Tuesday 25 October 2011

Nice weather today...





As for the beach - we timed it well.  It was followed by two days of solid rain with a showery day before and a showery one after so we were well and truly water-logged.  very unusual for us here to have back to back rain.  it's the first time I've ever seen the water in the lake rise above the concrete inlet/culvert thingy.  This was accompanied by thunder and lightening and a tornado watch all day and all night.  Good stuff.


We then drifted into our presently perfect weather - high 70s in the day and 50/60 overnight.  It is just spot on for me.  We are off on a tour of the community on our bikes in a minute just at my favourite time of the day when everything turns gold.(5.30 pm)


We are sort of waiting for a tropical storm which is due here next week.  You get a couple of days with a big hoo-haa of how it might be a hurricane - late in the season like Wilma was.  We are now at the stage of well maybe not - just a tropical storm, so who knows what the weather will actually be like next week.  It's almost like being in the UK!


As we are home for Xmas I'd like a mild December over there so I can actually get outside.  Two years ago we came home for ten days and I flew in, got the taxi to the house, stayed put, followed by the taxi to the airport and flew out.  Truly that's not an exaggeration - Ken still can't believe you can stay in a house for ten days!!  I hate slippy icy roads and pavements.  So, whatever it does here it has to be better than that.


As for doing lots of things - we seem to find something most days even if it is only eating and shopping!  We use the libraries a lot for films and other stuff they put on and have just been to pick up a book I ordered.  I forswore eating out partly out of frugality and partly because I moan about everything we eat.  We agreed that last Thursday since which time we have eaten at Grand Buffet the following day - how can you not want spider crab legs - Ikea on Saturday as we were miles from home and out again yesterday because we were at the shops.  Nothing like being strong-willed.


Our second concert in the park was the freebie given by the Phil and, like the first one, we got rained off.  This time the orchestra also upped sticks and left.  Probably shouldn't call expensive violins, cellos and their like, sticks? We did get a programme though which gave us a good deal.  If we took it to the Phil booking office we could get tickets for a concert in November for $25 each.  Off we duly trotted a couple of days later.  I am trying to persuade Ken this can be my birthday outing instead of the very expensive Nutcracker which he buys me every year.  I love it but two posh outings so close together really isn't necessary; think of all that 'I can't find anything to wear' malarkey which I'll have to do twice.


We may well be economising any way as we've just been stuck for a three and a half thousand dollar repair.  It began with our water heater not heating up properly.  It is like our old electric immersion heaters we used to have in the UK, but this one has two elements as it is a very big tank, and one of them had gone.  We have a contract with a company who take care of all our  stuff like that - remember the new washing machine last year?  So, Broward came out and replaced it - bing, bang, bosh, no charge.  We got the usual dire warnings about a 12 year old tank needing replacing as they rust and leak and then you have a major problem. So Ken did his usual searching all and sundry for the best prices for a couple of days and we were going to have that done for about five hundred plus.  Meanwhile on Monday the annual inspection of our air con was done and we got the also usual dire warnings of a twelve year old system is two years past its sell by date and could implode/explode/die/leak/whatever any second and we'd hate that!!  Ken (and I) have dragged our feet on all major spending here since buying this place but he decided we really had to bite the bullet on this one.  Over here especially it makes a big difference when you sell.  It is commonplace to have stuff like that deducted from the asking price so you don't gain anything other than letting someone else have the newness instead of you.  Guess what - Monday was yesterday - today they were here and the job's done.  We do find all round that customer service here is good - if they say they are coming they arrive - they work quietly and tidily and get the job done without breaks and forgotten bits and pieces.  We've never had a problem with any work we've had done.  Ken also thinks it was a good price, especially as they also agreed to replace the water heater at the same time and only charge us for the cost of the unit ($300).  So we are much lighter in the pocket but comforted in the 'what if it goes kaput' areas.  I was doing a mental calculation of how much a year this would cost us before we die and the engineer did say they last ten or fifteen years so our kids would be OK when they inherit!!  I've only got ten or fifteen years -OMG - my life measured out in air con systems.


Couple of footnotes...   Have you ever read that you can get stung by dead bees and wasps?  You can.  I found a dead bee on the lanai (they are still visiting their old address) and picked it up with a tissue - one big achy thumb!


To go with the big thumb I thought I'd improve my hair so I cut myself, what my mom would call, a donkey fringe.  this is not a good look even on a donkey.  The result is a cross between an aunty of mine - no names, no pack drill,  (it is scary how much I look like her!) and Julie Andrew's Maria from the Sound of Music.  So now I don't know whether to just moan a lot (I do that already - told you I was like my aunty) or screech ...'' the hills are alive to the sound of music''..  which, in my case, they wouldn't be.  I'll leave you with that image.



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