In Passenger mode...

It's Thursday already and I think I was supposed to update this blog Monday or so. The one just gone. Which I can't believe has just gone.

So what has made the week and more than a week disappear so fast then? I dunno...

And I had made notes this time too. Mental ones, I admit, which doesn't always lead to the right outcome. Because these days my filing system is shot.

It's been raining on and off for the last week. I think we managed two sunny days. And hasn't it been fun struggling down to the bus stops with the wind and rain whipping about. I swear that umbrella has been made to deliberately channel the rain in underneath where an unsuspecting person hopes to keep dry. I can feel the spray on my face. And all that while hoping desperately the wind doesn't rip the thing out of your hands and send it tumbling through the trees, or even worse, reverse it.

The rain also means the buses are sometimes full of water. I've learned these days to check the seats, walls, windows, and airconditioning vents before I sit down. Wet dacks on the ride home aren't as much fun as the old folks have lead me to believe.

One particular afternoon, the driver announced to his somewhat bemused passengers that because the bus was running late, we would be diverted to the QSBS under the shopping centre. That set some of them abuzz. Probably because he was hard to hear. So off across the bridge we tootled, down the ramp and underground. I've been there before on other bus lines, but never this deep. Totally subterranean, and hey - there's an entrance to an hotel which obviously resides up above. I did wonder though, what was the point of that, because it faced out to the busway. Which pedestrians are not permitted to cross...... *shrugs* And on past that to a turnaround and more 'lanes' I didn't even know existed. Wow. A whole new perspective of the buses.

The Teen has been feeling off for a while now. I don't know if I've mentioned it before. Chronic lethargy etc. She insisted I trundle her off to the doc to see what was wrong. She donated some blood to the labs, but the tests all came back normal. Even her iron count was right. The only other option the doc can think of to look at is her sleeping patterns. That's right, she might have sleep disturbances and has a referral for a diagnostic sleep study. The only thing wrong with that? It's done through Mater Private. Which, I'm thinking, is going to cost my wages for a year!

But the upside is I can find out if I can legitimately point my finger, dance and sing You has been snoring! You sounds like a buzzsaw! And stuff.

Sunday just gone we had a houseful again. Or was that the one before? Judah brought home a couple of friends. A pair of really nice boys. They were polite and friendly. One of them likes to draw too apprently. He asked if we had some blank paper he could draw on. I didn't see any of the end results though. It would have been interesting. I like looking at other people's artwork. I did laugh at one point though. He was having some fun, psyching Sunny out. Not a difficult task, really. And he was staring across the void that is the dining area and into the rumpus room. Looking out from under his eyebrows. He slowly raised his hand to point, and I said Urgh Argh! To which he exclaimed Oh! A Buffy reference! So then we talked about the series for a while. *is happy* Geekdom r00lz!

The weekend just gone seems to have flown by, and nothing much happened. The boyos seemed to keep to themselves. Although I think the Teen was home. Oh yes, it was St Val's day. A nothing special day for me. MOTH and I stopped celebrating a long time ago. He mentioned something about the day, and I told him that yes, he did buy my a Valentines gift. Once. Hmph, he snorted. It must have been cheap.

The Teen was supposed to be out with her man, but they went to a party the night before. He was hung over, the day was raining, so she asked us to pick her up and she ditched him. On Valentines day. MOTH very much less than impressed and made her wait till after lunchish; but when we got there, he got a chance to check out Wogboy's father's new motorbike. It is beautiful. Harley Fatboy, with flames and flame themed on all the chrome. What a beauty!

