Two cottages to clean today - it was a mizzly overcast, not-quite-rainy day so not much fun really. I was done fairly early thanks to two early checkouts, which was a good thing as those coming into one of the cottages wanted an early checkin and I was away before they got there.

Apart from that, not terribly much has been done around the place as I have been following the terrible events in Paris on and off, and praying for those involved.

So the grand total was 9.5mm which laid the dust but did little more. One can but hope we get some more - a nice follow-up rain within the week would be good, especially if we can manage to avoid the dry hot winds that usually follow rain at this time of year.

It was supposed to be 17 today but it was a lot chillier than that for most of the day - as a consequence I finally cracked and lit the fire this afternoon with predictable results. It is now rather cosy indoors....

A large owl was being mobbed by ravens in the tree next door this morning - it kept me occupied for some time, but I finally managed to drive off the ravens - the owl was as big as they were, but two against one (and ravens are firm believers in team work) was just not fair - I presume the owl was out and about in daylight and that bothered the  ravens.

A few items acquired at the Bargain Centre (for a total outlay of $1.50) means I now have two new blouses and a cotton knitted jumper in a lovely deep gold colour (the jumper, not the blouses - they were black and grey/gold and blue-and-white-striped).

It rained! Well, it was wet all day at any rate - about 7 mm in total last time I checked. It will bring on my lawn just when I had hoped it would not grow again this summer, but will not do the farmers any good. One of them at least has started culling stock to the scandalised horror of some of the more citified of my neighbours. At least he isn't leaving them to become skin and bones like the horrors we used to see in the '70s down Carlton way.

After cleaning the two cottages I brought home some ingredients and started cooking the various layers of the lasagne - it has just come out of the oven and looks rather tasty, so I am looking forward to eating it tonight. I made a very large one (90cm pan) so it will be cut into squares and popped in the freezer for future use.

The potato and Kale soup was divine, and I am going to be cooking it again tomorrow night for a filling dinner (well, filling once I add a bread roll to the mix).

Well I must have been tired (or the cooler weather has made it easier to sleep) as it was 7:45 when I opened my eyes this morning. I have found a recipe for a potato and kale soup which will help me dispatch some of the leftovers - it has a couple of eggs poached in it which adds even more nutrition! Parmesan and olive oil on top - sounds good. Hope it tastes good.

I was, of necessity, a little late arriving at sewing and had not even got in the door when I was waylaid to go to the local medical centre to push wheelchairs up to the memorial service. I ended up with Vera who used to live up the road and make my life hell when she was the Secretary of the hall committee. Clearly living in the aged care facility has softened her edges as we had a nice chat on the way over and back. All the carers parked their patients and went to sit elsewhere, but I was a bit nervous about how effective the brakes might be and stayed with them. I am glad I did as many of the carers took the time to mix and mingle socially after the service, leaving their poor patients like stranded fish waiting to be taken home for lunch. Easy to fall into the assumption they are just a wheelchair, but they are humans too! It was a nice service, if a little overcrowded with Liberal politicians - I had a quiet chuckle to myself when I noticed Will Hodgeman in a red tie (to coordinate with his poppy). He must have borrowed it from one of the Labor pollies.

Had chats with various local Councillors and such like, then back to sewing where I did nothing but chat all afternoon. Then an early departure and back to walk the dogs, read my book and gird up my loins to go clean the bank.

Cleaning the bank took rather longer than anticipated last night as I ran into the boss of the cottages when I arrived and we had a powwow about the linen situation. The company that has been supplying us seemed to have a monopoly but he has finally found an alternate source. The question was - how do we transition from one company to another without getting confused about whose linen belonged to whom. I suggested that since the Bothwell cottages are only newly set up and the cleaners have no idea what they are doing, he should simply remove all the old linen from there and bring it down here for us to use, leaving them with a single source of linen. Then the more experienced cleaners (i.e. us) can sort something out, such a making up each cottage with all one set of linen until we are running low on the older supplies, then marking off each cottage as being fully the new linen company from there on in, till we have only the one, single bed cottage left to use up the spares in. All very complex and took some working out as, while we were doing that, he was loading up his car with linen for the Bothwell cottages and I was rifling through the bags for stuff we needed here and stacking it away. We also agreed that since the new company will only deliver once a week I should place our orders on a Wednesday and stack it on the Thursday since I work those two consecutive days, and it then gives me a bit more work to compensate for Annie getting four days to my three. Then on to the bank and, (phew) to the Roxy in time to get my bottle of milk.

We had the Twilight Fair at the School today where we had a stall for the Garden. This required us to be in at two to pick and bundle veges and set up our table for a four thirty opening. Two cabbages, a bag of silver beet, multiple bundles of spinach and kale as well as rhubarb and bags of broad beans were our offerings. I have leftover kale, spinach and rhubarb to deal with now. I am thinking kale and bean soup, lasagne and frozen rhubarb should help to get through it all.

Feeling rather weary, but then I hate having to talk endless natter to semi-strangers and persuade them to buy stuff. I was relatively restrained myself, buying four stamps (santa claus butterflies and a dragonfly) to make cards with, and some muffins, two dvds that look vaguely interesting and that's about it.

By bedtime last night poor Shadow was really hobbling, and I went to sleep having conversations with myself about vet visits. Fortunately this morning he was back on track, though still a little tender. I suspect he hurt his shoulder somehow yesterday and it is still a bit painful.

Twenty eight degrees and sweltering. Our internet signal disappeared for several hours - it was showing as present but refused to allow access, either on the phone or the computer. Very strange and rather annoying.

I had another email from Dulux and they have given up on trying to fob me off - they now want the contact details of my contractor. I will ask Gavin if he minds me giving them his number and then leave it to them to sort out a visit by their technician (which is their motive for asking for his contact info).

I will be cleaning the bank tonight - hoping the Roxy has fresh milk as I don't want to buy two litres of milk that will be off in three days (their current batch). If not I will get a smaller carton to get me through breakfast tomorrow and get some real stuff tomorrow when they resupply.

The potato bake last night was .... interesting. Unfortunately I don't have any very tasty cheese. And the white sauce I had intended to make ended up being two eggs whipped through some milk as I couldn't be fagged using more utensils than were entirely necessary.

Three cottages to deal with today, but since there was no-one checking in tonight I was able to do some of the chores that tend to get overlooked - like a really detailed clean in the nooks and crannies of things, lifting the seats on the sofa and vacuuming underneath - you know the drill. With only three hours between checkout and checkin there is a limit to what can be achieved if all beds have been slept in and you run into problems with taps falling off (I fixed two today).

I was looking at the hearth as I cleaned one of the rooms and thought - I really like those tiles. The hearth in three of my rooms are in a state of disrepair - one totally disintegrated which will require considerable thought, another just breaking up and the one in the bedroom breaking up and partially missing. Unfortunately it also has some fairly large rocks immediately under the thin layer of cement (the thinness causing the breakup), and so working out how to deal with it has taxed me for some time. But the nice deep green 6x3 inch tiles on the hearth in the cottage made me realise this does not have to be a problem - so a sheet of cement board and some tiles will be the fix for that hearth at least! Probably not on a hearth where the fire will be used for fear of breaking them when I drop logs, but in the bedroom where the fire is not intended for use they will be very nice. Another thing to add to the list.

Late home and a visit from Heather and a long chat so the dogs were crossing their legs rather tightly by the time we got out for a walk. We went further afield to compensate, but poor Shadow found it a bit taxing and was hobbling on the way home. Both are not comatose which is good as I am not sure I could cope with a bouncy dog tonight.