Bones

Well, it's about 10:15 pm and I'm watching Bones. Everyone else has gone to bed, so I have the place to myself right now. Eeeexcellent.....

A progress update. That's what you have been asking for dear readers! Guess I'm obligated to provide one then. I feel it's only fair to warn you though that I'm kinda tired so the chances of me stringing a coherent story together is kinda slim. *insert maniacal laughter here*

The last week has gone fast. I was beginning to think that we wouldn't get into the house. The previous tenants seemed to be stalling and making life difficult. They were supposed to be out on 19 December or thereabouts. And the realtor phoned. They wouldn't be handing the keys in until Monday 22 December. And we were to take the lease from 24 December. That's cutting it close!

We took a drive past the house late afternoon of the day they were supposed to hand in the keys. Someone was still here! And it was after business hours. They obviously weren't going to hand in the keys that day.

Which meant that the realtor didn't get the keys until the next day 23 December. And they didn't have time to have the place cleaned.

So, you guessed right - we moved into a dirty house. The tenants didn't clean it properly before they left. To the point that someone had spilled rice bubbles or similar in the kitchen and didn't even bother to wipe it up. There are smudges on the walls and the floors weren't vacuumed. I think they had a go at cleaning the carpets themselves. Whatever they used, it positively reeks. Not so bad in my room, but terrible in the other rooms. I managed to get the boys room and the rumpus room deodorised. But not the spare room. And it smells like pee. Maybe it's because the carpets were too damp, but it sure smells like pee. And I haven't found a way yet to get rid of the smell.

I like the house though. There is plenty of room.

Moving and cleaning the old house has been a nightmare. So much so that I literally did have a nightmare about it last night. It seems that I was packing up to move house and as I moved on from one thing to another, whatever I packed would unpack itself while my back was turned. Replaying my fears much?

The Teen managed to rope Wogboy into helping. MOTH was very grateful for that! We had the truck for the day, and he and Wogboy moved as much as they could. It ended up being just one load short! For the truck that is. I have lost count of the number of trips the car has done.

Mind, because it happened a bit quicker than we were expecting, we didn't have much properly packed. The whole move was a bit of a nightmare, with a marked lack of enthusiasm for packing from everyone, and with me working and not able to give the job the attention it deserved.

The old place of course had to be cleaned from top to bottom. Usually I have a whole bunch of people to help and it just flies so quickly. This time, there was only MOTH and I to do the whole lot. The only time I did ask for help, I was made to feel like the worst in the world for even daring to ask. I'm not sure if that was intentional, but it certainly didn't help my stress level or my temper. Still, the old next door neighbour chipped in to help and now there is only the floor to mop tomorrow and the curtains to hang! Yay.

And then of course, I get to repeat the whole process for the new house. There is everything to clean, and a triple garage full of stuff to unpack.

Sometimes I think I will be doing this forever ... remind me never to move again, won't you.....

Here comes Santa Claus, there goes my sanity

So the move is creeping ever closer, and I'm wondering if I can get it all done. I'm living in a jungle of boxes, some assembled, full and sealed, some partially full and several others as yet unassembled. And I can barely see what I've removed from the cupboards. I'm wondering if I will get it all done in time. There will only be tonight and tomorrow night really. Else I will be packing boxes on the day we are supposed to be moving!

The last week has been one of mostly procrastination. I'm looking forward to the move. Not looking forward to the packing and the cleaning. I know we will get it done. But I'm having trouble with the motivation. And the realisation that this will be the first move ever that I haven't had Mum to help me with. It's a HUGE task.

Hopefully, the Teen has managed to finagle Wogboy into lending a hand with some of the heavy stuff. She also tells me that Fatboy has offered to help too. I really don't know what use he will be. He's only about 13 or 14, and wouldn't be much with the lifting. And that only leave unpacking or cleaning. Neither of which I would be happy about anyone else doing.

Last Friday was the work Christmas Party. A little later in the year than most I suppose. We decided to have it at the German Club. On arrival though, we found out that someone was required to join up, or if you lived outside a particular area you could sign in as a visitor. There didn't seem to be anyone rushing to do the honours, and since it was only a fiver to join, I decided to make the sacrifice. For twelve months. And I'll probably never get back there again. The position of the club isn't so great. I was a bit grumpy when we arrived; everyone was carrying on like I had been there before and asking where's this, how do I order, where's that? *growls* And at one point, I had to go out and sign in for Grav. She was late and missed the through put. Then 'strongly expressed her opinion' to the doorman about having to join in the first place. I left her to it, and waited inside for her to finally join me so I could point out where we were.

The atmosphere is great though, and the food wholesome and filling. Mostly German fare, but you can get a steak too. And the bar stocks mostly German beer. I had a glass and a half. *Hello, my name is Cadbury*

We spent the afternoon there, and I decided to catch a bus from there back to the city and then train from there. One of the last remaning GT's needed to get to the city as well, so we decided to bus it together. And since he was three parts sozzled, it was an entertaining trip. *wonders* Or was that me???

Saturday, MOTH ran about tidying stuff. The NHW break up party was at our place. Since we joined, it's been at our place each year. I think because we are pretty centrally located and our garage is big enough to fit everyone in. And MOTH is generous. Read Push-over. This is his last year as Santa too. But not if they have their way - they asked him to do it again next year, even though we will be in a different zone. And not even in NHW, it seems.

Sunny has been home with a headcold the last few days. Judah has been working his butt off to get some funds going so he can go to his family for Christmas. So we'll be down one for the move. I can't determine if this will be a good thing or a bad thing. Lucky Judah comes home after it's all finished. Not silly, that one.

Things have been a little tense between them the last few days. I shake my head and finally realise why Mum was always upset when things were a little rough for us. And how helpless you feel about it, because you know there are many suggestions you could give, yet you know they have to work it out for themselves. Bits of wisdom like never letting the sun set on an arguement. I took that one to heart, and now it doesn't matter who was in the 'wrong', if it's not mended in a couple of hours then I'm being stupid to let it drag beyond that. And I go apologise.

But enough of that! I'm looking forward to Christmas. One of the first things going into the new house will be the tree. And I think I'll let the kids assemble it, so it looks pretty in the house. The pressies are wrapped and ready to put under it. Well, nearly. I haven't wrapped MOTH's yet. He went for a shower while I was starting another one, and said You can wrap mine while I'm in the shower. But the bugger was back just as I was starting to wrap his. Blimmin heck! You just can't trust anything these days, can you?!

What is everyone else doing on the Day? I was thinking of maybe having a chat session, but I'm seriously doubting that our ISP will have extracted digit and moved everything over. I put in a request over the net and haven't heard from them yet. I might have to get MOTH to phone them.....

There's no place like hooooommmmmeee!!

*clicks heels*

What a week. I've started packing for the move. But the realtor is supposed to do an inspection tomorrow, and they are bringing someone through tomorrow afternoon. So, I haven't done a lot of packing because I don't want the place full of boxes for the 'tour'.

And then I thought I would start after we came back from the weekend. We had been summonsed north to celebrate some birthdays. MOTH's mother turned 90. And my father turned 70.

We travelled up Friday night. I had Friday off work, and had toyed with the idea of arriving north on Friday afternoon. But then again, I wasn't sure I really wanted to spend the money. So we left midnight. Gosh I was tired though! I did manage to do a bit of driving. MOTH played with the audible lines. Have you ever done that? They make a noise when you drive over them. They are supposed to let a weary driver know they are wandering. But we like to drive over them just for laughs. But maybe not in future! Something made a noise and started going flubbity flubbity flub. Flapity, flapity.

We pulled into the Matilda, and I decided to hit the stop for foodage. MOTH investigated the noise and decided to check the tyre pressure. Guess what, he says. Something has come loose, and I'm going to have to remove the tyre and pull the broken piece away. Brilliant. I left him to it. Cause I'm generous like that.

As an aside though, I always thought that laundromat was spelled laundromat. It seems I was wrong. This stop spells it laundrAmat. But without the capital. So, there you go.

The rest of the journey went without indcident. MOTH managed to remove the flapping piece of car without having to remove the tyre and all proceeded well.

We arrived early ish in the morning. Too early to check in. Which was midday. So we thought we would take the opportunity to check things out in the district to see if anything had changed.



It hasn't. Except maybe the dam level was a little higher than when we left. The centre at Canoe Point hasn't changed at all. At least, visibly from the carpark. We did spot some wildlife at the meals on wheels building.



Tannum beach is still beachy even. There are way more houses in the background, but the beach itself? Still the same.





We eventually checked in to the caravan park. I was familiar with this park, having visited many times when a sibling lived there. I didn't remember the cabins down the back though. I chose that park because it wasn't too close to any other family members. Shhhhhhh.....



The cabin had two bedrooms. It's own bathroom. A self contained kitchen. And some cable channels. w00t for keeping the Teen and the Elder occupied. Oh, and a bbq mounted on the railing outside. I loved it, and if I'm ever up that way again, I shall be going back. The only shortcoming I suppose was a lip on the shower. MOTH discovered that it was a very good idea to lift your feet when you get out of it. Or you are gonna end up with bruised toes.

We rocked up to the Nan thing just after lunch. And OMFG it was hot! So hot! The setting was under some tarps out on the driveway. A bitumen driveway. They had fans out, but it didn't help. We melted. I think everyone melted. In fact, I'm sure my sister-in-law was melting, cause she was sweating so hard, she was wet. And her makeup must have been waterproof. It was good though to see family members who turned up; people I hadn't seen for many years. Doesn't mean I talked to any of them though!



