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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
8330. gesinek2 June 2013, 17:28 GMT +02:00
I wish you all the best, that your next cat will stay very, very long and very healthy, together with you, to have enough time to enjoy her life at you.
4letter word:
bake
8331. Ayla873 June 2013, 6:32 GMT +02:00
Oh yes, thank you, Gesine, after we have lost so many nerves and won some more grey hairs now this would be absolutely fine for a change to better days.
Here is a large, freshly baked
cake
for all of you.
8332. xymonau4 June 2013, 14:14 GMT +02:00
I ate my piece. Thank you. Now we can all go to the
café
for a nice drink to wash it down. Hot chocolate would be nice. Winter started here three days ago and that would hit the spot.
Any developments on your new cat, Michael? I still feel sad for you.
My news is that I might be buying a unit now. Not my first choice, more expensive than the previous house, so payments will be harder, but it's in my price range - if the bank agrees. It's not new or very nice. Much better than the other place. In a block of four. The only thing I dislike is the water lying around the place. The ground was a bit soggy after rain, and there is mildew all over the fences. Also, paying body corporate fees is quite expensive. I need to look into it. However, I have verbally committed to the purchase (based on getting the bank's approval) so I'm off on the next roller coaster. I'm not excited about this one, though. It's not like a house, and I can't have my own yard and a few chooks. Never mind, it's what I can afford, and I'm going to do what I can to make it nice.
The other thing is that it's awfully close to where I work, so I'm hoping no-one sees my car and catches on. It is, however, close to a shopping centre (one block away), my doctor, a chemist and the local cinema. And quite close to the town centre, really.
I'll send you invitations to the house warming. That's if this one goes smoothly.
8333. Ayla875 June 2013, 7:14 GMT +02:00
A hot chocolate is always a nice idea, I'll join in on that.
The physical examination by the vet was well passed. We expect to get the results of the blood test later today. Then we will know if we can welcome that new family member to our home.
Whow, thats great roller coaster news indeed. Your description of the new place (one unit in a block of four) still sounds a bit unclear. Is it the middle one in a row of houses? Having to pay body corporate fees also sounds as if you are going to commonly own the grounds (or parts of it) with your four neighbours in a way. At least houses which are built together often share common facilities to get fresh water and to get rid of used water, things like that. So I hope you will have friendly neighbours around... It would certainly be a good idea to chat with them a little bit.
Having a home where you can do what you want as your own
safe
spot is a very important thing. I think it is even more important than the own yard (which also means a lot of work). You still have the pumpkins at work to look after with the help of your men. Living so close to work, a shopping centre etc. might even give you a chance to walk most of the ways and barely use your car, so you may hide it somewhere around the corners if you wish. I hope the bank will agree again. They have tested your basics already, so things will mainly depend on a property investigation again. How soon will that take place?
And one more question to keep you busy - what is the longest English word you can think of? The longest German word is 63 letters long, here it is: Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz it is the name of a law and it means Beef labeling supervision delegation Act. This law is not needed anymore, so this word will be omitted from the German language.
8334. xymonau5 June 2013, 11:11 GMT +02:00
propseudocontraneoantidisestablishmentarianismistically
It means "in favour of the false behaviour in the manner of a person belonging to the movement opposed to the new version of the movement opposed to the separation of church and state". I use it all the time. :o)
And I have no idea how many letters it contains (I'm far too lazy to count them!) or even if it is really the longest word, but that was the best I could come up with. English people find it easy to learn German. There are a lot of similarities in the languages. French isn't too bad, either.
("pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis" seems to be the most popular as the claim for the longest.)
I hope the blood test goes well and that you're proud pet owners again.
Sorry I was unclear. We call flats or apartments, "units". It's one low level box divided into four dwellings, each with a carport in front. Out the back door is a tiny strip of grass, just big enough to put a clothesline, and maybe have a few potplants. The units all face the next door neighbour's fence - and you should see that yard. It's like the town tip. That was one of my reservations in going there.
