Glorious autumn weather here in the Overberg as road and bridge repairs carry on at a snail's pace. I was invited to a 70th-birthday party with flamenco dancing and had picked out a red shawl and heels before realising that a four-hour detour along muddy roads and having to open farm gates by torchlight might not be worth a couple of hours sexy twirl and foot stamping. The Franschhoek mountain pass is closed 'for the foreseeable future' which sounds very ominous.
Meteorological winter. It is supposed to be meteorological summer here in Canada. I walk up to 5 degrees. There were frost warnings in low lying areas of the province of New Brunswick.
Whenever 1 hear about Canadian winter temperatures I am relieved that my forebears (on my mother's side) caught a ship to New Zealand rather than Canada.
On my father's side some ended up in Australia and I always wondered if an Australian Bishop, whose surname was spelt the same way as my family, was a distant relation.
I often think of our Canadian acquaintances and their need to have their car engine heated in winter before leaving home (I hope I remembered that correctly). The cost of having the heating installed was not small and he did some of the digging work himself. I didn't envy him that job.
It's turned coolish this week. Coincidentally just after FD posted about their lovely holiday temps. However, it is June so should be expected!! Very wet also, I have to confess to loving this as I don't have to feel guilty about vegging out and snuggling up under throws with a cat on my lap. Some new books have arrived in the post too, so I need to make a start on those!
We met our new neighbours at the weekend. I had intended to greet them with some baking, but the arrival of an unfamiliar cat in our yard made me worry that it might belong to them. So of course by the time I chatted to them, the cat had disappeared. They do have a cat, but we couldn't determine whether it might have been theirs, or not. Next time I will take a photo!
It was nice to meet them though and they seem very happily settled, even though not all their boxes have been unpacked. I am sure we are all familiar with that scenario, particularly those of us on the tidy house thread!
I hope others are going well this week. After a few grey and wet days it's lovely to see the sunshine today.
I forced myself to get outside this morning and did my walk, as the last few days I've been avoiding going outside. It was pretty chilly, earlier on, but now it's beautiful.
Cheery son and I were feeling a bit of cabin fever, so we jumped in the car and went to the local shops a couple of suburbs away. I am not sure why, but they still have freshly made hot cross buns for sale and as long as they are available, I am happy to buy them. Just had a couple freshly toasted for lunch, perfection!!
Flying down to BNE at sparrows tmw, thence train to the Gold Coast to pick up a new (to us) car. We are now a 2 Mercedes family. They are both old, my year 2000 is going strong at 300,000km, the new motor is year 2016 with 75,000km. A Hyundai or Kia would cost as much.
So, how to refer to them? @Clarence's Landrover Freelander will join Maudie 🐕 in the Fields of Elysium in a couple of days. We used to say, eg, "Are you taking the Freelander to uni?", or "Are you taking the Merc to Coles?" We can't ask are you taking the Merc, because which one? Here's our solution. My ancient car's rego ends FTY, Clarence's newer ends WOB. Fatty and Wobbly, easy (I'm both, btw, Clarence is neither).
I love those names FD! My schoolfriend's Mum's car was called Bertha and we all felt sad when she went to the fields you mentioned. I hope Clarence won't feel too sad about it. I hope both Mercs keep going strong.
We are enjoying a lazy long weekend (2 in a row for us) and I'm enjoying doing not much at all, mostly in the garden and pottering at home. A banana cake made yesterday has disappeared and as we have a banana glut, I might make another tomorrow.
Cheery husband is off to visit his brother tomorrow, and I hope that will go well and he will get home in good time for us to get ready for the upcoming week.
Years ago I had a Triumph Herald called Womble. Something rattled when driving round corners, my brother K called the sound the rear gunner. Sadly the car died of Galloping Rust.
Sad to know of Womble's demise @Huia. Cheery husband's first car was sold and the girl who bought it wrote it off. We were both very sad about that. At one point we had my Dad's old Commodore and we sold it for parts after it became unreliable. I'd love to buy something cool like a Merc, but we have had a couple of Toyotas and they have gone well and have been good for getting the family around. Husband's second hand Prius has a few k's on it now, but has been great for the kids to learn on.
It's so balmy here today it's unsettling. I think we've only had one frost to date and of course that was on the day I had to go out to the shops very early so Cheery husband could have the car to go out of town. So far it is not feeling like winter at all. I even have two roses in bloom on my bushes, truly rooly!
Cheery son and I have been out for a nice walk and we are settling down for a slow afternoon. I might even get around to phoning my sister!
The overnight temperature here is forecast to be -1C. I have put another duvet on my bed. Until now the temperatures have been higher than usual for the time of year and some trees have even had blossoms.
I need to visit one of the outdoor clothing shops in town and buy warmer underclothes and a hat that stays on my head instead of sliding upwards and falling off. Maybe even a pair of gloves.
