Mother’s Got A Dot Com

Christmas Holidays… And the brats are like magnets. Especially the littlest one - you’d think I have a habit of disappearing into thin air. We’re joined at the hip these days - my hip, his bum. Joined. As if by very powerful magnetism.
#5 Brat is away at her grandparents’ house, which is probably why little Miracle Boy is so sorry that I don’t have fur, so he can cling onto me permanently all by himself.
I love him to bits - it just gets a liiittle bit tiresome after 6 hours of incessant chatting, wanting to sit on my lap and doing what I do. There is some light relief in the big ones, he can be persuaded to go and bother them from time to time, but after a maximum of 10 minutes, he’s back, wondering if I’ve disappeared yet.
It’s a phase, I know. And I do enjoy the feeling of clean Brat in the evening, cuddling up to me in his jammies before bedtime. Do forgive me, Miracle Boy, if I equally enjoy the after bedtime hours…

The old name of the area where we live was “Iron Valley”. It’s earned its name. The ground is full of iron ore, and our water contains quite a lot of iron - to the point where we have to dismantle our bathroom and kitchen faucets on a regular basis to get rid of the iron particles that are stuck there.
Also, our house is at the end of the power line, which means that the power tension is… fluctuating. We go through electrical appliances like mad. We’ve lived here for 5 years, and we’re on our second stove, dishwasher and washing machine, and we’ve had to repair them all as well. The TV decoder has died (Tvs are still living, touch wood). As for light bulbs - energy saving bulbs are a joke, and the halogen ones pop on a regular basis.
I know. We should get on to our electrical company. I fear it’ll be a waste of time and energy though - it’s a big company, and we’re just a drop in the ocean to them. I will do it. At the very least we should get a rebate for poor quality service…

There are, however, so many upsides about living the way we do. The closeness to nature, the fact that we can have all the animals we want, that we can cut the grass whenever we like (or not), since no one bothers us about much of anything. People say - how can you bear living so far away from everything? Well, it’s not far, for one. And not a weekend goes by without the impromptu visit of at least one set of friends or family. Which means that they know how to find us, and they like it here too… The good life for us? This is as close as we’ll get!

I seem to have forgotten to spruce up my blog for Christmas. Shocking. Therefore, some pictures from Christmas Eve and the day before…

(or: The joys of a large brood)

(illustration photo)

Friday night, and the vote is for Tacos. We usually have Tacos in front of the TV, where there are 2 big couches facing each other and 2 chairs, one on either short side of the table. The table is set for 8, and looks quite orderly - it’s not a big table, but it holds (almost) everything. The burritothingies have to be on a side table, the taco shells too, as well as the chips. And the bottles of soft drinks. And the napkin holder.

Enter: The Family. Mum and Dad - not exactly rake thin, the same goes for Brats # 2 and 3. #s 1 and 4 can be wedged in anywhere, and the same goes for #5. #6, the Miracle Boy, has his own seat at table, but he really doesn’t care about that for longer than 7 minutes. There are so many wonderful people to climb on…

Then starts the dance. Bowls go back and forth - salad, cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, sweetcorn - drinks are being poured, there’s chatting and, eventually, eating. Miracle Boy starts climbing all over the place, everyone is feeding the mice who live under the couches (of course they do, where else would all that cheese go?). The TV volume is turned to maximum, but no one hears much. The TV is wedged in the corner section of the bookshelf. Not a big one, and old-fashioned, with a great big backside. Don’t tell my family, but the loudspeakers are bust, which gives the Friday night din an extra quality of broken base…

When we’re old and grey, when we’ve got more space than we’ll ever need, and we’re left all alone in our state of the art home theater seating for two, watching TV at normal volume (as normal as our hearing aids will allow), we’ll miss it all. The hustle and bustle, the noise, the quarreling and the making up. We’ll even miss the imaginary mice under the couch.
I know. Every age has its charm. I will, however be wanting grandkids long before that.
DO YOU HEAR THAT, KIDS?????

- when hubby and I have our yearly Christmas shopping day. Or should I say evening. It will have to be tuned down a bit this year, but there will be gifts for all. Not that I have any ideas. Not even for the kids.
We used to be able to give them sports gifts - or at least outdoor things, as they were all heavily into scouting when they were younger. Knives, sleeping bags, practical clothing… One year, we bought them all cross country skis. OK. At least they have proper skis if they ever fancy a trip out in the great white outdoors…
This year, they’re all so broke, and they’ve all got plans involving expenses, so I think they’d love to get money for Christmas. That hasn’t been an option in the past, but we may have to make an exception this year. Which means, of course, that hubbys and my shopping trip will be a short one, just shopping for the little kiddies. Maybe we can have a tête à tête dinner instead…

Newsflash! It’s a she.
So today, as we’re taking the family to the Christmas Fair/crafts market/open farm/activity Day at the agricultural school located very nearby, will be Prize Hunting Day.