The rest of the yard is communal, and I'm not really happy about that as it's all next to my unit, and I don't have a fence to close off my back courtyard. Also, it seems the electricity meter is behind one of the other units, so access to that might be a challenge if they weren't home.
The inside paint is intact but hideous. One of the rooms is an icing sugar pink, another is very blue. And the kitchen is not good. However, there is a newish stove with a glass top, so that is good. It's not big, but has an air conditioner and ceiling fans. A very tiny shower stall in the bathroom, and very dated, but it's fine. I wouldn't have to do anything to live there, although there is hardly any cupboard space in the kitchen. I can just buy a free-standing pantry to start with, then save up to alter the kitchen - which is really just one big room with the dining and lounge area.
It is significantly more expensive than the last place, but it would also have a better resale value if I wanted to leave. And it's cheap enough for me to make the payments as long as I'm working.
I can't feel excited about it for some reason. Hopefully that's just the mood of the moment. I'm not sick, but I feel a bit "flat" the last few days. That's life. We all have to
face
the down times occasionally.
So what's the second longest German word for when the other is gone?
8335. Ayla875 June 2013, 14:20 GMT +02:00
propseudocontraneoantidisestablishmentarianismistically sounds like a quite serious disease ;-) I wonder how long it takes to memorize such nice little words? When you copy & paste it to word, you can easily read in the status line that it has 55 letters without counting them manually.
They are not certain yet what is the second longest German word, but one of the candidates is Verkehrsinfrastrukturfinanzierungsgesellschaft with 46 letters. That means Transportation Infrastructure Finance Company. Doesn't sound very erotic either.
According to the Guinness-Book of Records (German Edition)
Donaudampfschifffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft
was the longest ever published German word with 80 letters, but this was a fancy word combination. Grammatically correct, but not officially used anywhere. It has to do With a ship company for the river Donau and their electricity equipment.
I have found it easy to learn English, too. French is more difficult with all those accents, especially when your hearing is impaired. But I speak English with a horrible accent. I have no real practise. It's good that you give me an opportunity not to forget how English is written...
Christa is waiting all day at the phone for the blood test results, but they haven't come in yet. It is a matter of time only that we will get new cat owners. If this poor cat should miss the opportunity to live with us then we would continue our search elsewhere. But we don't hope so, because that would mean that she is severely ill, more so than we could bear. So let's better hope all goes well. She doesn't know yet how much we long to care for her...
Thank you, now that was a good description to give me an idea of your quarter of a box of four. I still wonder what kind of people have lived there with that taste of colours, combined with the yummy preference for mildew all over the fences. Often old aged people aren't able to care anymore for their belongings, but these colours seem to be more fitting for blind people ;-) The stove sounds good. Eating was higher in their priorities than caring for the fences, that is clear. My overall impression is that it is generally fine to be able to move in without great effort and then see for improvements when you have saved up some money and have firmly settled in. You will then have an even sharper view for the little details which might require your attention. They won't run away. No need to hurry.
It's a pity that the communal yard seems to be in such a bad state. How nice would it be if there were a large and fantastic park and you could feel as if it were all your own. Perhaps you can grow a nice little hedge to close off your back courtyard? But that would probably cost too much of the free space there... Or a little plastic fence at last, a
fake
hedge?
That you don't feel excited too about that place may well be explained by the whole financial responsibility and all the trouble involved in managing the move. That is quite a lot lasting on your shoulders.
What I'm still wondering about, is, when your electricity meter is so hard to reach, is your main fuse hidden there as well? In case of a sudden power blackout that might be quite important. I imagine you running around in the night with a candle holder in that interesting underwear... But then, who needs electricity at night, it can wait till next morning, can't it? Oh I forgot, we don't have aircondition here... We would need Ed & Willem then to produce a cool breeze for you with their wheel...
