After John dropped me back off at Bore Place Friday afternoon, I was going to be on my own until his workshop Sunday Morning.
I made a fire in the woodstove, creating a goodly amount of smoke in the process (too much newspaper). I was hoping I would not set off a fire alarm somewhere!
Thankfully, I did not.
John had given me a map of the property and also a map of the local footpaths that connect to it. I decided to save the walk for Saturday and just gather up all of my wood and dinner etc. and just get cozy for the afternoon and evening.
My McAfee Antivirus Software had been telling me for several days, first, that "I was going to be without protection" and then that my computer was NOT PROTECTED and susceptible to any number of horrible things. I contemplated trying to re-up with McAfee and decided the very last thing in the world I wanted just then, was that aggravation.
I opted instead to watch "The Santa Clause", on YouTube, in 10 minute increments. A little bit of a hassle, but it was worth it for a little holiday cheer. What I really wanted to watch though, was "White Christmas", with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye...
If I was a smarter cookie, I might have just said forget it and dug out my book when the YouTube thing diverted me to a different website.
Apparently. Not. Smarter. Though.
There was the movie opening playing ... how bad could it be? It seemed like a website on the up-and-up, I mean, they are showing a Bing Crosby movie for crying out loud. How much more wholesome can you get?
So I tried to watch... but it kept getting hung up at the same point. I think I watched the first 7 minutes six or seven times, dealing with various pop-up ads (thanks to no McAfee) until, the last straw was an ad asking "if I wanted to know what Russian girls were available in the area".
Um. As a matter of fact, NO, I do not...
Or Russian men either for that matter.
Nothing against Russian men or women.
My resolve to watch White Christmas died a pain free death, because there was my computer in it's 'unprotected' state and the last thing I wanted was some stinkin' virus taking over. That was the end of my movie night. That's OK. I did have the book after all.
So I got myself all settled in bed and cozy under the comforter with my book... and the next thing I knew I was waking up... it was something like 11 and 1/2 minutes later...
Have I mentioned that reading sometimes puts me to sleep?
So much for reading then... I turned off the light. And was just about to doze off again, when I heard something. I tried to ignore it and pretend I wasn't halfway back to a state of wakefulness. Then I heard it again...
You know how, when you are a kid and someone is saying something you don't want to listen to, you stick your fingers in your ears and say "la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la"... to drown them out?
(OK. All right. I distinctly heard someone say - "Hah! Whatd'ya mean by, 'When you are a kid' You still do that!" It was either Kathy, Bernie, Lee or Karen. I know it was one of you.)
That's what I was trying to do... minus the actual sticking of fingers in my ears... and minus the 'la-la' part too...
Surprisingly, no... it really wasn't all that effective.
I turned on the light and sat up, listening intently.
Nothing but silence. And the sound of my own heart beating in my ears.
I was having a short little conversation with myself when I heard it again. A tiny little sound... like little feet scratching on a hard surface or someone gently crinkling a plastic bag. I got up out of my warm bed, grabbed my torch from the bedside table (QUIZ... do you remember what a torch is?) and looked in and under everything. That loft was clean and neat as a pin. Except for my clothes, hung, draped and otherwise strewn about. Absolutely nothing anywhere that could possibly be making that little sound. I satisfied myself beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was nothing living in that loft with me.
It had to be something outside, a branch or something, being blown by the wind and scratching against the side of the barn maybe, or the roof.
(I will confess that this was what my first night there had been like as well... I had slept in fits and starts).
A little more talking out loud to 'moi'. A decision to turn off the alarm and sleep in in the morning since I was now awake so late! And then off with the light again and... eventually... sweet slumber.
It was 8 am before I fully woke up. I crawled out of bed and went down to wee and make a pot of coffee which I then brought back upstairs with me, along with my computer deciding to tackle the task of getting the McAfee Virus Software renewed while I was still fresh.
Right.
You will not believe how long that took.
4 hours.
I bet in that time my Internet connection failed 20 times, easily, probably more. I'd get partway through the McAfee form and would need to 'continue' to the next page and I'd lose the connection.
It was frustrating.
To say the least.
I don't know why I persevered in it, really. I just get stubborn about some things and have a hard time 'giving up' because I think "What if this is the time it will work?!" I have an even harder time giving up on people and relationships.
I am never sure if the message I am getting from upstairs is saying...
"Don't give up Susie!" OR "Susie, would you give up already!?"
If any of you know how to tell the difference, would you please let me know?
Anyhoo...
McAfee installed. I made myself some lunch and then it was time to get outside for a walk!
My plan was to walk around the gardens first and then do the 2.5 mile walk around/through the Bore Place property.
My camera battery died before I was even halfway through the gardens. During my trying train travels I had been thinking I had managed to pack everything but the kitchen sink. Well, guess what else I didn't pack?
My camera battery charger.
Dang.
Next time I'm there, I'll get the rest.
So. I've downloaded all the pics I have from my camera now I need to upload them to the blog...
That will take some time.
'C'est la vie'.
love-
susie
PS... QUIZ ANSWER: a torch is a flashlight!
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