It’s Friday and I have the unexpected pleasure of ‘working from home’ today as the 6ttttttttttttttttttttttt [sorry, kitten exploring] office is in the middle of a power outage. That means no computers, no email (even from home) and no loos (the clincher in closing the office, of course). Happily there is every likelihood the situation will remain right through until Tuesday evening so the staff as a whole are ‘working from home’.

Now, you may have noticed the judicious use of the inverted commas around the phrase ‘working from home’ and assumed that I was being tongue in cheek. I want to set the record straight andqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq [!!] and assure any work-related readers that I have achieved much in the way of useful task completion since 9am this morning…

I mean, I have made my bed.
I also added a Youtube video to the movement’s website and sent an email to the global Snr pastors to let them know it’s there!
I baked muffins
I finished my novel (the one I’m reading…)
I read email and deleted spam
I played with the kitten
I washed dishes
I showered etc., of course.

I have other work things to do and they will be done before the weekend is over. It just may be that I don’t quite get 8 hours of work achievements under my belt before 5 pm today. Actually, given that 5pm is an hour and twenty minutes away, that’s a pretty safe bet…

The point I’m meaning to make is that during the course of this rather relaxing afternoon I’ve been musing about my renewed motivation to spend time knocking up confections etc. in the kitchen.

Last night it was chocolate cake, and as a single girl with only a kitten to feed I made a half recipe so that it was actually chocolate cupcakes and mini cupcakes that slaked my appetite for sweetness at 10pm last night. (Yep – you read that right – 10pm!).

This morning I was hankering for corn and chilli muffins and after last night’s up-late cooking session had left me completely disenchanted with my muffin/cupcake tins (because despite their non-stick appearance, they were resolutely sticky) I decided the only way to make muffins today was to get hold of silicone muffin pan liners the like of which I’d seen a week or two back when shopping for my dining room table. [I’ve used paper ones to no success either – still sticky due to rather low fat recipes.]

So, it became necessary to go to [gasp] the mall.

I sucked up my disdain at having to go to that plebian retail wasteland and duly made my purchase. And, as I write, I am happily munching away on my mini chilli corn muffins thrilled with my silicone muffin liners, (though I have to ask, how come when muffin trays hold either 6 or 12 muffin tins to the liners come in packs of 10? )

The thing is, before I moved I was really lacking motivation to do anything like baking or cooking. Too much effort. But my Christmas list had muffin tins and pastry brushes on it and these days wandering round a homewares store is fun AND inspirational! I’ve seen all sorts of things I’d like to have! I’m even thinking of upgrading my perfectly adequate kettle and toaster to stainless steel because they look nicer and will match the blender I’m planning to buy…

It seems as though having a place of my own has really given me the opportunity to nest. It’s kind of weird because it’s hardly as if Flick was any kind of impediment to that. And well, Chino may be a nuisance winding in and out of my feet hoping that a piece of bacon will fall to the ground while I’m cooking.

He’s no impediment either.

It’s been a long time, and after a serious of embittered conversations (over a number of hours) with ISP’s and tech support desks I’m now not only back on DSL at home, I’m wireless.

So, I sat outside with my unfrozen margarita, the long overgrown lawn in the background, the constant traffic hum from the main road punctuated by the chirrup of tree frogs (or crickets) and I worked until the mosquitoes drove me inside.

A grand total of around 5 minutes. That adds up to about 1 itchy welt per minute.

Still, I’m wireless, and I can take the laptop to bed with me and still be writing to you if I choose. And before I blog from the garden again I’ll get the mozzie coils a smouldering to clear the air. But you can bet your bottom dollar I will be blogging from the garden again.

Once the lawns are mown… [note to self – bang the door down at the agents if that’s what it takes to get things done!]

Life is good.

You know you want him… this cat can Fetch!!! Now… if he’d only grow big enough to pick up the remote…

Well, here I am, a whole month in the new house and STILL without Broadband. I have tried in vain to call the Telco responsible for my predicament only to be met with the most heinous of Computer Voice activated systems (a very cunning call screening device I believe) which eventually attempts to connect me to the right place and yet still manages to hang me on the phone for hours. It’s totally bogus.

However, apparently my new modem will be delivered forthwith, a process which takes 6-8 days. I mean… seriously… you fill the little form in on your computer Ms CSR, then dispatch produces a report, and no doubt a sticker to put on my box full of modem and then they give it to Mr Postman…

Oh I see… the postman’s in Mumbai… hence the long delivery times… Sorry… should have figured that out earlier. No disrespect intended to the glorious city of Mumbai, of course. I’m sure postal services to and from Mumbai are supremely effective*…

Oh, and the new wireless router you’re giving me for nothing is coming too? In 6-8 weeks? Ah, I presume then it’s coming from Outer Mongolia…

Bloody Telcos.

All I can say is thank goodness for Grey’s Anatomy series 2 on DVD and adorable feline distractions.

*actually the unit isn’t getting dispatched from Mumbai as far as I know… I’m speculating. But taking 6-8 if getting dispatched from outer Sydney would just heap too much insult upon my injury for me to write cheerfully about it!!!