Berry St.

I have no idea who these people are, but they are
involved in Kirsten's placement in my home.

Christine came to have a look at the house on Monday
and brought another young girl who will fill in for
Christine when she is not available.

They had a look at the whole house and yard.

Christine told me that she did not care about the
laundry or my room. She was 'pleased' with the
dinning room and the kitchen, but she wanted to
come back next week and check that Kirsten's room
was finished, as well as her bathroom and the lounge
room, which at the moment has bags and boxes of Megs
stuff piled high in it.

As my study is in the 'front' room when you come in,
Christine mentioned in passing that it was 'crowded'.
What do these people expect from me. I have two
houses of furniture in the one house. I still have
stuff of Donald's and Kath's here as well. I just have
never bothered to really do a big clean up on it all.

It is not as if the place is dirty. It isn't.

But when Christine said that she wanted to come back
next Wednesday I said that the time did not suit as
that would be when I had my afternoon nap.

At lunch on Tuesday Meg said that the chap that had
been at the family conference as the rep for Berry St
had rung her with concerns. Firstly he said that the
girls said that the house was NOT DIRTY but that it
was the most cluttered house that they have ever seen.
Obviously they have not seen many houses then as both
Karen's and Kath's is messy than mine. And Kirsten
is coming from Kath's house to live in mine. Though
via Toss's house and it looked OK when I went up
there for Kirsten's birthday. But then I didn't
see all the rooms.

But another concern is that I was not going to be
available Wednesday because of my afternoon nap.
I will be having a nap EVERY afternoon fron 12.30 p.m.
till 2.30 p.m. from now on. I don't see what business
it is of theirs what time I have my nap when Kirsten
is not here!!!Surely these people are not going to try
to tell me HOW to live my life! Because there will be
big trouble if they are!!!

Double Up.

Came across TWO BOOKs with the same title.

The first is "When The Wind Blows" by John Saul,
Coronet books a division of Hodder and Stoughton,
published in 1981.

The second is "When The Wind Blows" by James
Patterson, Headline books, published in 1988.

I always thought that no two books could have
the same title!

Another Meeting.

Christine from Berry St rang and orgainized another
meeting between Toss and myself. Sid was suppose
to be there but he had already gone to Queensland.

We agreed that I would pick up Kirsten and her goods
and chattels at 5.30 p.m. next Friday.

But the reason for Kirsten no longer being cared for
by her has changed.

Firstly I was informed that she and Sid could no
longer handle Kirsten's behaviour. Then I was told
that it was because of Toss's ill health. Yet she
is still well enough to work full time. Now it seems
that she wanted to care for Kirsten but that Leonie
and I have objected.

The first meeting was called because the DHS had been
contacted by THEM as they wanted Kirsten to be put in
care!

Amazing how the reason keeps changing to case Toss
and Sid in the best possible light!

The Court Case!

I arrived at the court at 9 45 a.m. and the case
was finally called at 4 P.M. I should have known
that as my case involved 'winning' against the
local council that it would be the last on the
docket. They (the council) would not want too
many people to know that you can win against
them.

It was actually just asking for hearing to have
the existing order overturned as the council had
withrawn the fine and the order should never have
been out in their favour, in the first place.

The magistrate granted the application for a
hearing and said that he would hear it now and
that under the circumstances the exsiting order
would be overturned and a new order made out in
my favour!

Hurrah a win for the good guys at last.

Now I just have to get the pool done and there
should be no more trouble with them.

Kirsten Cometh!

The meeting at Berry St went well. Kirsten is
coming to live with me.

At this stage it is for an indefinite time.

No more fun Grandma, now it it the tough guardian
role, of course there will be fun sometimes but
not like when I could spoil her and then send her
back to Mum and Dad.

At this stage it looks like I won't have her for any
weekends, so I will have to see about changing that
as I would like her for at least one a month. There
are a lot of shows I have recorded for her to see
at Cliff's and that won't happen unless she comes
for a weekend.

She is coming about the 1st September, as is Spring.
Is there some significance in that I wonder?

I have a lot of cleaning up to do, as I don't want
the house too messy. I can't believe that Meg keeps
saying that my house could be on that hoarders show.
I may have a lot of clutter but is is not dirty.

Last Minute Change.

For the past couple of months I have been getting
Cliff to drive me home, on his way to the shop on
Saturdays and then again on Sundays, on his way to
the market. I have been getting my e mails done.

By Friday the 12th August I was down to 40 e mails
unopened! I was thinking that by Sunday I would
have done them ALL! But at lunchtime on Friday,
just after Donald poped in to pay me the $15 he
owed me from picking the kids up from school.
Cliff said that "no" he would not be driving me
home on Saturday and when I asked why not, he said
that I had to do the shop on Saturday. He did not
ASK me to do the shop he told he I HAD to do the
shop!

When I asked why he said that he had to go to
Melbourne. When I asked how long he knew about
that he said Thursday night. No, it seems he
thought that ringing me at 8 p.m. on Thursday
was a waste of time as he was seeing me at lunch
time Friday. No thought that I might have some
plans of my own!

As it turned out I bought a crossword puzzle book
and spent the three hours in between customers
doing the puzzles. The take for the day wasn't too
bad and his business in Melbourne went off well too.

