A change of plan.

It's late Autumn in Melbourne and that means you take the good weather when you can.

Today and tomorrow have good forecasts - later in the week not so much.

So the inside work has been put on hold and we focussed on the outside. I trimmed the pumpkin patch so Himself could mow the front lawn. We did some clearing out in the back garden and general tidying up. The stylist will be putting some outdoor furniture in the gazebo so that has been emptied. 

When I had done as much as I could outside (I will do some weeding tomorrow) I came in and sorted through our pillows picking out the fluffiest ones for display. I may need to buy a couple more but that's OK. I sorted through a box that hasn't been touched for 6 years and I'm glad I did because it contained photos I had forgotten about and some important documents relating to The Aunt (that I swore I didn't have - whoops).

Jinx has been constantly licking her nether regions. When we took them to the vet for their jabs he gave her a course of antibiotics and some cortisone. She seemed to improve but has now licked herself raw. She is not coping with the upheaval going on and I can't explain it to her. All the animals are reacting. Murphy is his usual needy self but seems OK if he gets the attention when he wants it. Minnie and Max have become very affectionate towards me as if seeking reassurance. But poor old Jinx just keeps licking and seems almost depressed. Another trip to the vet this week.

I reduced the gym equipment to nothing and a delightful young man came and collected it this afternoon. 

Today has been one of those "oh crikey moses will we ever get this done in time" days. And an "are we doing enough to make this house sell well" days. I keep reminding myself of the flaws we didn't find until we had moved in and hoping that prospective buyers will have the same outlook. 

I am not saying there is anything inherently wrong with the house - just that it's 30+years old and I aim for perfect.

A day off

I decided we both (particularly Himself) needed a day off from hard physical work. We wanted to have another look a the display so we had a bit of a day trip.

These two photos are literally side by side. The dark storm clouds breaking to bright sunshine.

 

Himself seems to be incapable of following street signs and wasn't much better with the GPS in my car (he was driving) so we got a bit lost a couple of times which was OK as we got to see parts of the city we normally wouldn't. And to be fair things have changed a lot around there with all the road works so I wasn't too crabby.

How cool is this building? And yes it does look wobbly.

This is a wall of a building in the city and all those plants are real.

We finally got over to the other side of town (there are no displays of our model on this side) and had a quick loo break and lunch at Macca's. 

Then off to the house. It turns out that our particular design is not popular in the city as blocks of land are so expensive and our house is too big. Says a lot for Melbourne land sizes. Even far outer Melbourne housing estates have blocks the size of pocket handkerchiefs. We probably spent 20 minutes there measuring and comparing our house (Santorini 28MK2) with the display (Santorini 33) - so same basic design but the display is 33 squares and our is 28, although with our modifications it will come in a bit bigger than that. (If you want to click on the links to see the differences just click on Regional Victoria and it will take you to the floorplan on each link - I hope)

After finding out that the display is closing in under a week we were glad we made the trip as I don't know if there is another one within easy driving. Now we have to wait to see our actual house and that could easily be 12 months away. The previous times we have built it didn't take this long to get from sign up to contract to build. There are so many hoops builders have to jump through and forms to submit and councils to bribe. Sorry, not the last one ... that I know of.

More clouds on the way home. This was coming back over the Westgate Bridge with Port Phillip Bay in the background. A glorious day.

Some more weird interesting buildings.

We came home along the beach. this is Port Melbourne. A very trendy, very expensive suburb that used to be working class - like all our inner suburbs. I think the original inhabitants would turn in their graves if they knew what their working class cottages are selling for these days.

Home after a 5 hour round trip, most of which was driving.

Tomorrow Himself will start to take up the carpet. I must find a mask for him or his allergies will blow up terribly. Not sure what I will do. If the weather permits I will work outside, otherwise I'll pack more stuff away.

NOTICE!!

Not bad for a 6 year old. I will have to have words with her about the correct use of apostrophes, though.

When the stylist came yesterday she suggested decluttering cupboards so that is what I did today. I think we have too many glasses. And too much crockery. How many platters does an antisocial couple need? Mugs anyone? Casserole dishes? Pie plates? What pisses me off is that I dragged all this with us when we moved here 6 years ago. 

Himself has one more coat of paint to put on two walls and then the serious painting is done. We will do touch ups as needed, particularly on the white painted woodwork. 

Most of the heavy cleaning is done. I will go around just before photos to make sure everything is dust free but this house just oozes dust. At night you can see the dust dancing in beams of light. 

