FUN

Well, we are having a great time navigating our way through installing the new wood burning stove.  Note, I said we.  Ha!  I do the delegating bit and with any luck will receive my apprenticeship diploma in the not too distant ... lol

The chimney cleaner (a neighbour) came round and did a grand job clearing the tiny bit of soot that was still lurking in the chimney.  That has to be done before we install the Hebridean Hoola-hoop ( see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn9iEDGSr-Y ). The register thing arrived and needed cutting to the right size.  So hubby nipped down to the hardware store, returned and created zillions of sparks cutting the register to the right size.  Then it wouldn’t fit!  Air turned blue ... so I suggested folding it slightly.  Hmmm, works with card, but not with metal.  It held the curved shape.  So out to the shed again and more sparks to half the register to make it fit.  Ah ha – success!  Then the air turned blue again as the curvy bit that fits to the straight bit of tubing that fits through the register and into the flexi-chimney is the wrong shape.  Back to ordering something suitable that will hopefully arrive tomorrow.

In the meantime, we are awaiting the imminent arrival of the straw logs.  But the weather for ferries is slowing everything down.  However, the jet stream has taken a wander further north (gulp) so travel may be less disrupted, though there is plenty snow on the mainland of Bonnie Scotland.

Add to all this the fact that the one storage heater we leave on suddenly decided to overheat.  It’s been like a sauna in here for days.  So I called the housing people and they sent someone out to look at the offending heater.  Honestly, we could have cooked dinner on top of it!  The room temp hasn’t dropped below 23c today, despite windows being opened.  It transpires that the storage heater has had a mishap, ignoring the thermostat and the bricks inside are cracking.  Sitting a few inches from it, I can tell you it isn’t fun.  We had to switch the storage heaters off at the mains to make them safe.  It will be Monday, probably, before the offending article loses its heat and can be moved out of the house – along with all its electricity munching siblings.

After a snooze, I woke to find Miss Aurora asleep on HER chair.  Actually, it’s Tom’s chair, but he is relegated to the stool when she is occupying his chair.  She was snoring and it didn’t half make me giggle.  Out with the camera and took a video of her.  You can see it if you like at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5esRBQyUcAU

While hubby was preparing dinner – I know, I’m very lucky – someone turned up at the door.  I thought the logs had finally arrived.  Nope – it was the Avon lady lol  We had a chat n chuckle and I took the bag of goodies through to explore.  Two of the scooshy things didn’t work – the contents that should have been oily had emulsified.  Boy was I disappointed.  All was not lost.  I kept shaking the bottles, then hubby suggested putting them in a shallow bowl of warm water.  Yay!  It worked.  So I called the Avon lady and told her what had happened and how to fix it if anyone else comes across the same problem.

There.  That’s quite enough for one day methinks.  Have been filling shelves in my new craftroom, but it’s a slow process with all the other work going on.  S’great to see my crafty treasures again though :) Happy (Rabbie) Burns' Night and crafting everyone, Susan :)