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4 Letter Words
1. krayker16 July 2010, 13:45 GMT +02:00
You can only change ONE letter, AND/OR rearrange the letters currently available. The first word is:
WINS
8498. Ayla877 August 2013, 10:20 GMT +02:00
Christine, it's great that you finished the cap. Now I'm looking forward to the photos on FB. I'm sure your mother will wear it with pride. It is her
luck
that she has such a talented daughter.
Dez, it is good to hear that Voltaren brings at least some relief to you. I think it is worth it's money, and not all medics work so well.
How big do your snakes get? We only rarely see wild snakes here when we walk in the forest, and they are rather tiny, mostly blind worms or things like that. They are not really snakes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anguis_fragilis
I see you are making great progress with the move, and since you have lots of space in the new house you don't need to throw too much of those things away which might prove to be useful one day again.
It's certainly great to have a more reliable washing machine now and also some of that equipment to attack the garden with. It's always amazing to own trees now where you can't even be sure what kind of trees these may be. Maybe you can google the shape of some leafs.
I'm sure your son will be curious to find out if he can screw that pantry together. Those construction guides sometimes can be amazing, not always easy to understand, especially if they are translated from foreign languages.
You will have a very busy week, but you will also have the feeling that you will have taken every single thing more than one time at hand and put it from here to there before everything finally comes to rest at its final destination.
That is a hard puzzle...
And remember that there is a saying that what you dream at your first night in your new home may come true...
Will you have to reduce some of that grassland to turn it into a garden in order to plant something, or are there already some empty flower-beds waiting for plants and veges?
We had donner kebabs and falafel on saturday, too. It was just too hot to cook something. Very tasty indeed.
I think the merger at work into the larger national company should mean that there is a solid financial background which might be helpful. The price for it is of course that they will always look for the optimisation of costs, so the opportunities for dances on the table should be quite rare.
8499. Groningen7 August 2013, 21:45 GMT +02:00
I'm back
the pictures are on FB
my mother really liked the cap and socks and she has promised she will wear them with pride
we all had a nice birthday party in Zwolle
both my sisters where there and my niece of course. Both the dachshunds where present and even two of my mothers sisters had made the trip from Alphen aan de Rijn (two hours by train). They are 78 and 78 years old and I had not seen them in three years so it was a nice surprise. Of the ten sisters and brothers only four sisters are still alive and the fourth has suffered a stroke last year and will probably not recover from it anymore, she is 82.
My sister in Germany has been an avid sock knitter for four years now and she brought her current project with her; a striped sock in progress. She is a far superior knitter, really! She knits with size 1 (2 mm) needles and makes beautiful small even stitches.
And now I know the size of my brother-in-law's feet: it's 45 (I don't know what that is in English/American/Australian shoe size) so I could knit him a pair of socks...... in a couple of months because for now I'm booked full ;-)
cult
8500. Ayla878 August 2013, 9:26 GMT +02:00
I'll have to look for the photos later today (we prefer not to use FB here at work).
I'm sure the dachshunds enjoyed the attention at that large gathering. Ten sisters and brothers are quite a large family. My mother is the oldest of six brothers and sisters, which is also not bad. I'm a single child, you know... but I don't really miss that I'm not having any brothers or sisters. I've never known it to be otherwise.
I think 45 is about 11 in UK sizes. I have the same feet size and in some online shops you have to order in UK sizes.
How are Ed & Willem doing, are they wheeling a bit more frequently?
curl
8501. xymonau8 August 2013, 10:33 GMT +02:00
That sounds excellent, Christine! It's always nice to get together with family to catch up. Your mother must have been really pleased to have everyone there to help her celebrate. And I know she will have liked your gifts. They looked terrific. Was the party at her house? And what did you eat?
Knitting talent runs in your family, it seems. Does your other sister knit? 2mm needles are very fine. She must have great patience.
Well, if all goes to plan, I should sleep in my house on Monday. The removalists will come then to take the heavy items. My back is so bad that I might let them take the smaller things as well. That is also when I will be off the air for a short time. Tomorrow I will sort out what I'm doing with my ISP. I can definitely get ADSL2, but I may not be able to afford it. One company is offering it at a slightly reduced rate, but I had them as my ISP on the Sunshine Coast, and while they had few drop outs or problems, it was almost impossible to get technical help. All their techs are now in the Phillipines. And I'm not sure if the situation has improved.
