Penguin

I am delighted at the interest in the upcoming meeting between yours truly and Penguin. 

So far I know she is female and not young. (You can go back over the comment sections to know as much as I do)

I am wondering how to make ourselves known. Help me, blogging mates. Should we wear hats? Carry something unusual? We are meeting at a cafe but not one on the main street so I can't pretend to be wandering past. 

The success of this meeting is now in your hands. Tell us how we should recognise each other. What shall Penguin wear/carry and what shall I?

The winner will get a photo (as long as Penguin agrees of course).

No title cos it's taken me longer to think of one that it did to write the damned thing!

The only thing I missed about the rental was the view but then I realised that we get some pretty good sunsets from here. 

We weren't going to bother with Christmas this year but Himself kept asking me if I wanted the lights put up. I think he secretly wanted to, so today he hung the the outside and lights and I put the tree up. We bought this one in our old place as it's very festive and requires minimal setting up and even less taking down. The lights change colour. I couldn't get the red ones but you get the idea - and it's not as wonky as it looks here!

The outside lights look amazing and I will get some pics of them in a day or so.

This will be the extent of my Christmas frivolity.

On Thursday I am meeting "Penguin" (a reader who doesn't have a blog) for coffee. I have met blogging mates in the past but always know a bit about them from reading their blogs. I don't even know if Penguin is male or female! I am feeling a tad anxious and haven't told Himself (he will be in Melbourne) as he will probably tell me I am being reckless. 

Penguin, I hope you are not a serial killer!

Tomorrow is the cut off date for our ex landlord to send her paperwork supporting her claim through to VCAT and us. I had hoped she would drop it but I am sure she will try her damndest to get money out of us. Not good for my stress levels at the moment.

Added to the stress is the appalling whistling when the wind is up. The builder has told us this is not considered urgent. I would argue that wanting to leave the house because the noise is intolerable makes it urgent but they hold the cards. 

And on that note I shall leave this somewhat miserable post and go to bed. 

I know I am not the only one who suffers with mental health issues at this time of year. If you are another, know you are not alone.

win win win

Win #1

On Monday I received a text message saying I would be getting a call from a private number that would be a representative of Services Australia (aka the keeper and provider of pensions and other monies) and to not ignore this call. The call duly arrived and it appeared the reason was to explain why we had been knocked back for the old age pension. The lovely person at the other end was trying to explain how things had been calculated (based on something from over 18 months ago) as I was trying to explain that the information provided on Friday was all that mattered. 

We reached an agreement whereby I would provide further information by uploading documents into the ether and she would contact me if she hadn't received them or required further enlightenment. 

I was the recipient of another phone call (without the prior text message warning) from the same person and went through some more interesting proof of identity validation (when were you married, where were you born - Somalia; always throws them, which bank do you bank with - that bank; if you're Australian of a certain age you will know which bank!) and then provided the details of how much we sold our house in Melbourne for, how much this house cost to build, what other things we had spent money on, what I had for breakfast and the last time I went to the loo. At the end of this interrogation - don't get me wrong she was very pleasant -  the call ended with her saying she had all she needed to assess and process the review and we would hear back in due course. Christmas is coming (and the goose is getting fat, please put a penny in the old man's hat ... sorry, I can never help myself  *) and we didn't expect much until the new year. 

Hence my surprise this morning to see an amount of money had been placed in our bank account followed shortly after with a message from mygov to say our application has been approved.

We are now officially old age pensioners (still mainly funded by our superannuation but every bit helps). 

Win #2

For my birthday two years ago Himself gave me a whizz bang super duper Dyson vacuum cleaner. I love this cleaner and use it frequently as opposed to the previous cleaner, which was also a Dyson but a barrel and too hard to lug around. Since moving here I often use it two or three times a day (at least once a day but our dogs are shedding a lot right now) and I have noticed that my hard floors were getting scratched (not a huge issue as a damp mop fixes the marks but still not happy). I asked Himself to have a look and it turned out that a tiny wheel on one side of the motor head had jammed up with dust and effing dog hair and a part of it had worn flat hence the scratches. 

Himself worked out he could fix the problem but wanted to make sure he was buying the correct $3 (plus $10 postage) part so he rang the Dyson service people. Long story short (you're welcome) - we will be getting a brand new motor head valued at $199 posted to us for nothing come mid Jan when they are back in stock. Registering the vacuum cleaner when we bought it (it was out of warranty) might have helped but I was very impressed with their customer service.

