I've been busy of late. I'm going to update you all with what I've been up to, but needless to say - in Sir Alan Sugar's uncopyable style "David, you're Hired", if he was the grim reaper.
What a run of bad luck Ive had at work. I'm busy composing my thoughts, and will let you all know soon about what I've actually been doing.
Early October – Discovering Angkor Wat
In the middle of the 1800s there were a couple of intrepid jungle explorers who, in the course of hacking their way the jungles of South East Asia, came upon a lost city in what is now Cambodia. As it turned out, after cutting the jungle back a lot that it was the old capital city, Angkor Wat.
This last week has been more like a settling in week. After the frenetic move, and unpacking of almost 200 boxes, bundles, and bags that made the slow journey 15000 miles, Jane and I have tried to just slow down a little. Although it is hard to slow down from hardly moving, we are trying. Daisy is quite happy to stay at home at the moment, and play with her toys, and games. Also a favourite of hers now is watching Foxtel (Sky TV) kid's channels. We still are without Lounge room furniture yet, but the floor is as good a place to sit as any, when watching TV I guess.
I've been going to work. It is a bit of a shock, as I've been given nights to do again, but this time I am at a busy ambulance depot right near the restaurant/cafe/bar/club area of Perth. As you can imagine, it is a far cry from the sleepy hollow out near the desert, or the old people taxi bus, or the long distance transfer brigade, which is what I have been doing recently. I'm not complaining though, as it is nice to be busy with lots of different things.
Anyway, to aid in the slowing down of the pace of life from slow to almost stopped, I've been contemplating the world while lying in my hammock in the back garden in the sun. Temperatures here are being forecast as cracking 30 in the early part of next week. Maybe Jane will be able to put her jumpers away soon. I know that those in the UK don't want to hear about it, but the sun is out, the water in the sea is warming up, the beach is looking more appealing every day, and the 2 weeks we've had of slightly dodgy weather is finished. It's a far cry from driving rain, grey skies, and howling winds that are the norm for October.
I digress again. As I was lying on the hammock listening to the grass grow (it actually was that quite), I realised it needed mowing. I remember seeing a mower in one of the three sheds in the garden, and so I got it out, and after a couple failed attempts at getting it running smoothly, I put it back into the shed, and went and got a decent one that wasn't petrol driven from the local Garden centre. After mowing, and racking the front and back garden, climbed back onto the hammock to look at my handiwork, while sipping a long cold drink.
This is when I decided that the ivy that was climbing on the trellises and eves of the patio roof really needed putting into its place and trimming back a little. Welding a pair of pruning scissors (secateurs) I ventured into the jungle where lots have feared to tread for a long time. With a snip here and a snip there slowly the ivy started to resemble something that was more of a decoration.
Like the intrepid French jungle explorers in the 1860s I discovered some rare treats after cutting down the ivy. There were some hanging baskets that were complete overgrown. I think that I'll call the garden the Heaths Jungle Retreat now. After trimming/major revamping of the ivy, and hanging baskets, I found places for a couple more baskets, so I treated Daisy to a couple hanging baskets from the local garden centre, with strawberries growing in them. After planting, and watering them, she is very excited that we are not only growing cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers, but now we are growing strawberries as well. We check them each about 4 times a day to see if there has been any strawberries grown yet. We hope they will be ready from about the middle of November through to about April, or May.
Anyway, unlike the Frenchies, I haven't discovered a lost city, but I've certainly made a lot more of our patio accessible, and also made one girl very happy, and excited.
Last of September – Sorry about the delay
As you are no doubt aware, I've been a little remiss with the updating of you all with the weekly/daily updates. It is not because things are happening that need reporting, or you might find funny, it is because I am just a little slack and finding the time to sit down everyday and pen 250 words or so, if really not as easy as it used to be. Anyway let me keep you abreast of the goings on of the Heaths in Perth.
The transportation issue hasn't been a problem since I have been using the train and bus to work, leaving Jane the car. There were a couple routine maintenance issues with the car that needed addressing, but nothing that wouldn't wait another couple weeks until we move (a fan belt that squealed). This suddenly and very loudly became a pressing maintenance issue while I was on the motorway one evening.
Anyway – to make a long story very short – I was given the run around by the garage that I happened to stop by (not that I couldn't fix the problem myself, I just couldn't get it to my home to fix), the fan belt was repaired. I'm not going to relay the whole story blow by blow (I almost resorted to physical blows) but a quick run down of some of the problems encountered – the garaged ordered the wrong belts twice (1 hour delay), while dismantling the car to fit the eventual new belts a bracket was snapped by the mechanic – and then the garage insisted I organise the replacement part (4 hour delay while going about 50 km. to get the new bit), and then when I got back the garage mechanic told me that he wasn't going to be able to fit the part till the next day. Eventually it was sorted out, and the car is running great. I learned my lesson, and did all the other routine maintenance tasks I'd been delaying (change the brakes, change the oil, clean the spark plugs, etc. etc. etc.)
We have also moved, and all of our worldly goods have been re-acquainted with us now. The house is as lovely as it was when we looked at it originally, with a big garden, and lots of space for the girls to all play. We didn't bring much actual furniture, and our house is looking like an IKEA show house a little more every day. (In fact last night I got another chest of drawers, a baby cot, another cupboard, some picture frames, a TV cabinet, a cuddly toy, and a glass decanter - actually not a cuddle toy and crystal decanter, maybe I've been watching to many re-runs of the Generation Game.
In the course of writing these few paragraphs, I've been unpacking the rest of our belongings, and been getting back to what I have been missing in the last 8 or 9 months (cooking for others, and firing the BBQ up, and slowing becoming a true Aussie – "Put another shrimp on the Barbie). Mostly it's been a houseful of dustbin lids (kids) about Daisy's age all dressing up as princesses, and bouncing on her trampoline. It's becoming more like home every day. Including putting all (did we really have that many) toys away every night.
We were given a small television to help pass the time until ours all arrived. Now our stuff has arrived, I tried to give the small TV back to its rightful owner, but she was just happy to be rid of it. So now the kids play room has a TV, Playstation, and DVD of its own. A 10 year old was very taken with the Playstation when he and his parents came around, and we didn't hear a peep from him for the couple hours they were here, and was really happy to borrow the game to take home to play at home.
We've been sorting out the life essentials (Sky TV, Telephone, Broadband) so are fully multi-media'ed up now, and I'll be passing along our phone number when we are finally connected, so you all will be able to ring (although it would be cheaper if you called us over the internet free, by the way). We are still waiting for those of you who we gave web cams and mics to connect with us. Do we need to send you the receipt, as the cameras must obviously not be working! Just pop your computer to www.skype.com and download and install the program, and in 5 minutes you'll be communicating free with the world. (You know who you are...)
We went to the Perth Royal Agricultural Show the other day. Schools here are on holiday again, and the Royal Show was timed to coincide with this. There were lots of animals (pigs, horses, cattle, sheep, llamas, camels, rabbits, dogs, cats, chickens, and goats to name a few of the animals we saw). Daisy and Annaliese loved them all, and we watched some high diving into a little pool, and had a pony ride, and went on a few rides. Daisy loved the mini roller-coaster.
Anyway – all quiet in the Heath household. I'm off to work tomorrow morning, and will be driving (I have no uniform left at work, so have to take all my shirts/jackets/spare uniform with me). Obviously I wouldn't ride the loser cruiser, and the rattler with the uniform, as most of the people look like they will be in need of paramedic in the near future.
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