Where to start?

Song of the day: “Forever” by Chris Brown. Boy, I have this song a lot, don’t I?

I’ve been doing a lot of “running behind” these past couple of days. The nightly ventures into proofreading keep us distracted to a point where we are at least two hours late for bed, twice in a row now…the plus is that we’re making proper headway, of course. Only a few more chapters to go and then we won’t need to worry about anything other than random read-throughs the way we did with the first few chapters.

Yesterday was a really fun read, good scenes that made us laugh and smirk at the same time, and today we came upon the (used-to-be) disaster chapter from the “edit week from hell” (remember the nineteen hours a day for a week, gawd thinking of it still gives me shivers). So it wasn’t bad at all today…thankfully. I read through it easily, didn’t stutter in the narrative once, and what in my memory was locked as a solid ten pages turned out to be only TWO.

Yeah, I don’t know how that could have happened either. But if asked, I would have sworn that there were at least more than eight…must have been too traumatic for my memory to function properly. Hah. But then, the sisters both have faulty memories about the scene too. Middle sister remembered eight, and little sister five at least. Totally weird, I know.

But anyway, tomorrow (or tonight) big brother will read the scene, so afterwards we should know whether we have to do a lot about it or can leave it as it is…I’m hoping the latter, because I kinda like the way it reads now.

So, that was the reading and editing bit for the past few days, on to the other projects.
Cleaning was par for the course yesterday, along with demolition (sorta). The younger sibs and I spent the majority of it cleaning out the corner that is going to be the office. And, oh boy, was it messy. It almost felt as if we were cleaning out an old attic, or something.

Grandpa and big brother worked on the rabbit cage…which was finished today, by the way.
By the end of the afternoon we had finally cleared enough of the mess for me to disassemble the old desk-we’re going to use the rather massive top to build the new one-and declare the area empty enough for the next step.

In the mean time little brother heads for the “igloo” (weird name for guest quarters, I know, but it’s the only name we could think of for the tiny building that stands on the corner of the property. I’ll have to post a picture sometime. It’s hilarious) so he could varnish the door before winter starts. Five minutes later he comes back, totally out of breath telling us that there is a big fat poisonous snake lying on top of the table that stands in front of the building.

Big brother headed there, armed with shovels and scythes immediately, knowing full well that such a serpent can be dangerous around our dogs, and fully intend to “handle” it. But when we get there the nasty green scaled one has disappeared from sight. Aaargh. Now I wasn’t particularly thrilled with the prospect of what needed to be done, but still…ya really don’t want to come across one if you’re walking around with curious dogs. Lost a precious one that way several years ago, and it is really not something we want to risk again.

It might be time to have another tire burning in the near future. For some reason the smell of burning rubber keeps the slithering creatures at bay.

What with all the cleaning going on, a rather large pile of debris had to be towed off to the landfill, so the remainder of the evening was spent hauling everything into the car and driving down the mountain to the official dump site.

Now the fun part was, when we left, grandpa said: “Remember, if you see doors or glass panes, take them home.” And you’ll never guess what we saw when we got there…yep, beautiful, arched French doors that, together, will make up the complete wall that we still need to built. How’s that for Kismet…and recycling, for that matter. They’ll be downright gorgeous for the entrance of the office, that’s a fact.

And the fund didn’t stop there either. By the glass disposal unit, piles and pile of glass had been randomly set down, giving us a nice supply for at least a year’s worth of projects. Now all this filled up the cab nicely, and we were about to finish up too, when a dude came driving to the fill and in exchange for helping him unload we could take about fifteen wooden beams with us that had been used for a remodelling project and had now become obsolete. With a little sanding and shaving, they’ll be a good as new. I LOVE wood for that. So very versatile and usable.

We were on the way home, the cab filled to about seventy percent when we drive past the local nursery. I know I don’t have to ask. I bet you figured out what we found there…did you?
In case you didn’t…plants. Piles of them just dumped beside the road, and from the feel of their moist earth only hours before. They looked a little worse for wear, but in the end we drove off with the car filled to full capacity with a fir tree (it looks a little like a bonsai, and is about three feet high) two boxes-yes, the cartons were right beside it on a different pile- full of small flower bushes and two more with vines with bright red angora fluffs instead of petals.