I wandered around the food area for a little while, and there I found out there was a bit of a lip between one cement slab and the other. Just as well I was wearing thongs! I ALMOST went face down. But having experience at falling over, I saved myself from a most embarassing incident.

I managed to convince MOTH that we had stayed long enough and we all needed to get back to the aircon in the cabin. There was a small amount of time to cool down before we ran off to my dad's function.

Cough Lolly had arranged to have it at one of the local pubs. But the Function Room, and I use that term loosely, wasn't airconditioned. It was soooo hot! Again. The cost of the meals was expensive, but I really, really enjoyed mine. The steak was so tender and melt in the mouth. The Teen ordered chicken nuggets from the kids menu. They were cold.

There were plenty of my rellies about for this do as well. And a lot of them I hadn't seen for a long time either.



It was moderately cooler outside, in the dark. I wandered out and found it was the smokers hangout. I nearly always manage to find those. MOTH used to say I was too scabby to buy my own and had to breathe everyone elses. There was only one smoker. And we chatted. While out there, MOTH came to join us. And for some reason, to prove a point, he did his rolly polly act. Or should I say, he bounced me off his belly. And bounce I did. It's like bouncing off a solid rubber wall. I went flying. The Elder was standing behind me, and I had the joy of tripping over her as well. And I landed flat on my butt! Plenty of padding, but I think it's still sore. *rubs butt cheeks*

I tried to talk MOTH into leaving. But by the time you get to say goodbye to everyone, an hour has gone by. There was thunder and lightening rolling around the sky when everyone finally decided to leave. And we didn't even make it out to the car when it all came down. And as we hit the highway back to the park, it got heavier. We drove into the rain, and it looked like the windows vortex screensaver. And visibility was down to a few meters. By the time we reached the park, MOTH wasn't sure where the road ended and the rain began.

We parked outside the cabin and debated the merits of making a dash for it. MOTH was gamest and went first to unlock. He handed the car keys to the Elder, making it plain she was last so she could lock up. Lucky last. The Teen announced that she 'was doing this' and out she dived. I followed not long after. While mopping myself up, MOTH asked if I had been told what happened. No, I haven't. The Teen apparently dived up the stairs and around the corner. And straight into the closed glass door. Wish I'd had a camera. That could have won me some moneys, oh yes. *nods*

Sunday we wasted time at the shops. It's Christmas time, and that backwoods has Sunday shopping. Whoo hoo! What a metropolis!

Monday we took a quick tour of the laundry. I had to wash, and lo! As usual I was unprepared and didn't have change for the machines. I sent MOTH to find some. Because, again, I'm generous.

I got a wash load done, and dried. Chased the kids up. Got the car packed. Emptied the rubbish bins. Returned the keys. Filled the car. Stocked up on drinks. And we were off on the trek home.

And we made it. Finally. And the boyos had even kept the place clean for us. *is proud*

Burning in water and drowning in flame!

*dances to song*

Well, I would if I wasn't sitting at my desk at work. Ok, so I'm on my lunch hour, and I have a sore backside from sitting in one place too long. But I'm still tethered. I'm wearing my headphones.

Yes, that's right. I'm wearing my headphones. They arrived on Friday. Bloody good they are too. They are bright metallic blue. With white accents. They are the old fastioned style in that they look like ear muffs. And like ear muffs, the bit that goes over your ears is white and fluffy.

*LOVES them*

The week hasn't been too bad really. It's hard to fathom that we've known about the house for a week now. Since I mentioned it in my last update. Everything is official now. We have to vacate by 30 December 2008. Our new lease commences on 24 December. That's the day we expect to get the keys. And I can't wait. As soon as we get them, I'm going to see if we can go straight over and have a look about. And do the entry inspection report before we start moving stuff in. We have decided to do it ourselves, and hire a truck. Able have the best rate so far. The biggest hassle is that I'm working; I'm not on holidays. So trying to work out how that will all fit together is going to be a bit of a doozy.

MOTH was over talking to one of the neighbours yesterday evening. I was a little worried actually. None of us had seen him leave the house; I couldn't find him anywhere, and he'd left without his phone and wallet. Not only that, he wasn't standing in anyone's front yard, networking. Alright, for you plebs, that's gossiping. And I had dinner on the table ready and waiting. He told me later that the new neighbour was a little worried that he had chased us out. I don't know why he would think that. They have a new babe, and I never like to walk far for food.

The real estate people came on the weekend, and we now have a sign in the front garden.



The house is on the web somewhere, and we have the agent bringing people through the house tomorrow. Already. So this morning I cleaned the bathroom before work. Tonight I had better make sure the floor is clean and tidy! ESPECIALLY since the agent told our new landlords how clean we were.

There are probably other things that happened during the week, but I am so looking forward to the move that I can't really seem to concentrate on anything else. Not even my work properly. I want to start packing, but I don't want stuff all about when people are going through. And since the lounge is more or less the only place I have to store the packed boxes, I think I shall have to wait for the serious packing to start when we come back from our weekend away.

I know that the Teen is really looking forward to the move as well. And since we are now a one car family, I've had plenty of opportunity to say, If we were in the new place, that wouldn't be a problem! The boyos have to catch a bus today as MOTH and I are not home. And they will have to try to work something like that out on our weekend away as they both have rostered shifts. And no one to take them anywhere. One can catch a bus to the station, the other can't. The bus doesn't go the direction he needs to be.

I'm also looking forward to the trip up north. Because I want to check out the digs, not because I will be seeing my family. Not at all.

And I promise that when I get myself into gear, I'll include the photo of the sign. And maybe, just maybe, for those who have it, I'll do a video call from the new house... if you promise to be good.

I'm back and I'm writing a novel!

This summer lark is all very well, but I do find it difficult to deal with sometimes. If my ramblings are more rambly than usual, then I'm muzzy headed and not quite with it. Quiet you lot!

Right now, I'm busy discussing gifts with the Elder (IM is a wonderful thing!). And I have no idea what I would be liking. Someone give me some suggestions.

So, I digress, as usual. What has been happening during the week. Well, things have been a little strange. Remember I mentioned that the Teen wanted to change schools, and we discovered that we were out of the new boundaries? Well, the idea of changing schools is still hanging about, so we toyed with the idea of relocating.

Of course, we could stay where we were, with a $30 a week increase in rent. And try to fight it out with the school. Or send her back to her current school. Neither option has much by way of appeal.

I scoured the rental lists on the web. Just for comparison. And what you could get in a neighbouring 'burb for the same price we were going to be paying was quite a little better. Most of them looked a little cleaner. Most.

So we decided to join the caravan of not so happy campers looking for a place to live. The rental market has changed considerably since we were last involved. Nowadays, you book in for an inspection and join the cattle call with about sixty trillion other people, all looking through the house at the same time.

So, over the last couple of weeks, we've looked at four houses. The first one we looked at was in a lovely area, but so small I thought it was supposed to be a flat. It was a 3 bedder. And no lounge room to speak of. Which in my book, is never a good sign no matter how many people you are trying to cram into one space. We didn't bother with an application on that one!

The second one we looked at was lovely. The carpet was a bit stained in places, but it had a cozy feel. Lovely. The decor in the snug little lounge area was blue, with pale walls. The tiles were nice and the location was perfect. We decided to put in an application. But we still haven't heard back, so I'm guessing it was lost.

The third house was perfect. The rent was in the right range. The location was exactly where we wanted it to be. There was the right number of bedrooms, although they were a little small. The kitchen/dining was exactly right. The house was clean and tidy and would be easy to look after. Heck, even the garage was carpeted. We put the applications in right there. And in the time we were there, only one other person looked through. She took an application as well. I asked the agent how many others had applied. There had been a few.

We didn't get it. I was so disappointed. I wanted it so badly. I still wish we had gotten it; even though I know that it just meant that something better suited to us would come along. Sometimes it's hard to counsel myself to be patient for things. I don't know why we didn't get it; maybe fate's timing just wasn't right for us.

Just yesterday we had three more to look at. One at 2pm, one at 3pm and one at 3:50pm. Busy day! The first one was a lovely little four bedder. Quite cozy. I did like it, but I didn't like the vinyl floor covering! That was in the kitchen/dining area. I mean, who has VINYL flooring these days? And it had seen better days. The kitchen was mauve as well. And the rumpus room had been painted with sponging effect. The yard out the back was small though. Cute and cozy. It had potential.

The Teen was almost swooning she loved it that much. I suspect it was the pink kitchen and pink bedroom carpets that won her over.

I soooo totally loved the ensuite. The tiles were mottled black and grey with an oil slick sheen on the shower fittings. The focal point was a pattern of black tiles with purple and gold highlights. The shower fixtures had gold highlights. Decadent!



We took the paperwork.

And it was off to view house number two. This one still had people in it. I don't feel comfy traipsing about a house with people in it. And, mind, she was still at home. Eep. We parked out front and waiting for the agent. This house was managed by our current realtor.

The house looked alright from the outside. Not as cute as the previous one. Security screens. That's always a bonus. Supposedly landscaped gardens; a touch overgrown. I wondered how much work that would entail. I don't like gardening! It's got a 3 car garage; supposedly with remote/s.

