yes, I am still alive

Before I even get into it, many thanks to the lovely Lola, who, despite being in the middle of her own very rough patch at the moment, had the kindness to send me a message checking if I was okay.  Much appreciated, Miss Snow!!

Yes, still alive over here.  It’s been full on, what with one thing and another.  I managed to have a prang in the car the other day, on the way to work.  Neither myself nor the other guy are hurt, so that’s all good.  His car only has a few little scratches along his back bumper, so very minimal damage there.  My poor little buzzbox, on the other hand, has the front bumper banged in, and the bonnet is crumpled up.  The front lights have been pushed out, so it’s a very sad, googly-eyed little car at the moment.  It was all my fault, so I’m not giving myself any sympathy.  I’m just so glad that all the humans involved are okay, that’s the main thing.

Other than that, well, real estate stuff continues.  We’ve had some finance issues, but it looks like our current purchase will proceed.  My brother is also still on the property warpath.  He’s just discovered that places in his area and price bracket are going off the market as quickly as they come on.  He’s now agreed to listen to his big sister, and contact agents for viewings before the first home open happens.  I could’ve made a smart-arsed ‘I told you so’ comment to him when he told me, but I very maturely managed to refrain from rubbing it in.  Just.

It’s a long weekend this weekend, but SO and I are on a week’s leave anyhow.  We celebrated by buying some floor tiles this morning.  We got 20m2 of pale blue 200mm x 200mm (8″ by 8″) floor tiles for a total of $160 – cheap!!  We were going to use them in an investment property, but I like them so much I’ve decided we’ll do up the ensuite with them.  The ensuite is currently tiled in very dark green (almost black) tiles, and while it looks okay, it makes a small space really feel miniscule.  Pale blue floor tiles and white wall tiles will brighten it up and open it out.  SO did stipulate that he doesn’t want to do the tiling himself, so we will have to get somebody in, but I really think it’ll be worth it.  Not sure when we’ll get around to getting it done, but when it happens I’ll post pictures.

As a thank-you to SO for getting up early to get the tiles, I made him a big cooked breakfast.  Bacon, lightly fried eggs, mushrooms in butter, a tomato, the whole bit.  He gobbled it down with the biggest grin you’ve ever seen.  I had no idea that a fry-up could make a man so happy.  Mental note: must remember this for potential bribery in the future.  Apart from the mushrooms (of which I did steal some of the proceeds) this kind of thing leaves me cold.  I’m not a savoury person, and I grew up in a house where a) bacon and b) anything fried never actually happened.  The very first time in my life I tasted bacon was at a friend’s house when I was fifteen (her dad was cooking a hangover recovery breakfast).  So yes, SO’s love of cooked breakfasts mystifies me.  But it is entertaining to watch.

Otherwise, not a huge amount planned.  I’d like to get into the garden, it’s looking bad again, but we’ll see.  I also need to start getting into my counselling course.  I’ve done some work, but obviously there’s (lots) more to be done.  It’s all very well feeling virtuous about studying, but if I don’t actually do anything then I’ll never finish it.

ten years ago / now

This post is inspired by a post I read over at I Will Teach You To Be Rich.   It’s about a guy who asked himself one day, ‘What do I want my life to be like in five years?’ and did something to make that happen.

I can actually predict fairly easily where I’ll be in five years – still in Perth, still in the same line of work, just with more properties (at the rate we’re going, anyhow).  But when I read the post, I immediately thought back to not five, but ten years ago.

I was 22.  My fiance had broken up with me, so I had moved out of our single-bedroom unit, back in with my parents.  We had bought a place together six weeks before he broke up with me, so I ended up buying his half from him.  I was sellling petrol at a service station on a full time, shift-work basis, four days out of eight, ten hours a shift.  I wasn’t allowed a stool to rest on, in case I served people sitting down (which I would never do – apart from being rude, it would have been too difficult to work the till). 

I had recognised that, like James, I needed to do something to bring about change in my life.  As a result, I had returned to uni.  Full time.  I was working full time, and studying full time.  I was pretty much forced to do it this way – my mortgage needed to be paid (the rent from the tenant didn’t cover the mortgage) and if I studied part time, I would’ve been 28 by the time I finished my degree.  Even I could see that the best way to move things alone and change my life, sucking it up and doing it as quickly as possible was the way to get my life back on track.

