Productivity is up

This guy was riding his pennyfarthing  as we drove around the Pauahatanui Inlet on our way to Masterton yesterday. There were numerous cyclists around but this was the most remarkable.

Today I have been quite well occupied:

When I got back from staying at Bruce and Gary's overnight, I did my High Intensity Training - 11 minutes on the rowing machine that includes three 20 second bursts of going absolutely flat out.

After breakfast I prepped the the dado rails in the toilet and bathroom - the paint job on those was uneven so I needed to re-do it. The first job was to do a bit of sanding, followed by putting the masking tape on - that took longer than actually doing the painting.

Masking tape on

all around the room, and on two walls in the bathroom.

Two loads of washing and then it was on to wallpapering one of the bathroom walls. While I waited for the paste to go off, I reviewed a document for work and sent off my comments.

I finished the wallpapering in a few hours, but will need to re-paste some bits in the morning. The paper is so absorbent that the paste dries out really quickly and the thin shiny parts don't like to stick! I had the same problem with the wallpaper in the bedroom, but when that was being done I had Dee with me and she was in charge of additional pasting and pressing the reluctant bits to the wall. Where is she, I ask!

I am sure that I will be able to get them to stick down ...

First drop is up next to the wall that has had one more coat of paint above the dado.

Second drop done.

All finished, towel rail re-installed, light switch and powerpoint screwed back in. Floor swept and washed. It's looking pretty good.

It was 3pm by the time I finished and I hadn't eaten since brekkie, so decided to make today a fast day.

Then I made soup from the 3kg of tomatoes I got at the market yesterday.

Half of the tomatoes are still in the sink

and half are in the pot

Ready to cook, with sugar, salt, pepper, onions, cloves and parsley added.

I hadn't put away the fruit and veges before we went to Masterton yesterday, so that was the next task, but that required clearing the hydrator drawers in the fridge. Aha, a piece of pumpkin, half of a big kumara, and two bags of carrots with another bag waiting to be put away. So another pot of soup prepared.

Veges prepared

Onion and garlic sauteeing

In go the vege, add some parsley, water, chicken stock, grated nutmeg and yummo!

Two pots of soup attacked with the stick blender and ready to freeze tomorrow.

The second coat of paint above the dado was next and then I made a salad for my dinner.

Just the dressing and the toasted walnuts to be added.

When I went out to get the washing in, I saw that Joy and Grahame had tossed a rhubarb crown over the fence, so it was out with the trowel and a bit of horse poo to plant it.

Dinner eaten, I watched a Netflix documentary about Tig Natoro - a lesbian comedienne in the US who had a double mastectomy. She is very deadpan and really funny - even about her cancer.

Now I think I am ready for bed, so I have a cup of chamomile tea ready and the yawning has started ...

Just did a tired count up from the top - 8 tasks completed today! Yippee! Now I've checked that number from the bottom and it's 5 - what is going on? Time for bed obviously as my numeracy has faded away.