We got in and tiptoed around the house. I don't like intruding. But heck, this lot haven't looked after it very well. I know they are packing, and there is stuff everywhere, but they have certainly given it the once over. Hmmmm. But the house has potential. It is HUGE. There are 4 double sized bedrooms and a study. I decided that if we got it, there were enough rooms to let Judah have the study all to himself. The only problem is where are the phone lines? I forgot to look.

MOTH decided that this place had potential and we would put in an application. I thought it was suited to what we want; only about 15 mins walk to the school and the shops. Rent is expensive though so we will have to pay more ourselves and increase Judah and Sunny's contribution. I mentioned it to Judah last night, but he doesn't give much away. I'm hoping that he didn't have a problem with it; he'd already offered to pay more when we first mentioned about the move.

When we finished looking at that place, the agent remarked that the second house we were to look at with her had an application on it which was almost certain to be accepted; it wasn't really worth our while. Which was a shame. It was a perfect location but only a 3 bedroom. New too.

So, we took the documents home. And when I went to use the printer to copy all the necessary paperwork to include with the applications for both houses, it wouldn't work. I don't know why - it was working perfectly the other day. Mind, when I say perfectly, I use that term very loosely. If you want to print more than one page, you have to load each sheet of paper one at a time. It keeps jamming when you insert more than one, and often doesn't pick up the paper to feed through at all. So, when it failed to register the colour cartridge, I decided it was time to replace it.

I talked MOTH into making a dash out to the nearest Hardly Normal store for a look. We had been bumming around there looking at stuff on the weekend. And one of the things we had been thinking about was a printer. Wonder if the darned thing we had had been picking up on the I'm-gonna-get-rid-of-you vibes? Just as we started looking, I got a message from Sunny. They both needed a lift to work. But I've only just got here! Not my fault they were in the shower when we left, and obviously didn't hear me call through the door. So MOTH had to dash back to pick them up. And I decided to make the printer choice on my own. MOTH said it specifically had to be able to print photos. Why, I asked. We don't keep prints. What if I want to send them away to friends up north? What, you can't email them? But then, said friend is still using dial up. Pfft. Dinosaur.

I waited for him to come back. I don't have a watch, but it sure seemed to be taking a while. I chose a printer anyway. It wasn't a cheap one, but while I was waiting, someone had gone by and put a discount sticker on it. w00t! I walked up and down the aisle looking at the boxes and thinking I couldn't find one. Blimmin heck, don't tell me I picked the one that didn't have any stock left. There was one out the back though, and I asked the chap for the cartridges to go with it, since the display model had no cartridges in it. So, I was thinking of about $300 but it was on special, and from there a $50 cashback. So yes, cheap! For the type of printer it was. But by the time I got the extended warranty and the cartridges, it was $400! So much for cheap.

And when I opened the box, there were the bloody cartridges in it. Can't win some days.

But we went to hand in the applications at the respective agencies this morning. Or, at least, MOTH did. The biggest bear is that the agent who we currently lease through requires one week's rent up front. This is a holding deposit, and if you don't get the place or you decide not to take the property after it's offered to you, it's refunded. But you have to pay it up front.

So, MOTH hands in the paperwork, and straight away they say we have it. The big house. No checks, nothing. So there you go. We can have it from December 23. Talk about moving fast! When you fill out the application, you can tick to say the property looked fine or you can request that things be done before you take up tennancy. I suspect, or at least hope, that cleaning and garden will be done before we move in. I stuck up my hand and asked if it could be painted. I can ask, they can only say no. Probably needs new carpet too, but I'm not going to push my luck too far...

The bread for my sandwich is stale!

Which pretty much sums it up really. What a day it's been.

This week has been a little hectic. The Teen has been preparing all week for a trip to visit her sister. She's been on edge all week.

A little while ago MOTH decided to apply to have his super released. Because, like, he's old and no longer working. The fun we had with the paperwork. While he was away visiting his friend, it disappeared. I was so worried. I think there is a pixie or something living in the house, because important papers get put to one side and you never see them again. But no one can remember seeing them or moving them. Eventually I found them - when I was looking for something else that had gone missing.

When he came back, he went off to the doctor once again. The original report he had from them didn't address the information the super fund wanted or thought they needed. But the original information he was given didn't say anything about special forms for the doctors to fill out. Just what they needed to say. More or less. So when the papers arrived from the super fund, hey presto. There were the report forms. So back he trundled. (And he does that so well. The trundling I mean.)

But I'm wandering again. They paid him out. And we found that in the account last Thursday. Mind, the paperwork from the fund advising it had been paid hasn't been sighted yet. And the money has gone. Almost. It wasn't a huge sum to start with, but it has helped to get rid of a loan. With a little bit left over.

I had - and yes, I know it's not my money - hoped that we could sit down and decide where it would be best spent. The car needs a service. Teeth need fixing. We're going away in a couple of weekend's time and need to pay for it. A hair straightener. You know, important stuff.

MOTH has always been a heavy impulse spender though. And I guess I am too. But I'm slowing down a little now. I love getting gifts though, and I did get one out of this. A new laptop. It's not the one I wanted. I was thinking of other options to get the one I wanted. But this one will do well enough. It's good enough for what I'm wanting to do. It's matt black, and reasonably light. I've nearly finished setting it up too; just trying to see if I can network the printer. *wriggles like an excited puppy*

He got himself one as well. And yesterday accessorised it. Computer bag (I TRIED to talk him into getting a smaller cheaper one so I could take it and give him the bigger one he bought me. But no luck there.) USB stick, and a 4 port hub. And something else.... oh yes, a wireless mouse. For me!

Saturday morning saw us up at a preprescribed time called Sparrow Fart. Yes, that's its proper name. So we were up at three am. The Teen flew out at six am, so we had to have time for her to get ready, then jump in the car and head for the airport. As is usual, she got a bit panicky in the terminal, and started snapping at me because I wasn't paying her due attention. AND confusing her as well. Although how you confuse the confused is beyond me.

After having a minor arguement in the terminal I got her settled. And MOTH paid her off with a sum of spending money. $100 to be exact. She thought it was a fortune. Luckily, we've always been povo (the Elder's word when she was at school) so it doesn't take much to keep 'em quiet.

After we saw her off, it was time for home and a bit of a nap before I started the day. Again. A trip to the library and shoe shopping with Sunny rounded out the rest of the day.

Sunday was a bludge day. Actually most of my weekends are. I played with my new toy(s).

Because I forgot to mention. I upgraded my phone. *hides eyes* I know, I know. Did I upgrade it? Or did I just change the phone? I'm still on the same plan, so I guess I just changed it. It's a Sony Ericsson C902. The thing I use my phone for the most is ... the camera. Oh, and texting. And the Samsung was seeing a good deal of wear and tear. In fact, it will be the first one I have not been able to resell in almost mint condition. It looks like it has been well and truly used and abused.

*loves new phone*

And while in the library, it went off. Took me a second to realise it was ringing. No one calls me! And it was the Teen. Help! I think I left the money dad gave me at home! What can I do? Ummm, the last time I saw it, you were tucking it into your shirt.... *silence* Umm ... and the Elder in the background It's in the bra! *mumble* two days! And a sheepish reply ... it's ok, we found it...

And just on the quiet, the Teen is coming back with a tattoo. But MOTH doesn't know yet. I'm gonna be in sooooo much trouble when he finds out... *shrugs*

Strangeness. Disappointment. A solid week, really.

We waited with baited breath for the week to fly by. There was something special supposed to be happening on the weekend.

And we weren't to tell Sunny. Again. No wonder that boy is tall, thin and white. He's starved of information and kept in the dark.

This is the Teen's final week of school for the year. She has three exams this week, and only needs to be present at school for the times she has them scheduled. She doesn't have them scheduled for the final week of school. Which suits her fine because we had decided to let her travel to visit with her sister for that week.

The flight itinerary was sent to her this week and she's so very excited. It will be the first time she has flown, and she has to do it by herself. It should be interesting; her flight leaves very early in the morning so to make the airport on time, she has to be out of bed around three am. We shall see if she can get herself up, or if I have to play alarm clock. As usual.

The real estate contacted us this week. It seems that we are able to take out the lease for another twelve months. This time, though, the rent will increase to $310 a week. I have checked around and yes, this is more in line with the market value. Although, with some research, I can see that we can get a house in slightly better condition for the same amount or a little more. I have told MOTH though that I will let the decision rest with him, and I will abide by whatever choice he makes.

The week flew by, and the much anticipated event arrived. I did have some difficulty keeping Sunny in the dark. As a requirement from the Elder. She was coming to visit this weekend just gone. But he guessed anyway, and I told her to let him know. She chose not to all the same.

The Elder and Jawsome arrived on Saturday afternoon. The purpose of the visit was to pick up a car they had purchased. Not to see the family of course. I took her out to see Sunny at his job. I missed the meeting because I stopped at the ATM. Darn. He was still shaking when I did get there though, so it should have been a good one.

Oh, and as an aside, have you noticed how popular suzuki swifts are becoming? I don't know if that's supposed to be a recommendation, but after spotting quite a few of them around, we decided to keep a tally. And over the course of the afternoon in our travels, we counted 14. Yep, popluar.

