Song of the day: “Love me again” by John Newman. Oddly enough, I would never have liked this song if I hadn’t heard it for Tom Cruise’s “Edge of Tomorrow”, for which it was absolutely brilliant.
Soooooo. Many, many things have happened over the past few weeks. Some of them awesome, some of them not so, and others pretty darn horrid. Let’s start with the good stuff and see if we can ignore the last bits, eh? Hah.
First of all, on the 22nd of November I went to my first Bryan Adams concert. Yep. Been waiting for that since the whole Hipodromo scandal in 2007, and now I just had to go for it, or forever stop whining about it. So I went. Yes!!! It was at the O2 in London, and I got off at work early enough to head on out, find a parking spot and have a nice pizza with mango ice cream for dessert, before it was time to go stand in line. I had my tablet with me, so the waiting was no bother whatsoever.
When acquiring the tickets, there was some fear that the seat would be too far away from the stage, but as it turned out I got extremely lucky. Not only was my seat some odd eighty feet from the stage and high enough for me to be on the exact level of the stage, nope, it also turned out that my ticket got me into the pre-show American Express Lounge, which was an experience, to say the least, not to mention comfortable.
It was an extremely exhilarating experience, I’ll say that much for it. I knew all the songs, so I sang my heart out all evening, cheering and clapping like the best of ‘m, and I had a blast. If nothing else, the concert on itself made my stay in the UK worth it.
Which brings us to one of the less nice points. I am back in Spain, without work, once again, but I have to admit that I mind it less than I should have. Those last few weeks had been rather heavy, stressful and emotionally draining for me. I think it had partly to do with being torn between two worlds, but also because I discovered that being a live-in is far from easy. There is too much collision of characters, I suppose, and considering my hostess was fond of her privacy as well, it was bound to go wrong at some point, wasn’t it? Regrets and dissatisfaction make people say nasty things, and some were definitely hurled my way, meaning that I feeling slightly dented, if you know what I mean. I will need some time to heal, regain my balance and some of my confidence.
It was a rather sudden thing, I know, but what with the mounting tension these past few weeks, I took the out I was offered gratefully. I had my ticket already for a trip home, so all it meant was packing my luggage (couldn’t take it all, because big brother had left some stuff there as well) and cleaning up my room, and then spending the remainder of the evening with my co-workers.
Was a nice evening with wine and talk, and saying goodbye to the dogs there, before we took out my luggage and I returned to my room for the night.
Didn’t get much sleep, lying awake most of it. Only two hours before it was time to get up I drifted off and even then it was fretful rest at best. Got myself ready, gathered my carryon and purse, and was on my way in less than thirty minutes. Had to arrive at the airport early to pay for my luggage, and go through customs, and all that jazz. Afterward I managed to get some reading done while waiting for my plane to arrive. Did the same throughout my flight, besides talking to my fellow passenger; a very nice fellow from Pakistan who was going on a three day vacation to Spain. Did manage a short nap, which was very necessary.
Arrived in Spain on time for my appointment with a local shop owner for whom I agreed to cook a company Christmas lunch on the 29th. I met with her at the store, and she was extremely nice about it all. I got the budget I needed, and went straight to the store to get the ingredients for the next day’s cooking job.
Did what prep work I could in the evening, like my pumpkin compote, real Greek yogurt, and the right selection of veggies and dairy products. Had a total of five pages stored in the car the next morning, and was on my way on the dot, to arrived there at the appointed time.
For the remainder of the morning Tina (she’s that friend I went on a hike with some months ago) spent in the kitchen, cutting, prepping and cooking an elaborate lunch that was, much to my pleasure, completely vegetarian. I made my Hallmark Chickpea patties, which were a big success. Also my buckwheat burgers (based on a recipe I got from Maggie…thank you Maggie!), which were loved, even by the carnivores there. Hah.
Made stuffed red bell peppers with veggies, herbs and cottage cheese. Bout ninety percent of these went, while my stuffed tomatoes with the same cottage cheese base and added mushrooms and black rice…even had some of the filling left, which I mixed with extra black rice and which the guests really liked.
From the leftover tomato filling I made a rather nice brown sauce, and served a yogurt salad dressing that was devoured with huge enthusiasm…in case you’re wondering, I was invited to stay for dinner, so I got to see everyone’s responses; very gratifying…
Added to that, there were the stuffed eggs, and boy were they popular. Ten guests devoured 24 eggs after all, so I would say that they worked out well. Hah.
