THE CONE OF SHAME

 

Stew is back to work today, and this could be the last day with the painter here.

Then I can get this house finally back in order, and get on with life 'as we know it'.  😊😉😂

It is Mosaic Day here in the village, but I don't know if I will go yet.  I have quite a bit on in Crabby Quarters, runners I'd like to be working on.  But there is no rush to get them done, as our next market isn't until the third weekend in March.

I'll see how I feel later on.

ABOVE: Poor Coco isn't very happy with life right now. She's in a 'cone of shame'... because she won't leave her rump alone... gnawing it until she's raw.

It's a common problem with smaller dogs.  We have been very lucky with Coco, she's not had many bouts of itchiness.  This summer though, she's been bloody itchy.  There must be something around this new property that is annoying her. 

Hopefully she heals up, and I can get the cone off her in a week or so.

Right, I'm off to get things done around here before the painter arrives.

Catch ya later.

ONWARD...

12 noon, and it's been an EXCELLENT morning.

Jonny the painter came, and finished the job, so now I can put everything back in place, and just enjoy the house for a while.

I do have a couple of other smaller paint jobs I want to do, and shall do myself over time.  Like paint the internal doors and door frames. Now that the walls are white, the door frames look yellow.  Ikkk.

ABOVE:  I brought my car up to our house so I could load my mosaic stuff in it... and that turned out to be very fortuitous, as next thing I know I get visited by the Village Manager, the Head Maintenance man and a Landscape Company.

They came to suss out the extension to our driveway.  Having my car there made it much easier to measure and visualise how it could look.

The Manager was still not sold on the idea AT ALL, but by the time they left it was a given... it IS going ahead.  I just have to wait a few days for the quote, then the job can be booked in.

Once they had all left, I went down to mosaic group.  I worked on grouting my big Bird Panel... it is now half done.  What a shitty job grouting is!

Now that I'm home, I'm taking a bit of a break, and giving Panadol time to quell my headache.

I am feeling quite rotten, just too much going on I think.  And paint fumes.

7.22 pm.   I hung most of the pictures/paintings and what nots on the walls this afternoon, and did some tweaking while I was at it.  A few things got moved to other places, and a couple of paintings didn't make it back onto a wall too.

I went to Weight Watchers and recorded a GAIN of 1 kilo.  I wasn't in the least bit surprised.  I'm still plateauing, which is a bit frustrating.  I really need to pull my finger out and stop friggin well procrastinating. 😖😕

We went out for dinner, a Tuesday night thing now.  That or takeaways.  We both had a burger from Foundation.  They do 'specials during the week, and drop the prices.  I was a bit surprised when our burgers came out... they were nowhere near the usual size... seems when you drop the price, you drop the size.  Though the manager assured me they didn't... I  was not convinced.  As I pointed out to him, we are regulars there, and know those burgers were much smaller.

Oh well, lesson learnt.  I took photos.  I will get a burger there on a 'normal' day and I bet my bottom dollar it's much bigger.  Just wait and see.

Those sorts of things just piss me off.  

Right now... we are obviously home, and about to put our feet up and enjoy the remainder of the evening.

Catch ya tomorrow.

AN EVENTFUL DAY

 

ABOVE:  Darling Lily yesterday... she was just so delightful.  Full of beans, running around being super entertaining.

Then sadly, she ran into a metal staircase and dinged her head.

ABOVE:  Steve 'n' Bex took her to A&E, and she ended up with her forehead being glued and a couple of steri strips being applied.  Poor little darling.  She gave all of us a really big fright.

I am hoping to hear how her night went, and that she's not feeling too bad today.

Talking of today, I am sure we will have a visit from Mike and Joyce, before they head home later.

Stew has today off work, so we will get the other 'areas' ready for painting.  We don't have too much to do in that respect thankfully.

Certainly NOTHING like what I had to do in the lounge/dining/kitchen rooms.

We better get up soon... the painter will be here around 8.45 - 9 am.  

Catch ya later.

ONWARD...

3.30 pm, and clearly I've been a bit busy today, no time to get on here till now.

I went and bought some food for visitors, and a neck cone for Coco, she's gnawing her freakin' rump.  I put flea treatment on her, just in case it's fleas.  More likely grass seeds though.

ABOVE: Then at around 10 am, Lacy arrived, followed by Mike and Joyce, then Bex and the kids.

