Help... It's time for change!!!

Mint1955

Well this was supposed to be more make do and mend and old style etc etc. So today it's blowing a gale and raining so I am making shortbread fingers and some choc brownie while OH is making a website look pretty for someone coming later.

So far I have learnt if no baking powder use a quarter of bicarbonate it will work same or the other way round if you only have baking powder.

No caster sugar (can't find it yet here) use regular and crunch it a bit with a rolling pin or back of big spoon, or don't bother it won't make too much difference.

No I do not need a microwave I can melt butter or choc over a pan of water slowly I have all the time in the world lol

Cups to grams is not simple but I have found a great conversion things
http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/531168/cups-to-grams-converter

Wish I knew how to add pictures, mind you they are not out of the oven yet lol

Now I just need information from the Internet does shortbread and brownie freeze etc as there is so much of it!!!

Edited to say yippee I don't need to get fat as they both freeze as long as well wrapped. But I don't think they will be in there too long ��

Mint1955

The shortbread was fine but the brownie was a little stodgy so I need to check the flour is correct but it was chocolate and still lovely.

Puff pastry squares with puree tomato pepper mushroom and feta in the centre popped in oven were yummy for dinner with aubergines with oil salt pepper and garlic done In the oven as well. A 'free' dinner as all from odds left over.

First night I have slept right through until waking refreshed at 7 so that feels much better.
I think a walk this morning will be good as yesterday we had such powerful winds you could hardly stand up and we did go out but it was very chilly.

Mint1955

Housework day today drying washing in the sun is such a thrill especially when it's dry very quickly. Friends turned up after lunch so walked their dog for about an hour then just sat and chatted outside. We are so lucky that we can just please ourselves.
Lasagne made and frozen last week for dinner so that's easy and I think an early night as sleep evaded me again last night.

We need to research how and where we go to tax our car as that's due soon. Not sure if we can do it in advance etc.
Drinking water is in 19litre bottles so tomorrow we need to go to our local village to have them refilled each one costs 1.5 Turkish lire which is about 45p !
Although we have had the house since 2009 it's always been our holiday home but the last few days it's beginning to feel more and more like our home lol

Mint1955

Well the last few days have been interesting. We have negotiated the state hospital system for X-rays (nothing broken) due to incredible pain and leg being useless and emergency care for OH and he is now getting injections done twice daily at the local ambulance station mostly all done in sign language. Possible sciatica but maybe slipped disc so back for another X-ray this time of spine Tuesday. He is mending but still in a lot of pain but it's been a bit stressful. It's been an adventure but one which we have managed to keep it all together etc.
In other news cooking is going well and shopping budgets are slowing down and coming into line now some of the basics have all been topped up.

Today it's raining and time to catch up with the ironing and as OH can't walk drive or lift and he also can't get comfortable laying or sitting tv is a distraction for us both lol

Life continues to be full with people coming and going and new friends being found frequently.

All last bills in UK have been done with a few refunds the only one is council tax who I need to chase up.

Car tax cannot be done in advance here so we have just found where we have to go and will diary to be done.

With OH incapacitated I have sorted water collection and shopping, petrol in car in case we have to go over the mountain again to hospital in a hurry.

Great app on my phone with a downloaded dictionary means I can type in English and translate to Turkish or vice versa at the hospital and ambulance station it's been a godsend.

Mint1955

X-ray of spine shows sciatic nerve is trapped and the spine is compacted one side but no slipped disc as feared.
No more injections just Tablets now and wait ten days to see doctor again and on the 27/4 we have 10 consecutive days at the hospital for physiotherapy. Still no walking, driving or straining in anyway for OH.

Torrential down pours show up the leaky windows etc but we havnt gained any new leaks and a new window put in last year has solved a major leak we used to get.

Fly screens ordered for the front and back door so that we will get some air through in the heat and also to keep the cats out.
Lovely new friend has fitted a blow heater in the bathroom so we no longer freeze when getting out of the shower on chilly days and he also repaired the hanging rails in the wardrobe as all my clothes were in the bottom of the wardrobe one morning as the old rail supports had snapped.

A microwave now graces the kitchen which in turn meant a move around of things on work tops but it's already been useful so I am pleased.

I need to up my lunch offereing as I don't really eat lunchtime and OH used to have lunch at work I am stuck for something different and we have been eating ham or cheese wraps for days lol
Days pass all too quickly and I wonder how on earth we managed when we worked and had a much larger house to tend.

Note to self don't fall asleep in sun with glasses on or you get white stripes on the side of your face where the arms are!!!!

sls1313

wow ,just spent a wonderful few hours reading through your journal
you had me hooked all the way.
hope all is going well for you in Cyprus.i found it soo interesting as i was told that i would love it by a friend about 7 years ago,and have been going back twice a year since then!!
my dream is to do what you have done and live there.....you have inspired me to make it happen,
it was good to read all your ups and downs along the way,
i have lurked on this site for many years but have never posted till now,i have learnt soo much thanks to people like you who are willing to share,
thank you and please keep writing as i am sure many people are like me ,read and enjoy but never post,
until now..:T

Mint1955

Wow I havnt posted since the 1/4 whoops!!!

OH is still walking very slowly with no driving but he doesn't have to take pain killers at all now and is finally managing to sleep through. If he does too much it takes days to get going again but he is improving .... Hergun daha iyi (better every day). We are also often told Gecmis olsun (get well soon).

Sick computers (other people's) now reside on the dining table as OH is coaxing them back to life while I spend my days reading, weeding the garden and doing chores.

Not quite the start we expected but we are adapting to him being unable to do too much and with the sun now everyday is easier to sit around more. I am still walking with the Ramblers each week which is lovely as the scenery is fab.

Fly screens are fitted so we can leave the doors open for air all the time without having to watch for the stray cats getting in and of course will help when it's mossie season etc.

Sis1313 go for it we have not regretted a single moment since we started this journey. If you want any info just PM me and I will do what I can to help.

We are venturing to southern cyprus next week in our own car so another mini adventure and we also need to tax our car after the 1/5 which again is an interesting day out.

Stray and abandoned dogs are always being offered to us but so far we have managed to decline but I am sure one will adopt us soon it seems that's what happens here!

People keep asking do you miss any of our belongings and there isn't anything we gave away or sold that we have missed.

We certainly don't miss post or leaflets through the door, noisy shopping centers, traffic jams, bad tempered strangers, racing around trying to do everything at once etc.

Here, you go out for a few minutes and come home hours later having done precisely nothing ;-) we get side tracked, lose time just being, we sleep when tired and work when we feel like it which in my case is not that often lol
We have been shown such kindness by locals and ex pats alike and it being a very small place there is always someone you know wherever you go.

nursemaggie

Nice to see you posting again Mint I missed you. I thought you had given up as you had got right back to page 6 last night.

It just sounds like retirement you can do what you want an when you want. Of course you still get busy days like it got to 11.30pm yesterday before I had time to watch TV. Just watched BBC news at ten on catch up.

Mint1955

No just days go by so quickly Nurse Maggie that I am forever trying to remember what I have actually done. Most mornings its 10 or 11 before we really get sorted then it all stops for lunch. A rest in the afternoon or a short walk usually means we get hi jacked into chatting with other owners etc then thinking about food as the sun goes down etc etc etc not sure where we have time for anything else lol

Goldiegirl

Glad you are settling down nicely, and hope OH continues to improve