Song of the day: “Foolish games” by Jewel. It’s been a while since I had Jewel in my head. Good song.
I stole an extra twenty minutes of sleep yesterday morning, which was divine. Then of course the day started and chores had to be seen to. Put a bit of rush on it, because it was our turn to go visit tenant at the hospital. First did some writing. Not a lot, but some at least. Same goes for this morning. So much to do, so little time. Every free second I can find, I’m now putting into the photo blog, figuring out how to format it, how I’m going to do the whole thing when I barely have enough time to spend a full night sleeping, hah. Ah well, I’ll sleep when I’m dead, right?
Went to town to pick up oil for the Land Rover, did a pick up of a donation, which took longer than anticipated, and then had to drive straight through to San Pedro where we had and appointment with a fella who makes metal contraptions for markets. Since the one mom borrowed from a friend has to go back now that the fella has transportation again, she’d been frantically searching for a solution. Luckily I had saved the card of this guy when he came past at the market looking for clients, so now we could buy a decent replacement…even if we did have to travel for more than an hour to get it.
But anyway, the guy met us as the appointed time at a gas station, and had us follow him into this really remote area in the back town, where he opened up his van and started pulling out what we needed. I phoned home to check what all mom and the sibs wanted and then made a deal with the guy.
Nice fella. Lived in Paris for 24 years, and was married to a French woman. His French was almost as good as his Spanish, for crying out loud. I was so jealous. Hah. But anyway, once we loaded up, we were back on our and arrived at the hospital after five to visit with tenant.
At first I was a little startled that she was so far gone, but then she really woke from her mental wanderings and became really cheerful. We chatted for quite a bit of time, and she was in good spirits by the time we had to leave again.
Had a quick supper of my patties on burger bread, unloaded the car, and then quickly got to work on the book again.
Which brings us to this morning. Was a little early for a change (fifteen minutes, no more, don’t worry) and decided to just go for it. Quickly went through the chores, fed the dogs, which they loved because we had meat in it, and they were, like, “Oh yeah!” It was hilarious to see, in particular the fat dogs that did their vacuum cleaner imitation so splendidly.
Worked on the book, of course, quickly stuffed my face with breakfast, and then, by the time two hours had passed, it was time to go up to test out the new construction for the market. We set the whole thing up, tried out the fabric over the top (colorful sort of fabric, this time round. Red with blue, very much like tie dye. Picked it myself. Hah.)
I think it’s going to work well tomorrow.
That done I got to work on making patties for Sunday. Made the three basics, chickpea, lentil and bean, of each about thirty-two I think. That took an hour or two, seeing as the whole lot had to be packed as well, but if they don’t sell, we’ll have food for several weeks, which is so easy. Hah
That done, it was time to load up the Land Rover. Had to rush it too, because we had to be at the vet’s before closing time with Knight II so she could check his ear. Still some liquid in there, but she rather not stitch him up again, so we’re going to keep trying the squeezing his ear out bit. He doesn’t like it, but if it can save him some more stitches, I’m all for it.
A quick trip to the vegetable distribution center gave us a nice load of veggies for the four-legged ones, and then we were on our way to the store to get some groceries for mom before heading back home. Gawd, groceries take sooooo much time. Once at home again, we finished up loading. Had a massive laughing fit when I was carrying a table to the car and was lifting it onto the roof-rack when I noticed big brother working on combing the hair of a Barby doll we intent to sell tomorrow…or at some point. Seriously, it was hysterical, and I had a stitch in my side afterward. Seriously, such a strange image.
For supper, we decided to go for fried food so I could do a little bit more writing before starting on today’s blog. Which means that I am now done (25 minutes too late, darn it. I should be getting ready for bed already) with this blog, and only need to do a pic on the other blog before I can call it a day.
Gotta go.
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Friday, June 28, 2013
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Not again
Song of the day: “One way or another” by Blondie. I blame one of my chat buddies on the for a who posted it. Darn it. Luckily the song isn’t half bad. Hah.
Yesterday was a busy one. Since I was going stir crazy with the knowledge that we haven’t made any decent progress in the kitchen these past few weeks, I decided to skip one morning editing session and start on the kitchen ASAP. Of course that meant that I could start around one in the afternoon, because first there were loads of other things to do.
First there were the normal chores that seemed to be taking forever. Then grandpa asked me to check out our paint supply so we could see if there was a paint that I want for my kitchen windows. There wasn’t of course. So for the next half hour I mixed colors until I got the one that matches the window frame we’ve got in already. I think it will look good…the color, that is. Very warm and intense. Good contrast. Am happy that I managed to match it so well, because otherwise grandpa would have insisted on sanding and priming those frames too, just so it’ll look perfect. Very sweet, but he’s working his ass off for my kitchen.
That done, and with Cousin Ed seeing to visiting Sally at the hospital, I fetched tenant from her place and brought her down to keep me company while I started on tiling my kitchen. First I had to clean out the place, of course. There were like three inches of leaves on the floor, due to a particularly violent wind storm during the night.
Got most of the vertical surfaces that will disappear behind the cupboards covered up. I’m playing it smart this time round and will tile everything so that I can keep it all properly clean. Sure, it’ll be a mosaic of different whites, but it’ll be clean for sure. Hah.
Next, big brother and I left for the veggie distribution center to get left over veggies for the dogs. It took some time to sort through the lot, and then we needed to head for town for a donation, which took forever too, but we did get home in time to eat my patties like genuine burgers. They were good, I tell ya. Very tasteful, not to mention filling. I had made two and a half for me but only managed one and a half before I was seriously stuffed.
We did finish putting together the five paragraph synopsis yesterday, along with a query letter, a bio and the first ten or so pages of the book, so we sent that off, at last. Yay. Keep your fingers crossed folks.
Was late getting to bed, of course. Nothing new there. *sigh* And couldn’t pry my eyes open until my alarm had been ringing for at least fifteen minutes. Had to rush through the morning chores because of that, and then, asap, got to work on the last edit of C.H…you remember, right? The book that I was asked to revise a little before sending it back? Well, we’re getting there. Managed to get 20 pages done this morning, and then another ten this evening, so we’re well underway. Would be fun if we could get that done so I can start again on E.D. Or maybe on “Gun” which has some wonderful aspects that I would love to explore. I mean, seriously, there is something awesome about writing assassin stories. Ah well, we’ll see how it goes.
In the mean time, I found a rather nasty, not to mention big lump on Knight II’s chest, darn it. It’s about the size of a hamburger and really hard. That means another trip to the vet.
Edit done, it was time to head on up and start loading the Land Rover for tomorrow’s market. It took some time, but I think we got it all. By the time we were done, Cousin Ed came home with the news that the doctors are calling Sally’s condition rather delicate and that it will be a 50/50 thing to see whether she recovers from this latest problem. A bit depressing that.
Big brother and I headed for the vet next. Had the appointment to have his operation wound checked one last time, and I had her look at the swelling immediately as well. She’s not saying cancer yet, in particular since just a few weeks ago there was nothing there, but she can’t be sure. Instead I’m going to put him on an anti-inflammatory for the next three to four days. If that makes it disappear, I for one will be happy about it. I am not going to put the poor darling through another operation. Not again.
By the time we got back it was time to make supper, today consistent of satay on macaroni with baked cauliflower on the side. It went down splendid. Finished with another bit of the edit around ten thirty, and then got totally distracted on the for a, only to end up writing my blog late. *sigh*
Okay, gotta go. Have to get up again in less than seven hours.
