sick week

ok.. so having the week off work was quite nice although would have been better if I'd felt better. Just to add  insult to injury I developed sinusitis and ended up on antibiotics for that too.. so was the headache because of that or the concussion.. I guess a mixture of both. Anyway, my scabs are now starting to drop off and the shoulders much improved  but the leg is still really swollen and painful, however back to work tomorrow and we'll see how it goes. I picked my bike up on Wednesday and at least it was ok, just cosmetic damage, I just want to get back on it and restore my confidence. 

So I drank coffee with some friends, completed grant forms that I've been leaving for ages, prepared the bible study for housegroup on Monday, played internet scrabble with Mum and Julia,  slept, been to the endodontist and Mark and I went to see a financial planner. That was funny as we had to do questionnaire as to how much 'risk' we were prepared to take, needless to say Marks was far less than me, but he kept telling us off for talking 'risk' as he kept talking 'volatility'.... the new buzz word for financial planners. Anyway hopefully he's going to help us minimize the amount of tax we pay which I like :) There are so many things here that are tax deductible that we have no knowledge of, so hopefully this will help.

As for the endodontist... I had to see him coz I had toothache under a crown... well the crown was so wobbly he just pulled it off easily, then I've had to have an antibiotic implant put in the root for 4 months, then I go back and hopefully he'll re-crown it... but what's worse is I have 4 more crowns to have done.. 2 replacements and 2 new ones... its a sad sad day for the bank accounts... if you think they are expensive in the UK try tripling the cost and that hits nearer the cost here. It was suggested to me to take a 2 week holiday to Thailand and get them all done there as that would be cheaper than having them done here... there are even companies that organise it for you.... tempting!!! I so hate parting with money for dental treatment :(((

So that was my week, Mark picked up 3 shifts for after school care but nothing for the fostering agency this week which was disappointing but does have worked booked for next week so that's all good. He's still not really sure this will all work out so is still looking for work but there is very little out there at present. 

Josh & Rebecca went on music camp this week from Wed till Fri which they had a good time at. Basically just a time for all the music groups to have some intensive rehearsal time together. I think they had some good play time too though. It was very peaceful here too as Ceri and Matt were late in on Wed and at Matt's house on Thursday. 

Well surprise surprise, we had blocks delivered on Friday for the garden wall and even more surprisingly some were layed while we were out on Friday afternoon.... I think it was a fairy being nice to us, not really sure it was a landscaper, but we'll wait and see if more appear tomorrow. We had a email saying it will all be done by the 4th... but not sure I'll believe that one until its done, but its nice to see something happening at last. 

The dishwasher on the other hand... ..we  finally got the cabinet maker out to put on the integrated door and new kickboard but he can't push it back far enough coz the sparkys have put the trunking for the wiring in the way... so now we need the sparkys back out to move the trunking.....will it never end???

So Saturday Mark and I went out with a lovely investment property specialist and bought a house :))) Just what to do on a Saturday with nothing else to do :)

No really.... its a government scheme where they have allocated so many houses for new rental to solve the housing crisis, where you buy the property then rent it at 80% of its value and the government give you $10000 tax free to make up the difference. We can sell at any time but they guarantee the $10000 for the next 10 years and the property's are never empty because of the low rents so should be a win win. Hee Hee maybe its the start of Mark's property empire career. 

Today, the chap from spa world turned up and connected the heat pump, our lovely mate Paul the sparky came and connected it for us, so we now just need to fill it...wait for him to come back next week with the steps and chemicals and away we go...finally the ends in sight... or should I say the beginning :)

The kids had rehearsals today again so have come back rather exhausted and Rebecca's not feeling to good...hopefully will be ok tomorrow though.

Ceri and Matt went into Southbank yesterday and went on the Brisbane wheel... not as big as the London eye but nevertheless its a wheel..anyway they had a fun day and we haven't seen them today yet at all ???

Well that's this weeks news, I can't believe I can still write so much about nothing in particular, or more the point that people are still reading it. Must have been all those holiday diaries I wrote as a kid that have stood me in good stead... obviously weren't a waste of time, just wish I'd had a computer back then or maybe my spelling was better than my typing then... now I'm rambling. Must go and put the air con on, still 28 degrees here today :) 

spa on the move

 Hurray... its in place !!!

Mark has done a fantastic job this week, he made a frame, mixed 33 bags of self levelling compound along with some gravel and has made a lovely level base. It really was quite a job as its been a warm week!! I am so lucky having such an able hubby <3.

Then finally on Sunday the guys came back and moved onto its nice new level pad. I have to say it is such a relief to finally see it level. So this week we put the panels back on, sort out the sparky, the guy to come back and fit the heat pump, then get it filled... so I'm reckoning another 2 weeks. However

as you can see we still have no fence, so having that first would be preferable.

Aussie tradies... totally unreliable, the guy said he would be done by Friday, but all they did this week was turn up on Tuesday put the foundations down for the fence and retaining walls and disappear till who knows when.... they are also very elusive!! Anyway, I have emailed him again today.. so I wait with baited breath... although if I can hold it I'll be dead before he replies I'm sure!!!