Hubby is helping out over there today - he’s the shoe shine boy (!), #3 Brat attends school there, and is on parking duty - they teach carpentry and other things too - and #4 Brat is helping out with the horse riding.
As for me, I’ve got two very impatient little Brats here, wanting to get away.

Today is St. Nicholas Day (Santa Claus, remember him?), and a good day for bearing gifts. Stay tuned…

We went to the nearest town on Sunday, to take part in the Santa parade. Here we are - the little blue Santa on the far left is Miracle Boy, then me in the background, as the Norwegian Santa (Nisse), and you can just see #5 Brats red hat on the other side of me.  This was in the local “netpaper” today.

And here are a couple of pics from my cell phone. Poor quality, but who cares! It wasn’t very cold, either, but we were glad there was straw to sit on!

… I’d better blog about Alexa and me

The number for today, December 3rd, is 96 416. Below 100K.

This will very likely change back to far above very soon, so I thought I’d post it here, so I can go back and bask in it when times get rough…

Oh- and I’ve had another job interview. Well, two, actually - one yesterday and one today. For another work-at-home job. About half time. I will blog about it if I get it - that is, if I have time to blog at all, there’ll be extensive training that will probably start some time next week. Half time means that my contribution would make a difference to the family finances as well.

Cross fingers, please. (with this cough I’ve been having, you can leave the crossing of thighs to me…)

- for Saturday, when today’s Birthday Girl is having her party.

We’ve arranged to pick the children up 2 miles from here with the tractor and trailer, that we’ll fill up with straw and thick rugs, for a regular tractor safari. That’ll bring them here for a great big bonfire where they’ll all barbecue (burn) their own sausages and whatever else I can think of that can be barbecued (burnt) on a stick… I’ve rallied the troops, so I’ll have some help with the treasure hunt and other activities afterwards. As for the sweets/cakes and things, we may have to go indoors for those, but if we have sunshine, the whole she-bang can happen outdoors.
So - what we don’t need is rain.

There is a Plan B, of course - it’s November, after all - but it would be so much fun to be able to stick with Plan A.
The other Birthday Girl (#4Brat, Friday) will be celebrated at the same time - able-bodied relatives are coming for the barbecue as well, and the less able-bodied ones will come for dinner later. So Saturday is more or less accounted for…

#5 Brat opened one present before going to school today, and she was quite excited about what the rest of the day may bring. It will certainly bring a spunge cake with marzipan, which is what she wanted, and cauliflower soup and pancakes for dinner. (Don’t ask. It’s her favourite, and the rest of us can always have a fried egg later…)

Saturday will be #5 Brats first Birthday party featuring lots of children (up until when she started school, we’ve had family dos with the family kids and adults together), so she’s in heaven…

Today’s little bit of real estate:

My father is selling his property in the South of France.
Oh, no, he’s not moving back up here, he’s too fond of the climate and of the French way of life. He’s bought himself another property in the area, since they’ve increased the number of horses, and need more space.
If you want to see the realtors prospect, it’s here.
As for me, I thought I’d put out some pics of my own - some from the property itself, and some from the area. Actually - the estate agents’ pics are better and there are more of them, so just click any photo below if you want to see more.
The Lot-et-Garonne is within spitting (pun intended) distance of the Bordeaux wine region, and has some fine wines of its own, there are medieval historic sites nearby, and the local food is to die for, both for the gourmet and the glutton!

This is the pool house - both it and the pool have been upgraded since!

The library/ dining room/great hall.

The houses - you can see the inner courtyard.

The “grotto houses” in the Perigord.

Bonaguil Castle, just a Sunday stroll away.

It’s a lovely place, with just the right amount of privacy (it’s all enclosed), and with room for horses. (Stables, a workshop, plenty of fenced outdoor space). The gardens are lovely (it’s more like a park, really), with fruit trees galore, and there is quite a lot of woodland as well. There are 2 large and 2 small apartments/houses, and one can start a bed-and breakfast right away, or just move in with all the family and still have room for guests.

So - do you know anyone who’d like to make the move? No renovation necessary, just pick up and move in. No floral wallpapers anywhere - the kitchens/kitchenettes are newly renovated, and so are the bathrooms. And - the owners just have to vacate - they don’t need to buy somewhere else first…