A bowsaw on high

The snow had damaged these branches so that they hung low over the road. Too low for the container. This is me (up the tree) and our helper Mfanjane.

It involved some interesting angles, but did give me something to think about besides the cost

of moving our furkids. Our quotes had of course expired... Now we wait - one is in a little bit more expensive. They were more expensive first time. http://www.savethedragons.nu/ - the site some fans helped to set up to sell one of my books to earn extra for this horrendously expensive excercise has helped, but we're taking major strain on this. I'm finding it very hard to talk about or deal with, as I'm a hopeless soppy about my rescue moggies and silly dogs.

The proofs of Sorceress of Karres are now in. For years we had epics with couriers delivering proofs to me, and failing to find this place and leaving them at some bizarre spots (the hotel bottle shop, chicken farm, post office...)

It's a pity that Baen have taken to sending them as .pdf files... it saves them money and trouble but costs me a great deal of both, as I now have to print them on my dodgy old printer -- and I am inevitably out of paper or ink or both, and this situation is tricky now, but it'll be a lot trickier on the island. Besides, there would have been some small schadenfreude in having the courier fly in and try to hire a car to find me - or bliss, have to walk (or hee hee take the ferry) and try to leave without delivering to me. Yes, I know. Not the same couriers as messed me about here, and in actual reality I would have done my best to help - probably collected it from the plane and let the airline sign for it Launceston. But allow me the happy little nasty vision of a lost fedex courier truck blundering about the island. ;-) - with a week to spend before the ferry goes back.

Anyway besides poor B nearly poking her eye out, and being scratched to pieces in the acacia that she wanted to do (um. She IS rather stubborn about these things. When you've been together for as long as we have... if she wants to do it, she must have a go. She's quite daunting to lesser fainting violet women. Finest kind ;-)) the road now b'long cargo.

Ah cut down trees ah eat ma lunch...

And to follow through with the song -if I could station the convenience above the Mooi River municipality and shower them with my 'appreciation'... I would. You remember that rates certificate that had to in with the deeds office by Friday that they promised - after we'd overpaid them that they would post? well guess what...

They refuse point blank to give to us to let us deliver it by hand last week. They had to deal with an incandescent Barbs today. She got it and delivered it. But of course... the whole thing is now late, rot them. So we don't know if we'll be paid in time. Ah well. It's character building. I reckon if you join B and I's character's together by now... we could build a bridge and walk to Australia on it.

The cut down trees part - we've been cutting a 4.5 metre arch to get the container in. Trust me, in 3 years you won't know it happened - we had to do the same when we moved here - the tree is about 35 metres high and as wide. Oh and Elliots (movers) seem to have lost the plot. Pop-top -what pop-top? (see another 3 feet on character suddenly go up with pilasters and small decorative arches. They promised to get back to me. Maybe they tried. I was up a tree.

So today has not been spent writing but cutting large branches. I really must start wearing gloves for this sort of thing as I have a battered thumb. Thing is rock-climber was up the tree sawing. And gloves are not safe to climb in. On the plus side being 6 metres up on a whippy branch doesn't worry me as long as it is not with a chain-saw (tied on see, and out of fall on and/or whip zone - but falling off with a chainsaw could be deadly.) So the high stuff was done with a bow-saw. This is not that bad as none of the branches were more than 8 inches thick - but I'm going to be an imitation English gentleman all over and not just my upper lip tomorrow. Hot bath time. The worst were the cypress - B wanted to do a branch and had to cut right through. I ened up doing another 4 while she went to tear strips off Mooi Muni. I had to do the same - and finish 2 with a panga. The pin-oak branches were far less tough.