It's been two weeks since the container arrived and my brown flip fop turned up. As did all the other things in the list so we are now a lot more settled. Sadly the company lost a box and the agents this end are taking no responsibility for it. As some of our boxes were not labelled at all, we cannot find a number which corresponds to the missing box (as it too was probably not labelled) and therefore can only go by what we are missing, such as our kettle, various pots and casserole dishes, salt and pepper grinders, baking stuff and plastic containers with lids, cake tins, wok and other kitchen items.
It was one of the last boxes to be packed (hence the kettle being put in at the last minute) and so lots of last items around the house went in so it is so difficult to confirm exactly what was in there other than by process of elimination and trying to remember what was in the cupboard under and to the right of the sink and items on top of the fridge. Some things we will probably not realise we have lost for months.
We have a few things that are bumped and bruised which are just A hassle to put right or replace, but we did pay a lot for insurance so hopefully they will fork out to replace the missing items and repair the damaged ones.
So the kids rooms are full of their rubbish from home, our room still has boxes with clothes and bedding to find a home for but on the whole, we are pleased to be surrounded by familiar things.
Sophia's birthday was lovely. She turned 6 on Monday the 16th so we had her present opening on Sunday evening out on the veranda before tea. She had a party the following Saturday where we must have had 15 of her friends plus various siblings (about another 15) plus mums and dads, so around 50 or so people in total. The kids all swam and the mums and dads chatted and drank beer and wine! It was great. I made a Barbie Mariposa (butterfly) cake which I was extremely proud of. Decorating one of Sophia's Barbie doll in an icing dress and putting it in the middle of the cake.
After Sophia's party, we continued on with our own party as we had invited our neighbours in for a BBQ. We met the two families to the left of us and the couple to the right, a couple of families from round the corner and a few other families came along from the village, and with various children in tow, there must have been about 35 to 40 people here well into the night! I think the last people left around 1.30 so we enjoyed a lie in in the morning and a rather subdued Sunday recovering...!
* PLEASE NOTE: THE BARE BOTTOMED BARBIE REFERS TO THE BARBIE DOLL WITH THE ICING DRESS ON THE FRONT AND NOT THE EVENING EVENTS OF A BBQ WITH THE NEIGHBOURS!! I KNOW WE ARE VERY FRIENDLY AND THIS IS AUSTRALIA, BUT WE'LL LEAVE THAT FOR ANOTHER TIME!! ...... Next party is in 3 weeks when it is Alex's 40th! I would say what I am doing but as Alex looks at the blog, I can't say anything. You will have to email me if you want to know what I am up to!
This week I have started working for myself. I have started up as a sales and marketing consultant. I will work with small businesses around this area offering support to help them promote their wares. I had my first appointment this morning and from that I am rebranding the business by sourcing a logo, which they can use on their paperwork, business cards and promotional literature and then running events to build their business and gain more customers. Just my cup of tea! I have called my company 'Paddle' as I am 'a tool which helps you propel forward' and that is my aim!
Madeleine starts netball tomorrow morning before school. Her and a group of her friends in grades 6 and 7 will practice and compete in local Saturday morning tournaments. Hopefully it will be something she really enjoys as I loved netball as a kid.
Harvey was going to join the Nambour Toads (Rugby team) but they train on a Friday and he works at the pizza restaurant on a Saturday night so when would he have a sleepover or catch up with his mates? So I think the rugby is going to be missed. He will still do it at school but outside school, he just like hanging with his mates.
The visitors are lining up now. Alex's dad and step mum have booked to come out in June, and my dad and step mum are coming in November. We hope some very special friends will be visiting in May and Harvey and Madeleine's dad, step mum, nana and grandad, later in the year, plus my friend Anna, who works for BA is hoping to come for Christmas. One reason why I thought working for myself would be better otherwise I would keep needing time off!!
Mapleton has a market this Sunday from 7am so we are going to venture down to that nice and early before heading to Brisbane for a BBQ and Family Day at Alex's work. It is a chance to meet colleagues and see where he works which is a really nice idea. Saturday I am taking Mads and a friend to the cinema and doing a bit of shopping in the big shopping centre in Maroochydore.
It is quite hot today so I might just go for a dip in the pool before I start tea and get off the laptop so Mads can do her homework. She has to write a news report so is going to write about Princess Anne visiting for the Victoria Fires Remembrance Day last Sunday.