So we had a full house.

Lily slept well overnight, and seems none the worse for her nasty little accident.  

ABOVE: Beau just LOVES Coco... and luckily for him, she tolerates him quite well.

He just wants to play, she just wants to tease him by refusing.  

ABOVE: Dante and Archer got to stay home from school today, as they had a busy day yesterday, and didn't get to bed until quite late.

ABOVE: Beau is quite an attention seeking dog... he's rather lovely though.

ABOVE:  Coco got sick of him and took herself off to a corner.

We have lots of stuff in the lounge from our bedroom, the hallway and the toilet.

The painter has been working all day, and said he thinks he will be finished tomorrow.

That would be awesome.  I'm done having my house in a muddle.

After all our visitors left, I went down to the Community Centre for Craft Group.  I must have been tired, as I kept making absolutely dumb mistakes!

I did get this done :

ABOVE: A Green Kiwiana Braid Runner.  It is by no means finished yet, I have to add two more 'rows' of colours, sashings etc etc.

It's going to be beautiful once finished.  It is NOT that bright, the photo refused to show how deep dark green some of those fabrics are.  Grrrr.

I will continue working on it tomorrow.

Stew has been watching rugby on the telly while I've been out... he's happy.

Dinner tonight is going to be a savoury Cheese Scroll, with some baked beans!  Nice.  

10.41 pm, and I'm finally ready for bed.  The usual evening here, dinner, TV etc.  

Catch ya tomorrow.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LACY

 

Well.. I for one am looking forward to a nice day... the weather is looking good.  Not a lot planned, just pottering around after a busy day yesterday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LACY... we love you and hope you have a lovely day.
I did want to take her out for lunch, but she wasn't having it.  "It's just another day" is what she said.  

Pfffffft.  Spoil sport.

Never mind, we got to spend the evening with her and the family last night.

Steve 3D printed her a birthday present:

ABOVE: yes, it is what it looks like!!!  Lacy was a bit shocked at that gift.  😂😅😆  Look at Steve's face, he's very proud of his efforts.

ABOVE:  They also gave her some chocolate, and beer.  Nice.

ABOVE:  It is safe to say she had a nice evening with everyone.

ABOVE: She DIDN'T WANT A BIRTHDAY CAKE... she was adamant about that.  So I got cupcakes instead!  LOL   She got to blow out a candle ... it's a tradition eh.

Now... I'm off to start my day... we fully expect to see the family again later on today.  We want to hang out with Mike 'n' Joyce while they are up here.

They have not seen our cute little house yet either, so that's on the cards too.

ONWARD...

I am taking paintings off walls, AGAIN.  

This time in the hallway, toilet and our bedroom.  The painter is back tomorrow to do those areas.   Then it will all be done.  I can't wait for it to be over.

We might go out shortly to find a new toilet roll holder, maybe a grab rail too.  The new toilet roll holder is useless, it keeps loosening and wobbling on the damn wall.  Most annoying.

8.08 pm.  We got a new roll holder/grab rail for the bathroom... it will get installed after the painting is finished.

Then we had some lunch, I made Stew and I savoury cheese scrolls again.  Made enough to have them again another day.

Then we went out for the afternoon and spent time with Steve, Bex, Mike, Joyce and the kids.

ABOVE: I even managed to get a nice photo of all of us... I propped my phone up against a tree in a park.  Worked well.

ABOVE:  I really love this photo of Lily and Mike.  Happy moment... best photo of the day.

I am now ready to just sit back and relax for the remainder of the evening.  I'm done for the day.

Catch ya tomorrow.

TAMAHERE IN FEBRUARY

 

Here we go again, another market, another super early morning start.

I am hoping like hell it's a better market than the last couple. 

At least the weather is looking really good for the day.

Mike and Joyce are visiting this weekend, so we are all meeting up this evening for dinner and a catch up. 

But for now... I better get a move on... shit to do, places to go... sunrise to see.  Oh yaaaa.

ONWARD...

Bloody hell... it was a cold start this morning,  and dark! The sun didn't rise until we were setting up.  No sunrise photo... boo hoo.

ABOVE: Carl, beside us at market, got himself a new chair. I got to pose in it... he insisted.  Lol.  Finally, I look small. 🤪😂🤣

ABOVE: And another Blue Wave Runner is going overseas! This time to Canada. 