The main course was an oven dish of potatoes with roughly cut veggies and loads of herbs.
I made too much, of course, considering I forgot to ask what the male/female ratio was. Turns out there were nine women and only on men, which means a lot less consumption. *sigh* Luckily I was well below budget with the buying of the produce, so it didn’t matter all that much. As it stands, the lady in charge won’t be needing to cook for several days. Hah.
Was of course properly exhausted that night, but I got to bed early and went to bed late, and woke up “not tired” for the first time in months. My dogs loved it…so did I, for that matter.
Which reminds me…as a surprise, big brother and grandpa put in a new bed for me while I was gone. A nice hospital style antique, that regretfully, was a lot narrower than my old queen size. I had agreed to narrow, mind you, knowing that I’d need the space, but still, for the past few mornings I’ve been kinda wrecked because Knight II is determined to sleep by my side with his spine in the width of the bed. And Dax either wants to be on the other side, or between my ankles, while Sitabah wants her spot somewhere near my head. *sigh*
What else…well, for what it is worth I did a rather nice restoration on a three legged chair, back in the UK. Also, big brother and I put in a rather nice circular piece of outside tiling. A circle and cross of ceramic rectangular, along with three quarters of gray slate stone. It looked rather fancy.
There were supports that we hammered into the ground for a rather endless row of conifers. There was fencing to be fixed, stuff to be cleaned, and, most importantly, woodwork to be prepared for what was going to be the greenhouse. Got most of the prep-work done, but alas, that will now be up to someone else.
As to my time there…I learned some valuable lessons, made some good friends, had a grand adventure, so on the overall I can’t say that I regretted it. It was an experience that has taught me many things, so in the scheme of life being one big lesson, I don’t think it was bad for me at all.
Still, I wouldn’t have minded it to be a little less traumatic. Hah.
Well, that is all for now, I guess.
Right now I am back with my dogs, doing a proper cleanup of a place that has turned into a proper pigsty. Been doing some serious cleaning for two days now, and am not seeing the end of it yet. Seriously, you’re away for three months and everything is a complete and utter mess. Guess I am not as dispensable as I thought I was.
Gotta go. It’s getting to be a tad late.
I’ll be back.
Monday, December 1, 2014
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Housebound
Song of the day: “Crazy” by Patsy Klein. Still a good song.
So…the past few weeks have been heavy for as far as I’m concerned. Doing long days, having very little time for myself, and basically just muddling through the days only to shlog into the evenings waiting to go to bed. Babysitting an invalid dog isn’t easy by any means, and the past couple of weeks proved as much. Seriously, it is a heavy responsibility, which makes my present visit to Spain a welcome relief.
Yep, once again I am writing from a, at the moment, sunny Spain. Yesterday it was a miserable day weather wise. Our mountain was in the clouds, rain came pouring down and everything was dreary. This is much better. I’m sitting outside. Doggies all around me. Just finished cutting bread for their food, and they are content with the bits and pieces they thought to steal from me. Hah.
The flight: Well, it was a near thing. I left at 2:30, which should have given me plenty of time to reach the airport, but then we got into a traffic jam by the tunnel under the river, meaning that I arrived at the airport about thirty minutes before my gate closed. I did a lot of running, which was no fun since I’d been in the car for almost three hours, which aggravates my foot problem. Aaaargh.
Luckily customs went fast, and I arrived at my gate about 1 minute before it closed…which didn’t matter all that much because I had to stand in line to board for a good fifteen minutes, and there even were people behind me, so maybe I didn’t need to worry as much as I did.
The flight was uneventful. I spent the majority of it reading, really. Nothing like a three hour flight to work your way through your book list. Didn’t have a chatty passenger beside me, which was a pity. Always nice to pass the time talking a bit, but these two seemed completely absorbed in each other, if the leg rubbing going on beside me was any indication.
Though the plan had been for little brother to pick me up at the airport, something had gone wrong in the planning, everybody thought I was going to arrive on Wednesday, and when it turned out I was coming Thursday, he was unable to pick me up. So there was some concern as to how I was going to get home. Personally I didn’t much fancy the idea of having to take the train to the city, and then a taxi home around midnight, so I pleaded my case with a friend, who thankfully could come pick me up…am taking her out to dinner tonight as a thank you. We’ve agreed on a huge pizza, preferably eaten outside somewhere because I want to take Knight II along…something she fully understands seeing as she is a dog nut as well.
