when the time is right. Added to that all the walls in the living areas that had to go out are out, so we could put in new floors in the kitchen, the office and the living room. Which makes sooooooo much of a difference. No more cold tiles under my feet, not to mention that the first 3 floors are so much more spacious now. It is absolutely awesome. Basically we now have the house's base exactly the way we want it. Sure, we'll have to remodel the kitchen, still, and the bathroom, a shed, and the garage, but there's no rush. It's all very livable until we've got some savings to do them proper. Right now I have added a kitchen island that gives me at least enough work space, and painted everything that needed painting, too, so let's see how things go.

Dealing with mom's passing is a sometimes it's okay, sometimes it still hits me by surprise, kind of thing. Sometimes I can still not believe it, and now that we are dealing with the aftermath of the house in Spain and such, it is very much back in my mind, I fear. I wish it wasn't, and yes I am working at letting it go and accepting it, but still, it isn't easy. Alas.

It has been slow on the writing front, but I have started on a new book because I needed something new, something different, so guess what. I am writing a paranormal/horror/thriller. I kid you not. We've got zombie killers and all that jazz. So much fun to do. Got over 11k words now, so I'm pretty pleased about that. Will be getting a couple of the older manuscripts out of the dust piles so we can start sending them out in the near future, but until then I'm having fun doing the creative thing again.

Well, that's about it for today, I guess. Hope everyone is doing alright and is keeping safe. I'll be back...

Time is fleeting

Song of the day: “Lament” by the Cranberries. I know, an oldie, right, but I recently heard this awesome band again, and was assaulted by all this old earworms, including this one. Hah.

So, I’d ask y’all what you’ve been up to, but am well aware that most of you are mostly here as readers, not to be bugged with pesky questions. I’ll get to it, shall I?

It’s been a while since my last blog, I know, but life has been terribly hectic and what little time I had left I ended up vegetating, rather than doing something useful like writing the blog, a book, sleep, eat, breathe...hmmm. Does that sound a bit extreme? Yeah, I guess it does. I’ve a flair for the dramatic, I’ll admit, but there are times (when you’re tired and emotional, you know) that it feels that way.

Did a lot of hours at work, in part because, let’s face it, due to the loss of many colleagues during the course of “restructuring”, there is a LOT to do, and the other part being (you’re seeing this one coming, right?) that I have a hard time saying no to paying work. Hah. I should. I mean, seriously, there are times when I really should say no, and just don’t because it is something very necessary, and I’d feel like a wuss for saying no. How bad is that, right? The other day, big brother and I were talking about it, actually, where he pointed out that I’m a bit like Jim Carrey in “Liar Liar” that way. Remember that scene in the courthouse where he’s beat himself up completely (hilarious scene, by the way) in an attempt to get out of the trial, only to have the judge ask him outright if he “really” isn’t able to continue on. Which, of course, he can. Everyone CAN, unless they are lying unconscious, or dead on the floor...technically, anyway. *sigh* Doesn’t mean you always should, should you? An FYI, in case you’re wondering. Doing cleaning with a capital C (as in professionally) is not something anyone should be doing full-time. We’re talking high content calorie usage here. A rigorous fitness workout of three hours stretched into 8-9 hours.

Anyway, pacing is still something that I obviously need to work on. Am a wreck at the moment, so it’s a good thing that this is my free day. Have been taking it easy all morning. Did some stretches, some bootcamp exercises and made a tasty high protein breakfast (lentils, veggies and egg) that should suit me just fine on this day that I have planned to spend behind the computer for today’s blog and if I’m lucky some actual writing. I’m even pondering turning off my phone, because the last few times I tried this, I got phoned three times and apped 6 times, claiming a lot of my day. *sigh* Gotta keep up with the homeys, dontcha. Haven’t decided yet what to do. Hah.