The ol' birthday went pretty well. I wandered out to the kitchen in the morning to be greeted by two wrapped parcels on the kitchen bench. I loved the wrapping paper. Newspaper, with brightly coloured post it notes that created a message. The overall effect was great. I've kept the wrappers. *grins* They turned out to be rocher chocolates - yum! - and a lovely book on Wizardology. It matches my book on Dragonology. I've placed them together on the bookcase. And after handing around some of the chocolate, I plonked myself down that evening and ate the rest. MOTH cooked me a roast dinner too. And mother sent me a lovely donation. You know, save the destitute daughter fund. And I put that toward another worthy cause. Buy a bottle of rum day. *nods*

And while on the bus on the way home from work, I glanced out the window just in time to see a grey kangaroo hop slowly away from someone's fence and back into the long grass.

Very little has happened since. But I must remember to make notes... Lol.

Sol's view. Week in review.

And what a week it's been. At least it could have been. My memory only stretches as far back as the weekend just gone so I'm really going to have to think about what the last week has been about.

Of course, I'm trying to think of stuff while I'm at work. Which isn't really helping my cause.

I'm fairly certain the week passed uneventfully *memo to me: takes notes, stupid* and that nothing really happened during the entire week.

No, wait. As you know, MOTH has been serving on a committee for the University. This week he was finally notified that he is no longer able to serve. The rules of membership changed last year and there was doubt that he could continue while I worked at the Uni. This week, he was notified that they couldn't change the governing body's mind *hmmmm. images* but that they would be happy to have him on a different committee attached to a different institution. MOTH elected to drop it completely. *great. now how am i going to get him out of the house occasionally? don't these people CARE??*

Apparently not.

Thursday night, we went out to do a grocery shop. We are still trying to figure out how the budget will work, since the boyos pay the board every week. I think we've decided that we would trial paying the rent and most of the bills each fortnight, but shop each week. MOTH isn't sure how that will work, and has already complained that there is no food in the house at the end of the week and he gets nothing that is bought. This is, in reality, nothing new. EVERYBODY knows that teens in the house means no food. But maybe I'm wrong with that assumption. He told me that it never happened when it was just the girls. But I beg to differ. But I think I like it this way. I only have to wait for a week before I can restock some stuff, instead of having to wait the fortnight. And of course in a house full of people you NEVER wait, find out that someone has been there before you and leave the last bit for someone else. And THAT, my friends, is why he always misses out. *hmmmm he's gettin food from somewhere!*

Friday night, the Teen had Wogboy sleep over. Sunny and Judah also had a friend sleep over, so the house was kind of full. You'd never know it though. The Teen retreated to her own room, and the boyos went out for the evening. I had a text later in the evening to ask if they could possibly get a lift home. It seemed the buses were no longer running. MOTH was less than impressed. He's a lot of that lately. A little while later, there was another text to say that they found a bus line that was still running, and they would be home on that one. MOTH then spent some time expressing an opinion about being expected to run around after them. Which I have to note is a far cry from how he felt about the Elder. She was to call anytime, it didn't matter when.

Saturday the boyos went out again, and this time the Teen and Wogboy left as well. So for the second weekend running, we were left to our own devices. As usual, we did nothing special.

Sunday MOTH went to the shops to do the usual bread, milk, and paper run. I lazed about most of the day. *yay for the lazing aboutedness* Sounds like a pretty typical weekend....

It's raining. Again.

And it is. Every day for the last few weeks has been overcast and humid. And minimum 'showers' 5 days out of 7. If it wasn't for the 2 day break through the week, I'd be going mouldy.

At least it hasn't actually gotten to the point where everything feels damp and mould has started growing.

But it means that the Teen's hayfever has been playing up something chronic, and weeks of headaches and lethargy for me. But overall, the Teen hasn't been feeling her usual bouncy self for some time now. She's always tired. And of course, irritable. But last Thursday she came home from late night, and she was so exhausted she was almost crying. She went straight to bed and was almost asleep without changing or switching her light out. The doc has prescribed some blood tests, and if that shows up nothing, it's a sleep study. Interesting....

Thursday afternoon I noticed that my phone wouldn't send a message. *shrugs* I tried sending to another person, but it still wouldn't work. I tried calling, but to no avail. Thursday night, we noticed that MOTH was in the same boat.