8336. Groningen5 June 2013, 19:20 GMT +02:00
hihi
well they can be lazy
so the amount of fresh air will be inconsistent
but it's winter in Australia
it's summer here, beautiful sunshine and great temperatures, not to hot.
Thanks for the cake Michael and I hope your new cat will live a long and healthy live
Can Dez
rake
up enough money for her unit?
8337. Ayla876 June 2013, 6:26 GMT +02:00
It would
make
us really happy for a change to have a cat which gets really old together with us. We are envious whenever we hear of cats which are 20 years or older.
Now, the blood test results are not excellent, but quite okay. Could have been better, but are acceptable. The cat has a good chance to get old with those values. Basically, the vet says, she is a healthy cat. She has some issues which we have to keep an eye upon, but we have decided to risk it and take her.
We will hear later today when she can move in. That may be anytime soon. We named her Mimi.
---
P.S.: Her old vet advised to give her an antibiotic and let her last teeth operation properly heal off before moving her to us, so we will have to wait another ten days before we can welcome Mimi here.
8338. xymonau6 June 2013, 11:23 GMT +02:00
That sounds like good advice, Michael, but it's so nice that you're about to have another fur-baby! I hope she settles well with you. Has she always been an indoor cat?
Christine, I have to throw myself on the mercy of the bank, and I have no idea if they will loan me what I need.
The bad news is I pulled out of the contract today after getting a taste of the body corporate. Get this: I would have had to pay $99 for them to send a letter to the other three unit owners, to ask permission for me to have my birds there. There was no guarantee that they would say "yes". I was so fed up with that - after other things about the cost of the body corporate and rates (taxes paid to the local council), plus the strictness of the rules. So I cancelled the contract. I hadn't yet paid the deposit, so I won't be penalised. I have to make it definite tomorrow.
In the meantime...I have signed up for a house! LOL! I'm becoming a contract junkie!
This place is a fair way out of town and in a bad flood area, but it won't be reached by flood water. However, I could be cut off by the water. It's a much newer place, really big and pleasant inside. The outside could be better, but it's mostly intact. The down side, and the reason it's cheaper, is that it's only tank water (with a pump to provide water pressure) and septic. There are also a couple of outside structures that shouldn't be there and one may have to come down before it falls down, as they didn't use hardwood in the construction. The land has a gentle slope, and it was very soggy at the back after recent rain, but it slopes off into the neighbour's property, so my house isn't the worst.
Everything is dependent on the usual - finance, inspections, and valuation by the bank. I'm a bit nervous with it being so far out of town, only because of my night blindness. The sun sets around 5pm these days, which is when I stop work. I'll see if I can change to 8am to 4pm during the winter months. It should be okay. Plus, I have to travel on the main highway, exiting and entering at a high speed zone, so that may bring some challenges.
The area has no shops, just houses.
I just feel I could make a home there, whereas the unit would have given me no freedom. Much, much more expensive, so I'll cross my fingers that the finance goes through, and that I can actually afford it. Otherwise, the contract queen will continue her madness.
Are Ed and Willem doing well, Christine? Have they grown at all?
kale
8339. Groningen6 June 2013, 19:28 GMT +02:00
Ed and Willem are doing great; first thing in the morning is treat-time (they eat out of my hand)
and they have been (secretly) practicing in the wheel
yesterday late in the evening (past my normal bedtime) they gave me a demonstration! It's still short busts but at great speed ....wroooooom! Willem is at he same running level as Ed and very proud.
They are not fully grown yet, certain anatomical parts (blush) have yet to appear!
Lame
that you should pay 99 dollars for a few letters. What an outrage, good for you to pull out of such a scam Dez!
8340. Ayla877 June 2013, 7:58 GMT +02:00
Yesterday our vet inspected Mimi again and then they came to the conclusion that she won't have to wait those 10 days before she can move to us, so we will welcome Mimi tomorrow at our home. I hope she will like her new place. We have no idea if she has always been an indoor cat, because she can't tell us. She has been offered to go outside and she has shown no interest. When she begins to look out of the windows we will show her our balcony and offer her to go out there and see what happens. It's no problem if she prefers to stay inside, we can go back to plant something in the flower-boxes then.