Definitely a successful run, that. Added to another fun reading session late that night (much too late, but what the hey) it was an all-round grand day.

So today was mostly spent gardening. Putting plants in the ground during a sunny day is definitely a fun task, and they look downright cute, even though they are likely to take a little while to get to full potential. Nothing that a little TLC and time won’t cure, that’s a fact.

The gardening was followed by making plaster cement to finally fill up the big holes in the steeple of the roof, and put in a new threshold under the main door of the house.
The younger sibs spent most of the day painting plasterwork, and since tomorrow they will have to put the second layer on, big brother and I did a quick run to the hardware store for a bucket of new paint. Since we’ve already painted the new glass and wooden wall a light yellow, the walls will get the same color, of course.

By the time we got home, we had a quick dinner…little brother made Chinese…and then I settled on the veranda to quickly go through today’s messages and write the Blog. Knight II was completely insane tonight, by the way. While I was trying to work, the Great Dane kept pushing his face into me, tried to climb in my lap, and even slapped at the table until I finally had the brilliant idea to get a blanket and put it on the floor. The little sissy obviously found the tiles too cold, ‘cause as soon a he saw the blanket on the floor he stretched down on top of it, calm as you please. Idiot!

Yep, that about sums it up for the past two days, I guess. I’ve gotta remember to take some pics tomorrow because even though it might not seem that way from my point of view, we are getting quite a bit done these past few days.

Plastered.

Song of the day: “Time is on my side” by the Rolling Stones…at least I think it’s from them. No matter, it was stuck in my head.

I’m nicely on time this morning, though I would have liked to stay in bed a bit longer, but then, that is nothing new. Another sunny day in Spain, still not scorching hot, which is really a blessing. You can’t believe how much we’re saving on not having to use the small individual Acs all the time. Well, I don’t have one, but it’s the thought that counts.

The dogs are going bonkers when I wake up, of course; I was dreaming something about making a big load of dog food, in the pool of all places. Hah. Not the pool is such a bad idea; back in the day, we did make dog food in a bathtub…a full one, but still, I have no idea where that dream came from.

I’m no sorer today than I usually am in the morning, which is strange, considering I hauled about twenty wheelbarrows of dirt up the mountain. We were emptying the gutter that runs down, and since we had to fill the last plant container anyway, we decided to dump it in there. Not funny to do, in the full sunshine; heck it’s not fun to do any day, but we did manage the chore, ending up totally bushed.

For some reason, the day before yesterday, I hurt my knee…the one Knight II dislocated a while back…again, so off and on I’m obliged to put a support around it. Walking on itself didn’t hurt all that much, it still does, but when I sit down, or stand still then it hurts like heck.

Anyway, today I head down to the house for the chores, and then we settle down for the edit. It doesn’t go really well, but still we manage to slosh our way through a few more pages. I don’t know what the heck is wrong, but editing is NOT going well at all this week. Grrr.

Having gone through the set hours, we head into the garden for outside work. I set up the frame for the reed mats, and middle sister starts making cement, so I can plaster the new wall behind the pantry, and little brother can finish up the outside edges of his bedroom window.
While the sisters start weaving new mats, I haul the cement into the house, and back out again behind the pantry and get to work. It takes only forty-five minutes or so to even out the piece of wall, and why I’m done, I decide to take the outside stairs to get back to the other part of the yard.

It isn’t easy, what with the undergrowth having sprung up in the past few months, but in the end, I do manage to return to the main garden, where I finish up the last bit of cement on a piece of rock-wall - the last one that still needs to be built. Afterwards, I join big brother and grandpa in the carport. For the duration of the day, they have been putting the finishing touches to the tool-shed area under the carport roof. While they work on the walls of the area, I start making holding bars for tools.