Yesterday was a busy one. Since I was going stir crazy with the knowledge that we haven’t made any decent progress in the kitchen these past few weeks, I decided to skip one morning editing session and start on the kitchen ASAP. Of course that meant that I could start around one in the afternoon, because first there were loads of other things to do.
First there were the normal chores that seemed to be taking forever. Then grandpa asked me to check out our paint supply so we could see if there was a paint that I want for my kitchen windows. There wasn’t of course. So for the next half hour I mixed colors until I got the one that matches the window frame we’ve got in already. I think it will look good…the color, that is. Very warm and intense. Good contrast. Am happy that I managed to match it so well, because otherwise grandpa would have insisted on sanding and priming those frames too, just so it’ll look perfect. Very sweet, but he’s working his ass off for my kitchen.
That done, and with Cousin Ed seeing to visiting Sally at the hospital, I fetched tenant from her place and brought her down to keep me company while I started on tiling my kitchen. First I had to clean out the place, of course. There were like three inches of leaves on the floor, due to a particularly violent wind storm during the night.
Got most of the vertical surfaces that will disappear behind the cupboards covered up. I’m playing it smart this time round and will tile everything so that I can keep it all properly clean. Sure, it’ll be a mosaic of different whites, but it’ll be clean for sure. Hah.
Next, big brother and I left for the veggie distribution center to get left over veggies for the dogs. It took some time to sort through the lot, and then we needed to head for town for a donation, which took forever too, but we did get home in time to eat my patties like genuine burgers. They were good, I tell ya. Very tasteful, not to mention filling. I had made two and a half for me but only managed one and a half before I was seriously stuffed.
We did finish putting together the five paragraph synopsis yesterday, along with a query letter, a bio and the first ten or so pages of the book, so we sent that off, at last. Yay. Keep your fingers crossed folks.
Was late getting to bed, of course. Nothing new there. *sigh* And couldn’t pry my eyes open until my alarm had been ringing for at least fifteen minutes. Had to rush through the morning chores because of that, and then, asap, got to work on the last edit of C.H…you remember, right? The book that I was asked to revise a little before sending it back? Well, we’re getting there. Managed to get 20 pages done this morning, and then another ten this evening, so we’re well underway. Would be fun if we could get that done so I can start again on E.D. Or maybe on “Gun” which has some wonderful aspects that I would love to explore. I mean, seriously, there is something awesome about writing assassin stories. Ah well, we’ll see how it goes.
In the mean time, I found a rather nasty, not to mention big lump on Knight II’s chest, darn it. It’s about the size of a hamburger and really hard. That means another trip to the vet.
Edit done, it was time to head on up and start loading the Land Rover for tomorrow’s market. It took some time, but I think we got it all. By the time we were done, Cousin Ed came home with the news that the doctors are calling Sally’s condition rather delicate and that it will be a 50/50 thing to see whether she recovers from this latest problem. A bit depressing that.
Big brother and I headed for the vet next. Had the appointment to have his operation wound checked one last time, and I had her look at the swelling immediately as well. She’s not saying cancer yet, in particular since just a few weeks ago there was nothing there, but she can’t be sure. Instead I’m going to put him on an anti-inflammatory for the next three to four days. If that makes it disappear, I for one will be happy about it. I am not going to put the poor darling through another operation. Not again.
By the time we got back it was time to make supper, today consistent of satay on macaroni with baked cauliflower on the side. It went down splendid. Finished with another bit of the edit around ten thirty, and then got totally distracted on the for a, only to end up writing my blog late. *sigh*
Okay, gotta go. Have to get up again in less than seven hours.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Market and such
Song of the day: “Grenade” by Bruno Mars. Don’t ask me why, it’s just there. Luckily it is a cool song otherwise I’d be going out of my effing mind for sure.
I’m late, late, late. Eleven thirty now that I start with today’s blog, and in the best case scenario I’ll be done with this blabber when midnight strikes. If I’m not lucky, I’ll still be at it around one. Don’tcha just hate it when focus scatters the moment you try to get something done?
So, we’re having a proper scorcher at the moment. Temps that either crossed 100, or hit close to it during the day, and are now, close to midnight, still temps in the nineties at the moment. Seriously, it’s like I’m standing in a blow dryer at the moment…which is not necessarily a bad thing considering I just came back from a half hour jog. Didn’t go bad, what with my sore legs and feet, in fact, they were doing decidedly better afterward, which is a plus to say the least. I got my exercise, and my foot doesn’t feel like it is falling off right now, so, Yay!
As for the past couple of days…
Market day yesterday, so rather than just the morning chores keeping me busy in the morning, there was this foray into ironing the tie dye stuff before heading on down to the basin terrace where I spent about three hours writing 6 pages for the book. Not bad for a hurried day, if I do say so myself. Then, of course, I had to hurry making some peanut butter sandwiches for the rest of the day (luckily I already ate bread with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and cheese for breakfast, that way I got my vitamins in at least, hah). Took a quick dip, got dressed, finished throwing some last minute stuff in the car and we were on our way.
Arrived on the dot, got welcomed by the girl who runs the place, and took our time unloading. Was a nicely busy evening. Lots of patrons, mostly Spanish coming by, all smiling, all out for some fun and some of them actually out to buy. Hah. Sold a nice bit last night, which made the night profitable as well as fun. I like it that I’m slowly learning to have fun whether we make money, or not. Nothing is quite as bonkers as letting your mood depend on other people’s mood to buy. Hah.
Tried a different setup this time, which worked well, I think. Did tables on the outsides, and the higher stuff in the middle near the cute classic-style lanterns. Made everything jump out properly, and yes, loads of people stopped to look.
Talked with several folks, including the Spanish lady from the first time who seemed to be in a better mood than the last time. Also an African fellow who wondered if we’d be interested in selling really inexpensive bags from India. Hah. He was friendly when we told him that it was a nice thought, but that we were already fully supplied.
Had a lady customer, I think she was Russian, who loved the bags (called them art) and really set her sights on one. Only problem was she’d left her money at home, so she asked if we could put it aside and she’d be back asap with money. We set the bag aside and took on a “let’s wait and see” attitude. But she didn’t lie, within an hour she was back and flapped a fifty in our faces.
Swallowed on that one, since we had no idea if we had change to break that note. No problem, though, casually she pointed out the tie dye dress on the rack, and said she wanted that one as well. That made it all a lot easier for sure, not to mention took the pressure off the evening since we basically had our expenses back. Yay.
The photographer was doing his thing again, and we chatted for a bit. His name was Claren and you can check his work out on Facebook under Blueberry Marbella. Both cousin Ed and I are on one picture with our backs turned. Hah. Excellent timing, eh? *chortle*
Here’s my own pic of yesterday’s setup.
The last sale of the day were two handmade snuglies by this very nice Spanish lady, who first begged and pleaded with her husband (she claimed) and then with us to ask if she and her friend both took one they could have one each with a five Euro discount. Checked that, of course, and yes they could, so everyone was happy. Guess putting that dummy with the snugly and baby front and center really paid off.
But anyway, normal time, around fifteen minutes before midnight, we started loading up, and were on our way home just a little before one in the morning. We got home close to two, but big brother fried some food, so we were happy and full by the time (3 AM) I crawled into bed and passed out.