Just to end on a light note, in Madeleine’s class they were asked to write on the blackboard, a subject they wanted to learn about. Suggestions included 'space', 'wildlife', 'government', and 'Egyptians' but when Mads went up and wrote 'Victorians' she had kids asking her why would you want to learn about the people who live down in Victoria?!!
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Thursday, 12 February 2009
Our container arrives!!
10 things I can't wait to get out of our container
1. My left, brown flip flop. Brought one with me, the other got packed.
2. My steamer. Having survived with two saucepans for the last 6 weeks, I can't wait to get my saucepans and steamer
3. Ironing board. I have been ironing on the work top so v. excited about the arrival of my big board!
4. Bedside Cabinets. Currently Alex's is a is an upturned wine box and mine is a leaf blower box
5. A decent Potato masher and peeler.
6. Our sofa and surround sound tv and dvd system. We are currently have a sofa bed, purchased from a Charity shop and a tv with bad sound from someone who was moving to Tasmania.
7. Our dining room table and chairs
8. Pictures. Can't wait to get the place personalised with our pictures from home.
9. Feather pillows
10. Big glasses (not to look through but to have a generous G&T's in!)
Things we shouldn't have brought with us
1. Alex's raincoat
2. Ali's raincoat
3. Madeleine's raincoat
4. Harveys raincoat
5. Electric toothbrushes
6. Most of my make up
7. Alex's suits
8. CD walkmans
9. My flute
10. An inflateable whale
A car boot is inevitable... I am sure lots of stuff we unpack tomorrow we will ask ourselves why we packed it in the first place!!
Of course I will get my address book which was accidently packed and put in the container, but we have managed to survive on very little and not fall out which is great, so anything extra is now a bonus!
Off to bed to get an early night as have to empty the house in the morning of borrowed stuff before we can fill it up again! Night Night!
1. My left, brown flip flop. Brought one with me, the other got packed.
2. My steamer. Having survived with two saucepans for the last 6 weeks, I can't wait to get my saucepans and steamer
3. Ironing board. I have been ironing on the work top so v. excited about the arrival of my big board!
4. Bedside Cabinets. Currently Alex's is a is an upturned wine box and mine is a leaf blower box
5. A decent Potato masher and peeler.
6. Our sofa and surround sound tv and dvd system. We are currently have a sofa bed, purchased from a Charity shop and a tv with bad sound from someone who was moving to Tasmania.
7. Our dining room table and chairs
8. Pictures. Can't wait to get the place personalised with our pictures from home.
9. Feather pillows
10. Big glasses (not to look through but to have a generous G&T's in!)
Things we shouldn't have brought with us
1. Alex's raincoat
2. Ali's raincoat
3. Madeleine's raincoat
4. Harveys raincoat
5. Electric toothbrushes
6. Most of my make up
7. Alex's suits
8. CD walkmans
9. My flute
10. An inflateable whale
A car boot is inevitable... I am sure lots of stuff we unpack tomorrow we will ask ourselves why we packed it in the first place!!
Of course I will get my address book which was accidently packed and put in the container, but we have managed to survive on very little and not fall out which is great, so anything extra is now a bonus!
Off to bed to get an early night as have to empty the house in the morning of borrowed stuff before we can fill it up again! Night Night!
Monday, 9 February 2009
Heatwaves, Bushfires and Floods
The bushfires in Melbourne and the floods in north Queensland have affected everyone in Australia. People have lost houses, family members, pets and all their belongings. It is just so difficult to comprehend how they must be feeling and the devastation they have left behind. Donations are being made to the Red Cross and adverts and links are on tv, radio and various websites to encourange people to give.
People are also donating beds, bedding and clothing and other items which might help through the Salvation Army. It's amazing to think that at one end of the country it is so wet, houses have been covered and in the opposite end, it is so dry that a cigarette butt thrown out of a car window could be the cause of a horrendous fire which has killed over 130 people.
The sheer scale of Australia is hard for us poms to understand unless you have been on a road trip here or studied maps for hours on end. Adelaide where the heat wave was last week, is as far away as Gibraltar is to Colchester. Where the floods are is the distance between Cambridge and Prague. So although we are no where near either a lot of people round here know someone directly or indirectly who has been affected by these two disasters. It makes you feel very lucky.
