Real estate agents earn a fair amount when they get a sale. Often they’ll give a gift of some kind when the sale is complete. When I picked up the keys on Thursday, they gave me a gift, just a token of their appreciation, they said. I wasn’t expecting anything. What was it? Not a ... [More]
Category: Home life
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The household ecosystem
As of 2pm yesterday, I own a house. Well, apart from the bit the bank owns, which is most of it. Yesterday on my internet banking, a cute little house icon appeared in my list of accounts, with a scarily high number for the balance figure. The new phone number will be connected today (so ... [More]
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Ant attack!
Yesterday morning I awoke, stumbled into the livingroom and turned on the heater to take the edge off the cold. Wandered out to get the newspaper, unwrapped it, sat down on the floor to have a quick look at it. Glanced over to the heater. Crawling with ants. Ants carrying small white things. Were they ... [More]
I’ve given notice on my rental house (by registered mail to avoid any problems like previously). Moving day is Monday the 24th of October — one month from tomorrow. I’m hiring Gronow’s again — they were good last time. Also sorting out dates for services and things. Should be no problems with power/water, but the ... [More]
Last Saturday morning we did the long-awaited brunch to celebrate the house purchase. The venue? One found during many weeks of Saturday morning searching: Glen Huntly’s Club Cafe. It’s like one of them English caffs, the food loaded up with grease and cholesterol, and proud of it. It was the Champagne Breakfast that we went ... [More]
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Rain brings on the aliens
I had it all worked out — 15 more minutes mucking about, then we’d go outside. I’d bring my laundry in off the line — it would be about dry — the kids could jump on the trampoline, or get their bikes out, whatever. 15 minutes later I glanced outside. It was pouring with rain. ... [More]
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At home today
At home for the second time this week. On Tuesday I worked from home on purpose, as things in the office were quiet and I needed to do some stuff on a side-project web site. Today however, Isaac woke up with a whopping 39.5 temperature. This managed to coincide with the work computer system being ... [More]
A few weeks ago I bought a new peeler. Yesterday I found out how sharp it is, when it left the carrot I was peeling, and had a go at my finger instead. Ouch. A wash and several bandaids later, the blood had stopped soaking through.
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All cockroaches must die
I had an unwelcome visitor last night. Just as I was about to sit down with my piping hot dinner, I glanced up and saw a cockroach creeping along in the kitchen, where the wall meets the ceiling. Frankly, I was horrified. I know people who live in Sydney are used to seeing cockroaches everywhere, ... [More]
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Furniture and paperwork
Since I’m moving house soonish, and am planning to buy a new couch and do a hatchet job in the kitchen with that cool looking but unusable (to me) ancient oven, there seem to be an awful lot of kitchen and furniture catalogues finding their way into my junk mail. It’s like they know. I’ve ... [More]
I hate washing dishes, almost as much as I hate buying shoes. (Oh, I could tell you some stories.) Due to my current dining habits (at home and elsewhere), I generally wash dishes 4 times a week — Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday nights. My new house will have a dishwasher. The exact date is ... [More]
The great clear-out of junk has commenced, with my filing cabinet being trimmed of fat. Accordingly, I decided to borrow my mum’s shredder to make sure that no bits of paper I’m chucking out will fall into the wrong hands. I’ve tried to avoid getting paranoid about such things in the past, but with the ... [More]