Attack of the Killer MOLD!!!

From the last post you can see that our bathroom/flat is suitable for slugs. So, it is moist. But we can't stop taking showers and cooking food! (The two main reasons the flat is and will stay moist.) This not only makes living conditions perfect for slugs but for MOLD TOO!!!

I remember getting a nice little pamphlet titled "Condensation" from Clyde (company we are renting the flat from) with all the renter's paperwork. I should have taken more notice then that it was a subtle hint that, "Your flat will get mold. All your attempts to prevent said mold will be in vain. Learn to 'deal' with it."

Oh sure, we can just open the windows while we're taking a shower to improve air circulation:( Which is FREEZING!!! We have exhaust fans in both the bathroom and kitchen...are they working?

So, another complaint of these "historic" (old and crappy) apartments, other than the large uninsulated windows, are that the walls don't have any insulation at all. If you touch them they are ice cold. So, any warm moisture that touches these cold walls causes condensation and mold begins to grow...

Bathroom

Bedroom corner near windows

Bedroom Left Window

Bedroom Left Window Sill

Bedroom Right Window Sill

Just found this spot in the Living Room

Well, we've invested in a hearty Mold & Mildew remover spray and it seems to get rid of the mold...for a little while...(seriously, not even a week!)

Then, because of my lack of balance capability Lars gets to be the one up on a ladder attacking this enemy... unless you want to see this:

Big no-no!
Pregnant lady on a ladder:(

Almost 34 weeks pregnant

No pregnant women were injured...

Thanks Lars! I love you:P

Take THAT mold! 

We can handle ANYTHING!!!

The Slug Slugger?...not so much...

One morning Lars called me into the bathroom. "Look at this." is usually a sentence I know is gonna illicit interest followed by confusion or disgust. (ESPECIALLY if it's in the bathroom...) What did he have waiting for me?

...A SLUG !!!

He was all fascinated by how cute it was. All I could think about was this:

YUCK!

Since that day we have been "blessed" with  quite a few visits from this "shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusk". Not the same one but always in the bathroom, thank goodness.

To give you a sense of actual size...they can be kind of cute, I guess...

A bit more uncomfortable when you're taking a shower and SURPRISE, he's decided to join you:( 

(Yes, our shower is disgusting, I know.)

This guy seems a bit bigger...ick.

At least the ones inside our bathroom aren't as large as this monster I found while taking a walk outside:

Had a new Scottish friend, Josie Barnshaw, give me some tips on how to get rid of them. She says that slugs are "public enemy No. 1". I call her the Slug Slugger! Haha.

Apparently there must be a hole in our wall:( That's another reason NOT to live on the ground floor.

Could get some slug pellets, or salt, and spread them across the bottom of the wall. She said that they could get in on someone's shoes too...

Maybe they could come up the sink or shower drains??? I hope not cause that's how I dispose of them:(

Always exciting when you move to a foreign country...

Scotland: "The land of wet weather and slugs! HA!

Rain. Wet. Frost. Ice.

Honestly, for the first three weeks I hardly left the apartment/flat. (The freezing flat mind you:P) I didn't really have anywhere to go except FHE and Church. Not that I wasn't busy with what I was doing inside the flat. Organizing and acclimating and bumming:)

In those three weeks I heard plenty of the dreaded RAIN outside the windows. I heard it but when I'd finally go outside...no rain. Really? Every time I'd eventually go outdoors it was never actively raining...Now the ground was ALWAYS wet but not in the process of becoming so...

See. The ground is wet even though it's a beautiful day..?

Wet and soggy leaves

This confused me greatly. All this talk about how much it rains and I hadn't seen it or even had to walk in it. I felt kind of "gypped"!

If you talked to Lars he would say that I'm extremely blessed! He has had to walk to and from school practically everyday in the rain. All types of rain:( Mist, drizzle, torrents, pouring, dew, sheets, sprinkle, and so many other names for this wetness. Very similar to how the Eskimos have 40 different names for snow. The Scottish have 40 different names for rain.

Since then I have had to walk lots in the much anticipated rain too. (Thank goodness! I was kind of worried:) AND on some ice...which is really dangerous here.

I'm learning that they don't get a lot of, or any, snow and therefore do not have the means of removing said snow. So, this snow becomes ice and so dangerous that this pregnant lady decided it was "safer" to walk on the road and risk getting hit by a car. And it was...safer that is:)

Ice, ice, ice.

Cool frost design on this car:)

And more ice...

So, because the ground is always wet, when the temp gets low enough there is automatic ice:( 

But it really is beautiful in the daytime...and it rarely gets cold enough for ice or snow here.

Pretty, pretty, pretty:)

 A very brisk walk to church that day:)

Living in an Igloo:( in Scotland...?

We've never had to live off of loan money before, thankfully, but it is quite stressful! Plus, living in a new place you're not quite sure or comfortable that you know or can maneuver the new expenses adequately. Plus, you of course hear the horror stories of $300/month heating bill! So what did we do? Never turned on the heat. For, seriously, the first month. It was TERRIBLE!!! It's amazing how unproductive you decide to be when you're freezing. It makes EVERYTHING 100 times worse.

Taking a shower? I don't really need to take one today...do I...

Making food. Oh, I'm not THAT hungry...

Getting dressed. I'll be putting my pajamas back on tonight anyway...let's just leave them on all day...

Really, any reason you'd have to get out of bed was seriously debated and criticized.