Saturday was rowdy then. As you can guess. And there was stuff all over the lounge room. We put up the inflatable bed. In the lounge room of course. And there you go - no space left at all. Although we did manage to amuse ourselves seeing if we could bounce the skinny dude off the bed. Almost, but not quite. Jawsome, too, is tall, skinny and white.

Sunday the two of them lit out to collect the car. Oh, the Teen went with them. Judah and Sunny had made arrangements to pop out to visit Judah's sister, and spend some small time with Sunny's family. While they were out, a sudden storm hit. It made the news, and apparently got some suburbs declared disaster areas. We were fine though. We had rain and wind, but no damage. The only water that got into the house happened because MOTH forgot to close the back door.

The Elder and her carful were caught in it on the way back with the new car. It was so bad that visibility was down to a couple of metres and they had to pull up to wait it out. When the worst was over, they then got caught in traffic and it took them four hours to do a trip that normally takes a couple of hours.

Then the real fun started. The seller of the car didn't get the RWC. He said he ran out of time. Which meant that the Elder had to arrange one herself. *shocked face* It wasn't registered properly. MOTH organised it for her, and by the time the chappie could come out and look at it, it was too late for them to leave to go back home. To make matters worse, they couldn't get the RWC. The engine number couldn't be found. And the seller had failed to keep the registration papers anywhere to hand. They can't do anything until the papers are received - the RWC can't be issued by just taking the seller's word. And he can't post them until next week.

Jawsome is very, very disappointed. And the rest of us are disappointed right along with him. It's not good to pay out good money only to be thwarted at the end. I have my fingers crossed that it works out after all. Not having the engine number sure puts a halt to the proceedings....

My fish is upside down. Which has nothing to do with this post, really.

It's true. My fish sleeps upside down. Sometimes. Or he lies on his side. I've just been watching...

What a week it has been. Or has it? I really can't remember much beyond Friday. Which is probably the important day anyway. But let me cast back into the distant mists of the beginning of the week to see if there was anything worth remembering...

...............

Nope, I don't think there was. As I remember it, the week progressed pretty normally. I woke up every morning, went to work each day, bored myself silly each day, came home each day, watched telly or read a book each day, played with my children......

Wait! I seem to recall a water fight. Was that this week? Or another? I don't remember that much, I just remember that I think I lost that fight, and ended up quite soggy. Waterlogged even. But only in patches.

Anyway, another of my 'children' and her father were in town for the weekend. We arranged to head out for dinner. Actually, there had been a few of us arranging it over the course of the week. It was eventually decided that we would dine at a little place called the Three Monkeys in West End.

There were Alm and her father, MOTH, Sunny and another of my varied 'children'. Judah was working. The Teen wanted to come, but Wogboy would not arrive in time, so she opted to stay home.

We arrived early because they don't take bookings on Friday and Saturday nights. I couldn't quite follow that myself, and decided that maybe it's because it's first in best dressed for the tables and you don't get to hang around keeping the table for FOREVER? Like I've seen in some places.

At any rate, the place is amazing. It's very small and cozy, and built much like a rabbit warren. It appears to be an old converted house, the rooms are very small, dark panelling and rough timber, there are persian carpets on the floor and occasionally on the walls; posters and other kitschy stuff abounds. The menu is on the wall behind the counter where you order; you take your number and find a table. We chose outdoors. The drinks arrived first, followed shortly after by the meals. I had ordered nachos - the 'working' nachos according to the accented waitress. I couldn't work out what that was. It was just nachos with avocado AND beans. MOTH ate a chicken and mushroom filo.

The food was very good and the kids kept me in stitches. Their volume was rather loud and some of the topics would make your hair curl. Both the older gentlemen (and I use that term loosely) shook their heads.

We finished our very delightful meals and sat and chatted for a while. We had chosen an outdoor table and the weather, although a little sticky, was lovely. The atmosphere was vibrant, with several other small tables scattered about; some under umbrellas, but all slightly below the level of the street. Sunny watched as one woman wandered past, reached over to an empty table and helped herself to unattended left over pizza.

We left the restaurant and wandered back toward the car. The path took us below some form of modern sculpture that looked like an amoeba, white and lit with coloured lights. It was decided that part of it looked like Sunny's anatomy, and Alm was inspired to burst into song. From a corner a completely different voice continued the chorus and we laughed. He then cheered us on saying Christmas was approaching. I think he was quite in his cups, but young enough not to look sleazy and tired. MOTH piped up from across the other side of the little square with a comment about Santa. The young chap asked who was saying Santa, and when MOTH stepped into view, exclaimed Oh yes, and you look like him too!

We parted, Alm and her dad back to their room, Sunny and the other lass across to the city to meet Judah. On the way home, I finally realised that the working nachos were nachos with the works! Not slow, me.

Saturday, Sunny had to work. A new employer and it was his first shift. They sent him to the warehouse, and told him it would only take about half hour to get there. But MOTH said it was near West Wynnum, and that would take much longer to get to! We decided that instead of doing two long trips, we would spend the day at Cleveland. I got Sunny out of bed at 4.30am for a 7.30am start. And when we were on our way, we discovered that the chap who had phoned ... was right. It was close to West Wynnum, but that's not near Cleveland! We had an hour to spare when we found the place, so decided to have breakfast at Hungry Jacks. I finally got my grilly chicken burger. I've only been craving one for ages. We dropped him off and spent the day at Carindale.

Sunny finished work and hour earlier, and asked if we could give a friend a lift home to Ashmore. So we did.

It was a great day, and I was happy to have done something different.

And Sunday? I spent till lunch time in my jammies. And did very little.

I'll add some photos later, once I get them uploaded. I have to do it from my phone, a slightly convoluted, painful process.

Oh look. The fish is alive after all......

Where it's horses for courses ... whatever that means

I've just been reminded that tomorrow is Melbourne Cup day. And I had completely forgotten. Where on earth is my patriotic spirit? My spirit is mostly in a glass. Regardless of the occasion. Needless to say, I won't necessarily be participating. The unit as a whole is organising something, our small part of it is not.

But I did manage to wrangle a work from home gig....

So, what did you manage to achieve last week you might ask. And yes, well you might. For I'm sure that I could weave a fractured fairy tale that would have absolutely no bearing on the reality of my totally mundane week.

So maybe not that mundane. Well, maybe it was. Judah has himself a job, and they made use of the newbie well and truly. He worked 5 long days. Sunny didn't cope too well - he had the run of the house all day; a solo gig. And couldn't go anywhere.

The Teen returned to school, and was less than impressed. Although, now I think of it, she only went two days. The other three she was home sick. And tomorrow she will be home sick as well. The poor thing seems to have picked up another infection.

Sunny has managed to find himself a placement in a store in a chain he really wanted. I have my fingers crossed that it works out for him. It's only casual at this point, but that is better than nothing.

MOTH returned home to a spotless house last Friday afternoon. Thank you kids! *bows to their hard work* And he was in a good mood. I think the holiday did him some good. He certainly seemed a bit more relaxed than when he went away.

Sunny and Judah are still living at home. There might be a place in the offing, but it isn't available for inspection yet. Hopefully for them, that will be soon. I still don't want them to go - I really enjoy having them about. But MOTH does want his house back he tells me.

He has very generously allowed Sunny to stay on, in an arrangement similar to the Elders, when he starts work. His workplace is close to our current abode, but not close to where they would be looking to relocate.

But for a close note, overheard from the Teen ... "shut up Andrew! I'm riding a rhinoceros!"

Education? What education?

Another week gone. So fast! MOTH is home this Friday. I'm looking forward to it, and yet at the same time, I'm not. It's a shame to say it, but everyone has been much more relaxed. As relaxed as our house can get. Minimum arguements. No one gets stroppy because everything isn't just so. No constant wondering what is going to be wrong next.

It's all been a different kind of worry.

Judah and Sunny are still there. I love them both to bits and I want them to stay, but I'm really worried about how angry MOTH is going to be when he gets back and they are still there. Fair enough, he did promise four weeks, and that isn't up till one week after his return. But he has so little patience, and really wants the house to himself. And knowing his temper, things are going to be awkward for a while.

The Teen has been having some difficulty with things at the moment. She had a full time job, and had left school....

I notified the school a couple days after she started full time work. I left a voice mail message to say she had started and would not be returning to school. What did I have to do to complete the process? This was just prior to the September school holidays.

After school returned, I didn't hear anything from them, so I phoned again. They eventually got back to me a couple of days later, asked a couple of details, and said they would post the necessary form.

I received that, and completed my part of it. I waited for the Teen to complete hers. This form had to be taken around the school and signed by her teachers. And she was working full time. How was she going to manage that? I told her she would have to do it on a Monday, her RDO. She missed the first one.

But before she got the form back to the school, her job was terminated. The salon found out she had a trial with another salon. So we filled in the forms anyway, and took them back to the school.

We took them down to the office - I didn't bother with the filling in of the second page. I figured that any refund of text hire this late in the year wouldn't be worth it. The chick in the office made me fill it in. We ran around to the teachers listed on the form - the Teen had to provide the names of the ones who weren't already listed. We took it back to the office, aaaaannnnnndddddd found out we had to get it signed by the guidance officer.

*sigh* We went back to the student services office and asked to see the guidance officer. The receptionist made an appointment, which wasn't for another hour. I couldn't wait that long, so I went to work.

The Teen chatted to the guidance officer, and they discussed some employement/training options. None of which suit the Teen. And so we continued as normal.

