Confucius he says: not all pizza bases are equal, nor as crispy. Especially if you buy them in strange square shapes from Coles (even if they were the one ones left on the shelf - perhaps, especially so). Well we don't have the lovely breadmaker here to make dough and frankly I'm buggered if I'm going to knead stuff (not pizza dough anyway), and as aforementioned, they were the only ones available. More like very badly made shortbread than pizza I'd say but never mind, we'll just either buy ready made or wait until we've got the - breadmaker back. Which might be a while in the current climate - got in touch with the removal company today and they said yes it would be another three weeks at least (I'd imagine more like four), PLUS that old deactivated gun that I took so much care about is ONCE AGAIN causing a stink, though I have no idea why they should take objection to it, it's carefully labelled and with it's certificate of deactivation and everything, about as dangerous as a rolling pin but you know, you want to be all above board and completely faultless in moving - well they're now going to charge me (or more accurately, have charged me) $120 for the inspection fee. Inspection fee? There was no mention made of that... suspicions that it's totally made up but what can one do, as usual, short and curlies. They've literally got our entire worldly possessions under their thumb. Anyway, we'll be a while without goods and gun alike.
... as I write our neighbours are having another absolutely storming row, and I don't know but it sounds like a totally DIFFERENT set of people.... perhaps this is the way to go in this country, if so we'd better start exercising our vocal chords or we'll never live up to standard. In fact I don't know what we could think to yell about so we'd better all buy earplugs and just develop temporary deafness to make up for it. 'WHAT'S ThAT YOU SAID???" "WHAAT??" "WhAT did you SAY???" "I CAN"T UNDERSTAND YOU, I'VE GOT BANANAS IN MY EARS" (a Littles book quote, for those of you who are perhaps more mystified than others).
As I write I'm sinking into a lower and lower posture on the beanbag - really quite breathless with the computer nearly on lungs but still can't be bothered to move. Vaguely reminds me of the wheelchair-bound person who is so gung-ho on renting Asolo and wants to rip it apart the moment he sets foot (or not) in it.... typical. Can't we get anyone NORMAL in as tenants, nothing but insane megalomaniac cripples or illegal immigrants? Really. What about a nice quiet couple - they can keep a budgie or something. Lovely. No, insane cripple. Goodness me.
Well today I sent the Mr off in the morning with a 'drop by' to Merewether Heights school to leave the forms I'd filled in for them to complete (we have to apply to the State first, pay, and then apply to the school), and when the Non and I were half-way through reading 'Mrs Hippo's Pizza Parlour' the Magic Door (the automatic garage door) was heard to bang and up came the Mr, back in. What ho? Forms are outdated, been replaced, whole pack of new stuff, more filing in, sits down and starts scribbling. Sterling work. Anyway, in the course of all these forms of course takes an age, and it was 10:30 before he actually gets to work. However, the forms are in and we're also applying to the school at the same time, there was talk of letting the Non go to school on Monday next rather than wait for the state to officially sign off but we don't know if that'll come though. That really would be just the school bending the rules considerably to please us. However, even at the latest date, I think a week on Monday and she should be happily installed. It really is amazing how close to the school the house is - we are not QuiTE next door but almost. Fantastic. There is still one road to cross, even at that distance - but it's all of course pretty quiet (not the road we're on of course - that's as busy as the one we're on now - mainly as it's the same road).
Windy as hell again today, even in the Baths I noticed a girl much bigger than the Non (about 8 or so) being told by her mum 'swim the other way as well, against the current' and complaining 'no, it's sooo difficult!' and she was a pretty good swimmer, too. Even in the pool. Can you imagine? This is a natural current caused by wind/wave action, not some flow-through pump system. Boy my head nearly blew off. Anyway she did a bit of good jumping-in nevertheless and retired after a decent interval, suitably blue-lipped. Baths are closed tomorrow for cleaning so I bet the wind will drop totally so we can't fly our kite instead. Sod's law. (Said the miserable old codger glumly).
