Old High Riser Blog

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

A holiday note

Five days of solitude and my own company. I should be relaxed. I am not.

Feed cats morning and evening. Learn to lock them out of the kitchen while I prepare their meals. Ensure all water bowls are kept fresh. Call cats at 8.30pm, for some nibbles to entice them into garage to be locked in for the night.

Cats want to sleep on the bed I slept in, or on my clothes in my suitcase.  Close doors. 

Drag out hoses to water the gardens. Plenty of flowers on the tomato plants but I won't get to eat any of the tomatoes. I drained one rain water tank. I finished the back garden watering. The front garden can die for all I care.

Confusing instructions about which bins to put out. I take a stroll to check what neighbours have put out, then remembering one side of the street has different collections to the other side.

Phillys made me tuna croquettes to take away with me. Sister's new air fryer is nothing like mine. Nevertheless, I cooked them quite well. The mayonnaise in Sister's fridge is supposed to be kept upside-down and ready to squirt but it wasn't. I made vigorous downward arm thrusts with the plastic bottle to try to move the mayo to the opening. An incident occurred with the mayo, followed by some wiping up, down and across. 

Then there is all the stuffs that you walk inside, leaves, gravel, etc that I will have to clean up. The worst at home is sock lint.

No, my time of pets, gardens and putting out bins is my past, not my future. I wanna go home.

25 comments:

  1. Yes, home is where the heart belongs.

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  2. I am having a laugh...you write so well...that is our daily routine with pets, gardens and bins...lol...might be time to move to the High rise... we are around your age...Peta

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  3. 😂 Automation is the answer You can get auto water and food bowls self cleaning toilet trays and camera to see what they are up to. You can also have a secure run set up
    .
    Automated water systems also
    does the work.
    I am exhausted by your efforts
    Andrew but we’ll done

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  4. Wrong seaside. Should have gone east rather than west.
    Apparently one spins a mayo bottle. Thrusting inevitably leads to a mess.

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  5. I thought it was just me who had troubles with those upside down mayo bottles. Obviously it is not.
    I am sorry your time away is not relaxing - but glad it is reinforcing that home in the Highrise is where you belong.

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  6. I was thinking ... I didn't know you had cats! I didn't know you had a front a back garden. I didn't know you had to put the bins out.
    Then I read your last four words.
    Aaaaaah. Home, yes.

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  7. This is heroic work you're doing!

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  8. The cats appreciate your attention to feeding.

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  9. I had to chuckle at this, animals and houses are a lot of work, but on the upside, it makes you miss home:)

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  10. Boud's comment---you're being a hero, so someone else can have some time away. The mayo incident--I can relate. Have had a few of those.

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  11. I hate those upside down bottles. They never seem to work properly, Andrew.

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  12. I hate those upside down bottles too. I am definitely a scoop out woman. Kudos for your heroic attempts at house maintenance. The high-rise will seem heaven when you wearily get back in.
    XO
    WWW

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  13. My mayonnaise comes in a jar with a lid and I have a long handled teaspoon for when it gets down past the half level. Cats do love to sleep where they can "feel" the human, Angel used to sleep on my folded pyjamas, Lola now sometimes sleeps as close to my pillow as she can get since she has learnt not to sleep on it. Don't ask me how, I'm just glad she stays off it. How many cats were there for you to care for?

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  14. You may need a holiday from your holiday.

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  15. Oh, Andrew. How I needed a laugh! I hope your holiday doesn't put you off holidays forever. This sounds like a bit of a nightmare.

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  16. Well you are mighty busy then. I know about the watering, but it's worth it. So when you go back home you will need another holiday it seems.

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  17. I can relate to that. House and gardens are for the young at heart. Hope you get home soon.

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  18. Despite having no problems growing vegies, herbs and flowers, I have _always_ had difficulty in growing tomatoes. How much do you charge per hour for gardening?

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  19. LOL at your comment "No, my time of pets, gardens and putting out bins is my past, not my future. I wanna go home." I went to the funeral last year of a colleague who was remembered as "Hating camping holidays, because she always considered it to be housework in the dirt".

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  20. Oh the hardship of being worked to death, enjoy your holiday.

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  21. I agree, I don't miss cats or a house! I am missing our two bathrooms while we are away!!

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  22. Andrew I've never seen you so quiet. I hope everything is ok

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    Replies
    1. Kylie, glad you care, and check the last the line in Monday Mural. I will probably return tomorrow.

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  23. You're a good brother. ~hugs~ I've been in that situation before, having spent weeks away from home helping my father renovate their newly purchased house and taking care of my ailing mother at their then current residence. It was physically and emotionally exhausting. It got so bad that, hearing my dad make the same petty complaint to yet another neighbor, homesick tears ran down my cheeks. I rather unsuccessfully tried to hide the fact, focusing on playing with the little dog.

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