I have given stuff away on marketplace. A Horn sewing machine cabinet that went very quickly. A dog kennel that someone was picking up last night and never showed so I relisted. The new recipient came to pick it up but it didn't fit in her car so she will come back tomorrow with her husband's ute. Turns out she lives just up the road from our previous house! An exercise machine thingy that I really hope the dude comes to collect over the weekend. Could I ask for money? Yes. Do I? No. I don't want these things anymore. They have served their purpose with us and someone else can use them. If they sell them on then good on them. I can't be hassled with the whole selling of stuff I have no emotional connection to. I have friends who have stuff cluttering up their homes that they no longer want, need or like but they won't give them away because they are "worth something". I am not that person.

It was a lovely day earlier and now the rain has set in. Someone has lit a fire somewhere (in their fireplace, not just randomly) and the smell of the rain mixed with woodsmoke just says Autumn. My favourite season.

 

A better day - in which I remembered to breathe!

The stylist rocked up at 9.00

I am waiting for a quote from her but I basically agreed with everything she suggested! She will bring in some furniture and fripperies. I have a bucket load of stuff to pack up to create a decluttered look. 

The front porch looks amazing.

The pumpkin patch is negotiable.

We went to Spotlight for bed linen and European pillows. They had a VIP member massive sale just today. The style gods were smiling upon me.

The funds have hit the solicitors' trust account and we have signed all sorts of forms for buying the land and selling this place.

I put a sewing machine cabinet and a dog kennel on marketplace for free and they will be picked up this evening. Himself has some exercise machine thingy that he wanted money for. I put $50 on it. So far no nibbles. I will reduce it to free and see what happens.

The agent has made an appointment for the eager couple to come through on the evening the styling is done; the day before photos and stuff. I think this is part of creating the excitement around the property. I wouldn't be surprised if we get a couple more "sneak peeks".

This time in a fortnight we will be done. Then we live in a fishbowl until the place is sold. We are considering sleeping in the guest bed so as not to disturb the magnificent creation that will be the master! 

Once you put your house on the market it is no longer your own and I am fine with that. It is a period of transition.

I just hope the transition happens quickly!

Bloody Nora moments (during which I may swear)

#1   As I mentioned yesterday the porch was not looking promising.

This was the product we were using based on advice given to Himself by a Dulux rep who happened to be at Bunnings when he was researching. Three coats would do it and 10L would be enough for each coat.

3 10L containers later and it looked like shit. Being the understanding compassionate wife I am, I completely blamed him. Turns out there have been many issues with this product - or more to the point, the way it is described, the uses and applications.

A delightful young lass (Himself does have a way with delightful young lasses - always has and it isn't diminishing with age - maybe he reminds them of their grandfather now!) was very helpful and suggested another product. She also rang Dulux while he was there and they called him back full of apologies (but no $$ - said to let them know when he is doing another painting job and he told them in no uncertain, but pleasant terms, that hell will have frozen over before that happens!). Anyway, he came home and applied the new product and it is looking fanbloodytastic. I actually think that the failed product might have helped the finished result but it was an unnecessary expense.

#2   Remember how I went to the bank last Friday and spent $28 for an electronic real time transfer? I had taken in a redacted (as in actual $$ amounts removed but the salient details still visible) bank statement of the trust account the solicitor had given me so I couldn't understand what had happened. I rang the conveyancer at the solicitor's office and was going over the details and realised that the banking expert I saw had used the customer ID rather than the account number. Fuck fuckity fuck fuck. I felt sick. Fortunately Himself wasn't home (see first bloody Nora moment) so I could gather my thoughts without having him melting down behind me. I checked our bank account and the amount had been credited back to us. Phew. I went to the bank as was there just after they opened. I explained to the person (who seems to hide from customers but apparently is the customer contact) what had happened and said I needed this fixed TODAY. She gave me an appointment for an hour's hence. 

In my defence - when I checked the transaction with the twat that I saw last week (she was doing me a favour by squeezing me in, remember?) she asked me to verify that the numbers she had were correct. They were. What I didn't pick up was the difference between the ID and the account number. One would like to assume that a bank employee would know the difference between Client ID and Account Number.

We both rocked up to the appointment as I had to go and choose paving paint colour afterwards (see #1 again) and I was trying to sit on a volcano itching to explode. The lass we saw was lovely, understood what had happened, asked who I had seen on Friday and did a brilliant eye roll when I pointed in the direction. She didn't charge me another fee (and nor should she but I wasn't going to rock any boats - see simmering volcano) and hopefully, fingers crossed, god and allah willing, touch wood and toss some salt the funds will be there tomorrow morning for settlement on Monday. 

