The view from my window

The view from my window
The view from my window

Saturday 25 April 2020

Day 40!

There's not much going on here at the OK Corral - like most places I guess, but I'm still doing ok, thank goodness. I couldn't sleep the other night for some reason so got back up again around 12.30 to finish reading a book that had been recommended by a friend. It was called I Know Who You Are and was pretty good, with lots of twists and turns, an easy read, but quite a sting in the tail involving the bad guy getting killed with a pickaxe (don't want to give too much away there right)! After I'd finished it I did manage to drop off but as I'm wont to do on occasion, I had another weird dream. Apparently Prince William had just found out that Kate had been cheating on him and announced that he intended to divorce her. For some even weirder reason I was working there (????) and after a distraught Kate stormed off I went into the study and found an ax (she obviously intended to murder him with it) so the only way I could prevent that was to hide the ax behind the fax machine. I know, I know, I get it's weird to be dreaming about Wills and Kate. The bit about the ax you can probably see where I got that from, but a fax machine????? They went out with wind-up telephones. I used to tell my colleague about my weird dreams and he would "psychoanalyse" me until we roared laughing, but this one really got me stumped - a fax machine? How long ago did they fall off the face of the earth!

At the beginning of the week I had a phone call from the young men who I signed with to get my roof renovated - Technitoit - and they asked if they could come over to finalize some papers and talk about the insulation project that I had also asked them to look into. When they arrived we sat out in the back garden and they commented how lovely my garden is. Not my unmown grass bit, but the beautiful view I guess, so I said I thought there would be a lot of lovely gardens this year, what with people having more time because of the lockdown. They were telling me though that having been off one month it was starting to hurt financially. In fact the one guy was very open and said that he had only picked up €1,000 last month in unemployment and with €800 of basic monthly bills it really hurt so they were more than glad to get back to work. Another thing they mentioned was that quite a few of their clients had had to cancel because many were frontaliers working in Switzerland and when the Swiss started cutting back on staff it was obviously the frontaliers who were the first to be let go! I hadn't thought of it that way and it really brought home to me what a precarious situation so many were now in. Anyway, they were up on my roof taking pictures and, not surprisingly, my insulation is shot to pieces. Well it's 40 years old so probably about as effective as a paper hankie at this point, so I signed up to get it all done - the cleaning and sealing probably starting next week and then 27 cm of new insulation all over, probably in October. It's a lot of money but becoming a necessity. So I was thinking, what with the floor, heating and water heater all done, the roof in the pipelines, as soon as I get the bathrooms done I think I'm good to go. Hopefully the rest will just be cosmetic, as and when. My neighbour did mention that they were having AC put in a couple of rooms as the summers are becoming unbearable here, so I may think about that too. I'll wait to speak to the guy that does theirs before I tackle that one, although I suspect in any case it's already too late for this year!

In other news I continue to potter around getting things done here as the weather is still lovely. The really weird thing, though, is that I am consistently getting over 10,000 steps a day despite the fact that I never go out walking! I'm making a conscious effort to sort the basement and in and out the garden all the time but I was really surprised at how much I'm now moving as compared to previously. Long may it last, but I suspect it will slow down when the really hot weather gets here as I hate it!

I ended up with both neighbours having a coffee in my back yard again today, which is nice as it gives us a chance to have a chat and them a chance to speak to someone other than their husbands. I was saying to D how much I loved the poppies in her garden and she offered me a root, which I gladly accepted. So then she goes on to say that she offered a root to her other neighbours, the M family, and he refused "because they make opium out of poppies"!! Say what! Now the M family are Jehovah's Witnesses, and while I am not the slightest bit interested in their religion they are very, very nice people. In fact it's their arthritic old dog that dodders down to my back garden for a crap most days but I don't say anything - just shit shovel - because, as I say, they are elderly (80 and 86) and they have been good to me. But even I was surprised at his response to the offer of a poppy root. I think my mouth must have dropped open because D then went on to say that years ago their 14 year old son had been killed when he climbed on a bunch of pallets, which then collapsed and crushed him (this I already knew). But when they got to the hospital the mother ran in and said "no transfusions" and the doctors, apparently, couldn't hide their disgust. Their son was dead on arrival sadly but to rush in to an emergency room and insist on that is more than I could do, religion or no religion. Each to his own I know, but nope, I'd be lining up with my sleeve rolled up!

