Week Twenty-Seven at Sleeping Indian

Sunday the 20th. We woke at half six and Bear, as usual took his snore ring off, he nodded again at seven and wow, so tuneful – not. Had I felt mean just now I could have added the picture of himself doing an impression of a whelk (all bendy lips with an airhole on the side and a loud one at that). He made up for it though with breakfast, I had my own egg event and once uncapped total perfection. Bear had some corkers.

Bear finished a few little jobs in the front bedroom whilst I pressed the valances, that done we put the beds back in place. Rather pleased with our next ‘Before; and ‘After’ although I dd order ‘Hot Pink’ valances.

This ‘Before’ and ‘After’ really shows up the white bi-fold cupboard doors and the hot pink with ‘quiet’ bedding. A Caribbean feel.

We managed to get to the beach at quarter past five to find piles of sargassum all the way along to the right and left, stepping through the raspy carpet and oh, what a shame to see loads in the water, yuk. I so hate anything touching me when I can’t see as the fine sand has been churned up by the recent storms. Whilst Antigua has not been hit by anything nasty we have seen huge tides and the sea has been ‘stirred up’.

When we got in we looked on line and found a few stories. In April 2019, The Caribbean saw seven million tonnes of the stuff and once beached it becomes a real problem. Baby turtles who have enough to deal with predators taking their survival rate to one in a thousand, but having to wade through these spiky blankets but it was nice to watch the smaller sea birds scruffing through for titbits. Out at sea Sargassum has a role providing shelter and breeding grounds for several species and perches for seagulls but as these ‘rafts’ can reach seven metres thick they can cause problems in boat engine coolers, if they get stuck in reef systems this pesky seaweed can block out light and starve the area of oxygen. Sargassum originates close to the coast of South America and climate change is one of the reasons it spreads so far.

Our best sunset since I have been trying for something spectacular for the villa website.

As we bimbled our way back along the beach we met a chap out for a stroll. Passing Michael’s villa we saw his car passenger window was open, so I gave him a call. Out he came in the happiest slippers we have ever seen. Now in the old days he would have had to unlock his car and use the handle to wind the window up – today, a remote switch standing away from the vehicle……technology eh…..After showers and supper I set about finishing last week’s blog. Loaded and oops the end was chopped off, tried again, ditto. Oh dear, this happens every so often. Oh how I hope it’s not one of those glitches that sees me copying to Word, cutting out the pictures, condensing the words, copying, putting on to an new email and adding the pictures line by line as sometimes there is a ‘rogue’ that upsets the system. Each line of pictures added and send as a test. If OK, get Bear to delete and resend with another line, to say this all takes a while is a bit of an understatement. This went on until Bear just had to shut his eyes at half eleven. I continued until test 13 and had to give up at one. Ooooo how I wished I had kept going for just one more try. Laptop asleep, so did I…………

Monday the 21st.   I woke and without warning my laptop did a mahoosive update, took ages and ages, restarting on and on. All done, I went to send the final blog test. ‘Not able’. Tried to save changes ‘Not Able’. Bear looked online Outlook Express is no longer supported by Windows 10. This is a disaster, so used to the system, how many pixels to set pictures, where the frame and spacing happens. Head in hands. A while ago I ordered new bathroom mats and checked to see my order status and emailed the company in China, a reply came quite quickly “Your order has been delivered”. I sent an email asking for the tracking number and name of courier……. This is fast becoming an awful day and I haven’t even set foot out of bed yet.

Nothing for it but to work through list of the day and hope to have ideas. One came fairly quickly – set up new laptop well, it’s now nearly three years old but it takes time for you to room in. Don’t speak. I left it charging and carried on with my least favourite job – painting between the glass blocks. Luckily, the front bedroom ones are only two wide by nine high but it still takes ages. I was on my own so for a change I listened to some archive Desert Island Discs. Bear worked hard all day on his wood pile, making trestles for when he goes to work on Beez. I have a set a date in my mind that I begin her engine on the 1st of October. Oooo but today, what a difference. Now I can think about starting the outside shower. Not until you have helped me with final bits and bobs upstairs.

Bear really wanted a soak to ease his aching back, so I braved the seaweed but I did make him bob about outside his depth so I had could float in deeper water with no spiky stuff. At sunset I growled as I swam through the sargassum to get to waist deep and run. Yuk, yuk and more yuk.

We were treated to a lovely picture as we crossed the inlet.

A couple of episodes of Quantico while I transferred stuff to my ‘new laptop’. I had copied most documents when Bear bought it for me so it was a simple case of moving the ones I always use – household, DVD list, latest pictures. The mammoth task was rummaging in the Outlook Express program fitted remotely by a lady on our last trip to the UK. This works in centimetres instead of pixels. I had an idea. Copy and paste the blog that the old laptop refused to send properly after writing down all the various shapes and sizes in pixels. Next, highlight each picture on the new machine, right click, look up to Format and jot the centimetres sizes down. Simple – no, the new chap couldn’t do that as the blog came through with no properties. Growling I gave up. Another day has sped by.

Tuesday the 22nd.  All ready to go shopping, thumb drive in hand, when we got a call from Sharmone that her car was poorly. We got to work. Oh did it rain this afternoon. I really did not fancy a swim in all the seaweed so we carried on with little jobs until shower and supper time.

