bring on the removalist....

Well dear listeners, we are finally on the move. After weeks of (L) packing, and after days of (L) moving the boxes, we are nearly at the new house. Mind you, this is in no way thanks to the real estate agent from which we bought it through!!!

Let me take you through the process...

We originally had our first meeting with the bank about this house on the 8th Feb, just a couple of days after looking through it for the first time. Since then, Sam had been calling us almost every week if not day. But we had told him (numerous times) what we wanted him/vendor to do...

Eventually, things were completed by the previous owner and we signed the contracts just after I got out of hospital, and we hadn't heard a thing from him since! Now, on Monday the settlement went through thanks to the lovely solicitor and her legal sec, I called Sam to arrange collection of the keys, and he said that he will leave them with the girl in the office as he will not be there!!

Ok, me thinks and thought nothing more of it, but when yesterday he arrived at the new house to collect the signs out the front, and all he was interested in was the fact there was one 'SOLD' sign missing and did we know where it was????? No, "Congratulations on your new home" or "Are you happy to be moving in, when are you moving in??". NOTHING!!!!!

Oh well, that's all I have time for right now, so see you from the new house. Oh by the way, after tonight, we will be off the WWW for a couple of days, so sorry for delays in posting...

valet Brian Strutt

Not really in the mood for a blog at the moment, but I must say that it is with great sadness my Uncle Brain passed away tonight, after a long battle with cancer.

packing up the house

I am very fortunate to work in an organisation that provides three days moving leave. This has enabled me the next few days for packing and moving what I can carry myself ahead of the removalists on Thursday. So far I have managed two trailer loads to the new house and packed a third trailer load. I am having a few minutes rest before heading off again, although I am not that keen, as it is now quite dark. B has gone to get more boxes from my brother and SIL's before he has to head off for physio. I can't believe the number of boxes we have needed - we have availed ourselves of the free boxes from Bunnings, some from Coles the other night care of the early nightfill*, boxes from Mum and Dad, and boxes lent to us from B's friend from work Mel.

Here's some photos of the packing in progress.

Packing assistant

OK so whats in here???

*I will never complain about the nightfill again, even though I can't comprehend how they always seem to be doing it when I do my shopping, no matter what time of the day it is, and always in the way of items I need

90 next thursday

Birthday cake for 90

My (grand)Pa turns 90 on Thursday, and Sunday the extended family* and friends held a celebration at my grandparents house. It was afternooon tea with the usual catering to excess, skillfully put together by my mum and Auntie Christine.

Cupcakes care of the next sister down

It was also the youngest cousins 15th birthday, and it was actually her birthday on Sunday.

birthday people

family

more family and friends

dad, brother, littlest sister, next sister down, and partners

It was a great day for our family, but in the ying and yang of life B's family were not having such a great day and thoughts go to them and B's uncle who is very sick in hospital.

*As a postscript - I hate it when people from the eastern suburbs say they will get a nose bleed coming out to the western suburbs or even crossing the bridge, grow up and don't be so boring. You should be ashamed of yourself at your age, you stupid woman.... and your eyebrows are too thin!

i told you bread was baking

yumm bread

posted by L

i'm in need of a cure for insomnia

I couldn't stay in bed a minute longer, so the plan is to catch up on emails, blogs and general surfing. I don't know why I get the insomnia thing - especially now. I have been so tired this week. I have struggled to stay awake past 9.30pm and apart from getting through my exam (tuesday), I have had so much to do and none of it involved packing for the move to the new house next week - that is this weekends priority. Also happening this weekend:

• accompany B to get a haircut, I have cancelled the eyebrow wax, and manicure (what was I thinking),
• shop for presents for the youngest cousin (she'll be 15, a straw pole of acquaintances with teenagers tell me they want money most of all, so that will be easy) and a present for my (grand)Pa, and this one is proving difficult, he'll be 90 - and the grandmother has stipulated it must be "consumable, nothing that means she'll have to find a space in the house to put it",
• make a Bailey's dip and accomanying fruit platter for the birthday celebration on Sunday, and
• attend birthday celebration (not before a cucumber or cold teabag eye compress, and I am going to sleep Saturday night right through to Sunday morning).

As it is now almost a reasonable hour of the morning - I am back to bed and will wake just as the bread finishes baking (I can smell it now and it smells pretty good) , and I will not look like I am allergic to the littlest sister's cat ( I am, and my eyes are still sore, but it was fun visiting them yesterday), and will be able to string sentences and thoughts together which I am struggling to do at present.

Ciao

in need of a cure for ebay?

then you should visit this link (care of angry chicken) it is real scary.

I know I should be studying but the occassional visit to my favourite blogs breaks the monotony.

boofhead of the week goes to ....... b

I think I am going to enjoy this. Online war has commenced, and I know whose going to win. I'll let you however, be the judge over coming weeks. This is going to be fun....