Win #3

Our new fridge has had issues with the ice maker freezing up and the freezer showing high temperatures. Because we live rural we don't get the manufacturer's service people, rather a local company who can service this brand. A couple of calls for service and the delightful local chap said fixing it wasn't really going to be work and approached the company with this opinion and -woohoo-  we will be getting a new fridge when stock comes in mid January.

Now, here is my problem. Things happen in threes. I was hoping that the third win would be VCAT. Himself said the fridge was the first win but I feel that it is a warranty issue that had to be dealt with and therefore doesn't really qualify as a win as such.

Not that I am superstitious or anything.

*I apologise for his pronounciation of "ha'penny" but I liked his rendition

A quick update.

Not much happening here. Just the usual day to day stuff.

We applied for the aged pension as we have had to dip into our super a bit with this house and had dipped below the threshold for a part pension. Or so we thought. We were knocked back and the letter said it was because we had over $2million in assets. That would have been nice if we did but, sadly, nowhere near that! On Friday we toddled off to the local Service Australia office (it was easier to make an appointment than speak to someone over the phone) clutching all our paperwork and it appears that someone mis-keyed our data and doubled up our super balances. Hopefully we will hear back from them soon and can start the pension again. The pension won't be much but the benefits like rates reduction, car registration, power bills and medical stuff will be a big help.

On the VCAT front (the issue with the carpet at the rental) we got notice from VCAT saying the landlord has until the 10th to provide VCAT and us with documentation supporting her claim and we have until the 17th to provide our side of the story (which is simple - the carpet is old). I managed to contact her ex-husband and he said the carpet was laid in 1985 so I think we're ok there. She has to provide the reports she claims to have had done although I wouldn't put it past her to get a mate to dodgy one up. Himself wants to give way more information than I think is necessary as I feel the less the better - the carpet is old; that is all that matters. Anyway, it gives Himself something to do so I shall let it go. 

Three sent me this ...

I mentioned my bin stickers. Here they are ...

I am still sewing strips of fabric together to weave into place mats ...

 ... the pile doesn't seem to be getting any smaller. It reminds me of the magic pudding.

Yesterday the Mermaid successfully bid on a unit. It's been at least two years that she has been looking and after she sold her house earlier this year (the new owners have kept her on as a tenant) she kept losing out on so many places. I think it is because she was reluctant to spend what was necessary. Yesterday her son and daughter in law were there and convinced her to go beyond her planned highest bid and she got it. It's brand new and in a great location so she did very well.

We have had a lot of rain lately interspersed with sunshine so everything is growing really well. My tomatoes are growing so fast I'm sure if I sat and looked at them long enough I would see them grow. Yesterday I planted lettuce and radish seeds and some chives, coriander, basil and capsicum seedlings. Today Himself dug up the tree we planted at the front of the house that is dying. Once he removed it the hole filled up with water so I am hoping that some dry soil in a pot will help if it isn't too late. Now we have to work out how to fix the water problem. It could be an underground spring of which there are many around here, or just heavy clay soil that doesn't allow the recent rain to drain away. Or a pipe has been damaged. Something else to keep the old man busy.

Three and I have been sharing gin cocktail recipes. I recently tried an elderflower collins and it is delicous. Might just go and make one now!

Bits and bobs

Because you can't have too much of Max the Magnificent ... 

... he does love being outdoors. Nothing like a good roll on warm ground and an explore through the garden. If I leave him out it's not long before he's at the door demanding to be let back in. I would NEVER allow him out unsupervised, just so you know, but if I go out and come back in he's not far behind me. Of course that could change ... he is a cat after all ... and if it happens that he even thinks about expanding his domain then he will be firmly advised of the error of his ways.

I finished the top I was knitting for the Mermaid. I hope she likes it.

Yesterday it bucketed down. Our wonderful landscaper made a trip out in the rain to see how the drainage was holding up. I think we got the tick of approval. He is also happy with the way the grass has taken off so Himself gets a tick of approval there because he put a lot of work into it. 

We received an email from the property manager of the rental saying she is waiting on a copy of the report from the local carpet company. Himself went down to said company seeking a copy and ... surprise, surprise ... they don't do reports, just quotes. And not room by room as we were told but for the whole house. I was at the supermarket this morning and bumped into our old neighbour who gave me the email address for the landlord's ex husband who might be able to shed some light onto the state of the carpet when he moved out. I just need to compose an email to him and hopefully he will be happy to help us (she apparantly did the dirty on him financially so there is no love lost there).

