Something new every day

 

It is very difficult to find bedding that is: (a)100% cotton; (b)any colour other than white. Why? Who knows.

Today I miraculously found coloured 100% Egyptian cotton sheets and pillowcases. I couldn't tell how many cases were in the package so I asked the clerk. Apparently here an "Oxford" is one pillowcase and a "Housewife" is two (and costs a pound less!). Go figure!!

Funny Kitty Story

You gotta check this out!

news.yahoo.com/s/afp/japantourismanimalcatoffbeat

Hockey

Who says England knows nothing of hockey? We're watching Detroit v. Pittsburgh right now. Yes, it's 3:30am, but it's on!

Some Updates

This boiler thing has really got me worked up. But, you will be thrilled to find out that I have FINALLY fixed it. The water pressure is still terrible, but the hot water is a go! Maybe I can get a job as a boiler technician!

On a sadder note, something has happened to my kitty friend, Ginger. I'm hoping he's either on vacation or has found a new hangout, but I haven't seen him in almost two weeks.

Jay got back from Korea and had a very successful trip. It sure is great to have him back. It's a long weekend here and a bunch of us are going to Lemurland! I'll promise to take lots of photos. I've been a little slack in that area lately, but I'll do better.

I've also been slack in my Wii play - I did another fitness test and I've gone up by 8 years.

I also recommend "Happy-Go-Lucky" - Mike Leigh's new movie. Very upbeat without being too sappy.

Alrighty then - ta ta for now!

Perhaps

My cat, Pony, died. I have his ashes here with me in England. I like to joke, "he's the first cat I brought over". Tonight I finally really mourned him and cried. No, I wept for the loss of him, for the beauty of him, and for the absence of him. How can you ever replace your first kitty love?

A Neat Thing I Discovered Today

Remember my "itsy bitsy spider"? Well, another spider showed up today and I was showing him the door when I accidentally flipped him over. He curled up and went still, like a caterpillar. Made it much easier to put him back outside!

Appliances

There are things we take for granted in Canada. Hot water and water pressure have be at the top of my list. Our tub takes more than an hour to fill and a shower is out of the question. Our flat has a small boiler that heats the radiators and the hot water. I read the manual several times - I was endeavoring to turn off the central heating as it's quite warm here now and it seemed like an enormous waste of energy.

I thought I had achieved success, but actually made things worse - the hot water would only stay on for a few minutes. I don't think the boiler was actually firing at all! So I re-read the manual and peered at the boiler like Mole from "Wind in the Willows" incessantly. I finally ascertained that it wasn't pressurized properly. I called the appliance company and they walked me through the procedure to re-pressurize it. Ridiculously simple, really! But, there still isn't a lot of hot water. I feel like I'm camping. I hate camping.

The knob on the dishwasher broke. I'm still trying to figure that one out. I'm not naturally handy, but I'm learning...