Considering that the air gets rather moist at the evening market, the fun didn’t stop yet today. After the morning chores it was up to the old horse paddock to hang out all the merchandise and dry it properly for Sunday’s market. I only managed to haul out most of the dog beds before it was time for me to start on the writing for the day, but cousin Ed spent most of the day doing it all. Definitely a con of the evening market, that. Moisture is not good for natural fabrics.
My focus was shot most of the writing session, but did in the end manage to write a solid five pages for the book. Intense scene today. Sad too, seeing as “the love” seems hopeless to both hero and heroine at the moment. *sigh*
Writing done for the day, there was a massive pile of dishes to do, and horizontal surfaces to clean before I started on today’s supper. Chili sin carne today, seeing as there’s a mountain of white beans we still need to eat some day. Hah.
The dogs were remarkably quiet today, which wasn’t surprising, considering the temps. They were basically passed out on the tiles, barely opening an eye if I moved past. Smart dogs. I bet I’ll get Chaos to go in the pool tomorrow morning, poor darling. His eyes are drooping the way they tend to do when he’s really hot.
So there were the plants to water, a bit of harvest to be collected (got some massive beets, baby. Am totally eating those tomorrow) and then hurrying up in the last bit of daylight to chop dog veggies. Had company, of course, seeing as the little bastards love stealing raw veggies while we’re cutting. Worst ones are Chamea, Tadaika, Kollosus, Clue, and Rammi. The latter who is deaf and uses that advantage ruthlessly by just grabbing that coveted tomato despite me saying, “No Rammi. Get the heck outta here!” time and time again. Clue and Chamea fake convenient deafness too, but I know better. Hah.
Well, that’s it for me. I’ve got sleep to see to and all that jazz.
I’m late, late, late. Eleven thirty now that I start with today’s blog, and in the best case scenario I’ll be done with this blabber when midnight strikes. If I’m not lucky, I’ll still be at it around one. Don’tcha just hate it when focus scatters the moment you try to get something done?
So, we’re having a proper scorcher at the moment. Temps that either crossed 100, or hit close to it during the day, and are now, close to midnight, still temps in the nineties at the moment. Seriously, it’s like I’m standing in a blow dryer at the moment…which is not necessarily a bad thing considering I just came back from a half hour jog. Didn’t go bad, what with my sore legs and feet, in fact, they were doing decidedly better afterward, which is a plus to say the least. I got my exercise, and my foot doesn’t feel like it is falling off right now, so, Yay!
As for the past couple of days…
Market day yesterday, so rather than just the morning chores keeping me busy in the morning, there was this foray into ironing the tie dye stuff before heading on down to the basin terrace where I spent about three hours writing 6 pages for the book. Not bad for a hurried day, if I do say so myself. Then, of course, I had to hurry making some peanut butter sandwiches for the rest of the day (luckily I already ate bread with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and cheese for breakfast, that way I got my vitamins in at least, hah). Took a quick dip, got dressed, finished throwing some last minute stuff in the car and we were on our way.
Arrived on the dot, got welcomed by the girl who runs the place, and took our time unloading. Was a nicely busy evening. Lots of patrons, mostly Spanish coming by, all smiling, all out for some fun and some of them actually out to buy. Hah. Sold a nice bit last night, which made the night profitable as well as fun. I like it that I’m slowly learning to have fun whether we make money, or not. Nothing is quite as bonkers as letting your mood depend on other people’s mood to buy. Hah.
Tried a different setup this time, which worked well, I think. Did tables on the outsides, and the higher stuff in the middle near the cute classic-style lanterns. Made everything jump out properly, and yes, loads of people stopped to look.
Talked with several folks, including the Spanish lady from the first time who seemed to be in a better mood than the last time. Also an African fellow who wondered if we’d be interested in selling really inexpensive bags from India. Hah. He was friendly when we told him that it was a nice thought, but that we were already fully supplied.
Had a lady customer, I think she was Russian, who loved the bags (called them art) and really set her sights on one. Only problem was she’d left her money at home, so she asked if we could put it aside and she’d be back asap with money. We set the bag aside and took on a “let’s wait and see” attitude. But she didn’t lie, within an hour she was back and flapped a fifty in our faces.
Swallowed on that one, since we had no idea if we had change to break that note. No problem, though, casually she pointed out the tie dye dress on the rack, and said she wanted that one as well. That made it all a lot easier for sure, not to mention took the pressure off the evening since we basically had our expenses back. Yay.
The photographer was doing his thing again, and we chatted for a bit. His name was Claren and you can check his work out on Facebook under Blueberry Marbella. Both cousin Ed and I are on one picture with our backs turned. Hah. Excellent timing, eh? *chortle*
Here’s my own pic of yesterday’s setup.
The last sale of the day were two handmade snuglies by this very nice Spanish lady, who first begged and pleaded with her husband (she claimed) and then with us to ask if she and her friend both took one they could have one each with a five Euro discount. Checked that, of course, and yes they could, so everyone was happy. Guess putting that dummy with the snugly and baby front and center really paid off.
But anyway, normal time, around fifteen minutes before midnight, we started loading up, and were on our way home just a little before one in the morning. We got home close to two, but big brother fried some food, so we were happy and full by the time (3 AM) I crawled into bed and passed out.
Considering that the air gets rather moist at the evening market, the fun didn’t stop yet today. After the morning chores it was up to the old horse paddock to hang out all the merchandise and dry it properly for Sunday’s market. I only managed to haul out most of the dog beds before it was time for me to start on the writing for the day, but cousin Ed spent most of the day doing it all. Definitely a con of the evening market, that. Moisture is not good for natural fabrics.
My focus was shot most of the writing session, but did in the end manage to write a solid five pages for the book. Intense scene today. Sad too, seeing as “the love” seems hopeless to both hero and heroine at the moment. *sigh*
Writing done for the day, there was a massive pile of dishes to do, and horizontal surfaces to clean before I started on today’s supper. Chili sin carne today, seeing as there’s a mountain of white beans we still need to eat some day. Hah.
The dogs were remarkably quiet today, which wasn’t surprising, considering the temps. They were basically passed out on the tiles, barely opening an eye if I moved past. Smart dogs. I bet I’ll get Chaos to go in the pool tomorrow morning, poor darling. His eyes are drooping the way they tend to do when he’s really hot.
So there were the plants to water, a bit of harvest to be collected (got some massive beets, baby. Am totally eating those tomorrow) and then hurrying up in the last bit of daylight to chop dog veggies. Had company, of course, seeing as the little bastards love stealing raw veggies while we’re cutting. Worst ones are Chamea, Tadaika, Kollosus, Clue, and Rammi. The latter who is deaf and uses that advantage ruthlessly by just grabbing that coveted tomato despite me saying, “No Rammi. Get the heck outta here!” time and time again. Clue and Chamea fake convenient deafness too, but I know better. Hah.
Well, that’s it for me. I’ve got sleep to see to and all that jazz.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Something new
Song of the day: “Somebody I used to know” by Gotye featuring Kimba. Awesome song, and it has been in my head off and on for a solid two days now. Not a bad song to have. Hah.
Well, you never going to believe this, but the past two days were incredibly busy, and I, for one, am more than happy that they’re over and I can TRY to get back into the normal routine, because, let’s face it, the writing has suffered somewhat under it all. If I did more than three pages in the past four days or five days, it’s a lot. *sigh* So frustrating.
