Monday 30 November 2015

Shiver

And no, I didn´t make my bed this morning!
It has been a stormy night around here. Coming in from the North, which is where my bedroom is located. Great. The temperature in my room was a balmy 6 degrees above zero, so I decided it might be a good idea to put an extra (cotton) blanket on my bed. On top of the (cotton) one that is already there and on top of the winter duvet.

I went to bed, but after only a few minutes I realised: I was shivering. So, I got up again, found another (woollen this time) blanket and put it on. That was the ticket. 

Until I realised my feet weren´t getting warm at all. So, up it was again and this time I went in search of socks. I put them on shiveringly and then went to bed again. Toasty warm by now I fell asleep. 

Only to be dreaming of a house where the snow came in through the roof! Which despite the many faults this house has, it doesn´t have this one.


Sunday 29 November 2015

Photo on Sunday 2015-38

No inspiration and not that many photos to choose from. So, a photo of the MBC in the WWU will have to do.

Enjoy your Sunday (and I hope it´s a little less blustery where you live).

Friday 27 November 2015

The evil-doer (or culprit if you want me to speak proper)

Yummy fresh mozzarella made from water buffalo milk
I think I can safely say that I have had my fair share of headaches over the years. I can actually remember from when I was quite young that I had a headache. I would come down late at night and my mother would be waiting for me with a glass of water and some children´s aspirin. 

Over the years the amount of headaches fluctuated. While in France and Italy I can´t remember many, but England was another story altogether. I later realised of course that the amount of coffee I was drinking was not good. I would drink extra strong coffee and then a few days later I would have a splitting headache. 

I cut out coffee from my diet, but still the headaches continued. I found out that too much chocolate was not good. So, I cut down on that as well, only occasionally falling off the wagon. But, as I have said before: nearly anything could/can give me a headache. Too much wind and sun combined? Tick. Getting/having my period? Tick. Not having a cold, but being blocked up anyway? Tick. 

Peccorino cheese made from sheep´s milk
Then I got operated on and the main thing of getting/having my period was gone from my life. And lo and behold: no headaches for about a month. And I had had chocolate! But during the summer I had some pretty bad ones, even having to call in sick for two days. So, what was the problem?

Well, I think I have finally figured it out. Pizza! Not necessarily the pizza itself, but one of its toppings. The cheese. I started cutting out cheese some time in August, but would on occasion still get headaches. I realised, it must be the cheese on the pizza. Which means, that from now on I will only make my own pizzas and I will not have cheese on it. 

It is a shame, but if not having any more cheese means I can finally get rid of my headaches... 

Wednesday 25 November 2015

Knit and purl

As you know I like to knit. And when I was at my sister´s over a year and a half ago (high time to go again, I know), she asked me to knit something for her. Something she had started, but it hurt so much, she could only do one row and then had to take a long rest to get rid of the pain. Which meant that knitting a big chunky cardigan would take forever and a day. I promised her I would try. 

Fast forward a year and a half and I finally got started. It took a while to figure out what was what, since she had some pieces that seemed not to belong anywhere. When I did get knitting it did not get that much easier. She had followed the pattern, but of course she had altered it somewhat to fit her likes. Which meant I had to figure out what exactly she had done!

Fast forward another few weeks and I was well on my way. Until I realised I had done something wrong and had to unravel the whole thing again and start anew. *Sigh* I am very pleased to say though that as of today (well, yesterday really, when I wrote this post), I have finished the main part of the cardigan. Now the only thing left to do are the sleeves and the button border. And then of course I have to put it all together so it can actually be worn. It´s only a few more weeks until I am going to see her, so I have my work cut out!!

PS: don´t forget the give-aways, you still have time to enter if you have not done so already. And we don´t mind where you live. We are equal opportunity bloggers here!! Just go back a few posts and you will find a give-away from me and one from Brom.

Tuesday 24 November 2015

Miss Oswin contemplates

Miaow

It has been waaaay too long since I last got the chance to write. But here I am again, the most beautiful cat in the wwu!

Perhaps you already know, but Mara can be very sneaky with the flashy thingy and the other day she did just that: sneak up on me and take a photo. Well, she was at the bottom of the stairs and I was in the bookcase at the top, but you get my meaning don´t you?

When she took the photo I was contemplating life. Like how cold it was outside (it has become a bit warmer again), like how I like cuddles from Mara, like how many mice I can catch. Or was I just contemplating the curtains and how much they hinder the view from the bookcase...

Oh, Brom told me to tell you to head on over to his desktop calendar give-away, which I think is a bit of a nerve, since the silly orange teddy never even included a photo of the most beautiful cat in the wwu. But he says he is sorry about that and if he gets the chance to make another one next year, he will put me in as well. It will have to do I guess, even though it is a pretty lame excuse! Anyway, head on over and leave a comment. And no, Brom doesn´t mind about where you live, the winner will get the calendar sent over anyway. 