As to the time before my flight…well, besides the babysitting there was the planting of bamboo, digging ditches (most of it with big brother helping out, mind you) sorting out big machinery, vacuuming, cleaning, washing up, doing laundry cooking and all those pesky things that come with being housebound.
I did get to a little bit of wood work, and managed to restore a rather pretty antique wooden chest that had lost one paw to woodworm. Removed most of the damaged area, replaced it with new oak, then sanded the whole bit, filled up the gaps with wood filler, sanded the lot again, which was when the fun bit came: Painting. Considering that the color wasn’t like the two types of paint I had available, I had to do some fancy footwork to get it to look original, but succeeded, which was very satisfying.
A bit of bad news is that my mum fell a couple of weeks ago and broke her ankle, which was most unfortunate. She spent a couple of days in hospital, a triple break is nothing to sneeze at after all, and is now bed-bound for at least six weeks. Nothing is quite as frustrating as being a few thousand miles away during a family emergency, I tell ya.
But anyway, they all managed, and that is all that matters in the end.
Daxie has improved a lot since I last visit, thankfully. He seems a bit weak in the hips still, but almost his old self again. A big relief that.
As for the other dogs…big brother’s in this case, it’s great to see them again. Got Arthur on the table beside my computer right now, Knight on the floor in the sunshine, and the rest scattered in close proximity. All of them content to snooze in the sun.
Cooking wise I’ve done quite a bit of experimenting...in particular with meat. Yep. I have successfully prepared lamb chops, pork chops, steak, mince meat and bacon, so that’s not too bad. All of it was edible, some even a big success, so that’s good.
Writing wise I’ve done very little. Added maybe half a page to the “Gun” story, for which I have plenty ideas tumbling through my mind, but I need some mental stability and less exhaustion to do that. Maybe soon, I don’t know.
As to everything else, there are daily things I could jammer on about, I guess, just as I could whine and complain at how difficult I find it sometimes to be away from my dogs, and living in someone else’s house where you just never feel quite comfortable, do you. Ah well. Such is life at the moment, and I can either feel bad about it, or accept it.
Well, that’s it for now. I only have a limited amount of time here with my doggies, and I would like to squeeze in some time to clean out my sleeping corner, because, let’s face it, it’s a mess.
Gotta go.
So…the past few weeks have been heavy for as far as I’m concerned. Doing long days, having very little time for myself, and basically just muddling through the days only to shlog into the evenings waiting to go to bed. Babysitting an invalid dog isn’t easy by any means, and the past couple of weeks proved as much. Seriously, it is a heavy responsibility, which makes my present visit to Spain a welcome relief.
Yep, once again I am writing from a, at the moment, sunny Spain. Yesterday it was a miserable day weather wise. Our mountain was in the clouds, rain came pouring down and everything was dreary. This is much better. I’m sitting outside. Doggies all around me. Just finished cutting bread for their food, and they are content with the bits and pieces they thought to steal from me. Hah.
The flight: Well, it was a near thing. I left at 2:30, which should have given me plenty of time to reach the airport, but then we got into a traffic jam by the tunnel under the river, meaning that I arrived at the airport about thirty minutes before my gate closed. I did a lot of running, which was no fun since I’d been in the car for almost three hours, which aggravates my foot problem. Aaaargh.
Luckily customs went fast, and I arrived at my gate about 1 minute before it closed…which didn’t matter all that much because I had to stand in line to board for a good fifteen minutes, and there even were people behind me, so maybe I didn’t need to worry as much as I did.
The flight was uneventful. I spent the majority of it reading, really. Nothing like a three hour flight to work your way through your book list. Didn’t have a chatty passenger beside me, which was a pity. Always nice to pass the time talking a bit, but these two seemed completely absorbed in each other, if the leg rubbing going on beside me was any indication.
Though the plan had been for little brother to pick me up at the airport, something had gone wrong in the planning, everybody thought I was going to arrive on Wednesday, and when it turned out I was coming Thursday, he was unable to pick me up. So there was some concern as to how I was going to get home. Personally I didn’t much fancy the idea of having to take the train to the city, and then a taxi home around midnight, so I pleaded my case with a friend, who thankfully could come pick me up…am taking her out to dinner tonight as a thank you. We’ve agreed on a huge pizza, preferably eaten outside somewhere because I want to take Knight II along…something she fully understands seeing as she is a dog nut as well.