Actually I came close on Saturday, well at least it felt like it for a few seconds.... you may have noticed I'm writing a day late (I know... that's been a frequent occurrence lately), well I had a bit of a tumble off my bike on Saturday, actually it was more of a slide at 25 km ish leaving me with mild concussion, a massive swollen thigh, a painful shoulder and cuts and grazes. Been to the docs this afternoon .. got to have a week off work, had my shoulder x-rayed and no riding till the leg swellings gone down... which will be ages, its a massive haematoma... so am not happy. The upside is Mel and  I took my bike to the bike shop this morning and its all ok, I just needed a new helmet, I'd managed to crack mine in 2 places... so good job I was wearing one... mind you it's illegal to ride without one over here, but makes you realise how important they are, especially as I had felt my head bouncing on the concrete. Just peeved as was supposed to be doing a 100 km charity ride next Sunday  so I  guess that will be off. Anyway, I'm sure I can manage to rest, drink coffee and pass a week quite easily as well as get my husband to forgive me for not telling him... ouch!

So the news there is that Mark and Josh left early Saturday am to go on a Dads and Sons w/e with church.. so I decided not to tell him till he came back on Sunday  Needless to say he wasn't best pleased and probably in hindsight dare I admit he was probably right... but hey ho.... next time....

However they had a great w/e and got back lunchtime on Sunday. There were quite of few of the them that went, they had a few teaching sessions , swam in the river (or at least the sons did), the sons cooked tea and they camped in tents and saw lots of creepy crawlies !! Mark says the place was beautiful, so am looking forward to a trip out there sometime, it was down towards the NSW border in a national park.

Well Rebecca didn't have to go camping to find creepy crawlies... she managed to have the first Huntsman spider in her room... on Saturday!! did it have to appear when Mark was away ??? they are so huge, no kidding... got to be the size of a jam jar lid easily!!! still, we brave (and sore) females managed to capture it and get it outside all by ourselves... no option... it was that or no sleep!!

She and I also went out to the cinema sat evening which wasn't too taxing a trip, to see Safe Haven.. a very girly chick flick, but we enjoyed it.

As for the beginning of the week... Valentines day was a special event for Ceri... she cooked Matt a meal and was spoilt with a great big teddy:) Mark and I got kicked out of the house :( so we went to MacDonalds  (only because of lack of time) and then to the cinema to watch Lincoln, which was very good. I also got thoroughly spoilt with an emerald ring which is beautiful. 

Mark had his first 2 days at after school care, which was a piece of cake after the other... the kids were so well behaved  and the workload much easier. He's 3 more sessions booked for this week too. He also did a fair bit for the fostering agency too but nothing booked for this week as yet. Other than that not much else happened other than the kids at rehersals and taking Ceri to work at ungodly hours of the morning, the w/e was the excitement. 

spa saga

well on it goes....but the end is in sight... at least I hope it is. Mark spent a lot of sleepless nights trying to work out the best and cheapest solution. He started the week trying to make a wood frame that would fit underneath the steel frame, but trying to shave off a 35mm angle along a length of timber 2.6m was pretty hard, especially without the correct tools to do that job. So plan B (or that might have been P) was implemented and stage 1 completed with a gang of very helpful friends. We hired some wheely platforms, jacked the spa up and got them underneath and moved the spa up the garden ... wow did 6 blokes make it look easy!!. So stage 2 is to make up a frame the same size as the spa and fill with self levelling compound then move it back again. My job was to just sit on the jack for the corner that had no wheels and balance it across the gap that will be (when the gardener appears) a raised bed. Anyhow, I got the easy bit, and I didn't really sit on it when the guys were pushing !  So bless my husband, he really is working hard to get this sorted for us all.

Next issue is that the gardener has finally sent us an email that he is starting properly this week, having dug out the front garden last week... not sure he's going to like a spa covering his raised bed.. ooops!!

So the week began for Josh with Prefect inductions... they had a 'worship commencement service' at school on Monday evening that I went to. Well it was dull as ditch water and if you wanted to put kids off church and a relationship with Jesus that was one way of doing it... and they made every yr 12 kids go up and take communion... so wrong!!! Anyway that was followed by a school do on the tuesday morning where he got all his badges etc. He's starting to take his responsibilities seriously anyway which is great to see.

Rehearsals have started full steam ahead for the musical, how they will keep it up I've no idea, it really is full on, 7.15 on Monday  till 5 on Fridays and 3 1/2 hrs on Sunday .. which makes that a very long day with church either side. So in between that there are 2 choral groups and 2 bands each as well. However they are at least both enjoying it, I still can't believe they have Josh singing, and some 1 line solo's too...I reckon his teacher must like his bass voice... either that or he's the only one!! Rebecca has also found her soprano voice so is doing a lot of harmonies at the top end too. However its a long time till July!