Wow, it was tough.  It was really tough.  I was tired all the time; I had to miss lectures if I couldn’t change my work shifts, which were on an eight-day cycle, so changed every week; I didn’t buy any new clothes, or food on campus or at work - I took it from home.  I used to chance my luck and park at uni without buying a parking ticket, because if I was careful, I could park for free.  I rarely went out with my friends for dinner or clubbing, and if I did, I’d eat before I left the house (so I could order an entree) or be the designated driver (so I didn’t have to spend money on alcohol).  I stopped getting my hair cut.

It was so worth it.  Even at the time, I could see that.  I also think that my attitude to life then is reflected by my attitude now.  Life was very tough, but I made the best of it.  I enjoyed uni, I coped with work, I kept in touch with my friends.  I didn’t spend much money, but I still enjoyed life.  This is similar to now.  SO and I spend very little money on consumer goods and ephemeral stuff.  Despite having a high disposable income, we’ve chosen to get heavily involved in property, which has sucked up the majority of it through our costs being greater than our rental income.  It’s the whole ‘deferred gratification’ thesis – you put up with some restrictions now, to set ourselves up for later. 

Definitely, those tough years gave me the ability to look past the present and look to the future, to hang onto the ultimate goal.  We both do it now.  About six months ago, I floated the idea of retiring in ten years’ time to SO.  This idea has grown to almost be a set-in-concrete goal.  Today I found myself saying to a coworker, ‘When we retire in ten years….’  Even the counselling course I’ve enrolled in will fit in beautifully with the plan.  I could see a handful of people a week, and that would give us the same income I earn now working 38 hours a week.  It would fit in perfectly to a retirement where I’m still mentally active, enjoy helping people, and am fascinated by the choices of others.

Anyhow, I suspect this post has been rambling and tangential.  I just felt compelled to work through my reactions.

valentine’s day

I had a wonderful day yesterday.  I woke up with SO gently stroking my forehead and smiling at me.  He told me he’d made me a ‘real’ (as opposed to instant) coffee.  I went into our our kitchen/dining/living area, and there was the coffee - together with a beautiful bunch of lilies, my all-time favourite food ever, a juicy mango (wrapped in clear cellophane, with a pink ribbon) and a card.  The card said, ‘All I want for Valentine’s Day…’ (open card) … is to be close to you’.   Awwwwwwww. 

I’m so lucky.

third anniversary

Not a huge amount going on in my part of the world.  We’re still waiting to hear if our latest loan will be approved.  I’m a bit concerned - we had the valuer out looking at our house the other day, and when he asked us what we thought it was worth, we told him, and he kind of went, ‘Oh‘ in an ominous tone of voice.  So now we have probably about another week’s wait until we find out if we qualify for finance or not.

I hate this part.  I start looking for furniture, then realise there’s not a huge point in buying it.  What would we do with it if we didn’t get finance?!  And there are always fantastic deals happening which I can’t bear to pass up.

Coincidentally, my little brother is also looking to buy a place.  He’d prefer inner city (as in, in the CBD) as he works there.  I’ve been suggesting some stuff to him as well, and have volunteered to go with him to check out places.  I hope he does go ahead with it, I really think it’s the ideal time to buy.  Plus, the lease on his place runs out soon, and the unit is on the market, so he’d have to find somewhere else to live anyway.  It may as well be his own place, right?

We were talking about this earlier in the week.  We were actually at my mother’s place.  Every year, on February 9, the three of us get together for lunch or dinner.  This was the third anniversary of my dad’s death.  It doesn’t feel like it’s three years ago that he died.  Anyhow, Mum had decided what she wanted to do with his ashes.  She lives a short walk away from a river, and she and dad used to go for walks there.  There’s a little jetty that he loved going to the end of and just looking out at the view.  Mum had decided that she wanted to scatter his ashes off the jetty, as it was his favourite place. 

So we went out for dinner first, then back to Mum’s house.  We got the dogs and the ashes, and went along and scattered them at the end of the jetty.  It was beautiful; there was a full moon, the water had even waves washing up against the shore, and there was a light breeze.  Even the dogs didn’t make a sound.  It was really nice, or at least as nice as ash-scattering can be.  My brother did the honours, and we sat there for a bit before the mosquitos drove us away.  (Even typing this, I’m scratching a couple of bites absent-mindedly.)

So yes, that was Monday night.  I think it’s taken me all week to really absorb and digest how I felt about it, the recurring sense of loss, and for it all to take its proper place in my mind – not put away, not forgotten, but receding into the background of everyday life.  I still love and miss my dad, but it’s not the heart-rending agony any longer.

lucky

You know you have a wonderful life when you see this….

