anyresemblance

Magic carpets

I've had this plastic outdoor carpet sitting around for nearly a year with nowhere to put it.  Plastic carpet sounds horrible but it was made from recycled straws and was excellent at covering a crappy deck at the place before last and gave some unity to the space.  Whatever, it was propped up by the washing line and on Sunday afternoon I found a note posted through the slats of the fence "are you interested in selling that carpet?" and a phone number.

As it happens, I'd been planning on putting it on Facebook marketplace, so I texted the number a price and they texted back and we organised they would come to pick it up yesterday.  As it happened, I was on the phone but then the carpet was gone but no money.  I tried texting them and calling and was feeling a bit annoyed and thinking I now had lost faith in humanity and would have to start locking the gate when they texted me. "sorry, I lost my phone when I was trying to fit the carpet in the car but left your money in your running shoe". And there it was. 

Anyway, now carpet buyer (as they are listed in my contacts) had a jolly chat about what they were going to do with the carpet and dog walker and it was a very joyful interaction and I am happy that the rug has gone to someone to make them happy.

*those rugs above are neither plastic nor horrible and both involved me carrying them back from foreign climes

An interim accounting

1. Watching - Dream Home Makeover on Netflix, exactly the kind of house porn I enjoy.  Junior Masterchef has restored my faith in the future and like the whole of Australia, I am obsessed with Ben.  Also, finally got round to watching Hollywood which was not at all what I expected but good.  Am thinking I should finally give Line of Duty another go
2. Listening - Home Cooking with Samin Nosrat and Hrishikesh Hirway is a delight and that infectious banter and laughter will just raise your mood.  I also enjoyed Kylie Minogue and Grace Dent (separately) on Table Manners.
3. Reading - Jane Harper's latest, the Survivors.  She's great at making the narrative zing along but I kept grating at her calling a couple of characters "civil servants", it seemed such a simple mistake of editing?
4. Eating - too much but had a really good pork belly cooked in milk (sounds vile but really tenderises the meat and you discard the milk solids), potato and chorizo quesadillas and lots of guacamole.
5. Cooking - Victoria sponge, my go to when under stress
6. Enjoying - some time back since I am not cramming for promotion exams
7. Writing - I wrote 125 personal notes to my team and posted them.  People are writing me messages of surprise and thanks so it was definitely worth the effort.
8. Appreciating - the trees coming in to leaf.  The pollen, not so much.  Also, wireless ear buds.  I am always so resistant to the empire apple and then I get a product and think, this is why people get hooked on their stuff as it comes out of the box and works.  And voting.  Cast my vote in our local elections yesterday morning and was in and out in 5 minutes (including having to number every vote for our complicated Hare Clark voting system)
9. Wearing - t-shirts at last
10. Coveting - a charging pad for phone, watch and earphones.  Someone at work had one and I thought how wonderful to get rid of all those cables but they are $$$

Almost there

How soothing are these feathers? I went to see this opening last year and if I get promoted, I am going to buy a good piece of art for the stupid hoops I am jumping.

I sat down at my desk at 2pm and did not move until 7.30, not even to go to the loo, so I was stiff and tired and did ten minutes of old Joe Wicks and raced round the block with Charlie.  Nearly there, though.

On the tiles

This little old lady is entering her last days, I fear.  She's always been feisty and vocal in her disapproval, but these past few days, she has barely eaten and just sleeps.  She is so light when I lift her, like her bones are hollow.  She is 14 or 15 now so it is not surprising but I hope we have a while more with her.  She is such an unassuming little soul.

I did a ton of work today so felt less despair at everything.  I did my last rehearsal pitch and got some really good tips.

For dinner, the kid made me these but I got to say, delicious as they were, they generated a ton of washing up and were not that spectacular.

Snakes and ladders

I've been unbearably low the past few days and can associate that with:

• feeling very overwhelmed by work unfinished
• having a not great rehearsal of my panel stuff
• eating crap and too much of it
• poor sleep in a room without enough fresh air
• too much wine

I tried to make a red velvet cake yesterday but the sponge was like lead so I threw it in the bin.  Then I made a chicken and leek pie and the pastry was dry and the chicken tough - Charlie got most of it.  I was supposed to meet a friend for coffee but couldn't find parking and just felt like it was all too much and had to go home instead.

