Sunny, windy, rainy ... Melbourne

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

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

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

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

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

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

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





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

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

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

The quiet. I has too much of it.

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

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

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

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

So I have been busy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gosh, it's quiet here...

A great weekender

The weekend just gone was sort of strange.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She was gone Friday to Sunday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wha? Was that time rushing by?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here's to new friends!

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

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

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

Great.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Defs a friendship to cultivate.

Where I notice an empty space.

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

But it feels odd nonetheless.

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

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

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

She didn't find any.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Friends never say goodbye....

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I'm all for usual...

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

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

Ah, I hope in vain methinks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

As usual.

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


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

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

Here's to loose ends.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Luckily, Jemma didn't get sick.

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

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

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

Just waiting for the Elder now.

A quick update...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Turf wars. And not a lego in sight.

It's been a strange couple of days.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I peeked out the window.

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

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

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

Monday, bloggy Monday

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

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

Well, let's see...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*giggles manically*

Free movie knights rule!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And things were more or less back to normal.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Welcome ... Jawsome

He arrived on Saturday. He walked in the door on Saturday afternoon, followed by the Elder. It felt strange. I have chatted to this boy on line; I have seen him on web cam. And lo, there he is in person. Looking just like he did on cam. Strange, almost deja vu.

The Teen says she wasn't phased by that. Most of the people she meets are from msn or mySpace anyway. She's used to it.

Wow, you're not a four foot midget with a monobrow after all I remarked. He laughed and ducked his head. In reality, he's 188cm tall. That's about 6ft 1inch in the old scale. I think that's about the same height as Sunny, but we aren't sure. He's a full head taller than the Elder.

He's still a little quiet, but has the potential to be a very funny lad. The Elder took him out to the local bottle-o Saturday night. And he went out in normal clothes, but included in his ensemble a knitted orange hat thing. That pulled down over his ears and included the dangling strings that tie under the chin. Hillarious. The Elder just shook her head. And smiled at the same time.

Yesterday he went out in public wearing a bright pink tee with the words I'M GREAT! on it. In large black block letters. Game, I'll give him that.

He's willing to laugh at himself. And that's not a bad thing. Like telling us that he fell out of the shower - at his home - and skinned his heel. And showed us the wound. We don't know how he fell, and I'm not quite game enough to ask.

They get along just fine though. There doesn't seem to be any awkwardness between them. So. I guess we will just have to see where this leads...

Donations accepted for the Save the Desititute Daughter fund

The Elder drives a car. A piece of shit car that she is strangely proud of. The fact that it is an old volvo has nothing to do with it. Really. It's a little dinged around the edges, but it adds character.

She likes it because she can do crazy things and park in strange places. She tells me that people will just look at the car, note that it's a bloody volvo driver and shrug.

But just lately, the romance hasn't been going so well. The car has been breaking down; becoming tempermental and throwing the occasional temper tantrum.

Last night, he refused to start. Again. The last time this happened, it was a weekend and she was stuck in the car park. Luckily, she's got RACQ. You know, never be without it. And when her knight in reflective yellow turned up, he got the car going. Without two fuses. Which freaked him a little. Because that just shouldn't happen.

This time, the thing she should never be without, she's without. And no RACQ to the rescue. Luckily, a knight in shining Ford Focus came along. He lives out our direction so offered us a lift home. The Elder wasn't sure about taking it. She didn't want to leave her baby alone. But I talked her into it and the knight dropped us home. After dinner, we went out to see if we could fetch the volvo. I drove our car and MOTH came with us.

He twiddled some cables. No go. He put in more oil. No go. He played with a switch. And hey presto! It started. Apparently a switch for the headlights wasn't fully off and it was shorting. Fortunately, it seemed to like the adjustment. And it was time to bring the baby home.

MOTH insisted he was coming home with me though. He wasn't going to ride in that piece of shit car!