…. and realise that it applies to you.

The key thing in my life that I wished for was SO.  Not him specifically, but a man who loves me, respects me, trusts me, and understands me.  I am so incredibly, amazingly lucky that we met, and that he feels the same way about me that I do about him.  I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Picture courtesy of PostSecret.com

m.i.a.

Wow, I’ve been in absentia for what feels like ages.  As you may have guessed, there’s been lots happening.

Most of the empty gaps in my mind have been taken up with our new property.  We signed the paperwork for the financial side of things on Tuesday, so now we just have to wait to see when the property valuations are going to happen, then see if we get our finance approved.  Our mortgage broker isn’t concerned, so we’re assuming it’s all going to be fine.  As a result, I’ve been scouring ads for furniture – beds, wardrobes, chests of drawers,  a fridge, you name it.  This is one of the fun parts of buying property for me – it enables my bargain hunting fetish to be used to its fullest extent.

We’ve also been informed of our tax return outcomes.  We’re in luck – our combined return will mean we can pay my mum back, and still have a little bit left over.  This is fantastic, and has been a huge weight lifted off our minds.  I took my coworker P out to lunch to celebrate when I found out on Friday (SO was already eating lunch with his work friends, so he wasn’t an option).  Yay for tax refunds!!

Work has been interesting.  There’s going to be a review of my section, and the broader ‘corporate services’ area (read: HR).  We’re even going to be able to give our opinions on how we think the restructured section should look like.   Fortunately it’s not going to mean any job losses, just reshuffling of positions.  Basically, I don’t really care what happens to where my position sits; as long as I don’t have to work with my former boss, I’m happy.  If I end up reporting to her, I’ll have to leave the organisation.  But at this point, I’m not panicking.

Healthwise, all is going well.  I’ve kept healthy since coming off the ciprofloxacin, so that’s just great news.  I realised the other day that I’d been sick for over two months.  That’s ridiculous!!  I’m so glad that something finally worked.   I’ve also been eating healthily and watching portion sizes.  It’s paying off, slowly but surely.  I’m actually wearing some size 14 (Australian) pants again.  This is a freaking miracle.  Also, people at work have been complimenting me.  They’ve noticed that I’m looking more trim.  I like it, my face is actually attractive when I’m an okay weight.  (Current BMI is 26.1, so I’m still carrying a  bit, but it’s dropped from 27.8, so I’m happy.)  If I can keep this up for another five or so kilos, I’ll be at a weight which makes me more or less happy.

On other health news, I have no idea how I’ve done it, but I’ve managed to rick my back.  I was fine when I got up this morning; fine surfing on the net, fine when I sat down to eat breakfast.  When I got up from breakfast, THE PAIN THE PAIN THE PAIN – my back spasmed and I felt sick.  It’s still so sore, and it still feels like it’s spasming.  I can’t turn my head properly, or bend down.  I have no idea what I’ve done, but I’m sorry!!!  I’m on ibuprofen, and trying to keep my back warm, and I’m hoping it’ll be better by tomorrow – I’m not skipping work for this (it’s not quite that bad) and I also have to go to mum’s for dinner (it’s the anniversary of my dad’s death, and we’re going to scatter his ashes).  Oh well, as long as it stays like this, it’ll be manageable.  If anyone has any tips for this kind of thing, they’re most welcome!

fleeurgh bleeble

That’s pretty much what my poor little brain is doing right now.

We bought another property today.  It’s a two bedroom villa, with a nice little backyard and front garden, in a neat little complex.  We had a look yesterday, put in an offer yesterday afternoon, haggled today, and finally reached agreement late this afternoon.  I’m pretty happy with the price - we got the seller to drop $11,000, and the price was already pretty good.  At the same time, we spent a few hours today driving around a remote northern suburb.  We’re considering renting out our home, buying and living in a nice house on the outskirts of the metro area, then selling up in a year or so when the price rises.   This will mean that as it’s our home we’re selling, there won’t be any capital gains tax to pay.

So yes, it’s been a heavily property-oriented weekend.  I’ve already picked out a number of items I want to buy to furnish the villa, from the local free classifieds.  And as soon as we knew we’d reached agreement on the property, we both headed outside in the 40 degree celsius weather to start gardening.  Part of the finance approval process is getting our own home valued, and a neat garden makes a difference to valuations.  I see a lot of weed-pulling and fertilising in my immediate future.

I’m knackered.  I’ll sleep well tonight.