Yesterday's passenger was cancelled which was probably a good thing as all the rain has made the roads more like rivers. It seems to have eased now, but it was very wet yesterday. The gauge had over four inches in it, but I have not checked it for at least a week, so not all in one go.

Coming home from the Bank on Monday something largish hit the side of the car - not sure what it was because there was no body when I checked. Fortunately it did not dent the car, but has conspicuously removed quantities of dirt. I hope it only has a headache as it seems to have just slid along the side in a glancing blow.

I spent the day cooking and produced some osso bucco and a chicken and chorizo bake. Today's effort was steak and guinness (though it was really Cascade Stout). It's still simmering away so I had some pastici from the freezer for dinner.

I also received the wool combs I ordered. They are lovely and light, not like the clunky ones I borrowed, and come with a means of fastening one to the table so you can have a hand free. But I have so far been using them in each hand and loving them.

They have been having a bit of a tidy up at the bank which is nice - I have been able to access previously inaccessible areas and give them a bit of a wipe over.

It will be a fairly early night tonight as I have plans to get to the Studio tomorrow to do a bit more spinning.

The weather has been lunging around like a drunken sow for some weeks now. Minimums vary between minus three and plus ten, so deciding on bedding tends to be a last minute event here. And often gets revised several more times during the course of the night. This is aided and abetted by Billy who appears to be entering senility and thus gets up hourly, disturbs the entire bedfull of bodies, treads on my head yawping wildly then leaves for five minutes before returning, trying to get in the wrong side of the bed and then walking over my head once more to get into his side. So not much sleep is had till daylight when he seems happy to sleep as long as I will let him.

The Hall has stirred into life and I am advised the trouble maker has resigned (well, says she has a letter of resignation but has not handed it in). We will have our first meeting on Sunday 12 July to organise ourselves, work out what to do for a fund raising activity for the end of the year (so we can pay the Insurance in January) and sort out our Covid Safe plan. Apparently Council has done this for us and left quantities of antiseptic at the Hall for us.

The Pancake Parlour has resumed business on shorter hours four days a week and I am back in spinning again when I am able. I have acquired a new wheel which, having responded well to repairs is very good at spinning lace weight yarn (in case I ever get into knitting Shetland Lace), but meanwhile I am finding that the carded wool I made for the purpose of spinning woollen style, actually spins a lace weight on the Kiwi 2 when used Worsted style (I know, sorry, too technical for some). This is a mixed blessing as I actually want it sock weight so I can use it on the future vest, so I will have to chain ply it so it is thick enough to match the other yarns already spun for the purpose.

Not much progress on the kitchen, but at least I have a volunteer to put in the counter tops when I am ready to do so. Some time this week I will have to find time for another cookathon. I have gravy beef, osso bucco, mince, lamb shanks and a chunk of topside to play with (all frozen at present) so I am thinking (respectively) beef and Guinness pie (or casserole with dumplings), osso bucco Italian style, chow mein, something  truly decadent and slow cooked for the shanks and a beef and mushroom stew of some sort for the topside. But since I am knackered today my greatest exertion will be pouring a glass of red when I head out to get some more wood for the fire.

Minus three point one the morning before last, and not much warmer the last couple of days. Had to wait till 11:30 to get a shower this morning. Tomorrow will be tricky as it's going to be another frost but I have to be out and about by 9 to collect a patient. I will have to hope there's still water when I get up at 6:30 so I can leave the tap leaking.

Social life seems to be returning to normal at a rapid pace, what with the long weekend bringing out Hobartians and Northerners in force. I spent the Monday spinning at the Stables, and much of the previous week repairing the new spinning wheel (I know, that's five). It is a double drive wheel which makes spinning lace weight much easier, but the previous owner had done a really clumsy repair on a broken Flyer involving rectangles of rough ply. These are now more polygons fitting to the shape they were applied to and much smoother. But more work is required.

Driving passengers is also picking up once more and I am back to cleaning the bank as well. No rest for the wicked.

So what else? Well not much progress on the kitchen but I do have someone lined up to fit the counter tops when I am ready to get to that stage. He's the husband of a friend so it will probably just cost me dinner for two. He will also fit the big stumbling block (for me) which is the front panel of the corner cupboard which has to be 100% plumb for the door to work, but requires external fitting without pre-drilled guideholes and at awkward angles of approach too so much better dealt with by someone who knows what they are doing.

Haven't been involved in any of the protests but definitely there in spirit. Hope we manage to achieve real change.

Well no idea where all that time went. I reorganised the lounge, reorganised the rats nest of leads on the floor and lost the laptop in the process. Still, nothing is perfect.

Also took advantage of the fresh fish deliveries that have resumed in Oatlands and obtained some prawns, ling and trevalla - beautifully fresh. They now reside in the freezer in the form of fish pie and seafood chowder individual serves. And a cauliflower and cheese soup. This Friday I have to drive to Campbell Town to collect my grazing platter from Grazing Tasmania.

The kitchen remains a work in progress. I have the paint now, but the tiles are still missing in action. I begin to wonder if I would be saving that much since it remains unclear as to how many sheets are required for one square metre, so it's going to be tricky to work it all out. I might just go buy more of the glass mosaic tiles I already have. Though the prospect of installing proper tiles is a bit daunting.