I discovered that the electric cord to the greywater tank has been severed - presumably by the fellow who mowed my lawn. I am really upset as I now have to get an electrician out to repair it. And it needs to be done shortly.
I am finding all the problems with the house as I go.
My friend came back up today to help move more of my things, and he picked up the mattress I bought.
I think I'm feeling really stressed. My phone connection didn't work on Wednesday and the fellow had to come out again today, then phone India, where all Telstra's employees seem to be located. It took an hour for them to even answer his call, then several more hours to do whatever they had to do. Late today the phone worked there. I had to push him to check the other phone sockets. Only one out of three was connected. I guess that is my only option for the internet, and it's in my bedroom. The other socket is in the kitchen. The room is big enough for a desk as well as the bed, so that will be okay.
Tomorrow I will get a lot of washing and cleaning done here, as well as pack clothing and glass ware. My house looks like a bomb hit it. There is stuff everywhere, all over the floors, and a couple of really grubby patches on the carpet from where I moved things that I couldn't get under to clean. I found a fairly big dead lizard in a pile of linen in my spare room. It was mummified, so it had been there a long time.
Michael, I haven't seen any snakes at the new place, but the little crop of houses is surrounded by bushland, so I know I am likely to see some. As long as I don't get bitten I will be happy. Australian snakes vary in size, but we have the most deadly in the world, and some of the worst - taipans and death adders - are quite common locally. I say "worst", but all of them will kill you. Only the pythons and tree snakes are harmless. I'm fairly certain the ground dwelling snakes are all venomous. And all the common snakes are from about a metre to two metres when mature. Some grow larger. We have legless lizards, too, which look like snakes, but aren't. They can give you a fright, but are only small. I think they might be a variety of your slow worms.
I laughed when you mentioned dancing on tables. The table hasn't been built that could support me for a dance! Tonight I'll settle for a painful limp until I fall into bed and hopefully sleep it off.
Has the heat eased at all in the northeren hemisphere? We have had even more sunny days, and it's absolute bliss. The nights are cool, but the days are around 25C in the afternoon. I suspect your heat is coming our way in summer.
8502. gesinek8 August 2013, 11:56 GMT +02:00
Heat is down for a few days here. It rains and nature is thankfull for the water. Here in the north we hadn't storms, hail, which leaves a trace of destruction in southern and eastern Germany.
The golden wedding from the aunt and uncle of my partner was a real nice celebration. It's such a heartily family. They celebrate in their garden and did all the preparations themselfs and with friends. In the afternoon they served huge amounts of cakes and tarts and in the evening there was a BBQ with everything you can imagine. It was really nice.
And Christine, we were going to 3 Countries Egde and it has changed a lot. Last time we staed there, there was only the stone which markes the point, an observation tower and the little diner (Frittenbude). Now the areal looks like Disneyland with paying for parking space, lots of offers for children to play, shops for souvenirs.... we hardly can't believe it. The fries di not taste as good as I had them in mind, but totally different to what we get here. Here they are thin and dry and there they are big and fresh.
We can't go to Aachen city, cause we had our little nephew with us and he was tired and really wanted to go home.
Dez, you don't mentioned the big and dangerous spiders you have there. I'm not jealous for we don't have those animals here...
Michael, how is Mimi? We see our cat in summer only when wheater get worse like now. hey come home after days thin, dirty and HUNGRY. I think the guys who feeded them last year are not longer here or don't like them anymore. No doubt what the cats have done. Stolen pudding?
caul
8503. Groningen8 August 2013, 20:19 GMT +02:00
@Michael: yes dachshunds like company; the more the merrier! And with everybody busy then they have more opportunities to steal some scraps of food ;-)
Ed and Willem both use the wheel every day (and night). Willem is a pro he can run very fast and for longer periods now, Ed is still working on his technique ;-)
@Dez: the party was at my mothers apartment and we ate quiche with ice cream for desert. The quiches were small but there were a lot of them each in a different taste, most of them vegetarian (spinach or tomato or gouda cheese) and one ham/leek for the meat-eaters (my niece, my knitting-sister and me).
The german-based sister is the knitter; the other one is not much into handicraft but she has crochet some covers for her old but comfortable fauteuils.
