Month: June 2007

Just thought I’d write a quick line to let you know I’m alive 😉

The move ended up being a bit more stressful than planned, and we had to extend our stay by 24 hours at the flat. As at yesterday morning, though, I’m 100% moved out, and returned the keys to the real estate agent yesterday afternoon. I’m absolutely adamant that I will never ever live in a 3rd floor apartment again, unless there’s a lift!!! LOL. I’ve now found muscles I’ve forgotten existed … and I don’t want to see stairs for another 6 months!!

The removalists ended up costing $945, which hurt BIG time – Mum and I were both absolutely floored by the cost … and I still had to make 3 separate car load trips since then to shift the remaining items. The 2nd hiccup is that the storage space ended up being too small hmmm … so I have a number of boxes now sitting at where I’m housesitting while I work out what the heck to do with them. Might have to rent an extra wee storage area as well as my main one, or I’ll have to be more ruthless in chucking things out. As it is I had to throw out my ironing board, office chair, laundry baskets, lamps, electric jug, big heater and numerous other items … I’m trying hard not to throw out my stitching recliner, but I may have to consider that further down the track depending on how much a small storage
space will cost … hmmm.

I invited both my opposite and below neighbours in to see the state of the cracks etc, and heard that the below flat is even worse than mine … I wouldn’t have believed if I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes – we went downstairs to see theirs, and they have an inch-wide diagonal crack all the way across their ‘inside’ wall between the lounge and bedroom … you can see into the next room!! Unfortunately they’re owners, not renters, so
they’re stuck with it the poor things, but I’d be worried silly if it was me … and apparently the below (bottom) unit is worse still.

You’ll never believe it, but on the last day we had painters turn up on the doorstep to come to assess the place – obviously the landlord is going to ‘bodge up’ the place with plaster and re-lease it or try to sell it before the works are completed … I think that’s appalling, and as soon as I get my bond money back, I think I may report them to the local Council or somewhere – just shocking!! Don’t know how they’re going to hide the ski slope floor in the lounge, though hmmm – it’ll take a bit more than some plaster of paris! ;P

Other than that, I’m happy to be out 😀 I actually ended up getting a laptop last week through salary sacrifice, with a modem for ‘Unwired’, but I think I’ll wait for a short while before I sign up for the monthly access and getting online … I’m just going to enjoy doing nothing for at least a week except for stitching and reading. After that I’ll get back into a routine again and might look into setting up the internet.  I’m meeting Fraze for dinner tonight, so came into town a bit early so I can check my emails and make a quick report at an internet cafe.  Unfortunately just a flying visit, so no chance to catch up on any blog reading 😦

I put out an email at work today advertising for house-sitting jobs, and fingers crossed I’ll have another month’s worth from 4 August.  I have to admit, it’s going to take me a week to get over the move, so I really don’t want to think about it too hard for the next couple of days … it ended up a lot more stressful and time-consuming than we thought.  Having to lug everything up and down 4 flights of stairs was, I have to say, “knackering” … no other word describes it better!  It didn’t help that I tripped over one box because I was so tired, and went flying, only to land full force on my knees!  Mum thought I might have broken my ankle, and I have to admit to being very wary when I moved my leg again … my left knee is sporting some spectacular bruising, but the swelling has gone down, although my right ankle has started playing up overnight – hopefully it’s just a sprain and will ease off soon 🙂 

Aside from that not much to report really – I had a frightening wake-up call at 5am today in the new place … I woke up to the sound of what I thought was furniture being dragged over the wooden deck – then I got worried that it could have been the ranch slider doors being opened … but an hour later after laying awake wetting myself, I heard the noise again, and assume it was possums on the roof … scared the hell out of me though!

As well as Fraze tonight, I’m catching up with a guy I used to work with in Auckland – he’s actually in Aussie who’s originally from Melbourne, and now works with Fraze, so he’s been to catch up since finding out Fraze knows me well.  It will be fun to see him again 😀

I unpacked my stitching last night and sat and put a few stitches into Bordeaux … no piccies to show for it yet, though, as I don’t have internet at home, and don’t have my old computer set up yet to transfer files across.  The new laptop doesn’t have a card reader that’s compatible with my camera, so I’ll have to buy a cheap USB card reader, then I can upload piccies again.

Not sure how long it’ll be before I’m back online again … I’d rather not outlay any more expenses for the next couple of weeks, so I’m putting off signing up for Unwired until then.  Internet cafes aren’t too handy to where I’m living (I learnt that in the first 8 months I lived in Melbourne, as I’m now only 5 minutes drive away from where I first lived in East Bentleigh).

Sorry this is so disjointed … I’m rushing to get all this out, and it probably doesn’t make much sense …  I was very sad to see Mum go on Monday night, especially as we didn’t have much down-time together this visit … especially during the last week or so, it was just frantic and exhausting, both mentally and physically.  Next time it might have to be me going home to NZ for a visit, seeing as I don’t have a permanent home where she can stay.  Mind you, time will tell whether I enjoy housesitting or not – I might be ready to jack it in after 3 months 😉

Rightio, back to doing a few more things online … sorry for the rambling, disjoined waffle … but the important thing is that I survived the moving ordeal … just 😉  Time to move onto the next phase of life … tomorrow is my day off for the week and I intend to sit stitching most of the day while watching the Amazing Race All Stars DVD’s (someone has a copy of the full series currently on TV).

Hope this finds you all fit, healthy and well, not to mention as happy as pigs in mud 😀  Huge hugs xxx