Happy, Happy Days

I was away last week, on holiday with DH and bear. I don't like to let people know that the house will be empty, so I didn't warn that I'd be away and not posting. But here's a quick overview and I'll start catching up with friendly blogs and get back into the rhythm in no time. 

We didn't go far, it was just in the Yorkshire Dales, only around an hour's drive, but nicely in the country, quiet, and a chance for a little bit of calm together. It was a self catering AirBnB cottage, and it seemed perfect. I mean, it had a woodburning stove and a reading/knitting nook.

And you had to cross a bridge to get to the front door.

I was deeply grateful for the woodburning stove, as the boiler stopped working and we didn't have hot water or heating apart from that for the first few days. It can't be blamed on the host, or even on the repair man. I listened to him on one of the mornings when he turned up with a different part and worked with the equally baffled helpline operator to get things going. 

Bear enjoyed a chance to learn to light fires, but after DH took over, the stove had two levels - out or blast furnace. The host was wonderfully generous with firewood and kindling, and we took shameless advantage. I shivered or scorched, but I did enjoy watching the fire and it was generally relaxing. 

Catering was a tiny problem. If we needed to, we could have driven into a local town for food, but I'd organised a Tesco delivery for the start of the stay and there were seventeen substitutions. Most of them made more or less sense, but it was tricky trying to recreate a rough meal plan. There was a (very small) village shop, and we were never going to starve, but seventeen substitutions! I'd never seen anything like that ever!

The kitchen was equipped. The trouble with self catering kitchens is that they're not like your kitchen at home. If I'm going to heat a can of soup at home, I know which jug is good in the microwave, which bowls are a good fit, and I have a favourite spoon. A strange kitchen slows you down by about half a step, not to mention using a strange cooker. 

Our cooker is accidentally quite good and expensive. We got an insane deal on an electric cooker with an induction hob which, after much patient service, burst into flames. The insurance couldn't replace with the equivalent because it was no longer sold so we got an awesome upgrade. The AirBnB's cooker wasn't the same. It was an electric cooker with an induction hob, but the oven ran enthusiastically hot and the hob limped along very slowly. It was one of those where it was a good cooker if you were used to it. 

The house was nicely decorated, and it was clean, but it wasn't clean clean. Still, it made me feel a little better about my own housewifery skills or lack thereof, so I'm not calling that a fail. And they had a bathroom smaller than mine! 

The picture, past the reading room, is of the main house bathroom. It's about square with a walk in shower that runs off the boiler so wasn't available at the start. It's tiny. I think that if I was going to go to the trouble of installing a bathroom, I'd use the whole room and go all out, but who knows? That may have been an important study at one time. The bedrooms were lovely. 

And on the way home, the satnav decided to shred our nerves by taking an unexpected shortcut over the moors on single track roads. DH was driving, and he's a much better and more experienced driver than me, but I'm more comfortable with those sorts of roads and I was so glad that I wasn't in the hot seat. It was all high stone walls and blind corners, and we had no idea what was going on. 

I could probably find more to grumble about but the house was obviously a gothic horror story waiting to happen, and while I almost finished the back of a chunky sweater, I let my mind drift. There were dozens of doors that were not only in odd places, but locked and bolted. This one in my room apparently leads to the house next door.

There was a dark painting on the landing, which ought to have had secrets woven into its story.

And there was a memorial stone in the small garden. 

I took this pic at the last minute, as whenever I went out there, I forgot my phone. But how can you resist a cottage with a memorial stone in the garden?

DH wants to go back. Bear is uncommitted. I'm looking at perhaps staying home. 

Hugs and good health to all. 

In Haste

Yarn has happened.

The second pic doesn't do it justice.

Lavender has been planted through weed membrane that bear laid. 

And I've finally got around to publishing An Apprenticeship of Ghosts.

Hugs and good health to all. 

Yarn May Have Happened

My hip has been playing up over the long weekend and I took some co-codamol. It's an over the counter painkiller that actually works on me, but I'm sensitive to the codeine side of it. As it was, well, I was as high as the proverbial kite, I was smacked off my wotsits, I was unfit to operate heavy machinery. What is worse, I was without adult supervision and with access to eBay, who is my friend, but the sort of friend that's a bad influence. I'll share the yarn I ordered when it turns up.

In the spirit of using up as much yarn as possible before the next instalment arrives, I dug out a sweater that I started ages ago and finished the back. 

The pic looks blurry, but I think that's just the way the colour works. Regardless of anything incoming, it's the first day of autumn. I've always counted from 21st September, but it's feeling autumnal here, and my existing sweaters are barely hanging together. Even where there aren't many holes, the threads are bare. I could go out and shop, but it seems crazy to do that when I've got yarn and knitting needles at my disposal. The yarn in this sweater doesn't feel particularly snuggly, but it will be fine over a soft t-shirt. 

We went and got five more sacks of gravel today. Bear didn't finish the job, and has one more sack to add - those sacks are heavy! Coming home, I was grumbling that the car was running a bit sluggish, then realised that there were 100kg of gravel in the boot, and the poor car was entitled to take it a little slower.

Writing stuff - The latest instalment of The Guest is on the Wordpress blog here and on Blogger here. 

Hugs and good health to all. 

Drat

I missed posting yesterday, because my brother came around, bearing gifts like chocolate covered gooseberries. My brother, bear and I, were talking until ridiculously late and I didn't post. 

And now I'm nodding off over my keyboard, so I'll be back tomorrow hopefully with something useful. But yesterday bear tipped the gravel into the hole, which was something of an anticlimax. We had four bags. It seemed a lot, but bear thinks that we need around five more. 

