Tuesday, January 23, 2007
I refuse to be thwarted--so an update without pictures!
OK, since I can't seem to get the picture portion of this blog to work today, I will just WRITE without pictures, which I know is not as exciting, but at least I can feel in touch with the outside world (sort of). We don't have internet, TV, or radio right now, so I feel like we are in a little cocoon of ignorance. That will soon change!
My roommates, the plumbers, haven't been around lately, but they aren't done with their work yet, so every morning I anticipate their arrival and every morning I am disappointed when they don't show up because I just want them to finish painting or whatever they have to do, so that real life can resume.
Last week I had my second domestic frustration--the vacuum cleaner, sub-par broom, and broken washing machine. If you are American and you are reading this, be very appreciative of your industrial strength everything (toilets, washing machines, vacuum cleaners...you name it)! Last week I decided to clean the house with our new, totally ineffective vacuum cleaner, which I have since put in the "rubbish." That thing was worthless and wouldn't even suck plaster powder up off the floor, much less get plumber's dirt out of the carpet. At one point, when I turned the vacuum off, all of the dirt that I had attempted to suck up, came right back down the hose and landed in a pile at my feet. Trying to make up for what the vacuum lacked with the broom, ended up in more frustration, as the plumbers had saturated the broom with plaster powder and thus, my attempts at cleaning up were causing more of a mess. So, it took me about three hours to "clean" our 700 sq foot flat...and it was still grimey.
I have also been battling it out with our washing machine, which wasn't connecting right due to some issue with it's door. Basically I was supposed to push really hard on the door for up to 10 minutes until the connection happened and the washer would start. This was not really the way I wanted to spend large chunks of my time, so yesterday I broke out the toolbox, unscrewed the door handle, and, with pliers, fixed the bent spring that was causing the problem. I don't know how long our landlords had been pushing really hard on the door, but now, thanks to my philips head screwdriver abilities, the problem is fixed! (at least temporarily)
I also want to say that hanging clothes out on the line is not as easy as it looks. We finally had a sunny day (right after a majorly windy and stormy day), so I decided to hang the clothes out to dry (as opposed to putting them on the drying rack next to the heater...how archaic!). Of course, the wind was blowing, so the clothes weren't cooperating. Our sheets ended up with a little mud on them and I was glad to know that at least one of our neighbors was definitely gone, so hopefully not too many people witnessed my domestic failure in the back yard.
That said, I have been enjoying more than just cleaning house and doing laundry. Jim and I are slowly figuring out the bus system here, which is very efficient! WE took the bus to Portabello Market (which we both found to be overrated) on Saturday and then to Hampstead on Sunday to watch the Saints get beat by the Bears at Meg and Dan's house. This morning I ran to and in Hampstead Heath and then took the bus back. It opens up all kinds of doors to be able to take the bus!
I promise more interesting blogs WITH PICTURES soon. For now, let the count down to home internet begin. I will be glad never to set foot in this internet cafe again.
My roommates, the plumbers, haven't been around lately, but they aren't done with their work yet, so every morning I anticipate their arrival and every morning I am disappointed when they don't show up because I just want them to finish painting or whatever they have to do, so that real life can resume.
Last week I had my second domestic frustration--the vacuum cleaner, sub-par broom, and broken washing machine. If you are American and you are reading this, be very appreciative of your industrial strength everything (toilets, washing machines, vacuum cleaners...you name it)! Last week I decided to clean the house with our new, totally ineffective vacuum cleaner, which I have since put in the "rubbish." That thing was worthless and wouldn't even suck plaster powder up off the floor, much less get plumber's dirt out of the carpet. At one point, when I turned the vacuum off, all of the dirt that I had attempted to suck up, came right back down the hose and landed in a pile at my feet. Trying to make up for what the vacuum lacked with the broom, ended up in more frustration, as the plumbers had saturated the broom with plaster powder and thus, my attempts at cleaning up were causing more of a mess. So, it took me about three hours to "clean" our 700 sq foot flat...and it was still grimey.
I have also been battling it out with our washing machine, which wasn't connecting right due to some issue with it's door. Basically I was supposed to push really hard on the door for up to 10 minutes until the connection happened and the washer would start. This was not really the way I wanted to spend large chunks of my time, so yesterday I broke out the toolbox, unscrewed the door handle, and, with pliers, fixed the bent spring that was causing the problem. I don't know how long our landlords had been pushing really hard on the door, but now, thanks to my philips head screwdriver abilities, the problem is fixed! (at least temporarily)
I also want to say that hanging clothes out on the line is not as easy as it looks. We finally had a sunny day (right after a majorly windy and stormy day), so I decided to hang the clothes out to dry (as opposed to putting them on the drying rack next to the heater...how archaic!). Of course, the wind was blowing, so the clothes weren't cooperating. Our sheets ended up with a little mud on them and I was glad to know that at least one of our neighbors was definitely gone, so hopefully not too many people witnessed my domestic failure in the back yard.
That said, I have been enjoying more than just cleaning house and doing laundry. Jim and I are slowly figuring out the bus system here, which is very efficient! WE took the bus to Portabello Market (which we both found to be overrated) on Saturday and then to Hampstead on Sunday to watch the Saints get beat by the Bears at Meg and Dan's house. This morning I ran to and in Hampstead Heath and then took the bus back. It opens up all kinds of doors to be able to take the bus!
I promise more interesting blogs WITH PICTURES soon. For now, let the count down to home internet begin. I will be glad never to set foot in this internet cafe again.
A new hike...which I will have to detail later, due to computer nonsense.
Jim was very excited about our latest country walk, which we took on Sunday. We went out to the Chilterns and were, again, stunned by the beautiful scenery. It was the first pretty cold day that we have experienced since we moved here, so we bundled up. We also were much more prepared for the weather this time around, but, fortunately, it didn't rain. We were thrilled with our new waterproof hiking boots (mine arrived just days before our hike!) and our feet stayed warm and dry throughout the 11 mile walk.
I have a lot to say about this walk, but I'm having issues with the computer I'm using, so I think I'll wait to blog about it until we get our home internet hooked up--January 29!!!!!
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