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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

waiting and waiting

The building project is at a complete standstill. My energy and inspiration are wearing thin and I feel trapped. The lousy weather and a debilitating head-cold have not helped to cheer things up. As a person who suffers from complete absence of patience, I find this waiting game intolerable. Let the new year bring on the builders, the light and brighter prospects.

Friday, December 24, 2010

keeping warm

As compensation for not having a kitchen at the moment, I have been watching Nigella Lawson cook up some Christmas goodies, which I will be trying out as soon as I have the new kitchen in March! It is never too late to spoil oneself.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

no kitchen for christmas

No wine today, the builder’s gone away
The bottle stands forlorn, a symbol of the hope
No wine today, it seems a common sight
But people passing by don't know the reason why
 How could they know just what this message means
The end of my hopes, the end of all my dreams
How could they know the palace here is planned
Behind the door my kitchen is not manned
 No wine today, it wasn't always so
Manu and team were gay, they’d turn night into day 
 But all that's left is a place dark and lonely
A terraced house in a mean street back of town
Becomes a building site when they aren’t here
Just two up two down….. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClQepFF-Sr0&feature=player_embedded#!
 

Sunday, December 19, 2010

fine dining in style












If it weren't so cold, we could have planned the big christmas lunch in the new dining room. Check the view... spectacular urban construction covered in crispy fresh snow.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

hope springs eternal in the human breast

I have had to vasbyt * and swallow my disappointment when Manu told us that the new windows will not be ready till January 12 at the earliest! If setbacks come in sets of three, then we have had the three: blocked sewer, below freezing temperatures (builders cannot work in extreme cold) and now late delivery of windows. As far as I know, Alexander Pope coined the phrase "hope springs eternal in the human breast" in his Essays on Man. We hope, we dream and imagine. In the meantime, we are selling (and sampling!) wine for the season's festivities.

*vasbyt : Afrikaans expression for biting hard or fast when you need to persevere.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

you may say I am a dreamer

But I am not the only one. Even Manu and my other half can already visualize the new kitchen. And yesterday I met with the kitchen man. There is progress indeed. I fear though that the deepfreeze temperatures will return by the end of the week, in which case everything will come to a grinding halt.  But not my hope that my kitchen and I will be as one. 
Last week was of course the 30th anniversary of John Lennon’s death; we were all reminded again to imagine.