To be honest, he could have left some soil in, which would have meant less gravel, but digging it out reduces the chances of weeds fighting through the membrane. They're likely to be a problem in the edges as it is. 

We could get the gravel delivered, but it's less than two miles, on an easy run, the bags would come to £20.50, and the delivery charge is £5. I can't bring myself to pay it, but I couldn't pick it up today as I was having too many issues with cramp. 

Hugs and good health to all. 

Busier than Usual

I forgot all about posting yesterday. Most of the day was taken up with the very nice man who came to replace our broken CCTV cameras. I didn't want to mention that they were broken until they were fixed, just in case. The new ones are awesome and now I have no excuse for missing pics of the garden, as I can take screenshots.

Bear is working really hard, and I'm very proud of him. Today he came with me to the garage where they checked the tyres. The tyre pressure light had come on - again, and I was worried about yet another slow leak. As it was, a couple of tyres had high/low pressure, which they fixed for free. The that the suspension may be on the way out, and they suggested a wellness check for the car. I've not done many miles since the service in June, but I'm trying to coax the car along a little longer before she's replaced. 

Bear was with me as the garage is next to Wickes, which for those outside the UK is a big store for DIY and home improvement - and garden stuff. The current plan is to put down weed suppressing membrane in the centre and fill the dip with gravel. Bear very kindly hauled the gravel out of Wickes for me. I didn't get pics of the gravel, but I'm sure that I'll be able to show it soon. That is, after bear has lugged it into the garden. 

Writing stuff - I've done a post on Blogger, copied to Wordpress and Substack, about ongoing writing plans. I'll keep everyone updated.

I'm looking forward to after the end of November when it's just one blog. I'll always be posting news on Substack, because that's my newsletter, and it's an easy and cheap way to get notified. 

Hugs and good health to all.

Where Did the Day Go?

I'm just dashing through because I want to keep posting here about non-writing stuff. I've not really had time to read up on the blogs as there's a workman coming round tomorrow and I need to get stuff cleared. Bear was supposed to help, but didn't, so I may have to grumble a little at him. Mind you, he helped bring in the shopping of the delivery...

...except I'd messed up the delivery so we got three packs of the water he likes, two bags of the salad DH likes, and one large bottle of rum (which actually I quite like) which was added to take the total up to the delivery minimum to hold the slot, and nothing else besides. I forgot to update it. When it comes to deliveries, I usually book them well ahead and then tweak it nearer time. Though it doesn't match the order years and years ago when father was here. There was a great deal on Famous Grouse, his favourite tipple, but a maximum of three bottles per order which I'd filled with the previous order. This meant that the order the next day was solely three bottles of whiskey and a bag of cat litter, and the driver judged us.

And bear has done something interesting with his wrist, which dragging in the packs of water didn't help. I still may grumble lightly. I did a little myself, and I ought to get up at the crack of dawn and do more.

A lot was just clearing the various pots. 

And I've been caught up in a load of writing stuff. Anyway I hope to have something more sensible to talk about tomorrow. 

Writing stuff - The next instalment of The Guest is here on Blogger and here on Wordpress. 

If anyone would like a review copy of An Inexpensive Ring please let me know. If you leave a comment on the Wordpress blog with contact details, I won't publish them and I'll get in touch. The blurb reads:

An Inexpensive Ring is a light-hearted short story featuring mischievous kittens, an imminent visit from a mother-in-law, complications with an inexpensive ring, and a choice that could only go one way.

A quick read to make you smile.

It's a free read in the hope that you'll leave an honest review (and if you don't enjoy it, then the hope is that you'll be honest, but also tactful). 

Hugs and good health to all. 

Maybe Not Standing Still

It's been a strange sort of day. My back is giving me fits, so I've not done much physical stuff. I took in a delivery and it nearly finished me off. Bear would normally help, but he got a call to meet up with friends. I'm not going to stop him. Even in these days of social media and smart phones with group chats, it's hard to keep up friendships over distances. The invitation took bear a little by surprise, but I may find out more about what he got up to when I see him - apparently some time tomorrow. 

This meant that nothing further got done in the garden, but I'll have a go tomorrow. Bear may or may not be in a state to help when he gets in. I have no idea what he'll be doing, but he's an adult and a sensible one, so I'll let him get on with things. 

Writing stuff - I feel like I've been working hard with the writing stuff, but I don't feel that I have much to show for it. I've been dotting between tasks and one thing that caught my erratic attention was transferring some of the files from my laptop to my PC. There are all sorts of goodies that I'd forgotten, and now my 'to-write' pile is even bigger!

While I was rummaging, I found a story that I must have written around ten years ago. I tried to submit it, but the story was rejected, and I sort of forgot about it as it was a short story that had nothing spooky or weird about it, just a sweet little tale. There's not much to it, and it's never been on any of my blogs, and I don't want to spend time looking for a place to send it. I remembered that people were posting extremely short pieces on Amazon, so even though this is just shy of 2400 words, I published it. 

I didn't go all fancy about it. I got the cover from Canva and had a couple of read throughs rather than a rigorous edit, but here it is, An Inexpensive Ring.

I put it at the cheapest price possible and on Kindle Unlimited, because I can't bring myself to price things high for a short story. If I find more like that, I'll put them up and see how it goes. As you can see, I've used the Fireside pen name for this. It seems unfair to publish it as Lyssa Medana and have readers expecting werewolves and magic and instead getting a sweet story with a couple of mischievous kittens and the threat of a mother-in-law's visit. 

Hugs and good health to all.