Was smart last night (yes, it does happen occassionally that the old braincells give a tiny spark of life after all), by the way. After getting home from work (had a short work day for a change) I took a long nap, ate lunch, picked up big brother and then spent what was left of the day cleaning my apartment. The way I figured, if I did that during the afternoon, I’d truly have a free day today...which I do, except for a wee bit of laundry which is not something I see as a terrible task, as you well know. *wink*

As for a bit of bad news: Tenant is not doing well. We visited her a few times around her B-Day, which she really enjoyed, but things are slowly getting worse for her. Just the past week or so, she’s been in and out of the hospital; this time due to an extreme shortness of breath. Just last night she woke up cousin Ed, screaming (for as far as that was possible) that she couldn’t breathe, so she had to be brought to hospital. The tubes in her throat, ya know, the ones you breathe too, are too narrow for some reason and this is causing loads of problems. Added to that, her immune system is completely shot, meaning more and more meds that aren’t helping the matter at all. It’s sad to see, in particular since it is getting to a point where cousin Ed is no longer able to take care of her. She needs too much of it, so a nursing home is the only solution. Sad.

Also went that direction a couple of times because Cousin Ed finally found a place to live for herself, once tenant has settled in a nursing home. She wanted our opinion for a couple of options, and finally came to an agreement that the second, slightly more expensive one would be the best. The quality was way better, so maintenance would be lower. It’s a tiny place in the woods, and she can see herself live there in the immediate future with her doggies, so all is well.

Went to visit our father this weekend, partly because he and his wife are moving soon, and they had a rather pretty computer closet that they offered to Taffin. Will come in handy for all his gadgets, that’s for sure. And of course because we had some catching up to do again over a nice lunch with talk about work and whatnot. Also got to see loads of pics of the past twenty years or so (and you know me and pics, right?), including wedding pictures where I was looking at folks with like “where do I know these folks from?” until it became clear that it were a couple of known (national) actors who’re friends with our stepmother. Hysterical how that works. You’re looking at a face that seems familiar, and you’re turning and turning it over in your head knowing that you’re missing something, only to realize that the reason you know them is because you saw them on the friggin’ TV. Weird how that works.

Had only one workout at the gym since my last blog (yes, I’ll flog myself tonight, jeez!) but like I said, time is fleeting and in short demand. I just can’t seem to schedule anything in of late, which is driving me effing bonkers sometimes. Grrrr.

Have been cooking regularly (I’m patting myself on the back saying “good Sammie” on that one) so nutritionally we’re doing okay...except for having missed quite a few meals again due to the lack of time. Aaaaargh! But what meals I’ve had were good and balanced.

Have been thinking more and more about starting our own little company, though, in particular with the persistent rumors and trouble at work. A small dining facility, primarily based on take away is slowly solidifying. Even big brother is getting to be excited about it, and yes, we have thought of a name for the place. “Something Different”, which has a nice ring to it, and a name you can play with in advertising. Now, I am going to have to start making time free to do research, of course, discovering if it even possible to open something like this in the surrounding area, what kind of licenses I would need, etc. Who knows, it might not even be possible, so I’m not going to let my head run of with me yet. I’ll keep you posted.

The infection and/or rash on my foot became secondary to the fact that a I slipped at work (colleague used slippery soda soap instead of a degreaser) and slammed my foot into the wall while on all fours in a narrow space. Very unpleasant, walking became even more of a trial due to that, so I wasn’t happy for a while. Both problems have decreased now, thankfully. The redness is almost gone to a treatment of mostly vinegar with an after-treatment of aloe vera and calendula cream. There are days now that you can hardly see the the discoloration anymore.

You’ll be happy to know that the weather is slowly improving. Spring (despite the small setback these past couple of days with a drop of more than 8 degrees) is in full swing. Green is sprouting everywhere (loving that bit) making the world a colorful place to be at least. I’m not even minding the cold (not much, anyway) it is just so pretty.

The load of plants in my apartment are absolutely lovely. They are thriving, growing lushly on the windowsill and my dresser where a selection of kitchen herbs are competing for sunlight. They are delicious, I tell ya. Almost like we have a little yard there, which makes cooking very much a pleasure.

I have, since recently, discovered that my stay in the UK has had a nasty side effect. My accent has become horribly British. That is not to say that I dislike the British accent, I mean former Prime Minister Blair has an accent to die for, but it is not an accent I strive for. Irish accent, sure, American mid-west or even south are lovely, but British is very distinct and will have people look oddly at you, as if you’re trying to show off, or something. I don’t, it happens automatically, so I fear that E’s (former boss) promise to teach me “proper” English, did rub off. I’ll have to work on that.