I agree, that body corporate was a bureaucracy monster. Good that you could tick that off quite fast.
The new place sounds promising. I wonder if it is very exhausting to pump for water? Isn't it possible to find electric pumps? How often has the area been flooded recently? When then chances are somewhat calculateable then it would be certainly wise to have some emergency supplys at hand, things which last long enough. That shoudn't be too much of a problem. The main highway traveling is a matter of training. I think you can train that at times when the traffic is not so heavy. How many neighbours are there, so that you won't have to feel too lonely out there?
I hope finance, inspections, and valuation by the bank go well. Those days of waiting are always nerve-stretching, so it's best cleared as fast as possible. Shopping shouldn't be a great problem, you can do that on your way home from work. And later on we are all used to order online what we want and get it delivered straight to the fridge. He will do the ordering on his own probably by then. He knows your taste and dictates your
meal
isn't that awful?
Christine, it's nice to hear that the wheel makes Ed and Willem to become proud high speed racers. Perhaps they grow strong muscles from all that racing?
8341. xymonau7 June 2013, 9:26 GMT +02:00
I'm so glad your new kitty is arriving sooner. I hope it all works out for you. You can pat her a lot while she gets better, and that will make a bond.
I laughed when I read your interpretation re the pump, Michael. No, it's an electric pump which kicks in whenever a tap is turned on or the toilet flushed. I couldn't see me out there pumping a handle for water (if the pump breaks, it might be a problem!), although I'd do it if I had to.
There are a lot of houses there, on quarter acre blocks (so mowing will be a pain). I'd estimate a couple of hundred, so it doesn't feel isolated and is quite suburban to look at, just nestled off the highway and with a bit of a rural look. I've been told there is a rough area somewhere, but it isn't where I would be. I guess I'd find out the hard way.
The house is really quite big. Three large bedrooms, a very large living area and large kitchen. I might get lost in it all. I called the bank and they gave me a superficial approval of the loan amount, but until the contract is signed by the owners, I can't proceed. I did the insurance this morning. Deja vu? I hope it goes through if I can manage it all. I like the house a lot. Famous last words?
Re the flood - well, last time, in January, the place was completely cut off. One of my workers lives in the area, in a really bad spot. She was nearly washed away wading to her car. She couldn't come to work until the water receded. As you drive in, the road dips down, and that's where the water fills first. It looks to get maybe 20 to 30 feet deep, according to the agent. He pointed out a high blocked house on a rise in the ground where the water came up to the floors in a past flood. I don't mind being cut off if it's brief, and the State emergency service is always really reliable in bringing supplies to flooded districts. Other than that, I'll buy a boat!
Christine, Ed and Willem's anatomical parts are better never appearing. In my experience they only cause problems!
mean
8342. Groningen7 June 2013, 18:08 GMT +02:00
no there won't be any problems (gerbil babies) because they are both male
and ummm of course you wouldn't get those parts I'm sure..
that would be awkward!
Dez if you buy a boat and float around in the great flood like Noah
remember to take pictures!!
Running keeps Ed and Willem
lean
Update: there is now a video of Willem eating on my Facebook, come and see for free ;-)
the thing on the left is their water bottle
8345. Ayla8710 June 2013, 8:10 GMT +02:00
Christine, thanks for the very entertaining video. No wonder Ed and Willem are so good at digging and wheeling when you dope them with such mysterious green power drinks ;-)
Yes, Mimi has arrived on saturday. Here you can see her still in her transport box upon arrival:
http://abload.de/img/mimi96z9g.jpg
She wanders around and inspects all rooms especially during the nights. Over the days she mostly hides in some corners (I told you she is shy). She screams loudly and endlessly all night long because she misses her fellow cats from the little shelter and feels frightened in the new environment. We can't calm her, because she is not used to put faith in human beings. That is a difficult situation. In the shelter (where she has been for three months) she also has mostly hidden or run away when the lady has tried to see after her. But there she has eaten well. Here she refuses to eat or drink. She has only taken some very few Brekkies only once while we were away, but that's not enough. She has not settled down and is feeling really uncomfortable. When Christa carefully strokes her she isn't really able to enjoy it, she is very tensed, it doesn't help to calm her down. We are not sure if we can keep her.