So yeah, there was the pool building bit. For a moment I will have to linger on the negatives (hate that, but they are part of the roller coaster called life, and to leave that out would be unrealistic, this is after all the life of an “eccentric author”, right?) and say that, beside the not-being-able-to-write bit, the past few days have brought the foot problem and the shoulder problem back to the forefront. Yes, I know, whiny, right? But seriously, there were times I was standing on “glass” again, darn it. Added to that, on day two I did something wrong with my hip on the way home, (damn those loose joints of mine) meaning that I could barely stand by the time I got home. I actually woke up from the discomfort (my doctor would say, pain, but I’m sticking with discomfort, thank you very much), popped an ibuprofen and tried to get back to sleep, hoping it would be over when I woke. It wasn’t, so I was afraid I was going to have to cancel on the day’s work, but then I stretched, something popped in my hip and all was well (except for a bit of soreness) in my world again. Hah. Okay, over and done with the negative…the lack of writing being the main anyway, let’s move on to yesterday.
First some pictures of the progress.
The diggin':
The first bit of putting it all up:
Putting in the liner just before the rain started:
Was just about done with the morning chores and was at the verge of feeding the dogs when my phone warned me that I’d had several missed calls from Lian. So I called back, and she informed me that she was so sorry, but she’d forgotten to turn off the tap during the night, bringing the water level in the pool up to the second hole, and if there was any chance for us to cut the skinner holes into it while the water was in. We couldn’t so she had to start emptying it with the hoses and buckets while big brother and I quickly fed the dogs.
Happens all the time. There’s nothing quite as easy as leaving a tap on. Hah. It’s a pity about the water, but the trees will be ecstatic with it, and the pool…well, so it’ll take a couple of days more to fill it. No biggie.
When we got there, the pool’s excess was drained of about one quarter, so I started hauling some odd twelve buckets of water to the rose garden while big brother figured out how we could use a big hose to drain it faster. Once we had two in, it took about forty minutes to get it down to the required level, at which point big brother made the necessary precision cuts and placed the skimmer with me serving as the “hold that” girl. Hah.
The end result for ya!
Oh, and Puppies! Rugrat and Furball. Can you imagine Knight II being afraid of those? Fatsy was too shy for the pic. Hah.
But I was smarter. Got Fatsy anyway.
Less than two hours after arrival, we were back on our way home, (Knight II snoozing in the back) where I wasted no time to greet the ecstatic dogs, take my computer and head on down to the basin terrace for some writing.
Only managed a page and half before my time was up, and I had to head on back upstairs. You see, I promised cousin Ed to go with her to this new market over in Marbella, and yesterday was the day. So she had already loaded up, meaning that all I had to do was get dressed and head on up to the car to drive to the place.
It was an experience, I tell ya. Jeez. Strange place, but kinda fun in its own way. It took us about an hour to set up…really a nice girl who arranged it all, and we got a better spot than we could have imagined. Here are some shots of Tika Art, fully displayed. Looking good, right?
Our spot, right at the entrance.
I love the lush textures of it all, and how there seemed to be too much to be contained by the tables.
The quilts and bags.
And more.
We actually made good sales, and though for me it is not a matter of earning money so much as the meeting of strange, fun folk.
Like the professional photographer, who was going through the crowds taking pictures of the entire event for the facebook page. He asked if he could take pictures of us and our stand (very polite and all) because it looked so nice to see all our colorful stuff and us, chatting behind it. *snort* The pictures were fine, I told him, as long as he took them in secret without me knowing it. Hah. We talked a little about his work, and when he explained that normally he was a fashion photographer, he added that he would love to take my picture, because of the hat, my tan and the pink top I was wearing of my white pants. Perfect coloring, he said, at which point I told him, “Oh please no” because, let’s face it, I would be self-conscious beyond imagining, and end up pulling some sort of freaky face. Hah. But anyway, he was a strange artsy fella, who, when I asked where he came from, (he had a French or Italian accent, I think) said that that didn’t matter, all mysterious like. Good for him.
What else, well, there were the nice Hungarian ladies across from us, who were there selling their crafts (paintings and decorated boxes) and were, from what I could understand of our chats (one only spoke a little Spanish and the other not even that) they were trying to get by going past markets on the overall, but were having a tough time of it in this bad economy. I felt a bit bad for them, but what can you do. I can hardly use my own low funds to boost theirs a little, right?
I was talking (hand and foot work, naturally, since this was the one who didn’t speak Spanish) with one of them about quilting, that she did it too, with family, and that it was very hard work, and all that, and then, by some sort of miracle recognized a word or two and asked her “do you speak German?” (in German) at which her face lit up and she eagerly nodded her head while I said, “so do I”. Which facilitated our communication considerably. She explained that she learned some of the language in school, I explained that I learned most of it from TV, and we chatted some more until it was time to go our separate ways again.
Then there was the Spanish lady across from us, who was very nice, and was trying to supplement her meager social security by working markets because it was just impossible to get a job. Stories aplenty, and the time went by fast.
There were kids, one adorable little girl who just had to have the Dalmatian puppy doll we used to demonstrate the dog carriers, who literally started bouncing up and down while she stroked and petted the fake puppy with apparent glee.
Night shot. Very cozy. Live music, patrons eating and drinking and having fun. Definitely a place to be as a tourist.
Not a lot of sales, but more than enough to make the day well worth the effort. We got started at five thirty and started loading back up at a quarter to twelve (midnight). At one thirty we were back home, ready to pass out for the day. Hah.
The late night didn’t improve my disposition much this morning, but all things considered I wasn’t in too bad a state after only six and a half hours of sleep. Had to bring the Land Rover to the shop (made an appointment on Wednesday for Friday) and left the car in the good hands of our usual mechanic.
He would take the car for a spin, and then give me a ring…which he did about two hours after I got home and simply couldn’t focus on writing much at all. Nothing too disastrous, but we do have to bring the car in on Monday, after we return from the MOT. *phew*
Last one, just because Fortuyn looked so cute:
Well, that’s it for me, and you’re pretty much back up to date. Now, I’m hoping for an early night, but since it is already close to one in the morning, it doesn’t look like there’ll be much chance of that…darn it!
Well, you never going to believe this, but the past two days were incredibly busy, and I, for one, am more than happy that they’re over and I can TRY to get back into the normal routine, because, let’s face it, the writing has suffered somewhat under it all. If I did more than three pages in the past four days or five days, it’s a lot. *sigh* So frustrating.
So yeah, there was the pool building bit. For a moment I will have to linger on the negatives (hate that, but they are part of the roller coaster called life, and to leave that out would be unrealistic, this is after all the life of an “eccentric author”, right?) and say that, beside the not-being-able-to-write bit, the past few days have brought the foot problem and the shoulder problem back to the forefront. Yes, I know, whiny, right? But seriously, there were times I was standing on “glass” again, darn it. Added to that, on day two I did something wrong with my hip on the way home, (damn those loose joints of mine) meaning that I could barely stand by the time I got home. I actually woke up from the discomfort (my doctor would say, pain, but I’m sticking with discomfort, thank you very much), popped an ibuprofen and tried to get back to sleep, hoping it would be over when I woke. It wasn’t, so I was afraid I was going to have to cancel on the day’s work, but then I stretched, something popped in my hip and all was well (except for a bit of soreness) in my world again. Hah. Okay, over and done with the negative…the lack of writing being the main anyway, let’s move on to yesterday.
