Life Just isn’t Fair

Today I managed just 250 words of an article draft. Apart from my fulfilling my blog schedule, those are the first words I’ve written since we got back from holiday a week ago.

Yet I haven’t been idle. It feels as though I’ll never catch up.

There were messages on the phone that needed attention. Sadly none of these informed me that someone wanted to buy my house.

When I collected my emails, there were over 2000 in my spam folder – I have to check them in case some missive from an editor has crept in there by mistake. There were also about 150 to be read in my inbox, and while some were just info about comments and so on, others needed replies or other action. Sadly none were about article sales.

Once I’d unpacked, there was a ton of washing, and since my son and girlfriend had been staying in the house while we were away, there was extra bed linen and towels to add to it. I’ve been doing one or two loads a day, and today I did the few items that just had to be handwashed. I’ve also been doing about an hour of ironing each day as well, but of course, I keep adding to the pile.

Since my batteries were recharged while I was on holiday, I decided I ought to start doing the jobs that I’ve been putting off thinking we’d be moving soon. Almost a whole day was taken up with defrosting and cleaning out the fridge-freezer.

I put two books up for sale on Grand Metropolis and one on Amazon. The latter sold immediately so I had to package that up and send it off. The next day another book sold at Green Met so there was another trip to the post office. That was after I’d taken my son out to lunch for his birthday.

I’ve finally got round to calling the windscreen repairers to arrange for them to deal with the chips on my windscreen. And I’ve downloaded the free bus pass applications; sorted out the proof of identity and residence documents needed and photocopied them; and found a passport size photo for mine. I just need to get hold of hubby’s driving licence and photo and that can be sent off.

And all the while I’m anxious about those three sets of year end accounts I should have done by now.

All hubby had to do when we got home was put the emptied suitcase up in the loft, go out to his normal work day after putting on his clean and freshly ironed clothes, and come home later to a home-cooked meal. I know this is the age old cry from a wife, but I have to say it – it just doesn’t seem fair, somehow.

The Dream Holiday

Five days on, (I've spent this one defrosting and scrubbing the fridge and the freezer) our holiday in Minorca seems like a dream that I've woken up from.

The photo is of the beach at Cala 'n Porter, which we left behind on Monday when we returned home after our two weeks. Our hotel was in the centre of the resort on top of the cliffs, and there were steps down, about 190 of them. Coming up by road was nearly as bad as it got quite steep. A third option was one of the those road trains, if you were there at the right time. On the last day we waited half an hour and then decided to take the steps, only to see the train arrive below us as we were about half way up. There were some strategically placed seats on the way so we were able to catch our breath.

It was a pity the rep didn't tell us about the cost of the beach umbrellas and sunbeds costing €17. After paying this once, most people bought some mats and an umbrella to tote down there each time. But the beach was great. The lifeguards had a really easy time as the sea was so safe. We waded out a long way to swim with the fish in the clear water. And we watched other people snorkeling, diving, kayaking, playing with bats or just balls, lounging on rafts, putting their shopping into rubber dinghys to ferry it out to their yachts, swooping down the water slides on top of pedalloes. It was all happening. Looking after the tourists was the life of the locals.

We did see some of the rest of the island of Minorca as well, so I may tell more later.

Delightful Spanish Softies

After the holiday, it’s time to write about it. I need to think about what aspects to select and what to say about them. I’ll probably need to do more research as well. That part I’ll really enjoy, because I always love putting my own experience into a broader context than I found at the time. Usually it makes me want to go back.

At the moment I feel that, if I do make another visit, it’ll have to be at a different time of year. Menorca was having a heat wave.

“It’s not usually as hot as this,” one of the holiday reps told us. For us this meant we couldn’t walk as much as usual and it certainly curtailed some of the sightseeing. The Menorcans are aware of this. When we visited the site of an enormous fort and were heading back from its furthest point, walking along a trail with no shelter from the glaring sun, a minibus approached and stopped beside us.

“Are you ok walking?” asked its slim and attractive female driver. If I hadn’t been standing next to him, I’m convinced my hubby would have hopped in beside her with no hesitation.

Another surprise was meeting an animal loving Spaniard who brought his dog to the terrace bar of our hotel at around 7 pm every day. One day he came alone and we hoped the dog was ok.

“Oh yes. I left him because it’s so hot and he’s been playing in our pool all afternoon.” Carlos spoke near perfect English. Originally from mainland Spain, he had moved to England as a young man and lived in Ealing for 30 years before his English wife persuaded him to come and live in Menorca.

His dog was a black and grey spaniel with no tail. It was very friendly and adored children. When a small person came near, instead of having a wagging tail, it had a Renault Clio backside, if you know what I mean.