We got a text from the school saying she hadn't turned up to class. So I phoned and left a message to say she had seen the guidance officer but hadn't been told anything about going back to school.

Friday I got a call from the guidance officer. He advised that the appointment made on the Thursday was the first he'd heard about it. It also turned out that if you have full time employment, you have to see him and he has to get forms filled out by the employer. AND AT NO TIME IN MY DEALING WITH THE SCHOOL DID ANYONE SAY ANYTHING ABOUT HAVING TO GO THROUGH THE GUIDANCE OFFICER FIRST!! As you can see, I'm not impressed.

The basic upshot is that because she is no longer employed, she MUST GO BACK TO SCHOOL. I am soooo pissed off about that rule. I cannot see that it makes any difference at all. ESPECIALLY since she has NO INTEREST IN UNI! And isn't even working toward an OP score.

The Teen insists she won't go back to that school. I phoned her alternative choice this morning, and they won't take her because it's too late in the semester.

Things are kind of tense right now - she's behaving like a toddler denied a treat.

*sighs*

A short tale of time, lasagne and MOTH

I've been sitting at my desk, eating left over lasagne. It's gone a little cold, but considering I don't like lasagne, it's pretty good. I'm taking my lunch break, typing this missive, and considering ways I can procrastinate the commencement of my next task. Which really can't be delayed, but I'm giving it a good go.

I know I usually seem to update this thing on a Monday, but here it is, Thursday, and I've not looked at my bloggy reading for almost a week. I will most certainly have LIBRARY of reading to catch up on. When I get a spare minute. Actually, it's more when I get a spare dash of get-up-and-do-it kind of thing.

And time has been slipping away from me. I can't believe that a week has passed since MOTH went north for his holiday. He seems to be having a good time. He is visiting friends he hasn't seen for several years. They have done a little sightseeing he tells me. And has regaled me with a tall tale of fishing. He caught the only fish. And it was a monster too. About 5 inches in length. And since fishermen are known to exaggerate, heaven knows how big it really was.

That also means it's been a week since Sunny returned home, bringing Judah with him. Judah has come to live in our bustling metropolis. He's a country boy at heart, so I hope he doesn't find it all too overwhelming. And when he moves out, he takes Sunny with him. I'm sure I won't know what to do with the space.

Sunny's room seems a lot bigger now. When the Elder moved out, he took over her room. I always thought her room way too small. But guess what. When there isn't stuff spread so thickly you can't see the carpet, there is actually quite a bit of room. We started to move the sofa bed out of his room and transfer it up the hall to the Teen's room. A narrow hall. With not much room to move things.

We turned the sofa about. There were four of us. Three shifting the sofa about; another keeping the mattress at bay. The mattress that Sunny had been sleeping on. It sits on the floor - he has no bed frame.

We experimented getting the sofa stuck in the doorway. The original plan was to actually get it OUT of the room. And we were almost sure that MOTH hadn't removed the door from its hinges to get it in there in the first place. Hmmmm. And we let it rest against the door while we thought about it.

Only to discover that yes, the door is hollow, and the wood is soft....

Oops! We moved it back to where it was. I wasn't game enough to continue shifting it. But the Teen planted herself on the floor saying let me think about this. And about half an hour later, I could see from the loungeroom the light in the hall had changed. I went to investigate, and lo! She and Judah had the sofa upended and out of Sunny's room. They were in the process of wrestling it down the hall and into her room. I helped for a short time. And there it is, now in her room where she wanted it.

Of course, she hasn't yet folded it out - that requires shifting some other furniture in her room.

Ah well. Maybe the weekend.

I'm just waiting to get organised so I can steal the Elder's tv from Sunny's room. *rubs hands together*

In which I continue the enthralling tale of my life so far.

I'm just sitting here, wondering where to start and I turned to look at Smigg. He's lying on his side on the bottom of the bowl. Poor thing. It must get very tiring swimming around in circles. Goldfish, in my humble opinion, are the blondes of the fish world. Smigg is much smarter, and I am certain his attention span is longer than the reputed three seconds...

The conference in Melbourne turned out to be not as bad as I thought. Although standing at the booth all day was boring, I managed to sneak in some reading, catch up with some friends and make some new ones.

One of my new friends set me a mission - to watch Soylent Green. A movie from which the character Sol comes. I just have to see if I can find it.

The flight back was better than the flight down. The only problem was, I fell asleep. Just a short snooze. But I woke up with my mouth open. *sigh* How embarassing! THEN I discovered that I could have folded the sides of the headrest forward so I wouldn't be leaning over. D'oh!

Things are quiet at home. Sunny hasn't returned yet. I'm hoping it's soon. I'm missing my movie nights. I think I'm getting out of practice. I've been going to bed early. Like 10:30 early. Whoops!

The Teen is still working at her job. She's been taken to task a couple of times about her clothing choice for the day. It's not dressy enough.

My weekend was busy. On Saturday, MOTH had to go into the city to pick something up. The day beckoned, so off we trundled. The errand was accomplished quickly so we had time to waste. I showed him the salon where the Teen works. We dropped off the things we purchased for her to look after. I had thoughtfully neglected to take a shoulder bag with me, so there was nothing to put it in. The Teen was confused, wondering what we were doing in the city.

MOTH and I wandered around for a bit, and since were still there when she was due for a break, decided to meet. She bought herself some plugs for her ears - pink leopard print. They look really good. But on her way into the shop, she kicked her toe on the back of her shoe and broke her toenail. Oh no! A catasrophie. They will send me home! I must buy a pair of shoes to cover this! We had little time and raced about all over the place. She found the perfect pair for about $20, little yello canvas pumps, but no. They didn't have her size. Eventually she found a yukky white pair in Target. They would have to do.

It turned out that we were in the city for the rest of the afternoon, waiting for her to finish work.

Sunday, the Teen and I decided she needed new clothes for work. She does. Nothing she owns is good enough. So off we went. She's not easy to shop with though. If I venture an opinion, I get short snappy answers. If I don't go through the shelves like a teenager, I get roused on. But I'm learning!

She ended up with two pairs of sandals, two tops and a short skirt and spent $110. And very satisfied with her bargains too.

I spent Sunday afteroon napping and wondering what happened to my weekend.

MOTH is happy. His purchase for the weekend is a train ticket north. That he left in the Teen's custody. Guess what she left at work?

He is finally going on a holiday to visit friends. For three weeks. And I've realised that I will have to do my own washing, cook dinner every night, and even remember to put the bins out.... Oh. Oh dear.

Sunny, windy, rainy ... Melbourne

Well, I'm standing at the booth, stealing a little net time while I write this. My feet are killing me and boredom is looking over my shoulder.

I left Brisbane bright and early on Sunday morning. I had booked the taxi for 08:20. Just to allow a little extra time in case it turned up late. But guess what. It turned up early. I had to phone my travel partner and let her know. Cause, like, she wouldn't have been ready otherwise.

We made the flight in good time. As a member of the Qantas club, she is allowed a guest, so once checked in - priority of course - off we went to the club. I was disappointed to discover that they let children in there. And oh joy, weren't there plenty of them too. Annoying little buggers.

And hey presto. They swarmed our flight as well. Don't you love school holidays? And the baby cried. Of course. Is there any other outcome? Luckily for me, the flight only lasted about three hours.

So I've been here for two and a half days now. I haven't seen anything of Melbourne. Oh, apart from going out to dinner last night. A quick taxi ride up to Bridge Street, a short stroll along the block to pick a restaurant. We ended up at a little Nepalese one, and I had a curried prawn dish. It was an entree, and cost me less than $10. And it was delicious.

The conference dinner is tonight. It's scheduled for the venue. Which means we won't be travelling anywhere.

Oh, and the venue. It's one of those fading beauty ones. It looks quite grand, but when you look closely, you can see the faded patches, the discolourations, the chips in the wood finish....





We have my room, looking back toward the entrance; the view from my window - I was on the fifth floor; looking down on the lobby from the balcony on the fifth.

On another note, and I'm not sure if I mentioned it before. So I will tell it again. The Teen does have a full time job. She went back last week. Wednesday. She managed to contact the boss man, and he told her to come in Wednesday, and make sure she's wearing a smile.

So I guess she must have. She finished off the week. And it seems that on those days, she enjoyed herself. And maybe the people she will be working with won't be so bad after all....

The quiet. I has too much of it.

It's late afternoon on a Saturday; the regular crowd has all gone...

I'm home by myself. All are out. The Teen is with Wogboy for today and tomorrow. Sunny is away. MOTH is doing his neighbourhood watch thing. And the phone has just woken me from a nanna nap. And it wasn't even for me.

It's been a strange week all round. Work has been busy. I was supposed to be going on a training course next week. And the week after that work is finally sending me somewhere. I have to mind a stand at a conference. In Melbourne. So I am required to do all the prepping and packing for that as well as my normal tasks.

I withdrew from the training course. I couldn't see my way clear to finalise travel for one trip, do costs for another, finish typing minutes, organise everything for the booth at the conference, do a tape run, organise flights for the boss and me to Melbourne all in two days. I'm bloody good. But I'm not that good.

So I have been busy.

On Thursday, the Teen went into the salon to start work. The girl on the front desk told her that she was going to call her to ask her to come back on the Friday at the same time. The Teen was ok with that. She was given the paperwork and we left.