8346. xymonau10 June 2013, 10:41 GMT +02:00
It took me a very long time to gain the trust of my blind cat, but he settled eventually. Give her a few more days. Have you given her an upturned box (with a hole to crawl through) or something where she can go to hide? I would do that, but put it where you sit so she can get used to the noises in her new place. It's fairly normal for cats to seek an escape for a week or so. She has probably survived by hiding, and she won't change overnight. She must be miserable if she's fretting so much that she won't eat. Maybe she has been through too much. I'd stop patting her and let her move around freely so she gets to know you mean her no harm. Leave her some strong smelling tinned fish or something that usually appeals to cats (some don't like fish) near where she is hiding, plus water. They will generally eat when they're desperate, and once they have their first meal, it helps to settle them. Smearing some margarine or oil from cooking meat, or even some wet cat food, on the top of a paw will encourage her to eat, as she licks it off. She might still feel sick, too, and that wouldn't help.
When she calls at night, do you make a cat call back? Sometimes that helps. If you make the throaty call that mother cats use for their kittens, that can make a cat feel you're trying to help it. Keep your sense of humour. She's just behaving like a cat.
If you want a normal and immediately friendly cat, I hate to say it, but you might have to stop getting rescue cats, or only get one that is really outgoing and that definitely is an indoor cat. And a very young one, so it's still adaptable. Mimi is an adult, and she will be harder to change - although I believe all animals eventually learn to trust if people are patient with them. Your nerves might not be up to it, after all you've been through recently.
She's a pretty cat. I like grey tabbies.
Christine, I scrolled forever and finally found your video. Now I can't remember which is which, but they are such cute little things. I love the way they sit up. Great video. You'll have to sneak up on them late one night when they're in the wheel and post some pics of that.
8347. gesinek10 June 2013, 12:23 GMT +02:00
I thnk Mimi needs time and may be she isn't able to show you so much motion you want to get. But I'm sure there are little things from which you can see she is content to live with you. Just give it time and a chance. She is a really pretty cat. I also like grey tabbies.
Christine, Ed and Willem are a cute pair. Looks like they have a lot of fun.
Dez, I'll keep my fingers crossed for your banks say YES!!
Now we have floods in Germany too. In the south and the east, and the wave is going on to the north.
http://www.abendzeitung-muenchen.de/inhalt.hochwasser-in-sachsen-anhalt-niedersachsen-deichbruch-an-der-elbe-es-wird-immer-kritischer.b2f22d2c-e39c-480a-ad8c-9a77d2bebcd8.html
8348. xymonau10 June 2013, 14:47 GMT +02:00
Oh, no! I haven't got time to look at all the photos right now, but that's a huge mess. The car showroom must have been right under water. The world has gone crazy. Floods, earthquakes - madness everywhere. It's like, what's the next big thing that's going to happen.
How far away are the floods from you?
Thanks for crossing your fingers. Cross your eyes, too. It won't help, but you'll make me laugh. :o) The real estate guy called me today to say the contract will be delayed. The owners live in Tasmania, and they are running everything past a solicitor first. Since today was a public holiday, and the contract was signed by me on Friday, it won't be back before Wednesday, so I can't approach the bank until I have it. It might be for the best, for whatever reason, so I'm not going to be anxious about it. It's an extra day or two that I don't have to think about anything. Once it's a reality, there is so much to do.
The medication I'm on makes me feel anxious and unwell, and I'm not sleeping properly. This makes everything feel much more stressful. I'll be glad when I can stop it completely. And I intend to do so, to see if I can manage without it, at least for a while.