Bugga.

So Friday I phoned the carrier. Seems that I had forgotten to change my address and as a result had missed a bill. They put a bar on the outgoing services. And when I phoned up and found out that I had missed a payment, they demanded immediate payment of $154.

So there went the stash I had put aside to pay you back WCFC, sorry.

Well, I paid it, and now I'm waiting to see if they will lift the bar. I don't think they will, because there is still some amount outstanding. *shakes fist at carriers*

Friday night we decided to have a quiet drink out in the gazebo. Great place that. There is no light, but we have a table and chairs so we put the tealights out. And I have lowered myself to consume ... passion pop. Yes. I finally did it. Sunny and I shared the bottle. And probably a lot of secrets too. Then I adjourned to watch a Carl Baron dvd with the Teen. I don't think it was the passion pop, but that man is positively HILARIOUS!

Saturday all the children left the house for greener pastures, and MOTH and I were left to rattle around in the house. We cooked dinner then settled down to watch a movie. Something classy called Zombie Strippers. I laughed a lot. MOTH shook his head. It is a typical B grade zombie movie, but this time the setting is a strip club.

And for something completely different, Sunday I watched Sweeney Todd. And then Romeo and Juliette. Anyone see a pattern here people?

And so, it's back to work again today. I think I'll try and take it easy to recover from my weekend.

It occurred to me....

That I might have actually done something on the weekend that I forgot to blog about. Because I am getting a bit grey around the muzzle.

Something that may, or may not, have been the highlight of the weekend, and I forgot about it!

During the week, MOTH and I received an invitation to dinner at a friend's place. A Boxing Day get together if you will. Yes, I know. That's been and gone a long while away. But usually, if we are going to have them, they ARE on Boxing Day. And usually it's in the afternoon and we have a bbq to go with it.

This year, because she had been away, she decided to postpone it. So we had it Australia Day weekend.

I go along because, you know, when you've been friends with someone for a long, long time, you sort of feel obligated to turn up. Well, I sort of do anyway. And who am I to turn down a free feed?

I'm not always keen. She has airconditioning, but doesn't always run it.

So we toddled off, and yes! *does happy dance* We arrived the same time as the other guests. They are always great to have around - he's very funny, she's very pleasant, and they always bring out the best in the hosts.

AND the airconditioning was running. Couldn't get any better, could it.

But it did. A lovely glass of wine before dinner. Dinner was baked ham, turkey, salad with pumpkin pie and icecream for dessert. It was so good, I went back for seconds. Of the main that is, not dessert. *hears audience take collective gasp*

Her little boy is INTENSE. Yes, that's the only word I can think of that comes close to describing the change in this gorgeous rosy cheeked and previously quiet angel.

Her little girl read me a story. She reads very well. She even managed the word 'contrary'.

And after a bout of serious play, while I was sitting at one end of the couch, she grabbed a cushion, threw it on my lap and lay down along the length of the couch.

Wow. As if no one has ever done that on me before. What are they saying, exactly?

*perplexed look and rolls away*

Home. It's where the heart is.

Happy Australia Day everybody!

We celebrated as best we could. Even though we didn't have a lamb dinner - sorry Sam. Not even a bbq. Even though, in spite of my best intentions, I didn't listen to the Triple J Hottest 100 countdown. Even though.

There did seem to be many Aussie flags flying this year. I think the Sunday Mail must have improved their circulation. Flags on cars. Flags on bikes. Yes, even a pushbike with a flag almost bigger than the bike.

Argh! The dvd player is being a pain. It's breaking up the visual and losing the audio, and we've even cleaned the lens....

I don't think too much has happened during this week. My work compatriot is back this week and I'm sure she won't be happy with what little I have managed to accomplish of the stuff she left me when she went on holidays.

The travel took precedent. As it does. A trip to some out of the way place on short notice. Which was cancelled. Of course. Because of the weather. And we've had to rebook it all for different dates.

