Tragedy & Disaster

In sombre mood I have to record the untimely death of Fanta. Fanta was a pussycat who lived with his owners a little way down the road. He had a near sibling, Tango. As may be guessed they are/ were both ginger cats, but Tango is short-haired while Fanta was long-haired with the most luxurious tail I have ever seen on a domestic cat. We got to know him a little (he was shy) as he visited for breakfast each morning. His owners moved from our cul-de-sac to a ribbon road, and within weeks Fanta was run down by a car and had to be put to sleep. He (or she, we were never able to tell!) could have been only 4 or 5 years old. RIP

In a more light-hearted vein, let me turn to waffles. Following the gift from the Norwegians, we made waffles. At least that was the intention. The mix was ready, the waffle maker was seasoned and hot, and the audience (me!) stood by. The Wife carefully placed a ladle full of the mix in either side of the waffle maker, filling the mould, and closed the lid. Panic!!!!! The lid rose slightly as the mixture expanded and ran from the front & sides of the iron. Attempting to lift the lid to see what was going on made matters worse as the half-cooked mixture now clung to both top & bottom surfaces with the uncooked centre oozing apart under tension. The attempt was abandoned at this point, and instead we had waffle-mix pancakes with the remaining mixture cooked in the frying pan; but we still had the cream & jam, so not all was lost!!
An inquest was held. It was decided that too much waffle mix was loaded into the mould and that the mix should not, perhaps, have been left standing for a while before use. It was further decided that the waffle maker had not been properly seasoned with oil before use. Having taken two days to clean the iron, it is now thoroughly seasoned and lies inert and brooding on the counter-top in the kitchen challenging us to try again. The weekend beckons. Watch this space!!

The rest of the week is more or less routine. Being something of a good Samaritan one day, I trimmed a neighbour's rather overgrown shrub that was blocking light. I had thought that the trim was straight, but once down the ladder I can see that it is more like a donkey's hind leg. Never mind, it will grow out and next time I will use a line for a straight edge. I have also made a start repairing the summerhouse roof. Close inspection shows that I may be just in time. I was ably assisted by Portia, as you can see, cutting the template & measuring the roofing felt.

We also have a new garden bench, which will make better use of a neglected corner of the garden. On reflection, we may swap it for a slightly longer bench from elsewhere in the garden; it might be more aesthetically pleasing.