Monday, January 27, 2014

Who's been napping in my chair?!

It's all very quiet on the blog front. I wonder if everyone is still recovering from the new year?

Unsupervised, I've changed the rumpus room again. This time I've swapped the desk and the couch. I'm now looking directly at the TV. I thought that usually when I watch I'm sitting at the desk. When I lay on the couch I nap so there is really no point watching the tv from there! *jerome is sitting in MOTH's recliner and watching a tv show about a serial killer. this might very well be a bad omen*

I have had a call from Niece's disability case worker. I had intended that she finish school when she comes to me but it seems that she is two semesters short of the required 24. This means that I will have to organise for her to attend school while she is here. So here we go with the 'back to school' thing. The case worker seems to be very chatty and enthusiastic. However I haven't heard back from her yet *it's only been about three days including a weekend and a public holiday* and since I'm a very proactive person I guess it might be up to me to contact the school to look for information about enrollment.

Ma phone today and some how Niece has found out about needing to go back to school. She is not a happy camper! I wonder though if Niece was fussing about going back to school full stop, not necessarily transferring down here.

The work to clear out Elder's belongings goes slowly. There is still much to pack. Alas, Elder is a bit like Pa *if it wasn't for the 11th hour, nothing would get done* with some things and not a lot of things were sorted or packed properly prior to their departure. There are still some things I will need to get for Niece to occupy the room but luckily a bed isn't one of them.

MOTH was left to pay his phone bill online this time. Usually it's a matter of printing the bill off while I'm at work for him to make a cash payment. This time he thought he would do it online. Payment made he went to check the bank account to see what was left. Uh oh! Panic stations! He's paid too much having accidentally typed a three figure sum instead of two. A frantic call to the telco ensued and he arranged to have the difference refunded. Not fair! he says. You usually do this stuff. This time I had to do the stuff up myself! I giggled.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Which day is which??

Sometimes it's difficult to tell which day is which. Or even the date...

John has gone into hospital again. Things still aren't good after his major fall. I think I may have mentioned it when he did it. He fell while getting up and didn't know he'd done any damage until his daughter arrived to take him to the shops and he was bleeding. It seems that there may be some residual damage from a blow to the head. He has difficulty with his memory now along with some pain in his hip and knee. Apparently he still has falls and now uses a wheeled walking frame. This worries the rest of the Club and scares the heck out of Special K. He will be moving in with her when he's discharged from hospital. We wish him a speedy recovery.

I wanted a new mouse for the laptop. I searched the gaming shops online but only the outlet on the Coast had it in stock. I decide that we would take a day trip down and have a look. It was hot. The air conditioning in the car is not working. While we toured around the shops we were stopped by a seller for a holiday group. Please scratch these cards and see if you have won anything. MOTH scratched but nothing, I scratched and uncovered a match of 3 symbols. Darn. I have won one of three prizes but I have to attend a sales seminar in order to claim the prize. Damn that curious me. It won out.

The seminar is scheduled for Friday. I didn't want to go but when we turned up at least the office was air conditioned. The sales talk was on an individual basis. It ended up taking 2 hours and we turned it down. It's a holiday club. Membership is very expensive at $90 a week for the top of the range lifetime package. I really liked the idea of the product but I would have to really use it hard to get the value. It works on a points basis and you use the points to buy your holiday accommodation. For instance 7 nights in a domestic 5 star accommodation would end up costing $511 for the week.

But I have to sit through this to find out I've won 7 nights accommodation for $199 in Australia, Indonesia, or Thailand. I've opted for the Australian locations. Just have to make a choice now. I can upgrade from studio to 2 bedrooms apartments for an extra $100.

On the spur of the moment we decide to have lunch out and see a movie. We choose Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. Froggy has given us a movie card voucher for the cinema. I check the terms and conditions and it doesn't list any restrictions. I use to to prebook a Gold Class screening. We end up having lunch at the local then off to the movies. Parking looks like it's going to be rough, so many cars! We find a spot eventually. We order a side of parmesan chips and a classic sundae to be delivered during the movie. Yes. MOTH eats most of the chips, I eat most of the sundae. It's big enough to share but I still manage most of it. Yeah.

Ma and Pa have sold the house and chosen a unit. They are in the process of packing now. Although the new owners have purchased the lounge, sofa, and dining setting there is still much to pack up. The new abode is much smaller and a lot of their stuff won't fit. Apparently Pa is having trouble throwing things away. I think he must have jackdaw genes spliced in there somewhere. I have managed to get the triple door bookcase but how I'm going to transport it is a toughie. Maybe I should have just let the new owner purchase it as she wished. Ma does not agree!