I keep forgetting the word! LOL
nail
8349. Groningen10 June 2013, 17:30 GMT +02:00
thanks for watching and liking my videos, both of them show Willem (the black gerbil). Ed (nutmeg-brown) is camera-shy and only interested in eating ;-)
now I could save up money and buy an infrared camera that starts filming the second it detects movement, but seriously I'd rather spend my money on other projects.
Michael I hope Mimi will find her place and starts trusting you and her food.
Gesine good luck with the floods, eventually all that water ends up here. Nederland is Europe's drain ;-)
and Dez best wishes for you
(nobody feels left out? okay fourletterword coming up)
anal
!!!!!!!!
8350. gesinek10 June 2013, 20:49 GMT +02:00
Oh no, no, no, we are not affected by the floods. River Elbe has here low und height tide. We must get nervous when the water comes from Northsea with a lot of storm as riptide or something like that.
But parts of germany suffer really this time.
nana
8351. Ayla8711 June 2013, 6:43 GMT +02:00
Dez, I agree, mowing will be a lot of work with over 1,000 m² to care for. I think you should invest in one of those:
http://www.rgbstock.com/photo/mg6I0Zu/
I always dreamed of driving around this way one day... Have you made up a plan what to to with three bedrooms? Change your bedroom every two nights? ;-)
Christine, a video of Ed eating would be a nice start to introduce him. It would obviously give a realistic insight into his hobbies and activities...
The last night was a little bit better for Mimi, she screamed a little bit less. Maybe she was exhausted or croaky. And she began to eat. So things are slowly beginning to develop. During daytime she is also nicely curious and begins to look out of the windows for short periods. This gives us hope.
Yesterday we had freshly baked pancakes from organic duck's eggs. Tasted nice like usual eggs. One egg was sufficient for one pancake, they are quite large...
nano
8352. xymonau11 June 2013, 11:36 GMT +02:00
Oh, I do hope she settles, Michael. If she's eating, that will make her feel better and help to take the homing instinct out of her for the last place. I hope you get a quiet night soon and that she starts to feel better.
I have never eaten a duck egg. It took me all my courage - and I thought I was going to be sick in the process - to try a pheasant egg. I technically knew they would be similar to chicken eggs, but they were all the wrong colour, and it put me off. Naturally, they tasted identical, and I felt silly.
Pancakes! You make me hungry. Did you have something with them? I love maple syrup or lemon juice on pancakes.
I'm sitting down to what I intended to be sate veges and rice with tofu and mushrooms. I added some satay powder, which I usually do to give a better flavour, then I was going to add a jar of sate sauce. I sat down and was eating and only just realised I forgot the sauce! It doesn't taste at all like satay, but tastes like a nice fried rice (made with brown rice). I guess I'll add the sauce to the leftovers.
I have a weakness for sesame oil, and I tend to slather it on all my rice dishes. Tonight was no exception.
I'm trying to stay away from calorie dense food. I'm getting so fat on this medication. I can manage to stop gaining - although my weight fluctuates about 1 - 3 kilos regularly - but not lose any. I might try to cut back on the tablets sooner. I'll see the GP some time this week if I can.
As for the yard - it almost calls for a ride-on mower, but I think I'll pay someone to do it. Those things cost thousands! Plus I hate mowing. In the last house I owned, I was constantly pulling the mower to pieces to get a tiny bit of grass out of a tiny pipe or something minor that would stop it working. I hate walking up and down and up and down, ad infinitum. I do like to see the result, though. We'll see. The place is a long way from being mine yet.
noon
8353. Groningen11 June 2013, 17:08 GMT +02:00
good news all around :-)
today Ed showed himself more but every time I tried to get the camera, it's on the shelf next to my chair, he ran away. I told him there where people curious and that he had fans, but no Ed was not impressed ;-)
that's what I like about gerbils, they are not pleasers or attention seekers.
I love watching a full
moon.