As to the time before my flight…well, besides the babysitting there was the planting of bamboo, digging ditches (most of it with big brother helping out, mind you) sorting out big machinery, vacuuming, cleaning, washing up, doing laundry cooking and all those pesky things that come with being housebound.
I did get to a little bit of wood work, and managed to restore a rather pretty antique wooden chest that had lost one paw to woodworm. Removed most of the damaged area, replaced it with new oak, then sanded the whole bit, filled up the gaps with wood filler, sanded the lot again, which was when the fun bit came: Painting. Considering that the color wasn’t like the two types of paint I had available, I had to do some fancy footwork to get it to look original, but succeeded, which was very satisfying.
A bit of bad news is that my mum fell a couple of weeks ago and broke her ankle, which was most unfortunate. She spent a couple of days in hospital, a triple break is nothing to sneeze at after all, and is now bed-bound for at least six weeks. Nothing is quite as frustrating as being a few thousand miles away during a family emergency, I tell ya.
But anyway, they all managed, and that is all that matters in the end.
Daxie has improved a lot since I last visit, thankfully. He seems a bit weak in the hips still, but almost his old self again. A big relief that.
As for the other dogs…big brother’s in this case, it’s great to see them again. Got Arthur on the table beside my computer right now, Knight on the floor in the sunshine, and the rest scattered in close proximity. All of them content to snooze in the sun.
Cooking wise I’ve done quite a bit of experimenting...in particular with meat. Yep. I have successfully prepared lamb chops, pork chops, steak, mince meat and bacon, so that’s not too bad. All of it was edible, some even a big success, so that’s good.
Writing wise I’ve done very little. Added maybe half a page to the “Gun” story, for which I have plenty ideas tumbling through my mind, but I need some mental stability and less exhaustion to do that. Maybe soon, I don’t know.
As to everything else, there are daily things I could jammer on about, I guess, just as I could whine and complain at how difficult I find it sometimes to be away from my dogs, and living in someone else’s house where you just never feel quite comfortable, do you. Ah well. Such is life at the moment, and I can either feel bad about it, or accept it.
Well, that’s it for now. I only have a limited amount of time here with my doggies, and I would like to squeeze in some time to clean out my sleeping corner, because, let’s face it, it’s a mess.
Gotta go.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Muddling through
Song of the day: “We Can’t Stop” by Miley Cyrus with Jimmy Fallon and Roots. Heard it yesterday. It’s completely A Capella. Very cute. Took me by surprise, really.
I know, I’ve been slacking in my blogging duties. But seriously, often when I get to bed I’m too tired to do more than stare at my computer screen, maybe chat a little, and then I basically pass out for the night. The thing is, I can’t even write this thing in one go, been trying to get it done for three days now, so…Anyways…
It doesn’t help that I worry a lot about Dax, who isn’t doing much better, but big brother and grandpa are doing their utmost to keep him from doing more damage. The little bugger is making a nuisance of himself. The moment they turn their backs, he’s trying to get on the tables, cupboards, counters, roof, walls and out into the yard. Apparently he’s a handful…of course.
As for the bad news, a good friend of mine was in hospital last week with a terrible case of shingles. She’s back home now, and hopefully doing a lot better. (Best wishes to you Mags!)
What have I been up to, I hear you wonder…well, for a while it was us again. Big brother was here for a whopping five days, which made work a lot more pleasant. There was a lot to do, including mowing of the lawn, working with the animals, and loads of repairs. Actually wasn’t tired for a day or two there, seeing as the load was divided for a change.
Been doing some woodwork, which kept me semi-sane, for as far as that is possible, anyway. Nothing can quite keep the mind occupied as figuring out how to put a piece of furniture together. It was good…that and starting on an inventory so everyone knows what is where and what we have.
The woodwork was two small pedestals for PCs. They’re identical, they’re stable, so that works. Added to that I’ve made brackets in the shed, where we can store the wood away from any flooding which tends to come into the shed when hard rains come in from the east.
Been having very little time for myself lately, so not a lot of writing got done. I’m hoping that after this blog I’ll be able to do at least something, seeing as today was not a maintenance day, but working with animals instead…including cleaning, but that’s not too bad. It’s a nice change, and at least I’ve been able to give my feet some down time.
