Duvets, tea, gifts, fud and chrimbly cloth - anything else?

Jobs list lifted out of my note book this morning

Willow bedding

Willow is a rather 'wiffy' dog. She is definitely from working stock with her coat oiling up instantly to give her a decent (stinky) water proofing for running around on the hills rounding up sheep. So, she gets fairly regular showers (jokingly known as a 'shampoo and set' in our household) and her bedding hurled into the washing machine. Over the last eight months and with various holistic / homeopathic / dietary sensitive trials, regular flea treatments and baths, her coat is now a gorgeous deep red without patches of missing hair and chewed raw skin and paws. She does smell less 'doggy' but I can see that her skin, her nervous self chewing and scratching as well as her working collie genes will be a constant for the rest of her life.

Willow bedding on the line - smelling a whole lot sweeter

Move tea/coffee et al

We are having work done on the kitchen roof. We have two rather miss matched but friendly builders bumbling in and on the house. An odd dynamic - a young boss (his first company) with very little knowledge but keen to help and get on and 'do' and a middle aged builder with the knowledge and a very kind and genial nature guiding him along. Sounds good until you add in - both have ailments of one sort or another - the kinds you could sort out if you made the effort - they both sing or whistle, different tuneless tunes at the same time. Then complain to the other about their inability to be musical.  Then there is the nicknames they give each other. None rude or insulting - just rather ..... inappropriate? (Baby cakes any one??) and my list - re tea/coffee? well, if any one wants a brew, I'll be making it in the lounge.

Wrap pressies

We had two planned events for September - one, set in stone, is a birthday bash this weekend. The other is the aforementioned kitchen roof work. Initially the two events were a happy three weeks apart. Unfortunately due to some (many) issues with the roofers - they have slid into one and the pressure is on - the builders are very aware they need to be done and dusted and out of my kitchen and my hair so I can clean away the dust, tidy the house, cook and prep for Saturday. 

Dog-fud

In the back of the car is 25 kg of salmon and potato dog food - need to get it out. But I hear you ask why call it dog-fud. 

Years ago - pre kids - Himself and I were listening to a Scottish musician being interviewed one late night and he was asked a general 'what do you get up to when you are not doing music' and he liltingly chatted on about his dog then said 'aye I mus rememberrr to buy dog fud' and the English presenter asked what was fud? To which the singer replied - Och you English would call it foooooooood - extending the ooooo sound in the most deliciously Scottish way. So - dog fud it has been since then.

A rather over excited dog who thinks this WHOLE BAG is for the eating of NOW!

Chrimbly cloth

Whilst being 'house bound' with the roofers, I have made friends with my sewing machine. We go through phases of liking or hating each other - at the moment we are doing ok!

half way there, next half incoming!

The festive table cloth is now over half way - rather rustic and certainly keeping me entertained whilst preventing cabin fever. Once the patches are all together and ironed, I plan to top sew each one then stitch on to a backing cloth to give it strength (and to hide all scruffy bits at the back!) voila! at least that is the plan....

a deliberate attempt to look 'patchworky' and spontanious rather than meticulous and beautiful 

which I know I could never do - I am realistic as to my abilities and patience!

And yes - my hand writing is rather 'rustic' too - a combo of being left handed, feeling cold (the unfinished roof has dropped the temperature in the house) after deciding a while ago that I no longer need to impress anyone with my hand writing as well as 'leaving' behind the despised years and years of having to do the much hated lines and lines AND LINES all through my summer holidays ..... in order (and failing) to improve my hand writing. 

I no longer apologise. 

I have since worked through several items - and it gives me great pleasure to cross them off!

And just a few snippets not on the list - the dahlias catching this morning's early light, the spider web beneath the arch last night and a scared of-the-drilling-and-hammering dog from yesterday.

amazing how swaddling in a duvet whilst in your crate

makes the world almost right again

Finally the builders have landed, three of them today - the pressure is on and despite them very 'kindly' offering to come on Saturday to finish it off I have politely and firmly declined the offer reminding them that there is a birthday bash this weekend and I have a house full of guests - ah...... we better crack on was the response..... yup.