Soledad's Journal

So, I did bake the tahini cookies while Mum attended Mass via telly. They are delicious, even though they look like small pieces of cow pie. That's the problem with American-style cookies: they expand while baking, until they no longer have any shape whatsoever. But at least they are yummy.

I also coated 28 coconut lambs and 8 Nutella bunny heads with white chocolate and coconut flakes (the lambs, that is). They spent several hours in the fridge; then, after the chocolate had set, I boxed them - and put them back into the fridge. Unfortunately, the balcony can no longer serve as an ersatz pantry. Not at temperatures of 16-18°C in the early afternoon, while the sun is cooking this side of the building. And this flat came without a real pantry; all 400-plus flats in our ten-storey concrete monstrosity did. These type of buildings were designed that way. I'd like ten undisturbed minutes with the designer in a dark alley...

Anyway, nearly half the Easter baking is done, although I still have to glaze the remaining Nutella bunnies, as soon as Elise collects her lambs and tahini cookies tomorrow, so that I'd have some free space in the fridge again. Therefore I allowed myself a rest and a nap, and then finished the mini felt teddy. Tomorrow I'll take a pic of it (and the three mini kitties) before they go on to their new homes.

Later we went out for a walk with Mum, but darkess fell so suddenly that we only managed to the other entrance of the building. Still, it was some exercise in the fresh air, so it's okay.

Here we go (click to enlarge):



As I mentioned before, they're made of large pom-poms and some felt rests; save for the googly eyes which I bought in the craft shop. The baskets are also hand-made by yours truly, woven of narrow paper strips. They've gone out of shape a bit during all those months of waiting on a shelf for their moment, but, well, they're still pretty. Or at least I think they are.

Still in the crafty corner, I worked a bit on my third felt mini-kitty. This one is a boy and his facial expression is shockingly similar to that of a 5-year-old I happen to know. Not intentionally; it's just how he turned out. *g*

Speaking of plushies, my politically incorrect, slightly garish elephant went to his new home yesterday. My young cousin called in the morning to tell me that his 4-year-old son loved it. It's fortunate that small children know nothing about political correctness. His big sis (all 7 years old) got one of the Bolshie rabbits and loved it, too. Have I corrupted those kids somehow?

In other news, I did the big grocery shopping today and rearranged my book cabinet to make room for future jams, since this flat came without a pantry. I'd like to have a few choice words with the architect who designed these flats...
Alas, the pear jam turned out a bit runny; we might eat it ourselves and I'll make a new batch for the fair. In the not too distant future I'll have to make a tour to the second-hand bookshop to get rid of a lot of Star Trek novels and other stuff I'm unlikely to touch for the rest of my life.

Then we ate leftovers, watched some telly and I had a phone chat with my friend Elise concerning the Easter baking. She's one of my very few remaining customers; I eliminated the others because I no longer feel up to the challenge to deliver cookies to 12-17 different families. Four or five are still doable, so I kept the ones who appreciated it most. Is that selfish?

Also, it rained today rather copiously, so I couldn't take Mum out for a walk. Let's hope tomorrow will prove better.

Not much, actually. My Sundays are always the same: we got up an hour earlier, so that Mum could attend to Mass via TV, she gets her weekly shower, I try to find the easiest way possible to produce something to eat for lunch, I take down the dried washing... nothing terribly exciting.

On the other hand, boring, routine days are safe. So, for that price I can deal with the lack of excitement. Safety is something rare and precious in these times.

The only thing I keep missing is people. In smaller doses than at the time when I was still working, but I'd really like to have them around me more often. So, since I had to give up on people calling me, I called our recently widowed choir leader instead. Poor soul is in a really bad shape. As if the loss in itself weren't bad enough, she also has to deal with bureaucracy, financial problems and greedy heirs. Life can be really cruel sometimes.

In the creative corner I've finished the second felt kitty. Not a significant progress but progress nonetheless. Especially considering how unmotivated I've been lately. Which also means that the Easter baking will be cut back considerably, with only three or four sorts of biscuits and likely the same number of recipients.

I decided to make some little felt cats, based on the TEDI Kitty's pattern, just smaller ones. Cut out the parts for three and worked on them a bit. One is ready to be sewn together, the other two are still in pieces but at least they have their eyes (tiny little buttons) and bows and lace collars. Except #3, that is, since that one is a boy. So he has a bow-tie and bangs. I think they'll be really cute.

Not much else happened. We decided to be lazy - well, except the cooking. Mum volunteered to make the layered sauerkraut casserole and I made apple compote. Other than that, we didn't really anything. I loved it. *g*

All this laziness allowed me to force my brains into gear and do a bit of writing. Which was the best part of the day.

I crossed the Danube today because I had a hairdresser's appointment; my hair looked so wild horses would have bolted in fear from the sight. A good thing we don't really have many horses in a big city, isn't it?

In any case, after my haystack had been tamed I made my usual round at the craft shops, etc. And what did I find? My favourite craft shop, a really big one, had closed at the end of January. It shows how often I got to go there; but it's big blow. They had so much wonderful stuff, even though they weren't exactly cheap. I'm moderately devastated.

To add insult to injury, AO3 had been down since last night, two. At least it was up and running in the early afternoon when I got home, which was a relief. I need my daily dosis of fanfic, since that's the only thing I read nowadays.

To end this entry on a positive note: I've finished the TEDI teddy clone. There will be pictures later, when I've made a few more plushies.