#3   Himself heard on the radio that our builder is doing the same thing that the builder who recently went belly up did by offering huge discounts. I went and had a look on their website and it appears to be their regular promotion. When we signed up we got several thousand dollars worth of upgrades - this seems to be the same. But you have to love the media for hyping the drama. Every builder offers upgrades on a regular basis as a "special offer". I don't think that's what PD did.

#4   The agent rang Himself to say he had a client who was ready to buy (and spend well what we want) and could he look at our place. Our place isn't just a bit messy. It looks like a bunch of apocalyptic survivors fleeing the zombies with no regard for personal health or safety have taken up residence. At a push I would consider once the existing carpet has been lifted and the painting has been done but I would like the place to look nice. The agent wants to bring this dude through before we are officially on the market. 

This agent has a great reputation for getting really good prices for properties (we should know, we bought through them!!). One of his techniques is to create an exciting vibe about a property. I understand that. But, hells bells motherfucker, this is my house and my home. It is not just your job. I know, I know, his success is our success. 

Tomorrow the stylist comes. I did text her this morning conceding defeat. I need every ounce of help she can give me.

Bruiser

I picked a pumpkin. I think it could have waited a few more weeks. I have made soup out of it for dinner tonight. We shall have it with the bread I baked this morning. 

This leaves me with a dilemma. Should I pull the pumpkin plant and have the garden pumpkinless for sale or should I leave it and let prospective buyers see what a verdant pumpkin patch they could have? I really want to see how much more the juveniles will mature before winter sets in.

 

My baby had a fall at day care. Three thinks there might be a day care fight club.

But we know the first rule of fight club ...

Want some house stuff? 

These are the colours I have chosen for our floors in the new place. I like how the floorboards reflects the grey without being too grey. The tiles will be in wet areas and the carpet in all the bedrooms bar what will be Himself's study.

Himself spent most of the day working on the porch with a bit of inside painting in between coats. 

I fear that his inability (or refusal) to actually follow the instructions on the tin might have fucked the whole thing up. This is a major thing as it is right at the front of the house - the first thing people see. I am zipping my lips and letting him fix it. 

I keep finding things that need doing. 

And all I want to do is crawl into bed and read my book. 

Seasons

Today was a glorious Autumn day. A heavy dew overnight which broke to a still, sunny day. 

 Officially our Autumn started on the first of March but our weather was still very summery. It is usually just after Easter that the weather really changes.

So ... Easter (borrowed from pagan festivals) is celebrated on the weekend of the first full moon after the spring/autumn equinox and this year that was two weeks ago. I know that many northern hemisphere countries identify spring and autumn by the equinoxes. 

Australia follows the traditions of those who came here a couple of hundred years ago and I fully understand why the early European aussies would want to retain that link to their home countries.

Recently a government department decided that we would split the year into two equal parts for daylight savings which doesn't reflect the changes in season.

There had been talk of the feral gummint (federal government) making Easter celebrations at the same time each year - think first weekend in April for example. I am pretty sure this wasn't an April Fool's joke and it has quietly disappeared.

Australia has an amazing and unique climate. Yes, it varies depending on location but there are - who'd of thunk it - first nation people from every area who understand the traditions of their elders who could educate us all. 

How cool would it be if we didn't have Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter but seasons based on the indigenous knowledge of the areas. 

Two days in one.

To get back into my routine of posting in the evening I will write about yesterday now and today later.

Yesterday ...

Neither of us particularly wanted to do anything around the house. I emptied a cupboard that had stuff in it I hadn't even looked at since I packed it up 6 years go. I now have to finish sorting into a toss and keep pile. I know which one will be larger.

We went out to Metricon for their "open house". We were given a quick run through and then were able to roam free looking at colours and samples. I have picked my flooring (tiles, carpet and hybrid floorboards), my wall colours, my kitchen cabinet colours and bench tops and the same for the bathrooms. I have also chosen the bricks and the roof and the window frames (white - that wasn't hard). We are given a certain range included in the cost - anything "upgraded" costs more. Guess whose kitchen bench was in the top range? But my bricks were in the included range so swings and roundabouts. We did get extras included in the initial costing so, hopefully, there won't be too big a difference when we have finished designing the interior.

Once we got home we freshened up and wandered down to the pub. Himself had offered to drive but I wanted him to be able to have a bevvy or two if he wished. And he did.

Our meal was pretty average. That's how the pub runs. Some are amazing some are meh. Ours was in the middle somewhere. Also we were spoiled when we had dinner out at Lakes and have been reminded that good dining does exists and it ain't the Langy pub! We had a flutter on the pokies. Himself blew his contribution. I came out $10 ahead. 

