Mother’s Got A Dot Com

“Especially large moose population”, the sign says. No wonder, with moose porn posted all over the place…

And now, a warning sign, that gives new meaning to the word screwdriver:

Now, that’s an eye-catching heading, if ever there was one.

Well, my water heater lives it’s own little life. Near the bottom, there is a pressure valve. The reason I know this, is that some time ago, this valve started leaking. No, not your nice, little dripping sort of leak. It gushed water. That’s when I learned that this was a pressure valve. I also learned how to stop it, by making several panicked telephone calls to manufacturers and plumbers. After having been put on hold for about two years, while the experts were pondering, and water was still gushing.

I also learned that there is another valve, that you can use to turn the water supply to the heater off, thus making it empty itself, rather than being an ever-gushing source of water. They told me this after the pondering, and the being put on hold. Finally, they worked out that I needed a plumber and a new valve.

That was sorted. Now, 3 months later – same problem. From time to time, the valve is gushing. I now know what to do as an immediate measure, but it’s a bit like peeing in your pants. It gets cold after a while. And I have to start all over again. The valve was probably not the problem in the first place, but even the manufacturers couldn’t come up with a better idea.

Now – I don’t really know why I’m telling you this. Actually, I do know. I was given the phrase Hansgrohe faucet, and this is what came to mind – directly from my domestic fount (pardon the pun) of everyday woes. It’s probably a very bad idea to install a faucet on a pressure valve, unless you’re into in-house explosions.

Does every household appliance known to man have a little chip installed, that makes it pack it in two days after the warranty period runs out, or am I just being paranoid???

I’m lucky. My hubby is not into sports.

He’s not glued to the TV screen 24/7 on weekends, he couldn’t care less if there’s a football match on, or skiing, or whatever. Sport is flicked over in our household.

Now, in my sister’s life, things are different. She has a football fanatic hubby, and three boys. Guess what they’ve inherited? A lifetime membership in the Manchester United (or perhaps Liverpool FC) fan club, that’s what. She’s a patient soul, and grateful for small mercies, like the fact that her hubby sometimes takes all three boys to football matches. In England.

As for me, I don’t get it. I quite like swimming, but not to the point of watching other people doing it. I’ve also been known to enjoy a game of badminton. Actually playing it. Badminton or tennis on TV is like watching paint dry. Skiing, or running? Come on. I know one of them is going to come in a fraction of a second before the others, and I don’t care which one it is. (Don’t try to explain. I still won’t get it).

I’m just eternally grateful that whenever we do manage to travel a bit, there’s no mention of sports events. I know that if we ever manage to make it to USA, New York Yankees tickets will not be on the agenda. We might catch a rodeo though (no, probably not in NYC), to experience a bit of local culture…

#2 Brat is probably moving to Denmark in August – she’s applied to several design colleges there, and has got scores of butterflies in her stomach these days. She’s submitted her application assignments, and is waiting for word on round 2 of the application process.

#1 Brat wants to travel around the world, and is coming back home to work and save money for the adventure. #3 Brat is probably going on to add some academic exams to his CV – he should have gone into apprenticeship as a carpenter, but the building trade is still trembling, and securing a place is difficult. So, he’s doing the sensible thing. #4 Brat is going on to high school.

It looks like we’ll still be 7 people around the dinner table next year, and there’s no chance of a home theater seating arrangement for 2 any time soon. Just as well. Worrying about one at a time is quite enough at the moment. When #1 Brat goes on her world tour, I’ll be worried enough for a lifetime.

Note to self: This summer may be the last chance to take a familiy photo for a loooong time. Grab it!

10 very efficient fat burners to do this spring in our garden:

1. Dig out/ find/ carry flattish rocks to cover an area of 3×3 meters, to make a nice place for a café table and 2 chairs.

2. When that is done, fill wheelbarrow x times with fine gravel to cover the cracks.

3. Enjoy a cup of coffee on café chairs with hubby.(Not a fat burner, but an essential part of motivation!)

4. Move the 2 HUGE pots we were given last year to said spot, fill with earth, and plant something nice in them.

5. Clean out all the flowebeds.

6. Do the same with the vegetable beds/patches, and the strawberry beds.

7. Move all overspill perennials to the overgrown slope that goes down from the outbuilding, in an attempt to fight the weeds there.

8. Make new vegetable/herb garden closer to the house.

9. Design outdoor kitchen, start work on it.

10. Finish the rock garden that I started on last year.

This should at least build muscles…

I do a lot of proofreading these days. I correct Mystery Shopper reports, and Mystery Shopping is no longer a mystery to me.

I’m also quite au fait with the service level in various jewelry stores around the globe. As well as fine men’s clothing outlets, shoe stores and quite a few restaurants.Working from home sure gets you out and about…

Yesterday, I also started on a new little adventure – I am now officially a travelling salesperson. That is – I picked up my collection of children’s clothing, that I will be demonstrating at home parties. The commission is quite good, but the best part is that the clothes are all designed locally, by a small company not far from here. They are fun and functional, and the prices are affordable too.There is an Internet store too, of course, but home party clients get 10% off the e-store prices, as they’ve experienced that the personal touch is good for sales.

I’ll be starting next Monday, with a demonstration at my sister’s (bless her heart). Should be fun, as I’m totally new to this, and my head is full of newly acquired info that will probably come out helter-skelter… I hope Sis invites some benevolent souls.

Oh – and the last bit of white stuff (a stubborn mound in our yard) disappeared yesterday. So it’s officially spring!

On Monday night, we got the sad news that a friend of ours had died of a massive stroke.

She was 43. She had her first stroke, due to an aneurism, 8 or 9 years ago, and had lived with the sword over her head since. She was 5 months pregnant when the first one hit her, and her baby girl will be 9 years old in July.

You never know. Which, in many ways, is a good thing. Our friend struggled for all these years with the fear of leaving her children behind, and sadly, that’s what happened in the end.

We try to learn from these things. Learn to live life now. Hard lessons though.

Do you?

I do hope the Brits make the most of this hidden treasure!

It wasn’t a bomb. Technically, it wasn’t a bomb threat either, the young lad responsible had sent an email to a major newspaper, threatening with a blood bath/massacre in the next 48 hours.

Whe he saw what commotion he had caused, he turned himself in. According to him, it was an April Fool’s that got out of hand. And that got caught a bit late by the newspaper desk.

Yeah. Slightly. Some of the 1200 kids involved may well be traumatized, but if they can’t take a joke… At least they got an extra day off. That sort of thing gives 3-6 in this country, so the “joke” is on him, you might say.

#2 Brat came home early from school today.

Why?

A bomb threat. The police came in with dogs, armed to the teeth, and got everybody out of there. Apparently, a student from another school had made the threat, although that’s not been confirmed.

No school tomorrow either, so Easter came early this year. For some. Most of the pupils and teachers still have all their stuff there – #2 Brat’s friend was not allowed to take her scooter home, for one.

Good thing they take it seriously – but scary!