The weather here has been warm, but we nearly always get a lovely breeze so the heat is manageble. It helps having a pool. I have been in it to cool down a couple of times today and it's the first thing Alex does when he walks through the door at night. The kids have an icelolly when they get in from school followed by a swim. Makes a nice change to a handful of biscuits and flop in front of CBBC or a playstation! Sophia and Mads ended up having a dip with Alex at 7.30pm which means going to bed with damp hair and having fun detangling in the morning!!
Our container is going through customs tomorrow and as long as everything is ok, will be delivered on Friday. Alex is taking the day off so hopefully between us we can make the most of the unpacking service we have paid for and put away things as fast as the men can unpack!
We cleaned the annexe at the weekend with the help of Harvey and 3 of his mates. I washed curtains, windows, the boys mopped the floors and hoovered and Alex cleared up broken glass from a window and put all the stuff the owner still needs to dispose of to one side. We hope to put all our borrowed furniture there on Thursday so we have a clear house on Friday when the container arrives.
Alex and I went for an explore in our garden yesterday, all 3 acres of rainforest. We found an overgrown path which we cut back about 300m, of, but the path is probably over 1km or so it will take us some time to tidy the rest. Didn't see any beasties, but it so peaceful in there. Some of the Gum Trees were over 40 metres tall and they were just beautiful to look up at with the blue sky behind. We picked up enornous palm tree frongs which have fallen down and put them along the edges to show where the path was.
We've met a few neighbours now and we are having housewarming drinks after Sophias party on the 21st. Lots to organise over the next few weeks but we are getting there.
Off to make the bed as I had a massive washing day today, which I don't mind, it's just all the blooming ironing I have to contend with. Especially as everything dries quite stiff here. Still I am using the elements and not the tumble drier so I am being green and then I don't feel so bad when I put the air con on to cool our bedroom down!!
People are also donating beds, bedding and clothing and other items which might help through the Salvation Army. It's amazing to think that at one end of the country it is so wet, houses have been covered and in the opposite end, it is so dry that a cigarette butt thrown out of a car window could be the cause of a horrendous fire which has killed over 130 people.
The sheer scale of Australia is hard for us poms to understand unless you have been on a road trip here or studied maps for hours on end. Adelaide where the heat wave was last week, is as far away as Gibraltar is to Colchester. Where the floods are is the distance between Cambridge and Prague. So although we are no where near either a lot of people round here know someone directly or indirectly who has been affected by these two disasters. It makes you feel very lucky.
The weather here has been warm, but we nearly always get a lovely breeze so the heat is manageble. It helps having a pool. I have been in it to cool down a couple of times today and it's the first thing Alex does when he walks through the door at night. The kids have an icelolly when they get in from school followed by a swim. Makes a nice change to a handful of biscuits and flop in front of CBBC or a playstation! Sophia and Mads ended up having a dip with Alex at 7.30pm which means going to bed with damp hair and having fun detangling in the morning!!
Our container is going through customs tomorrow and as long as everything is ok, will be delivered on Friday. Alex is taking the day off so hopefully between us we can make the most of the unpacking service we have paid for and put away things as fast as the men can unpack!
We cleaned the annexe at the weekend with the help of Harvey and 3 of his mates. I washed curtains, windows, the boys mopped the floors and hoovered and Alex cleared up broken glass from a window and put all the stuff the owner still needs to dispose of to one side. We hope to put all our borrowed furniture there on Thursday so we have a clear house on Friday when the container arrives.
Alex and I went for an explore in our garden yesterday, all 3 acres of rainforest. We found an overgrown path which we cut back about 300m, of, but the path is probably over 1km or so it will take us some time to tidy the rest. Didn't see any beasties, but it so peaceful in there. Some of the Gum Trees were over 40 metres tall and they were just beautiful to look up at with the blue sky behind. We picked up enornous palm tree frongs which have fallen down and put them along the edges to show where the path was.
We've met a few neighbours now and we are having housewarming drinks after Sophias party on the 21st. Lots to organise over the next few weeks but we are getting there.
Off to make the bed as I had a massive washing day today, which I don't mind, it's just all the blooming ironing I have to contend with. Especially as everything dries quite stiff here. Still I am using the elements and not the tumble drier so I am being green and then I don't feel so bad when I put the air con on to cool our bedroom down!!
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