Wednesday the 23rd. Sharmone called to say all was well with her car so off we went. First stop to in a thumb drive for some pictures, last week I had seen a nice frame that holds eight 4 x 6 pictures. The lovely lady said half an hour so we went to Bear’s favourite hardware store. I found only two cans of cerise spray so nabbed them both. We had to be back by four as Sharmone had an appointment, so it was a quick nip around the supermarket and a few stops for bits and bobs. About six minutes before we got to Jolly Harbour and way past the petrol station / workshop the fan belt went. We limped slowly back. Bear took the car back once unloaded to explain things while I put the shopping away. In a flash of enthusiasm I laid out the newly printed pictures (our copier is pants at colour), then sprayed the new frame, silly me, forgot the box I used had holes along the bottom so the balcony has additions, made worse as I sprayed the mirror as well…....

Quick dip but not in the way of a decent sunset.

Thursday the 24th. Unbelievable – it’s Thursday already. I woke at six-thirty and started the day by polishing all ten little pieces of glass for the new frame, once put together I began stripping paper and masking tape from pink mirror – a complete mare when it has been stuck for a long time (first applied when the builders were in and I needed ‘out of the way’ jobs). I polished and sealed the back with gaffer tape while Bear went for the glue gun and to chop wooden support posts. He squirted glue and pressed in place while I got gaffer tape ready to stick the top of the mirror to the wall, then check the supports were in the right place. There it will set for twenty-four hours. Off gwapo went to fit new ice making device in the freezer. I had a fun hour when Miffy’s mate Tim took over my laptop to repair my Outlook Express, during the process I was messaging on Bear’s IPad at one point came I am normally faster at this. Today however, I am sat in a computer Science lecture at uni lol. What fun. After all was well I really laughed at the parting comment from Tim –Right I'm signing off now. Thanks for keeping me awake during digital forensics lecture … with a smiley face. Super excited and relieved and, we had a brighter afternoon. So bright and cheered up I spoke to Uncle Edward at my favourite shop to order a new front loader as the old top loader’s drum is beginning to make alarming noises and throw itself about on spin.

After a few more jobs and lots of polishing, I declared the front bathroom finished – ‘Before’ and ‘After’. Happy.

Friday the 25th.   Bear started the day by taking out the old washing machine and settled behind the fridge. Lots and lots of swearing interjected with the word lazy. I went to investigate to see a ‘lump on the side’. Further explanation was needed form the usually calm ‘Himself’.

In his best Victor Meldrew voice with plenty of I don’t believe it, he explained how some lazy so and so (add your favourite curse words) had sealed a split where the water pipe entered the valve. Using a - - - - - - - great dollop of putty and epoxy. A successful temporary fix, I say again TEMPORARY. They should be caused much slow pain and then hung. Oh, that has put Bear’s feathers the wrong way round.

I messaged Joyce, then finished the dinks on the front bedroom bathroom mirror and polished the whole room. So pleased with the new shower drain put in the shower as the last one was a heel biter. Downstairs it suddenly became a good opportunity to paint the left and back wall in the utility room - which turned into the whole thing….We stopped for lunch and a game of backgammon by which time I could begin a second coat. The worse bit was standing akimbo the tumble dryer flue, bending over and leaning forward, Late afternoon our new washing machine arrived - now known as ‘Big Boy’. We gave the smashing delivery men iced water (yay the new unit is working well) and as they left came the firm but friendly “Don’t forget to remove the shipping bolt or it won’t work”, off they went with a cheery wave. So very exciting unwrapping our latest addition. Bear put him in place as I was painting around the ugly ‘bits’ on the shelf – soon to be covered with the old bi-fold doors. I had a break from painting to put sticky backed cork on the top of ‘Big Boy’ and rolled a first coat of emulsion, a quest to keep him from being scratched until we can save up for a stacked tumble dryer. Oooo, think of the space that that will free up. I washed my brush and roller at ten past eight, ‘shin splint’ in right arm… Ouch but sympathy from Bear as he helped me get supper ready. Flopped asleep earlier than usual.

Saturday the 26th. I nipped downstairs early to put another coat of emulsion under the shelf and on the cork, now stuck to the top of ‘Big Boy’ and the tumble dryer. Bear cut some wood for the cupboard support, then we spent the rest of the day together. Tools for our jobs ready we set about measuring and hanging ‘the three greens’ and then the headboard in our room. I got to drill some holes and then had to brace myself for the plywood, stepladder combo to scrape a little dollop of paint off the fan and touch up its wooden base. Happy to climb down, it was lay on the floor to sweep under the bed before it went back in place. We had various site meetings as to where the ironing board and iron would be stowed (decided on big cupboard in front bedroom), tried a new patio chair cushion (picked up from shippers on Wednesday) and tidied the lounge floor of what legitimately will live in the utility room. That means a temporary pile of decorating stuff next to the bin in the kitchen. We stopped at half six quite shattered. Takeaway Indian and the last episode of Quantico. Out like lights….

ALL IN ALL THE TUNNEL IS GETTING A LITTLE SHORTER

                                I SEE DAYLIGHT AT LAST