Category: Diary

We’re in the new place, it’s great. We’re broke. The cats have now joined us so the family is complete once more. The lounge looks like a lounge, which is homely, the kitchen is messy enough to be a properly moved in to kitchen. We have our Foxtel. Most of the other rooms are still packed with cardboard boxes and striped bags but we’re hoping that by the end of the weekend we should be almost normal.

There’s a back shed that Rob and I have claimed as the Scalextric room, if only I could save the money to get one, that is. Phee is happy in her huge new room, next step is a desk of her own so she can draw to her hears content in there. The garage is already getting stuff thrown in it willy nilly. I can sit here at my desk and watch Phee play totem tennis in the back yard.

Unfortunately I haven’t been able to apply for my ADSL connection yet ’cause the previous tenant’s connection is still live here. If I apply now the application will be rejected, I’ll get charged and have to go again. Hopefully that will be sorted out within a day or two so I can get the application under way, dial up is killing me.

We’re handing back the keys to the old place tomorrow and in a minor victory we have got away with giving only 24 days notice. In some way I’m sad, it was a lovely place and would have made a wonderful home for a few years but the pressure that had been building up and that has been released only over the last few days was too much. It will be good riddance to neighbours, agents and land lords who cared for no one but themselves.

We have our new house now, and it already feels more of a home than the old one ever did.

The following people are hereby officially ridgy didge legends.

(In order of appearance)

Knackers
Zita
Rob
ErinRen
Marita
Daniel
Isaac
Jeremy

Without them Rae, Phee and I would not be in our lovely new house and our old house would not be sparkling clean.

If you see any of these people walking down a street please genuflect before them.

(Yes, we’re in. We’re tired. The cats are coming home tonight. We will be forever grateful to those above for everything they did to help us yesterday, thanks again guys from all of us. Oh yeah, dial up sucks.)

Midday Saturday; bond and rent are paid, Rae is scrubbing down walls, I’ve finished the last of my work that will need net access. It’s now down to dismantling beds and packing the annoying little things around the house (where did we put Phee?).

So, no net for a couple of days. Wish us luck and see you from the new place.

Don’t get me started on reconnection fees. I just love paying companies for the pleasure of continuing to do business with them.

AGL however take the cake. AGL bill us for both our gas and electrical needs so I give them a call to transfer the accounts to the new address. Gas goes fine, but “I’m sorry sir I will have to transfer you to the electrical people to change that bill”.

Okay, same company, same phone number different divisions.

I get through to the electrical people.

“I’m sorry sir, there is no such address.”

“Yes there is, we’re moving in to it. The current residents have power connected through you.”

“I’m sorry sir, there are properties either side but I’m seeing that that property does not exist.”

“It does, we’re moving in to it. We just transferred the gas with you to the same address.”

“Sir, I know it exists, but it does not exist.”

Now it’s a long time since my philosophy study but this little twist gave me such a headache I had to hang up and seek solace in a coffee.

I called back later this afternoon and explained the situation.

“Let me check. Oh, that property is there all right. No idea why he told you it wasn’t.”

Here comes that headache again…

Rae woke up this morning with a brilliant idea.

“I’m sick of sitting in here looking at all these boxes, let’s go to Shepparton.”

So we did, half an hour later we were on the Hume, two hours later we pulled in to Emerald Bank Heritage Farm and Theme Park (beware – strange music that goes forever at this site). I’m not sure what the theme was meant to be although if they were pitching for a theme of ‘good idea gone to seed’ then they succeeded brilliantly. They even have the old water slide from the Raymond West before it became Watermove, or Waterworks, or Waterplace, or Waterworld, or whatever they call it.

Anyway, after the jumping castle, the hay ride, the pony ride (all for Phee) and a look at the motley collection of guinea pigs and rabbits that was the animal nursery one of my childhood dreams came true. I got to ride on a hovercraft. It appears that the one and only hovercraft in Shepp runs as a an attraction on select weekends and lucky us, it was running today. First off we sent my dad, who is 82 but thinks he’s 20, and Phee. Then it was time for Rae and me. All I can say is WOO HOO! So the ride only went for 3 minutes max but the rush of heading off land and on to water, spinning around a couple of times to make sure we got wet then repeat was a whole lot of fun. Unfortunately there were no explosions, or villains pursuing us on jet skis but I think we did scare a duck. After the ride we asked dad what he thought. “Should have been longer” he muttered. Go dad.

Please, no body tell Tigerland.

My Doggies membership turned up today. Yep, me, Mr 100% Tiger himself is a member of the Dogs. It started a few years ago just as I really getting in to footy and shortly after I met Rae. The Dogs were in such financial strife they were existing day to day and were in very real danger of folding. After having seen how much the team meant to Rae, and not wanting to see another Victorian team go under, I bought a membership. And have every year since.

So, while I bleed yellow and black there’s one tiny drop somewhere inside me coloured red, white and blue. Just don’t tell my real family.

The best way to remove weight, say of the world on your shoulders, is to get a message from your gal telling you the agent has said yes to the house you really want to move in to.

Yep. We got the place so the story ends as it should and goes to prove yet again it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

So, moving day is Sunday Feb 1. Early start (we’ve got the truck booked and can pick it up at 8.00am) and loads of hard work but with pizza, beer and good karma still on offer – any takers?

My honey knows how to cheer me up.

Super Grover, you’re my hero.

Dear Channel 7,

Seeing as how I went to all the trouble of investing in a set top box (pdf)so I could watch digital television on my widescreen TV would it hurt you to actually broadcast any of your major sporting events in widescreen? No, the Rugby World Cup didn’t count ’cause that was Rugby and that never counts.

Yours sincerely

Anthony Malloy

For two days now we’ve been sitting in the car, driving from dump to dump, finding a good place only to then be told it’s already gone. Rae’s grumpy and my neck is so tight I don’t think I can turn my head but we have signed the notice to vacate so there’s no turning back.

This whole endeavour has made me realise we need a house of our own, renting is fine when it?s just two but when a family is involved the whole security aspect takes on a dimension a single person or couple without kids just couldn?t comprehend.

We’ve both resolved to live a life of austerity for the next year or two to get what we need, a place to call our own. It will be tough, we will probably have to swallow our pride, eat our words and build or buy in a new estate somewhere just so we can get a start. Our hearts will always be inner city, that will continue be our aim, but for now we will do what we have to do; we are never doing this again.