The funny thing is that both my sisters are ADD were as children they were even more hyper active (ADHD) and now one of them has the patience to knit with really thin needles. The other one does not care if the crochet is sloppy; she wants it finished quickly, but at work (nurse) she has a lot of patience with the patients!
@Gesine: I've never been to the Drielandenpunt but the whole of Europe is changing into a Disneyland theme park so I'm not surprised.
The fries are probably Flemish fries they are thicker than the usual http://www.belgianfries.com/bfblog/?page_id=1426
I am glad that the heat is gone but now it's raining and grey outside :-(
spiders: eek!!
I'm glad I don't live in a country where snakes and spiders are poisonous and where you can find a dead lizard in your laundry (sounds like the name of a rock group)
hang in Dez only a few more days until M-day!!
club
8504. xymonau10 August 2013, 10:10 GMT +02:00
I had never heard of Flemish fries. Our chips (only the influence of McDonalds has led to younger people calling them fries here) are generally thicker. I prefer the fresh ones. The frozen have no flavour. One exception is chips I buy from a sort of carvery / take away place on the other side of the river. They are always crisp to perfection, and even though they aren't quite as nice as fresh, they still taste really good. I'm avoiding them these days because of the fat they're cooked in. Instant heart attacks. But I do like them. A lot of Australian chips are big fat things. I like them more as I get older.
Quiche and ice cream sounds really nice. Are most of your family vegetarian, Christine?
I have ADD, too. I haven't been diagnosed, but my son is profoundly affected and I can see all the symptoms in myself. I find the lack of concentration the hardest thing to deal with. It takes me five times as long to do things some days. But get me on a good day and I can rattle off page after page of good stuff and do sixteen things at once. It's unpredictable, but if I eat well and get plenty of sleep, and stay away from caffeine, I find I am a lot better. My house is generally chaotic, but clean. I get organised and promise myself to stay organised, but the deterioration creeps in, and eventually I surrender to the encroaching madness. Then I get fed up and sort it out - but it has to be on an energetic day or I never complete it. Very frustrating.
I hate spiders, too. And we certainly have some huge ones. I have had the new house sprayed liberally with the direst poison to avoid them. In my current unit, I have never seen a big spider in the three years I've been here. It was brand new when I moved in, and the one maintenance thing they do is to spray every 12 months, so I have been very happy. Not so in the new place. Because it's out of town and older, I'm sure I shall be back to jousting with creeping monsters soon. The worst is that there are a lot of jumping spiders. They make my flesh creep. I'm a lot better now. I can kill them and I hunt them down until they are gone.
I was once driving my car - years ago - and I looked at the window beside me and there was a wolf spider on it - on the inside. The car was a really old one with just one wide seat in the front, and I slid sideways into the middle of the seat while I tried to pull the car over. I freaked out completely! I can't even remember how I got rid of the thing - I only remember the fear! LOL Most of the freaky big ones can bite, but wouldn't poison you.
The trapdoors and funnel webs can be deadly, but generally there is antivenine in the areas affected. It's not like you see them every day, but some places I've been had lots. I have only ever seen a few wild snakes. They don't give me the creeps, but I have a healthy respect and fear of them. My mother was bitten twice and lucky to live to tell the tale. However, that was a long time ago and in rural areas. I guess we grow up being taught what to look for and what not to touch if we are in the bush. Much like in areas where rabies exists, you teach your kids not to handle wildlife. At least we don't have rabies here. (Although the flying foxes have a virus that is related - and this was only discovered recently. Seems to be exclusive to them, though.)
Gesine, are they your cats or are they strays? Could you board them when you go away? It sounds like you had a good break, and you also had a great family gathering.
I'm having a small family "gathering" on Monday when my son and partner arrive to help me. they will have to leave on Wednesday because of her work commitments, but I'm so grateful for their help. it will be lovely to see them, too. And we will all spend the first night in my house. I had an electrician come to fix the cut electrical cord on the greywater tank. Very expensive just because he's a tradesman. I haven't spoken to the mowing guy yet, but I don't want him to mow there again. He should have taken more care.