The weather is turning, winter rapidly approaching. It’s been raining a lot. And there are lots of clouds. I did see the sun occasionally, which was bliss, but on the overall it is just gray with lots of green that is slowly turning yellow with autumn. I’m not doing too badly, concerning the drop in temperature. I mean, I’m wearing sweaters now, over flannel shirts and tops, but still, I’m not whining too much, and when the cold gets too much for me, I just roll into the bathtub until I feel warm again. *sigh*
Have been doing some reading on my tablet. Jennifer Crusie, mostly, since big brother stocked up on those when he gave it to me. Only two or three more of her to go and then I’ll start on the Amanda Quick’s I think.
Been doing fence work, which was definitely one of the highlights this week.
Big brother was still here, and the rain hadn’t started yet, not much anyway, so we got a nice amount done. About ninety feet of fence, dug into the earth about 1 foot. I liked it. Fencing, for some peculiar reason, always feels very satisfying.
Do have a rather disturbing thing going at the moment. Yesterday, during the night, every time I turned in my sleep I’d wake up dizzy as heck. Have been nauseous ever since, and nothing seems to be helping much, least of all this faint, pounding headache in the front of my skull. Wish I had dried Juniper berries, that at least would take care of the nausea.
Can’t help but wonder what it is, though. Stress? A bug? Whichever the case, it is vastly annoying.
Worked on getting an Aga fired up…wasn’t easy either, but I got it done…thankfully. Haven’t had time to cook on it, though, which should happen soon enough…like tomorrow. Got it on Friday, which was fish and chips day (for me spring roll and chips, but what the hey. LOL) and then today there were veggies that had to be used, while I wasn’t at the main house to cook. *sigh* Wasn’t happy with today’s meal either. The taste wasn’t good enough. Needed a sauce but I didn’t feel like making it.
Been hosing down terraces again, and a wooden pergola, which I’ve got clean about a quarter. Luckily it goes rather well with the high pressure machine. A lot of work, though, not to mention that it is bound to leave the one doing it soaking wet. *sigh*
Trimmed some plants, bound up roses, did loads of walking, which would explain why my feet are killing me again…also, I decided to start drinking a little less wine, and since that has anti-inflammatory properties, that might have something to do with it. I could of course just start again, but seriously, a bottle of wine a day is not a dependency I want to deal with at the moment. Added to that, even though it is nice to be numb in the evening, it does not improve on my state of mind during the course of the day. *sigh*
Don’t have a lot else to talk about. My mind is still an emotional wreck, but that is nothing new, my body apparently as well (duh) so…I guess I’ll just have to muddle on through and see where it’ll all get me, eh?
I’ll keep you informed.
I know, I’ve been slacking in my blogging duties. But seriously, often when I get to bed I’m too tired to do more than stare at my computer screen, maybe chat a little, and then I basically pass out for the night. The thing is, I can’t even write this thing in one go, been trying to get it done for three days now, so…Anyways…
It doesn’t help that I worry a lot about Dax, who isn’t doing much better, but big brother and grandpa are doing their utmost to keep him from doing more damage. The little bugger is making a nuisance of himself. The moment they turn their backs, he’s trying to get on the tables, cupboards, counters, roof, walls and out into the yard. Apparently he’s a handful…of course.
As for the bad news, a good friend of mine was in hospital last week with a terrible case of shingles. She’s back home now, and hopefully doing a lot better. (Best wishes to you Mags!)
What have I been up to, I hear you wonder…well, for a while it was us again. Big brother was here for a whopping five days, which made work a lot more pleasant. There was a lot to do, including mowing of the lawn, working with the animals, and loads of repairs. Actually wasn’t tired for a day or two there, seeing as the load was divided for a change.
Been doing some woodwork, which kept me semi-sane, for as far as that is possible, anyway. Nothing can quite keep the mind occupied as figuring out how to put a piece of furniture together. It was good…that and starting on an inventory so everyone knows what is where and what we have.
The woodwork was two small pedestals for PCs. They’re identical, they’re stable, so that works. Added to that I’ve made brackets in the shed, where we can store the wood away from any flooding which tends to come into the shed when hard rains come in from the east.
Been having very little time for myself lately, so not a lot of writing got done. I’m hoping that after this blog I’ll be able to do at least something, seeing as today was not a maintenance day, but working with animals instead…including cleaning, but that’s not too bad. It’s a nice change, and at least I’ve been able to give my feet some down time.
