Life between coffees.
From all of us living here in the canyons of cardboard boxes to all you out there wise enough not to be moving over the next couple of days, Merry Christmas.
Also to those poor people who actually wrote out all of the family’s names on Christmas cards, we’re sorry – next year just make it out to the Malloy Family.
Merry Christmas every one.
Yesterday I got to complain about the council, today it’s City West Water.
I was at the house cleaning up builders dust when there was a knock at the door. It was a Postie – with two envelopes from City West Water. Apparently he’d been trying to deliver them for two months and it was just lucky I was home.
The two were red letters – one telling us the account was overdue, the other telling us that legal action was about to taken to recover the debt.
When Rae called she was rather abruptly told that it wasn’t up to them to know if someone was actually at the address to receive the bills. The conveyor, quite rightly, sent in the form with our new address but City West Water apparently makes no allowance for the fact the owner of an empty block of land may not be living there.
While I’m complaining I’ll have a go at everyone else living in the suburb. They are all rather greedily using up every available ADSL2+ port at our local exchange so it’s likely we’ll have to downgrade to ADSL when we move in and wait until I bump off enough neighbours to gets me a port.
I had to call the local council today to inquire about our garbage and recycle bins.
“Sure, come in and pay the $150 and we’ll get them to you in a few days.”
$150 for bins? What exactly are our rates for? This whole not renting thing is proving to be very costly.
Friday was a busy day. Rae spent all day at the house (more of which later) and I was at home with the kids and then working. 4:00 came and enough was enough, I packed the kids up and we went out to visit mum at the house. Rae drove the kids home, I finished up and headed on h0me. Half way there Rae called me to go and pick something up but as I was almost home and needed to look up the address I kept on going.
I’m so glad I did.
I pulled in to the drive and Rae was standing there.
“I’ll go.” she said.
“No, I just have to grab the address and I’ll head on out.”
“Oh for pete’s sake, I’ll go – just grab the parcel on the front step that’s been left for you.”
Huh? Parcel? Front step? She jumped in the car while I looked. Indeed there was a parcel on the front step. Freshly delivered. For me.
I unwrapped it and as I did I realised I had won.
Google recently held a competition for the best Google My Map in Australia so I submitted a map I had created a while ago. It documents old signs that still exist around Melbourne and is linked to a web site, www.ourfadingpast.com, that is still under development. You can see my map of old signs around Melbourne on Google Maps.
Any way, the very good people at Google Australia seemed to like it and awarded me the Best Overall My Maps Award. They sent me a great Perspex award in the shape of one of their map markers. And a MacBook. To say I was overcome is an understatement.
The first person I emailed was Andrew from the High Riser blog. Andrew has contributed a huge number of photos to the map, even suffering personal injury in an attempt to get the perfect shot. He’s also brought in others through Walking Melbourne and the map would be a lot smaller and of lesser value without all he has done. Thank you Andrew.
I’m over the moon with the win, and the prizes, but most of all I’m happy that I’ve created and helped to build something that other people like and value.
After two days of sitting in our bedroom playing on the computer while others worked, we have floor.
It’s Gravy Day.
I know I’m a geek and that Rae has latent geek tendencies but when your 3 year old son points out the the font on his ‘Santa Rocks’ t-shirt is the same as that used on Dumbo you really do get a whole new appreciation for the power of genetics.
Friday was the first day of home ownership and it was a busy day. Rae was out at the house at 7:30 for the first of the tradies. Over the course of the day the plumbers connected the hot water and stove top, the sparkies connected the oven and the, um, lockies fitted deadlocks. Tim dropped by to give a quote on curtains too so it was a full day for her.
But not quite as full as it could have been. The guy who had been subcontracted by our floorer to install the laminate floor just didn’t turn up. He also wasn’t answering phone calls. The floor people weren’t that great, they didn’t return any of my phone calls and I was on my way to stage a sit in when Rae finally got the message, around 1:00pm, that he wasn’t coming.
Thankfully they could arrange a replacement and I’m sitting here on Saturday while Sean (or it may be Shaun) and his cousin Peter are listening to Gold 104 while they lay our floor. Poor Sean, so far this morning the pallet of laminate has broken his van’s door, he’s sliced his thumb open and been stuck with the most difficult sort of laminate to lay (I have no idea either). All this for doing a favour for our supplier. The floor that’s down looks fantastic though.
I can’t describe how happy I feel right now.
We, my lovely wife and I, own our own home. 14 months ago we bought a block of land in an empty street. Now it’s home to us and many others. We picked up the keys at 2:00 this afternoon. We went straight to the house and the two of us wandered around drinking champagne and eating white chocolate to celebrate. We’ll take the kids tomorrow but just for that moment it was wonderful to have the two of us. In our own home. Ours!
Seriously, what’s the point in having a web site and phone number if you’re not answering the phone or replying to emails?
I’ve tried three separate locksmiths this morning; none have responded to an email and all went through to a message bank. After the third I gave up I went over to Service Central. If someone wants our money then they can call us.