Did finally manage to do some home improvement during my last free day. Got around to sanding, priming and painting my kitchen table at last, so now it is a wonderfully old, dented homestead style table in a warm ivory white. It looks lovely. Especially with the three chairs I found at the skip months ago. Considering all my colorful furniture elements, I figured that keeping a basis of white-ish for the big pieces was just plain smart.

I like it.

Well, that is all she wrote today. I still want to do some stuff on the books, if I can manage it and then I have to start thinking about dinner at some point, despite it being lunch hour. Time flies, and never more so then when you’re doing stuff at the computer, eh? Hah

I’ll be back.

Astounding

Song of the day: “In my secret life” by Katie Melua. It’s been going through my head several days now, luckily I like the song well enough, otherwise it would have driving me bonkers.

Another week gone, and we’re well into August. Before you know it we’ll be in autumn, rushing straight toward winter. Aaaaargh!...ehm, yeah, as you can see I’m not looking forward to that. Last year wasn’t all that bad seeing as we were gone most days anyway, but what with being out of work this time round, I’m anticipating claustrophobia. Grrrr.

But okay, not thinking about that yet. Summer is still here, autumn hasn’t even started yet, and winter is still nothing but the future. There’s still plenty of time for things to change, isn’t there? I mean seriously, a few years ago, when we were busily writing and editing, and restoring and building everything around the house, while at the same time rushing from here to there to take care of the old ladies, I wouldn’t have believed it if someone had said that things would turn out this way. I’m not kidding. In my mind things were completely unchangeable, probably set in stone until further notice, but there you have it. I’m not going to try to anticipate anything, I’m just going to wait and see where life takes us from here on…nothing else to do about it anyway, not yet.

So what’s been happening? Not a whole lot, although we have been busily editing a lot. It’s not going badly either, it is just that there are times when our focus is completely shot. No matter, we’re keeping at it regardless, and aren’t unhappy with where we are at the moment.

Been doing some work on my future sink. Should be doing more but we’ve had some pick up trips lately, which is taking more time than I like, and of course there were jobs to be done. Had to escort four dogs to the vet the other day (not ours, no worries). Neutering time, it had been a while in coming, but now the day was here. They behaved like troopers and seemed none the worse for wear afterward, thankfully.

Also had a cleaning up/maintenance job. Which meant working on sun-exposed terraces for four hours, sweeping them clean, hosing them down and reorganizing furniture. There was a gentle breeze that made it bearable, but it also tricked me into thinking that I wasn’t dehydrating. I was basically in the zone when suddenly I realized that I was seeing black spots in my vision. A glance at my watch told me that I’d been at it for two hours without a break, and that I really should get some water into my system; temps were hitting 100 degrees after all. Drank four huge glasses of water (was sooooo thirsty) in one go, and didn’t even have to pee afterward, hah. (I know, TMI, right?) Strange how that works.
Anyway, after that I paid better attention and drank regularly, so I was none the worse for wear…except for being sore as heck the next morning because of using the broom and mop for about 2700 square feet.
Not glamorous, I know, but it pays the bills, right?

Had a couple of turns preparing the dog food at home. That was sure nice. It’s been ages since we had time for that, and since grandpa deserved a break in that regard, I was happy to do it. Nothing like standing in the shade up in the old horse paddock, dogs around my feet trying to steal bread and veggies, chopping away with a small hand ax until it’s all done.

No big cooking events this week, though I did make a rather nice batch of chickpea patty dough. Ate them for several days. As bread replacements for breakfast and as supper with chili. Also as the meat replacement on a burger bun, and so on, until we finished the whole batch and were thrown back into less nutritious meals, like a load of pasta fungi. Hah.

As to the party plans…not a lot of changes there. I do now have a semi-confirmed guest list of 13 people, so it should get interesting. There will probably be kids there, though, so that means we’re going to have to keep the majority of the dogs separated at the very least.

