Southern Comfort

Arrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Blogger just chose to kill my post because the connection failed and I hadn't saved a draft. Well. Here we go again:

From Thurs to Mon I was in KLU, housesitting (or houseSHITTing, as our Japanese friends would say), bribing "the Beast" with goodies and following the written instructions (see top left pic) Dad had left on the dining-room table. Those ranged from hints on what tortures to inflict on the snails that like to feast on his lettuce to reminding me to call my paternal granny (and remember I told her we were going to Italy. Sounds less dangerous than Paris, don't you think?) at the same time every night like he does.

I duly identified all the plants to be watered and snails to be thrown over the fence and called Granny at the appointed hour. Easy-peasy.

On the whole, it was a very enjoyable and tranquil time. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to live in Klagenfurt permanently at this stage of my life, but Vienna could seriously do with some lakes and mountains in closer proximity, eh?

On Sunday, I cycled to the lake (the very one I skated on in January), devouring the Accidental on a bench in lieu of my first non-chlorine swim of the season which I decided not to brave yet, given the rather modest temperatures. Because of a triathlon taking place I couldn't take my usual route back home and instead took a ride down memory lane, cycling along the Lendkanal with its beautiful mansions, passing the Steinerne Brücke (literally stone bridge) and its ice-cream parlour, THE undisputed teenager meeting and flirting point when I was young.

On Friday, I checked out the brand new Interio branch (and bought a birthday gift), right next to the super-sized new shopping mall. When did this best-kept-shopping-secret of a town suddenly morph into self-appointed provincial shopping mekka? Not that I mind.

Yesterday I was - gasp! - actually busy at the office and couldn't even catch up on what my favourite fellow bloggers and bloggettes have been up to lately (I hope not all of them have succumbed to football mania like our Novala has. Don't do this to me, girls!). The definite highlight of the day btw was the boss -strange creature to start with - making me convulse in fits of helpless giggling during our weekly departmental meeting. He mispronounced the brass concert (Blasmusikkonzert) of a Japanese high school band as "Blasenkonzert", which of course made one-track-minded yours truly conjure up vivid images of some unsavoury blow-job competition. Ahem. In my defense I have to say that the colleague sitting next to me (she's in her mid-fourties, so there!) was just as afflicted by the giggles as I was and we tried hard not to look at each other and to focus on an imaginary spot on the far side of the room instead. Matters weren't helped by the fact that just as we'd managed to regain some control of our red-faced, tear-streaked faces he said it again. Embarrassing as it was (imagine the clueless looks our boss gave us, I almost pitied him) believe you me it felt damn good to get the giggles like a twelve-year-old!

Tomorrow's another holiday and we've been promised fine weather. Yipppeeee!

Lunch-break purchases: None today as I had a date with the Pampered Princess but in KLU I took yet another trip down memory lane by purchasing a (bright yellow, embroidered) pair of espandrilles, hip footwear of my early teens. Oh the fond memories of summer rain, rendering their sisal soles a rock solid and in fact rock heavy monstrosity...