Soledad's Journal

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
dear artemis10002000!!!

I hope you had a lovely day, with good food, nice birthday gifts and peace all around. Here, have some virtual calories (they are inside the flowers):



The good news over here are that I've actually managed to make the new customer gateway work - for the time being anyway. Let's hope this wasn't the only time. *fingers crossed* At least I could download and print out the official info about the (moderate) rise of my old age pension.

Not much else happened today. I'm utterly exhausted, but that's probably coming from the frayed nerves. All this struggle with both the virtual stuff and the rag doll was simply too much. My nerves were never particularly resistant, and the older I get the easier do I lose them. *sigh*

... I've been crafty today. Not overly so but still. Since next week promises to be rather... eventful, I decided that the needful thing to do was to make some creative progress.

So, after having written an acceptable little chunk I turned to crafting and made another pencil holder out of burlap and a vegetable tin. Like the previous one, it was a lot of work but turned out quite well. Once I've made the rest of them I'll take a group photo. I have to be careful with my scrapbook space since Pinterest had stabbed me in the back. *sigh*

I also gave these little darlings a try:



So far I've done the angel body with both the fluffy white and the tulle layer. Poor little angel looks like a sausage at the moment, but I'm determined to finish it and hope it will look good in the end.

Cooking was a simple affair today: I had pulled pork I bought at Lidl and just had to put into the oven, with a mixed salad and mashed potatoes from the box. Yes, I know it's a sacrilege, but it's quick and easy and that was what counted today. Besides, we'd eaten the last real potatoes a few days ago.

I played a bit of Solitaire on my new iPad; all the games that won't start on my desktop PC are available there, but it isn't very comfortable. The screen is small and my hands get cramps from holding the tablet. Still, at least I can get access to my favourites, even though the iPad doesn't store the already completed levels and I have to start from square one every single time.

There wasn't much on the telly today - there never is during the weekend - but we watched Salvage Hunter during lunch. Then we both tried to take a nap, but for some reason I couldn't sleep. Aaaargh! I need my sleep!

There should be a thought to wrap up this entry but my brain is completely blank. So I'll just stop talking nonsense. See you later, folks.

... at least starting in the early afternoon. The morning hours were blessedly cool, only 20-24°C (and constantly rising until temperatures reached 35 degrees), so I put those hours to good use.

Firstly, I finished another embroidered card and pre-pricked the pattern for the 4th one. Then I managed to do some writing, making a bit of progress... certainly more than during the last couple of days.

We watched the Olympics - with Hungary not doing all too well as a rule, it pays off watching the early time, so that we can catch a glimpse of our own athletes. *g* Then we were invited to our neighbour to a belated Namenstag celebration... well, it were only the three of us, but still. Unfortunately, our neighbour talks just as much as the chiropodist lady, in a loud, shrill voice, so we were both done in after the half hour or so we spent with her. *sigh*

For the rest of the day we were agonizing in front of the telly. Nothing new there. But my brand new iPad is having issues with the internet, which is annoying. It started two days ago. I hope it's just something I did wrong - it has so many apps and functions I have no idea about, it's frustrating. But I managed to talk to cousin's firstborn, he's coming over in two weeks' time and will hopefully deal with the issues. *fingers crossed*

It seems to have been a returning motif lately. Behold the latest baby book page - very pink and very teddy-lastig, but I like it:



I've already done the base for the next page but need to add some embellishments and tags yet. The mini is being a doll, despite its mailing programme being totally whacky - somehow it always manages to connect when I have to send the pictures it makes to myself in an e-mail (Pinterest is no longer accessible for the mini, alas).

Other than that, it was another quiet day. I did a tiny bit of writing, Mum and I shared kitchen duty - she made the Faschiertes (sorry, no idea what they are called in English), I made the Kochkürbisgemüse and burned my finger, so no sewing today. Or tomorrow, most likely.

The physiotherapist lady had to cancel because her doctor's appointment lasted too long. Tomorrow we are (not really) looking forward to the visit of our talkative chiropodist lady; needs must, and neither of us can comfortably reach her own toenails any longer.

Tomorrow afternoon my cousin's son is due to come and perform some IT magic, but it might fell into water, as he and his entire family were down with some stomach virus last week. If he's not completely healthy, he won't come, which is very considerate of him, but that would mean another week (or more) with wacky equipment. *sigh* Well, it can't be helped, safety has to come first.

Well, sort of. This is the first time we saw the family of my cousin's firstborn, and their daughter is already four years old. Their son is about 18 months or so.

In any case, we had a fantastic time with them. His wife is lovely, and the kids are beyond cute. Cousin's firstborn also took a look at my various computer problems - he is an IT express - and Pinterest was shocked into submission by his mere presence. I hope the effect lasts.

He also promised me help with a few other things, so I actually start feeling hopeful. They live at Lake Balaton, but he has to come up to the capital once a week (works otherwise from home office), and his actual workplace is fairly close to where we live, so it should be doable. *fingers crossed*

Not much else happened today. In the morning I did some crafting, we watched some telly, tried to make the flat as kiddie-proof as possible, and dug out the Christmas presents we hadn't been able to delivered to either side of the family (the other side would be H, his daughter, Little Emma and her big brother). It is such a relief no longer having it in the corner of the wardrobe.