Sometimes I think it's time to move on. I've even found myself browsing the internal job ads....

The Great Outdoors. It's so ... outdoorsy

It's Monday again, and time has rolled around so quickly. We're settling into the new place and getting used to the way things work. That is, public transport.

The weather is fine. It's been humid, but hey, I've been in the airconditioning all day so I haven't noticed it too much. Right now, I'm sitting out in the gazebo, laptop on the glass topped table, and stealing someone's interwebs. Probably mine actually, now I think about it.

Yes, we did seem to have managed to get it functioning. The main dispute is the rate we have to pay now. At the other place, MOTH arranged to have it all bundled with the house phone. And that worked. But over here, there is no service for ADSL2. And that's what we had and were paying for. But because it was all bundled - this is what I've managed to get. It could be wrong - we can't change the plan to a faster speed or bigger download. In fact, we can't change it at all, so we are still expected to pay for ADSL2, even though we can't get the service. We took it to the Ombudsman, who referred us back to the complaints resolution centre. MOTH managed to explain the problem, but someone will have to get back to us.

Typical. But we have instruction from the Ombudsman not to pay the ADSL2 charges until the dispute is resolved. Which might be good, if we could work out what they are. Since it is all bundled together like. So people, if there is one thing I've learned from this it's don't bundle your phone packages.

The day has cooled off a little and I'm listening to the next door neighbours splash in their pool. I can't see them though, and I like that very much.

A recap of the week. I guess that's what you are waiting for. And what a week. So memorable, I don't think I have anything to say really.

The Teen finally has her glasses. They set me back a pretty penny I can tell you. The frames are brand name; D&G. Nothing but the best when you're a teenager keeping up with the trends, right?

I've managed to sort out the buses I need to get to work. I hop on one not far from home, and change at one of the major shopping centres for one that takes me straight to work from there. It all works very well - I can walk in the office door in a smidgeon over an hours commute. I'm loving it. The only problem is that the bus I catch in the morning has a very limited number of runs. About three in the morning, and three in the evening. So I can't really leave work early, or get there late. Bum.

What day is it again?

It does seem to be a Monday. I'm sitting at work - of course - and I'm so tired that I can't even begin to think straight. I'm busy shaking my fist at some Pacific nation because right now, it's apparently in some sort of weather induced state of flux and everything I stressed over last week must now be redone.

On the homefront everything is pretty normal. For our house. We still don't have the interwebs. Friday just gone, MOTH gave himself a good dose of the downers. Huh. For some reason, Cactus Island popped into the vacant space occupying my brain at present.

But I digress!

He phoned Telstra to talk to them about getting the issue of the interwebs sorted. A couple of hours and countless people later, he still hadn't got it resolved. He almost had, he was getting somewhere with someone really helpful annnnddd ... the phone cut out and switched him back to a call centre. He gave up. Spent the rest of the day keeping the Black at bay.

There you go, it's now confirmed. Telstra is a major cause of depression.

He tried again a day or so later. The issue still isn't resolved, but we did find out that the service we had been on at the old address - ADSL2 - is not available at the new place. I think there is some big story behind that, but us little plebs will never know it. So now we have to convince Telstra that we shouldn't continue to pay for a service that we can't use.

Saturday, the Teen bugged me to spend a bit of my money - bond refund - and get some dye for her hair. Yes, dear readers, she's making the sacrifice. She's giving up the blonde and going brown. She and I went to the supermarket and picked the colour. Too cheap and nasty we are to have it done in a salon. We purchased two boxes because now she has the extensions in, things aren't as easy as they once were. And spent AB-SO-BLOODY-LUTELY ages putting it through. By crikey though, it went dark.

When she got to the washing out stage, it was black! Or at least, a very dark, patchy, charcoal colour. Apart from the roots where her natural hair colour was. It had gone a pretty brown ...