Oh, Brom told me that Mara is having a give-away as well! Again without any photos of yours truly, but with a photo of herself, which is a first Brom says. Want to win one? Leave a message.

Monday 23 November 2015

Snow

The tires in their bags. Good thing I have a small car with small tires!
In Norway it is usually a good idea to change your tires from summer to winter and back. The thing was though: it had been quite warm up until last week and I kept on forgetting about those round things at the bottom of my car. But on Saturday I decided I would get it done, because cold weather was forecast. 

So, after hauling all the tires from my basement to my car, I made my way to the tire-center. I had to wait about half an hour, but then it was my turn. He was finished putting the tires on in less than 10 minutes, so I was happy. And the cost was great as well. 

The best thing about it though? I had my spiked tires on right before the snow started. Don´t go thinking it was a 10 centimeter load, it wasn´t anything of the sort. But it was white and came from the sky and it was snow. Because it is quite cold at the moment, the snow is still visible and yes, that was the amount we got!

As to the spiked tires. I don´t really need spiked tires where I live. It mostly rains during the winter and I only go as far as work and back with my car. But they came with the car when I bought it and they were still good for at least two winters (this being the second). 

By the way, did you manage to have a look at my give-away? And what about Brom´s give-away? Why not head on over and enter your comment at either or both of those posts and have a chance of winning one of the desk-top calendars!

Sunday 22 November 2015

Photo on Sunday 2015-37

We had our annual Christmas dinner last night. We had one last week and we had one last night, to give as many people as possible the chance to come. Last week I was a guest, this time I had to work. And I worked that dishwasher! I got my hands dirty and wet over and over again, but after a few hours most of the work was done. The party wasn´t over yet though!

Oh no, the party went on until the wee hour (ie 1am) and it wasn´t until well after 3am that I finally got through my own front door. It was a good night though. Got some flowers in recognition of my good work and got lots of photos as well (it was a shared job: dishwasher and photographer). 

Today however? Watching strictly and the Doctor and possibly a Christmas film. Oh, and knit!

PS: still want to have a chance at winning a desk top calendar? Head on over to Brom or to me to have a chance!

Saturday 21 November 2015

Brom's give-away

Coocoo

Perhaps you know about Mara's calendars? The one she makes at the end of each year and shows the best photos of that year? Well, this year she said that I was allowed to make a desk top calendar as well! I was so excited. I had to pick and choose from all my favourites and then decide in which order they were going to be. 

When I was finished doing all that, Mara said I could give away 2 calendars. Isn't that absolutely beartastic? So, if you want to win one of those calendars with me and a dog and a monster and bears and birds and flowers, just leave a comment! That is all you have to do!!

So, leave a comment before December 5th, 12 noon, Central European Time and you are in with a chance of winning one of two calendars. 

Good luck to all...

Friday 20 November 2015

Mara's give-away

Well, it's time for my annual desk top calendar. And this year it actually features a photo of yours truly on the cover. Never thought that would happen, but there you go. 

I am giving away 2 of them this year. If you want to have a shot at winning one of them, just leave me a comment on this post. No need for anything else! You will have until December 5th, 12 noon, Central European Time. 

Good luck everybody!!

Thursday 19 November 2015

Spaghetti

Now, if you look closely at my plate of home cooked spaghetti, you can see that I don´t like the long spaghetti. I will break it in half before cooking and then I will cut it up even more before eating. The taste stays the same, but it will be much easier to eat: no long spaghetti strands that you try to slurp up all the while leaving a large trail of tomato sauce all over your outfit. Instead I have a forkful of spaghetti AND meatsauce every time.

PS: as to the home cooked part, I cooked the pasta myself as well as the ground beef. The tomato sauce did come however in a glass jar, all ready and raring to go!!

Wednesday 18 November 2015

The dress

Well, here´s how I looked from the front last Saturday. I don´t particularly like this photo, because a. I am not smiling and b. my hands. But, it´s the only one showing off the dress in a slightly better way.

Also note the ´jewellery´ I am sporting in my ears!!

Monday 16 November 2015

Photo on Sunday on Monday 2015-36

If I can´t see Strictly, I have to create it myself! Here we´re doing a... ehm... well... ehm... dance!

Saturday 14 November 2015

Oops

Now, I was planning on writing every day in November. Or at least try to do so. And it went belly-up after only a week! What´s to become of me? Anyway, it´s not as if there was so much new happening. Although my not so nice year so far, has become a little less nice still. More about that when it is resolved, let me just say that some people are not as nice as they seem.

