Wor Lass loves her kitchen gadgets, and after prolonged nagging (sorry, persuasion) I relented and bought her a convection oven after we found one on a sweet-ass deal. As I write she's currently giving it a first run with a roast beef lunch. It came with scarce instructions so she's having to try it out and see what works.
If she doesn't get good result I just know it will be taking a one-way trip to the dusty and rather crowded Cupboard of Unloved Gadgets ...
The Mazda Midlife Crisis has been struggling lately with wet weather, and Wor Lass hasn't felt comfortable driving a manual car amongst these nutty Kiwi drivers, so I've bought a cheap runabout to get us through the Winter.
It's a 2.2l automatic Honda Prelude -- yes Dad, another car you'd struggle to get into! -- which, based on a lengthy test run yesterday, works pretty well.
The great thing about being high on the hill and looking down The Hutt Valley is that even the bad weather can be gorgeous - especially when we're tucked up nice and warm in front of a roaring fire, glass of Hawkes Bay Mertol in hand ... (We're SO getting a log fire when we get back to Hull)
Boring fact of the day: WD stands for Water Dispersal, and 40 because it was the 40th formulation before it actually did anything. Wouldn't it have been gutting if they'd given up at 39 attempts?
Researching into possible cures for the Midlife Crisis' screaming fanbelt during wet weather.
I prefer the Aussies' more direct naming convention of these things - anyone for a can of Start Ya Bastard? (Yep, genuine product)
When we moved into Bodecott Mansion the landlady wasn't able to take the cat with her, so we agreed to adopt the cat, at least temporarily, despite not being cat lovers.
As she ran out of door the landlady warned us "she's not a friendly cat" which proved pretty accurate, apart from rubbing up against our legs as we tried to move around the kitchen. She wouldn't let the vet get near her clawsn, preferring to scratch the carpet, the rug, and Wor Lass whenever she tried to stroke her.
She had a cat door but instead would sit at the back door waiting for us to open it for her, often poking her head outside then changing her mind. Oh yes, we were getting psyched out by a cat.
Wor Lass had the additional trouble of the cat yowling outside her bedroom window through the night, demanding to be let in, then curling up in the middle of the bed and snoring loudly.
We put up with all this and the fleas, but then when yellow stains started appearing on the carpets we decided she had to go. Last Friday the landlord came round, scooped the cat into a cage and took her away, never to be seen again.
She gave us her best Puss In Boots look: ears back, eyes wide, "what have I done to deserve this?" expression, which brough Wor Lass to tears, but we held firm and she's now ripping up the carpets in another house somewhere across Wellington.
Next time we'll get a dog.
We've had cause to buy some herbal medication to aid with, erm, the end phase of the digestive process, if you catch my drift. In with the instructions came a diagram that I just had to share, an officially-recognised medical chart showing different types of poo, which I can't help gleefully reporting to Wor Lass, much to her distaste. "Definite Type 5 there, flower, I'd give it 10".
BTW I have to confess the blog title was Wor Lass' and she's very proud of it.
Mind you I think I prefer this version ...
One thing that made my day this week was the unveiling of the new actress joining Doctor Who - none other than Jasmine from Emmerdale! Woohoo! If anything's going to ease the pain of losing Karen Gillen from our screens it's Jemma Louise-Coleman.
Although before you feel sorry for Wor Lass and write me off as a sad old perv (though I can't really make much of a defence there) I would point out that SHE has the serious hots for Jim Caviezel in the new crime drama Person of Interest.
Have started taking drumming lessons again to shake off the cob'ebs and a practice pad wasn't cutting it, so have wiped out the savings (yet again) to buy an electronic kit. Wor Lass seems to be enjoying them more than I do!
We've also been listening to lots of Classic Rock (aka Dad Rock) courtesy of a new radio station The Sound, so there've also been bouts of air guitar to Stairway to Heaven or Hotel California. This has got me quite fancying trying electric guitar too, so I'd best give Wor Lass the credit card come pay day ...
I've finally realised that exercise alone isn't going to shift any weight.
I went for an abs workout on Wednesday to try and loosen up my back, and was frankly an embarassment, rolling around the floor like Humpty Dumpty, sweating and cursing while the old dears around me cruised through the workout.
Fuming at myself for getting into such a state I found myself at the chemist asking for details of their dieting programme. They gave me a free book and a couple of meal replacement shakes to try, and I've decided to give it a try.
My typical intake now consists of a bowl of porridge with sweetener, meal replacement shake, half a banana, some sunflower seeds and a carb-free evening meal. Large full fat coffees have been replaced with small trim decaffs, and the wine is down to one small glass a night.
I'm still in the novelty stage and, apart from a painful leg cramp the other night, not suffering. Yet. The first target is to lose 6kg by the end of April, after which point I'll ease off and allow myself a few treats (May 1st for the next McMuffin) but the long term goal is to get under 90kg (starting from 110kg). Wish me luck, I'm going to need it!!