We were planning on catching the courtesy bus home. It shows how long it is since we did that - it stopped during COVID and hasn't been reinstated! So a long slow slog up the hill. I am sure the wines I had helped ease the pain in my hip. I was proud of myself (for the walking, not the wine!). 

When I went to bed Himself gave me a hot water bottle to place on my hip and for the first time in yonks I was pain free overnight and this morning. 

Oh the romance of 46 years of marriage!!

Now on to today. I shall be back later ....

Today

Oh my giddy aunt it was a busy day.

One and Three were amazing. Stuff went to storage and the tip. Himself had help and it was invaluable. It was also good to see the sons interacting.

I can now see the spaces we have to work with and I am going to hand it all over to the stylist.

I have more to go to Vinnies and can see an end to this.

The best husband in the world is cooking steak for dinner.

I want to move out now and leave the place to the agents to sell. Maybe I should go and play the pokies again and fund my dream!

What a day

I didn't post last evening as I was bushed.

I went to the bank to transfer the funds for the balance of the block of land. I can't do it myself as it was over $200,000 and I can only transfer $10,000 a day. That would have taken too long! To increase my limit I had to download an app which I couldn't because my phone is too new for this app. Himself went into the bank to try and find out what to do and they were less than helpful. A bank cheque would cost $10, for them to do it electronically was $28. Against my better judgement I went for the latter as settlement is on Monday week, we have a public holiday this Tuesday and banks couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery so I wasn't taking any chances.

I rocked up and told the woman at the front what I wanted to do. She said they normally make appointments for that (christ on a bike can they be any more customer unfocussed?) but she had a small amount of time before her 11am appointment so would do it for me. Was I meant to be super grateful and gush appreciation? Don't know, but I just smiled and said thank you. Part of the process involved her writing down that I was buying a block of land and this wasn't a scam!

With that done I had some time to kill before meeting J so I took my paperwork back to the car and sat for a bit. I then went into the centre. As I was walking up the steps I noticed an old bloke coming out of the doors and he looked a bit staggery. I was about to ask if he was ok when he took the rail and started to walk down the ramp. Or so I thought. The next thing I heard a thump and I turned around and the poor old bugger had gone down the steps and ended up face first on the road. He was flat on his face and bleeding and said he couldn't get up. I called 000 (999 or 911 depending on where you are) and sat with him. People kept trying to get him moved or put in the recovery position but the woman I spoke to said not to move him as long as he was talking to me, breathing etc, until they could assess him for further injury. J texted she was inside I told her where I was so she came out. The owner of the cafe saw her leave and sensed something was up so he came out, too. Another woman rocked up and took his phone and rang his wife. She also had a blanket in her car. Cafe owner called centre management and they came with blankets, a first aid kit and screens. As I said to J later, I found him, he was mine and no-one was touching him until the ambos got there or a doctor. As soon as I told the first aid team we were retired nurses they were cool. A woman appeared in a nurses uniform from the local hospital and tried to take charge. So I had another discussion about why we were NOT putting him in the recovery position. Once I started talking to her about her area of work and said I'd done similar she was fine.

During all of this the bloke (who had a lovely Irish name and was 79) told me he was three days out of hospital after a fall where he sustained 4 broken ribs. Great, thought I, he has landed on these ribs. But he was still breathing and talking to me and I kept assessing him.

His wife arrived at some point, poor thing. This is the 6th serious fall in 4 months. I have a feeling he won't be going home. In fact I was surprised he was discharged home and not to rehab after his latest fall.

Finally the ambos showed up, assessed him as sound, rolled him over, placed him on some amazing blow up cushion that got him up off the ground, transferred him to trolley and ambulance and took him off. They were lovely.

J and I went and had a much needed coffee. 

I then went and dropped a boot load of stuff to Vinnies and came home as I was feeling a bit shaky. Told Himself what had happened.

Then I went to Angela and swapped yarn for fresh pears. I think I got the better deal!

Home again and down to Bunnings to buy the stuff we need for the porch. Himself had gone down earlier but even with his glasses on, he couldn't read the tiny print on the tins of incredibly toxic stuff. I was able to and we got what we needed. 

Back home and he did the first lot of prep which involved mixing stuff and pouring it onto the exposed concrete and brushing it in until it bubbled and roughed up the surface of the concrete. Next he has to do the same with the patterned surface, then he seals the concrete, then seals everything then puts the finish over the top. It will cost a few hundred bucks but is cheaper than the several thousand we were quoted to have it ground back and polished. It just has to look good to sell!!