The knee, I still bothering me, darn it, but at least it didn’t stop me from continuing with the projects. A few more things get done and that is always a good thing. I’m really going to have to post some pictures soon, just to show off, you understand, describing it all just won’t do it any justice.

Around dusk we are obliged to finish up with the day’s work and head into the house for dinner, cuddling the dogs and what other chores still need to be dealt with before I can sit down and work on today’s blog.

I’m a tad tired…nothing unusual about that, of course…and I still have another edit to look forward to, Yay! (yes, that was sarcasm, hah) Well, that sort of wraps up today’s events. Time to do the same to the blog, and then get ready to head up to my cabin.

Filk anyone?

Song of the day: “Me, myself and I” by, well, me. Thank the KTT11 on Amazon. Thought of a filk last night, kept me up half of it, and now it’s been going through my mind all day.

So most people down know what a filk is, basically it’s a song with funny lyrics that ideally rhyme...I think.

Here it is:

Inside the mind of the writing fool
Too many characters fill the pool
There's the idea, the to-be-written and the complete
Inside the crazy mind they all compete

From deep down below
They bubble up, come to life and overflow
Like a jackrabbit they bounce high and low
Never forget you reap what you sow

Me, myself and I
We never agree, no matter how hard I try

Basic thoughts that come to life
Bring lotsa laughter and much strife
Running off inside our mind
We have to follow, see what we find

Follow that rainbow
Haul, tug, drag and tow
Be careful, don't stub your toe
Remember what you reap is what you sow

Me, myself and I
We never agree, but we do fly

Stumble through a fighting scene
Laugh, cry or be serene
It matters not, we get where we have to be
Jump that hurdle, climb that mountain and you'll see

No simple words can bring fatigue
But perhaps a little mystique
They make us swear they make us whole
One by one they're a part of our soul

Me, myself and I
Who will win? It's a tie

Make my story, I wanna live
Come on, I've got so much more to give
They'll never stops they'll never cease
Not even when we say, pretty please

Write and write, go with the flow
Take it high, take it low
It doesn't matter if it's friend or foe
Just remember to reap what you sow

Me, myself and I
Maybe we should eat some pie

Take that next page to the limit
Come on, throw your heart out, give in, give it
You can do it, just coil that muscle, make it taut
Grind that last brain cell, spell it out

Thus the hero and his heroine come inside the brain
Is it a wonder that we are not so sane
Once they have a look, a face, a name
You cannot hold them back with a cane

Me, myself and I
We're here, just give a sigh

The chatter never stops
It will go on until something pops
Make it so, do this edit
You can make me, see, I just read it

Take a bow
Hug a cow
It's not so strange just wow
Just do it, do it now

Me, myself and I
We're together until we die

So yeah, there’s what’s been in my head most of the day. I was a little late this morning, so I was hurrying through the motions: Last night I managed to write an extra scene for “Commanding Morgan” and we want to do the edit this morning. The new scene is actually a good one, we only needed to make a few changes, afterwards we do several more pages and then it’s time to head outside.

The younger sibs wove another mat, while big brother started to saw through little brother’s wall so we could set the window. While they were doing that, I made cement and reattached several roof tiles before I could head inside and work on the plaster around the new window that fit perfectly.
It took some time, but in the end, I did manage to work it into the rather jagged edges until it looked as if the window had been there forever. Beautiful. Now all we have to do is the outside and both windows will be properly set.

When I brought the dogs to the courtyard, Knight II once again got into an argument with Fortuyn through the gate trellis, so yeah, he opened up his tail again by slamming it against the rock wall. He just doesn’t realise his own strength I guess.

As planned last night, we went for a run. Excellent distance, good time and feeling properly revitalized to get new batch of rocks in a spot we hadn’t yet located until tonight. We load the car up to full capacity in the dark and then head home for a really late dinner. Gawd I was so hungry, I ate a full plate completely empty. It was so good. Baked potatoes, red beets and cheese; absolutely delicious.

So, let’s see if I can do another edit tonight, but even if I don’t, this was definitely a good day.