the good, the bad and the ugly











... or another post with assorted random ramblings, accompanied by a few equally random photos*.

Lets start with the good.

:: On Monday, my old yoga teacher was back from his one month long holiday. I started back with yoga just as he left for his holidays, such is my luck. It made me immensely happy when Tom remembered me, after a nearly four year break. He was pleased to hear that it was only live getting in the way of regular yoga practice and not serious disease or any other disastrous circumstances. It was a great class, just as I remembered it.

:: On Monday, we also had our first interim meeting with both builder and architect. Both are pleased with the progress of the extension work so far and we appear to be on schedule despite the horrendous weather last week. Foundations are poured and 'we' should be out of the ground by the end of this week (whatever this may mean). Looking out the back, suddenly I can see things happening.

:: The weather has been amazing. It is crisp but not cold, sunny and bright. My mood is splendid. After last week's downpours, the dry sunny spell is very welcome. We have much fewer muddy paw print trails in the house, an added bonus.

:: It is one week and one day until we go on holiday!!!!! I am not a big fan of the exclamation mark but I do think the excessive use thereof is in order here.

Moving on to the bad (ok, not terribly bad)

:: We received a quotation for our kitchen. It was breathtakingly high but according to the Which magazine well below average for a semi detached kitchen (have they surveyed only the wealthy kitchen buyer??). We may have to send the children busking, or we could opt for cardboard flooring instead of solid wood. Alternatively we could take up a loan. I managed to get get the quote down a little by choosing standard drawers instead of upgrade drawers. Having had a good look and fiddle in the showroom, the only difference seems to be the price. We don't want to compromise on the kitchen too much as we use it all the time and intensely so. In particular, I finally want a good oven. I'll let you know when the kids are singing so you can drop a penny in their hat.

:: Jack has been exceptionally naughty lately. He has been making a dash for freedom at every opportunity he gets. It is easy just now, our garden is completely open. He does that cheeky thing, turning around and giving me a quick glance before he disappears through a hedge. Also, Richard has been away quite a lot lately and Jack doesn't like it one bit, it disturbs his sleep routine and as a consequence mine. Getting up at 5:30 when you are not used to it is not fun. In summary, Jack causes more tiredness and work than the children together.

:: It is now official, I am getting old. I need to wear reading glasses for knitting or sewing, and in particular to make out things on my phone screen. It does make a difference. I now can see my typos when I text. It makes no difference to making the typos in the first place unfortunately.

On to the uglies.

:: There aren't any to report, all is operating within normal parameters

That's it for now, just a load of trivia really but such is my life. Wishing you all a lovely day. Thank you for all your comments lately, I really love to hear from you.

* I rather like the photos my phone takes now that I discovered it can be used for more than taking pictures of a recipe. I particularly like the square format. Thanks for your tip Kristie, you were spot on with our guess.






Comments

  1. Your kids might actually enjoy busking----LOL. We've done our kitchen in stages, changed all the appliances, added granite counter tops and now I want my cupboards painted. They're too good to replace, solid maple, but I hate the color and after 13 years I think it's time.

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  2. Maybe the children could collect pennies for the guy or go carol singing nearer to Christmas...LOL It will all be worth it in the end when you have your beautiful kitchen finished.

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  3. Glad there's no uglies!! Excellent that yoga is going well, and the progress with the extension. Sorry about the kitchen quotes, I hate it how much those things cost!! Hope Jack settles down soon, dogs have a funny way of letting you know when they're unsettled. Have a lovely holiday :) x

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  4. Hey Christina,
    I like a bit of random. I'm dreading our kitchen re-fit next year. The cost, the mess, the disruption. I'm still undecided about yoga, but am now well into running so not too worried. As for ugly; I need a hair cut, my lips are receding into my head and I've gained another eye wrinkle!
    Leanne xx

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  5. Having a complete kitchen reno is hugely expensive here too ... and not just for wealthy folks. We upgraded all our appliances a few years ago, and two years ago painted our dated oak cupboards. It sure made a big difference. Next will be countertops and flooring. I think I would go into shock if we got something done all at once! Naughty Jack for tearing away from you like that. Don't say getting glasses makes you old ... I've been wearing them for years :O
    Enjoy your day!
    Wendy

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  6. Maybe with the glasses you can watch him escape quicker! Always love your everyday news. Jo x

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  7. I love reading your posts.Irune

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  8. Jack is a tricky one isn't he. My darling, exceptionally well behaved Max who never ever does anything wrong, walked out the door behind my back the other day, I went to the garbage and he went out to do his thing. I closed the garage door and went inside. About 30 minutes later I see him walking around the back of the house all by himself. He got a stern talking to and held his head down knowing he was in the wrong. When we remodeled our kitchen it was amazing how the charges went up every day. Hugs,
    Meredith

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  9. Everywhere I go there are people having dog troubles, it is making me very nervous. I don't think I'm cut out to be a dog owner. I can't even control the children. Not even a little bit. Another creature ignoring me or metaphorically laughing in my face as they do the opposite of instructed might tip me over the edge. I am already teetering on it. Sigh. But of course we all know that I will do it anyway. Good to hear the kitchen is coming along. I shall look forward to seeing it in all it's finished perfection. CJ xx

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  10. I love you random daily posts. A crisp dry spell in Autumn always improves my mood. We've had some lovely days here. I'm glad your extension is going well. I don't envy you the disruption but I'm sure the end result will be fantastic. I'm with you on the oven. I wish we'd invested more in our oven! Hope you managed to keep hold of the dog! :) have a good weekend (and holiday!) xx

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  11. Well, I like trivia. Did I ever tell you that when I was in high school, I was a member of the "knowledge bowl" team? We were on local TV every Saturday competing with other schools. I was the designated trivia "expert" on our team. I like weird facts. I like real life, everyday facts like yours. :)

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  12. Hopefully Jack will soon figure out that home is where his heart and and the rest of him will be happiest, especially when you get a fence back up! When your children show up on my doorstep I will try to be generous :) xx

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  13. I think people need reading glasses at a much earlier age now due to all the computer/phone screen time. As for Jack, dogs seem to know they absolute most inconvenient times to misbehave. Keep your focus on your upcoming holiday!

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  14. Well that's a lot of good and not much bad or ugly, I'll say that. Love your trivia posts. You'll never regret investing in a good oven. X

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  15. I really like your random snippets type of posts... And pleased to hear all is well with the world. Except for the naughty puppy of course, with which I can sympathise greatly. About to wash muddy paw prints off our floor!

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  16. great shot of the wasp. I'm not a big fan of the angry little buggers but they are still a beautiful piece of nature to look at, more so through the laptop screen when they can't launch an assault on me lol

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  17. Gotta love a bit of random. For a minute there I thought one of your children had made a break for it but quickly realised you were referring to the dog. Ours has been doing much the same (must be something in the air). We hadn't realised he'd gone AWOL one day until there was a knock at the door followed by the question,'Is this your dog?'.

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  18. I always enjoy your 'random' posts Christina, you write so entertainingly. Jack is certainly being extra-adventurous, perhaps all the workies being around is unsettling him. We are lucky that Meg is not a habitual escapee. Hopefully the eye watering cost of your new kitchen will be well worth it. Kitchens take a lot of hard living with a family I always think, and need good and robust x

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Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment, I love to hear from you, I really do. I sometimes reply by email but I am not all that reliable... Christina xx

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