It seems like ages since I last updated my blog, but a busy schedule and limited internet access have made it tricky to keep the site up-to-date.

We’re settled into the new house now, although a few boxes remain, waiting for me to find the free time to unpack them properly. The cats are beginning to settle down, although they still scare the life out of one another (and Aude) from time to time. It’s almost as if they’re characters from the Sixth Sense, whispering to one another “I see dead people!” They’re fascinated by the garden, and they both spend hours watching the birds and other local wildlife.

We’re beginning to exercise our green thumbs. I started by mowing the lawn, not entirely successfully. The previous tenant had largely neglected the lawn, and in the long vacant period between tenants, the grass grew to more than a foot tall. My cheap new lawnmower didn’t stand a chance, promptly shedding its three blades all over the yard. From new to totally buggered in about 15 minutes.

The hardware store replaced it under warranty, luckily. I finished trimming the lawn, promptly killing it because I’d taken so much grass off. As I said, the yard had been neglected for ages, so much of what we thought was grass was actually a covering of moss, and there are bare patches all around the garden. I’ve re-sown the lawn, so we’ll see how green my thumbs really are.

Aude, on the other hand, has genuinely had green thumbs. She’s repotted all of her indoor plants, all of which seem to be thriving (except for the one that Calypso seems to think is really tasty, despite the fact that it induces vomiting every time, transforming the living room into an obstacle course of kitty-vomit puddles). And she’s dug a large bed in the garden and planted loads of flowers. We’ve had three days of heavy rain, so we’ve crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.

We organised a house-warming party for next week, but no one wanted to come (it’s a holiday weekend over here and most people are away), so we’ve rescheduled it for the following week. The new garden furniture is on order and will hopefully arrive sometime this week. We’ve got a new sofa and armchair coming tomorrow, so everyone should have someplace to sit. I’m shopping for a new barbeque grill next week, so everyone should have something to eat. And there’s always plenty of wine in the house, so everyone…well, you get the idea.

We’re successfully moved into the new house, although there are still boxes everywhere and it will be some time before we’re really settled in properly. The cats have explored every inch of the house and seem to approve of their new surroundings.

Since we’re still in the stone ages over here, it’ll take at least a month to install my new broadband connection (despite being on a broadband-enabled exchange). I can access the internet (but not my e-mail) from the office, but otherwise have no connectivity — so if you don’t hear much from me, it isn’t because I’m ignoring you. It’s because I can’t access my e-mail.