First some pictures of the progress.
The diggin':
The first bit of putting it all up:
Putting in the liner just before the rain started:
Was just about done with the morning chores and was at the verge of feeding the dogs when my phone warned me that I’d had several missed calls from Lian. So I called back, and she informed me that she was so sorry, but she’d forgotten to turn off the tap during the night, bringing the water level in the pool up to the second hole, and if there was any chance for us to cut the skinner holes into it while the water was in. We couldn’t so she had to start emptying it with the hoses and buckets while big brother and I quickly fed the dogs.
Happens all the time. There’s nothing quite as easy as leaving a tap on. Hah. It’s a pity about the water, but the trees will be ecstatic with it, and the pool…well, so it’ll take a couple of days more to fill it. No biggie.
When we got there, the pool’s excess was drained of about one quarter, so I started hauling some odd twelve buckets of water to the rose garden while big brother figured out how we could use a big hose to drain it faster. Once we had two in, it took about forty minutes to get it down to the required level, at which point big brother made the necessary precision cuts and placed the skimmer with me serving as the “hold that” girl. Hah.
The end result for ya!
Oh, and Puppies! Rugrat and Furball. Can you imagine Knight II being afraid of those? Fatsy was too shy for the pic. Hah.
But I was smarter. Got Fatsy anyway.
Less than two hours after arrival, we were back on our way home, (Knight II snoozing in the back) where I wasted no time to greet the ecstatic dogs, take my computer and head on down to the basin terrace for some writing.
Only managed a page and half before my time was up, and I had to head on back upstairs. You see, I promised cousin Ed to go with her to this new market over in Marbella, and yesterday was the day. So she had already loaded up, meaning that all I had to do was get dressed and head on up to the car to drive to the place.
It was an experience, I tell ya. Jeez. Strange place, but kinda fun in its own way. It took us about an hour to set up…really a nice girl who arranged it all, and we got a better spot than we could have imagined. Here are some shots of Tika Art, fully displayed. Looking good, right?
Our spot, right at the entrance.
I love the lush textures of it all, and how there seemed to be too much to be contained by the tables.
The quilts and bags.
And more.
We actually made good sales, and though for me it is not a matter of earning money so much as the meeting of strange, fun folk.
Like the professional photographer, who was going through the crowds taking pictures of the entire event for the facebook page. He asked if he could take pictures of us and our stand (very polite and all) because it looked so nice to see all our colorful stuff and us, chatting behind it. *snort* The pictures were fine, I told him, as long as he took them in secret without me knowing it. Hah. We talked a little about his work, and when he explained that normally he was a fashion photographer, he added that he would love to take my picture, because of the hat, my tan and the pink top I was wearing of my white pants. Perfect coloring, he said, at which point I told him, “Oh please no” because, let’s face it, I would be self-conscious beyond imagining, and end up pulling some sort of freaky face. Hah. But anyway, he was a strange artsy fella, who, when I asked where he came from, (he had a French or Italian accent, I think) said that that didn’t matter, all mysterious like. Good for him.
What else, well, there were the nice Hungarian ladies across from us, who were there selling their crafts (paintings and decorated boxes) and were, from what I could understand of our chats (one only spoke a little Spanish and the other not even that) they were trying to get by going past markets on the overall, but were having a tough time of it in this bad economy. I felt a bit bad for them, but what can you do. I can hardly use my own low funds to boost theirs a little, right?
I was talking (hand and foot work, naturally, since this was the one who didn’t speak Spanish) with one of them about quilting, that she did it too, with family, and that it was very hard work, and all that, and then, by some sort of miracle recognized a word or two and asked her “do you speak German?” (in German) at which her face lit up and she eagerly nodded her head while I said, “so do I”. Which facilitated our communication considerably. She explained that she learned some of the language in school, I explained that I learned most of it from TV, and we chatted some more until it was time to go our separate ways again.
Then there was the Spanish lady across from us, who was very nice, and was trying to supplement her meager social security by working markets because it was just impossible to get a job. Stories aplenty, and the time went by fast.
There were kids, one adorable little girl who just had to have the Dalmatian puppy doll we used to demonstrate the dog carriers, who literally started bouncing up and down while she stroked and petted the fake puppy with apparent glee.
Night shot. Very cozy. Live music, patrons eating and drinking and having fun. Definitely a place to be as a tourist.
Not a lot of sales, but more than enough to make the day well worth the effort. We got started at five thirty and started loading back up at a quarter to twelve (midnight). At one thirty we were back home, ready to pass out for the day. Hah.
The late night didn’t improve my disposition much this morning, but all things considered I wasn’t in too bad a state after only six and a half hours of sleep. Had to bring the Land Rover to the shop (made an appointment on Wednesday for Friday) and left the car in the good hands of our usual mechanic.
He would take the car for a spin, and then give me a ring…which he did about two hours after I got home and simply couldn’t focus on writing much at all. Nothing too disastrous, but we do have to bring the car in on Monday, after we return from the MOT. *phew*
Last one, just because Fortuyn looked so cute:
Well, that’s it for me, and you’re pretty much back up to date. Now, I’m hoping for an early night, but since it is already close to one in the morning, it doesn’t look like there’ll be much chance of that…darn it!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Care packages!!!
Song of the day: “A song for whoever” by the Beautiful South. Such a fun song, and I really should listen to it some time, ‘cause now only the chorus keeps spinning through my head.
It was a rather busy day, following a similarly busy day, so I’m (once again, yes I know) in a rush. I would hate to have to start doing the blog every three days, but…well, let’s not think about that yet. I’m here now anyway.
So what all happened…project wise we’re basically wrapping things up at the moment, finishing ongoing ones before we start on a new one. Some stuff just has to be finished and be over with. What got finished was my part of the work on middle sister’s desk. It is looking rather grand, I’ll admit, and the pretty flowery slats that we put on them work beautifully. I am going to have to put up a picture to do it justice, and I will, just as soon as I find a spare minute…somewhere. Hah.
After finishing the desk, I spent about an hour cleaning up tools, wood and whatnot, figuring it was the least I could do, after using so much of it. Then, I decided I might as well try to fix the blasted handles of the furnace. What with the dogs jumping against the big machine (they are under the impression that we actually leave food on it, hah) they tend break the controls, and having two missing, was bugging the heck out of me. So, the other day, during a scavenge hunt, I found two handles from a discarded furnace, and figuring they had the same shape I took them home. They were the same shape, yes, but I did have to scrape the plastic a size bigger until they fit. Then I had to saw them, use glue to put them on the knobs I’d saved and wait to see if I did them right. As it turns out, one fits perfectly, the other will need some fine-tuning yet. Drat.
Lots of chores going on, along with more planning for the future veggie garden, and then a totally failed attempts at an early night because we had to get up early this morning. The flat tire had to be brought to the repair shop. Luckily the problem was found fast, and the guy could fix the perforation (it was a darn nail, of all things) within fifteen minutes, so rather than waiting we headed towards Coin, where we had to pick up a delivery.
Now, this is going to need some explaining, I’m guessing. You see there is this old friend of my mom’s who has been sending us care packages for years, but this time, she apparently went a little overboard. She is a darling, mind you, but there were seventeen friggin boxes waiting for us at the mover company, and we could barely fit it all in the car. We have a big car, Land Rover Defender (as I have spouted a million times, I’m sure. I love that car) but it really took quite some effort to pile it all inside and still fit in ourselves. And they were heavy, Oh my Gawd! Getting them in the car and the out again to haul them into the house (it was like we were moving house, hah) was heavier than working a full day with rocks, I swear.