I also finally managed to get my "pixie door" put up today. I screwed that thing into my plum tree and while it might just kill it, I think it looks rather pretty!


In other news I see that the UK has started clinical trials of a potential vaccine on healthy adults this week. Fingers crossed. And Captain Tom, whose 100th birthday is on 30 April, has apparently received over 40,000 birthday cards already, so much so that the Royal Mail is having to set up a special room just to cope with it.

John over at Going Gently posted a picture of beautiful Conwy castle all lit up the other day and I wanted to repost it here as I have such fond memories of the place. My brother lived about half a mile behind the castle (on Castle View Estate) and my aunt lived about 300 metres down the road, on Castle Street (they're not very imaginative with street names as you can tell). I have such lovely memories of the place where I spent so many summers that I just wanted to have a keepsake here on this blog.

Diolch - thank you!
I think everything that can be said has been said about the Donald's suggestion to think about taking bleach internally hasn't it, but the one positive side effect seems to have been that his self-aggrandizing daily briefings have now been cut short and he's taking no questions from reporters, so that's a plus. I'm just wondering how long it will be before they announce that some idiot gave it a try though as, sadly, while that seems so unthinkable I honestly believe someone will do it!

And finally, Kylie over at Eclectica had been asked by another blogger about "weird" things in your house that you don't even notice. Well I no longer have it in my house but when I was married I used to like to read in bed. My bedside lamp was fine but the one on my husband's side was way too bright, so one night I asked him if he could do something about it - thinking maybe he'd change the light bulb. But nooooo his solution (always the path of least resistance) was to take a pair of underpants out of his drawer and pull them down over the lamp shade. That bloody thing looked like a white faced alien for so long, the "eyes" being where the leg holes were. To be honest I was so beaten down that his bedside lamp/underpants were the last thing on my mind and I never noticed them. But about a year after he had moved out (taking the bed with him - I guess the girlfriend liked it), I was going to get the floor redone before buying a new bedroom suite. Well my neighbour came round to help me take the carpet up and said "Anna, don't you think it's time for the underpants to go?" and then we just roared laughing. It's kinda embarrassing to have your neighbour draw it to your attention though isn't it!


18 comments:

  1. The underpants is so funny. It is nice to have neighbors to come and sit outdoors and talk with.

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    1. I'm very lucky indeed with all my neighbours, even the JW family who really are very nice despite the fact that we will never agree on religion!

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  2. And yet, the Trump excusers are lined up to give him a pass in his latest idiocy. I marvel that you're getting so many steps in. I sit too long weekdays. The castle is very cool looking. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. I did wonder how they would try to spin Trump's latest lunacy, but even they couldn't put a decent spin on it this time!

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  3. I love your fairy door! I have one I put on our skirting at christmas and I have one in my craft room, my granddaughter loves them. Your neighbours sound lovely, well I'm not so sure about the M family it has to be said! I hate when people are so 'religeous' that they are stupid about it too. It's nice you're able to let the roof guys start work on your house. So many people are in dire straits financially, its a difficult one. I can't believe the talk, particularly in US that the economy is more important than lives!! However, I get that people need income and in the UK its diabolical that people are having to wait so long for the government help to kick in. Anyway, I'll step off of my high horse now and lighten up again! The underpants on the lamp story is brilliant. It sounds like the title of a book! lol. xx

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    1. My JW neighbours genuinely are lovely. She was telling me it was her faith that got her through it when they lost their son. I'm just glad that transfusion wasn't an issue because he had sadly already died. I know I would have driven myself insane with the "if onlys", but then that's why I will never get dogmatic religion. And opening up the economy is indeed tricky. I personally think Macron has got it right making everyone wait until 11 May but he is slowly letting more people go back to work before then. Just the likes of me that have to stay out of it until then and I agree with it. They're not easy times though are they and whatever decision the politicians make they will always be criticized. And I'll have to think of a working title for the "Underpants on the lamp" trilogy - there is definitely enough material there (for the book not the pants) to write more than one book!