I did at least get my tickets for War Horse changed which was a relief, I booked them for July and turns out they were the same night as the musical, so was very relieved to be able to get them altered.

So Ceri had a busy week and is doing well with her certificate in childcare although college have been really slow in getting it marked and back to her, so she's still nagging them for that and the next modules to do. Just don't like these 7 am shifts she's started getting... means we have to take her as no buses go that early, 2 this week and she's 3 next week... not good:(((

It was Matt's birthday this week too, so they'd been out thursday and sunday and had a good time.

Well the highlight of my week was that I bought my own bike and had it correctly fitted, it was in the sale too :)

I went out yesterday and did 68km and it was so much easier riding, not only is the arm and leg stretch just right but he taught me lots of extra tips on how to cycle correctly and more efficiently, so with a bit of practice it will make me more super speedy. I've just booked with my cycling buddies to do a 100km charity ride in 2 weeks time so hopefully this will make a big difference.

However I best not fall off like I did yesterday....

very silly of me. I had got my right foot clipped in and was trying to get the left in (as they are new cleats) and managed to lose my balance and fell to the right... feel very sorry for myself but apart from a few bruises am all ok. 

I also met someone from Huddersfield and Hull when out on saturday so a bit of reminiscing occured too :)

Mark got some more work from the fostering agency last week too and also had his induction at after school care. Wow ... how different to the other place, he got a 3 hr induction, uniform provided and the kids are good as gold.... so he's 2 shifts next week which is a start, so we'll see how much work that generates.  

Well our stupid internet is playing up again and is very intermittent, frustratingly the TV is also connected via the internet and so often not working either, so will try and post this at some point!! highly likely you may get two posts in one go...still give you more bed time reading :)

even wetter weather

Well as I'm sure you spotted the weather over here got even worse over Sunday and Monday  fortunately we were ok, no leaks or flying things off the roof.. and slopey concrete might be bad for the spa but it kept the water away from the house nicely. So it was a good test for the house withstanding the elements. We did know we weren't in a flood area when we moved here which certainly paid off for us. However it was very windy and there were lots of fallen trees and branches around the area. Forest Lake itself had quite a few areas without power due to falling trees on power lines. On the grand scheme of things though we were very fortunate, its areas like Bundaberg where the whole town is wiped out that you feel for. It was weird being part of it this time, seeing how anxious people were and hoping the results weren't as widespread as 2011. I went in a chemist on Wednesday to find they were closed as restocking... they had emptied every shelf in the whole store just in case, as last time they lost everything and wanted to avoid a repetition as they were in a flood area. Fortunately although some areas are devastated it wasn't as bad as before, although that's no consolation for those that have been flooded.

So the kids ended up with an extra day off school as they had a dodgy water supply along with intermittent power. Josh braved going into the city with a friend to watch the high tide and see how high it got. Rebecca just pootled about, although at 9.45 pm she had a mad frenzy tidying her room and making mad comments about 'waking from her sleepy cocoon of the last 2 weeks and wanting to get back to school' ! 8 weeks holiday is really too long. 

Well the spa saga is ongoing, Mark having spent all week thinking of solutions other than having all the concrete dug up and re-laid for which the quote was another $2500. We have at least found some jacks that we can hire that will move it... so that's a start. Anyway we need to decide this week as the landscaper starts tomorrow and we will soon run out of space to move it, if that's what we have to do. 

We also got the wrong colour steps to go with it, but a least they are going to change those!

Well Mark finally got some more work from the fostering agency this week, taking an autistic kid to school every day...its a start. He also had an interview for after school care in Forest Lake too ... the advert said part time, but when he got there it was casual, but he may be able to juggle the two jobs the moment as see where it goes.  However he's trying to reduce his pain killers again and its not going as well, as proportionately its a bigger percentage drop as so taking linger to get used to.. we'll see how it goes. His main reason for dropping now is that due to Medicare rules he can't get it on repeat, so has to see the GP every month to get them, which is a hassle and expensive, but hey ho, we'll see how it goes for a few more days. 

So the kids finally went back to school on Wednesday and were very pleased to do so, although Josh had worked out how many days he has left of school which was a bit scary! He's all raring to go with prefect stuff and yr 12 stuff and both of them are practising Joseph music at home too. 

Ceri had a normal week, was just peeved she didn't get any extra days off work.

the weekend came and has gone..I did an 81km bike ride yesterday, my best yet, but I was so tired after. I then went and bought Rebecca a new phone (that she paid for) in the afternoon and she managed to drop her's down the loo and it died despite drying out really well. Mark spent the day mixing concrete and filling in one of the areas where we were going to have a raised bed.. very hot work it was too. Today was church am and pm which was really good, we are so fortunate to have such amazing pastors who preach so well, we then had a church BBQ after which was fun. Mark found our Scottish friend had taped the  6 nations rugby England v Scotland, so he went back there this arvo to watch that... we are going to have to get foxtel so he can watch the sport.. he does miss so much.

I'm sure more stuff happened this week but I can't really think right now so that's its for this week.