The Lunderette (by sarah)

On Tuesday we decided to finially take the bedding to the lunderette as we had no power. So off we went - first off we had to walk down quiet a long road and as we had Jean and three dovets! this was quiet a challenge and one we managed to muck up!

Yep - we managed to walk past it - of course I was looking for it on the wronge side of the road for a start and then we managed to get into a deep conversation about how the universe works or the like.

Then it turned out that niether of us had change, well I did but I hadnt expected it to be that pricey to be honest. So after a quick trip for Al to the little corner shop for a bottle of coke we turned our attentions to the machines only to promptly discover that we did not have the right change for the soap powder machine. So after a quick trip to the corner shop for me to buy a bottle of diet coke with lime, we were ready to roll.

Ok fist off we were using the big big machines and we couldnt find the tray to put the powder in so I thought we just put it in the machine - WRONG - it goes in wholes on the top of the machine which even Al had trouble seeing though he at least could reach them - grrr to the hieghtest person who thought of that one!

Then Alaric managed to get the money jammed in the machine - there are two slots but niether of us realised until we had jamed it that one was for the pound coins and one for the twentys - the poor staff had to dismantle that section of the lunderette to fix it and they took our money so that they could put it one once fixed and told us we didnt have to wiat.

Now we had bumped into our publisher friend on route which might have been part of the reason we walked past the place as we were chatting - she wanted to meet up with me for coffee so I hurried out but managed to go the wrong way. I realised after a while that something was wrong and turned around - I met back up with Al who took me to the coffee shop but of course this had all taken so long that our friend and her duaghter where no longer there 🙁

I'm afriad that I got grumpy with slow dawning realisation discovered that I was very hungry as it was 3 o'clock and though Al and Jean had eaten I hadnt yet had breakfast what with having wanted toast when we had no electric!

One sandwitch and coffee later I was a civil human beign again and we went back to check on the washes - they had finished so we put them in the tumble dryers and headed off to explore the oriental and forieng supermarkets along the same street - these were excelletent and we were very happy picking up those odd ingredients that cost a bomb in the normal supermarkets but in these shops were pennys (as these are things that generally can not grow in this country unaided we do not fret that they are not local produce).

We went back to check and sure enough the tumble dryers were finished so we checked and the dovets were still really wet, puzzeled we put the machines on again but had to go and change a pound. We were still faffing with the third tumble dryer when the other two stopped - ah... thought 20p was cheap.

So surely we need to put more 20pees in yes? Yes but you can only put in one at a time for a whole 5 mins of tumble drying - GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Anyway so off Al with a grumpy Jeany whilst I sat there with a pile of 20 pees fortunatly I had some work with me I could do. I still somehow managed to melt the out side of one of the dovets, even though the bleep bleep thing was still damp!

By the time we had finished this comedy of errors it was getting dark then when we got back we found that the power had come back on at 3 o'clock! So Al got grumpy about all the working time he had missed - sigh. Steep learning curve - thats my current mantra to deal with our lives lived in Interesting Times!

Jean and Pretending (by sarah)

Jean regually picks up her plastic bowls and spoons and pretends to eat out of them - she will even pretend to feed you and say 'all gone' and tip the bowl upside down after a while, whilst grinning her head off!

Unfortunately as you can see she has been proving hard to photograph again!

This one we are saving for her 21st birthday!

She looks ruff! an tha be no mistake!

Cube Units (by sarah)

To stop anymore cat wee incidents I have become a tad militant - and thus we have been focusing on doing something to the bare wood units we have in the lounge.

Here are photos of the first unit being dealt with.

First off we had to sand the cube all over - especially the edges as these are manky loose grain pine which splinters like anything!

Then we had to dust the saw dust away!

Then to the vanishing - we decided upon silk finish - it took four coats! Still I had estimated 5 coats!

We did everything but the undernieth surfaces, then when dry turned it over and did those - but we then repeated the processes with out turning it over so that there was less of a chance of ending up with a good top and bad bottom - not sure if that makes scense but thats how we're vanishing these babies!

We Survived! (by sarah)

We surivived Space Camp though Al did get rather muddy and I got rather glittery!

We Made aliens and rockets, pitched tents and hiked (ok so I didnt hike as my pelvis and Jeany wouldnt allow it but Al did), made mothers day cards, looked at the stars, drew the moon and made posters of the solar system, watched Zathura (or what ever the space Jurmungy is called, in fact I dont know how to spell Jermungy so that probably doesnt help!), made planispheres and made a model of the solar system out of the cubs!

I did get a bit carried away though and ended up explaining the rock types on the moon! Mind dew on of the cubs was keen to discuss M-theory and parasitic universes and the like! My knowledge of Scifi also ment that I understood most of what the kids were going on about whilst alot of the other adults looked a bit blank (I not sure this is a good thing as half of it is kiddies programmes!).

Poor Jean desperatly wanted to go on the hike with the cubs - there they all were getting ready to go and she bought me her shoes, hat, gloves, scarf mittens and wellys. I desided we could wave them off - but not sure this was the kindest thing as poor Jean stood at the gate little arms stretched through it calling to the kids as they disappeared up the field - she really really wanted to follow them - made me feel really crewl.

Still I really enjoyed the weekend even if I did end up making cards with 30 kids at once when I had been expecting 10!

Space Camp (by sarah)

We're off on Space camp this weekend with the Scouts and Cubs!

Looking forward to it 🙂