Charming holidays...
Jun. 25th, 2011 06:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wiseheartExtremely uninteresting domestic report beyond the tag. Read at your own discretion. I just needed to get it out of my system, mostly because of the squick factor. *shudders*
Had a very busy weekend so far. Yesterday, we've cleaned the whole frigging flat. I shamefully admit that it was overdue: poor Mum does what she can with that electric besom, but it doesn't even come close to the effect of a hoover. So yeah, the place was a mess. Which means that I indulged in several hours of moving the furniture around, in order to be able to get to the corners with the hoover, shaking out rugs and the likes. But at least it's done for a while, even if it left me a bit dead on my feet..
After that, we went to the supermarket to shop for groceries. As I've returned to my modified Atkins diet, starting on Tuesday, we need to shop and eat differently than we do during school term. one advantage of the holidays is that now I have the time to prepare the food I should eat and I can eat at roughly the same time each day, which, too, is a requirement.
Today, we went to the cemetery. We haven't been there since November - a shame, I know, but the frigging thing is on the other end of the city, and it takes three hours to get there, with changing busses and trams and a long walk in the cemetery itself. We found the grave of my grandparents in a sorry state. Since no-one else in the extended family (all of which has cars and could do this in less than half the time) gives a shit, no-one has removed the covering from the headstone.
Consequently, the rain has at some time found its way under the plastic, turning the paper underneath to match, and a colony of ants found that it was the perfect place for them to build their nest. So, when we removed the covering, we found a literal anthill vertically on the headstone, their eggs were everywhere, on the cross, in the vase... it was like one of those horror movies. We very nearly threw up and are still gettign the sudden urge to scratch ourselves. Sure we wiped the grave as clean as we could, but once the little buggers found their way there, they'll be back.
I've been lobbying for the last three or four years for moving the remains of our grandparents to the columbarium of a relatively nearby church, where we have some contacts. It would meant, though, that said remains will have to be cremated first, and for some reason (which I even can understand to a certain extent) Mum is very hesitant to do that. But it would be close, she could visit their resting place without half a day's trip, and we could secure our future place next to my grandparents at the same time.
I just hope the shock was big enough for Mum to finally make her move - I can't do this without her consent.
On a slightly more cheerful note, I updated "Lost in the Past" on FF.Net and decided to post a somewhat sanitized version of "Brothers-in-Arms", a Cadfael story taking place in Wales before and during the novel "The Summer of the Danes". Now I'm anxiously waiting for the usual abuse for writing something not Gwen-friendly *and* some Evil Slash(TM).
Had a very busy weekend so far. Yesterday, we've cleaned the whole frigging flat. I shamefully admit that it was overdue: poor Mum does what she can with that electric besom, but it doesn't even come close to the effect of a hoover. So yeah, the place was a mess. Which means that I indulged in several hours of moving the furniture around, in order to be able to get to the corners with the hoover, shaking out rugs and the likes. But at least it's done for a while, even if it left me a bit dead on my feet..
After that, we went to the supermarket to shop for groceries. As I've returned to my modified Atkins diet, starting on Tuesday, we need to shop and eat differently than we do during school term. one advantage of the holidays is that now I have the time to prepare the food I should eat and I can eat at roughly the same time each day, which, too, is a requirement.
Today, we went to the cemetery. We haven't been there since November - a shame, I know, but the frigging thing is on the other end of the city, and it takes three hours to get there, with changing busses and trams and a long walk in the cemetery itself. We found the grave of my grandparents in a sorry state. Since no-one else in the extended family (all of which has cars and could do this in less than half the time) gives a shit, no-one has removed the covering from the headstone.
Consequently, the rain has at some time found its way under the plastic, turning the paper underneath to match, and a colony of ants found that it was the perfect place for them to build their nest. So, when we removed the covering, we found a literal anthill vertically on the headstone, their eggs were everywhere, on the cross, in the vase... it was like one of those horror movies. We very nearly threw up and are still gettign the sudden urge to scratch ourselves. Sure we wiped the grave as clean as we could, but once the little buggers found their way there, they'll be back.
I've been lobbying for the last three or four years for moving the remains of our grandparents to the columbarium of a relatively nearby church, where we have some contacts. It would meant, though, that said remains will have to be cremated first, and for some reason (which I even can understand to a certain extent) Mum is very hesitant to do that. But it would be close, she could visit their resting place without half a day's trip, and we could secure our future place next to my grandparents at the same time.
I just hope the shock was big enough for Mum to finally make her move - I can't do this without her consent.
On a slightly more cheerful note, I updated "Lost in the Past" on FF.Net and decided to post a somewhat sanitized version of "Brothers-in-Arms", a Cadfael story taking place in Wales before and during the novel "The Summer of the Danes". Now I'm anxiously waiting for the usual abuse for writing something not Gwen-friendly *and* some Evil Slash(TM).
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(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-25 09:42 pm (UTC):p I should probably go watch the abuse, just for the lulz and then start correcting their spelling or something.
I also need to go read more of your fics!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-25 10:09 pm (UTC)No abuse so far. They're trying to give me the false sense of safety.
Too bad we can't get boiling water in the cemetery.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-26 03:31 pm (UTC)Good luck that you'll be able to convince your Mom to move the grandparents. I can understand as well that she is hesitant, but yeah, it would make the life of both of you easier. Especially since visiting her parents' graves will just get harder with the years.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-26 04:50 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-26 11:23 pm (UTC)You and Mum are such good folks! Your family does not deserve to have you... grrr...
I do hope Mum will agree to the relocation of the remains, for her sake now, and for yours in the future, because I know you'll continue that task when she is gone, honoring her and your elders.
Good luck with Dr. Atkins: glad you are modifying it, as it's not entirely a good thing in its standard form, IMHO. Good luck! And welcome to summer break!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-27 10:27 am (UTC)I've already managed to lose 16 pounds with the modified Atkins two years ago, and not to gain back it all in the meantime, so it ought to work. I simply have a list with the carb numbers concerning various foodstuffs and try to keep the carb intake low. Other than that, I don't follow their stupid lead of eating fatty meat and that sort of insanity. That would ruin my digestive system completely.
My concept is to eat practically everything, just in different quantities: for example, I still eat muesli, even though it's not exactly low-carb, due to the cereals, the fruits and such things in it. I just don't eat a bowl of it - only two or three teaspoons full. That way, I get the minerals and vitamines into my system, but not so much carbs as I normally would. And I cut back on bread and sweets drastically. Instead of real bread, I eat one piece of Knächebrod a day, which is filling because it takes up lots of fluids, instead of eating several rolls or slices of bread or the likes.
I like meat (chicken) and green salad, so in summer it's really not so complicated.
Edited cuz I still can't spell, obviously.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-28 05:43 pm (UTC)I think you'll like the modified Atkins diet. The hard part will be managing when you're away from home and must eat out that's when you discover how simple-carby most premade food is. But when you're cooking at home, it works very well.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-28 06:46 pm (UTC)Today, I made stuffed mushrooms; they were yummy! I just grilled them and stuffed them with their stems cut small, mixed with ham (also cut small) and with an egg added. Then I placed a slice of mozzarella upon each mushroom and made mixed salad to it. Mum liked it very much.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-29 08:43 pm (UTC)