Trying Times

The ground floor locale here is a shop which is currently being refurbished (into, rumour has it, an Ice Cream Parlour or something similar.) Today, Sunday, I seem to be being spared the bang, bang of hammers and chisels etc (I wasn't last week) which is giving me a chance to get rid of some of the attendant brick dust that has settled EVERYWHERE here in my apartment. Big worry is, of course, Wednesday and my Paella Party; I'm really beginning to worry that I'll still have a noisy, dusty problem to contend with then. Yesterday I put my rugs through the washing machine but I'm not going to put them back down until the work below is finished or at least not generating more dust and I just hope that, come the day, my efforts won't be wasted and everything will be hunky-dory.

I'm going next-door shortly to help a neighbour send an email to me with those photos I mentioned yesterday (he took them), and I'm going to see if I can let him log into my WiFi Network so that he has an Internet Connection available while he is here. Kind of returning a favour because everytime he and his wife come here they bring me a Black Pudding the brand of which (Clonakilty) is said to be one of best in the world. Then I'm planning to have a late lunch on the terrace today where there are currently a right pair of young boozers languishing in the warm sunshine. Rosemary and Thyme. I can't keep up with them!! Water, water and more water!! But first I've got to wash the dust and a couple of Seagulls' calling cards off my Electric Plancha and get it set up.

Yesterday while helping Ann to do her shop I saw and bought a pack of 5 small disposable Aluminium Pie Dishes which means that I can now make and have my first real Shepherd's Pie since leaving England for these sunnier climes. And I've decided that Nigella Lawson is not mad after all. Chillies with everything? Well maybe not as many as she uses in all her dishes but certainly one will be in my homespun, make it up as I go along, recipe along with a fresh mint leaf or two. Tonight after work. Can't wait.