Monday, January 13, 2014

Gunsmoke. Definitely a classic.

I'm too young to have watched it on television on it's original screenings, and sometimes I like to watch the old westerns. Gunsmoke, The Virginian, Bonanza. Ah, they don't make TV like that anymore.

And it seems that in my last writing I forgot a whole week, and an important event at that! Between Christmas and New Year, Froggy and Dobby came to visit family. I picked them up from the airport and we discovered the joys of a black car interior, non working air conditioning, on a stinking hot summer day. Mouse was with me and we sat in the cool airport terminal and waited. As we sat in the steaming hot car ready to reverse out of the park, I waited for two little old ladies to pass behind us. They were smiling and pointing at my license plate.

We head out to Coffee Club for lunch and drinks. I have eggs benedict. Haven't had those for a while and can't decide if I like CC or Jamaica Blue better. I might have to try them again to decide. We go out to the car. It's roasting inside ... but central locking won't release the passenger doors. The sun beats down while I try to fix it. I give up and call MOTH to see if his key works. And then ... it unlocks. Darned car, playing nasty tricks on me!

The weather for the entire time we stayed there was atrocious. Hot and humid. So hot it was hard to stay dry. In the middle of all this, Ma and Pa celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. It was celebrated with a small gathering at Mouse's place. I worked the kitchen, heating sausage rolls and things. Froggy worked the cake. It looked lovely and tasted great. I think it was a hummingbird cake. Froggy had prepared an album for them, and as part of that, included letters of congratulations from some of our local and national politicians. It was great to see the smiles on their faces.

Jerome spent a lot of time hiding. Occasionally we put the air conditioning on and then you'd find him on the back of the couch, soaking it up. Or in Elder's bedroom where she ran the air conditioning 24/7. Sometimes she would open the door and he would go in. Sheldon and Penny were a bit fazed, they aren't allowed in there because Sheldon won't sit still and Penny hides under the bed.

We were out most every day doing something, usually at the local shops picking up softdrink or food it was that hot. Spending time with family and yet not. As I look back we were there for about a fortnight but didn't seem to do much. At all.

We travelled north a couple of times to visit Teen. It's amazing how we can travel for an hour here and it's nothing. An hours travel up there is a journey. There is nothing to look at and an hour feels like two. On one occasion, Elder came with us in the search for a pair of shoes for a wedding. Not hers, she's bridesmaid. The search for shoes goes on.

We spend some time with Ma and Pa, Rabbit and her children. It has been determined that Niece will come to live with us. I'm still not sure of the timing, but likely at the end of February. Things seem to have sorted themselves with her and deteriorated drastically with Nephew's behaviour. Ma and Rabbit can no longer cope with the two of them so it's all happening. I am not sure how Niece feels about this yet.

Ma and Pa have sold the house and are trying to sort out their belongings. The new place is smaller than their current place so they are trying to give a lot of things away. To the kids. That's us. I come away with some small things including a painted box that I didn't know I wanted *ahem* but I can't get the things I really want. The bookcase won't fit in the car darnit. I don't think I've managed to convince Ma that the camphor wood carved chests would look good in my place. I don't know quite where, but they would look good anywhere. *grins*

Storms have come up on the home base. Usually the storms miss us, we get some of the side events if you want to call them that. This time it passed overhead and power was out for several hours. MOTH decided we needed to come home and check on things. We left a day earlier than planned.

Jerome is sedated. I know it. His eyelid has come across and he can no longer walk in a straight line. It's mean but we can't help giggling. It doesn't knock him out completely but he doesn't cry anywhere near as much when he's in the car and carrier.

Everything seems fine when we get home. Luckily most of the electrical equipment is switched off at the wall and the automatic garage door was switched to manual so any power outages would not have caused it to open. It takes at least 24 hours for Jerome to sort himself out to look and behave normally again. It's kind of scary but there is no other way to travel with him. I've caught up with the washing. MOTH hasn't finished unpacking the last of his stuff yet. Things are back to normal.

Friday, January 03, 2014

Happy New Year!

It's hot! So hot! Maybe I should rephrase. It's humid! So humid! Temperatures are at the 34 - 38C but humidity is at 50% or higher. Sometimes I wonder when I'm going to start growing mould.

