Monday, June 02, 2008
The lord of the flies
It's a typical scene for a day working at home - my desk contains a laptop, mobile phone, paper notebook, empty coffee cup, and a flyswatter.
On this warm late spring day, the flies are out in their thousands, which I suppose is one of the disadvantages of living on the edge of a farming village.
A few years back, the crop of the pesky little blighters proved even to be too rich for our Venus flytrap, or Dionaea muscipula, which withered and died.
It could be worse: compared to a city, the air is pollution-free, and I can hear the birds singing. It's a peaceful backdrop and I've shifted loads of work, in anticipation of a quick swim later in what we call "the lake", which is five minutes away. And people ask why I live in Germany ...
On this warm late spring day, the flies are out in their thousands, which I suppose is one of the disadvantages of living on the edge of a farming village.
A few years back, the crop of the pesky little blighters proved even to be too rich for our Venus flytrap, or Dionaea muscipula, which withered and died.
It could be worse: compared to a city, the air is pollution-free, and I can hear the birds singing. It's a peaceful backdrop and I've shifted loads of work, in anticipation of a quick swim later in what we call "the lake", which is five minutes away. And people ask why I live in Germany ...
Labels: domestic
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Water works
I was toying with the idea of calling this one "under pressure", but it's ever-so-slightly more of a cliché. What's the point here? I found an excuse to buy a pressure washer: on the grounds of cleaning up the rims of the winter tyres now they're off the cars for the summer.
After three winters on salty roads, and (ahem) being put away without being cleaned a year ago, our winter rims were looking a bit shabby, disfigured by surface rust. Before things got any worse I decided to give them some TLC - starting off with a thorough wash to get rid of all that residual salt. After that they were treated with rust-inhibitor followed by a coat of good old Hammerite, and are now stacked in the garage, ready for the next winter.
Once they were out of the way, I tried the pressure washer on a small section of our concrete paving - I didn't think the steps were too dirty. Big mistake: I was able to write my name in the grime with the washer. Since then we've been working our way around the house, blasting happily - restricted only by a hosepipe shortage.
After three winters on salty roads, and (ahem) being put away without being cleaned a year ago, our winter rims were looking a bit shabby, disfigured by surface rust. Before things got any worse I decided to give them some TLC - starting off with a thorough wash to get rid of all that residual salt. After that they were treated with rust-inhibitor followed by a coat of good old Hammerite, and are now stacked in the garage, ready for the next winter.
Once they were out of the way, I tried the pressure washer on a small section of our concrete paving - I didn't think the steps were too dirty. Big mistake: I was able to write my name in the grime with the washer. Since then we've been working our way around the house, blasting happily - restricted only by a hosepipe shortage.
Labels: domestic
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