The weather is turning, winter rapidly approaching. It’s been raining a lot. And there are lots of clouds. I did see the sun occasionally, which was bliss, but on the overall it is just gray with lots of green that is slowly turning yellow with autumn. I’m not doing too badly, concerning the drop in temperature. I mean, I’m wearing sweaters now, over flannel shirts and tops, but still, I’m not whining too much, and when the cold gets too much for me, I just roll into the bathtub until I feel warm again. *sigh*
Have been doing some reading on my tablet. Jennifer Crusie, mostly, since big brother stocked up on those when he gave it to me. Only two or three more of her to go and then I’ll start on the Amanda Quick’s I think.
Been doing fence work, which was definitely one of the highlights this week.
Big brother was still here, and the rain hadn’t started yet, not much anyway, so we got a nice amount done. About ninety feet of fence, dug into the earth about 1 foot. I liked it. Fencing, for some peculiar reason, always feels very satisfying.
Do have a rather disturbing thing going at the moment. Yesterday, during the night, every time I turned in my sleep I’d wake up dizzy as heck. Have been nauseous ever since, and nothing seems to be helping much, least of all this faint, pounding headache in the front of my skull. Wish I had dried Juniper berries, that at least would take care of the nausea.
Can’t help but wonder what it is, though. Stress? A bug? Whichever the case, it is vastly annoying.
Worked on getting an Aga fired up…wasn’t easy either, but I got it done…thankfully. Haven’t had time to cook on it, though, which should happen soon enough…like tomorrow. Got it on Friday, which was fish and chips day (for me spring roll and chips, but what the hey. LOL) and then today there were veggies that had to be used, while I wasn’t at the main house to cook. *sigh* Wasn’t happy with today’s meal either. The taste wasn’t good enough. Needed a sauce but I didn’t feel like making it.
Been hosing down terraces again, and a wooden pergola, which I’ve got clean about a quarter. Luckily it goes rather well with the high pressure machine. A lot of work, though, not to mention that it is bound to leave the one doing it soaking wet. *sigh*
Trimmed some plants, bound up roses, did loads of walking, which would explain why my feet are killing me again…also, I decided to start drinking a little less wine, and since that has anti-inflammatory properties, that might have something to do with it. I could of course just start again, but seriously, a bottle of wine a day is not a dependency I want to deal with at the moment. Added to that, even though it is nice to be numb in the evening, it does not improve on my state of mind during the course of the day. *sigh*
Don’t have a lot else to talk about. My mind is still an emotional wreck, but that is nothing new, my body apparently as well (duh) so…I guess I’ll just have to muddle on through and see where it’ll all get me, eh?
I’ll keep you informed.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Another blog, another week...or two???
Song of the day: “Rude” by Magic, I believe.
Very cute song. It’s on the radio a lot round these parts, and I enjoy it.
So I am feeling decidedly nasty at the moment, so I’m going to completely ignore that, and focus on the positive instead. No sense in maudlin, no matter that there are parts of me that want to. Hah.
First the good news. Well, sweet news, really, is that I got a very nice present involving a short trip home so I can see my doggies. It will be Tuesday, early morning, and three days later I’ll be flying back. But not before I’ve spent two nights between my four-legged ones, which is all that matters.
It is very strange, it is not as if there is so much to go back to. I mean, most of my possessions (I know they’re not supposed to mean much in life, but losing everything except your clothes, does leave an impression) are gone, my cabin, anything about the place that was home, and yet there it is, you miss what is familiar, you yearn for that freedom that allows you to just leave those dishes when you’re in a rush, or not do that one nasty chore that one day. It’s ridiculous really. You have to do the dishes anyway, and the chores need to get done regardless, so why something inside me would make an issue of it, is just strange. I don’t get the way my own mind works sometimes, if you must know. It seems perfectly content to just wreck my day. *sigh*
But anyways, back to being positive.
I made a semi-successful foray into the city this week. Needed to get loads of bits and pieces from the DIY store, went past a local charity shop to look at furniture, only to discover that they had a very nice table, which I loved, but they were located in a part of town where you’re unable to get your car to the storefront to pick up your purchases. Insane! I gotta say that the town is a friggin’ maze. Basically any road is one way, so despite the TomTom it is very confusing, because your course keeps crisscrossing.
