Tick

She tricked me!

Well, the first few things of the list are ticked. The pussycat went for a check-up (she did NOT agree) and was found to be fine. The car went for a check-up the next day and was found to be fine. Several fluids had been changed, the brakes were checked, the oil filter was changed and the windscreen wiper was changed (it had been bugging me for the time I've had it, but never so much to get it changed before). All in all it took about an hour and now my car should be fine on my journey.

Yesterday I also got a text message from my landlord: it was paper and plastic collection today! Of course I didn't read it until I was due to go to bed, so I then had to find the big bags in which to stuff all the plastic I had saved up so far. But, I did get there and was finally able to go to... no, I wasn't able to go to bed, because I had taken the sheets off to be washed and hadn't remade it with clean sheets yet. I finally managed to get to bed in the end though. And it was still before midnight.

Brom's passport has to come along. As well as my own of course.

The 'emergency' box for the trip is filling up nicely. Most importantly of course are the wine gums and the toilet roll (!), but I also have a small stash of plasters, anti-septic wipes, a box of tissues, some heat pads (in case of a stiff shoulder/neck), two small trash bags and other necessaries. 

In the mean time school has started again and Norway is back to normal life. However, today is a split shift (in which I cleared the car of a lot of junk) and tomorrow I am off. So, not too bad a start. Next week will see me work for the first three days and then I am off on Thursday. I booked the ferry for that evening, so it gives me some time to get everything sorted that needs to be sorted. 

During our Scotland trip

I am really starting to look forward to the trip itself, seeing my family and friends and of course seeing how the books turned out. 

Preparing

What do you mean, I am not coming?

Usually when I go on holiday I pack my suitcase about a day before, sometimes (depending on the flight) even the day itself. But when I travel next week, I will not be travelling by plane. I will drive! And that needs a different preparation. For starters, I have to get the car serviced. Which will be a welcome surprise to it, since it hasn't happened so far! Then again, I have only had the car for two and a half years and more importantly: I don't do that much driving. Anyway, tomorrow the car will get a full service. Oil and water and checking of brakes and all that. 

The next thing to do is get puss serviced. Well, not really serviced, but she does need her shots, so later this afternoon (much against her will I am sure) she will be packed up and we see the vet. She has been going outside a lot lately (what with my extra free days and my sick days) and seems to be in good health, but yet again: a check-up is always clever.

It looks a bit different, but not much

The house needs to be serviced. Well, I say serviced, it would really be a good clear/clean. My desk still looks like a bomb exploded, even though the books are finished, several things need to be sorted and/or packed/packed away. I need to make sure that everything that needs to come along to the Netherlands, comes along. Like the photo (yep, the one that started my wall of memory), the mouse and the bamse mums for my sister (if anybody else wants: let me know now or forever hold your peace. Hold on, that was a different speech. I get confused sometimes). 

Some of these have been sold, so will not be coming along

Other than that I will be taken along the unsold mice (excluding the reserved ones of course), my medication(s), all the wires, cables and other contrapthingies I might need for the road and/or my stay. I have bought some winegums to keep me going whilst driving and according to my mother it's always wise to have a toilet roll with you, so that's coming as well. Plus my music of course. So far I have about two weeks' worth of sing-alongs, scream-alongs, dream-away-tos and some push-the-pedal-to-the-metals. Everything from Glenn Miller to Sesame Street and from Beethoven to Queen. 

I am telling you right now: I am NOT going to the vet!

Of course I still have just over a week before I leave and I am bound to have to do most of it on the day itself. However, everything I can do now is a plus. Fortunately there are only 4 more working days left. One this week and then three next week. I can't wait...

Brom buys a mouse

Coocoo

Mara has been so busy lately, it is just incredible. Although last week she was done with the busy and started on the not feeling well (yet again). So, she stayed home for a few days, mainly concerning herself with knitting. And you know what she knits right? Yes, Mice for Mama! 

This is Mara's Mama's Mama with some of her mousies
She gave them (amongst others) to the Red Cross to be given to sick people on holiday

Now, the title may be a bit misleading, because she doesn't actually knit the mice for her Mama (she has several already, stuffed in a bookcase). She knits the mice to sell and then half of the proceeds go to a charity that is dear to Mara's Mama's heart: the Stomach, Liver and Bowel Foundation in the Netherlands. And that reminds me: Mara's Mama was checked up a few weeks ago and they found:

NOTHING! Well, they found her stomach and her toes and her heart and her nose and all that, but they did not find any cancer. She had a really good doctor and a lot of POTP and POTL and POTF&F. So, she is now officially cleared, so yippee! 

Anyway, Mara has been knitting mousies lately as well and they will go up on her other blog: Mice for Mama and when she started on the latest one, I knew it was going to be a good one. No, a great one! Because... it's in the colours of the Dutch flag! And before you say, well, Great Britain and Australia and the United States and a lot of other countries have the same colours, I know. But they don't have orange! So, I have decided to get myself a mouse. To join us on our travels! Which are going to be soon as well...

I only borrowed his cape...

If you want your own mousey companion, why not click on the following link: Mice for Mama and see whether there is a mouse you would like to give a good home to. 

Photo on Sunday 2017-26

One person amongst you will recognise this particular mouse (it's S 018), but before this squeeky was actually finished. I did finish it though and now it (hopefully) lives the good life in Canada! 