By then it was getting late. We decided pizza was the way to go. I had a lovely chat with the Mermaid while Himself went and picked up said pizza and then we had dinner, chatted about the move and I went to bed.

Today is our 46th wedding anniversary!

If time permits Himself will do a bit of work on the porch this morning. This afternoon we have a two hour session with Metricon to learn about what happens when we do our colour and electrical appointment. It will be a bit of fun and take us away from this place. We are then going out for dinner. Early, because we are old!

So the chances are I won't get back here this evening. 

Slowly getting there

Today Himself painted the hallway. 

He then went and organised this ...

So I can deal with this ...

 

There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

A lot will go to the tip. Even more is going to the op shop.

We will store most of our incidental furniture to make the place look as spacious as possible.

Tomorrow I am having lunch with J. I am really looking forward to the break!

Sad

We had lunch with R and T. R is Himself's step cousin (his uncle married her mum). She and I have been friends since we met eons ago. She and the Mermaid are my two oldest friends.

This is her second marriage. She has three kids from her first who are roughly the same age as mine. Her eldest, a son, is 5 months older than One. 

He was there today which was a surprise.

He is homeless. Pretty much by choice and a propensity for drugs. Covid saw him housed as the government did everything it could to get the homeless off the streets. He didn't really like his accommodation. It was full of druggies, alcoholics and they steal from each other. There was a fire and the residents had to leave. He is now squatting. I guess it beats living on the bench outside the library.

He rocked up to R and T's last night. She fed him and he did some washing. He wanted to stay until we arrived. It was "Hi Auntie Sparkling and Uncle Himself" with hugs and genuine joy. This is good because when he was under the influence of something he told his mother that I was the cause of many of his problems. I guess I should be flattered I still have a place in his memory!

He didn't stay through lunch and R drove him to the local station so he could catch a train. Possibly to arrange a hit - he had been clean for over two days and had been arranging to meet someone while we were having starters, hence the hasty departure. 

He tried to join in conversation. It was sad. It was obvious that a lot of what he was saying was fiction but it was like he wanted to be accepted and be 'normal'. We talked about dogs and showed him photos. He latched onto random things and the conversations were somewhat fractured.

I remember the day he was born. I remember him growing up. He was a bright kid and could have had a great future but the drugs got him in his teens and the rest of his life has been a battle. In many ways it's a miracle he is still alive.

He has aged beyond his years. He looks haggard and drawn. He smells like a homeless person despite showering and washing his clothes last night. 

But I got another hug and a "goodbye Auntie Sparkling and Uncle Himself" as he left. 

The thing is this is his choice. He knows he has fucked up and he knows he has noone to blame but himself. He isn't asking for sympathy or handouts. 

Maybe just a bit of understanding and respect. He is a human being after all.

Enough already

Over the weekend I was sure I could hear water. It was raining constantly so I hoped it was that. It wasn't. It sounded as if it was coming from behind the fridge which is plumbed in.

I didn't say anything to Himself as I knew he would stress and there was nothing he could do from Queensland.

On Sunday evening he took the loo apart in our ensuite thinking it was that. It wasn't. We turned the water off at the mains and the noise stopped. When we turned it back on there was slight movement in the meter suggestion whatever it was, it wasn't gushing somewhere.

Yesterday morning we looked at every possibility. The fridge, the other loos, the dishwasher. He even crawled under the house and tracked the pipe from where it comes in all the to the back of the house. Nothing.

In the end I said we would just have to suck it up and get a plumber. The big worry was that there would be a leak in the pipe from the meter to the house which would involve digging up the front garden to find it as well as costing a bucket of money.

He rang a mate from the shed and got the number of a plumber who said he would be over as soon as he could.

I decided to take the dogs for a walk. It was that sort of morning!

As I was about to leave I heard my name bellowed.

"Go and see if you can hear it", he said. I went inside and ... silence.

It turns out the downstairs garden tap has a dodgy washer but he couldn't dismantle the tap to replace it so he had connected a hose so it would trickle away.

The noise of that trickle reverberated all through the pipes in the house. 

The plumber was very gracious when Himself rang to cancel.

Amy made Alice some bell-bottoms.

Isn't she the cutest?

The agent rang me today to say we have gone unconditional with the sale of the land. He sent me a photo of the for sale sign with the SOLD sticker on it.

Today I cleaned the skirting boards and the doors in the hallway and did most of the skirting boards in our bedroom. I then cleaned the paint from the windows Himself has painted so that is another painting job done. Now he just has to finish the hallway, the front room and the study. When I was cleaning in our bedroom I discovered that the cats have destroyed a curtain (it was behind a coat rack which has our dressing gowns on it which is why I hadn't realised how bad it was!). I shall just add curtains to my list for Spotlight!

