A brace of joiners arrived yesterday to um and aw over the lack of access from our main door. I had hoped for an early start to the extension; alas, they were only discussing how to give us temporary access. Looks like I shall have to accept my Lent vow after all.
Oh and by the way, the plumber returned with the correct radiator so heat is restored to the sitting room.
So today is the start of Lent; that period in the Christian year when people often think about giving things up or saying extra prayers and so forth. It is the count-down to Easter, the time when we can say that spring has really begun. This year I don’t much feel like giving something up and cannot raise the enthusiasm for taking on some extra task. It has been a difficult stretch as far as my fibromyalgia goes; cold, damp and rain don’t help the aching muscles.
I know! I’ll give up expecting the joiner to arrive.
Perhaps I should mention that the plumber came today, the radiator that came yesterday turned out to be the wrong size. However, he did install new kitchen taps. The radiator should be replaced by the end of the week. Life in Dalamory is never dull.
Whilst eating a tofu stir-fry yesterday………
Me: This tofu is quite nice
Him Behind the Wheel: Mmmm…..if you can get it past your eyes first.
Apparently a piece of otter poo is called a spraint. And hereby hangs a tale as they say…..
Mistress Misty Marshall was caught rolling in something beside the river. Thereafter it rained and it poured and we had one wet soggy dog who happened not to be wearing one of her three coats. When she got back into the house, there was a smell lingering. At first I thought it was the aftermath of the tea-tree shampoo (I told you it was too butch,) then I realised that as the hair of the dog dried it also went all matted and stiff. And the smell got worse. The day continued and the smell continued to get worse. Not so much tea-tree as old tea or Earl Grey, or bergamot. But with vile fishy undertones. Alas, there was no dog shampoo in the house, nor baby shampoo, so I liberally applied baby powder (kept for just such emergencies) …….but all to no avail. The smell was now bergamot, old tea, fishy and sickly sweet. Aha thought I, and a quick check online revealed the likely culprit…….otter poo. By now it was too late for remedial action and anyway it took an overnight before I resorted to human shampoo and a full pelt shower. Of the dog, not me, though verily after an overnight with her on my bed………. Need I say more?
The interesting thing is that volumising Pantene Prov works every bit as well on the dog as on me. And what’s more there are only pleasant smells now. And there is always the thought if I can get up early enough for a dawn walk, I might see the otter itself.
This poem somehow makes sense for me, of those mountain-top experiences.
It is by Rene Daumal.
You cannot stay on the summit forever
you just have to come down again.
So why bother in the first place?
There is an art of conducting oneself
in the
lower regime by the memory of what we
saw higher up.
When one can no longer see,we can
at least still know.
The blog is now upgraded to WordPress 2.1. Thanks Webperson.
An email arrived yesterday from Cape Horn. Friends are cruising round South America on a Radisson Line ship. They have done a lot of cruising, but this is the first email we have received. Presumably, this is a new service for passengers. It is great to vicariously join in sailing round that farmost Cape. They tell us that the weather was a flat calm. Sounds like my kind of sailing.
Dream on Freda, dream on……..
Two goldfinches on the bird feeders; a Mr Robin chasing a Mrs Robin; a daytime temperature of 10.6C
I do hope builders appear in the springtime too.
I am only now starting to discover youtube.
If you are a doggie fan you are bound to love this. (or search Scottie Tails Shoot Out.) It is worth it.
PS – Sometimes the clips play straightaway for me and others take ages to download in ten second bits – most annoying. Do any computer gurus out there have any ideas?
The new TV is now here and fully operational – being large in the corner of the room. It is 40inches wide and very clear (a Sony.) It will probably take a few days to get used to it. Full marks to Him Behind the Wheel for fitting it up and building the new stand. Though Misty did try to help.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