I had managed to sneak away from work for the morning.

We walked down to Roma Street to see Sunny off. He's gone north to visit for a couple of weeks. When he returns, he will have Judah with him.

So, he doesn't like travel much, and he'd apparently never done a trip by himself of that distance before. We saw him off. While waiting, the Teen started sneezing.

She does these little cat sneezes. Cute they are. But there are many. And she didn't feel well. Uh oh.

Sure enough, Friday dawned. And she had a sore throat to go with it. Still, she went to work. About lunch time, I got a call. They've sent me home sick. Can you take me home? Oh. The story came that they didn't want sick people working for them. Oh dear. And if she still wanted the job, she was to call next week.

That doesn't sound promising. At all. I don't know if she has a job to go back to. And she's now telling herself that they were all bitches; they didn't talk to her, they didn't show her anything and they all talked about her clothes and her hair behind her back. She was there, what, two hours? And she noticed all this?

I was so proud of her. Now I hope she doesn't talk herself out of it because it required a little effort. I think what I feel now is disappointment. She's screwed herself over.

And to top it off, MOTH got a phone call. His mother is in hospital. Fluid on the lungs. And heart problems. We are waiting to see what happens now. At this point, it could be a trip to hospital here to have an external pacemaker fitted.

Gosh, it's quiet here...

A great weekender

The weekend just gone was sort of strange.

I can't remember if it began on a strange note or finished on one. The Teen got into one of her moods. And when she's in those, anything goes. She can be positively hilarious. And of course, totally irreverant, crude and doesn't care a jot what others think.

I don't know what triggered it, but I found her talking to the Elder on msn. Hello Elder. *sighs* Misses that girl.

And next thing I know, she's wrapped her head, turban style, in a pillowcase. An old scarf covered the lower part of her face so only her eyes were visible. She had suddenly become O Hannah bin Montannah and it was all Bang Bang and the blowing up of things. Complete with accent and sharp gestures. I wished I had a photo to upload for your viewing pleasure.

As if that wasn't hilarious enough, a day or so later, she was in her pyjamas, rolling around the floor. She was a drunk aboriginal man. Complaining about his wife, using a goon sack for a pillow, and life in general. And how things were back in the Dreamtime. Complete with accent and swear words.

I think the couch narrowly escaped a wetting, and I thought I would have to call the ambulance for Sunny. Poor chap couldn't breathe.

-------------------------------------------------------

The Teen went out on Friday night. She and Wogboy were to attend a gig in an area where they hadn't been before. After careful route plotting, I emailed her the details. She printed them out. And left them on the desk when she left the house.

She told me on her return that the place turned out to be easy to find. And the gig was Osssum! On reflection though, that's probably more a term that the Elder would use. But it was good, none the less.

She was gone Friday to Sunday.

Sunny went out on Saturday. He had a movie date with his mum, and a sleepover at a friend's place. He sent me a beautiful text message which I received just as he walked into the railway station. He always does that for me, and I really love him for it. It's wonderful to be told often that you're loved and appreciated.

So, Saturday night it was just MOTH and I. And it felt strange. I can't remember what we did in the morning. Probably went to the local shopping centre. That's what old people do for excitement. We decided that we would get takeaway for dinner and later that evening rocked up to KFC. It's not my favourite, but there was no sense driving all around the place for food. And I managed to have a Summer Hummer for dessert - vodka, raspberry cordial and lemonade.

For some reason, Sunny flipped me the bird when I told him that....

And Sunday MOTH decided he needed his 'smiles'. He gets those from the girls in the bakery at the shopping centre when he buys his coke. And he treated me to a plain meat pie. And for a round pie in a foil tray, it wasn't too bad.

Sunday afternoon, he decided to break out in a big way. He took me to Maccas for a sundae. Now that, people, is a break out indeed.

So, that was the sum of my weekend. Very quiet and very boring in an old person sort of way.

I'm thinking that maybe that's what I'm going to find the scariest of all when eventually I am an empty nester. I will have no one to keep me young....

A rousing chorus of Money, Money, Money...

Just lately, the Teen has been putting in resumes. Fair enough, at places she's found on the web. But that's a start. The bargain was, that if she found herself a full time apprenticeship, we would let her leave school. No point her wasting her time, our time and the school's time.

So early this week she got a call. Come and see us on Wednesday at 2pm. She accepted. She got another call - talk about spoiled for choice. Come and see us they said. She turned that one down because she didn't think she could have another day off school to see them.

I'd never heard of either salon. The first one can be found on the web www.heavenonadeliade.com.au

The second offered to teach their apprentice make up as well.

She found out afterward that she would have been allowed to have the day off school.

But she attended the 2pm session. It lasted about 5 minutes. And she was asked, if offered, would she work full time? She said yes....

So, she goes back at 10am next Thursday. We aren't sure yet if this is a proper start or to fill in paperwork or for, heck, a second interview. We shall see.

But she proposes to visit the salon on the weekend and confirm everything.

*sniff* my baby is all grown up and savin hair....

Wha? Was that time rushing by?

It seems to have been some small time since I last updated this. A couple of weeks in which so much seems to have happened. And yet, in reality, nothing.

Work has been so busy, I have barely had time to think. Again, it was into crisis mode to get some travel organised. I haven't even had time to read any of my regular bloggy reading. Does that give you an idea? Add to that a manager who was hassling me to complete a task which was about two weeks overdue. Gravfield suggested that I ask for a day to work at home. It was something I hadn't considered before - the GTs do it all the time, but we're just admin. Why should they let us do that? But I asked, and hey! They let me! So I worked from home on the Friday. All day. With just a couple of small breaks and about 3/4 hour for lunch. And it still took me all day to complete the task. I got the travel crisis completed last Thursday though.

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The Teen went to a cocktail party yesterday. I know, a cocktail party. There doesn't seem to be any way to avoid that kind of thing these days. It is a little disconcerting though, when she casually mentions that there were drugs there. I know, again, it's something that you can't avoid these days. You just have to close your eyes and cross your fingers and hope they have the maturity to choose to do the right thing.

She's still with Wogboy. And sitting in the lounge chair watching Juno. It's such a cute movie. If you haven't seen it, you might like to.

---------------------------------

Sunny doesn't have a job yet. But it hasn't been long. He's been looking and has some leads. He doesn't get out of the house much though, and is beginning to feel trapped and lonely. He has a no go on some extra cirricular activities which his friends indulge in, and that's making getting out and socialising a little difficult.

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The Elder seems to be settling in well. God's Waiting Room doesn't offer much opportunity by way of gainful employment, so she isn't working yet. Apparently they are waiting for the tourist season when work picks up. If she can grab a job during that time, it should keep her out of trouble until the new year. They are thinking of relocating to the big smoke then. Just considering at the moment. We will wait and see.

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And one of the GTs who has been there like, forever, has been given the chance to move on. And he's grabbed it with both hands. Pfft! That's right. Move on and take your free dvds and fudge with you. Damn Canada.

But he brought his children into the office for a public viewing last Friday. They are named Sophie and Ferris. Wriggly, furry, smelly, bitey things they are. And oh, so cute!!! I didn't hold them; to wriggly for me. But I did get to scratch and pat them. Nnnaaaawwwwww.

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Urgh. I hear slurpy noises on the couch behind me.... gross! Wonder who that could be?

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It's Father's day today. MOTH has been busy. He is supposed to be taking it easy, but I hadn't moved yet, so he's stripped the bed and done the washing. Tch. Naughty. The Elder sent him a tin of shortbread. The brand is Mac's. I don't know where the hell she got them from, but they would have to be about the best I've tasted. Sweet. Not soft. Hmmmmm.

The big kicker though is that I have to phone my father. I love him dearly, but oh! How I hate that phone. It's lunch time and I have yet to work up the gumption to actually dial. I don't know why I hate phones so much, but my heart pounds and my palms tingle. Why can't I just gridlink and send a message that way? Better just get it over and done with I suppose...

Here's to new friends!

Once again, it's Monday and I'm doing the blog update thing. *smiles*

Sometimes though I do wonder what it is about Monday that can make it go so terribly wrong. Why Monday? Why not Tuesday? Or any other day ending in Y. This morning, I left the Teen talking to her friend at the railway station. I just have to trust that she'll grab a train in time to actually get to school. She has a tendency to get distracted helping friends and forgetting her responsibilities to herself.

Anyway, I'm standing, sunning myself on the platform. The train is about 10 minutes late. Suddenly, I'm thinking that I'm in a call centre. *accented with stumbling over words* Passengers. The 0743 train has been cancelled. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

Great.

Silence for a while. Some passengers shifted position, some yawned. Obviously seasoned public transport users. The loudspeaker announced that the next train would be the 0750 express. Not so bad.

The train eventually arrived. Packed. To the portals. But three of us managed to squeeze on. And it remained packed all the way to my destination station. And guess what. It was an all stops! Dang it!

But I missed my usual connecting bus and had to wait 15 minutes for the next one. I arrived at work at about 0930. I had left home at 0725. Not a bad effort for a Monday.