I don't think global warming has hit Otautahi/Christchurch, but maybe another ice age has.
Lots of lovely rain yesterday and earlier today. Our top today is only going to be 12, but I've been outside in the sun and it's lovely with no wind.
It's funny how acclimatisation works, I remember wearing a t-shirt in Sydney in late June and arriving back home where it was zero (or less at night) and really feeling the difference!! Sydney felt warm to me and I didn't need a jacket, but in town where there was high rise, things could be quite shady and cool. I suppose being right on the coast is what was making it feel so mild to me.
Daughter is having a day of property viewings as she is looking to move out on her own. Cheery husband is having the fun of accompanying her and I am trying to offer positive helpful tips around rental bidding and checking the property really carefully. So far she's put in applications for two places. One she was looking at was a bit woeful, but that one is not having a showing this weekend.
Thanks @Sojourner and @Piglet. She has now signed a lease and it looks like she'll move out on the weekend and yes, it's her first time out of home. I think she'll be fine as having done a house sit now has the confidence to make it happen. Next job is to organise the relevant appliances, furniture and moving van. I think we olds will be helping with the pack up and on the day moving. It's great she's reached this position though, and it is time. I'm thrilled for her!
I just hope we are not too exhausted to celebrate Cheery son's birthday next week. We don't bounce back quite like we used to!!
Cheery son has requested his favourite take out for home delivery, so that is sorted. We will try to have the meal all together, but not sure which night just yet. Cheery son will be 26, that time has flown!
Flat is about 15 mins from us, she did apply for one on the other side of town last week , but that application went awry and she missed out on it. Cheery daughter is very happy with the location of this one, as she is close to the public library and the shopping centre and the units have their own pool. It is small but I think it will work OK for her as a singleton. She viewed 4 units over the weekend as was offered 2 of them. So far it's worked out well with the Agent having a relationship with a company that sets up all the utilities for her, and that is all in the process of being set up for her. Things are very different from when we got our first place back in the day!! I remember trudging around to look in Agent's windows and queuing up at the electricity provider's shopfront to organise connection. She has avoided the joy of all that!!
Things are moving quickly here, bond paid and boxes purchased. Discussion around what can be taken from here and what should be left behind. Plans for stuff to be added to boxes in the garage (urk). So far so good.
Birthday plan discussions are underway and the biggest thing will be the available of the Cheery girlfriend to join us on the day. Crossing my fingers here!!
Even that she is taking her own stuff with her, teas, mugs, containers that she uses and I don't is a big help. Also, she's said I can store the Horn sewing cabinet in her old bedroom, which makes the rumpus a bit clearer is great. Also I will get to reclaim a shelf in the fridge where she keeps all her lunches and dinners will be wonderful too!
Of course I will miss her company, but it has felt like forever getting her to this stage. She knows though, that if she wants to live overseas, she really needs to do this, but she's going at her own pace and that has been sensible.
Having a rest day today, after working hard at the weekend, helping Cheery daughter with her move. I got 10 000 steps easily on Saturday and Sunday, and really felt for Cheery husband who must have had double my count as he was helping with moving the furniture. I just helped with the packing up of stuff and the moving of boxes. I also volunteered to stay in the flat while daughter and husband went up and down with stuff. I was doorman, so they didn't have to try to deal with keys/propping the door open. Cheery son stayed with the van in the carpark, so people didn't come to try and help themselves while the up and down in the lift and deliveries were occurring.
I was surprised how seamlessly it all worked, with the only hiccup being the internet set-up yesterday, which was resolved by a quick phone call to the provider. They talked her through the set-up and she is now happily back online.
The busy weekend was followed up with a day of catching up on house work yesterday, and then preparing for Cheery son's birthday dinner and visit from his girlfriend. All is now done and dusted and today is a nothing much day. Cheery son and I have done our walk, a couple of loads of washing has been done and the dishwasher unloaded and packed away. Very glad to have a day of just vegging at home.
Hi Antipodeans, we are on the train from Sydney to Canberra, the final leg of our 3 month trip to the UK and Europe. It all went rather well.
Welcome back; the last 3 months has flown past. Sounds as though you & WITG missed the worst of the heat. The train to Canberra is an improvement on the old red diesel cars of my youth!
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@Foaming Draught that sounds like holiday in paradise, I hope you and @Clarence have a good rest.
First day of winter here. Sorry, Victorians & Canberrans 😊
On my father's side some ended up in Australia and I always wondered if an Australian Bishop, whose surname was spelt the same way as my family, was a distant relation.
It's turned coolish this week. Coincidentally just after FD posted about their lovely holiday temps. However, it is June so should be expected!! Very wet also, I have to confess to loving this as I don't have to feel guilty about vegging out and snuggling up under throws with a cat on my lap. Some new books have arrived in the post too, so I need to make a start on those!