2.20 pm, and we are home.

The market was OK, average sales, not that many people.  But the weather was perfect, and that's a blessing.

I decided to stop selling Coasters, so ended up giving 11 away today, and I have as many again to give away at the next market.

A  wee girl walked by, stopped, grabbed a Scrappy Doll, hugged it and then walked off with it.

So I told her Mum she could have it.  Good Deeds abounded today.  It always feels good to give too.

ABOVE:  Our new SKY TV box arrived this morning while we were out.  Stew is now installing it... all going well we shall have SKY again this evening.

*snort*, and we won't be home. 

I am feeling quite groggy... overtired.  So am going to have a little nap now.

After my nap, which was about an hour long, we went over to Steve 'n' Bex's, and met up with the family.

We had a lovely dinner, and we all enjoyed a nice catch up.

ABOVE:  Mike and Beau.  

ABOVE:  Little miss Lily enjoying her dinner like the big boys and Granddad.  

ABOVE:  Beau really wanted to play with Marley, but as per usual, Marley was having none of it. 

Stew and I are home again, and Stew is watching the rugby on the telly, having got our new SKY TV decoder installed this afternoon.

I'm going to listen to something on YouTube, while doing a jig saw.   A nice, quiet evening ahead.

Catch ya tomorrow.

BLOOD TESTS/XRAY

 

We have a busy day ahead of us.

Stew has today off work, as he has several appointments to attend.

First up, he has to get blood tests and an xray done, in readiness for his operation.

Then he's meeting with our Village Manager to discuss 'something'.  Fingers crossed on that one.

If that goes well, I will tell you about it later.

Lunch?  Will be out somewhere nice I think. 

After lunch he has another appointment to attend.  I will stay home while he's out doing that.  

I will probably fluff around in the garage, getting it back in shape for sewing, which I will thoroughly enjoy of course.

ABOVE:  Photos I took yesterday of these areas all back to normal.  I love this little house now, it has grown on me.  Maybe not in size, but it's comfy, and easy to maintain.

And that's it for now... catch ya later.

ONWARD...

11 am, and Stew and I have both had excellent mornings.

He got his medical stuff done, and I got the sewing room back in working order.

I also went to Spotlight for a quick grab of a few things.

While I was at Spotlight, Stew attended a meeting with the Village Manager.

AND... FINALLY.... we have a parking solution!!!

I will no longer have to park way down the road. We have been given permission to pave in front of our house and park my car there!

There was another house here (within sight of our home), that had already done that exact same thing... so a precedent had been set.  The Manager had to concede that, and say YES to us.

ABOVE: That is where my car is going to be parked, just as soon as the Manager organises his contractor to do the work.  We shall be paying for it, obviously. 

I am THRILLED TO BITS that my car will be parked at MY HOME.  No more walking down to it in the pouring rain, sweltering in the heat, and so on.    

A WIN AT LAST.

Now, Stew is having a cuppa tea (ikkk), then we shall go out for lunch.  

ABOVE:  The Foundation ... Fish of the Day.  We both had that, as we wanted to try something different.  It was OK, probably not worth what it cost though.  

We are now home, and Stew has a short break before he heads out for his last appointment of the day.

Once he's left, I will go into Crabby Quarters and get some work done.  Or I might have a nap.  Whatever works.

8 pm, and I did do some work in Crabby Quarters this afternoon.  I made more straps for the gazebo.  Boring, but necessary.

Then I sat and did a jig saw.  lol   

Stew arrived home, and we had crackers/cheese and relish etc for dinner.  Nice and easy.

Stew snuck out to the garage and loaded the car on his own, naughty man.  We always do that together.  Oh well... he must have thought I looked tired?

Now... I'm going to stay up for about another hour or so, then head off to bed.  Market tomorrow.

VISIT TO THE VET

 

Yesterday I suggested to our painter that he take today and tomorrow 'off', and come back on Monday.  He worked solidly for three days, and I thought he could do with the break.  He's retired, so only works part time usually. He was happy to take up my suggestion.

First up for me today ... is take Coco to the Vets for a thorough check up.  She is refusing to go for her walks!  That is so unlike her, she's never done that before.   Something isn't quite right with her.

It might just be her age, she is 16 years old on March the 8th.  Or it might be something else... either way, I'm getting her checked out.

That is at 9.15 this morning.   