... many tears later, and we decided that the next day we would have to purchase a different one. And so we did. Different brand too. This new one was the same brand I use. And another forty dollars later, I decided it might have been cheaper to get one of her hairdresser friends to do it after all. Serves us right! *kicks self. and her too*

So, this one was a little more of a success. And all were happy.

On a completely different note I treated myself to a nintendo DS lite. I tromped everywhere, but could only get a light blue, pink or white. No one had black. Not anywhere. But Sunny has white. Rules that one out. The Elder, although she doesn't live at home, has light blue. Guess that only left the pink. * small shudder* The Teen wasn't too upset about that. By her way of thinking, I can save up and purchase myself a black one. As long as she gets the pink one.

Of course.

Typing. It's optional.

I've been playing while on holidays. A little light stress relief. Well, it was supposed to be, but now I think it's presented a whole different level of 'stress'...



Ignore the 'old lady' hand in the photo. I couldn't find any way to get rid of those.

So, I think we've been in the house for about a week now. Or is it two? Each day is much like the other when you don't have work days to mark them out. I'm back in the office today. Back at work for a rest.

I really like the house. I don't know about any of the others who shall be sharing my abode. True, it's going to take a lot more work to keep tidy. And I still am yet to find a way to get the 'housemates' to contribute to some of the upkeep. Perhaps I might just have to say that whatever day I pick will be cleaning day, and leave the cleaning gear out. I know the boys will be contributing to the rent, but I don't think that means that MOTH and I should have sole responsibility for keeping it clean. I'm really more interested in all of them keeping their areas clean - their bathroom and toilet, the rumpus room, their sleeping areas. That kind of thing.

We're still not completly set up - I had to do a mad dash out to the fridge in the garage this morning to get the salad dressing - but we are getting there. We can actually see some of the garage floor space. And we've managed to use the cooktops. All rusted and pitted as they are. I think they are not too bad under all the burned on stuff though. And in the course of cleaning the 'old' place, there has been the revelation of the stuff called 'gumption'. It's amazing - even jus the word gumption! - and if I get energetic, some of it might be finding its way on to the stove.

In the course of exploring the outside, we've found a compost bin. *smiles* I'm not sure if the Teen is altogether impresed with the idea of having to do a compost run. I didn't 'remind' her several times last night, so I see it still on the bench this morning.

A godsend is the dishwasher. This one doesn't complain about having to do the dishes, and does a super job. Since we aren't used to using one, it's going to take a bit to remember to clean out the food traps. I don't mind packing the dishwasher each night and kicking off the cycle. Or unpacking it in the morning. I know the job will be finished off properly then. I have managed to show one family member so far how to use it. MOTH will likely just try to work it out for himself.

One thing I'm not impressed with? The useless tenants before us. We STILL don't have phone or broadband. I did my end of the deal and organised to have the phone disconnected and a reconnection done. Telstra of course. And they move about as fast as a sandcrawler in a storm. Several days after making arrangements online for the move we received an email acknowledgement. A few days after that MOTH got a phone call. A few days after THAT, a techie turned up to do the installation. And guess what! We hadn't been using our broadband after all. The previous tenants HADN'T DISCONNECTED THEIR PHONE. And the techie couldn't do a thing about ours because of it. So we phoned the number he suggested, confused the heck out of the poor customer service officer and hopefully got the ball rolling to get our phone service connected....

I like that the buses run from stops about a two minute walk away. Most of them that is. The one I need to get this afternoon stops at the shops - about a fifteen minute walk away. I can walk down the hill to the train station down from the major shopping centre where I need to run my errand and then get a bus to home from my destination station, or I can hop on a bus just outside the major shopping centre and get off at the local shops. No brainer for me really. MOTH is hoping that with all the buses so close, he won't have to drive anymore. It's getting very difficult for him - these days he can't drive more than a kilometre before he loses feelings in his hands. And I really don't want to be in the car if he ever loses feeling enough to lose his grip on the wheel. Although it could make life interesting. For somebody. *smiles dreamily and wanders off*

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.