So I'm sitting in the sweltering heat of the lounge room watching Brickleberry and wondering what the heck I'm going to do when I melt. Into a puddle. I think I'd stay here till I evaporated. Or maybe Sheldon would clean up part of me. *heh* See. Brain meltingly humid.

The last few weeks have gone blindingly fast. Though when you're actually in the moment, they go slowly. MOTH spent some time cleaning the yard. While standing looking out the window I see movement. A tail? What was that? A rat? I run outside for a look as I think I've seen rats in the yard before. Oh! No, not a rat. It's a blue tongue lizard! I haven't seen one of those for ages. I go stand next to it and watch for a while. It's not moving, I'm not moving and we're at a Mexican Standoff. I back off first and head back indoors. I'm glad Jerome isn't out!

MOTH has been letting Jerome outside occasionally to play. Now however he's learned the world is bigger than our yard. He found a neighbour's cat and the shenanigans began. I raced out of our yard and up the street *high fencing along the street side* and stopped at the house. No good. I can hear them but can't see them. MOTH climbs into the built up garden in our back yard to yell at Jerome. When he shouts the neighbourhood cat takes the opportunity to escape. I walk back home, into the kitchen to find MOTH sitting at the table, holding a blood soaked cloth to his arm, and blood spots all over the floor and into the bathroom. He fell while stepping off the garden bed and scraped skin from his forearm. Ouch!

Christmas lunch for work. They've asked if I minded combining the lunch with my going away lunch. Sure, why not. The lunch is at the local golf club. They do nice meals. I settle for chips and aioli. Work pays for a round of drinks and I nearly fall off my chair. They've never done that before. I have my cider and chips. I like the company as I am down the end of the table with some of the GTs. There aren't many of us as most of the office is on holidays. The restaurant doesn't do split bills and I'm dreading that bit. I don't order much and totally hate the idea of subsidising someone else's meal. But this time the GM works with one of the other managers and they make note of those of us who have ordered the cheaper meals. As a result, my chips and aioli end up costing me only $5. I'm stoked.

They give me my going away present. A bunch of lovely yellow roses and a 3 tier tin of Lindor chocolates. Alas, I thought I had a pic of the flowers but it seems I don't.

It's very quiet at work. Most everyone is on holidays or working from home. There are only four of us in the office. Super takes us all to lunch. We go out to eat Thai. It's a good lunch but we're dining outdoors and it's hot. Hot, hot, hot. There is a good breeze though.

Christmas Eve and I'm trying to tidy up the loose ends and sort out my things. I've done most of it earlier in the week but I need to leave notes for Admin2. There are only two of us in the office this morning. And we have a half day. Finish up and head home to finish the last of the packing. MOTH tells me that Jerome has been sedated and should be ready to travel. He looks fairly relaxed but not sedated. MOTH assures me that he is, his eyelid is beginning to come across. Fair enough. I load him into the carrier. He fights a little but not badly.

Nightmare trip. Jerome is NOT sedated. He must have spat the tablet. He cries. And cries. Eventually I let him out. He's on the harness but tries to climb in my lap while I'm driving. Sigh. I tolerate it cause he's quiet and not to wriggly.

Overnight in Maryborough at Best Western Kimba Lodge. It's an odd place. Reception is modern and when we park, you can't see any rooms. There is a central hallway in a back building which looks like an old shower block with tiled floor. The rooms come off this hallway. It looks great. The room is small but clean. The bed is comfy too.

Jerome is definitely sedated today. But he's fighting it as hard as he can. He's on the harness this time. He tries to climb into my lap while I'm driving again, but this time he's using his claws. OUCH! I have to pull over and resettle him. Eventually he falls into the cat carrier and I zip him inside. Whew. Next time, straight into the carrier.

We get to stay overnight at Teen's house. Then we bring her back Boxing Day to spend it with the family. But first we collect her from Barbie's house. OMG, they have the air conditioning on "ice cold". I don't really want to leave...

New Year is spent celebrating with Burrich as he is turning 21. We've collected the Teen and are ready to have fun. MOTH can't last beyond 9pm and we decide to leave. Unfortunately we have to take Teen home with us as she can't stay at his parent's place and she has no other lift. Poor little lass. she's unhappy and I feel bad. Never thought but if I'd held off the Canadian Club a little longer I could have dropped MOTH off and come back. Ah well, I'll know for next time.

And New Year means I am officially unemployed. Scary territory which has changed since I was last here ....