Another month in lockdown and, at the same time, another very busy month, including an anniversary and home renovations. I almost finished my third term at University. I have one more seminar and the exams and that’s it. The next post will be about the third term and, after the exams, I’m going to make a round-up of the whole year; that will be at the end of June. Also, I will share how I am preparing for exams, in another post, in about 10 days. Hope you like my study updates.
In other news, we’ve started renovating the living room. We changed the carpet with flooring and I love how it looks. We are also expanding the bookcase and make another one too. It was something we had to do, as we’ve installed the carpet over 5 years ago, when we bought the house, and now it needed replacement. I just hope that the new flooring will last for longer. We got a commercial traffic graded flooring, mainly because we liked how it looks, but it also means that it is more durable. I will share pictures with my new living room, once it’s done. The renovations are done after work and during the weekends, so it will take long(er) to finish, but we are not in a hurry.
I was searching for photos of the house when we got it and I discovered this picture, of Festus, in our last house we’ve rented. He looks similar today, with a bit more grey around his muzzle, but he is almost 11 (in September). Festus still has the same amount of energy he had as a puppy, which is not that much, if he is compared with a Labrador or a Spinger, but that is pretty impressive for his age.
The life expectancy for Rottweilers is 8 to 10, and, friends with older Rottweilers said that they noticed changes after 8 or 9, when they are not as eager to guard or to play. Well, this did not happen with Festus. He is still barking and growling, usually flopped on a side, as he never saw the point to actually get up when barking, unless is someone at the door. He is still chasing his toy. When we play with him in the garden, which is most days, we ask him: “do you want me to throw the toy?” (in Romanian, he knows only Hello in English). If he wants to, then he leaves the toy, if he doesn’t he doesn’t leave it. Most often that not he leaves the toy. For us, this is amazing. He has some aches and pains, but they don’t seem to slow him down.
Oopsie! That was a strong wine.
We’ve ordered pizza. This might not be news for most people, but for us it was. We took take away pizza when we had some vouchers for free pizza, but never ordered delivery, since we moved here. Before that we ordered once, when a friend wanted pizza. It was nice, but it was not vegan, and it’s unlikely we are going to order it again.
1. Captain Tom Moore’s 100th Birthday Walk for the NHS on just giving. He raised £32,794,835, a fundraising event I donated too. 2. Banana bread. 3. Anniversary celebration. 4. Festus having fun with his toy. 5. Took picture of my new TBR list. 6. Baking today. 7. Another essay, another plan on my wall. 8. Rose rhododendron in bloom, on the driveway. 9. Coffee, book, and Festus, in the garden. 10. Quote from Pitt. 11. Flower. 12. Avocado plant. 13. Dexter. 14. Festus, a bit dusty with the living room renovation, but loving it. 15. LightNight at home. 16. Pizza, homemade. 17. Drug wars, a thought provoking book. 18. Nature. 19. Getting ready for exams, with a bit of preparation. 20. Upside down plum banana bread. 21. This happened. It’s the first time something like this happens though. 22. I received a book delivery: 5 new books to read. 23. The first mock exam. 24. Enjoying a Victorian dessert. 25. Reading in the garden on a sunny day. 26. Flooring delivery. 27. Two banana bread loaves. 28. Getting ready for a study group. 29. Festus, an old photo, from our last rented house. 30. New flooring in the living room. 31. Books I read this month.
This month I only finished 8 books, but only one is fiction and that is the last one, with Victorian fairy tales. With everything else going on, I’m happy with how much I’ve read this month. I enjoyed most of the books, and I would recommend them all, with the exception of the first one. I published reviews on Coffee&Books for all, with the exception of the fairy tales, which will be published tomorrow. So, if you want to know more about the books, check my other blog.
Books I read in May:
The Making of Modern Woman by Lynn Abrams – 2.5 stars
Dirty Bertie by Stephen Clarke – 4 stars
British Prime Ministers by Robert Parker – 5 stars
The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates – 4 stars
The Death of Expertise by Tom Nichols – 5 stars
Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management – 5 stars
Drug Wars by Neil Woods – 5 stars
Victorian Fairy Tales by Michael Newton – 5 stars
Good luck for your exams! I’ll be interesting to read how you’ve prepared for them. After this you’ll be able to give more of your time to the home renovations, it’s great! Can’t wait to hear about the updates 🙂 I remember that your office renovations/design was awesome!
Julia xx
That’s so nice of you to say, thank you. xx
I was about to say that is a surprise to see you with takeaway as you are a cooking genius!
I look forward to seeing the floor! I’ve never replaced a carpet though iI remember my Mum getting floorboards after we’d been in our house for 18 years as the carpet was very old and shabby.
Festus looks so cute and small!!
Happy ANNIVERSARY!
I prefer carpet, but flooring is easier to clean and keeps for much longer. I just don’t want to change the carpets every few years, it is wasteful.
I’m always impressed with how youthful Festus looks and acts. He’s clearly a happy, healthy dog! Our first Rottweiler, Angus, lived to be 9, Esther and JJ (litter mates) died at 10 and 5, respectively. Of our current pack of nine, six are advanced in age. Alice is not doing well at the moment and it makes me sad.
I’d never thought about the fact Festus wouldn’t understand me were I to meet him and talk to him! At least he’d get the “hello”!
Having 6 elderly dogs must be very hard, emotionally speaking. I hope Alice will recover.
Festus was very ill as a puppy, he nearly died. A friend of his, a 4 year old female Rottweiler, died from the same parasitic disease he had. The treatment was so strong that it could have been fatal on its own. But he made it, he had 2 relapses by his 1st birthday and the vet (best in the city, I’ve sent plenty of terrified dog owners to him and he saved them) said that it could leave lasting damage to his liver and kidneys. We did not think that he will reach this age. His friend from puppyhood, who was a couple of months younger than him, died over an year ago, his aunt died at 9. We are so very lucky that is not only with us, but that he is so lively and happy. I do cherish each day.
That’s amazing that Festus was so sick as a puppy, yet seems so strong and active now! Angus had a tick-borne disease as a puppy, but was treated with heavy doses of antibiotics to cure it. The disease damaged his joints some which led to us putting him on a certain drug in his later years. There was speculation that the drug caused certain cancers (he died of stomach/intestinal cancer), but I don’t think he would have lived (comfortably) as long as he did without it. So no regrets.
Alice is feeling a little better today, but still not well at all. At least she ate a small amount of canned dog food this morning. Poor girlie.
Yes, cherish all the good times!
What a good bunch of books you’ve read this time around. I think there are many there I would really enjoy. And it has been a busy month. Well done on the house things and all that with school.
I’m so enchanted with that photo of Festus. He’s looking so happy there!
Lovely post, Anca! Personal updates are some of my favourite to read. Best wishes for your studying too. Festus sounds like such a sweet dog. I miss our dogs, we don’t have one at the moment. I love how varied your books choices are, it’s refreshing to hear about reads I’ve not seen before. Hope you are keeping well. Thank you for the kind comments on my blog, it’s always nice to hear from you! 🙂 xx
Helen