We are now officially part of the large housing company. They are coming up on Thursday and Friday to do an induction of sorts, and to conduct HR interviews. Things are going to change a lot over time. I just hope I keep my job in the long term.
bulk
8505. gesinek10 August 2013, 13:35 GMT +02:00
The cats belong to us. But they are outdoor-cats, they have a cat flap and comes and goes as they want.
In winter they stay more in the house and when wheater is fine they explore the area. The two white ones have a big area they must 'control' and the tabby is everytime near by our house. He only 'controls' the office of my partner and discourage him from work.
When we are not here (away for racing or holiday) my mother in law cares for them and gives them food. She lives with us here but we have separat Flats.
Last weekend she comes with us so I feeded them good at Sat. before we get away. They had a lot of dry food for Sunday and Monday morning. When it's hot (like last weekend) they don't like eating much but they drink a lot water.
Sounds that the things you have to do for your move are all in best order and the progress is fast. And fine that your family can have a few days off from work to help you.
I think ADD or ADHD is a modern diagnosis. Although the symptoms are long know. But in my school time the were called class clown or fidget. Or the kids are forgetful or underemployed.
buck
8506. Groningen10 August 2013, 13:38 GMT +02:00
flying foxes??
Everything must be upside down with the Antipodes
over here foxes run on the ground :P
my mother has been a vegetarian since 1978
back than it was eccentric
but with all the food scandals more and more people have stopped eating meat.
I only eat meat occasionally and never the really cheap offers; we call them "kiloknallers". You cannot buy a kilo of beef for 8 euro and expect quality, those animals have been raised on antibiotics and hormones; bleh no thank you!
The large housing company must keep you on the job, you are the best ;-)
@Gesine: my sisters don't have an official diagnosis, they are of the same age as you are :-)
but believe me when they were young it was like Kathrina and Sandy (hurricane) hit you at the same time
suck
8507. xymonau11 August 2013, 13:38 GMT +02:00
Ah, well, our foxes are clever little things. You should see the flying rabbits that they catch.
Yes, once upon a time vegetarians were considered extreme, but mad cow disease has fixed a lot of that. Hormones in meat in this country are illegal, but not antibiotics. Pigs are fed them from birth or they would die from the unhygienic surroundings they're raised in. Just cruel. And chickens HAVE to be fed them. I have been around chickens all my life and a bird at 6 weeks old is tiny, but not these cage fattened ones. Their flesh has to be unhealthy. Most are crippled from the rapid weight gain.
Re ADD - I was never hyperactive. But I'm easily distracted and I definitely was the "naughty" kid in school, laughing and playing silly games. It took a massive amount of self control to sit still in university lectures and bite my tongue from saying funny things. I always see the ridiculous side of things, and want to laugh with someone about it. Attending meetings is torture for the same reason - although I listen actively and try to stay focussed these days.
You're lucky you missed out on it, Christine. It's definitely genetic - although I believe it can appear spontaneously as well.
Thank you for the compliment. I'm not really the best, but I hope they think so!
Gesine, I'm relieved you usually have someone to care for your cats. I know several people here who just take off for weeks at a time, believing cats can fend for themselves. In the forest, maybe, but not in suburbia. I used to leave food for my cats (before the blind one) when I was away foe a couple of days, too. They can usually survive okay for that time. I'd love another cat, but I just can't. The birds are all I can deal with.
Speaking of which, the poor things are in their tiny cages tonight. they were extremely indignant (and violent) when I tried to catch them with a tea towel today. I got a few hard bites, but they are in now, and very unhappy about it. I have taken their fluffy yellow cushions to wash, and they will be uncomfortable for the night. Tomorrow, they are in their new home. Birds suffer distress when you move them, and this pair can get quite sick from it. Cockatiels here all suffer from a form of chlamydia that is mainly dormant when they're well, but which takes over if their immunity is affected by stress or other sickness. Then they have to have antibiotics (in their water) for a week or so. Not nice. Hopefully, they will feel better once they're back in their cages.
Now I'm off to empty the fridge and clean it. ^sigh* Not before time, though!
sunk
8508. Ayla8712 August 2013, 14:30 GMT +02:00
So welcome to M-Day, I hope all is running smoothly, thanks to the helpful hands from Brisbane.
And what do the birdies say now to their new home?
It's a shame to hear that the mower-man was so dangerous to that electricity cable, but I wouldn't suspect that they were at such exposed places. That will be hard for everyone else mowing there, too, not to go into that same trap again.