I have had a couple of days of late returning driving trips which have worn me out as well as the clients. And the person filling in for me a the bank is stirring things up a bit. She worked out they were paying her the daytime rate not the night time rate and queried it. They have agreed to pay it for the first fortnight  but have indicated that I clean during day hours. I have now set them straight on that (ie I used to clean during sensible hours, but when they obtained the contract outright and it imposed the 6pm to 6am timetable I have been cleaning during those hours other than weekends when I do it in daylight). Maybe I too am owed money, who knows?

And I will be back on the job on 1 June, so they will no doubt be relieved, haha.

Hall wise, the President remains silent, so I have not mentioned that we are now permitted to have meetings. I am unable to resign quite yet though as we missed out on the Grant but have been invited to resubmit in July, which I guess I will have to stick around for. It seems it's a pretty sure thing if we address the points they have raised, and getting that damn kitchen done has been my goal for at least ten years, haha.

The Railway committee has also requested a letter (I am their Secretary but they rarely meet other than AGMs of which we have had none for the last five years).

So I guess I should get on with that one and print it out for them to submit to Council.

There's only two more kitchen cabinets left in the loungeroom (and some considerable impedimenta), but they are the biggest ones - the pantry cupboards. I removed the remaining upper cupboard which will go to the left of the range hood, and that cleared the way to the coffee table that supported various wifi stuff and was surrounded by a sea of tangled cables. The main reason for the tangle was the 15m cable that runs power to the television in lieu of a more moderate extension cord. I worked out that if I hooked together enough lengths of extension cord, and power boards (it's OK I have not loaded every plug on each of them), I could reach the television and get rid of that trip hazard.

That led to removing the coffee table, clearing the way to a set of drawers in the spare room and swapping those two out. So the wifi is now on top of the drawers, as is the Singer machine and that entire wall has been cleared of debris and swept and generally sorted out.

The drawers will be useful for sewing stuff as the treadle Singer will be placed under the window on that side also. But that's for another day as I am aching all over from the strenuous activites and have my feet up on the sofa (slightly angled to a more convenient position) and contemplating a bedtime panadol. I think I will apply the two missing architraves to the window while I have access to it, and possibly even paint it if I can find the colour in the collection of tins I have.

Last night was not quite as luxurious as the previous one as the local lads were out burning rubber until one in the morning, and him over the road seems to have been rowing with someone too. I gave up and stuck my head under the doona, but sadly did not get much sleep. Up at five thirty as I had had enough.

The cats are perfectly happy to sleep as long as I do, EMW - they have demand feeding and access to the loo etc, so if I am not restless, neither are they. Even Sebastian was quite happy to wait till I woke and never tried to urge me to get up.

Hey Deb, I noted that they were suggesting that those whose surgery was deferred start chasing their surgeon, so you might like to get onto that!

Bed time was so comfortable last night I didn't wake up until 11 am! I haven't done that since I was a teenager! Fortunately there was not much on the agenda so after restocking at Pancakes (which is only open for takeaway  on Friday and Saturday), I headed home, sorted out some more cupboards and generally reorganised stuff. The corner of the kitchen is coming together now and starting to look good. My next job will be the overhead cupboards which will the rearranged (ie the dishrack will be moved to sit between two upper cupboards instead of just being squeezed into the bit of wall that was available when I bought it, and those two cupboards reassigned (one will be glass wear, the other bowls and basins).

Once that meets requirements I will move in the two larger tall pantry cupboards to flank the fridge and provide accommodation for pantry goods and cleaning equipment (imagine not having the vacuum cleaner cluttering up the floor!). I will be modifying some of the shelving in these to make things more accessible (you know how the stuff on the top shelf it out of reach without a ladder - a narrower shelf should fix that). 

It was a true autumn day today with a foggy start (probably what made me sleep in) and glorious sunshine followed by a  nice crispy evening.

The Hall will be inheriting a collection of mugs which match but do not feel good to drink out of, and a few spare bowls. A tray of jam jars is being reassigned to a friend who does that sort of thing still, and the loungeroom is beginning to feel larger! It's quite remarkable! I will be able to regulate temperature by moving the sofa into the right position for the conditions!

Starting to feel like a home!

I agree EMW - the downturn will be with us a long time and it is great to have a bit of money available to allow me to replace missing items, and to build up some savings. I might have to keep them in the mattress because with CBA's 26% losses in the quarter I lack confidence in them to be here for the long haul either. Besides, spending it is going to support local businesses (OK, K Mart isn't a local business, but everything else I have spent lately has gone to one). I will however be setting aside a chunk every fortnight to pay for the fences, the installation of the awning and a few other matters like the countertops etc.

Today I got two loads of washing done so tomorrow it will be sheets and doona top and the brand new sheets going on the bed! I love the luxury of new good quality sheets. And since they last so long feel no compunction in buying them (on special). It does however remind me I should get a new doona cover too. I prefer to have three of each so I can have one on the bed, one in the cupboard and the other on the line.

Cooking was confined to two batches of pastici which is the Greek equivalent of lasagne. It involves layers of macaroni and meat sauce and the white sauce has an egg in it. The recipe I have did not mention any herbs but I added some origano as that is a familiar greek flavour (rigani equivalent).

And I applied the sample paint to two areas of wall to see what it looks like. I am liking it a lot actually, so will proceed with what remains of the pot tomorrow.

All this cooking has laid bare the deficiencies of the pantry which have accumulated over the years, so I am starting a list of herbs and spices, etc that require replacement which I can incrementally replace over the next few months. And with the new kitchen installed I will even have a place to put them, haha.