It seems like ages since I shared coffee with anyone. 1st April to be exact and so much has happened but don’t worry, you are safe to come in. I’m not going to bore you with everything that has been going on since we last shared a cuppa.
We have now been in our new place nearly three months. I am quite settled. Roger on the other hand is struggling with the smaller size. He feels there is nowhere to escape to and he hate living in one room. We do have more than one room but once he is downstairs he tends to stay there. At first he was at me to move but I have refused to budge for at least two years. I’m hoping by then he will have acclimatised and be quite happy to stay put. He decided then that we had to brighten it up so we set to painting the ceiling (which had been painted a beige colour identical to the walls) white and then painting the walls another shade of white. During this he fell off the ladder breaking his toe, multiple bruises and a huge black eye. Luckily all but his toe have recovered. We hadn’t finished the painting before Roger decided the floor had to go. This had to be done cheaply so it meant finding a flooring place selling a discontinued product, hiring a truck and picking it up ourselves and then laying it ourselves. We picked up over 780 kgs of planks and I have to say I was worried when I saw how far the ute sunk onto its axles. It took a lot of working out where we should start but once we got going it went down smoothly. Hopefully we have done it right and won’t regret it in the long term. We do however much prefer the richness of colour, and it is easier to see Muffin on it.
© irene waters 2017
© irene waters 2017
We are half way and I hope we will be close to finishing it by the weekend. I am looking forward to getting my house back again. At the moment there are skirting boards sitting on the kitchen bench tops and the furniture is all over the place. At least the hardest part, under the fish tank has been done and we moved the tank here and there without springing any leaks. yeah!
Muffin and I continue dog training. Sadly on Wednesday night we had to farewell one of the dogs in my class Buff. He was a massive dog and not quite a pussy cat. His owner used to have a few beers before coming. She said it helped her relax and if she was chilled out then Buff followed suit. Most of us have been in the position of losing a beloved friend and our hearts went out to her and shared her grief. RIP Buff.
© irene waters 2017
© irene waters 2017
If we were having coffee I’d also tell you about the trip I had to Sydney with my Mum, but as I have already written a post about that I shall just direct you there instead and show you the photo of Mum and me accepting the award on behalf of my brother. A very proud moment and one that we will both treasure.
© irene waters 2017
I am currently reading Before the Fall by Noah Hawley which I will review when I have finished it. I am enjoying it however. I haven’t had time to go to the cinema so I think that is all from me this week.
Now it is your turn. How was your week? Has your weather been warmer/colder, wetter/drier. Have you read any good books or seen any good films? Thank you for dropping in for coffee and thank you to Nerd in the Brain for hosting our weekend coffee. Other places to drop in for coffee can be found here. Hope to see you next week.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
So nice to once again have had coffee with you this morning.
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Thanks Ann. Good to be back sharing coffee. Hope your week is going well.
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I still find it nearly unbelievable that you might move again in two years. We’ve lived in our house for over thirty years and I have no desire to move ever again. The stress of moving leaves me in tatters. But you and Roger have lots of energy for tackling new projects.
Our last weeks have been boring but consumed with trying to fix my very old car and get it to pass the California smog reduction requirements. One several-hundreds-of-dollars repair led to another and another until we’ve spent a sizable portion that could have gone toward a down payment on another car. Ugh!
I just finished reading The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See, and liked it tremendously. She did a tremendous amount of research before writing this book.
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My energy levels are on the downhill spiral (or perhaps my mental energy levels are) and I, like you, have no desire to move again. I’m hoping in a year all thought of moving will have faded from Roger’s thinking.
Cars are such a drain when they get to the age that you start spending money. I know what you mean – one repair leads to something else going and the cost becomes astronomical. Hope you have many months before the next repair.
That is a book I haven’t heard of but it sounds like it should go on my TBR list.
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My all time favorite Lisa See book and one of my all time favorite books from any author remains Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Few books approach the depth relationships between people and how they will affect all kinds of pretense to protect a friendship even when it looks self-serving – a remarkable feat for all the little known history included in the story. But Hummingbird is pretty good.
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I’ve changed the first I’ll try to Snow flower. Will let you know when read how I found it.
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I can understand not wanting to move for two years. One time we move about 5times we carried 5 fish boxes around and all my plants during that timr. I am happy we are settled. The floor is lovely. It is hard to loose a friend. Condolences to the owner.
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I’m glad you are settled Betty. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I am also. Hope you are having a good week.
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I loved this…well not about Roger breaking his toe!!!
Thank you for sharing…
Cheers Jan 🤗
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Hi Jan. Glad you enjoyed my last few weeks. Hope you are having a good week yourself. 😀
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The floors are looking great! So sorry to hear about Buff 😔
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Thanks. We are very happy with how the floor is turning out. And thanks for giving some thought to Buff. Its a big loss of a family member. Have a good week.
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You are right about the richness of the color on the floors…nice! I’m glad you are feeling more settled, and I’m sure Roger will accept it eventually. You are so busy! I admire how you just get into things, and keep going!
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I am looking forward to sitting back a bit but whilst Roger is feeling a little unhappy it is good to have projects. I’m sure he will get used to it in time. Thanks for dropping in for coffee.
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The new floor is lovely. We laid our kitchen floor and it made such a big difference. Glad you husband didn’t have any worse injuries. House repairs can be dangerous! Just finished reading “Before the Fall.” I really enjoyed it and am curious to read your review. Have a great week!
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It’s a good feeling isn’t it to see the improvement. I’ll probably review it next Monday. Have a good week also.
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Thanks for the coffee and conversation, Irene! If I were there, I’d bring over cage since May 21 is my birthday. I’d commiserate with Roger on enclosed space having nearly gone insane in 171 square feet of space. You are doing the right thing to make is brighter and better. We now have a bigger RV with everything I need — bed, toilet and desk. Oh, and a coffee maker, of course! How exciting for you and your mum to accept an award on behalf of your brother. I’m sorry for the community loss of Buff.
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Happy birthday Charli. I know it is a milestone birthday and having passed it myself several moons ago I can tell you that the next decade isn’t something to fear. Hope you had a happy day. I know you know how Roger feels and although your space is much smaller than his I think the two of you would empathise with each other. Projects to make it his I hope will help.
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Thank you, Irene! I do hope the space becomes more to Roger’s liking!
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