I have a date with a couple of “girls” my age to go hiking next week. We’re going to meet up at a nearby parking spot, take the Land Rover into the country toward a spring and then walk along the river (if it is there during this drought) for an hour or two. Should be fun. An all-girls outing. Never did that before, so we’ll see how it goes…will be going armed, though. It’s a hunting area, pretty much in the middle of nowhere, and some nitwit might think that three women are easy pickings, so it is better to be safe than sorry…thinking about that, I think I’m going to take Knight along after all. Will be good for him, and he’ll be the best deterrent for trouble. Hah.
Now I still have to think about what I’m going to make for lunch. Seeing as after the walk we’re planning on taking a dip, and have a snack. Both of them are on a gluten free diet so I might have to resort to my patties with fresh veggies on it…yeah, I think I like that.

Did have a few more nice workouts, along with a jog, but not for the past couple of days, much to my regret. The schedule was just too busy.

So, who’s worried about everything going on in the world? I mean, who is not seeing the comparisons to the Second World War when it concerns anti-Semitism? It’s scary, really. You see terroristic acts from certain parties all over the world, and yet you have the world tripping over the fact that Israel is protecting its people and borders…and all because supposedly the country belongs to the terrorists. What? Folks hate Christianity so much that they’ve forgotten the bible saying that some odd 5000 years ago it was already of the Jewish people? Just because it was conquered after that (mostly through slaughter) doesn’t change that fact. They got it back fair and square, by buying land and then reclaiming their heritage from the Brits. Basically they conquered their country back, and now everyone is complaining. Just because this only happened less than a century ago doesn’t make their claim less valid than those who conquered it 5000 years ago.
Also, folks are saying that both parties should just live together in peace, but all I hear from the non-Israeli side is that they don’t want to live with the Jews, they want their land back, and drive all the “filthy” Jews into the sea, annihilate them, erase them from the face of the earth, as claimed by various parties on the radio, TV and whichever social media you want to visit, which is apparently cheered for by the majority…I don’t see much compromise there. Added to that, it makes me wonder why no one is taking those statements/threats seriously, because the Western world must think that these claims are just hot air, or else why would they keep insisting that the Israeli people roll over and play nice? Would you try to have tea with the attacker bombing your house and threatening to slaughter your family?
I mean, let’s look at it differently. Russia won’t just be allowed by the UN to reclaim Ukraine without a fight.
If Mexico would claim parts of the US and started bombing cities, no one would look funny at America for defending itself.
If Germany declared that the Netherlands really is theirs because it was German territory way back when, everyone would tell them to F off.
How come this is looked at differently?

All this measuring with different measuring tapes is driving me bonkers sometimes, not to mention the illogic of it. I mean, if you pay attention to how the news from the Middle East is brought, you will start to notice that about 70 percent is pro terrorists…as in, “those poor backward people are just misguided. They don’t know any better. We should just give them a little more time to become more civilized, to educate them, and just sacrifice some folks for the “cause”. Insane!
This ostrich behavior astounds me at times, not to mention frightens me…especially when I hear left-wing feminists picking sides.
Do these “righteous” women not realize that women in general will be pretty much screwed if the scales of power shift toward to a culture that has not yet gone through the battle of female emancipation? At least not in the way that there is even a semblance of equality.
Astounding, that is all I can say about it, really…

But sorry, I didn’t mean to go off on a tangent on world politics there, but sometimes you just can’t help but notice such things. I’ll shut up now.

Went grocery shopping yesterday, which went well. Got almost everything on the list and kept the bill well under 100 for the next two to three weeks worth of food, yay. Do need to get some wine still, and fruit juice, but that shouldn’t kill the budget.

As to the doggies…well, no change with Knight. Kollosus (German shepherd) is in heat, meaning that Arthur (Brittany) is mightily interested and doesn’t give a fig when Knight glares at him. Hah. On the other hand the whole lot is rather happy that we’re home a little more. They’re just making a wonderful nuisance of themselves getting in the way whenever they can.

Well, my mind has been blanking out again as to the events of the past week, so I’m going to leave it at this.
Gotta go.