Generally speaking though, last week has been quiet. Except things got a little difficult in Sunny's work life. He works for a local clearance house. He has his own 'department' which he keeps stocked and tidy. They loved him. But it's nothing posh. He keep himself clean and tidy. But it's a clearance warehouse. Hair must be all the same colour? No streaks etc. It's a clearance warehouse! He gels his hair so it spikes in the shorter layers at the back. After he's done it a few times, they ask him not to do it any more. He's not happy, but he complies. They whisper in his ear about getting a hair cut. He ignores it. It's a clearance warehouse, after all. New owners, new management. A store chain name change. It's his first week on a full time basis. The Area Manager goes through the shop. He should cut his hair. His pants aren't black - she says they are navy. They've faded - he wears them every day. But most importantly, he must removed the lip stud. And no, he ISN'T allowed to wear a retainer either. BUT IT'S JUST A CLEARANCE WAREHOUSE, nothing posh!! His choice, remove the stud or don't set foot on the floor again.

He didn't like the environment enough to sacrifice the stud. He quit.

While out late night shopping last Thursday, he got a call. *wails* Sunny, I have no where to stay anymore! Can I stay at your place? You know me. Sure, why not I say.

She arrived Saturday afternoon. Love her. She's a big girl, happy, confident. And works in the Cheesecake shop.

Defs a friendship to cultivate.

Where I notice an empty space.

All week it's felt strange to come home. The driveway is empty. There is a huge blank space where Team Shitbox used to rest. Ok, so maybe not blank. There is cement, grass, oil stains, and other stuff. It's not like it's ... white.

But it feels odd nonetheless.

And the house feels a little empty as well. Sunny has moved in and staked his claim on her old room. But it still feels like something is missing.

I'll get used to it. Heck, I already am. But it's not quite the same as being able to yell down the hall to ask a question.

I think she's settling in. She sent me a text from a party she was attending. She was inebriated, though not greatly. Enough to tell me that the chap she was looking at looked like Gibbs of NCIS. I asked her to keep an eye out for Probie and DiNozzo.

She didn't find any.

I mentioned that Judah had been visiting for the week. It's been kind of hectic having the extra person about the house. Considering that we have all been at home. Except the Teen, who had to attend school on the odd day. Poor poppet. But now I think about it, she had a day off sick, a public holiday and a teacher free day.

Sunny and Judah really enjoyed their week together. And apart from a hiccup on the last night, it all seemed to go well. I guess a long distance relationship is always hard work.

A sibling of mine, Mouse, was visiting this same week. I had hoped that I could find a place for her. But she bought her entourage and I couldn't put everyone up. The weekend she was to visit, I had the Teen in her room with Wogboy; the Elder in her room with Jawsome; Sunny in the lounge room with Judah. And MOTH and I in the comfort of our room. It was great to see her though. She shouted everyone lunch. And anyone who buys me food is always welcome in my house.

The Teen has been quiet. She spends each weekend with Wogboy. Or tries to. At either our place, or his. She's been very quiet lately; I think she misses the Elder. She hasn't said anything. But this last week, while everyone has been home, there has only been the occasional very minor altercation with MOTH.

I took them to the movies last Friday. I've been saving up the Magnum wrappers for the gold class upgrade. I managed to wrangle six wrappers, so we all went. It seemed to be a marathon to decide on the movie though. There didn't seem to be a lot to choose from. Three action movies, one kids movie and one chick flick. MOTH and I were the only ones who had been to gold class before; I hoped we could have a good experience. I was a little nervous, since the whole outing was my idea. It didn't quite work out to my expectations. I misinterpreted the seating plan, and discovered that we were right up the front. In the first row. Yoiks. That's way to close to the screen for me. And the speakers. And I had asked the Teen's opinion about the movie; she'd seen it before. Is there any gore, I asked. Somewhat foolishly in hindsight maybe. No, she said. Plenty of shooting and stuff, but no gore. Judah comes from a Christian background, and isn't a fan of gore. So the movie starts; gore abounds. Some of it in slow motion. I quizzed her about it afterward. Well, I didn't think it was gorey she said. Compared with Rob Zombie movies. Rambo. And others. Ohhh, yes. I forgot her usual fare....

And all in all, it's been a great week.

Friends never say goodbye....

So day of departure finally dawned. And I use that term loosely. Actually, I woke to the sounds of cupboards opening and losing. It was three am.

The last week has been a bit of a shambles. Team Shitbox hadn't been running and the debate was to get the car back on the road, or fund a tow bar for our car, borrow a trailer and drive her there ourselves. She opted for the getting of Team Shitbox back on the road. Which turned out to be a lot more expensive, time and work than originally thought. In the long run, I think it would have been cheaper to get the tow bar. The upshot was that she has no spare funds, and didn't spend the time she needed to pack.

Well, it's not that she couldn't have started the packing when she knew she would be leaving. But she comes from a long line of hoarders and procrastinators. And if it wasn't for the eleventh hour, nothing would get done.

They left at about four am. And Team Shitbox was packed to capacity. Packed. Totally. The boot was full. And you couldn't see out the side windows. Or the back one. She had to leave a lot of stuff behind. And now I get to find places to put it.

And it does seem a little strange. She's not here. Jawsome is not here either. And in spite of what is left, her room seems empty.

Sunny will be moving in there when I get it sorted. And he will no longer have to sleep on a couch. Well, reconsidering, he'll be able to close the door. The bed in that room is a sofa bed. Which folds out from a couch.

Judah is down for a visit this week. We hatched a plan and purchased his tickets on July 20. And I've not been allowed to tell Sunny. I've watched him come down, and I've watched as he's missed his man. And not been allowed to say a thing! That was a tough ask. Having to keep my mouth shut for that long.

And we thought we would keep the arrival a surprise as well, so we stashed Judah in the cupboard when Sunny got home. And normally, the routine is to change out of his uniform then throw himself on the couch to chillax. This time, he decided to change his lip ring first, and it takes a while to get it positioned properly. And everyone knew there was something going on, so they kept hanging around. Sunny twigged that something was happening, but didn't know what. And it didn't help his mood any.

Eventually, I took pity on the cupboard dweller, and told him to come out. Sunny was shocked speechless. I think. He was very quiet for a long time. I wasn't sure that I had done the right thing after all...

But I'm wishing the Elder all the luck in the world, followed by plenty of blog updates. But don't come visit too soon!

I'm all for usual...

Usual. Yes, I seem to usually update this blog on a Monday. After the weekend.

Time is getting along, and the Elder has actually begun packing up. Well, I do say begun. At the end of yesterday, she'd spent considerable time in the shed going through boxes. There are now 3 boxes in the loungeroom. I don't know what's in them but have my fingers crossed really, really tightly that what didn't make it to those boxes went into the bin.

Ah, I hope in vain methinks.

She finished up work last week. They gave her a lovely gift. Don't ask me what it was; I really couldn't tell you. She did tell, but alas, I have forgotten.

I shall really miss the ride to work....

Friday evening, the Elder had a friend sleep over. And the Teen went for a sleep over. The thing was, she had to find her way to Wogboy's place. And he's a country boy. She'd been there before, so MOTH said he would be right.

Off we went. And I should have known better. My usual practice is to check the route before departing. He said no, we'd check it in the car. When I finally made it to the car after the others, the Teen was talking street names. I thought they had it sorted. No...

We knew where we were for a small part of the way. Middle road she cries, we need to take the middle road as we came around the corner and the road split several directions. I think we go around there! What? Back to Brisbane? Small voice from the back. Maybe not.... And it was all downhill from there.

I looked up. The sign said Middle Road. Ohhhhh she says. So that's what he meant. And we journeyed off into the dark to points we'd never been before with a roadmap the navigator couldn't read. The print is too small and there was no light. Needless to say, we got lost. I picked a random street and thought I'd try it. When I eventually got the driver to park under a WHITE street light - those stupid ORANGE sodium lights aren't worth diddly squat - and got out of the car to read the directory, the street I wanted came off the random one. w00t! And it was even better because when we eventually found the street, we couldn't see the house numbers. There is no street lighting. The Teen lucked some reception right about then and got a call. Where are you? We're in your street, but can't read the house numbers. He stood outside so we could find it. Coming back wasn't much better - MOTH kept ignoring my navigation and getting himself lost. That's right. In. The. Dark.

As usual.

Saturday I went into the city with Sunny. He had arranged to meet up with a friend or two. I spent the afternoon with them, and had a blast. I have the photo to prove it.


Elder went in earlier to do some stuff then go meet Jawsome at the airport. A friend of hers, the Pirate Queen - was supposed to meet up in the city to party with her, but PQ's bus stuffed her around. By the time we got back home that afternoon, PQ had to turn around and leave.

Sunday was a kick back and relax day. Ahhhhh. Loves weekends.

Here's to loose ends.

These last few days have come and gone in a rush! And where are we at? Let me tell you....

Team Shitbox is still not moving. It could be the starter motor. It could be the alternator. Or it could be the fuel pump. Now we are back to being a one car family, and it's not working well. We might even have to use public transport. *gasp*

Now the Elder has to decide if she is going to see if she can get it repaired for the journey south. Or spend the money on a hire car to get her there. Or even - and this is the one MOTH likes the best - pay to have a tow bar fitted to our car, borrow a trailer and move her down. We thought that letting the rego lapse would probably be a good thing, but she insists that she wants to keep it current. And then she can transfer it when she goes south. That might work, but would be somewhat more beneficial if the car was actually going....