We obviously generously get our share of genetically influenced diseases (migraine is, too).
Christine, it's so great to hear that your mother is living vegetarian for such a long time now. I'm sure this will result in a longer and healthier life.
sink
8509. gesinek12 August 2013, 15:06 GMT +02:00
Michael and Christa: Hope you get well soon. It must be horrible to have that pain so often.
Christine: My brothers could be thunderstorms too. But I think that is better than to have children which are not able to explore there surroundings and are not curiuos about everything they hear are see.
Hope Dez will have a good move.
inky
8510. Ayla8713 August 2013, 6:27 GMT +02:00
Thanks, Gesine. We take strong pills against it, they help a lot. When you are lucky enough to take the pills in an early stage of the attack (it is not always easy to catch the right moment) the attack won't get as bad. Sometimes it can be stopped before it has really started. These are the best times. That is a bit like a lottery. What you have to learn is mindfulness (achtsamkeit) to reduce stress because that is our main reason which starts the migraine attacks. Easier said than done, of course.
pink
8511. Groningen13 August 2013, 20:10 GMT +02:00
well it's the day after
I hope for Dez everything went smooth yesterday
*keeping fingers crossed*
and now I will go offline and
knit
some more; just a house-sock nothing special ;-)
8512. Ayla8714 August 2013, 7:14 GMT +02:00
As the new house is much bigger than the last
unit
I bet so is the chaos and the piles of everything that still has to find his place. But there are so many opportunities to make everything nice and homely, so I think it will be a pleasure when the dust and the aching muscles have settled...
Happy knitting meanwhile... :)
8513. Groningen14 August 2013, 18:18 GMT +02:00
thanks Michael ;-)
Dez is enjoying her house and humming a nice
tune
*I hope*
8514. gesinek14 August 2013, 20:30 GMT +02:00
Tomorrow we off for Most (CZ). Another raceweek with a lot of sun (says wetter.com). Nevertheless wet tires must come with us. May be the Internet lies...
dune
8515. Ayla8715 August 2013, 6:57 GMT +02:00
Have fun, Gesine, and come back with lots of great photos.
I'm sure Dez is sorely missing the internet. With all that unpacking it would be a nice distraction to look for all her RGB-friends once in a while, but that is all only a matter of days...
duet
8516. xymonau16 August 2013, 4:28 GMT +02:00
Ducking in quickly from work. Thank you for all your thoughts. The move has nearly killed me and my son and daughter in law, but I'm in. I've had electricity problems, plumbing problems and now the fire alarm went off all night and I couldn't find out how to undo the thing. I would reset it and five minutes later it would go off again. I have an electrician coming out today to fix it. My poor birds are as isolated as I can manage from the noise. I will have no internet for two weeks at least. I may not be able to use this work computer much, so I'm just letting you know. I'm sure once I find things I will make sanity of the horrendous mess that exists right now. I still have the unit to clean. It's so lovely and peaceful in the new place. I have already seen some yellow-headed, blue winged rosellas (I think) and a gorgeous Pacific crane - a large bird - in the yard next door. And I nave a friendly magpie eating bread already.
Have fun, Gesine.
I hope you and Christa are fine, Michael.
And I'm glad Christine is gainfully employed with more knitting. I am jealous, because I still have the itch to knit. Maybe my hands will be better eventually.
I will catch up when I can. I am in withdrawals from the net. I have no television, either. I sat around doing crosswords on Wednesday night, but my son set up the computer for me yesterday (I was back at work), so last night I discovered my media player wasn't working, and ended up playing dumb games for a bit. LOL
8517. Ayla8716 August 2013, 13:16 GMT +02:00
I would have been surprised if you had told us the move has been an easy pleasure, but there is light at the and of the tunnel. And you can already see how admirable the new place is. It will make you happy.
We could never come into your situation because we don't have any fire alarm, so don't be alarmed if you don't hear of me for some time ;-) Now you know the reason... Well, at least there are only non-smokers living in our house as far as we know. Lightning doesn't strike too often I suppose, we'll see...
I have the feeling those electricity problems, plumbing problems etc. are all what the previous owners have saved up for you with their careless living style. The house will soon calm down now that you are there to care fore it. So the problems won't continue at that pace.
