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...

This is the dawning of the age of .... solo?

We seem to be perched on the brink of a new era, and I'm not sure I like it.

I never thought I would say this, but this might be a big step toward the whole empty nest thing. And I'm not ready for it.

Perhaps I should clarify that. I'm not going to enjoy the quiet and solitude. I thought I might. But the more people there are in the house, the more I find I'm liking it. And the less I'm looking forward to there being only MOTH.

Right now, the Elder is counting the weeks until she finishes her traineeship. That's supposed to happen in early August. Then she has a week to say her fond farewells. And pack. The week after that, the plan is to move. To NSW. Yes, that's right. NSW. At least until December. That's the plan.

Sunny is missing Judah desperately. He can't wait to move in together. Judah lives away, but would love to move locally. Once Judah gathers the courage and the finances to do that, Sunny will move. And it looks like that could be happening this year as well.

The Teen has wanted to move out for a long time now. In fact, the only reason she hasn't done so is because she has no way of supporting herself.

I'm happy for the Elder, and I hope she's happy. I'm proud that she's grown in cofidence. It's great to see her smiling. I love her muchly and she will be missed. In a quiet way though I guess. She's still the quiet one she was as a child. And her presence in the house will be missed. Especially the ride to work. Which is about the only time we spend quality time interacting.

The Teen seems to like the amount of time I give her. Not a lot so she doesn't feel crowded. And I'm welcome to hug and kiss her occasionally. Just not too often. And of course, I must give hugs and kisses and time when she comes to me. She doesn't do talk, quiet and still well. Thankfully, she would much rather 'talk' to the compter than me.

I spend most of my time with Sunny. We watch movies. And we talk. Something I don't get from anyone else. We're open to others joining us on the couch for our quiet time. But no one takes up that offer. So we sit in the dark, watch movies and talk. He snuggles and tells me about his day and what some of his friends are doing and what the relationship status with his parents is, and how much he misses Judah. And I listen and provide support. While we watch movies. Cause we have mad skills and can multitask.

And although I wish him happy, for entirely selfish reasons I am going to miss that terribly when he moves.

I had asked MOTH about having someone else move in when the Elder moves on. Not immediately, but sometime later. He said no. Not at all. And that brings me back to the not looking forward to being an empty nester. MOTH would like me to spend more time with him, but when I do, I get to sit on the bed reading or doing puzzles. While he surfs or plays games on the computer. He doesn't say much. I haven't pointed out what I consider obvious - that if Judah moved in, Sunny wouldn't need me at all..... and we could spend time together ... doing boring things ... cause he won't stay up and watch movies ... go out for sundaes ... or just go out ...

Normalcy. Or we return you to your regularly scheduled program.

I can't remember when I last posted. There you go. I'ts been an interesting week. Oh, yes, it has. I think so. Let me tell you all about it....

Jawsome arrived the weekend prior to the one just gone. But I think I mentioned that. The Elder was only allowed to have the Monday off - and that only if she had completed a particular task - and the following Friday. Which meant, basically, that Jawsome and MOTH had a lot of time to decide if they liked each other. Or not. Jawsome did spend a fair bit of time watching dvds, but MOTH took him out grocery shopping on Thursday. Jawsome apparently had fun doing that. Go figure. And MOTH was happy because he got staff discount. At the dinner table Jawsome leaned over and murmured something in the Edler's ear. Which she proudly announced to all seated there - Jawsome wanted something, but didn't want to ask MOTH because he was scarey. There you go. They get along just fine.

Sunny arrived back home on Monday evening. To a house full of noise. As usual. I think the Teen had a friend over. Petunia is very much an off the wall kind of girl. She's loud, funny and when she and the Teen get in one of those moods, then look out! It's all out noise. And you don't know whether to laugh or cry.

And things were more or less back to normal.

On Friday, the Elder and Jawsome ventured off to Movieworld. I think Jawsome hadn't been there before. The weather was overcast and I was hoping it didn't rain. I needn't have worried - they went on the Wild Wild Wet ride and got thoroughly soaked anyway. That afternoon I actually had to catch a train home. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed doing that. Pfft! Ok, I lie.....

Saturday, Jawsome was leaving and Sunny was heading for a friend's place for an overnight stay. So they all ventured out to the airport together. I was invited along for the ride, but I had a social event to attend, and I wouldn't be back in time. Alas!

The Elder also found out that her ex had been involved in an accident and was in hospital. To the best of my knowledge, a car pulled out in front of him while he was on the motorcycle and he got pretty well banged up. A cracked fibula, massive bruising, gravel rash, broken teeth. She went to visit him after she saw Jawsome on his way, and was a little upset when she returned home. He was very groggy and doped to the eyeballs.

