NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET!

Well, not Elm. But in Cotts.

Firstly as we're trying to get everything out of the three bedrooms the large cardboard carton with paintings collapsed and glass shattered everywhere. There goes my glass framed papyrus from Egypt.

We set about cleaning all that up. More to dump. Why aren't there more bins?

Then the carpet layer arrived this morning and asked, "Whose taking up the carpet?"

"Um...................you?"

He said that's not his job. And he took one look at the carpet and asked why the measurers hadn't been to measure up the job. The skirting was layed after the first carpet, sisal, was layed and all the skirting boards had to be lifted.

Great.

Greg has just painted the skirting boards.

Whose idea was this anyway?

After we both panicked and tried to work out what to do, thinking we'd just have to toss the carpet and rent the place out without even cleaning it the man says, "Unless we lay straight over the top and use what's there as underlay!"

DONE DEAL.

The man's working on it now...talk about a crisis.

Now to book accommodation in Cape Town and Madrid because we land in both places at ungodly hours.

Thank god the cleaners for the rest of the house and windows are coming tomorrow. I couldn't have coped with the stress of having to do all that as well as all the running around we have to do today - organising accountants and real estates and international licences and the list goes on.........

2 days to go.

And i haven't bought a jacket yet. Mum says Hong Kong and South Africa has nice weather, Madrid is cold!

Will we make it to the plane on time?

BLUE DUCK

We ended up at the Blue Duck (again) tonight. We'll miss that place so much. Not sure what it is, the waves, the serenity, the closeness, the ambience, the food! Anyway, whatever it is, it's quite magical and a place we'll both miss going to for dinner..or lunch..or breakfast!









We're on our way. Hooked Mum up to the internet tonight which is something i think i should have done ages ago but left to the last minute, as usual. We had a crash course in how to use it and i think she needs me to go over it again tomorrow, which i will. Weird, the big computer didn't like it at mum's, it took up too much power! So she's on the laptop which ran really well. I'm wondering why i just didn't connect to dialup now, it seemed just as good as broadband! Well, almost..

I looked at the storage tonight. Arrgh, it's full to the hilt. We've been trying to palm stuff off, to Annie who couldn't remember hinting that she'd look after our garden swing to David who we just know will die of shock when he sees the old bbq and drafting table that we're dropping off to his place tomorrow.

Alena loved her "presents" too. Greg dropped off a large Japanese doll from Japan, Sombreo's from Mexico, and an assortment of other odds and sods off to her too. Presents..well, not quite!

Greg's been sugar soaping and painting all day. My large safety deposit got rejected at the bank (Told it was too big and i had to get rid of stuff - the story of my life) and the house still hasn't rented.

We're getting desperate. Does anyone want to rent it?

3 days to go. NO time for gossip. Got to get organised. Oh what shall i take???

Going to check out if i can actually carry this backpack or not!!!!

4 DAYS till BLAST OFF....

Greg's been painting all day. It looks wonderful. He's such a quiet achiever. :-)

I feel like i haven't achieved as much, in the physical sense. But i've got a lot done, in the organisational sense. And the wooden blinds are looking..well wooden again, instead of like a dust bucket.

RAC Insurance has been organised. They'll refund contents insurance, car insurance etc because Storage insurance now covers our 'stuff' and the car is now sold. I've suspended HBF for a year. I cancelled the carpet cleaners for Wednesday because now the carpet layers are coming. We've sorted out our Tax and have to take it in tomorrow. I've sorted out banking. Rates. Water. Foxtel. (They're coming tomorrow to collect the box and remote!)

Tomorrow i have to sort out gas, synergy, phone, internet, mobile. And we have to get our International licences. And...seek out verge collections..................

Now we're off for subway!

Will email tomorrow..

COTTS

What a night. IT WAS HOT!

We met Mum, John & Noreen, our kids and sibs and families down at Cotts Beach and and we swam, ate fish and chips, drank wine, chatted, layed about and generally did the Cotts thing and enjoyed the evening listening to the screeching rainbow lorekeets!













It was so great to see everyone, and sad knowing we won't see everyone again until next year. The kids will be ones that will have shot up by the time we get back! The two little blonde surfies were so adorable! Aww...

