Wet

I wrote a big whinge about living with a deaf/hard of hearing person yesterday and then deleted it.

I will say, though, that it is becoming more isolating as I know that I will have to repeat what I say so often don't bother saying anything and casual conversation is becoming less and less frequent. He won't wear his hearing aids and I think his standard response to me saying anything is "sorry what?" even before he has processed what I have actually said.

Does anyone else living with a deaf partner find these things happening?

We have started taking the dogs up to the block for a good run before we walk them. The idea is to make them less pully on the leads. The jury is out on how successful this actually is! Yesterday we met Joanne who's build has already started. She is a lovely woman who is also renting in Lakes. Her process has been going on for two years so we really can't complain about 6 months. She is also a mine of information and has given us some great tips.

Last night around 9.00pm Himself got an email from the council regarding our permit application and this morning he woke to another one from another person in the same council requesting more information. Information that we are pretty certain they already have. Of course, this person only works Mon, Wed and Fri so he will wait until tomorrow to endeavour to speak with him/her (the name doesn't give us a clue to gender). On the plus side, though, things are happening!!

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Well, our council person must be working from home because they responded to Himself's email saying he thought he had submitted the report they were looking for and we have been moved to the next person in the line of box tickers.

It was a glorious sunny day and we took the dogs up to the block for their run. Himself got to talking to the chap doing Jo's slab and he said he will be doing ours as well. He also gave Himself some tips on the crossover which we have to arrange ourselves. This is a crossover for those who use another terminology:

It connects the road with the driveway.

After we had been to the block we went to the foreshore and walked across the bridge to see the installation I talked about the other day. The five poles representing the five clans of the Gunaikurnai tribe are up and they were doing the planting. We got to chatting to one of the blokes who turned out to be the artist who designed the pelican, canoe and duck chair and is involved in the whole project. I said I would like to learn more and he gave me a booklet which contains so much information about the five clans and the meaning Country has for the people. It is the plan they have to adhere to as they go about implementing all the works they are doing.

If you go to glawac.com.au you can find out a lot more. The link to the booklet came from that site and the bloke on the cover of the booklet doing the smoking ceremony is Alfie Hudson, the chap we met today. The Bush Cafe is just up the road from us and I can't wait to take Three there when he comes down to collect Sally after her holiday with us in September I might see if I can persuade Himself to check it out sooner!

After a glorious sunny morning it is now bucketing down and we have had thunderbolts and lightning (very, very frightening, me).

And because I now have that stuck in my head I shall share the magic with you!