Sunday 25 February 2018

Being ill really sucks

Hello again, I'm back and finally starting to get back to normal health (though we're still not back to full health by any means) and I do want to say just how much this has sucked. Neither of us are good at laying around doing nothing but that has been what this illness has forced us to do. Let's hope this is all the bad things over with for the year; onwards!

This update is again going to be a short sweep through the last three weeks. Most of that time has been spent being ill so there isn't actually all that much to update about. I have managed to stick to my promise to myself to work less and take more time for myself and with A and that has been a real bonus as well.

It does the soul good, to see that view
It does the soul good, to see that view
A picture I've not taken for a while, of the parents' hotel
A picture I've not taken for a while, of the parents' hotel
I took great pleasure hanging the washing out
I took great pleasure hanging the washing out
Thelma with her ball on the balcony
Thelma with her ball on the balcony
Sassy saying hello in the sun
Sassy saying hello in the sun
Patio time with the puppies
Patio time with the puppies
We've seen very little sun for the past month; right now there are snow flakes falling and the grey cloud of the past two weeks is heavily overhead. Early in February there were a few days that were particularly lovely. We got onto the balcony (I slept wrapped in a duvet on the recliner a couple of times which was awesome) and we also got to have coffee/tea/breakfast/lunch on the patio. Everything is always better when the sun is shining.

A walk up the village with the puppies in the snow
A walk up the village with the puppies in the snow
The pond isn't frozen so the duck gets a swim in
The pond isn't frozen so the duck gets a swim in
Low cloud and snow flurries hides the valley
Low cloud and snow flurries hides the valley
I love this angle of the school
I love this angle of the school
Two days later and the weather had changed entirely. We had a dump of snow overnight that continued into the morning and put a few inches down. It didn't continue and melted relatively quickly on our land however in sheltered areas a bit higher up the mountains there was still snow even last weekend.

The first signs of spring
The first signs of spring
Bulbs pushing through
Bulbs pushing through
More lovely bulbs on their way
More lovely bulbs on their way
Thelma and Louise sniffing around the man hole cover
Thelma and Louise sniffing around the man hole cover
This is what was hiding in there
This is what was hiding in there
When the snow had cleared I took a walk around the garden, actually quite a big step for me in feeling better and being able to get out of the house, and was so pleased to see that we have bulbs coming up both in the Tortoise garden, along the edge of the "lawn" and round where A planted loads next to the parking area. These are going to look amazing in a month or so - spring must be coming, right. The girls were very interested in the manhole cover by the standpipe so I pulled the lid up and found a few toads hiding there. By the time I got back with the camera all but one had escaped. Thankfully the puppies didn't catch any as they are poisonous.

The fishing lake near one of the houses
The fishing lake near one of the houses
A beautiful mountain view
A beautiful mountain view
Lovely mountain flowers
Lovely mountain flowers
Thelma always finds a stick to play with
Thelma always finds a stick to play with
The Castle we climbed to with my parents last year
The Castle we climbed to with my parents last year
Down by the reservoir
Down by the reservoir
Thelma found a log this time (yes, she carried it)
Thelma found a log this time (yes, she carried it)
Rambo does love water
Rambo does love water
Louise was cold, so were we
Louise was cold, so were we
Looking back up towards them
Looking back up towards them
The next sunny day (and the last one I can remember though my memory may be bad) was last weekend on the Friday and Saturday. We went out with Dincher, our lawyer, for a drive around some properties he owns that we may be interested in purchasing and had a really lovely day with him. We do live in such a beautiful place and one of the houses in particular we liked quite a lot so we'll see what happens there. We went right up into the mountains and then afterwards over to one of the smaller reservoirs (still quite a big place) and enjoyed every second. The next day we managed to get out again and went back to the house we'd liked and decided to offer on it. We took Rambo out with us that day and he absolutely loved it, particularly the little duck pond that he could jump in.