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  4. I like the underpants solution. Sounds like an easy way out, which I would choose.
    And that castle is gorgeous; what a lovely spot.
    We,too, are keeping busy, doing busy work, but at least the house and yards are being tended do every single day.

    Stay safe.

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    1. It's nice to have time to spend in the garden every day isn't it. And nah, underpants on a lampshade is far worse than staying in your pyjamas all day!

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  5. Ah yes. Weird things in houses. Well, underpants on the lamp is pretty weird. You must have been beaten down by then. I am so glad that you no longer have to deal with such ridiculousness.
    Not to say that I don't have my own weird things in this house but I can safely say- no underpants on lamps.
    Yeah- religion. Don't get me started. They're all weird at the root of them. We're just culturally more used to some of the weirdnesses. Like taking communion which is really a rather cannibalistic ritual when you think about it.
    Sorry. You got me started.
    It's pretty cool that you're still getting in your ten thousand steps a day. I never do unless I take my walks.
    Carry on, dear lady. I love your random thoughts.

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    1. I think at the base religion isn't a bad thing but each and every religion (in my opinion) has been bastardized by man to suit him.

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  6. We have a gigantic telescope in our dining room (4 ft tall) that was our birthday present to each other last year, now a permanent fixture.....nothing else too weird here. Only certain kinds of poppies are good for heroin but there is not telling people. So glad you can give some business to that company. I had to look up frontalier - I am sure those borders will be controlled heavily no matter when this is over. It is likely they will have to find work in their home country now.

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    1. Sorry about the frontalier bit - I'd mentioned it before. Round here it refers to people who live in France and cross the border every day into Switzerland for work (nobody lives in Switzerland and works in France). At the moment the borders are heavily controlled because of lockdown but normally it's all open because of the Schengen Agreement. In 35 years crossing the Franco-Swiss border I think I was stopped twice. And I think having a telescope in your dining room is a good look - unless it's trained on your neighbours' bedroom!

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  7. The weather here appears to be changing. On the plus side, I may get to start on the decorating rather than invent jobs in the garden. Love the Pixie Door but hope that what's on the other side doesn't start off any more strange dreams.

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    1. I think we're forecast rain - first time in about a month - so I'm hoping to get more work done indoors. It has been nice being outside though hasn't it.

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  8. My roof was older than that when I had it fixed. there was green moss growing on it. And as for the Idiot's disinfectant prescription, while no one seems to have tried it, many are evidently calling different health groups to find out if it's safe. American Conservatives just keep getting odder and odder.

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    1. I had my roof washed and treated about 8 years ago but now moss is starting to grow back. But I know it needs re-insulating and that can only help with energy consumption. And I saw that people have been calling in to find out if it is safe to ingest clorox!!! Un-frickin' believable!

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  9. I saw a terrible accident a few years ago involving a young lad being crushed up a shop front by a car. In between his screaming he was shouting out about 'No blood' no blood'. He was of course a Jehovah Witness and only a child He was air lifted out, but died in hospital. It was awful, absolutely awful.
    I have heard of this at work, but I've also heard about a surgeon keeping a baby in Theater just so he could transfuse it without telling the parents. I'm so glad I'd never have to make that decision.

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    1. Hi Shelly and thank you for commenting on my blog. I'm "glad" (if that's the right word) that this family never had to take that decision. Thinking about it logically, when you look back at haemophilia, aids and mad cow and all those things there was maybe logic in their madness years ago BUT I think when dogma gets in the way of taking advantage of the wonderful advances in medicine it's just wrong. I asked my JW friend once why she would refuse blood if it was freely given (I was on my way to donate blood) and she just said she didn't want to talk about it so I left it at that. But for me personally I'd go to hell in a handbasket before I would withhold a blood transfusion that might save my kid. But then I'm not religious and never will be so it's an easy choice to make.

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