Miss Lola

is having a fabulous time skittering around the floor with a ball of scrunched up gift wrapping paper. 

I watched her doing the same last night and she tired herself out enough to sleep most of the night instead of galloping around. She did still gallop a couple of times, but just to let me know she was hungry and after she ate she went right back to sleep. 

I'm hoping the same will happen tonight, and if I get up at first gallop I can minimise the noise, which so far hasn't bothered Loony, but why take chances?

It's quite a joy to watch this eight years old girl playing like a kitten.
The paper ball is looking a bit tattered though, I'm going to have to make her a new one.

Whimsical Wednesday # 297

Welcome back to Whimsical Wednesday!

The day for your googled giggle that gets you over the hump that is Wednesday and sliding down into the weekend.

 

trouble in Paradise?

Today, Loonie Louie is making a racket upstairs, I think he's drunk and I think he's celebrating the fact Pat may not come home. I think he heard me saying to another neighbour P, that no one is sure when she is coming home or even if she is coming home.
He's been playing very loud music, which seems a little odd when he's continually said he doesn't like loud noises. Then there was some very loud door knocking and a bit of a fight in the upstairs hallway, yelling and scuffling. I got so scared I called the police and locked my doors. 
Still waiting for the police to show at this point. 4:50pm and things seem to have quietened down. but I'm so shaky inside I can barely type.

Yesterday Loonie was bashing his floor above my kitchen, because I'd made a bit of noise prepping and cooking dinner, then again when I washed and dried my dishes. An hour after that there was a lot of yelling, I think at nobody in particular, then he moved on to swearing, F*** you, over and over, then it seemed as if he turned on all his taps at once, there was lots of water running anyway.
Later in the night he was shouting again, something about "I will fight you" and other words I couldn't make out.

I'm really unhappy with this whole situation. I don't want to move, I don't want to have to move. But what will I do when he finally gets fed up with Lola galloping around in the early morning hours? That seems to be her preferred exercise time...
I don't know what to do.

Musical Monday #170

I was introduced to Musical Monday by Delores who copied the meme from another site.
I think it’s a fun way to show off some of the music we like and brighten up our Mondays at the same time. 

I’ll be finding my clips on you tube, so will simply credit that site since there are often so many versions of everything and I wouldn’t want to accidentally credit the wrong artist.

Today’s clip is: Elvis Presley

Follow That Dream

and the lyrics:

sing along, let's all follow our dreams 😎

Sunday Selections # 345

Welcome back to Sunday Selections.

Begun way back in the mist of time by Kim of Frog Ponds Rock and now continued by me, with a drastic relaxation of rules.

Originally meant for showcasing old photos lost on your files, never seeing the light of day, the meme has morphed into photos of your choice, new or old, good or not-so-good, anything you please, but nothing rude please.

If you are participating, please leave me a comment so I can buzz along and have a look.
Elephant's Child always participates, and her pictures are always worth seeing.

A mixed selection today, beginning with last night's dinner:

Last week I made a batch of chicken schnitzels and put them in the freezer for future meals. Yesterday I took one out to thaw,

and with the help of this sauce,

using this recipe, spring onions, capsicum, (bell pepper) and a handful of sliced green beans,

I made this yummy Lemon Chicken dinner.

here is Lola, all sleek and contented,

what a life, eh?

this is the wedge of Black Forest Cake my brother brought me for my birthday, it took me three days to eat it all.

this is my fake aquarium, notice anything odd about it?

down near the base, see those two thin white lines? They are a reflection of the plastic wire to my Christmas lights, in a small puddle of water.

and here is my poor fake fish, lying way down beside the sink. Miss Fancypants, aka Lola, has been fishing 😎 that cheeky girl.

a couple of my neighbours having a good chat, they were there for a good long while, already there as I crossed the road to my bus stop and still there after my bus arrived and took me to the city.

one of Adelaide's painted buses, you can faintly see the outline of the windows through the wrap-around, trying to see out from inside is quite hard.

one corner of our Victoria Square has been turned over to motorbike parking, this is just the front row,

here you get a better indication of just how many bikes are parked there. Heaven has wheels....😎

hard working buses getting a well-earned rest. It can't be easy being late to almost every stop almost every day (*~*)

here's a very unusual sight. Four in a row, working phones. No vandalism, no graffiti.

a little further down that same road, the city community garden chook house.

there is a cafe attached to the community garden and these three lucky black hens get plenty of greens from the garden that lies between their home and the cafe, where the garden produce is also used. 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday's Words on a Friday

 The original Words for Wednesday meme was begun by Delores and eventually taken over by a moveable feast of participants when Delores had computer troubles.

The aim of the words is to encourage us to write, a story, a poem, whatever comes to mind.
If you are posting an entry on your own blog, please let us know so we can come along and read it.

This month the words are supplied by Granny Annie and can be found here.

This week's words are:


1. onerous
2. meme
3. steadfast
4. yawp
5. copacetic
6. savant


and/or:

1. akimbo
2. wreak
3. haphazard
4. advise
5. tare
6. vindicate

Here is my story:
 
Somewhat unwillingly, I have taken on the onerous responsibility of helping out my neighbour, Pat.
Unwillingly, because responsibility really isn't my favourite thing. I don't mind helping out occasionally, but long term, day to day, is wreaking havoc with the slothfulness I've become accustomed to.

My days, once run by tight routines, are now haphazard, napping in the afternoons, staying up too late, sleeping in each morning.
The tare of being responsible, being needed, is no longer comfortable upon my shoulders, as it was when I had small children depending on me.

But there is no one else, apart from the nursing home staff, so I shall remain steadfast with my word, I will not let her down. Once the staff advise me that definitely she may come home, or not, I will revise my options, at the moment things are a bit up in the air. 

Some days she'll phone me and say "they've said I can come home as soon as a new shower is installed". Other days, she tells me there is sad news, she isn't going to be allowed to come home, which has me stomping about, arms akimbo, wondering out loud "how much longer am I going to have to trot across the yard, twice a day and feed that budgie." With a yawp or two thrown in for good measure, a combination of gulp at the thought of more responsibility and yawn because I'm tired of it all.

I'm no savant when it comes to animal care, this is why I have a cat, who is largely independent, needing only food and water laid out. A bird needs a bit more. He likes to toss his seed husks around, and of course he poops all day, so the cage needs cleaning, paper on the bottom tray must be changed. Mitchell, the budgie, is a happy little bird, whistling and chirping, but he isn't quite used to me yet, my voice is not the same as his Mum's and of course I don't sit there all day to keep him company. He has a little radio, tuned to a music station, so he isn't too lonely, Pat always turned it on for him if she was going to be away from home during the day, so now I do that for him.  

Curtailing my freedom is vindicated, knowing Pat can concentrate on getting as well as possible without having to worry about her beloved Mitchell. Being mentally challenged, (although Pat herself says the word retarded),  she isn't really capable of caring for herself anymore. But with a home care team and Meals on Wheels, perhaps she will manage. 
Or perhaps they will decide she needs to stay in the home. 
All in all, things are pretty copacetic around here. 
So far.

Whimsical Wednesday # 296

Welcome back to Whimsical Wednesday!

The day for your googled giggle that gets you over the hump that is Wednesday and sliding down into the weekend.

Oh the horror!