Tomorrow we are going to lunch with some friends we haven't seen for ages. It will be good to have at least half a day off.

Another last one done

We were meant to have Sally today but Alice is sick so Three stayed home and Sally thought she might be getting sick, too, so she stayed with him. Which is fine. She would  have missed her dad over the weekend.

We went to Bunnings and I bought 18 little pansy like pots. They have a scent - a bit like wallflowers. I will take a photo when we have finished tarting up the deck and show you what I have done with them.

I then pruned the roses. Never again!! I do love my roses but the last couple of wet summers has not been kind to them. I wouldn't be surprised if a couple don't come back next year. Won't be my problem. I will probably have a couple in Lakes but not the massive rose bed I have here. Everything down there will be low maintenance and enjoyable.

I then came in and cleared out my desk so we can put it on the junk pile. It was a cheap thing to start with and I got it second hand for $40. The fake leather top is peeling, the wood is chipped, the roller door doesn't work. I doubt I could give it away. It will go with the rocking chair that has had its rockers chewed away by puppies. Again, it was cheap on market place and wasn't good quality to begin with. I don't like tossing stuff but sometimes there is no other option.

Himself has been painting the timber work on the windows and doors that look out onto the deck. Hopefully he will come inside tomorrow and continue painting in here and I will take over the external stuff. 

I need to get some packing boxes so I can start putting stuff away. You know, the stuff that has sentimental value but won't help sell a house. I can see another op shop drop off in my near future! We used to wrap fragile things in newspaper but no-one reads newspapers anymore! I have no idea what I will use. I might see if anyone has some on the local facebook group.

At the moment I cannot see how we have a snowball's hope in hell of getting this place ready for sale but I know we will manage. It's just that we are getting older and everything is just that little bit harder. 

I am telling myself that the next 3 months will be the hardest and then we can relax and finally enjoy ourselves.

I can't count

I thought I had three more venetian blinds to clean. I had forgotten the ones in the study and kitchen.

I now have one left to do. I am taking a break but will attack the last one shortly. And then I never, ever, ever want to touch another venetian blind again. I hope to god that wherever we rent doesn't have them. Sod it, if they do I will get an exit clean done and pay someone else to have the pain.

I have had two quotes for window cleaning. One was done online from the last real estate listing and was $320. Today a bloke came and quoted me $450. I think I will go for the $320. To be fair all our windows are floor to ceiling. We have 11 windows, 2 sliding doors with windows on either side, a glass door and smallish window in the laundry and the two bathroom windows which aren't that big. I know Himself will insist on doing them himself but he has other stuff to do.

The great thing about having a son who works for Qantas is being able to get cheaper air fares. The downside is that if the flight is heavily booked and there are more senior staff travelling one can get bumped. Twice! Himself sweet talked the lass on the desk and they have boarded. Only two hours later than planned! I don't understand people who lose their cool and yell at people thinking that they will get better service. Be nice and you may get what you want and then some.

When I was working as a receptionist for a medical specialist we would often get people ringing up and abusing us for not giving them appointments when they wanted them. At one point our waiting list blew out to 12 months (sadly, not uncommon in many fields). Be nice to me and you get put to the top of the cancellation list. Swear and yell and you might get pencilled in the bottom of the list with a warning to others that you are a right royal prick.

Tomorrow and Tuesday we have Sally. One of those days she is at dance. I want to go to Bunnings to buy some more small pots of brightly coloured annuals and some small indoor plants for pops of green.

It has been a challenging weekend with all this cleaning. It has involved climbing on things to reach the top and then lying on the floor to do the bottom bits. Lots of bending and stretching. The great thing is that Himself hasn't been here as I would have been told to leave it and let him do it (and he doesn't clean as thoroughly as I do). This way I have moaned and groaned and cussed but been pleased as I was able to climb on something with a tad more ease. I am, however, in a world of pain with my hips and shoulders so will say adieu, go and do the last blind (FOREVER) and then have a well earned glass of wine. 

On my own

The above video is for Steve after a comment I made on his blog about our sulphur crested demons from hell. Prompted by the racket they are making right now.

Himself and Three were up at sparrow's fart to leave for the airport to go to Brisbane for stepson's 50th birthday bash. All my boys are up there. It's funny that Three will get to catch up with One for the first time since Christmas. They live 10 minutes from each other. 

Because I was up (why can't men get ready quietly?) I went and fed One's dog and dropped some stuff off that I had given away in our local residents' facebook group. 

