Grrrrrrr. . . !

D1 flew back to Sydney just in time before I quietly strangled her and stuffed her down the rubbish chute.  She has been mansplaining to me and a) she is not a man, b) she is my daughter and c) I know that it is possible to run the dishwasher when it is half-empty but I did not want to as I was pottering while getting things ready for Christmas and generating the odd thing as I went.

We had Christmas in the evening which was rather nice and gave me a lot more time to potter instead of the usual rush to get things done.  This was on account of D2 had volunteered to work and was not free until, officially, 6.00pm.

D3 and family arrived quite early and GB1 and GB2 spent some time in the little pool attached to my block of the apartment complex. There is a big pool over the other side and one day I might remember to tell them that they are allowed to go over and use it if they wish.

Anyway  -  I now have a great deal of washing to do and the washing machine is starting to object to too many towels at once and I need to get the bearings checked.  After I told D1 this she told me that my washing machine bearings needed fixing.  Mansplaining again: I was using washing machines when she was in nappies and the bearings and hoses are always an issue eventually.

And she tore one of my sheets which, admittedly was about 20 years old and due to be superannuated anyway  -  and the sales started today so I went downstairs and bought three half-priced bedding sets.

The reason I didn't strangle her was that she gave me a beautiful book of knitted lace patterns which I am dying to try  -  but I will finish knitting the purple possum sweater first  -  it will be an incentive for me to finish it faster.  I was aiming for next winter but might move the finish time forward and knit a lacy scarf from my new book.

The limerick:-

There was an old man in a hearse
Who murmered, "This might have been worse;
Of course the expense
Is simply immense,
But it doesn't come out of my purse."

Boomerang Drone Post Script

A few weeks ago I stated that the affair of The Drone was closed.  However  two days ago I hosted a dinner for D2’s birthday.  Attending were D3,  D3’s husband and the Grand Babies, GB1 and GB2,

GB1 has just finished school and is one of those kids who is not all that good with words but brilliant with subjects like maths and physics as well as sailing since he is clever at reading wind and waves.  He is the person I passed the drone to as I knew that, while I quite failed to get the thing flying, he would be able to get it up in the air; which he did.  And he brought it with him to the birthday party.

It is noisy, emitting a loud buzzing noise interspersed with beeps and flashing lights.  Parsifal, who I had bought it for, was not impressed and took himself off to his bed in the cats’ safe place  -  the master suite  -  and I didn’t see him again until about midday the next day.  I was very happy that I had passed it on to GB1. Parsifal normally loves to meet and greet visitors but he said that he wasn't going to emerge until that thing was removed.

However, its life is short and sweet; two if its propellers have broken and GB1 has no more replacements, having used the spares provided for necessary repairs.  I can’t say that I am sorry about that  -  I certainly do not want to see it again either although I was impressed with the acrobatics which GB1 was able to coax out of it.

So that is the very last word on the drone.

Instead of taking my knitting along to the Tuesday group last week I decided to bite the bullet and finish the repairs to the hand block-printed tablecloth which I bought in Iran back in 2006.  It had little tassels all the way round and Parsifal, during his cord-eating phase, ate all which he could reach when I foolishly left it on the table.  They were cotton and therefore digestible so I wasn’t fussed but it quite spoilt the table cloth and I had been meaning to replace them.  The string was easy but twisting it into a fringe was a different matter as there are a large number.

I went online and discovered a fringe twister sold by Ashford, the spinning wheel suppliers in New Zealand so I ordered one and after trying to work out how to do the twists I put it aside until last week when I took it along to the group in lieu of my knitting and started on the twists.  Since then I have threaded in the cotton and today I finished doing the twists.  Tomorrow I will trim the dangling ends and after putting it all through the washing machine hopefully the new twists will match the few original ones left because Parsifal was not able to reach them, still being a kitten at the time.

It is nearly Christmas but I received one piece of good news today -

"We write regarding the electricity consumption notices for your apartment at . . Residences. 

Unfortunately, the meter reading system has failed to provide us with a reading for some meters at the complex, including the one for your apartment. Therefore, you will not be invoiced for electricity consumption until the meter reading system has been repaired."

And the Limerick:-

A prolific young mother named Hall
Who seemed to have triplets each Fall,
When asked why and wherefore
Said, "That's what we're here for,
But we often get nothing at all."

Gazumped

A couple of weeks ago I started playing an online game called Minesweeper which, for anyone who is not familiar with it is a logic game with a big element of guesswork at times.  Perhaps as I become more proficient there will be less guesswork and more logic.

However, about a week ago I finished a game (I am wining more and more as I get familiar with it) and Apple flashed up a message to tell me that I had finished the basic game faster than anyone else playing the basic game.  It wanted my name for some honour site which I have yet to locate.  Last night I did it again; fastest finish in the elementary level.  Have I beaten my own score?

Poppy has now been on anti-inflammatory medication for about two weeks and she is a new cat.  the poor little girl must have been in a lot of pain.  Now she is playing with Parsifal more than fighting him and she is carrying her flag upright instead of at half mast.  It is nice to see her so happy but she has had health problems for most of her life so I am not confident that she will live happily ever after.  It is fingernail trimming next weekend and we will see then if the pain from her arthritis is diminished.

Friday is D2's birthday which will be celebrated Chez minnie on Saturday evening.  D3 is bringing the main course and because her whole family is gluten/dairy sensitive I have ordered a G/D free orange and almond cake for dessert.  D2 has told me that she wants a sultana caramel pudding and argues that as it is her birthday she has a right to have what she wants.  Of course it is neither gluten nor dairy free.  It is an argument hard to counter so I am going to have to provide one dessert for her and one for the rest of the party.  Grrrrr . . .

I have finally got serious about my beautiful block printed tablecloth which I bought in Iran and which Parsifal, when he was a kitten, ate most of the fringe.  So I have started replacing the parts of the fringe where he chewed the bottoms off.  Fortunately each little tassel is unconnected with its neighbours so the original tassels which he was not able to reach are still there as a guide to the replacements.  It is a long, slow job and I have been putting it off for seven years: it is high time I sorted it.

The limerick:-
This is one of my favourites.

There was a young girl from St. Cyr
Whose reflex reactions were queer.
Her escort said, 'Mabel
Get up of the table;
That money's to pay for the beer.'