and the struggle continues

Well, here I am again - sat in front of my computer after a most frustrating week. You will laugh when I tell you what I have been trying to design - without much success all week. I am trying my hand at swimming pool design!

Well it makes sense really doesn't it. After all we are living in a country populated by people and pools, well and the odd goat too of course. So pools seemed to be logical and, as I thought at the outset, it must be simple enough. But no. I have made several attempts so far. Four attempts in fact, but none of them are coming up trumps for me right now. I am not going to show any here for that reason. I hate showing my work to anyone when it is not going very well and right now I am sitting here completely frustrated.

Otherwise I was just thinking how well we are starting to settle here and accept the weather along with the flies and mosquitos. We start to learnt the tactics for living with these other creatures we now find in our lives. Not without a slew of bites already in place though. Vic was saying how he has hardly got bitten at all for a change, so I have to remind him that it is because he is living with the number one mosquito magnet. I must have a label stuck on my back - written in mosquite of course - which says 'Fresh meat, sweet blood, very tasty and nutritious' We now have one of those mosquito repellant plug-ins in the bedroom. It seems to work very well. The scars will fade.

Vic saw a snake in the garden today! It was too quick for me and was gone before I got to the window. He said it was about four feet long. I don't think I would be too happy to meet that out while planting primroses, but I daresay he would run for cover rather than stay and fight if it came to it. When I looked out I saw a rather lovely yellow parrot flying past! Still quite thrilling.

Right - I will keep this short today, but will write again soon and hopefully with at least one successful pool design to show at that point. Watch this space....

I know, I know!

It has been longer than I intended. Many Ferias have come and gone. The last one with a medieval feel has just finished. It has taken an awful long time to get all my things sorted and stacked to a degree that I know where most things are and can start to do things again.

We had a lot of computer troubles too in the last couple of months and in the end I have had to bite the bullet and buy a new computer, as the screen on my laptop had died. we hadn't intended to buy a new computer at this time and as a result I have had to settle for a smaller, less powerful one than I was hanging out for. Still it is very nice: an entry level 21 inch Imac with a little extra RAM to allow me to work the way I like to with all my windows open and flapping in the breeze!

We also attended to hanging most of my drawings and paintings. I know that some of them are in the wrong places and some are at the wrong height etc. but it was important for me to get them sorted and up off the floor and out of packing. It has made an awful lot of space and slowly the place starts to get that airy feel about it that I was hoping for. We have put the fitted wardrobes on hold for a bit - until the money starts coming in again - but that too will clear things up even more as all the old hanging rails and open shelving will be hidden from view with all their clutter. I loved the fitted wardrobes we had in Norway as they were so big and deep that I could, if pushed, pick up all my clothes off the floor and just stick them inside on a ledge until I had time to deal with them. Instant house-tidy!

And now...I am designing again. Today for the first time since I came here I have lifted a coloured pencil and started a drawing. I do not want to elaborate at this point as it is early days, but I am just happy to be at least a little bit creative again.

I know that i still have no photo at least attached here, but I promise very soon to continue with a more visual blog again. More important at this time is to try to keep the creativity and words flowing.

And so, goodbye for now, but hopefully not for long