Once we get home from that, Lacy is coming over to help me slowly get all the stuff out of the garage.

The painter accidentally pulled the SKY cable out of the decoder box, and it is now broken and not working.   So I also need to ring the SKY people and get a new decoder box.  Hopefully that happens sooner rather than later, as we are having to sit in the front room to watch the telly at the moment.  At least we have that option for now eh?

ABOVE:  Someone is going through a CLIMBING PHASE.   She is climbing EVERYTHING she can!

ABOVE:  She's very proud of her efforts.  She kept dragging our little step stool around last night, using it to reach places she shouldn't.

ABOVE:  YES, there she is climbing the bread racks in the supermarket!  What a handful she is.

YES, we do see the other kids... but they are more 'camera shy' now.  Dante has not had a haircut in a while, and his hair is quite unruly... yesterday he had put some styling product in it and made it all stand up on end.... he looked like a freakin' hedgehog!  

Right, that's me for now... I am going to stay here in bed for a bit longer... browse the 'net, read the news, bla bla bla.

ONWARD...  

11.03 am.  The visit to the vet went SO WELL!  The vet gave Coco a thorough check up and declared her 100% fit and healthy!  No issues AT ALL.  That is such a relief, we have been so very lucky with her health her entire life.

Yes, there's been a couple of little issues, but nothing major.   So she had her anal glands emptied, so should be good for another couple of years.  Fingers crossed she has a couple more years.

After the vet visit, I grabbed some food and came home.

Lacy arrived quick smart, ate food then got into helping hang all paintings, put up the blue glass and so on.

ABOVE:  The tart, hard at work.

ABOVE:  All the Britto waiting to go back in the cabinet.  I'm just looking at it for now.  😂😅😉

ABOVE:  Payment was food!  And a few nick nacks.

ABOVE: Coco likes pie.  

And now, I feel like having a nap!  I was up and putting things back in cabinets, cupboards etc at 7.30.  When Lacy arrived at 9.40 I had done 75% of it.  So I'm a bit tired.

Now I have to wait for the plumber to arrive.   I don't know when that will be.

Our new SKY decoder box is arriving early next week... and most surprisingly, at no cost!  That is amazing.  A win for a change.

Remember the story of me 'never winning anything' after I actually DID win the raffle here in the village last week?

I just found out I have won another raffle!!!  I bought some tickets a fortnight ago to support the Ovarian Cancer Society... so that is just as incredible to me.  I will pick my prize up next week, as it's over in Cambridge.

AM I ON A WINNING STREAK?  Might go buy a Lotto ticket. 😊  

I just bought two tickets in the Heart Foundation Lottery, maybe I'll win a house next!  lol

ABOVE:  1 pm, and it is DONE!  Everything is back where it belongs.

I did cull a few things, so not everything went back up on the walls, or in cabinets etc.  I just wanted to do a clean sweep, and organise things a bit better.

ABOVE:  A lot of serving dishes that never got used have gone into the pantry, that way they are THERE, and can be used easier.

What is the point of having lovely dishes to eat from, serve from, when you never use them cos they are tucked away in a cabinet?  No more, we are using them.

I also gave a lot of thought to my little house collection.  Instead of putting them all back in the one place, I have scattered them around a bit.

ABOVE: While this has been exhausting, it's also been a good opportunity to tweak the shit out of things!

And of course, I LOVE TWEAKING, lol.

I'd love to have a little nap now, but the plumber hasn't been in yet. 

Better not nod off and have him arrive and see me all sleepy eyed like some little cuddly old lady in the middle of the day.  *snort*

7.50 pm.  The plumber didn't arrive until 4.30!  Slightly annoyed but held it in.  He will install our new toilet sometime next week, in plenty of time for when we need it.

I took Stew to the pub at around 4..45, then popped in to spend an hour or so with Bex and the kids.  Steve arrived home after spending an hour with his Dad at the pub, then I took off and joined Stew.

We spent a nice hour with our friends, then came home.  Stew got to eat the food I bought for him this morning (a club sandwich and a Ginger Slice), which he loved.

Now... we get to move into the Front Room to watch TV.  It will be nice to have our new decoder arrive next week, so we can stay here in the lounge, feet up and enjoy our evenings in front of the  telly, and  yakking.

Time to sign off for the day, I do believe I shall sleep well tonight.