Anyway, I did manage to get proper jeans from another charity shop, this one for animals in distress, which looks rather nice. A very nice pair of black jeans that actually fits…looks nicely slimming, in particular since it is not one of those awful models that are way too wide at the waist and hips.
Also got a turtleneck long-sleeved T and a nice turquoise green sweater, so that makes for a successful trip.
Had wanted a body warmer, but alas there were none to my liking. Did find a carry on suitcase, which was necessary because mine is falling apart. Cost me only four bucks, so, yay!
The day I was there, was a wet one, but thankfully the three hours I spent there, it was dry enough to do what needed doing.
There was even a Lidl there, meaning I could get some stuff that’s way cheaper than the local grocery store. Yay.
I do admit to still being in somewhat of a culture shock. Everything is very different here. The country, the towns, the people…not in a bad way, mind you, just different. Like the other day in the city, there was this strange pounding in my head, and I have no idea why. Guess it takes getting used to.
As to the work…I’ve been doing some carpentry, which is always good. I like it when I’m able to keep busy, because if I can’t, then that “bugging me” bit starts again, of course. Also did some serious gardening. Trimmed bushes, took out loads of thistles, and started on a compost heap for real, so yay.
Will need to mow the lawn again, in particular before Tuesday, so I hope that the weather will cooperate and stay dry. I mean, I don’t much like the lawn mowing, except that it looks nice now that I’m getting a hang of it, after several hours I feel very “Forest Gump” and not in a good way. Hah.
As to writing…haven’t gotten around to it much lately, much to my regret. I have had ideas playing in my head lately, but none have come to the proverbial paper…mostly because I am just so friggin’ tired when I get to my room in the evening. Let’s just hope that winter will allow for some writing time…it will, because according to rumors that I am not listening too, claim that it will be dark at four soon. Aaargh.
What else? Well, I’ve been cooking. Cooked my first (successful) lamb chops. I was actually surprised that they worked out the way they did, but my clueless volunteers truly enjoyed it…according to them. Yay! Should I put it in my cooking book, do you suppose?...Nah, it just isn’t my thing, is it? Still, it was nice that it worked out.
As to the other meals. I had a pasta that worked out splendid, and a stew, not to mention a rather nice apple pie.
Actually managed a workout or two. Not full blown but enough to lubricate the muscles.
Also have been chopping wood, meaning that I’m using muscle at the very least…and added to all that, this property is huge, so I get to walk long distances, if for no other reason than me forgetting one thing or other in the work shed while I’m working on the other side of the property half the time. Hah.
Have been experiencing loads of rain here lately, and last night a proper storm. Yikes it was blowing hard! On the overall the temps are still comfortable enough that I can manage. Have had some serious beefs being cold in the evenings, so I took several baths, which is very helpful when I’m cold, I must admit. It is just that at the end of the evening my engine stops, and I don’t have any choice but to suffer through that. *sigh* I’ll have to get used to that, I guess.
Had some scares with the Knight. He had a fever again, didn’t eat, and the wounded foot he’d been walking around on for several weeks, swelled up a little again, despite the wound on it being tiny. So he’s back to two socks, the silly boy. Added to that, he had an inflamed muscle in his neck, for some peculiar reason, so that had him off his feed too. Poor baby.
Now tonight I heard that Dax isn’t feeling well. He’s listless. Shivering. Keeping his head down. They can’t figure it out, and I can’t do anything from here. Let’s hope he feels a little better tomorrow.
Well, that’s it for me for now. It’s almost midnight, and I need to get up on time tomorrow morning. Got dogs to walk, stuff to do. Ya know…
Very cute song. It’s on the radio a lot round these parts, and I enjoy it.
So I am feeling decidedly nasty at the moment, so I’m going to completely ignore that, and focus on the positive instead. No sense in maudlin, no matter that there are parts of me that want to. Hah.
First the good news. Well, sweet news, really, is that I got a very nice present involving a short trip home so I can see my doggies. It will be Tuesday, early morning, and three days later I’ll be flying back. But not before I’ve spent two nights between my four-legged ones, which is all that matters.