We met our new neighbours at the weekend. I had intended to greet them with some baking, but the arrival of an unfamiliar cat in our yard made me worry that it might belong to them. So of course by the time I chatted to them, the cat had disappeared. They do have a cat, but we couldn't determine whether it might have been theirs, or not. Next time I will take a photo!
It was nice to meet them though and they seem very happily settled, even though not all their boxes have been unpacked. I am sure we are all familiar with that scenario, particularly those of us on the tidy house thread!
I forced myself to get outside this morning and did my walk, as the last few days I've been avoiding going outside. It was pretty chilly, earlier on, but now it's beautiful.
Cheery son and I were feeling a bit of cabin fever, so we jumped in the car and went to the local shops a couple of suburbs away. I am not sure why, but they still have freshly made hot cross buns for sale and as long as they are available, I am happy to buy them. Just had a couple freshly toasted for lunch, perfection!!
So, how to refer to them? @Clarence's Landrover Freelander will join Maudie 🐕 in the Fields of Elysium in a couple of days. We used to say, eg, "Are you taking the Freelander to uni?", or "Are you taking the Merc to Coles?" We can't ask are you taking the Merc, because which one? Here's our solution. My ancient car's rego ends FTY, Clarence's newer ends WOB. Fatty and Wobbly, easy (I'm both, btw, Clarence is neither).
We are enjoying a lazy long weekend (2 in a row for us) and I'm enjoying doing not much at all, mostly in the garden and pottering at home. A banana cake made yesterday has disappeared and as we have a banana glut, I might make another tomorrow.
Cheery husband is off to visit his brother tomorrow, and I hope that will go well and he will get home in good time for us to get ready for the upcoming week.
Fortunately the Mercs will be better built.
It's so balmy here today it's unsettling. I think we've only had one frost to date and of course that was on the day I had to go out to the shops very early so Cheery husband could have the car to go out of town. So far it is not feeling like winter at all. I even have two roses in bloom on my bushes, truly rooly!
Cheery son and I have been out for a nice walk and we are settling down for a slow afternoon. I might even get around to phoning my sister!
I need to visit one of the outdoor clothing shops in town and buy warmer underclothes and a hat that stays on my head instead of sliding upwards and falling off. Maybe even a pair of gloves.
I don't think global warming has hit Otautahi/Christchurch, but maybe another ice age has.
It's funny how acclimatisation works, I remember wearing a t-shirt in Sydney in late June and arriving back home where it was zero (or less at night) and really feeling the difference!! Sydney felt warm to me and I didn't need a jacket, but in town where there was high rise, things could be quite shady and cool. I suppose being right on the coast is what was making it feel so mild to me.
Daughter is having a day of property viewings as she is looking to move out on her own. Cheery husband is having the fun of accompanying her and I am trying to offer positive helpful tips around rental bidding and checking the property really carefully. So far she's put in applications for two places. One she was looking at was a bit woeful, but that one is not having a showing this weekend.
I just hope we are not too exhausted to celebrate Cheery son's birthday next week. We don't bounce back quite like we used to!!
Congratulations to Cheery daughter, and how old will Cheery son be next week?
Flat is about 15 mins from us, she did apply for one on the other side of town last week , but that application went awry and she missed out on it. Cheery daughter is very happy with the location of this one, as she is close to the public library and the shopping centre and the units have their own pool. It is small but I think it will work OK for her as a singleton. She viewed 4 units over the weekend as was offered 2 of them. So far it's worked out well with the Agent having a relationship with a company that sets up all the utilities for her, and that is all in the process of being set up for her. Things are very different from when we got our first place back in the day!! I remember trudging around to look in Agent's windows and queuing up at the electricity provider's shopfront to organise connection. She has avoided the joy of all that!!
Birthday plan discussions are underway and the biggest thing will be the available of the Cheery girlfriend to join us on the day. Crossing my fingers here!!
Of course I will miss her company, but it has felt like forever getting her to this stage. She knows though, that if she wants to live overseas, she really needs to do this, but she's going at her own pace and that has been sensible.
I was surprised how seamlessly it all worked, with the only hiccup being the internet set-up yesterday, which was resolved by a quick phone call to the provider. They talked her through the set-up and she is now happily back online.
The busy weekend was followed up with a day of catching up on house work yesterday, and then preparing for Cheery son's birthday dinner and visit from his girlfriend. All is now done and dusted and today is a nothing much day. Cheery son and I have done our walk, a couple of loads of washing has been done and the dishwasher unloaded and packed away. Very glad to have a day of just vegging at home.
What have others been doing lately?
Welcome back; the last 3 months has flown past. Sounds as though you & WITG missed the worst of the heat. The train to Canberra is an improvement on the old red diesel cars of my youth!