Things that did cheer me this weekend.  Binge watching the Duchess and despite getting a bit irritated in the middle I LOVED the final episode.  Going for a walk in the old woodland with Charlie.  Buying a linen throw in Adairs which was hugely discounted.

Drudgery

I was so exhausted all day yesterday but when I looked back at my diary I started with the dentist and ended with the gynaecologist so it isn't really surprising.  I was losing my cool at bit at other people in my household not pulling their weight.  I managed to not make that a big deal and good humour was restored by watching Somebody Feel Phil in Mexico City.  I am not sure I will ever make it back to that magical city but I dearly hope so.

I went to bed at 8, read my book and was asleep by 9.30.  I woke up a few times to rain and cars with bright lights but I did feel like I had caught up on my good humour.

 

 

 

Nailed it

Despite a shocking night's sleep, my interview went well.  The interviewer was from HK and we swapped Lan Kwai Fong stories before we got started. Apparently other candidates got asked about the last 3 books they read and I was gutted not to get that question.  I'd be surprised if I didn't pass that one but still have the panel presentation and the dreaded group task to go.

I made these fritters for dinner but honestly the proportions were really off - I used only one egg and still had to add in a tablespoon of flour.  Good but not worth the effort, was my verdict.

I had another bad night's sleep as the cats would not come home and then we had a terrific thunder storm.  I had to get out of bed twice to let in sodden cats.

This morning I went to see the dental hygienist.  It was actually quite nice to lie there having my teeth cleaned.  It is still pouring with rain and I rather wish I was snugged up with this one rather than at the office.

 

Daylight robbery

Daylight saving just turns everything topsy turvy so I am not even sure which day this is being posted on.

Got up, walked the dog, drove to Sydney, roasted a chicken, tended the sick, ate some birthday cake, drove home, walked the dog, watched Emily in Paris (so, so bad). Realised the interview I thought was at 4pm is actually at noon.  Go to bed.

 

Funfetti

I'm not usually a fan of the lake walk but my friends were planning to do it and it was a good chance to have a catch up, walk Charlie 5km and hear a lot of gossip.  It was hot and I wished I had thought to wear a hat but we had a good time and I heard a lot of new stuff including some lavish real estate news that was all very interesting.

I wrote the final of 125 postcards that I have been composing to my team.  We reached a significant project milestone and normally we would be hosting a morning tea or some kind of pizza and drinks but with Covid we've had to get a lot more creative.  One of interns designed some postcards which we got printed up on Moo and I hand wrote a note to every one the team.  Of course, since personal addresses are protected information, an added complication has been getting each of the managers to agree to receive a package and forward them on with the correct addresses.  Composing the messages has taxed my creativity - it took me way back to writing school reports and finding different ways to say things but I have a major on "creative problem solving to prevent issues becoming roadblocks" and "always putting client needs first".  

I watched Emily in Paris while doing the ironing.  It reminds me of those Disney movies my kids used to love with every cliche about Paris you can think of and appalling acting and dialogue.  Still, it is picturesque for a task like ironing.

It's a long weekend here which is good and tomorrow we are making a quick trip to Sydney to see my step son who has had surgery and is about to have a birthday.  I've made a funfetti cake.  I plan to ice it there as the idea of carrying it 3 hours in the car and filling the car with sprinkles does not bear thinking about.

Freaky Friday

Today I bought a painting.  Well, I spoke to a nice lady and put down a deposit and am excited to have it in my hot little hands in a couple of months.  I've been thinking about using a small bonus for something memorable and this is it.

I am doing lots of preparation for some promotion boards which is like cramming for a tedious exam where you will forget every detail the day after "who is the latest appointee to the Board? name the four pillars of our strategy? what were revenues in the last quarter?"  I am also writing individual postcards to each of the 120 people on my team thanking them for their work as we reached a big milestone.  Normally, we'd be hosting pizza lunches or whatever but that is old work times.

In between this, I am drinking water, reading up a storm and welcoming Spring.

Qantas had a flight leaving Sydney, going up to Barrier Reef, flying across to Uluru and coming back to Sydney. It was about a 7 hour round trip and it sold out in 8 minutes.  I can't imagine when I will get on a plane again.