So, we survived the talkative chiropodist lady, too. Her newest pattern being to ask if she could watch her favourite TV-series after she was done with us, since she wouldn't manage to get home for it in time. Mum said yes, of course, because what could she say after twenty years of acquaintance? *shakes head* This was the second time that woman did this. But finding a chiropodist who does good work and is willing to make house calls isn't easy.

I started another teddy bear, following the TEDI Teddy pattern, only using a much softer, more pliable fabric. I think it will look better that way. We'll see. I've sewn on all the little details; the plan is to save the front and back panels together tomorrow.

Not much else happened. We were both exhausted after this morning; Mum's knee was bothering her so much we barely managed to go to the edge of the building and back on our afternoon walk. I made Topfenknödel for lunch and called H. to see how she's doing, then I took a nap. Tomorrow I'll have to do the shopping again; I hate doing it on Saturday, but there is no other choice right now.

Part one - the smaller part - of the scheduled cleaning frenzy is done. I've cleaned the balcony (which included first emptying it, then putting everything back in as soon as the floor was dry) and wiped the floor in the bathroom and the loo. I also emptied the kitchen for tomorrow. Mum spent almost two hours dusting her gazillion of knick-knacks that are displayed on every available surface of the living room and piling them high on the sideboard, so that the rest of the furniture could be moved around for vacuum cleaning purposes tomorrow. So, we are more or less ready for the big action. I just hope the new cleaning lady turns up. *fingers crossed*

For lunch, Mum ate the third portion of the horrible soup. I refused to touch it. We had these little frozen spinach and feta parcels in puff pastry that I only had to push into the oven, so cooking was easy. Tomorrow we'll have the other half of the package. No way I'll be in any shape to cook!

In the afternoon I recovered enough to finish one of my little Bolshies (= red bunnies), which is more than I had hope for in the morning. So who knows, perhaps I'll be stubborn enough to at least start the other one tomorrow. *g*

... and I'm not speaking about the usual routine, like giving Mum her weekly shower, washing my hair, taking down the dried washing and the likes.

Today I had kitchen duty. The cauliflower I had bought yesterday needed to be pre-cooked, cooled down, put into freezer bags and frozen for future use. For lunch, I made a mushroom-and-ham omelet with grated cheese and history's worst soup. For some reason trying to make gebundene Gemüsesuppe always ends in failure. I don't know why. It isn't such a complicated thing; and yet I fail every single time with it. Of course, I made a large pot. Enough for at least three days. Mum, being the soup junkie that she is, will eat it willingly enough. I might kip my portion into the loo...

Aside from the cooking disaster, I did some writing and crafting. The red felt bunnies are almost done. All that's left is the stitching of their faces, plus sewing the front and back panels together and stuffing them. I hope to finish them tomorrow or the day after. *fingers crossed*

Writing was considerably less abundant, but I did write a little bit, after I've googled for info on infected leg wounds. This is an alternate version of the TOS episode "Plato's Stepchildren", after all.

Well... not really, no. Being a full-time caregiver doesn't really come with days out. But it was an easier day than most, and all the things I did were done voluntarily.

One of those things was an Apfelstrudel. It wasn't necessary to make one as we had leftovers from yesterday, but I subscribe to the opinion that every decent house simply has to have baked goods available, preferably on all days. Well, we don't have them every day, but after three days without I start getting restless and won't calm down until I've baked something. And ready-made puff pastry makes things soooo easy, which is why I try to have a package of it in the fridge at all times.

Of course, self-respecting Hungarian housewives would tell you that any kind of Strudel absolutely has to be made with filo pastry. Preferably the home-made kind. My self-respect doesn't go down the suicidal route, though. Why trying to make such things from the scratch when the ones bought in the supermarket are much better and always go up beautifully? Besides, I hate things made with filo paste. They always swim in fat. For me, puff pastry is the way to go.

The other voluntary thing was of crafty nature: I cut out the main panels for two more felt bunnies. I might or might not make more in the six weeks remaining to Easter, but two should be doable. Teddy bears and elephants will be postponed, but I'll try to fill the rabbit hole with, well, rabbits. Bright red ones at that because the fabric I need to use up is of that colour. Believe me or not, red bunnies actually look very cute!

I was nervous like a monkey all morning, waiting for the Vodafone One tech guy to bring our new modem. To keep at least my hands occupied, I actually finished the politically incorrect, garish elephant. Mum actually liked it, but Mum basically likes all the little things I make out of paper or felt, so that doesn't really say anything. By the time I was done it was already too dark to take a decent photo, so I'll be doing that tomorrow.

Tech guy was young, friendly and competent. It wasn't his fault that the iPad mini is too old to deal with the new modem. He promised to come back on Saturday and try to do some system update on the mini; I hope he'll be more successful than my young cousin, since he actually has a service laptop. We'll see. I'd be happy to read on the mini again, as its screen is better lit and the background neutral, unlike the new iPad's with its psychedelic colours. The person who designed it should be shot. Or forced to stare at their own creations for the rest of their life.

After tech guy left, I deflated like a punctured balloon. A good thing that I had cooked for two days in advance yesterday. Potato casserole, baked in the oven, is every bit as yummy warmed up as it is when fresh. Tomorrow I'll pay our corner coffee a visit and buy some celebratory croissans and perhaps even a babka, if they have it. My nerves need sugar to recover - lots of it!