Wednesday, June 12th

Wednesdays are usually spectacularly unbusy for me. Not this one.

5:10 a.m.--I finally got out of bed, having been awake for awhile, unable to sleep because I didn't want to oversleep, planning to meet Sue L. at 5:30 to walk.

While I was in the bathroom, I heard a thump against the bathroom door, then saw a cockroach come under the door and just stop, looking very ruffled. No, I am not feeling sorry for a cockroach, but I could almost sort of begin to a little bit. Makenzy (three-month-old kitten) is NOT making their lives easy. In fact, she's making them short. She bats them around for awhile, until they die. I finished off this one for her, though, despite her paws coming under the door trying to get at it.

At 5:20 I saw that Sue L. had sent a text last night that she wouldn't be coming after all, so I left then.

At 5:35 I checked the time on my phone and saw that Sue L. had sent a text at 5:26 that she WOULD be coming, so I texted her back where I was (almost to the aqueduct) and said I'd meet her on the way back, figuring I might make it all the way back to the middle before she got there. however, about a minute later I managed to trip on a stone or something in the path and flew headlong, scraping up my hands and one knee. They don't look bad at all, but they sure sting. And one shoulder hurts.

I didn't go all the way to the aqueduct after all, turned around and walked to meet Sue L. we walked/jogged the rest of the path together.

Got home, did laundry and various other stuff.

At 8:00 four children and our guest, Annika, and I left to take Jörn to the airport, and hung out with him for about 45 minutes before saying goodbye at security. He's in England, will be back on Monday.

Got home, did laundry and various other stuff. Had a short chat on the phone with my sister Erin. Finally ate breakfast, just before leaving at 10:15 with Lukas and Elisabeth to pick up a couple who is visiting people in Cyprus for a few weeks, and was moving from Larnaka to Nikosia today.

Got gas (petrol), drove them to Nikosia (and around a little more of Nikosia than intended, thanks to one left turn too many in the directions, but we called the people they were going to stay with and got that clarified), and was sort of glad that Elisabeth had just fallen asleep because otherwise it would have been REALLY hard to resist the invitation to come in and relax a bit, and I really, really, didn't have time, as it was already 11:45.

About noon we arrived at an electronics shop to pick up a hair-cutting machine to replace the non-working one that Jörn bought there several weeks ago when he was in Nikosia applying for a new passport. That took five minutes or so, because I refused to take it until I could SEE that the blades moving (the guy insisted that it had to charge for 16 hours first, I read to him from the instruction manual that it could be used with the cable, he didn't believe me but tried it, and it did), AND I insisted on having an adapter to go with it, which shops are supposed to provide for appliances that don't have Cypriot plugs. Few small appliances have Cypriot plugs, and many fewer shops provide the adapters unless asked. (In four and a half years, we've been given one without asking ONCE.)

Drove to Ikea where I got the potato peeler Marie wanted (there were four to choose from, I had to call her to find out exactly which one) and got more or less the additional shelves I wanted (they NEVER have the regular white ones, which are cheapest, in stock...), and also got some more cups and bowls and plastic containers which I hadn't known I wanted...I'm usually very good about just going in, getting what I want, and leaving, and have very often been to Ikea without buying one single thing that wasn't on my list, but today wasn't one of those times.

As we were leaving Ikea I phoned Jacob to ask him to go buy bread, since I wasn't going to be home in time to cook for lunch, as I'd originally planned. It took nine minutes to get from Ikea TO the freeway, because I find it very confusing leaving there.

Got home in time to drive Marie and Jacob to the venue for the plays this afternoon, as they had an extra rehearsal and were helping with set-up and were supposed to be there at 2:00.

Got home, did laundry and various other stuff. Oh, must have eaten lunch, too.

Took Lukas to the venue for the play at 2:45.

Got home, finished hanging up laundry, loved it that Annika did the dishes AND washed the table AND swept the kitchen.

At 3:45 Annika and the little girls and I left for Lukas's performance of "The Twits." Okay, so it wasn't LUKAS's, but it obviously was from my point of view! I didn't really need to see it again, but the girls all wanted to, and it was something to do, and they were very good. Lukas was Mrs. Twit.

After the play, the girls played on the playground for a little while, then I left Annika and Lukas there for the next play ("Marie's and Jacob's"), "Mugged"  (I WOULD have liked to see it again, but it was totally not appropriate for the little ones), at 6:00, planning to text Sue F. when I got home (I had left my phone in the other car when I took Lukas earlier) to ask if their family could see Lukas and Annika home, but once we got to the car, saw that they would have already left and might even already be there, so drove back to the entrance and caught them outside, but Lukas had already talked to them, so that was arranged.

Got home, cut up frozen chicken breast and fried it in the wok (at least the children have finally stopped asking me if I have Papa's permission to use the wok), pureed tomatoes and squeezed (I'd really rather say "squoze") half a lemon for the sauce, cut up carrots and bell peppers and cucumbers, most of which got eaten before dinner, finally had dinner on the table at 7:15, Annika and Lukas were home at 7:30, and it wasn't a lot past 8:00 when Helen was asleep and I could text Sue F. and family that they could come for a game. (Settlers of Catan, as usual.) Sent Katie and Lukas to bed. Several times.

Elisabeth fell asleep some time during the game, which Annika won with a rather large margin.

Marie and Jacob got home around 10:00, I think, and there was more chatting all around, and stuff connected with the book Marie is in the process of self-publishing and which Richard F. is helping her with, etc.

Annika and I chatted for awhile, then I finally got on the computer, and then Jörn phoned from England.

And I couldn't figure out for the longest time what day it was, what day he'd left, and how long he'd been gone. It took a little bit of convincing to get me to believe that this was the evening of the same day on which he'd left in the morning.

I wonder why?

Summer Photo Scavenger Hunt 2013

Missus Wookie posted a link to another summer scavenger hunt, the goal being to take and post a photo of each of the following items or situations over the course of the summer. I had fun doing last year's (here, here, and here), even though I didn't remember it until September and mostly looked through photos I just happened to have taken all summer (and found almost all of them that way!), and am looking forward to completing this year's more intentionally.

Here's the list, and I'm trying to ignore the fact that I already have photos from the last month that would cover at least half a dozen or so of them...

Scavenger Hunt List

1. Open air market
2. Theater for performing arts (not a movie theater)
3. City Hall, Capitol or other similar civic building
4. Airplane
5. A sunset
6. Someone or something taking a nap
7. A sign that is intentionally or unintentionally funny
8. A tower
9. A photo with someone or something that is clearly out of place or doesn't belong
10. A bench that is outside
11. An animal in a zoo, aquarium, nature preserve, etc.
12. A cloud in the shape of something (please specify what you see)
13. A fence
14. A stained glass object or a mosaic
15. A fire truck or police car
16. A windmill
17. Candle(s)
18. Your local pub/bar, coffee house or tea shop
19. A fisherman
20. A dinosaur
21. A photograph of you with an artistic tool or craft supply (you cannot substitute for this item)

Bonus/substitute items. If you find any of the above items too difficult, feel free to substitute either (or both) of these items. You can substitute up to two items, but you cannot substitute Item #21:
A person wearing an outfit (or item of clothing) that symbolizes your country
A sundial