I sent a message to check when she would be home. Her message came back with 'we'. What? What we? Apparently Sunny decided to stay with her, so he didn't end up at his friend's place.

The Teen was quite happy to stay home. Her boyfriend was sleeping over. They have only been together for about a week. A little longer now, and he lives out a distance. They don't get to see each other much, but have known each other for a while now. I shake my head. He's everything she usually dislikes. He's short. He's a little older than she. He has a job. Well, apprenticeship. He has his learners. He DOESN'T have facial piercings. Only a couple of, relatively speaking, small stretchers in his ears. They're crazy about each other. At the moment. *grins*

But MOTH and I were supposed ... Oh! There are two birthdays in the office today which means CAKE! So, I've helped myself. One piece of traditional fruit cake that the GT's mother makes every year, and one piece of chocolate sponge. Hmmmmm.

Now, where was I? Oh yes, we had an invitation to a 50th birtday party. On Saturday night. It was to start at 5pm and I had to race out to the station and collect the Teen and Wogboy at 4pm. It was a quick get ready! I dived out the door to follow MOTH and thought, wait! I'd better get the invitation. Unlocked and grabbed it off the fridge door. Off we went in the rain to the thing. It was crowded upstairs - some rugby test was on - and the function was downstairs. We ventured down to find out where it was. Oh, we're a bit early, no one is here. But look! Shiny pokies. Let's amuse ourselves for a while. And it's quiet, there isn't anyone else in the room. We played for a while then decided to check again to see if anyone had turned up. Nope. Still no one yet. It's after 5pm. Where is everyone? I pulled out the invite again. OH ... it's a 7pm start.... *small voice* don't I feel like a bit of a ninny???

But the food was good and there was plenty of it. And, the cake was chocolate...

Sunday was quiet. I got up at the usual time. And the Elder was up early as well. She was headed out to Willowbank with a friend of hers. He was racing apparently. Sunny went out to his friend's place, and the Teen and Wogboy stayed in her room most of the day.

Sunday afternoon, Sunny sent a message to ask if another friend who is visiting our fair city could come for a visit. That's fine. But he had family stuff to attend first, then he would come over. About 9pm or so, Sunny had a call from Carton to say he'd changed his mind. A little after that, he called again to say he was on his way. I didn't really mind, I'm still up and about. Sometime after that, he called again. The train had broken down and he had to wait 20 minutes for another one. So, it was sometime after 10pm when we finally got the call to pick him up from the station. But I didn't mind; we had talked to Carton before, just never met him in person. He slept over, and we sent him home this morning.

I know I complain, but I really enjoy having extras in the house. It's a 5 day week of weekdays. There are no sleepovers on weekdays.

So we now return you to our regularly scheduled program...

PS. Sunday evening, the Elder went back to visit with the ex. He's feeling a little better and moving a little more freely. Still black and blue though! From waist to mid-thigh. All things.... *feels as close to sympathetic as she can get*

It doesn't pay to piss em off....

The kids were jumping all over me. Well, one in particular. I wanna go out. Don't know where, I just want to go out. The Teen put up her hand. I wanna come too.

After some thought, I decided that I have a new card for a new account I hadn't tested yet. Today is cheap video day, let's go get one.

The Teen, Sunny and I headed out for the local shops. Along the way, I noticed a vehicle travelling close to me; boy those headlights are bright! So bright, I shifted the postition of my side mirror. And, hey, if the light reflects back on them, what of it. I can't see if it's reflecting on mine.

I glanced in the mirror a couple of times. They had backed off a little, but not much. The kids were discussing something to do with the radio, and I glanced to see what they were doing. And when I glanced back, I'd gone a little too close to the middle of the road. I pulled the car back in line.

I glanced again. Darn, that vehicle was still up my tail. But wait! Can I see, vaguely beyond the reflection of the headlights, something written across the bonnet?

A little further on and bugger! I'm being followed by a police car. There is a roundabout that is so small and off set it's actually a nuisance. If there is no other traffic, I drive straight through, across both lanes. THIS time, I took it slow and did it properly. And just after that, yep. Red and blue flashing lights. Shoot!

I pulled over. Worried, because I was sure that I had been speeding on the speed limit changeover. But no! Licence check and RBT.

w00t! I don't think I've done one of those before. At least, I've been pulled over but he said I didn't have to blow into the bag, and possibly one other time.

But hey! It made the trip to the shops interesting.

Oh, and we also aren't sure if the Teen, sitting in the back of the car while wearing a paper hat, necessarily helped either.

Or maybe I shouldn't have moved the mirror.....