All in all, it was a wonderful day. I'm especially happy for Mum, who was over the Moon. I think she had secretly began to wonder whether she'll get to see these kiddies during her lifetime, and now that she has she's positively beaming. :)

... because I'm still waiting for IT guy to call back re: renewing my antivirus programme. Have been doing so for over an hour, and I want to get off the Internet quickly.

All in all, it wasn't a lucky day. Our cleaning lady's just told us (before starting the cleaning frenzy) that she won't be coming any more. So we're trying to find someone else, which is always a risk. But it can't be helped.

At least the government office texted me that I can fetch my new ID card any time I want (that is, when they happen to be open). That is at least something.

So, I'm closing my browser now and won't be reopening it until the antivirus thingie is solved. God, I so hate being dependent on others!

I was out of the house all morning - unfortunately, not for reasons I'd like to be out of the house for. It started with a battle with the bank, which I lose - I didn't have a rat's chance against bureaucracy. So I'll have to find a way to drag my 92-year-old mother (who can just walk very short ways around the house) to the bank to prove her identity. Or have official copies made of her documents (by a notary or whatnot) and send them to the other end of the country where the bank has some administrative centre. *insert really bad curse words here*

To get at least something out of the day, I made another page for the baby book before starting my odyssey. It isn't completed yet, but almost. I'll have to add a few tags and cards, but otherwise it's done... and very pretty, if I say so myself. No sewing today; the abused fingers are still recovering.

After the bank fiasco, I visited Tedi, Pepco and Kik - all shops that also sell craft supplies. Bought a few little things and heroically resisted the temptation of some really beautiful jam jars that were also really expensive. I mean, I do need more jars, as I've bought all the frozen blueberries and raspberries, but paying as much (or more) for the jars as for the fruit seems a bit extreme. So I called my friend Evie and she promised me some jars, as she isn't planning any jam-making before high summer. We regularly re-use the emptied jars, I've just run out of mine.

Having done half of the food shopping in the same shopping centre, I came home, put down my booty and turned back to Aldi for the aforementioned frozen blueberries. There I met my neighbour, IT guy's wife, and I finally know what time I'll have a good chance to actually speak with the guy. I might get my antivirus programme renewed in time, after all.

Today, I've iced and decorated 78 individual biscuits.

I've finished another five felt eggs, complete with pouches (the bunnies still are on my to-do list); only six more to go.

I've made a broccoli strudel for lunch; it isn't just yummy, it's also so filling that we only could eat two small slices, each. Which means that I won't have to cook tomorrow. Or the day after. Yay!

I've made some progress with the jigsaw chapter; meaning that I've decided to omit quite a chunk from the old stuff. I know (in my head) that the whole thing will be much better this way, but deep within I still regret the necessity. That stuff was 17 years old, after all. *sigh*

With all these things done, I was pretty much drained for the rest of the day. So I called my friend Evie, chatter with her and decided that it was time to rest.

On the minus side: YouTube keeps acting up on me, too. Today I had to restart my PC twice (again) until it deigned to cooperate. I fear that a new operations system is looming in my future. *sigh* I SO HATE getting used to new systems!

I've cooked for two days in advance because tomorrow the insurance lady will come and talk us to death = a whole afternoon can be written off. So I made all the preparations for lunch; that way I only had to fry the meat when the time came.

Then I collapsed for an hour (yesterday was a very long night because Spektrum Home had brought back "The Repair Shop", which, naturally, started around midnight), until the new episode of aforementioned Repair Shop would start. Some Mum duty happened, though, so I rested for roughly 35 minutes instead.

In the middle of the Repair Shop my friend Evie dropped by for a short visit. Which was very nice, but it means that I'll have to watch the re-run around midnight again = another very short night, since tomorrow I'll have to get up earlier. I got things to do at the post, at the bank, at the pharmacy, etc., before the insurance horror happens.

After Evie left, we watched "Richterin Barbara Salesh" - well the second part of it anyway. Then I finished cooking and washed some of the dishes. We had a quite late lunch - around 16.30 - and then we both collapsed a bit again.

The Canadian Bake-Off ended yesterday and they haven't started a new season. Drat! We'll watch Season 8 of the original GBBO that will start on a different channel, soon, instead.

Again, no crafting done. The morning hour and half in which I can do such things got sacrificed for the slave labour otherwise known as housework. For the second day in a row, and tomorrow won't be any different. I hate it not to have a quiet hour for such things. :(

Pinterest is still acting up, and my main PC starts showing signs of old age, aka slowing down. I'm not happy! A new PC means a new operations system, which is always such a bother!

In the dark I touched something on my keyboard and the whole monitor picture got turned upside down. I will have very limited Internet access via iPad until someone comes to help, as I have no idea what happened.

Update: Problem solved, thanks to meathiel and her quick, extremely useful and idiot-proof troubleshooting suggestion. Phew!