It is awfully sweet of mom’s friend though, who has always been sort of like an honorary aunt to us all. There were sweaters (wonderfully warm ones, yay), shirts, vests (also warm, double yay) Ts, tops, bed sheets…Gawd, bed sheets, they might give me nightmares now, hah.
Seriously, we could fill a store with them…but admittedly it was getting rather necessary since all the old bed sheets were worn down, torn in many places and more then ready for replacements. It took us a full day to unload all the boxes, arrange the contents between the family and even our tenant and her caretaker, and then spent several hours digging through the linen closet to get all the old worn ones out, and the new, clean, beautiful fabrics in.
And then I’m not even mentioning the towels yes. There were at least forty of them, in practically any color available, and in all honesty, I have no idea where to put them all. Right now we’ve stored anything that we can’t fit in anywhere in the guest rooms by the old pool, and I am going to have to tackle them, sometime in the near future.
The plus side, I’m thinking, is that we won’t need to buy any of that stuff for the next ten years at the very least. Phew.
Like I said, incredibly sweet, and really handy…especially with the economy the way it is right now. Hah…but also rather overwhelming. There was stuff here that she has been gathering for us for the past five years or so, and each time I took out another item, I really wanted to sit down and burry my hands in my hear. Considering that it is really the thought that counts, I can only say that this loving form of charity (albeit a tad much) definitely lives up to the old adage.
There was a slight hiccup during the course of the afternoon, when Amos (mini Boxer) and Prama (crossbreed) got into a fight. Big brother was right in the thick of things, and just when I was about to reach Knight II, so I could drag him away, the idiot bit big brother in the side. A massive bruise, but only a slight puncture, thankfully, but definitely not fun.
But anyway, this explains why today’s activities were limited to lots of hauling, and cleaning out the pigsties hah. Projects just have to wait for a bit, considering that tomorrow will be similarly busy for all parties involved. Yep, grocery shopping day is once again approaching and we need to go to the bank and the electricity company right before it. *sigh*
The only thing that is keeping me from screaming right now is that afterwards we should be all set for at least two more weeks, which means, that with a little luck we can stay at home and just work on peacefully for at least a week. I’m certainly keeping my fingers crossed.
Other than that, big brother and I decided to do a slight editing detour into last year’s “A Taste of Life”, just to check how things are going there, and to plan a little on additional scenes that will make the story suitable for sending to other publishers. What with vampire stories still being so very popular, we figure we gotta be able to get it out somewhere too. Besides, it is a fun read, and a totally different style from what we’ve been doing for the past year or so. Addie is still adorable, and Rash…well, he’s a dark, handsome vampire: what more can you ask for.
It was a rather busy day, following a similarly busy day, so I’m (once again, yes I know) in a rush. I would hate to have to start doing the blog every three days, but…well, let’s not think about that yet. I’m here now anyway.
So what all happened…project wise we’re basically wrapping things up at the moment, finishing ongoing ones before we start on a new one. Some stuff just has to be finished and be over with. What got finished was my part of the work on middle sister’s desk. It is looking rather grand, I’ll admit, and the pretty flowery slats that we put on them work beautifully. I am going to have to put up a picture to do it justice, and I will, just as soon as I find a spare minute…somewhere. Hah.
After finishing the desk, I spent about an hour cleaning up tools, wood and whatnot, figuring it was the least I could do, after using so much of it. Then, I decided I might as well try to fix the blasted handles of the furnace. What with the dogs jumping against the big machine (they are under the impression that we actually leave food on it, hah) they tend break the controls, and having two missing, was bugging the heck out of me. So, the other day, during a scavenge hunt, I found two handles from a discarded furnace, and figuring they had the same shape I took them home. They were the same shape, yes, but I did have to scrape the plastic a size bigger until they fit. Then I had to saw them, use glue to put them on the knobs I’d saved and wait to see if I did them right. As it turns out, one fits perfectly, the other will need some fine-tuning yet. Drat.
Lots of chores going on, along with more planning for the future veggie garden, and then a totally failed attempts at an early night because we had to get up early this morning. The flat tire had to be brought to the repair shop. Luckily the problem was found fast, and the guy could fix the perforation (it was a darn nail, of all things) within fifteen minutes, so rather than waiting we headed towards Coin, where we had to pick up a delivery.
Now, this is going to need some explaining, I’m guessing. You see there is this old friend of my mom’s who has been sending us care packages for years, but this time, she apparently went a little overboard. She is a darling, mind you, but there were seventeen friggin boxes waiting for us at the mover company, and we could barely fit it all in the car. We have a big car, Land Rover Defender (as I have spouted a million times, I’m sure. I love that car) but it really took quite some effort to pile it all inside and still fit in ourselves. And they were heavy, Oh my Gawd! Getting them in the car and the out again to haul them into the house (it was like we were moving house, hah) was heavier than working a full day with rocks, I swear.
It is awfully sweet of mom’s friend though, who has always been sort of like an honorary aunt to us all. There were sweaters (wonderfully warm ones, yay), shirts, vests (also warm, double yay) Ts, tops, bed sheets…Gawd, bed sheets, they might give me nightmares now, hah.
Seriously, we could fill a store with them…but admittedly it was getting rather necessary since all the old bed sheets were worn down, torn in many places and more then ready for replacements. It took us a full day to unload all the boxes, arrange the contents between the family and even our tenant and her caretaker, and then spent several hours digging through the linen closet to get all the old worn ones out, and the new, clean, beautiful fabrics in.
And then I’m not even mentioning the towels yes. There were at least forty of them, in practically any color available, and in all honesty, I have no idea where to put them all. Right now we’ve stored anything that we can’t fit in anywhere in the guest rooms by the old pool, and I am going to have to tackle them, sometime in the near future.
The plus side, I’m thinking, is that we won’t need to buy any of that stuff for the next ten years at the very least. Phew.
Like I said, incredibly sweet, and really handy…especially with the economy the way it is right now. Hah…but also rather overwhelming. There was stuff here that she has been gathering for us for the past five years or so, and each time I took out another item, I really wanted to sit down and burry my hands in my hear. Considering that it is really the thought that counts, I can only say that this loving form of charity (albeit a tad much) definitely lives up to the old adage.
There was a slight hiccup during the course of the afternoon, when Amos (mini Boxer) and Prama (crossbreed) got into a fight. Big brother was right in the thick of things, and just when I was about to reach Knight II, so I could drag him away, the idiot bit big brother in the side. A massive bruise, but only a slight puncture, thankfully, but definitely not fun.
But anyway, this explains why today’s activities were limited to lots of hauling, and cleaning out the pigsties hah. Projects just have to wait for a bit, considering that tomorrow will be similarly busy for all parties involved. Yep, grocery shopping day is once again approaching and we need to go to the bank and the electricity company right before it. *sigh*
The only thing that is keeping me from screaming right now is that afterwards we should be all set for at least two more weeks, which means, that with a little luck we can stay at home and just work on peacefully for at least a week. I’m certainly keeping my fingers crossed.
