I’ve been two
weeks back at Gerolstein. And yes, if it’s Gerolstein … it simply must be
spring. Kurt doesn’t do winter, or even autumn, in New Zealand. I must say that
some ‘springs’ down here have, in recent years, strangely resembled those chilly
seasons, but this year Canterbury is obviously trying to keep up with Yamba …
the mornings are frisky, but the days are sunny and pleasantly warm, those vile
winds have mostly (though not always) stayed locked up in their box … and Wendy
has the place looking gloriously spick and span and on the verge of bursting
into colour ..
The magnolia has
been and mostly gone …
The cherry blossom
arrived this week …
The first flowers
are peeping out …
The rose gardens
which survived last year’s floods are covered in red pre-leaves … they aren’t
due to flower until Cup Week …
My alarm clock –
or alarm-peaclock – and his sixteen brothers, cousins and uncles have caught
the prevailing season and the air is rent with mating cries and post-orgasmic
wails ….
The first foal is
born …
And our only worry
is – WE NEED RAIN! To make the grass and hay grow! So we can feed the horses. Ah,
well. A farmer’s life… there’s always something …
We’ve been here
something like fifteen years now. And things have changed. The earthquakes and
the winds have wrought a change in the landscape, and the outlook from my house
– and even more from Wendy’s – is much less tree clad. But oddly that’s made
things lighter and brighter ... if windier. Lighter, of course, means you see
stuff behind the furniture and in the corners that you didn’t see before …
But oh!
The main furniture
hasn’t been moved since it was put in place, on Day One. Bookcases, desks,
chests … not even the two of us together can manage those. But yesterday …
We had to go to the
vacuum cleaner shop for some bags (what a swiz those are!). The place has been
earthquaked away from its old spot in the High Street so we thought, ‘why not
see if Noel Leeming’s does them!’ (We like Noel Leeming’s and its nearer). And
they did. So I bought two boxes: $38!!!!! And while I was doing so, Wendy
wandered round the TV department. Cut to dénouement. $1,799. LG UHD 49 … I
dunno. Dearest hoover bags I ever bought!
But. I said I
would confirm when I had measured the space. I did. It was OK. The installer
came and … arggggh! .. they'd given me the screen size! The bloody thing has splayed legs and they didn’t go on
our telly-chest. Think quick!
I have multiple
desks and computers … desk .. desk .. we dragged one from its ancestral place
.. mon Dieu! Quelle filth … and the installing fees rising by the hour ..
We let the
delightful, helpful young man go after he’d sold us $400 upgrades, and sat
down. It wasn’t right. Wendy got to work on discovering the mysteries of the
machine, and I had an idea. Next morning, the pine desk was back in the office,
and my father’s home-made desk was in the living room …
The old TV chest
was in my bedroom (great!), and the C18th oak chest which had been .. in under
the telly. I’m delighted … the room looks great! Well, I think so. I can’t stop
saying so. And Mr P Cock came in to check that he approves. He likes Australian
Masterchef.
Me? I’m down on my
bony knees cleaning all the dank, dirty and dusty spots that have been brought
to light by all that furniture shifting!