Came home and cleaned the venetian blind in our wardrobe. Went to the doctor for the results of my xray and ultrasound on my hip - bursitis, so no hip replacement thank goodness. Came home and had lunch and cleaned another two big blinds and a little one. I have three more to do and then I'm done. Hopefully they will just need a quick dust before opens.

I have a quote to have the windows cleaned and someone coming tomorrow to give me another one. Himself will not be happy spending the money but he cannot do everything. He needs to focus on the stuff only he can do.

Three put his hand up for the heavy sofa bed so that is one less thing I have to get rid of. 

I am having a glass of wine while my dinner cooks and I bought myself an apple turnover as a treat for afterwards.

The diet can start tomorrow.

It's all go

Sally was dropped off this morning in her pyjamas. She thinks it's rather special leaving home in one's pyjamas.

We went and visited the lovely Angela. Sally was a bit overwhelmed by Trixie, the bouncing poodle, but soon learned to sit on the floor and let Trixie say hi. Ana, Angela's gorgeous granddaughter (those huge eyes!) and Sally got on well and played nicely so Angela and I got to have a grown up chat and I got to have a yummy coffee and pretend I wasn't living in chaos!

As we were getting ready to leave I got the call from the stylist. Not as expensive as first thought so happy to hire furniture if needed. She will come over on the 27th April and has been warned we will still be living in chaos.

When I got home I got a call from the agent's assistant and we discussed timing. Basically on Friday 12th they will come and video the place, draw up the floorplan, write the blurb and take photos. The place will then be on the market.

This afternoon I deep cleaned the walk in wardrobe. I need to do the venetians and the mirrors and that room will just need a routine going over.

Tomorrow I will do our bedroom and the ensuite.

Then I will focus on getting those damned venetians cleaned through the house. 

In between times I will do a bit of weeding and other garden stuff - weather permitting.

So much to do in 4 weeks.

Thank god for gin.

Another Sally day

No food in the house so Granny took Sally to Maccas for breakfast.

We then went to Bunnings and then signed the paperwork with the real estate agent and then off to Ikea where Sally got a cinnamon bun and Grumpy got a hot dog.

We bought a pair of curtains for the study, lights for the front room and study and Sally got an icecream and Grumpy got another hot dog.

Still no food in the house so Sally had a bowl of icecream with sprinkles for afternoon tea.

Grumpy replaced the lights in the two rooms and out the front of the house. The curtains have been taken down and I will hem the new ones over the weekend. We will paint before we rehang.

I have decided to pay $250 for a stylist's advice. If we need new furniture I will hire if it costs less than buying otherwise I will buy because we will need it down in Lakes.

I am now having a large gin and tonic. 

Maud

 Yes, she has been harvested. I gave her to Three because Sally wanted pumpkin soup. 

The other Ms will be following shortly as 

drum roll ....

the house will be going on the market mid-May and the pumpkin patch will be looking a bit sad so will need to be gone.

My head is spinning with all that needs to be done both between now and then but also beyond as we will need to find accommodation for two adults, two dogs and two cats.

The good thing? Not once have I questioned our decision.

Getting too old for this

We had Sally today. She is a good kid and a budding artist!

But she, rightly so, demands attention.

She did painting and drawing until the carpet guy had been and quoted on the three and a bit rooms. 

We then took a whole lot of stuff to Vinnies and she had a look around the shop. I don't think she's been in an op shop before.

When she was camping with her mother's side of the family and their friends over Easter she managed to make $7 by roasting marshmallows. Apparently she is an ace negotiator!

Somehow Granny managed to fork out $4 for a dolls' house and another $3 to take her $7 up to $10 if she didn't spend any today. Then we discovered that she had dropped a $2 coin in the store so I replaced that and explained that most people who shop there don't have a lot so that $2 could mean a big thing to them if they found it. Plus a gentle admonishment to be very careful with one's money. Macca's for lunch and Granny spent nearly $20 today!

We played some games on the computer. Her reading is so good now that we can play mystery games that provide a story and clues.

Tomorrow I am seeing Fave sis in law for the last time before they head back to Italy.

For now, a long gin and an early night.

Stuff

The spare bedrooms have been painted and the curtains rehung and YAY! it works. One less expense. While we were looking for extra curtain hanging thingies we found 6 curtains that we had bought for our bedroom and then changed our mind. They will go in the front room which just leaves the study which will be easy.

My back wasn't happy with the bending I did yesterday when I was painting so I have sorted through more craft stuff. I have two boxes of yarn to show to friends who have first pickings. Then I will put the remainder on a destash site. Amy is taking a large box of fabric and some overlocker threads, elastic, zips and other miscellaneous haberdashery. She doesn't know it yet but Three said she would!

