What's Been Going On...

Hello, Friends.  This is a quick post to fill you in on a few things...  

First of all, you have probably noticed that it's been unusually quiet over here.  There are two reasons for that.  Firstly, my camera (which I love dearly) is broken, and in for repairs-- under warranty, thankfully.  Secondly, my computer is also broken and in for repairs.  A camera and a laptop are pretty much the two most important things I need for blogging!  So, I have been teaching myself to knit (among other things.)  I am halfway through my first wool scarf.

One of the things we've been doing lately is making repeated trips to Norwich, where the Apple store with my computer is located.  Through an amazingly ridiculous series of customer service failures, we have made the trip there and back four times without coming home with a functional computer.  That's over eight hours of driving, not to mention time taken off work to get there during store hours, the cost of parking, and even the need to eat meals out because we're there rather than at home.  So... A little tired of Norwich at the moment, and UK customer service in general.  But something good has just happened, something that will be worth all of the baloney related to this repair fiasco.  I got a call yesterday morning, and Apple giving me a brand new laptop! I bought my Macbook Air over three years ago, just a day before we left for Germany.  Since then, it has gone all over the world with me, and was used constantly for all of my school assignments, blogging, and keeping in touch with the world every day.  It has been through a LOT, and has been perfect until recently.  So, I am beyond thrilled that I get to start all over again with a new one.  But it won't arrive for a couple more weeks, so in the meantime I am powering through with Jeff's 8 year old laptop, which shuts down constantly and takes f.o.r.e.v.e.r. to get anywhere with.  And that, my friends, is why it's been so slow around here lately.

What else has been going on?  Well, we took a road trip up north, to Edinburgh!  I can't tell you how amazed I was by that city.  The trip was short, but so full of goodness.  Alas, I didn't have my camera with me.  It was a huge discipline to not let that cloud my enjoyment of the trip, but I think I succeeded overall.  I used my phone camera for some shots, and I'll share some more of those with you soon.

Jack is settling in well, and we all love him.  We have been working hard on training, and he is learning quickly.  He has gotten me out the door twice a day for almost an hour at a time, every day.  This is definitely part of my plan for surviving winter!

I have been getting pretty bookish.  This is another part of my Winter Survival Plan.  It's been bothering me lately that there are so many classics out there that I have never read.  The upcoming gray, wet days seem to be perfect for getting caught up.  I recently finished The Great Gatsby, and I am waiting to get a copy of A Farewell to Arms in the mail this week. In the meantime, I am reading a book I bought for Jeff-- The Wild Life-- which is both fun and educational.  On our drive up north and back, we listened to the audiobook of Around the World in 80 Days.  The reader (Jim Dale) is so fantastic! What have you been reading lately?  Would you be interested in more book talk here?

Finally, I have so many projects that I have been waiting to start.  I don't want to do them without being able to share them with you!  As soon as I have my trusty assistants-- camera and laptop-- back again, I will have some more meat curing and home brewing, and foraging experiments to share with you.  I can't wait!

What has been going on with you?  Any new projects or hobbies in the works?

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