Boofhead of the week goes to B who was so adamant it was A's (of BMJ fame) birthday on Wednesday (when really it was Tuesday) that both Natski (of Rock the Kazbaar) and I (who should have known better and really did) didn't ring A until Wednesday to wish her a Happy Birthday.

B has known A for longer than either of us (20+ years???) and he has a range of excuses that A seemed able to forgive him, but I am not going to be so kind. You made Nat and I look like idiots buddy! So I am awarding you 'boofhead of the week' twice!

And how was this for trying to score points.... last night B cooked a special birthday dinner* for A and for entertainment dropped his trousers to reveal his new blue monkey boxers. The strategically positioned bananas got a laugh.

Blue Monkey Boxers

*Nat made a cheesecake (from scratch, that always impresses me the cook whose offerings are generally burnt) and it was yum - ginger biscuit base, praline and very creamy. Although the boy was spoilt, not liking cheesecake Nat had taken care of him with a mini mudcake.

Blue Monkey B'day

boofhead of the week goes to....... L

Let me paint you a picture. As L has already mentioned about the toilets, here is a truer rendition of what really transpired. You see, the toilets had been slowly leaking from the washer in the very bottom of the inner workings of the cistern, you know the type, a $2.39 part that would take a tradesman $200 to replace!!! Well, L's dad offered to come over to fix it a couple of weeks ago, and one morning, L had a hissy fit, and I had one back and went to Bunnings to get the bits to fix it, and fix it I did. But, they needed some (gentle) fine tuning so as the float would stop at a point where it did not overflow into the bowl.

Now, I have not really been sleeping that well, and I have generally be awake until about 3.30am. On the said morning from L's last blog regarding the toilets, it was around 5.20am when a very dejected L came back to bed, rather cold I might add. I asked as to what she was doing, and the conversation went something like this:

L: Nothing much....

B:Ok then....

L: But there is something, do you promise not to be cross?? (who me??)

B: Ok, what is it (Thinking she had been at the now banned website eBay)??

L: Umm, you know how you fixed the toilet in the bathroom by bending the float arm to stop it overfilling into the bowl....

B: Yes????

L: I did the same in the downstairs one as it was driving me mad....

B: Well done honey that's great...... (Thinking about going back to sleep).....

L: Now you DID promise NOT to get cross right....???

B: (Now VERY awake) What happened?

L: I broke it!

How to go from this.....

Before boofhead treatment

Too this...

After boofhead treatment

And on it went... 7am, and it was off we went to Bunnings to see if we could get a replacement part. But, when we got in there, it was not me that was going to be asking for it, it was going to be L!!! And, I am sure that the guy L asked thought it was all that funny, thinking I had actually done the deed and using my wife as a front, but this was NOT the case is it L?

The irony of all this was that today, both F.I.L and my M.I.L (Father In Law & Mother In Law) were coming over that day for the F.I.L to fix it! So, we got the correct part and went home, installed it and then found out, it was correct, but the original center bit that controls a half/full flush would also have to be replaced as it was not allowing for a smooth action of the replaced other bit that fills up the cistern!!! We had lunch and said our goodbyes to the F.I.L and the M.I.L and went back to Bunnings to replace the next bit as well.

Finally, after 3 trips (the original one to get the 2 washers and the 2 trips to get 2 different parts), we now have proper functioning toilets!

No! It has now become apparent, that the toilet that L originally broke that fine morning, is leaking from where the tap meets the pipe that goes up to the cistern. So after another trip to get a braided piece of hose to install tomorrow, hopefully it will now be fixed. If not, I will move out. Hang on, I already am!!!!!!

for lease

the sign is up, its official we will be moving in a couple of weeks. So far in preparation we have bought a pad of notecards to let people know of our new address, and made a list of things to be done before we move out. The list isn't very long though and some of the tasks we have already completed. I think I am missing some things. The list so far:

• replace silicone seal around bath
• remove shelf in bedroom and patch up paintwork
• pull up hippeastrum bulbs done
• patch hole in bathroom ceiling done
• fix leaking toilet sort of done (B had it fixed, until I did a Sunday 5am adjustment which meant 2 more trips to the hardware, still the toilet is leaking except from a completely new spot)
• replace flyscreen on back door done, but at the rate Jasmine is clawing at it, it might need replacing again.
• clean carpets, and
• pack, pack, pack!

Hippeastrum bulbs

We have contacted four removalists, one out of the local paper which provides a basic service - hourly rate, 2 men and a truck, and 2 big names whose quotes were frightening (one in particular), but have decided to go with Giraffe Furniture Removals, who provided a mid range over the phone quote of an hourly rate for 2 men and a truck. I am going to get them to do the bulky stuff (furniture, fridge, washer and such) and I will do anything I can carry, myself. If anyone who reads this has used Giraffe Furniture Removals in the past or knows of anyone who has used them, I welcome your feedback.