I found a whole lot of quilting batting from a previous obsession that I am hoping will find a home. Seeing as the fabrics, batting and a whole lot of patterns for quilts and clothes haven't been touched since we moved here in 2017 I don't think I will cart them down to Lakes.

Tomorrow the carpet dude is coming to measure up. Himself has cardiac rehab in the afternoon and we have Sally. I might make a trip to Vinnies to drop off the bags of clothes and yarn I have winnowed (to use Boud's expression).

Now that there is a chance we might not have to sell straight away Himself suggested we hold off getting the carpet laid. I told him that I want the house market ready by the middle of May. That way, even if we do plan to hold off, if the agent gets an interested buyer who is willing to pay a good price with a suitable settlement we can sell off market.

Pie, peas and onion rings for dinner. Neither of us feel like cooking so something to pop in the oven ticks the boxes.

Destashing - it's a craft thing!

When you decide to go through your yarn and work out what to keep and what to sell/give away.

At least he had the sense to go into the "keep" box!

There is also a bag of stuff to toss, two bags for the op shop and a bag to give to Alice's day care for craft. I still have heaps to sort through. I think I might have a yarn compulsion.

I am unlikely to do any serious sewing again so need to get rid of a whole lot of fabric and patterns as well as my old Horn sewing cabinet. From the days I had a fabric compulsion.

Himself has finished painting the two spare bedrooms. They look much lighter and brighter and I am pretty sure with a bit of careful placement of pictures I can make the curtains blend in so one less thing to buy.

The chap we are dealing with in these initial stages of the house knows a dude who owns a company that handles financing. He and Himself had a chat this morning and we have more options. Now we need to work out whether it is cheaper to borrow, stay here til the house is built and sell just prior or sell sooner and rent. We also need to get a feel from the agent whether he thinks the market will go up or down. 

The upside of staying is only one move. The downside is keeping this place pristine once we have finished the tarting up which will be in a month or so.

I did my bit today and began painting the railings on the deck.

Then it started to rain, right on wine o'clock!

I wish I had a tape recorder in my brain. I had some great ideas for blog posts while I was painting. Sat down here and "poof" - gone! So you get house stuff.

On the pumpkin front - Maude looks like she isn't going to get any bigger which is good as there are only two of us! 5 or 6 others will be good to go soon (skin getting knobbly and tough - like me) but I have many that will only get to about the size of a grapefruit. I wonder if I can use an immature pumpkin for something.

Just remembered - Happy Easter to those who celebrate. I wonder how many kids out there think this is a long weekend for camping and eating chocolate.

A long day

We left home at 8.30. Got to Bairnsdale at 12.15. Left at 3.15 and got home at 6.30

Ominous clouds

They soon delivered

Then the sun came out for a bit but the clouds were still threatening.

And then they weren't!

And that was pretty much the pattern for the day both going down and coming back.

 At times it bucketed down. I was appalled at the atrocious driving exhibited on wet, slippery roads with poor visibility. 

Anyway. We went through the paperwork in great detail. Discussed lots of things. Signed on the dotted line and handed over $1500 deposit which will get things underway with soil testing and land survey.

Now we focus on this place. We will hear from the builders once things have started to move through the process. Not expecting anything for a few weeks as permits and tests happen and engineers do their thing.

I spent the best part of the day sitting down and I am knackered. My back/hip aren't happy with me but I did get a lot of sock knitted so there is an up side.

Good Friday

Tomorrow we drive to Bairnsdale (about 3 hours) to sign the initial contract and pay the deposit on the house. All very exciting.

It makes the chaos that is my home at the moment a bit more bearable.

Today I finished scraping paint off the windows where Himself had painted the woodwork (yes he could have taped but there is always a bit of scraping to do regardless and I like doing it). I planted the tubs at the front door with pansies and some other plant the name of which escapes me. We should have a burst of colour when the time comes. I also planted a few pots in the vege patch with the same plants for a splash of colour. 

Himself has painted the two spare bedrooms. They will need another coat but it won't take him long. Hopefully he will have all the interior painting done by the end of next week. 

I went to put a load of washing on this morning and I couldn't get the washing machine to turn on. The dryer wouldn't work either. I checked the fuse box. All good. Everything else was working fine.

I think they are under warranty so wasn't too concerned but annoyed at the inconvenience. 

I told Himself and he went into the laundry to have a look.

I heard the tell-tale chime that indicates the machine is on.

I had been pressing the stop start button. Not the on off button.

Shoot me now.

At least I enjoyed a couple of hot cross buns.