I did so much research on how to stay warm without a furnace:
On this website: http://www.wikihow.com/Stay-Warm-at-Home-Without-a-Heater is said that too keep the house warm I should:

    Close all of your windows properly. 
     Use cheap clear shower curtains over the windows that receive sun light. 
     Put up curtains. 
     Seal your doors. 
     Let as much sun hit your house as possible.
     Close off any unused rooms. 
     Put down a rug or carpet.
     Cook. 
     Light a candle. 
     Turn on some incandescent lights. 
     
Then to keep myself warm I could:

     Drink warm beverages. Thank goodness the Scottish LOVE their hot chocolate:D
     Dress warmly. It's sad when you look forward to going outside because it's warmer than your apartment:(
     Use smaller rooms. There are only so many rooms...and the kitchen is the smallest.
     Exercise. This is always the answer :P
     Find a friend or pet to snuggle with. I'm sure I can capture one of the rampant foxes somehow...
     Sit on a 50 watt heating pad. That and heated car seats make me feel like I've peed my pants.
     Buy a thick bathrobe or dressing gown. Um...
     Go visiting/vacationing. A-ha! The answer to "how to stay warm when not using the furnace" is to be somewhere else. Genius!

So, why not put on the heat? Well, because we decided to live on the ground floor flat with single glazed windows (because I was, secretly, pregnant) instead of the 4th floor flat with double glazed windows (which do a much better job of trapping the heat).

I love the architecture here with the tall rooms and large windows but they really need to upgrade the quality just a bit. When talking to the hardware store keeper he said that for some buildings they are restricted from doing any kind of upgrades to improve insulation. It could "damage the historical integrity of the building"?!?

Guess it's not a big deal that we don't have a freezer because our whole apartment IS a freezer!

We have since started turning on our furnace and it has made such a difference! I actually don't mind getting out of bed to cook or clean or ANYTHING!!! I love being WARM :D

Oh, and we're still not sure what the actual cost of the heating is because what they do here is guesstimate the average usage for the following month then charge you before you've used it...? After 3 months they finally come and check your meter and reevaluate your monthly average for the next three months. If you've overpaid you just don't pay the next however many months and if you've underpaid, they'll add that onto the next month's bill.

I used to be overly anxious and worried but I have since learned to relax. We'll be okay...no matter what.

ps. okay I do still worry about it...I'm a woman. I can't help it!

Spring

Spring and Lars REUNITED!!!

After having lived so comfortably in the Shurilla household, I was pretty nervous to be on our own again...Well, that and living in yet another country. I'd done my homework but I think it only heightened my anxiety:(

Some highlights from my research are:

     - Scots drink a lot.
     - They drink a WHOLE LOT!
     - Oh, and they swear a ton too.
     - Consider yourself lucky if you EVER see the sun.
     - Rain RAIN and more RAIN!!! (They literally have 20 different names for "rain":(
     - No "real" native cuisine but known for eating Neeps and Tatties, Fish and Chips,              Haggis and (mostly joking) "Deep fried Mars bars".
     - It's expensive! (The exchange rate is £1 to $1.60)
     - They speak English but you won't understand them.
     - They drive on the opposite side of the road and have interesting road signs and road        markings.
     - Of course, all men wear kilts and play bagpipes:)
     - Scots can become very abrasive if you 1) Root for the wrong sports team 2) those          sports teams correlate to different religions 3) or if you confuse them for English.

But hey, the people are supposed to be SUPER nice...generally:)

(Okay, so I've listed them in a stereotypical manner but there is a lot of truth to them...)

So, yes, I had very mixed emotions when I was at the O'Hare Chicago, IL airport. This picture captures those emotions quite nicely.

My Mother-in-law said it best when she described it as a look of "anticipation, sadness and trepidation".

Well, I also knew that Lars had been living the perfect "bachelor" life. Eating whatever he wants. Going to clubs every night, with names such as "NiceNSleazy". He said it's for the open mic nights. Sure, yeah, okay:P So, he's playing/composing his new Chiptunes music. Then, finding time to stay in shape with basketball. Oh, and he'd also hang out with the Chinese speaking missionaries. I guess he'd study a bit amongst all that...maybe...

Was he ready to return to married life??? I hadn't seen him for a month and a half. (Longest time we'd been apart since being married 5 years.) I felt pretty alone and confused as to what MY role would be...

Oh, then the stress of my luggage being 10 lbs. overweight. (I could've kissed the attendant who let it through, no charge:) Plus, I had a carryon, purse, coat (with large pockets) and my big boots on. Everything almost bursting the seams. Security had to check my carryon for explosives multiple times because it was so dense. The scanners couldn't distinguish anything!

It is a 7 1/2 hour flight from Chicago to Dublin, Ireland. Which went rather smoothly. Had a nice conversation with Yarik about what to expect in Scotland. Pretty much the pubs are where you go to socialize:( and they get offended if you don't drink:( Thanks. Then an hour flight from Dublin to Glasgow, Scotland, which I don't remember because I was totally out for the entirety. Glasgow is 6 hours ahead of Wisconsin and I was pooped!

After I collected my checked luggage, heavy, I got to walk through the doors to my anxiously waiting love LARS!!! Didn't get any pictures but it was a joyous reunion:) That lasted a few minutes...(I don't know if anyone else is like this but I need some time to feel comfortable around even my husband again if we've been parted too long...? So it was a bit awkward for me but good:)

I also got to meet Jim Loftus who is AMAZING!!! He allowed Lars to stay with him for a few weeks while Lars was trying to find an apartment. Among so many things Jim brought Lars to come pick me up. Thank you thank you thank you!!!

Back to my many mixed emotions. I was expecting dark and dreary rain clouds and downpour but no, I was blessed with glorious sunshine. Which they told me appeared just before I arrived:) This helped immensely with my "trepidation". What a blessing! Now the adventure truly begins...