Really done!

Yes, this time it's true. I am really done! I now knew what to do and even though there were still a few hiccups, I managed to get it done in about 3 hours. Could be a bit less. I've got 4 books each (father's and mother's sides) on the way and then 5 magazines from my father's side. I can't wait to see them, but I will have to, since I had them sent to my parents' instead of here. The chances of them not arriving in time for my journey to the land below the water are too big!

In other news: I will sleep well tonight...

Done!

Halfway through Sunday afternoon I was done with the second book. I then located the book I had printed last year (after our road trip through Eastern Europe) and then went on to the Blurb page. 

Oh yes, the files were the wrong size. How did I do that again? Half an hour later I had finally found out and had resized. Oh no, I hadn't. Try again. And again. Oh, bother, the front and back page should be in a different file. Start again. 

Finally, after about an hour of this, I had gotten to the next stage. Which proved to be an even bigger hurdle, since I really don't know what it's about! Something about enclosed font. I think. But my book was completely written in Candara. Nothing to do with Arial. Make sure everything is in Candara. Try again. Nope! 

In the end, with a head fit to bursting (FIGURATIVELY), I gave up and sent a 'help me in your simplest words' message to Blurb. An hour or so later I got the answer I needed and continued. But of course then the whole lay-out looked terrible. Instead of nice round photos, there were black borders.

More editing was needed and eventually (at 8pm), I gave up. Hopefully I will get it done today, because the books need to be ordered. 

Getting a book published is hard!

Photo on Sunday 2017-25

I tried, I really did. But every time she was in the smallest of the four and I would get my camera, she would jump out! So, no photo of Miss Oswin in a box. Just of boxes...

Three

Views like this were few and far between this summer

Yesterday was another day with the H and once again I tried the new pill. Again, no luck though. But I did notice that my shoulders felt awful and so did my neck. Whenever I shrugged it really hurt. So, once I got home I got hold of the heat pads, stuck one on my left shoulder and the other one across my neck and by 7pm, the H was gone! 

Today I woke up to a clear head. Don't worry though: as a bonus for being a good girl, it was absolutely tipping down outside! When I got in the car to drive to work, they even said on the radio that a main road had been closed due to flooding! As well as fallen down trees, flooded basements and other nasties! Fortunately half way through the day the rain cleared somewhat, but more is expected. As if our summer here in Norway hasn't been bad enough so far... Then again, it all makes for cheap electricity apparently. Not that that is much of a concern for me, since it's included in my rent!

Other than that, not much happened.  Three weeks to my holiday...

The first signs

As you know several weeks ago I went to see my gp about my headaches and got a load of medication and a headache diary to fill out. One pill I have to take every day and so far I only forgot once and I didn't take it once because I finished too late (and then started too early the next day). The first week or so I still had some residual aches and shoots from the cold, but after that it was going great. 

Then, two days ago, I had a slight achy thingy. But it left after an hour or so and I was fine. Then yesterday, I had a bit more of an achy head. Still, it was doable. This morning? I woke up with a headache. Only one way to go: take a pill. Well, take four pills really. Two of the ordinary painkillers, a new painkiller (Diclofenac if you're interested) and a stomach pill, thanks to the new pill not being good for my stomach. Four hours later, the process was repeated. 

So, did it work? Did it heck!! Not a chance! It's like they are giving me peppermints. It was a workable headache though, so no need to call in sick, but still. If you're given stronger medication, I would expect at least some sort of relief and there was none! WhatSoEver!

Of course I might have taken the wrong type pill, because it was the wrong type headache. Then again, if I wait until I've got a full-blown headache, the chances of it working are even less! Mind you, this was only the first time and it said to keep a diary, so that's what I do. Keeping a diary of when and how and how much and how long and all that... 

Then again, my last attack is over three weeks ago and I certainly know where that one came from: the cold! So, perhaps all is not lost just yet.

Office

As you know I work as a busdriver. But the last four days I spent sitting behind my computer doing a lot of searching, typing (ten fingers fortunately), constructing stories, checking, rereading, removing letters and words, rearranging etc etc. 

Apart from having something to show for it at the end (and the end is getting closer now), it is hard work. I cannot understand people who actually do it for a living: sitting behind a computer screen day in day out. I think I would go batty!

I did go out today though. Finally. I had only been out once or twice to see whether a package that was due last week had arrived (it hasn't), but today I needed to get to the shop. No bread, milk long overdue, no dinner left, no fruit. And how lovely it was to feel the sun on my head and the wind in my hair. 

Then I got back home and got stuck straight back in. And this afternoon was the afternoon of incredulity. When I checked my father's ancestors for pre-marriage pregnancies, I found two. Out of thirty or thereabouts. When I checked my mother's ancestors, I found a few more. Well, I found over twenty. Out of thirty or thereabouts! My jaw just kept dropping and dropping, until I was nearly in the basement. 

Ah well, tomorrow it's back to work. I am not completely finished with my mother's book yet, but it is looking good so far (57 pages) and I will be able to do some work in the evenings. Next week is my deadline (I always have an absolute deadline) and then it's back to normal life. 

I will give my eyes some rest now though, and watch some television and read a bit. An early night and back on the bus!