Other than that, big brother and I decided to do a slight editing detour into last year’s “A Taste of Life”, just to check how things are going there, and to plan a little on additional scenes that will make the story suitable for sending to other publishers. What with vampire stories still being so very popular, we figure we gotta be able to get it out somewhere too. Besides, it is a fun read, and a totally different style from what we’ve been doing for the past year or so. Addie is still adorable, and Rash…well, he’s a dark, handsome vampire: what more can you ask for.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
19 hours and counting. Need some Zzzzs
Gawd it was a long day! I’m so friggin’ tired that I can hardly keep my eyes open. I’ll apologize in advance for any spelling, grammar errors and typos, ‘cause I know I can’t muster the energy to check it all afterwards.
I’ll start at the beginning so you know why. Hah.
I went to bed early, as planned…though not as early as I should have. For some reason I could not get to sleep, and when I finally did, I kept waking up and there was no excuse for it…well, Trin Trin (the monster boxer) was the evil doer at one point, but that’s not unusual. When I finally did fall asleep, the alarm seemed to go off with dawn’s arrival.
I blink at the ceiling, momentarily at a loss as to why the alarm goes off, but then remember and quickly start on the morning rituals. We have a busy schedule ahead of us today, and I need to get to it, if we want to make it all in time.
After dressing, bringing the dogs to the house, having a quick coffee and then hurrying back up to the car, big brother and I are right on time for today’s plans and head to the city in the company of our friend Danni who has offered to chauffeur us for the occasion…again.
We are on our way to Traffico (DMV, basically) where big brother and I can get out temporary drivers license that will see us through the next couple of months until we receive our permanent one. Upon reaching the city there is a moment of confusion, along with annoying (not so pleasant) nostalgia when we get lost in the exact area where we did our exams. Finally we reach our destination and are lucky enough to find a tiny parking spot outside the huge building where large crowds are wiling away the hours to handle their business.
Figuring that there will be a long wait, I head for the bathroom first thing, leaving it to big brother and Danni stand in line for the information desk. Three minutes later when I re-emerge, they are nowhere in sight, so I head into the crowd, and see them stand at the service booth.
The entire procedure is over in less than a minute. Our IDs get a fleeting glance and then this tiny bit of paper gets printed and we’re on our way out. It’s all a little anticlimactic, and I say as much to big brother and Danni when we head outside to return to the car.
I get in behind the wheel, finally carrying a genuine Spanish Permiso de Conducir and start the engine to set us on our way. It feels strange to be in the truck again after more than a year, especially after having had the lessons in the tiny Seat Ibiza. It’s a good strangeness, however. The seating is so much higher, almost like a chair, and the view of the traffic around me far less daunting as we head west in the direction of home.
Rather than wasting another trip, I drive Danni to the senior home, where the woman she takes care of these days, spent over a month to make sure that she didn’t forget anything, and then we’re heading towards the consulate to pick up the younger sibs’, grandpa’s and mom’s passports, which should have arrived.
Since our passports will be run out in the next month as well, we need to renew ours as well, and arrive at the office two hours before closing time. There’s only one couple before us when we arrive, and since we have already printed and filled in the necessary forms it takes only a short amount of time to get everything done. The pictures are correct, and only the date and location need to be added before the task is done and we’re on our way again, carrying the rest of the family their IDs with us.
Big brother gets in behind the wheel this time, setting us on the way to town where we need to make a quick stop at a supermarket. The driving goes well, all the technicalities that got pounded into our brains during the lessons blissfully subsiding when old routines return and we head on home, infinitely relieved to have most of “official” business dealt with.
It is a beautiful day (though I could have done with a bit more moisture in the air), the sun shines brightly, not a cloud is in sight, and a cool southern breeze swirls upward from the sea. You can’t have a better day for construction, really.
When we arrive home and have shared the morning’s events with grandpa, big brother and I are certainly up for some relaxation and resort to going online to read up on the latest news, answer our messages and then surf the forums of choice. We want to edit some, but what with the day rapidly advancing we really can’t seem to get ourselves to it.
Besides, I am barely done with my messages when it is time to head on out into the yard, where another truck full of rocks is waiting to be unloaded.
That done, grandpa and I get back into the car to head for the local construction company. We have planned to start on the wall today, so with that in mind we need to get sand and cement.
Upon arrival and ordering the huge bag of sand, grandpa and I agree that we might have made a slight miscalculation in the size of our order. As the weight slowly lowers in the truck bed the separation between metal and hind wheels, literally decreases a foot, making an extremely return trip inevitable.
Never going over 15 miles per hour, we slowly head back home. The truck feels like it’s struggling through mud all the way, but in the end we manage to get it home where the younger sibs and big brother are already hard at work hauling stones to where we’ll need them.
For a while we debate whether or not the truck cane make its way done (the incline is rather steep) but even this goes without much trouble. In the end, with back of the truck sticking out of the carport a few inches, the large cement mill is put in place and is connected to power…nothing.
The machine has not been used for almost two years now, and after half an hour of checking wires and connections we find that it’s the on and off button that is causing the problem. In the end big brother circumvents the switch entirely and we’re ready for business.
Since the sand bag is so high and full, it is decided that I will make the first batches of cement while the sibs start on the wall. I do have to say that with this kind of work it doesn’t matter at all that there is no time for a workout. Using a shovel to get sand from shoulder height does the trick really well. Hah.
Six batches later with two wheelbarrows full of fresh cement paste, big brother’s back is bothering him somewhat fierce (while I got supplies, he was lugging seventy pound rocks around) so we change places. He’ll get the last batch into a wheelbarrow and clean everything up, while I head down to spend the last half hour of daylight, finishing off the cement already made.
With middle sister shoveling cement where we need it, little brother supplying the right rocks, little sister and I add another foot of rock to the beginnings of a wall that stretches to a length of fifteen feet at least. Though backbreaking and lengthy, this kind of masonry is the most fun. It’s like puzzling. You see a particular spot of some indistinct shape, and look at a pile of rocks to guess which one is going to fit.
It takes time and experience, but when doing this kind of masonry you get a certain feel for it. It is quite satisfying when you pick out a rock and find that it fits exactly where you want it. And as time passes, you get to find the perfect fit faster and continuously, just because your eyes manage to guess the right dimensions.
When doing this kind of building, I’m often constantly talking (to the rocks it seems, hah), which goes something like this: “I need that one! No, not that one. The one with the bend on the right and the point on the top. Yes, that one. Lemme see, oh, yes you’re going to fit right there, lemme just turn it so…no, this way, yes, beautiful. Perfect.” It makes the younger sibs chuckle, really, but I can’t help it.
By the time we finish up for the day (everyone’s more than a little tired) we have the wall up to a foot and a half, which is a solid start to say the least.
Though mom has a stir-fry noodle dish waited, I cannot have dinner yet. There’s a big batch of laundry to be taken down and a new one that needs to be hung, so I get to that before my system crashes…which I know it will, just as soon as I relax.
With muscles sore from the work and energy levels already low from twelve hours wakefulness, it takes me a little longer than usual to get the day’s laundry done, but finally I’m done and happy for it.
I quickly wash up, change into sweats and then get my dinner. It’s spicy and what with the extreme dryness in the air today my lips are chapped to a point that food actually hurts. I’m too darn hungry to care, though.
My system…everyone’s actually…crashes the moment I relax, just like I knew it would, and I lounge in a chair for a couple of hours. Though I make an effort for keeping my fingers busy by picking off an endless amount of ticks off the multitude of dogs that keep coming in reach for that very purpose, it seems, the last thing I do before heading to my cabin an hour early is hang another batch of laundry.
