Oh heck!!!!

Living in and taking care of an old house can sometimes be tedious or a wonderful learning experience.
I have learned so many new things over the years that I am now capable of handling handyman jobs both inside and outside my home.
Even though my DIY repertoire of knowledge has increased, there are still some jobs that I don't feel comfortable with....electrical work being one of them.
This is when I call on my male friends to help.
"My Guys" are invaluable as friends and priceless as my knights in shining armour coming to my rescue.
My dear friend Charles wears many hats....he is my pc guru, my walking wikipedia with a wealth of knowledge in a variety of topics, and also a certified electrician.
When he comes by to help me out, we make a reservation for an early time slot, usually 6.00am.  We work on the project and he is back home by 8.00am.
A few days ago was no different.  I picked him up at 6.30am and we were in full swing by 7.00am.
One of the projects involved running a new internet access point to my room.  Wireless is fine sometimes but with the new smart tvs a wired internet connection is always better.

It was a straight run from the living room point to my room, requiring only a hole to be drilled in the wall....no problem.
Standing in the way was the étagère with my treasured blue and white porcelain pieces.

The étagère is metal with glass shelf inserts.

I started to move it very gingerly out of the way....a little pull from the right and a gentle pull from the left.  Everything was going well until...... CRACK _A_ LANG LANG!!!
At first I couldn't comprehend what had happened, but then I saw the entire top shelf had broken and all of the pieces had fallen on to the second shelf and also on to my hands that were still adhered to the left side of the shelf pulling it slowly along.

"OH HECK!!!"
"Charles!  Charles! Charles!," I cried out.  "HELP!!!  NOW!!! HELP!!!"
He came running over and started to remove the precious ornaments and place them on the dining table. Some were about to crash on to the floor and I begged him to save those ones first.
It seemed like he was moving in slow motion but in actual fact he was moving as fast as he could under the precarious circumstances.

Only when all of the pieces had been rescued was I able to remove my hands which were penned under the broken glass shelf.
Believe it or not....NOT ONE single piece was damaged...no broken pieces...no chips or dents.
Thank goodness Charles was there...I don't even want to think about what would have happened if he were not there to save them all.
Each one was precious......from the lovely lady figurine given to me by my Mum to my prized pieces purchased in faraway lands and acquired at estate sales, also gifts from an old friend and a farewell gift from a former workplace.

What an awful scare.

Off to the hardware store to purchase a replacement piece of glass for the top shelf.

The guy at the store was very helpful.
He cut a new piece of glass and told me that this piece was of better quality....it was also heavier and it was a tad thicker.
It fit perfectly.

 Back in business.

My ornaments are now safe once again. 
Today is National Heroes Day, a holiday here on the island.
I can't help but think that I now have another hero in my life.
.....thanks Charles!!!!

The Pawpaw Taste Test

Remember way back when a certain bow wow (who shall remain nameless in this story) was introduced to mango?
Do you remember the way he twisted up his mouth and how he glared at me as if I were crazy to even think I could get him to eat the delicious fruit?
Since then I have been trying to give him some pawpaw fruit, but he was having none of it.

Guess what?
My girlfriend Eureka has a pawpaw tree and the monkeys in her neighbourhood actually allowed her to reap a few....kinda.
She actually managed to rescue one of the precious fruits for me because she hid it between some leaves on the tree.   WHAT??
"What kind of idiotic monkeys you have over there?" I asked her.  "the monkeys up here by me would know how many pawpaws are on the tree before you do.  How come your monkeys so stupidee?"

 "I don't know!" she replied, "but I have this one for you and I have another one hidden in the leaves for me."
I laughed....a full blown hard belly laugh....a laugh at her and her stupidee monkeys.
I brought the "just beginning to ripe" pawpaw home and placed it on the counter to finish its ripening process.
Finally a few days later it was ready to eat.

 I cut the pawpaw open and look what I found inside....nothing....not a single seed to scoop out.
Gosh that was the easiest pawpaw to eat.

I could slice it and scoop it out in spoonfuls......

.....or I could peel the skin right off........

.....cut it into cubes and enjoy it that way too.

Decided to try a small piece with "he who shall remain nameless in this story."
"Try it you may like it." I told him
"Doesn't look or taste like mango Mum," he said...(yes he speaks English too)
"Just try a little piece," I coaxed.
Well what'da you know? The sample piece was gobbled up in a quick second (yes there are seconds and there are quick seconds....this was one of the latter.)
I stared at my empty hand...could it be? Did he really eat it?
I reached for another piece and he gobbled that off too.
From then on, I had to eat fast to keep up with him.....one cube for me and one cube for him...one cube for me...another one for him.
Wow what did I just do?  I had created a fruit eating monster.
Robbed myself of a lovely pawpaw breakfast that I had all for myself.

Hey Mum is it all gone?  Can you go and get another one for breakfast tomorrow?
I love it...it was so tasty.....what's it called again?
Oh yes, pawpaw....get me another please!!!

I gave my girlfriend a call to request another one and hear her,
"Girl, those monkeys come and clear the tree...not a one out there now.....they obviously heard you laughing at them."
WHAT????
Guess I won't be laughing at her monkeys anymore.
 

Happy Easter!!!

Christ the Lord is Risen today!!!

Happy Easter to everyone!!!

Wishing you a blessed and joyful day!!!

A special Easter basket delivery

Today was a good day.
A jaunt day to make a special delivery.
I know that you know exactly where I went.
To visit my "family" and deliver a special treat from Brownie to his friends at the RSPCA.
This year I didn't have the urge to bake, so everything was store bought....but still carefully chosen.

A special Easter basket with candy-filled eggs and lots of chocolates. Technically it should have contained more but I sneaked out a few.....ssshhhh don't tell anyone.
A lovely sponge cake from a local supermarket bakery.....couldn't dare sneak a piece out....darn...that's why I like homemade baking.
A tin of butter cookies (Dr. Huey's/the vet) favourite....thank goodness I purchased another tin for the household....if not who knows?

With love and admiration always.
Happy Easter to each and every one of you...The BEST veterinary staff in the world.
THANK YOU for looking after my Brownbie whenever we show up on your doorstep and for taking care of us like family.

Another Warm Welcome

Today I paid a visit to my girlfriend Joyce but she was not at home.  
No worries, I had a warm welcome none the less.

Amaryllis...not sure of the cultivar.
One of her babies was in full bloom......

A delicate beautiful bloom.....

....that took my breath away and then some.....

With more gorgeous buds to open that will make a dull day full of sunshine.

What a beauty!!!
What a stunning welcome....I had a wonderful day after that.