It is very strange, it is not as if there is so much to go back to. I mean, most of my possessions (I know they’re not supposed to mean much in life, but losing everything except your clothes, does leave an impression) are gone, my cabin, anything about the place that was home, and yet there it is, you miss what is familiar, you yearn for that freedom that allows you to just leave those dishes when you’re in a rush, or not do that one nasty chore that one day. It’s ridiculous really. You have to do the dishes anyway, and the chores need to get done regardless, so why something inside me would make an issue of it, is just strange. I don’t get the way my own mind works sometimes, if you must know. It seems perfectly content to just wreck my day. *sigh*
But anyways, back to being positive.
I made a semi-successful foray into the city this week. Needed to get loads of bits and pieces from the DIY store, went past a local charity shop to look at furniture, only to discover that they had a very nice table, which I loved, but they were located in a part of town where you’re unable to get your car to the storefront to pick up your purchases. Insane! I gotta say that the town is a friggin’ maze. Basically any road is one way, so despite the TomTom it is very confusing, because your course keeps crisscrossing.
Anyway, I did manage to get proper jeans from another charity shop, this one for animals in distress, which looks rather nice. A very nice pair of black jeans that actually fits…looks nicely slimming, in particular since it is not one of those awful models that are way too wide at the waist and hips.
Also got a turtleneck long-sleeved T and a nice turquoise green sweater, so that makes for a successful trip.
Had wanted a body warmer, but alas there were none to my liking. Did find a carry on suitcase, which was necessary because mine is falling apart. Cost me only four bucks, so, yay!
The day I was there, was a wet one, but thankfully the three hours I spent there, it was dry enough to do what needed doing.
There was even a Lidl there, meaning I could get some stuff that’s way cheaper than the local grocery store. Yay.
I do admit to still being in somewhat of a culture shock. Everything is very different here. The country, the towns, the people…not in a bad way, mind you, just different. Like the other day in the city, there was this strange pounding in my head, and I have no idea why. Guess it takes getting used to.
As to the work…I’ve been doing some carpentry, which is always good. I like it when I’m able to keep busy, because if I can’t, then that “bugging me” bit starts again, of course. Also did some serious gardening. Trimmed bushes, took out loads of thistles, and started on a compost heap for real, so yay.
Will need to mow the lawn again, in particular before Tuesday, so I hope that the weather will cooperate and stay dry. I mean, I don’t much like the lawn mowing, except that it looks nice now that I’m getting a hang of it, after several hours I feel very “Forest Gump” and not in a good way. Hah.
As to writing…haven’t gotten around to it much lately, much to my regret. I have had ideas playing in my head lately, but none have come to the proverbial paper…mostly because I am just so friggin’ tired when I get to my room in the evening. Let’s just hope that winter will allow for some writing time…it will, because according to rumors that I am not listening too, claim that it will be dark at four soon. Aaargh.
What else? Well, I’ve been cooking. Cooked my first (successful) lamb chops. I was actually surprised that they worked out the way they did, but my clueless volunteers truly enjoyed it…according to them. Yay! Should I put it in my cooking book, do you suppose?...Nah, it just isn’t my thing, is it? Still, it was nice that it worked out.
As to the other meals. I had a pasta that worked out splendid, and a stew, not to mention a rather nice apple pie.
Actually managed a workout or two. Not full blown but enough to lubricate the muscles.
Also have been chopping wood, meaning that I’m using muscle at the very least…and added to all that, this property is huge, so I get to walk long distances, if for no other reason than me forgetting one thing or other in the work shed while I’m working on the other side of the property half the time. Hah.
Have been experiencing loads of rain here lately, and last night a proper storm. Yikes it was blowing hard! On the overall the temps are still comfortable enough that I can manage. Have had some serious beefs being cold in the evenings, so I took several baths, which is very helpful when I’m cold, I must admit. It is just that at the end of the evening my engine stops, and I don’t have any choice but to suffer through that. *sigh* I’ll have to get used to that, I guess.
Had some scares with the Knight. He had a fever again, didn’t eat, and the wounded foot he’d been walking around on for several weeks, swelled up a little again, despite the wound on it being tiny. So he’s back to two socks, the silly boy. Added to that, he had an inflamed muscle in his neck, for some peculiar reason, so that had him off his feed too. Poor baby.
Now tonight I heard that Dax isn’t feeling well. He’s listless. Shivering. Keeping his head down. They can’t figure it out, and I can’t do anything from here. Let’s hope he feels a little better tomorrow.
Well, that’s it for me for now. It’s almost midnight, and I need to get up on time tomorrow morning. Got dogs to walk, stuff to do. Ya know…
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