The usual evening ritual ensues, though at a far more sedate pace than usual, after which I finish today’s blog and hope for a restful night. I sure need it after being up for a full nineteen hours. Hah.
I’ll start at the beginning so you know why. Hah.
I went to bed early, as planned…though not as early as I should have. For some reason I could not get to sleep, and when I finally did, I kept waking up and there was no excuse for it…well, Trin Trin (the monster boxer) was the evil doer at one point, but that’s not unusual. When I finally did fall asleep, the alarm seemed to go off with dawn’s arrival.
I blink at the ceiling, momentarily at a loss as to why the alarm goes off, but then remember and quickly start on the morning rituals. We have a busy schedule ahead of us today, and I need to get to it, if we want to make it all in time.
After dressing, bringing the dogs to the house, having a quick coffee and then hurrying back up to the car, big brother and I are right on time for today’s plans and head to the city in the company of our friend Danni who has offered to chauffeur us for the occasion…again.
We are on our way to Traffico (DMV, basically) where big brother and I can get out temporary drivers license that will see us through the next couple of months until we receive our permanent one. Upon reaching the city there is a moment of confusion, along with annoying (not so pleasant) nostalgia when we get lost in the exact area where we did our exams. Finally we reach our destination and are lucky enough to find a tiny parking spot outside the huge building where large crowds are wiling away the hours to handle their business.
Figuring that there will be a long wait, I head for the bathroom first thing, leaving it to big brother and Danni stand in line for the information desk. Three minutes later when I re-emerge, they are nowhere in sight, so I head into the crowd, and see them stand at the service booth.
The entire procedure is over in less than a minute. Our IDs get a fleeting glance and then this tiny bit of paper gets printed and we’re on our way out. It’s all a little anticlimactic, and I say as much to big brother and Danni when we head outside to return to the car.
I get in behind the wheel, finally carrying a genuine Spanish Permiso de Conducir and start the engine to set us on our way. It feels strange to be in the truck again after more than a year, especially after having had the lessons in the tiny Seat Ibiza. It’s a good strangeness, however. The seating is so much higher, almost like a chair, and the view of the traffic around me far less daunting as we head west in the direction of home.
Rather than wasting another trip, I drive Danni to the senior home, where the woman she takes care of these days, spent over a month to make sure that she didn’t forget anything, and then we’re heading towards the consulate to pick up the younger sibs’, grandpa’s and mom’s passports, which should have arrived.
Since our passports will be run out in the next month as well, we need to renew ours as well, and arrive at the office two hours before closing time. There’s only one couple before us when we arrive, and since we have already printed and filled in the necessary forms it takes only a short amount of time to get everything done. The pictures are correct, and only the date and location need to be added before the task is done and we’re on our way again, carrying the rest of the family their IDs with us.
Big brother gets in behind the wheel this time, setting us on the way to town where we need to make a quick stop at a supermarket. The driving goes well, all the technicalities that got pounded into our brains during the lessons blissfully subsiding when old routines return and we head on home, infinitely relieved to have most of “official” business dealt with.
It is a beautiful day (though I could have done with a bit more moisture in the air), the sun shines brightly, not a cloud is in sight, and a cool southern breeze swirls upward from the sea. You can’t have a better day for construction, really.
When we arrive home and have shared the morning’s events with grandpa, big brother and I are certainly up for some relaxation and resort to going online to read up on the latest news, answer our messages and then surf the forums of choice. We want to edit some, but what with the day rapidly advancing we really can’t seem to get ourselves to it.
Besides, I am barely done with my messages when it is time to head on out into the yard, where another truck full of rocks is waiting to be unloaded.
That done, grandpa and I get back into the car to head for the local construction company. We have planned to start on the wall today, so with that in mind we need to get sand and cement.
Upon arrival and ordering the huge bag of sand, grandpa and I agree that we might have made a slight miscalculation in the size of our order. As the weight slowly lowers in the truck bed the separation between metal and hind wheels, literally decreases a foot, making an extremely return trip inevitable.
Never going over 15 miles per hour, we slowly head back home. The truck feels like it’s struggling through mud all the way, but in the end we manage to get it home where the younger sibs and big brother are already hard at work hauling stones to where we’ll need them.
For a while we debate whether or not the truck cane make its way done (the incline is rather steep) but even this goes without much trouble. In the end, with back of the truck sticking out of the carport a few inches, the large cement mill is put in place and is connected to power…nothing.
The machine has not been used for almost two years now, and after half an hour of checking wires and connections we find that it’s the on and off button that is causing the problem. In the end big brother circumvents the switch entirely and we’re ready for business.
Since the sand bag is so high and full, it is decided that I will make the first batches of cement while the sibs start on the wall. I do have to say that with this kind of work it doesn’t matter at all that there is no time for a workout. Using a shovel to get sand from shoulder height does the trick really well. Hah.
Six batches later with two wheelbarrows full of fresh cement paste, big brother’s back is bothering him somewhat fierce (while I got supplies, he was lugging seventy pound rocks around) so we change places. He’ll get the last batch into a wheelbarrow and clean everything up, while I head down to spend the last half hour of daylight, finishing off the cement already made.
With middle sister shoveling cement where we need it, little brother supplying the right rocks, little sister and I add another foot of rock to the beginnings of a wall that stretches to a length of fifteen feet at least. Though backbreaking and lengthy, this kind of masonry is the most fun. It’s like puzzling. You see a particular spot of some indistinct shape, and look at a pile of rocks to guess which one is going to fit.
It takes time and experience, but when doing this kind of masonry you get a certain feel for it. It is quite satisfying when you pick out a rock and find that it fits exactly where you want it. And as time passes, you get to find the perfect fit faster and continuously, just because your eyes manage to guess the right dimensions.
When doing this kind of building, I’m often constantly talking (to the rocks it seems, hah), which goes something like this: “I need that one! No, not that one. The one with the bend on the right and the point on the top. Yes, that one. Lemme see, oh, yes you’re going to fit right there, lemme just turn it so…no, this way, yes, beautiful. Perfect.” It makes the younger sibs chuckle, really, but I can’t help it.
By the time we finish up for the day (everyone’s more than a little tired) we have the wall up to a foot and a half, which is a solid start to say the least.
Though mom has a stir-fry noodle dish waited, I cannot have dinner yet. There’s a big batch of laundry to be taken down and a new one that needs to be hung, so I get to that before my system crashes…which I know it will, just as soon as I relax.
With muscles sore from the work and energy levels already low from twelve hours wakefulness, it takes me a little longer than usual to get the day’s laundry done, but finally I’m done and happy for it.
I quickly wash up, change into sweats and then get my dinner. It’s spicy and what with the extreme dryness in the air today my lips are chapped to a point that food actually hurts. I’m too darn hungry to care, though.
My system…everyone’s actually…crashes the moment I relax, just like I knew it would, and I lounge in a chair for a couple of hours. Though I make an effort for keeping my fingers busy by picking off an endless amount of ticks off the multitude of dogs that keep coming in reach for that very purpose, it seems, the last thing I do before heading to my cabin an hour early is hang another batch of laundry.
The usual evening ritual ensues, though at a far more sedate pace than usual, after which I finish today’s blog and hope for a restful night. I sure need it after being up for a full nineteen hours. Hah.
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