Two puppies very interested in Sassy
Two puppies very interested in Sassy
Caught mid-hop as she explores the balcony
Caught mid-hop as she explores the balcony
A lovely, rare, cuddle with Sassy
A lovely, rare, cuddle with Sassy
Getting our game back on
Getting our game back on
A about to smash me to pieces hah
A about to smash me to pieces hah
Getting some seeds onto damp tissue
Getting some seeds onto damp tissue
I was actually able to do almost a full week of work this week, which was very satisfying, and so yesterday I did not turn the laptop on all day. After morning chores (which involved cleaning Sassy out, letting her have a run around the balcony and the puppies getting to say hello) and then a lovely cuddle with her which is very rare as she doesn't like being handled that much, A and I got to finish the game of Hobbit SBG we began weeks ago, and then to top it off had a second game with different models. It was a lovely day; A even got some seeds into pots to start sprouting over the next few weeks, and taking time off is top of my list of priorities for this year.

The snow settling on Thomas before I pulled him inside
The snow settling on Thomas before I pulled him inside
Now the snow is still falling, and settling now. I've pulled Thomas into the garage as if this continues we'll want to be able to get snow chains on and get out in an emergency. I'm about to make some Posh Scrambled Eggs and then we'll see what today brings; it is certainly another day of no work though.

Thanks for reading.

Thursday 8 February 2018

Where did January go?!

I will tell you where it went...

It went in working and then in being ill with flu.

Not much fun.

Not really what I left the hell hole of the UK for either. Something is going to have to be done and, being who I am, something WILL be done. The work/life balance needs to be redressed.

My surrogate family
My surrogate family
The young boy was ill, his sister makes him smile
The young boy was ill, his sister makes him smile
Father and Son part 1
Father and Son part 1
Father and Son part 2
Father and Son part 2
The gift bread, with the prize baked in it
The gift bread, with the prize baked in it
My pictures go back to New Years Eve and a lovely wonderful evening had with The Little Lady, Usmivka, The Special One and The Other Brother and family. I even tried to video Usmivka and The Other Brother dancing but didn't hit record so that went away unfortunately. It was a lovely night and the last time I've really let myself appreciate being here.

New year, clean chicken house
New year, clean chicken house
The ducks using the pond
The ducks using the pond
Cooking the right way
Cooking the right way
Thelma and Louise on the edge
Thelma and Louise on the edge
Louise at high speed
Louise at high speed
Louise just before being at high speed
Louise just before being at high speed
A cleaned out the chicken shed, with me providing the clean hay. This time the old hay was spread around the base of the trees in the orchard which was a great idea, apart from the chickens went up there and scratched it all out again. This winter has been very mild, we had a little skiffle of snow which meant I could take the puppies up onto the headland for a run - I do love walking in the snow. They had a great time, I don't think Louise stopped running. Getting outside is such a rarity for me right now, it was a perfect moment for sure.

Plucked chicken
Plucked chicken
Processing in our sink
Processing in our sink
Louise didn't want them, but wouldn't let Thelma have them
Louise didn't want them, but wouldn't let Thelma have them
The bird, roasted for our dinner
The bird, roasted for our dinner
One night I heard a load of flapping and squawking while I was asleep so I dashed onto the balcony and made a load of noise. By the time we got to the chicken house, which had been left open by accident, we found one drowned chicken in the pond and a bunch of others that were outside. After some chasing we got them all inside and locked up; we reckon maybe a cat got in and chased the poor girl into the water and she couldn't get back out. The Little Lady helped clean and butcher her, with Louise getting the giblets and stopping Thelma from even looking at them, and then that weekend we had our own chicken for dinner. It was pretty good - at least you know there were no chemicals in it.

Finally I was in the UK the other week (where I got ill) and my colleague visited us here before we flew to Manchester. It was lovely to show him around, though he was so battered from the flight I do wonder how much enjoyment he managed to get. The trip to the UK was good, I got to see some very special friends and took some good pictures but my phone is not letting me transfer them onto the computer. Gutted.

No filter - the red moon
I'll leave you with this picture of the moon, so red as it rose the other night. We've both been so ill, we're both still ill, and I'm sorry this has been such a delayed post and now it is written it is hardly filled with the joys of life. As I said in my opening remarks this overwork cannot continue and so it will not.