Looks like I've lost another week

How does time manage to fly by so fast? I simply don't know. I blink and it's days later.

So far *ahem* study seems to be going well. I've completed two assessments of my third unit now and I'm still ahead. I should be working on assessment three even as I update this but you know. Nothing is more urgent than doing housework and such when an assignment is due. This one shouldn't *hopefully* be too difficult; a report discussion some options provided in a scenario.

Jerome has been a .... well, almost a different cat. I don't know why. He runs about wanting me to play with him. That is, chase. And feed him. And he tolerates pats from strangers. And YOWL! Demand, demand, demand. He's so vocal lately!

Almost like a different cat.

He asks for breakfast at 3.30am these days. Occasionally I can hold him off till 4.30 by telling him to shut up, it's too early. Just lately instead of mrrrrting at me until I wake, he's started punching me. He sits at the side of the bed level with my head, stands up and hits me with his paw. Whatever he can reach. First time it was my face. Lately it's my hand. Yoiks.

Did I mention about moving house? There's no way I can continue to pay the current level of rent so at lease it, it's somewhere else we go. I've no idea how we're going to fund it. Moving is expensive and we need to have the new bond before we can take up a new residence.

I can't help myself though, I've started looking already. I probably shouldn't because we can't move for a month at least. The worst part is that we are limited in choice by the school. If I want Niece to continue school I need to be conscious of where the school boundaries lie. There are some suburbs I can look at, but others are out of the area. And all the cheap government funded rents are waaaaay outside.

I've got my priorities right though! Looking at accommodation to see what's about in my price range - not much that's up to my standard. The joys of champagne taste on a beer budget. And I've managed to ... pack one carton. Whoo! Go me! I really should get on that.

Still haven't figured out what to do with Niece over the Christmas break. Maybe Pa can come down and take her back. And then I can go up and bring her back. Ah, who knows. My head wants to pop just thinking about it. Just like Teen's when she was in Grade 2. School made her head pop. Her teacher thought it hilarious.

Elder will be visiting next month too. She thinks she's here to attend stuff and cadge a free bed. Little does she know she's going to be sorting boxes....

You must be so tired, she says.

And I am. So very tired of it all. And nothing seems to sink in.

The constant lying is wearing me down. Even Tee is losing patience with it. She tries to explain that it's not good but the message isn't sinking in. Today I told Tee to just come out and be straight. Call her on it. Don't bother worrying about hurting her feelings but be straight and to the point. Ma told me to never let her get the manipulative upper hand because she will take you for all she can. I passed that on to Tee. I really don't see any other way to deal with it. Trying to get her to think of other's perspective is a waste of time. I know an active fantasy world is part of her condition, and maybe I could make allowances for that. But the constant lying about every little thing has me at my breaking point.

Where is your foot towel? No answer. Don't know. What did you do with it? Don't know. Don't know where it could be. Eventually she tells me she didn't start with one. I let it ride a bit and tell her to get one. Today I ask, did you wash the potato before you put it in the pot? Yes, she says. That's the truth. And one glance at the pot proves it's not. Every. Little. Thing. I'm fast reaching the point where I'm going to explode. Again.

Even Tee commented today she is getting tired of having to constantly try to assess if it's the truth she's getting or not. Especially since the topic is boys. And having to pull Niece up on inappropriate behaviour - waving to strangers, smiling and giggling at boys, and loud comments about ones she thinks are cute. She tells me that even the respite notes have mentioned the boy mad bit. It's driving me crazy. Especially since SHE DOESN'T BEHAVE LIKE THAT WHEN SHE'S WITH ME.

But last weekend we went to Riverfire. I warned Niece that it would be loud. And she was pretty good. No meltdown or anything. But she did find the jet flyover loud, jamming her hands over her ears and shaking with her mouth open. Until I told her "CONTROL IT" and immediately she stopped. Sometimes I don't know what's genuine autistic behaviour or just attention seeking.

We went with Bestie and her family. This year we didn't have to wait for another family and got to the venue in good time. An easy choice of position and even some plastic chairs. Niece seemed to enjoy herself. She had her face painted. But then, so did Bestie's daughter, Bestie, and myself. I love that bit. It was very windy but fun. Bestie's daughter, Niece, and I danced while we waited in line for the face paint. Bestie was in the queue for balloon animals with her son. MOTH and Bestie's hubby were around with the chairs.

I had a great time. And at the end of the evening we took a slightly different way home and it took about 20 minutes. Beautiful.

I've submitted another assessment piece and been graded competent so that's two units down. Yay! I've completed them early as they didn't need to be finished until 18 October. My tutor is happy with my progress. They've released the next two units early so I've begun the first assessment of one of them. I'm doing a Diploma of Event Management. And it seems like about a billion other people are too. All I can do is hope that I manage to get some work out of it when I finish.

Niece cooked dinner tonight. Didn't do too bad a job, except for the whole damned lie about rinsing the potato. But she was happy to cook. It's easier if I do it but I have to let her learn, right? I can only hope that if she goes to visit her mum that she shows them what she can do. And doesn't revert to type.

I have had contact from her previous case worker to find out if she was coming to visit. And maybe they can help with funding, and arrange some things for her and her family to do while she visits. Sounds all right, but there are so many other factors we need to consider. Her previous case worker is too optimistic I think. Heh. Ma and I need to think about how to get her up north. When. I don't really want her here over Christmas, but I don't want to leave MOTH alone over that period while I escort her north. MOTH can't come because of Jerome. But the case worker suggested maybe they could get funding to put Jerome into a cattery or something while we're aware. Not sure I'm comfy with that. I have separation anxiety. Oh wait, that's Jerome, not me. *ha!*

And then there's where would she stay. Ma might take Nephew and Niece can stay with her mum. There's no way they could stay together. There's no way she could stay with Ma. And where would I stay? With Elder? With Teen? And somewhere in there we have to move house. How is that going to work? I can't leave MOTH to do that by himself. So many things to think of...