Menonderings; This That And The Other

Have been having a week of new things and same old, same old... 

In terms of the latter, there have been several bright, sunny, borderline warm days alternating with plenty of cloudy and windy, approximating about 50/50 and, overall, proving very pleasant indeed. It has meant getting the laundry dry in one day instead of two or three. It has meant lots of windows open and not needing to be closed at night. It has meant the YAMster has again been reminded that she is a child of the sun as much as the night... but the weather is the weather, and I have learned not to get overly complacent about how it will be tomorrow. Or even by this evening!

source; @cobylyn

The big 'new' thing that holds some promise in it, though, is connecting with an online pal. I "met" Coby through the instything pretty soon after I signed up for it - my photos of Dunoon had caught her eye. Our connection was sporadic, but it was clear this lady sort of knew the place... long story short, she and her husband have moved from California to Dunoon in the last month and are here to stay! Last week we finally exchanged emails - until the house they have bought becomes available, they are renting a flat...and, blow me down, it's at the other end of the terrace from The Hutch!!! We are neighbours. For the time being, anyway. Coby came to have lunch with me last Friday, and we spent two effortless hours catching up, filling in some understanding and enjoying dahl and roti with chutneys and salad. It transpired that Coby's father had been posted at Holy Loch with the USNavy, and she had attended school here. She has several friends from high school with whom she is reconnecting and had been across to visit on several occasions over the years. That is why hubby knew that he too could settle here (he is actually English-born of Scottish parents).

I got to meet Dave for half an hour when he came at Coby's behest after discussing tumble driers. They were looking to purchase one for their new home. As it happened, I 'inherited' a drier with The Hutch - but have never used the thing. Never even plugged it in, so couldn't vouch for its being operational. Dave came along, we hooked it up, and he pressed the appropriate buttons, so we quickly discovered that it was, indeed, in working order. Dave felt that it was a bit older than they would wish for but that he was happy to get a mate and lift it away for me, and they would seek to find a home for it. I can't tell you how this delights me! Hopefully, this coming weekend, I will finally have more space in my kitchen. What wonderful new acquaintances to have made.

It has to be admitted, though, that on opening that drier door and looking at the thing properly for the first time since ever I got here (over nine years, remember - despite throwing all my plastic bags in there for storage, I really didn't pay any attention to the lump of metal beside the fridge), it was a tad embarrassing how grotty it looked. I suspect the previous owner had not taken much care to de-fuzz, empty, or otherwise maintain, knowing they were leaving. Thus, on Sunday arvo, I managed to 'walk' the thing out from under the counter (surprisingly easy as it turned out) to attend to matters of scrub and disinfection! Some bits could not be sorted due to either requiring removal of screws for access (too many to tackle single-handed) or just straight out replacement (filter). But it is now 90% sparkling and ready for somebody in need. This operation meant that I had to reset the table under the counter - for now. Once the machine is gone, I can have a rethink...

Change is as good as a holiday, right? It has sparked me to no end having new faces and conversations and a sense of the very beginnings of the shift I need. One item, several hundred left to go... well, dozens at least.

Stuff. It gathers like dust bunnies. No matter what one does to keep it at bay, it settles and stays. Before the year is out, I am hoping to have moved a fair bit of stuff away again. Fingers crossed.