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As I think I have mentioned, MOTH and the Teen had been suffering from a tummy bug. They were over it and I thought we were in the clear. But perhaps I thought too soon. Sunny was to go up north to visit, but had been complaining of a bubbly tummy. No other symptoms, so he was prepared to go. Friday afternoon, he came down with it. I managed to talk him into going anyway. Yes, I know what my mother would have said! But he'd been looking forward to the trip, and going by the severity of the others, being sick would cease quickly, and it wouldn't last beyond a couple of days. So off he went.

The Teen was feeling a little low because she wouldn't be able to see her Wogboy for the weekend. He had other plans. So I gave her permission to ask him over. He arrived and they disappeared. As they do. Sometime after dinner - which I didn't feed him btw, as he had already eaten - the poor boy rushed outside to be sick. And last I heard, spent the rest of the night in the bathroom. Just sick though, nothing else.

The Elder had an arguement with one of her male friends earlier that evening. Apparently he asked her over to a party he was having. It's a little distance from our house and I wasn't keen on having to go back and pick her up. When she asked if she could crash there, he informed her that sure, she could. She could share a car with some bloke she didn't know. Cause his bed was reserved for single chicks. And the couch was taken and there would not be any spare space on the floor. And the party was a pick up for him and his friends. TYPICAL!! She was really upset. But asked if Jemma could come over. Sure I said. Sunny was the only sick one at that time, so no problem.

Luckily, Jemma didn't get sick.

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Saturday dawned. Wogboy was sleeping it off in the Teen's room. I found her asleep on the couch. And then ... and then ... and then ... oooo I feel faint.

Yes, I got it. And I spent a very uncomfortable Saturday. I couldn't even keep water down. I didn't start eating again until Sunday afternoon. Now my stomach is making up for lost time - I'm constantly hungry.

But I'm at work. Nothing like sharing the love...

Just waiting for the Elder now.

A quick update...

Last night, Team Shitbox came home. Yes. It did. The Elder had one of her revhead friends come by the car park and take a look at it.

It seems that the red electrical tape does not mark the red battery terminal after all. MOTH had connected the polarities wrong. Which, I guess, explains the melted jumper cables.

But they got it started. We are gamely or stupidly out in it this morning.

And the purchase of a heavy duty battery is somewhat imminent.

I don't know if she'll rejoin RACQ now. She leaves in three weeks to another state. There isn't much point really....

The continuing stoooory of a car that's gone to the dogs....

So, we decided that maybe all was forgiven and went to check on the car. MOTH decided to drive us down to the carpark. Because it is a fair hike. Especially in the RAIN.

It still wouldn't kick over. So, out came the jumper leads. Ha! Take that! Recalcitrant car! Pernicious vehicle!

The leads were connected and it still wouldn't start. Suddenly, there were sparks from the battery terminal. And smoke. That's right. Blew the jumper leads. Melted them in a couple of places even. These were MOTH's, purchased from a local cheap store.

Luckily, the Elder had a spare set in her emergency kit. Never been used before. Connect them up again. More sparks. And yes, these were hot too.

And the car still didn't start. In fact, it didn't even click when the key was turned.

And it only had to last just over another three weeks. It might be the battery; it might be something a whole lot more serious...

One of the biggest questions is, how do we get it out from the undercover car park?

I'm guessing the volvo had the last word after all.

Turf wars. And not a lego in sight.

It's been a strange couple of days.

The Elder's car gave up the ghost last night. She's been away, so it hasn't been started for something like four days. The whole time she's been gone in fact. That's right, no one loves her car like she does.

Yesterday morning, it started just fine. And off we tootled to work.

Yesterday afternoon, we clambered in. Yes, that's what I said. Clambered. I'm too darned short to do anything remotely ladylike when it comes to that car. And it wouldn't start. She tried to weave her usual magic but nothing worked. And then the battery started to die.

Fortunately, one of the GTs who lives our direction hadn't gone home yet. We abandoned the lost cause and headed home in something decent. And I got to listen to some Slipknot that I hadn't heard before.

The Team Shitbox Racing is still where we left it. I hope. We aren't talking to it, so haven't checked it.

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There has been a flock of magpies moved in recently. I don't suppose they would have hung around if the Teen hadn't decided to feed them. Usually we notice a family about for a while, but this time they've brought their cousins, aunts, uncles and other cousins twice removed with them.

Their song is pretty though, so I guess it's not too bad. As long as they annoy the neighbour.

They were making a fair bit of noise this morning. For an extended time. I didn't think anything of it, until the crows started calling. What the heck is going on?

I peeked out the window.

It was like a schoolyard! Two magpie protagonists were rolling around on the ground, pecking at each other. If one particular bird was on the ground, one or two of the watching crowd would dive in and take a peck at the one on the top.

The crows - not the big beautiful glossy ones with the ice blue eyes - were in the trees and on the lawn calling ... fight! fight! fight!

At least, that's what it sounded like...

Monday, bloggy Monday

So here it is. Monday. I've been at work for a while now, and surprised myself by realising that hey! I've actually been ... working! Yes, you heard it first here. I've been working. In fact, I've only briefly looked at mySpace and Facebook. I haven't even taken time out to read my blogs. The ones I have bookmarked for regular reading.

But it's also been a few days since I last wrote, so I suppose I should think about what I've been doing since I last bored you to tears.

Well, let's see...

Sunny crashed last week. It seems like so long since that last happened. I don't know what triggered this one. I thought it might have been something I had done. Or maybe he had words with Judah. But it's been so long, I had relaxed. And I wasn't paying attention. I was angry with myself for that, and not stopping it early. But that night, everyone seemed to want a piece of me, and I felt absoultely swamped.

So, I didn't see it coming. When it did though, it did. Real good. Total withdrawl. And I couldn't get any response, except dodging my touch and moving away from me when I went to ask a question. That hurt. I eventually got him settled, and I put myself to bed. Luckily for me, MOTH was still awake so I could talk to him about how I felt. Judah phoned to find out what was wrong. I didn't know how much to tell him, so I only told him that Sunny had put himself to bed. That was when I discovered another sign I had missed, and I didn't feel great for having missed that either. *sigh*

Sunny my love, if you're reading this and you feel sensory overload on the horizon, speak up. I'll do my best *Calamity Jane voice* ah'll round 'em up and head 'em out fuh ya, li'l fella. So you can be alone with the quiet.

The rest of the week has been easier though. The Elder headed off to visit her man for the weekend. She left home at around 4am, and I slept right through her departure. Imagine that. She who is usually awake at the right time and even earlier. Soz!

I can't say the weekend has been all that quiet though. The Teen had Wogboy over for a visit. I like him. That boy is just a whoooole bundle of cute. So, they do make boys in her size.

I played Kingdom Hearts on the PS2. Had to buy a whole new memory card though. Mine has gone missing. Which means, basically, I have start all my games over again.

Oh, MOTH and I went shopping. He purchased a new pair of shoes. $250 worth. I nearly died. And so did he. Didn't stop him though. *grin*

And I watched a crazy movie called Black Sheep. That's a cack. A whole lot of bad acting, loads of fake blood and zombie sheep. You can't beat it.

*giggles manically*

Free movie knights rule!

You know I have mySpace. Because I'm cool like that. One of my 'friends' is Black Curtain. They screen movies with free admission. But only in some cities.

This time it was scheduled at a place I could actually attend. The setup was different this year in that you were required to receive the tickets by SMS. And they sent TWO tickets. It was just a question of who could go with me. The Elder won. Mostly due to a lack of interest from everyone else.

I wasn't sure how it would work, but I was game. We arrived at the cinema and there didn't appear to be many people. Until we got upstairs. Oh. Now that's a different story. There were plenty of people milling about up here. And there didn't seem to be any structure to the crowd. Just crowdiness. We had a little while to wait, so the Elder decided to grab some popcorn and a frozen coke.

While I was waiting for her to come back, I noticed a boy in the crowd who reminded me of someone else. For some reason, he kept drawing my eye. On one particular occasion, I glanced his direction in time to see him lift his shirt to show someone something. OMG. I couldn't tell if he was wearing a patterned shirt under his t-shirt. Or if he was exceptionally hairy! I'm hoping it was another t-shirt.

We eventually started moving, only to discover that they were only letting the crowd through in small numbers. Waiting seemed eternal, but we made it to the front of the queue. I would have managed to get through if that stupid pole wasn't in the way. The crowd kept pushing through, but the pole was firmly blocking my path.

Eventually we were let through. Only to be stopped further on. I had to get my phone ready so the SMS ticket number could be compared with their list. Then I was required to give up my phone. What?! Well, that couldn't be helped I suppose. It was, after all, a pre-screening.

We found our places to sit. And waited for the movie to begin. The audience cheered when the opening credits rolled up.

The movie was a thrill ride of nonstop action. It was dark, brooding, action packed, creepy with the occasional one liner thrown in for good measure. Everything a girl could want in a movie really. Or was that just me?

I wasn't certain about the fuss being made about nominating Heath Ledger for a posthumous Academy award. I thought only if he truly deserved it, not because he's gone. But I've since had to rethink my position. On screen, he BECAME the Joker. He made that character truly creepy and totally believable. His movements were different. His demeanour was different. His voice became different. Creepy, creepy, creepy.

The audience seemed to be totally absorbed; even gasping and groaning when one character broke his ankle.

I really enjoyed this movie, and if the future ones are going to feature the same actors, writers and director, I'm really looking forward to the next one...