Neighbours have quietened down and I think I heard car engines revving up and departing a short while back, wonder if it's permanent. Have a sinking feeling that alas it's not. Oh, spoke too soon, there was another residual whoop-yell ... can't imagine what triggered that. Anyway, getting bored now. Oh, before I sign off, the Littles is HUGELY excited about getting to school - firstly because she misses it and secondly because it's her favourite one out of the ones we saw, but mostly and most immediately because they sent a DVD with the information pack of the kids doing things and explaining stuff - she LOVED it and I have to say it's a great idea. It's exactly what kids and parents both want to know - where do you hang your bags, what does your classroom look like, what are the special days, what do you do for PE, where do you have your lunch, who looks after you between times, all that stuff. Watched it two times over with great delight. So in short, I think school cannot come fast enough.
Right, really tired now. Lots of love to all, Mrs xxxxxx
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Non going to school, whether Monday or Monday week is really very good news. Well done all of you. I am glad it is the school she likes best - this can make such a difference. The idea of looking at the school's DVD sounds odd at first: all we had was turgid printed prose for the Pflea and Camel: DVD is much better - they can't drone on about meeting, and even surpassing, the standards set in.....and ..... It's realy so much waffle.
ReplyDeleteSo do you move in on 21st, or will you move over the 2 days of the weekend? Looks like we should try to talk to you tomorrow night to leave you free over the weekend: will that be OK?
Yesterday we went to the Markets with Joletta, Jeanette, and the Mino - quite a family gathering.
Love to you all,
Whale
WHEEEY dear Vens and all- just so that you don't think we've vanished off the face of the earth (it ain't so lucky) we're here and reading, I've meant to write so many comments and gratitude letters on the fun I7ve had in the early hours (it comes in just at about the 5am that I wake up)-unfortunately unable to write at the hour as the whole family would be in an uproar (problem of californian houses where there are no doors anywhere, actually, no windows to speak of either)- and in attempt to reduce our shopping basked load have been frantically trying to make 3 different breakfasts, lunches AND dinners by seven in the morning out of scratch, not to mention actually everyone waking up then and getting everyone set off. I've also cut down the TV load by tons- I mean tons, and what with Nea almost out of her afternoon sleep and in her terrible twos- I mean it, which is also resulting from lack of sleep in one way that she is growing out of- i console myself that at least she isn't throwing up. Haven't sat down properly at the computer since the last time I wrote except to see blogger and try to decipher school emails from everlasting Boris jokes and crap, and then in the end Nea doesn't even get to sleep till 11am; the stubbornest of stubborn, she'll rather sit in time-out with her hands firmly crossed, chin facing ceiling in candle light rather than admit defeat. This is all new to me since Leo is my carbon copy and will capitulate after 2 minutes and just wish a hug whatever happens, but forget just as quickly.Where was I, anyway you get the gist. SOO many things to comment on but am afraid that their bath time is almost over and I can hear the water literally trickling over the whole hall hardwood floor, I think intervention is needed. Sorry to seem so pieish when you're going through all the things I know to be hardest; I can't believe they give a DVD about those things, the only thing we got (and this is a GOOD school) - school starts sep.3rd, 8.25am- look for teacher schedule"- and that's about it. Good you even attempted to make a pizza in this situation; I had no qualms of buying probably antibiotic-infested whole chicken roasts or frozen pizza topped with sodium packed pepperoni an all the first month and a half, too much of a hassle to be worth it. You write everything down and just go ahead and get everything- so absolutely deft and up-to-stuff, I used to put 20 things down on the list and ended up coming back with five. Don't we know the situation with the "stuff that is supposed to come by so-and-so"- I timed my buying of things to last me 2-3 weeks, it took a further 6. OH but I'll never forget that night that we arrived in the house the first time, the night unbelievably cold and having two inflatable beds that seemed to sink the bold from the bottom of the earth right into your veins. Ugh. Lived by candles for 3 days, but I remember Makoto being really
ReplyDeletechuffed by this since he's never been camping in his life; of course he only came back to a warm meal and sleeping kids at 11am, not to wonder what had been going on before then. THere I go again, lord I had a look at that trek that the Non made the other day along the beach- excellent! Really getting colour and stamina on her, she would have never managed that before- that's a jolly long way actually, just the day before you wrote that I took the kids out for a treck to a park that is about 13 minutes by car- calculated it to be around 2.5km one way, and set off at 9am- (kind of boot camp)- only arrived at 10;15, and that was MY fast walk with Leo red in the face and panting behind, not to mention the way back which was.. all in all a normal 2 hour excursion was dragged out into 6. Not that it's bad and enjoyed it, but quite tough all in all on the smaller ones, and even Leo who is generally resilient sank down on his chair and said " oh mummy I love the car"- not to mention that you guys walked in much greater temperatures and on the sand as well. Well done Non was my whole point, and the map was also great to see since one could get the idea of all the greenery around there!
