I promised Pamela Sine that I would post pictures of pancakes on
Facebook. I did, but here are some more that are only for blog
followers:
 |
| Veenitha buttering them up |
 |
| Cooking in progress |
 |
| The finished product. All the maple syrup that Monica brought is gone, so I am having them with kitul treacle. Like maple syrup, treacle is made from sap. In this case from the kitul tree. Quite good. |
The last days have been spent removing the wooden ceiling on my veranda. We did it in order to spot the leaks that have made it into an indoor swimming pool in the heavy rains. However, it has had many more beneficial effects:
- All the bugs like ants and cockroaches and squirrels have no more places to nest.
- We discovered that the beam closest to the house that holds up the higher part of the roof is rotted and will need replacing.
- It is much cleaner. The crap that came was incredible.
- I love the industrial look.
- I have way more rafters from which to hang my stuff.
- The ceiling is a bit higher.
- For some reason, the leaks have diminished so that now there are only 2 small ones that need repair.
The one disadvantage is that it gets a bit hotter because there is no longer that air gap between the asbestos sheeting and the wood. Oh well, it is a big open space and it is quite breezy. So still a great space to enjoy.
Here is the finished product:
 |
| The industrial look |
 |
| The view as you enter from the living room |
 |
| Lots of room to loll and read or sleep |
 |
| My breakfast table etc. |
 |
| Still lots of room for my Buddha with a new place for my vesak lanterns and oil lamp. |
I have also finished my first work of art. Mandalas on stones.
 |
| Not bad for a first attempt. It was a bit tricky as the stone was quite rough. I think I will try the same thing in the inside of spent coconut shells. |
|
Cosmos has suddenly sprung up in my garden. Seeds must have been carried on the wind which has been quite strong of late.
 |
| Makes a lovely arrangement |
|
Patches continues to wheedle her way into my heart. She has found her way into the bookcase for some quiet time.
Yesterday, however, curiosity got her stuck up in the rafters of the newly denuded veranda. God only knows how she got up there, but I had to get up on the big ladder and pull her down. Of course, she struggled like crazy holding on to the beam with her claws for dear life. However, to her credit, once I pried her loose, she did not scratch or bite. Good girl. Then it was like nothing had happened. She plunked herself down and started to give herself a bath.
The other big news is that my friend, Judith, has given me her sewing machine. It is a lovely little portable Singer that will come in most handy for small jobs and repairs. The only fly in the ointment, is that it is a Japanese model, so all the labels on the machine and the manual which I finally found on line are all in Japanese. I tried to translate the manual on line and got a most interesting result, although not very helpful. I think I have figured out everything except for one dial. Luckily, my friend Ken Kawasaki can read Japanese, so now I just have to get the manual to him. Let the sewing begin.
