Mirror, mirror

I woke up this morning feeling really tired. Maybe because I’ve been painting for four or five days straight? Yesterday I also raked leaves, vacuumed, scrubbed the kitchen floor, went swimming, so I was properly knackered by bedtime.

I’ve been letting the cats sleep in the bedroom, for which I was rewarded with Marco peeing this morning on Maysie’s bed (Maysie being on the bed with me and the cats). So, tired as I was, I wrestled with a large dog bed and a small sink to try to clean the damn thing, which, when wet, feels like a 40 pound bag of dog food.

While yesterday the kitchen was sparkling, today it looks like this:

And this:

So once that was sorted out and I’d done today’s first shift of painting, I went to visit my friend, David, for tea and treats. Then to the paint store. Then to two antique stores, where I scored a lovely mirror for the newly painted hallway.

I don’t want to post interim pictures. I’m getting fairly close to the finish line--two days of painting trim then one day of painting a second coat of the wall colour. I’m done at that point, except for sanding and staining the floor.

Tonight I went to a Meet-Up at a pop-up Mexican restaurant in town. It was proper Mexican food, really good. Which is exceptional here. Only complaint is the cost. The Meet-up organiser told us in advance the price was 12.50 pounds ($15) each for the 24 of us. After dinner, we first pay the organiser the 1 pound hosting fee. Then he tells us there was a mix up and the price was 21 pounds for dinner. And we pay separately for our drinks. I had a margarita, which I learned was 7.50 pounds ($9!). So basically a $36 night, which is a bit steep for Mexican. Good news is I drove in, saving a 3.40 pound bus fare, and I didn’t pay for parking. Had I taken a cab home, as most people going out in Belfast do, that would have been another 9 pounds. It was good to get out and, for my many labours, a lovely old mirror and a good meal seem a proper reward.
11-26