ReplyDeleteNow where. Anyway as I briefly said before, it's just been a rather helter-skelter rush around here, especially as we had 4 days holidays the past weekend, nontsop places to go and mouths to feed, not to mention unneeded wine in the evening, which I sorely regretted; I keep clear of the stuff these days since I know that once I start am bound to start to show my bottom to the kids or some such nonsense. The last time I drank wine Mako was guffawing and pissing himself in fits of laughter when I started to down 3 loads of Natto; one of the few edible things on the western and Asian side of culinary art I cannot muster the strength to devour;
BY the way, it was really funny the day you wrote about coleslaw how the very same night before I had been experimenting with it myself; and was immensely intrigued. THanks for the tip, I had tried it with horseradish before but not with tabasco, (japanese Shichimi is also really good with it, it gives it the hotness without the acidity) - and loved the idea of onions, often make it with celery since Mako loves it- my only addition to that lovely recipe is a further "boy" one- one I put in since Leo would make faces around eating it (in our case not the dairy but the raw cabbage and shredded broccoli) - harusame, or tiny rice noodles- they keep fresh for ages and make a real comfy slurping sound for them as well, after I made that change in his lot even Leo's eyes light up when they come along. i know I know, I'm making no sense and my sentences are completely haphazard and ridiculous, if you saw what was going along around me, you'd understand why.
ReplyDeleteOh and one more thing about food; would you give me the entire recipe for the squids?! and how do you get them soft? PLease, I7ve been hopeless with squids from day one, I love them but seem to differ in temper and one goes into huge trouble of frying (something I rarely do) and cleaning them and in the end somehow they all seem to be determined to stay the most unappetizing things on the planet; even Mako who tried to please me more than once by saying "that's great" uncontrollably furred his brows and said "weeel,,, that's a new one, it's not toooo bad- and I vow never to buy squid for frying- again. I've tried all the japanese famous sake, cut horizontally and not vertically, giving them criss cross patterns and countless other knicknacks to no avail- they seem to positively hate me. So any new light on the subject- and I mean PROPER instructions, like HOW DO YOU COMB YOU HAIR IN THE MORNING- would be hugely appreciated- especially that one seemed sublime.
Piss my pants every time I read about your neighbours- we're not paper thin as much as the ap.are there probably but are in the end only 5-6,m from neighbour from each side- and I must say that the ones that we were "warned" about as being naggy and erratic, have turned out to be the quietest and most friendly, while the ones to the left are a shower of banging music, shouting and telephone calls- it's amazing (and Im not particularly noise- sensitive) how someone can blast thumping disco or rap from early morning till 3 in the morning-
every time they arrive and depart in the car, every time there is someone is in the house- it's so loud that it's not just HEARD, our house VIBRATES with it. Not to mention all the fights and the late night parties- once we thought of filing a complaint, but then being in California,
feared who might bring out a sudden point something automatic and shoot us point blank. I think the blue tack method (LOVED that) of wind-blockage the Aussie way might do it.
OMG have to go, and I've written nothing of any consequence, terrible and your lovely tangas must have fallen all the way down in complete disgust; reading on and hoping you have as easy a transition as humanly possible, and that our dear Non gets to go to school as soon as possible! Just HAVE to rush now, but many many snogs and snogs and snogs- XOXOXOXOXXOSSSS