Category: Diary

We’ve been waiting for a beautiful weekend afternoon like this for months and months. It’s glorious outside, the sort of day that’s perfect for mowing the lawn, doing some weeding, cleaning the bbq or washing the cars – all of the things we should be doing but aren’t. Instead, after a morning spent doing the fortnightly shop and wrangling three grumpy not quite 100% kids we’re sitting here doing, well, bugger all.

Thankfully the street has enough to keep us interested and distracted. Next door have their three motor bikes and two cars arrayed for cleaning (okay, we get the hint). Across the road the land lords are in clearing the metre high weeds in the backyard that the previous tenants had left for them. The ferals across the way had a brief spurt of playing music so loud the whole of Melbourne could hear, although as it was Peter Andre’s ‘Mysterious Girl’ I’m not sure they earned the badass points they were aiming for. Two doors up new owners are facing the excitement and drudgery of moving in to their new home. So far they’ve had a new bed and new telly delivered and an alarm system installed. Now someone is playing ‘Take On Me’ in their backyard so I’m off to investigate.

Today we moved in to the realms of official suburbanites – we planted a lemon tree. We’ve always said we wanted a lemon tree and now it’s Spring the time is ripe for planting so we found a great place in Sunshine where we picked up a lemon tree, a lime tree and some potting mix. We wasted no time when we got home and dug the holes (finding an old anti-freeze bottle exactly where we wanted to plant the lemon tree), planted the trees and gave them a good soaking to start them on their way.

Apparently it’s best to remove all the fruit for the first year of their life so where a while away yet from lemon and lime in our G & T (sorry Mel) but we couldn’t be happier; one more little thing to make this our home.

(Hmmmm, probably should have run the mower and whipper snipper around before taking the photos…)

First one down.

When we moved in we didn’t know anyone in the street. It was the fourth night we were here, New Years eve that I met Chris. He was sitting in his front step, keeping an eye on the ferals who were running amok outside their house. In a most un-Tony move I went and introduced myself and spent an hour or so keeping watch with him.

We said hi every now and then, did the neighbourly wave and the like. He told me that he and his girlfriend had moved in in October after moving down from Queensland for her work. They often sat on the step in the evening, having a drink and a chat. Then they weren’t sitting on the step, there was no sign of his car for a few weeks until he appeared one day, back on the step. I went over to say hi and he told me he’d been in a pretty severe car accident but that things were getting better.

I think I saw him once or twice after that, it must have been around April, but then he was gone – no sign and his car was no longer parked out the front. One afternoon I notice a different car pull up and he hopped out. I was busy so I didn’t go out, and when i saw what he was doing I was glad I didn’t. He opened the garage door and picked up a piece of paper resting on two striped bags. He read the paper, folded it back up and dragged the bags in to his car before driving off.

Not long after a different car, with a different guy, was parking out the front of the house. I have no idea who he was although we decided to ignore him when one night he stood outside the house yelling at a taxi driver, telling him “at least I’m not driving taxis” and to “go back home”. Lovely.

For the past few weeks the place has been quiet, with only a couple of appearances. Today she drove up early in the morning and wandered inside. Ten minutes later the removal van appeared.

So, first renters out of the street. Fingers crossed the new tenants will be quiet, in these cases it’s sometimes the better the devil you know. I guess we’ll find out this weekend, and with the last two houses apparently done and awaiting their new residents the street is complete and it’s time to see how our little piece of the world is going to turn out.

I still call CDs records, I call downloads albums. I still think of it as the Internet, not the internet. I still think of directories instead of folders so I wonder when I’ll stop referring to taping a show and start using ‘record’ instead? Considering we haven’t had a VCR for four years it may be a habit that dies hard.

It really feels like our own home now ‘cause on Saturday we hosted our first Grand Final BBQ. It was pretty amazing that we barely noticed almost 20 adults and as many kids, it made us realise just how big this place actually is when it can cope with those numbers and still have space for more.

It was a different day this year. Apart from missing some good friends the weather meant that, for possibly the first time ever, everyone was inside and actually watching the game. Unfortunately our pride and joy, the deck, only got to host people for five minutes before the rain hit, not that the kids seemed to mind. I did manage to get most of the cooking done without getting drenched and this year it was done before the bounce of the ball too, another first.

Miss Trish was missing so I had the honour of passing the Anthony Malloy Memorial Footy Tipping Competition trophy to this year’s winner, Michael Walker. Michael’s joy was short lived though as even a room full of screaming people couldn’t get the Saints over the line. Mind you Daniel didn’t seem to mind the result.

Like after all GFs we were absolutely buggered on Saturday night, and the dishes may have been around for a bit longer than they should have on Sunday, but we had a great day and everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves. Hopefully next year there will be a bit more sunshine and the Walkers will be able to go home happy.

Thanks to some great anti-inflammatory drugs and a liberal application of liniment I’ve been able to move a little today. My big project, and one I’m now paying for, was to get the deck ready for the bbq next weekend. The plan is to oil it every six months, as recommended by the guy who built it, so here it is after its first semi-annual oiling.

I wonder if I can keep the kids off it for a week?

Okay, that’s it. I’m never showering again. Hopped out of the shower this morning, grabbed towel, went to dry my back and * click *. Hmmm, that doesn’t feel good. Oh no, not good at all. Actually one could say that feels #$&*#$*&# bad. Somehow I’ve managed to do something to my shoulder/back just by raising flicking the towel. I’m sitting here like The Hunchback of Derrimut, unable to turn or even make the coffee. Not many choices but to be wait and see if it corrects itself over the course of the day.

My good wife, who had to be roped in to back drying duties, says I have to take up some form of exercise as sitting at a PC all day every day isn’t helping me. I have to agree. I also have to be able to move to exercise so it may be a while.

Oh boy, this is going to be fun.

So, how do you do it? Sorry to ask but as I was outside last night and noticed the neighbours over the fence doing it without a light on. I looked around and could see another neighbour doing the same thing. Rae doesn’t mind but I have to have the light on, it hurts after a while without it.

Watching television – lights on or off?

The Fence .

Still no fence. Next door neighbours have tried five different guys with no success. Good thing is it’s given me the chance to chat with them and they are lovely. Joanne asked me if I like Vietnamese food. I think the instant drool that appeared may have been answer enough – apparently she’s a great cook of Vietnamese and we’ve been invited for a meal. On another front the neighbour across the road haven’t been seen for a week and a half. Most odd. No sign of them moving out so maybe it’s just a holiday.

Books

I went with reading Iain Banks’ Transition first. Also pre-ordered the new Ian Rankin novel, it should arrive in three weeks. Bargain price again – $17.50 instead of $29.95. Bert’s first mail surprise should arrive next week.

It must be this perfect Spring weather because today was a day for pleasant surprises.

First off it was the post office, yes, Australia Post went above and beyond. A couple of weeks ago I sent out some invoices where I had transposed two numbers in my PO Box. Not the brightest thing to do so you can imagine my surprise when I checked the box today and there was a cheque – complete with incorrect address! Plus one for Aussie Post.

I then took the kids to Macca’s for lunch. I couldn’t get the woman’s name without looking like a dirty old man and Phee wasn’t quick enough but not only did she give us extra fries for the kids she also threw in a bonus kids toy so the three young ones had one each.

And finally this afternoon an email from ING dropped in to my inbox. Apparently I’ve been a good saver and this month they are going to give me a bonus $50 interest! Free money – who can complain!