Lock-down Day 113

Winter! My least favourite season! Urgh, I'm cold. And I'm still forgetting my gloves - hopefully this weekend I'll find the brains to take them out!

Mewthos was restless last night. He kept prowling around, but wouldn't come in for a cuddle - I even turned over onto his preferred side, dislodging 3 comfy mips and myself. He just stuck his nose under the duvet and turned around again. Ditto Mini, but she wasn't as restless.

I got up a little late this morning, and was a few minutes late for work.

I'm glad it's Friday today. I'm ready to spend some time at home.

First thing I did was to wash the dishes. I'm seeing 2 piddle puddles in just the kitchen - urgh, the floor looks as if it hasn't been cleaned in months! So, I sweep and now I'm busy washing the floors! Not even half the kitchen and the water is already black! Now I'm waiting for it to dry, so I can get more water and carry on. Mippies are off gallivanting! I have no idea where ... 

Phew! Kitchen floors are clean! That's 1/4 done. If I didn't have to go to work all day, every day, I wouldn't have this problem ... just thinking out loud here, stating some more motivation to work on my income options.

Phew! Done! That's much better! My Mister Piddles has been busy! Well, it's quarter past five now, and the worst weekend work is behind me - although, with my luck, I'll have no energy left tomorrow! But I need energy! I need to bake more cookies, and maybe a batch of muffins - the bread alone just wasn't enough at work this week, even though I've made plenty! The laundry isn't a big deal - but the smoking preparations will take time. I want to prepare plenty of tubes and wash some leaves.

I had wondered why my leaves looked nothing like those 'granny panties' everyone else showed in their photo's on the washing line - mine look more like patches. Turns out it's most likely hail damage. No problem - the colander washing option I'm using works on those. Just the drying is a bit of an issue. And it explains why I'm not getting that 'roll up the leaves in a tight sausage, then cut in thin strips' thing working for me.

Mippies are strolling in one by one, Mini, Ziva ... mipping to say 'Hello!'

While I was washing the floors, I was reflecting on my home situation. To the casual reader it must seem like I've gone from 'the best landlord ever' to 'landlord from hell' practically overnight. That's not exactly a true reflection, though. They are not bad landlords. He put in a lot of sprinkler systems for my garden, and he used to water my plants last year, during winter, when I came home too late do safely do so. He's not doing that now, because I'm no longer tending the garden - I haven't done anything there for ages. If anything breaks, he repairs it immediately. So, on that score, he is still the 'best landlord ever'. The problem really is, that they both don't seem to grasp the whole 'renting' thing. They still firmly believe that this is THEIR house and THEIR garden - so they believe that I MUST live by their rules. That's where all those restrictions come in ... although I have a feeling they've been set right about that - yet they haven't lifted any of the restrictions ... I still fear that if I try to run a bath, they'll cut my water. Not sure, but I'm not willing to push the issue.

Also, this whole lock-down has affected them, financially, as well. And they've had to cut costs, too. And they simply believed that by 'including' electricity in the rent, that gives them the right to control electricity use ... only ... I'm paying electricity! They missed that one, too! All this 'you're wasting my water' is actually about electricity - pumping water. THAT's his problem, both with the bath and my washing machine. The pump works for too long for both. With regards to the bath, that's his own fault: He installed the system, limiting the amount of water coming out of the tap per minute! So, what brought everything to a head is very simply that this crisis has revealed many true colours! And my landlord's true colours are simply not generous; that's all.

So, on the whole, if they had grasped this 'renting means it's MY home, not theirs' from the beginning, I probably would have continued to try and make this my home.

BUT: The real problem is, that this place just isn't right for me. If I had seen it before moving in, I would never have taken it! The layout is just not working for me at all - I don't have room to be ... What I mean is, that there is no room to rearrange anything. And there's no room for additions - I haven't even put up my display stand, because there is no room for it. I'd have to get rid of something to make space. And the dining table can go only in the kitchen. To take it out of the kitchen, I have to remove the legs - and there's no other place where it can fit. So, I can't use it for hobbies ... 

None of that is my landlord's fault. The issues he's caused, have just made me accept this reality - nothing more.

Oh, nice! I just received a message that June UIF payment has come through! I should put my credit card back into the black tomorrow! Grin, right now, my bank balance is looking better than it has in years!

My ladies have come home without much of a wait. I gave them their treat - and they cleaned their bowls so thoroughly, I gave them more, and more, and more! It was a pleasure to watch! But when I opened the third sachet ... I had to stop. Keeping some back for Mewthos.

Only ... it's now seven at night, and Mewthos is still not home! I've gone outside with the LED lamp to look for him ... nothing! Now I'm worried! I've walked all the way to the gate, shone the torch across the field, walked the other way to the west ... no cat eyes anywhere! No mewl either. I'm telling myself that this is not the first time ... but it has happened only once before! And that time, I did actually see him when I went out to look for him - although I thought at the time, that I must be mistaken, as I expected Mewthos to come to me. When he didn't, I assumed it couldn't have been Mewthos. That was when he went with Sir Galahad. But what is keeping him away now?

Half past seven ... still no Mewthos! I have a bad feeling about this ... I'm trying not to give into it, but ... I am just so worried, now!

Quarter to eight, still nothing! And there is nothing I can do! If he's hurt, he's either too far or quiet. He is so accident prone, it's not far fetched that something happened to him ... but ... wouldn't Ziva have called me, like she did before? Would any of the other mippies know? Yes, I think they would ... I hope ... but why isn't he coming home? Is it one of the black males I've seen around? I hope so! I found my jersey had been twirlied across the armchair today. 

The ladies have settled on the bed, curled into little furry shrimps. Mini investigated my tube-making stuff, but she's also settled down now. I've fried myself steak for dinner, which I shared with Ziva and Mini. Janey came to investigate, but didn't eat any. Mini is so clever, she noticed that I had washed the floor, so she cleans the floor where she eats!

Five to eight, a mip at the door! Phew! Mewthos! Right past me, straight to the food bowl and 'where's my treat'? I don't know whether to smack him or hug him! Of course, I hug him! I put his treat in his bowl - Janey comes and sits hopeful at hers, so I give her more as well! Then I go and have a 'relief smoke'! Not three puffs, when Mewthos demands I come back and give him more treat! I tell him 'No! You were late!' but Janey sits at her bowl looking at me as well, so ... I give in and give them all another sachet! That's five in one night! But I'm just so relieved ... so incredibly relieved! All my mippies home, safe and sound!

The girls have settled down on the bed again, and Mewthos? He's sitting on the sleeper couch, looking out the window! If he could, he'd go back outside, right now! The girls are far more sensitive to my feelings. They learn what upsets me and avoid it ... for a long time. Now and then, nature takes over and they upset me by staying out late ... and then come home early again for a long time. Mewthos isn't trying to upset me, and it's such a rare thing for HIM to stay out late ... so I guess it's not that he isn't sensitive to my feelings. He's naturally more attached to me, than the ladies. More of a mama's boy. Whereas the girls are simply a little more independent. Except for Mini! She's as attached to me as Mewthos is!

Anyway ... stressing over Mewthos has also tired me ... I better crawl under the duvet and go to sleep now. It's only twenty past eight!