Have you met your new neighbours already?
The variety of birds entertaining you in your garden is gorgeous. You will have to watch carefully for your bread at breakfast times when you leave the terrace for a while... Or there will be a
duel
for all your delicacies...
Two weeks (or probably more) without the internet and without four lettered words are a long time. Good that you can sneak in at work from time to time.
TV is freely available "in the air", if you wish. Perhaps you should think about buying a dvb-t-stick for your computer. Instantly available and should be quite cheap (about 50 $). It makes you independent from the net, but I don't know if your available TV programmes are worth the investment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVB-T
Our heads are fine at the moment, thanks for asking. Looking ahead to a warm, but hopefully relaxing weekend now.
8518. Groningen16 August 2013, 18:51 GMT +02:00
good to hear from you Dez
I do hope that your hand will improve enough to hold knitting needles
dumb games>> Solitaire?? I used to play that for hours when I had my first computer with not much software installed LOL
enjoy the wildlife and the peacefulness of your (new) home!
Ed and Willem are doing fine and saying hello to the cockatiels
rule
8519. gesinek20 August 2013, 11:38 GMT +02:00
role
We are back it was a fine weekend, tiring but cool. There are always a lot of nice people and we enjoy it to meet them at the events. And we get more and more friends, cause you always have different neighbours,
This time three elder, lovely men from Suisse were standing with their motorbike (classic bikes) next to us. We could hardly understand them but they tried to speak german and not their suisse-german (Schwitzerdütsch).
The travel was bad because of a lot of roadwork und depending on that speed limits and traffic jams (especially in Berlin we lost over an hour on the way to Most) short before Dresden hihway was closed and we had to ride over the villages (cost another hour) but we saw a beautiful castle with a lake around in Moritzburg. Unfortunatly it was to dark to take a photo.
While in Most sun shines as if she gets money for it (yes we had sunburns) wheater changed on our way back after we passed Berlin (no traffic jam this time but the other direction about 60 km slow traffic).
There was heavy rain and I nearly could see the street at night. It was exhausting to ride the last piece of the track.
Back at work, nothing really changed. I have a stand by tonight for our delievery ward. Keep your fingers crossed for I don't have too much work tonight.
8521. xymonau24 August 2013, 3:04 GMT +02:00
I kept my eyes crossed. I'm sure that made a difference.
Here I am, back online at last! I have a faster connection now. It goes like the clappers, I believe the English say. I can't wait to see if uploading is faster.
I am living in a wasteland of boxes and things I can't find, but I am getting there slowly. I still officially have the unit for another week, but the cleaning and carpets are done, and the agents have already taken someone through to rent it. It's a nice unit, so it will be snapped up.
I have spent a fortune at my house so far. The grey water pump had to be replaced, the fire alarm had to be fixed, the electrician had to repair the cord to the pump, and I've already had the place mowed twice, and that is expensive, too. However, the birds are singing every morning, and it is really nice here. I haven't been out and about to meet my neighbours. That will come in time.
There are a bunch of school children that get off a bus just outside my place. They aren't wicked, but they are lively! Four of them were climbing up this little sapling on the footpath. I laughed about it, but they broke off most of the branches and left them lying around. Typical kids, though.
We have our new company that has taken us over, but the changeover (e.g., computer systems, pay systems, etc) hasn't started yet. there are a lot more benefits for staff, and the people seem very nice, and with a good attitude. They will have high standards, but they will help you reach those standards, I believe.
I have just been on the phone getting my modem set up. I waited an hour and fifteen minutes on hold. I now have a headache, and I haven't had breakfast. So I'm off to get some fuel into my system. I have some strawberries and watermelon, but it's a bit cold for those. It was 2C yesterday morning, and has been very cold for several days. Not European cold, but you'd be reaching for a jacket if you were here. My house is so big that it's cold - and probably hot in summer because of the raked ceilings - but the air conditioner is reverse cycle, and it works well.
Christine, Chicken and Mousie, my cockatiels, send their greetings to Ed and Willem. They are still not totally settled with the move, but they haven't gotten sick, so I think it has gone reasonably well.
Gesine, did that baby arrive on your shift? And I learned something. I thought the Swiss spoke the same German etc as the other nations. Is it very different?
poke
