I'm off...

I'm flying off to Australia in the morning. By coincidence my youngest son William is also going in the same direction, and he suggested we meet up in Bangkok. Unfortunately we shall miss each other by about 12 hours.

William's off to Bali for a while, whilst waiting for his Aussie residence papers to come through; he's probably going to settle in Melbourne. His successful internet business is based in Australia.

So, if anyone should find a scruffy, beret wearing, paint covered, Cro wandering around looking lost, would you please point him in the direction of home. I shall be worrying about him.

Packing.

I mentioned recently that I'm off to Australia, quite soon, for about 6 weeks. It'll be Autumn when I arrive in Queensland, so choosing, and packing, clothes is a nightmare.

En route I shall be visiting London, Bangkok, and Dubai, giving me just about every weather combination imaginable. So do I take a raincoat, a heavy sweater, and thermal undies? Or do I just make do with T shirts and swim-wear? An umbrella might be handy, as well as gumboots!

I shall also be taking a few gifts for my daughter and the boys. Paté, toys, books; all have to go in as well.

With an allowance of just 20 kgs (because I'm using various different airlines) my packing needs to be very well honed.

As Cro keeps reminding me.... 'When travelling, take half the amount of clothes you think you'll need, and twice the amount of money!' I think I may have to heed his advice this time.

George.

This is George; our DeVille wood-fired cooker. He may not be an Aga, but for France he's the next best thing.

He's only used in the winter months when he cooks roasts, stews, and, if Cro is feeling creative; bread.

Unfortunately the thermostat is 'estimative', the temperature control system almost non-existant, and the capacity for burning; excellent.

Anyway, he heats the kitchen and our bedroom above wonderfully. I don't expect we'll be lighting-up much more now. Spring seems to be on the way, and George can easily overheat the house.

Just for information; our sitting room Godin stove is called Gilbert.

More travels.

I'm off to Australia again soon to visit my daughter, son in law, and two grandsons. Since I was last there, they've built, and moved into, a new house; so lots to see.

The downside of travel is leaving 'you-know-who' in charge of everything back home. Cro and Disaster seem to go hand in hand.

The last time I was away Monty (our Lab') nearly died. Cro lives in a dream world (what he dreams of, I hate to think) and he doesn't seem capable of anticipating danger. He's one of those who when asked to put the butter in the fridge and the pie in the oven, will put the butter in the oven and the pie in the fridge (recognise that?).

We also have 3 hens, Freddie the cat, and new boy Bok; all of whom have specific needs. I can see that I'm going to have to write a very long list, even though I'm certain he'll ignore it.  

And then there's the building work. I'll probably be leaving just as the builders arrive to start work on our new barn. What I'll come home to... goodness knows.

Thank heaven for Skype. I shall take my iPad with me, and give him instructions via the web.

Wish me luck.

Hello again...

A woman's work is never done! Not that I'm the world's busiest woman, but blogging has been on the back-burner for quite a while.

Monty, our 9 month old Lab, has demanded most of my recent attention. He's an adolescent, and needs a lot of walks, TLC, and surveillance. Now that's he's had the snip, I'm hoping he'll calm down and not wander off so much.

Then we've had the new kitchen to contend with. Planning, finding the right man for the job, choosing colours, choosing appliances; it's surprising how much effort has gone into something so simple.

Then all the brouhaha surrounding the purchase of the tobacco drying barn behind the house. It turned out to be much more complicated than we could have imagined with a tenant on the land who surprised us by  suddenly claiming the right to continue his tenancy. With the help of a lawyer we came to a mutual agreement, and he will now stay on until the end of the year. We're also busy drawing up plans for the conversion of the barn into a big loft-style apartment.

And of course the most time consuming task of all; trying to keep Cro out of trouble. 

I'd really like to just sit outside for an hour or two in the sunshine, read some trashy novel, and watch the cows go by. But I'm off to Blighty this afternoon, so I must leave for the airport. I have a eye appointment, some baby-sitting, and catching-up with friends to do. Cro will have to hold the fort in my absence (I sense danger!).

My life has been taken-over....

At just 3 months old, Monty has become an unruly youth. His energy is boundless, his naughtiness unstoppable, and his appetite unbelieveable.

So, it's 5 or 6 walks a day, a strict check on his diet, and constant surveillance; otherwise he would be a nightmare. But at least he's 'house-trained', and sleeps through the night without disturbing us.

Of course he's also an absolute delight, and we now wonder what on earth we ever did without him.

This isn't actually Monty, but if we had a dishwasher no doubt he'd be doing this as well!

More on Monty.

Life continues to be circled around the arrival of our new puppy Monty. His relationship with Freddie (our cat) continues to improve, but the difference in both size and exuberance makes any closer friendship difficult. A plate glass door between them is, for the moment, preferable.

Monty still has that puppy flexibility. He manages to find the most uncomfortable looking sleeping poses, and makes it look as if he's in heaven. There's something about him that reminds me of Lord Magnon!