I think we'll have a send off party at the airport. Thank god i don't wear mascara anymore! (Thanks to those tats!) There might be some tears on Friday...

The next 4 days are going to be so busy around here..I'm not sure if i'm wanting Friday to hurry up, or for the time now to slow down. I do know it still all feels a bit surreal still. Friday night we'll know the reality though - we start our budget accomodation in Hong Kong. But it won't matter, we'll both be so zonked.

But I'm thinking, if the quality of the bed dicates the stars on a hotel, then we're not seeing any stars from our blow up mattress that we have to pump up each night. And no fridge either. And no plates. Who packed anyway!

Actually, our camping has begun already!

But we're cool with that. The next door neighbours bins are more looking exciting by the minute. And we do have to get used to park benches don't we. Ah, it's not as bad as that, but well, we are planning a year without working! Donations please! :-)

COUNTDOWN

We're still in Perth but we're on the countdown. 5 Days to go!

I'm sorry I've changed the blog name on you, but the first one ended up being more of a personal diary than a letter to everyone, so this is the new address that will easier to get into. You can just log in whenever you want here http://seachangers2.blogspot.com/and read what's going on with us!

One day, when I get brave, I might make the other diary public, but for the month before now, we've been a bit of a schitzo trying to get organised for this seachange of ours and I've written about it all! And no doubt, while we're away I'll be wanting to write stuff that you just don't wanna read! So. That's why the different address.

Anyway, this will be easier for you to access, because instead of having to have permission, and having to sign up etc, you can just sign in and read. I know a few people had problems and were stressed out about it! Also, this way, those who can't accept blindfolded bulk emails will be able access our letters.

You can send emails to the email i sent you, which i won't make public here, or you can send from here, i think! You can leave comments too apparently! Oh, technology, isn't it great! :-)

If any whacko's or weirdo's start messing this up, I'll have to revert to making it private again and put your specific emails in and give you permission for access, but for now i'll see how this goes. (For those who have talked to us lately, you may have heard Greg got a whacko valentines card from an evil ex and we don't particularly want a recurrance of that! So, please, be discrete about who you give this address to read. Thanks.)

Well it's Sunday. We've still got heaps to do at home, to get our house ready for the rentees and I know we'll be sitting on the plane just sighing with relief. We had a huge help from Bob and Yvonne yesterday who got us into action mode! And even encouraged us to buy new carpets for the bedrooms because the ones we have now are SO GROTTY! And no, it has nothing to do with red wine and massage oil!

Now the question is, has our budget been blown on carpets? That could have been money we were going to spend on a camper in NZ! But! Good news! The "BLOODY BOAT" sold!! We got a lot less for it than it's worth (and the amount that Greg's spent on it) but it's a headache that he no longer has to deal with, that's for sure!

Talk about having a huge smile last night when he got home! We celebrated over at Dave and Angies and today Greg has a hangover! Hmm..I do regret whingeing that he should have been home helping with the gardening, cleaning and plastering yesterday instead of going on 'sea trials' all day! It was great that it got sold! YIPPEE!

Goodbye Boat!














At times i've wondered if it's all worth it. This dematerialising and becoming backpackers! We've given our dogs away which was really sad. We have heard back from their new owners and they said it was 'an honour' to be looking after our dogs now. We felt really pleased and we know they'll be loving it because they went to a one hectare property and there are three kids in the family, so they'll be happy little vegemites! It was so sad saying goodbye..

Our pussies went up to Gero with Elise. She said Millie was still hiding in the cupboard for a few days after we left them with her, but now they're happy. And Tweedledum went to Mum's and he's been chirping away like crazy! They all seem so happy and it's stopped buzzing around here. No pets. It's so weird. Greg's even found a little willy wag tail out the back yard to keep him company!

We've borrowed mum's car because we're carless. And we're sleeping on a blow up mattress because we're furniture less. The house is echoing.

We're almost homeless!!!

Well guys, we'll keep in touch, we're looking forward to hearing from you, and i'll be logging into this, to write whenever i see an internet cafe. And for those who know me, that'll be daily if i can!