My new computer is working a treat. Apart from when I am googling and I get so much rubbish ads that I am quite peeved off at Google for allowing that. Fortunately I have been able to find what I have been looking every time, but to sift through the amount of ads that have nothing to do whatsoever with what I am looking for is annoying to say the least. 

My genealogy took a little step back. Not because I am not working on it anymore, I am, but because I had to delete more than ten generations. I had had my doubts as to whether one person was an ancestor, but thought that hey, it happened that men had children while they were very young as well. And then I started the research and found that he was 10. Which meant that his grandfather was no ancestor. Which in turn meant I lost a really nice story from my book. I have however found several others in the mean time. One about a woman who became a maid while well into her seventies and one who wasn´t born where I thought he was. 

A little something I made for my sister several years ago.
If you turn her upside down, it´s the dirty Cinderella.
As for the knitting? I promised myself to finish at least the other front half this past week and ... I haven´t. Sorry sis. But, I will get going today, as soon as I can tear myself away from this screen. Oh, and have put the laundry in the machine, taken a shower and done the dishes. 

Tonight is our annual Christmas dinner from work. It is set to become another great evening, even if I have to miss Strictly and the Doctor (I will record to watch when I get back). Next week is the second evening and I will go again, as a washing up elf. Now, where were my elf shoes??

Okay, time for shower, dishes and laundry. And then the knitting of course. After all, I only have a few more weeks to finish the whole thing. 

Thursday 5 November 2015

Oh cripes

Well, I did it. I got myself a brand new computer. A snazzy screen, a new keyboard that kept me looking for about a day for the / sign and a lot more besides. However, to save some money, I decided I would do without the service part and set it all up myself. I am after all digilliterate (meaning I haven´t got a clue about computers), but not stupid. I hope.

So far, so good. I got the thing connected. I managed to hook it up to the internet and even managed to transfer some files (taking it slow there, mainly because the other computer is slow). But, and this is a big but, there is something very annoying with this new computer and I don´t know how to get rid of the very annoying thing. 

Whenever I click on something, a site I don´t want pops up. And when I read my blog just now, several words were in capital letters and would lead me to other sites again. 

HELP!! How do I get rid of that, because it is extremely annoying!! The other thing I still have to figure out: all the interpunction thingies. They are not where they are supposed to be. Now, that might have something to do with the fact that I changed the setting of the keyboard to Dutch, but even then they are not where they are supposed to be. 

However, other than that I am quite pleased with my new computer. Even if it does take up some room on my dining table. It´s a good thing I never eat at the table!

Update: I think I found out about all the unwanted ads. Now about those #$"%&§

Tuesday 3 November 2015

Oohing and aahing

For a while now I have been very annoyed with my laptop. It is slow and lately I have had some trouble getting online. I have had this thing for about five/six years now and a lot has been put on. I have tried to clean it on occasion, but I am quite digilliterate. 

The thing that has annoyed me most recently however is office. I have an older version on my laptop and it just doesn't have all the features I would love to have. Especially as I am now writing a book. Yes, the book about my ancestors is taking shape as I write. 30 unedited or 52 edited pages already and getting bigger by the day. And I would love to have a few more options regarding lay-out and all sorts of other things. 

I could of course have gone for an update of my current office program, but my computer is getting fuller by the day as it is. So, the only option (I feel) is getting a new computer. Which means that I have to go shop for one. In the past I would just head over to my local Turk, who knew me and what I used my computer for. He then suggested and I always accepted. 

Unfortunately there is no local Turk here, so I went to an ordinary shop. Where I told them what I wanted and asked how much it would cost. It's not going to be cheap. But the guy who was helping me, told me that in that price everything would be included: the computer itself, the screen, keyboard, unlimited office, service for a year (they will do all the transferring from one to the other) and the safety. 

Well, after an hour yesterday in which it took me ages to copy one paragraph, I have decided to go for it. I will get myself a new computer. As a very early Christmas present. Now, where is that credit card?

PS: no, I won't be getting an apple. They were even more frightfully expensive!

Monday 2 November 2015

Miss Oswin explains...

Miaow

Mara wanted to post a photo of me yesterday. Something I was very happy with, since I know that everybody loves to see photos of the most beautiful cat in the www. But, you didn't get that chance, because the interweb didn't want to do it. In the end Mara closed down the interweb and got her knitting out. And I wasn't even allowed to play with it...

But, today Mara tried again to put the photo on the interweb and I am crossing all four paws. It is not the best photo Mara ever took, but she said she did it through the kitchen window. Excuses excuses! 

Anyway, the photo shows me while I am catching a mouse. I love catching mice and am really good at it, but this time it was very difficult: the grass was a bit too high. I will catch it next time though...