It arrived!

Look what arrived in the middle of my living room today! We finally have our oven and hob. What a terrible time we had with this. First, the one we ordered was delayed a week. Then we were called to say it would be six weeks followed by a call that it would now be the end of July. They also told us there was no guarantee that it would arrive then either. We just gave up.


The problem is that I want a nostalgic look oven in black and they are no longer in fashion. Things not in fashion in Holland are just impossible to find. A couple of companies are still making them but they are few and far between. I found this one which has a great oven and not so great fob. I want iron not metal for the fob but this had to be my comprise as the next choice would have been very much more money and I would have probably had to buy new pans as they would not have held up. That hob had an extra strong burner. So I made the comprise and the oven is sitting in my living room waiting our handyman's attention.

He also has to replace our brand new faucet which is not working. It is faulty and we arranged for a new one (different model as this one is no longer being produced...go figure) and to be able to return the other one as soon as the handyman can switch them. They wanted us to bring it in when we picked up the new faucet but we told them we would have no water and have to pay our handyman for an extra visit. This kind of thing is fine when you can do this work yourself but not when you are paying someone. I will be so glad to see the last part of the kitchen come together.

To top that off, my electric water cooker died this past week. I always said when it did I would not replace it with another. I want to go back to the old fashioned whistling tea kettle. I bought one for Cranberry Cottage and realized how much I miss waiting for my water to boil and hear that whistle blow. A simple pleasure in life. I have picked one out I would like but we have to get downtown which is not easy for me right now.

Did you know it is cherry season? Cherries are available now again in the shops here in Holland. Hard to believe that it was not that long again that I was posting about driving to see the cherry blossoms.

Jos loves warm cherry sauce on ice cream. He saw they had cherries in a jar on sale at the supermarket and brought home a jar which he left sitting on the counter for me to find. I place them in a saucepan with the liquid in the jar and simply add some cornstarch to bind them into a thicker sauce. It is a great treat on a summer's eve.

A further note about my health ~ I had my check up at the hospital on Friday. I was told with two to four new higher dosages, I should be in balance again and start feeling better. If it ends up only two dosages are needed, that will be feeling better by autumn. The doctor told me to remain patient. I am not a person to only lie around on the couch and it is hard. I did get a little disheartening news in that my second biopsy is needed and has now been scheduled for August. I am scared this time as my thyroid is becoming hard as a result of the treatment. My doctor gave me something to take starting the day before the biopsy to help me relax. I will be very glad when this is over.