“We had an alsation here as well but not for long. At 18 months, he developed a tumour on the brain. I had to hold him and stroke him while they put the injection in.” Carlos was clearly still very upset about that. “They are like family, aren’t they?

“This one I wanted to get a haircut. Would have cost €35, but my wife said no. He goes on the top and second step of the pool to get cool but he won’t go any further. Must have had a bad experience at some time.

“We got him from the rescue centre. That place is so busy and so big. We’re always finding abandoned dogs and cats. It’s not the Spanish. They don’t go away and leave them. It’s the English who just come for six months and then go back home.”

So much for our reputation as the softest nation in the world when it comes to animals.

New Arrivals before our Departure

This will be my last post for at least two weeks. I had hoped to prepare posts for blogger to put up on their dates while we are on holiday. But things have got a bit out of hand this week and I haven’t managed it. Two babies have been born into our family; the first was a grandson for my sister, so a great-nephew for me.

And yesterday I went off with my son to meet his new grandson, who was just a few hours old. And yes, that makes me a great-gran. Do I feel old? I’m glad though that my little great-grandson put in an early appearance, as I was able to see him before it’s time to head off away from all the family for two whole weeks.

Now here’s a piece of sod’s law. It’s been at least two months since anyone showed the slightest interest in the fact that my house is for sale. But someone wants a viewing on Monday while we are away. That means that I’ll have to clear away all the rejected clothing and other items that don’t make it into our suitcases, and then set to and make the place spick and span before we can go.

Success with PayPerPost

After the initial hiccup, I can report success. My blog has been approved for blog marketing with PayPerPost. And I recommend it already because they have offered me as much as I might get for a CC article to make this post.

As I expected, most of the offerings from advertisers are for quite a bit less than that, but it still looks like a nice little earner from doing what I would be doing anyway. And I won’t have so much hassle thinking up subjects to write about. Some people earn lots of bucks, which I daresay is not too difficult if you have multiple blogs.

I’m saving US dollars in my paypal account at the moment. When the balance is high enough I’ll consider whether I’d be better off getting it converted and putting it somewhere it will earn for me. All spare pennies are being squirreled away for our next move to live by the sea, when that dream comes true. I’ll probably need a bit more than I’ll get for the current house, which is in a cheaper area.

When I’ve been surfing around via the entrecard widgets when I’m clicking, I’ve seen other bloggers talking about PPP. That’s why I decided to give it a go. I’ve tried a couple of other sites that offer money for blogging but they all seem to want a decent Google page rank, and I’m still learning about all that. I dare say that might affect the opportunities on PPP, but it hasn’t kicked in yet. Only my first day, mind you.

And I won’t be able to get really into it for the next couple of weeks, as on Sunday we are flying off to the Balearics for our summer hols. Might be the last time we do that because of all the carbon footprint hoo-hah, so we have to make the most of it, no matter how bad the euro exchange rate is.

Anyway I have my ppp account all ready and waiting for when I get back. I’m not sure yet how much this will affect my blogging schedule. At present I post here three days a week and two days at my Writelink blog. I can’t do PPP at WL because they don’t allow widgets, but I might think about stepping up this one a bit if it’s bringing in some cash.

Help Needed

I just got turned down for Pay Per Post because my archive is not chronological. I have to admit I’m a bit half hearted about it because I suspect it will be more difficult to draft interesting posts for advertisers than when I just select my own subjects. Although on another blog I read that someone joined PPP primarily to get some inspiration for subjects. Anyway I thought I’d give it a try.

And now I’m thwarted. Looking at my blog layout, I see that my archived posts are listed in chronological order backwards by month, but by name and without an actual date next to them, so I presume that is what is wanted. Unfortunately, I can’t see how to organise that myself.

Can anyone help, please?

Plans for Mottisfont

I’ve been putting off writing about my visit to Mottisfont this year. The best time to publish something about it in the US would be after Christmas when people are expected to start planning their summer vacations. In UK magazines, it would work well in mid May, when people might be thinking about where to go during the next month. That means sending it out well before the end of this year. So I have a bit of thinking time left, but I must schedule the writing in good time.

Mottisfont Abbey is now a National Trust property. Its walled garden is home to the National Collection of Old English Roses. The season for these is in June. This year I went a couple of days after the season was expected to end and there was still a spectacular display of roses mixed with other summer flowers. I posted what I thought was my best rose photo in a Wordless Wednesday slot.

Mottisfont also has some other charms. A short riverside walk is a pleasant stroll, though you need appropriate footwear if the weather has been wet. A leaflet also gives directions for a longer walk to start and end on the estate. The house is open to the public and is also home to a popular café serving the usual healthy NT meals and scrummy cakes. And it has second hand book shop that raises funds for the trust. You can take along any books you want to pass on and buy more.

Today’s pic shows a rose-clad bridge on the riverside walk, next to a wonderful weeping willow.