But I had to pay for my own meals and drinks and
got nothing from the day. He was the one who made
money.

Talhia Turns Nine!

On Thursday the 11th of August, we had a family dinner
at the Rossmore Hotel at Yallourn North to celebrate
Talhia's 9th Birthday, which was actually on Wednesday
the 10th. But on Thursday's the hotel has a parma and
pot night.

Auntie Meg could not come as she was playing netball and
her team only has three more games before the season
finals.

Donald came late as he had to wait till after Soccer
training.

Cliff was late as he had to wait on the plummer. He was
also the second to leave. Toss and Sid took Kirsten home
at 8 p.m. as her bedtime is 8.30 p.m. and they did not
want her to be tired in the morning. Although Kath and
Nathan were still there at 8.30 p.m. when I left. They
were with Talhia now 9 and Jasmine, 6. So it looked like
Talhia and Jasmine were allowed to stay up one hour past
their bedtime because of Talhia's birthday but not Kirsten
who is 13.

I was the second one there after Misty, Leon and Kids.

Kath, Nathan and Kids, Toss, Sid and Kirsten all walked
in the door at the same time.

Most of us had the $15 parma and pot special.

Not a bad night, but with under tones because of the
meeting next week about Kirsten's future.

I took some photos but this year only of Talhia.

Nanna Player was not there as has has not been well
lately.

Weather (you like it or not)!! (HA,HA)

Last week we had four lovely sunny days in a row.
Thought the temperature was not that great as there
was no heat in the sun. But I did manage to go see
Kath last Wednesday and the girls were having a day
off because of teacher training.

When I was teaching our training took part during
the 'school holidays'. I had to go to the uni to
attend courses and we had to sign in every morning
and sign out each night. Times have really changed.
When I started teaching I earned the princely sum
of $49 (clear)a week!

Any way Talhia took it into her head that it was
100 degrees outside and put on her swimmers and
when out and put the hose on for her Jasmine and
the dog to 'cool' of in. I have the proof in a
photo which I will hopefully add later.

I finally did manage to get all the grass cut, but
not around the edges which are still soaking wet.
Now all I have to do is trim the rose bushes and
I'm all set for spring which is less that three
weeks away. Though this week it is back to cold,
wet weather. Thankfully the wind has died down.

The brollys that I ordered a 2 months ago for Meg
and I because of the wet, windy weather have not
come, though I did receive a letter saying that
there had been an unprecedented demand and thus
I would not receive mine till the end o September,
I doubt if we will need them then, god I hope not!!

"Drop Dead Diva"

I started watching this on free to air T.V. but never
saw the first episode. Well Austar starting showing
it on T.V.1 and I watched the first episode last night.

I must say that I was disappointed in how Deb died. No
dramatic crash over a cliff top, just a slight fender
bender with a truck carrying grapefruit which "SOMEHOW"
escaped the truck and fell into Deb's car, as she had
the top down. I have seen shows were cars have flipped
umpteen times and the drivers walk away witout a mark
(I have aways thought that impossible! I mean there
should be SOMETHING!.) But the mild crash resulting
in death, really not believeable. Then Jane is shot
in the office and though the nurse and doctor say it
is only a 'flesh wound' she flat lines, perhaps a blood
clot? we are not told but once again a 'mild' "accident"
results in death!

I also noted on the computer screen, that Fred pulls up
of her life, that Deb has a younger sister. But in a
later episode where Deb's parents get divorced. Bobby
(Deb's mother) tells Jane (who we know has Deb's soul)
that she and her husband only kept the marriage together
because Deb had some picture in her head that she had
the perfect family with the perfect parents who had the
perfect marriage.

We see Deb's parents house and there are pageant pictures
and ribbons and photos of Deb all over the place but
nothing of any other girl or young woaman. Deb died at
24 so a younger sister should be in the range 18-22!

I did love the way that Deb came back to earth for
another chance at life. She pushed the RETURN (ENTER
on my computer, though on typewriters it is the return
button) BUTTON on Fred's computer. So she has no-one
else to blame but herself that she is in Jane's 'body.'

Old Shows and "New" Stars.

Have been watching a lot of old "Murder She Wrote"
episodes on TV1 at Cliff's over the last couple of
months.

In the following episode Series 3 "Death Stalks
the Big Top" a very young Courtney Cox plays
Jessica's great niece.

This was a bit eerie as the very next thing I
watched was a CSI Miami Episode 19 Series 3 "And
They're Offed." Where a character called Terrance
Chase, a trainer at the race course, was actually
played by the same bloke that plays Courtney Cox's
ex husband in "Cougar Town." Then it got weirder,
as in the next scene, we see the course vet, Mark,
and the actor playing that role aslo plays
Courtney Cox's boyfriend in "Cougar Town."

The thing is I reckon I would not have known these
actors if I had not seen "Freinds" or "Cougar Town"
first.

I know that there are a lot of shows that I watch
for a second time and it is 3-7 years after I first
saw them. In the meantime a minor character from
the show has got a major role in some show that I
watch quite regularly so that when I go back and
see the show where they first appeared I now KNOW
them whereas I did not the first time around.