Mad Uncle Roger and Fresh Auntie Linda came to visit recently, and Roger demonstrated his fishing skills .... you should have seen the one that got away!
Not sure if it's the small car or the big garage or both, but I've not got the hang of parking yet ....
This new place is amazing, every time you look down the Hutt Valley the view is different.
Thank you Ponsonby, but I think I can update my own blog thank you very much! I'm not getting above myself, just go and iron my tuxedo and we'll speak later.
Anyway, I now have a 40 minute train journey each way from Upper Hutt down to Wellington CBD (check it out on Google Earth). So far - touch wood - it's been very reliable and good value at less than five of your English pounds each way.
This extra time means I get to read again, and decided against trying the Harry Potter series and went instead for George R R Martin's Songs of Fire & Ice series, being a little more grown-up. It's interesting reading the source novel for the TV series I've already seen - the characters all have faces and it matches pretty closely with the book.
George is also obviously an Anglophile as the land's races (at least the ones features in the first book) are very British, particularly the Yorkshire-like Starks of Winterfell. Very pessimistic about Winter coming, and probably about the state of their cricket team, too.
Ah, welcome back to the blog, sir (or madam). If I may introduce myself, my name is Ponsonby and I have the pleasure of updating Master Simon's blog on his behalf.
You see, Master Simon and Lady Christine have been so taken with their opulent new lifestyle that they have decided to take on a butler, namely oneself.
They have asked me to inform you that they are both very happy at the moment, with Master Simon enjoying the 40 minute train journey from Upper Hutt down to the City, and Lady Christine is currently content with pottering about the mansion enjoying the views and lack of noise.
Master Simon informs me that, due to the day being particularly agreeable, they are heading off in their "Mazda Midlife Crisis" -- as he calls it -- on a drive. He tells me they are "going topless", which I dearly hope for the sake of property prices they were referring to the motor car ....
They tell me they are also enjoying temporary custody of their landlady's cat, a female tabby going by the curious name of "Louis". I must say it does nothing for me except rub up against surfaces as I'm trying to clean and perpetually scratch the carpet, the wretched thing.
Apparently Lady Christine is rather vexed that the shipping agents have yet to manage clearing their belongings through customs, which is rather a relief as I'm sure there'll be much more cutlery requiring a good clean.
Master Simon has also been mentioning something about a phantom that is a menace of some order, which he plans to view in 3D - it's all beyond me but I'm assuming he's referring to some kind of release at the picture palace. He keeps muttering cryptically about Jar Jar something, mixed in with rather salty language I'd rather not repeat here.
My my, is that the time already? Here I am nattering away when there are surfaces to be dusted! I think I shall sneak a slice of Lady Christine's divine ginger cake while they are away.
Toodles!
Yours,
Ponsonby.
Well, we've put up with the CBD apartment as long as we could, but finally had enough of the noisy lifts, the invading mozzies, the 5am bottlebank collections and the shitty aircon. Wor Lass has been pestering the landlord so much he invited us to terminate the tenancy early! The power of moaning, eh?
As luck would have it a colleague's girlfriend has decided to rent out her house for a year. We took a look around last weekend and offered to rent it on the spot!
It's gorgeous, massive enough for regular guests to stay over, is out in the sticks of Upper Hutt (see Google Maps) and -- fingers crossed -- will give us the peace and quiet I need. It's also $100 a week cheaper than the apartment that's smaller than the triple garage we'll be taking on.
With luck we should be moving in next weekend. And sleeping the weekend away, hopefully.
The Tour
Here's the back of the house at sunset, after getting past the locked gates.
The view down the valley of Upper Hutt as seen from the back garden. Also at sunset. Whether it's a real sunset or a Photoshop sunset we're not sure.
The kitchen, as I believe the ladies call it. With a proper Big Fridge and dishwasher that doesn't snap shut like Arkwright's till, unlike the current place.
Lounge Number One, situated next to the kitchen and home to a log burner. Thankfully there's also a shed full of chopped up logs, so I won't need to go out and chop wood myself (stop laughing, Dad, I could if I had to.)
Lounge number two, complete with monster TV and sky. Will also become the Wii Fit room for Wor Lass' shadow boxing sessions.
The entrance hall, which I probably should have uploaded earlier in the tour. Arsed. It's just a hallway and I've only put it on 'cos She Who Must Be Obeyed would shout at me if I didn't. Oh, one thing that is cool is there's a hoover-y thing plumbed in round the house - you just plug the hose into the socket in each room and away you go!
Her Ladyship's room, the only one upstairs, with en-suite and dressing room. Also has a private balcony.
The servant's quarters, where I'll get to sleep (hopefully). There are also two other guest rooms plus a downstairs bathroom and separate toilet.
And here's the house as seen from the back garden, with the kitchen/lounge 1 opening out onto the dick. I only have one dick here, but it's a long 'un so Wor Lass is more than satisfied.
There finishes the tour. I hope you like it and we hope to get as many people as possible staying with us ...
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