This morning I had coffee with a very dapper looking gentleman who has driven down from Melbourne for a wee break at the seaside. It is always lovely meeting internet friends in the flesh.

The year is racing to a close. Even though we don't do anything at Christmas I am still arranging a few presents to get to family and couple of friends and hopefully Three will be able to come down for a few days after Christmas. I have no idea when I will see One and his lot. The Mermaid will come down I am sure - I just hope it's not at the same time as Three! I had said I would try to get up to see Two but it's hot and humid on the Central Coast at the moment so I think I will wait until Autumn for that visit. 

At the beginning of October I decided to take myself in hand and do something about the ever increasing waist line and restarted the Fast 800 program with which I had some success a few years ago. The weight loss must be showing because a few people have commented on my new hair cut - which isn't! Obviously I must look different and they can't quite work out why. I am feeling better in myself so will keep going. And the withdrawals from the anti-depressants are just about gone, thank goodness. That was a bit of a torrid time.

Time to start prepping dinner and then it will be gin o'clock.

A story

When I was a kidlet I remember being given a series of pictures and being tasked with making a story about them.

For your edification I give you the following ...*

 *No animals were harmed in the taking of these pictures but sensibilities might have been offended!

Max and Murphy really are very good mates.

More random photos and an update.

Where does the time go? I didn't realise how long it has been (again). Thank you Angela for the message.

In no particular order ....

 First up my gin collection. The numbers vary as bottles get drunk and others arrive.

The local authorities have built an amazing playground on the foreshore. It includes a wonderful water play area. I think it's meant for human kids but someone's four legged kid had a ball ...

I can't wait until Sally and Alice come down over summer.  They will love this ... especially Alice.

Part of my walk in pantry (the builder called it a butler's pantry but I don't have a butler and it doesn't have a sink so as far as I am concerned it's a walk in pantry - technically a walk through, I suppose, as we can access it from the garage). To the left is a cupboard with shelves that slide out when you open the door and holds all sorts of things that I really need to sort through like spices and tins of stuff and pasta and rice and all that paraphernalia! To the right is the kettle and toaster and teas and coffee and sugar. And biscuits although as fast as I bake them Himself eats them. I'll take a photo one day.

I had this bright idea of weaving with fabric. It involved cutting a jelly roll (precut strips meant for quilting) in half, stitching the pieces together into one long strip, folding the ends in and stitching thus making one long piece. 

I won't give up but it is not bringing me joy and is taking a lot longer than I thought. 

Someone posted on the local facebook page that she had tomato plants. She grows an incredible amount of heirloom and other varieties from seed and brought them up from her home. People who had said they would buy didn't turn up so I got a dozen seedlings for $30. She also gave me some great advice on how to grow them (it's all about the soil) and said I could contact her at any time if I had any issues. Love living in the country!!

The dogs love living here, too.

This popped up on Facebook. As I have weaned myself off my antidepressants it was very timely. I hope it helps others who live with the awful twins.

In one of the nature journalling workshops the facilitator brought plants along for us to look at and really examine and see. 

This is a Thomasia Pygmaea. It is just delightful. It is an Australian native and to my delight I found one in the local Bunnings so now have it in my front garden. The flowering season is over but I can't wait until next winter when the pretty little purple spotted bells appear. The leaves are also spotted - dark green on one side and gold on the other. Just delightful.

 

The landlord of the rental refused to back down so we now have a VCAT claim against us. Interestingly, we have been waiting on the report from the carpet company and so far, it is not forthcoming. I wonder if it is the same as the roof repairs and the heater maintenance ... the landlord lied about work being done and was called out thus costing her money to repair the issues. I wonder if she has even had a carpet company out to quote. Anyway, the fact that the carpet is more than 10 years old (probably closer to 30) means it is worthless as far as claims go. I will pay 50% of the depreciated value because 50% of fuck all is still fuck all. Of course, it all depends on who we appear in front of when our day in court arrives. 

So life goes on. I had to make an emergency dash to Melbourne last week as Sally had Covid and Amy's company insisted she had to work from the office for Thursday and Friday. Not five minutes after I arrived (after a 4 and a half hour drive) they decided that they didn't, in fact, want her in in case she had Covid. It wasn't a completely wasted trip as I was able to amuse Sally so her mum could work from home. And I got to come home a day earlier than anticipated.

As I finish writing this (it's been a few days since I started) it has just gone 4pm Wednesday which means it has just ticked over to Wednesday in the States and the news coming out is very depressing. My heart goes out to my American blogging friends. This is not what anyone wanted to see. Apart from the lunatic right.