Saturday, 23 January 2010
Moving on ...
Because of the difficulties I'm having running two blogs simultaneously on Blogger, Flea-bites is moving to Wordpress - www.grandmaflea.wordpress.com - I don't know how I did it, but the blog also has a new name - at least on the URL - see you there!
Saturday, 28 March 2009
Perhaps it's time ....
So, 18 months ago I last posted - and said I'd return "soon(ish)" ..... perhaps it's time to start again.
Normally, I'd have no problem writing a post. Once the words start to appear on the page, they gain momentum and tumble out, willy nilly. But since we moved out of our home 18 months ago, I seem to have lost both the desire and the ability to put pen to paper (fingers to keyboard doesn't quite have the same ring about it). I've thought about this, long and hard, and have come to the conclusion that it's because we are no longer surrounded by bushland with the wonderful wildlife that lived and visited there.
The things that I miss most keenly, are some of the neighbours and the wildlife. Apart from that - zilch. I don't miss the location, down a very steep hill, then down a long battleaxe drive. I don't miss the heat in summer and the cold in winter. I don't miss the lack of sunlight for 8 months of the year, brought about by 40 years growth of the trees surrounding the house. I don't miss the leeches that would sometimes decide to take up residence - indoors. Although I do miss the geckos that lived on the brick walls, indoors and out. I don't miss the oven that was a lemon from the day it was installed. I don't miss all the things that were showing their age and needed repairing. I don't miss the yard with the constant battle to keep the flourishing exotic weeds under control, nor the usually lost battle to grow anything else in the shallow depth of soil over the enormous sandstone ledge on which we had built. Surprisingly, I don't miss the privacy.
I do miss the birds - rainbow lorikeets, crimson rosellas, King Parrots and sometimes Eastern Rosellas and black cockatoos that fed and played outside the windows, and filled the air with their calls. I miss the tawny frogmouths that sat motionless, close to the trunk of the turpentine tree - so well disguised by their colouring that it would often be hours before I noticed them. I miss the boo-book of the owls at night and the vast swarms of fruit bats that would cover the sky at twilight, on their way to feed. I miss the possums that visited us, often with their babies on their backs. I miss the echidna that honoured us by its presence when we least expected it. I miss the croaking of the frogs.
And I miss Judy and Tony, Michael and Ian - our neighbours. I miss the dull rumble and the way the windows in the house rattled when Ian played and replayed his favourite DVD with an earthquake scene, through his home made speakers which were each as big as our sideboard. It took me months to work that one out. I miss opening the door to find Michael there, holding a tray of Chinese delicacies, covered with a snowy white napkin, for us to try. I miss the glasses of wine that would appear over the fence when we did battle with the weeds down the hill.
I miss bumping into Judy at our letterboxes and swapping our news over a cup of coffee (or glass of wine); putting our heads together to write to the neighbours asking them to keep their cats inside at night to protect the possums. I miss the "homework" she would leave me in the letter box when I professed my ignorance of things such as contour maps, relative and absolute temperatures, or the finer details of possum behaviour. I miss the phone calls, asking me if I knew that my washing had been on the line for a week! I miss the "Atholie Steps" that Tony built to facilitate our passage through the yard; his laidback, gentle nature; his embarrassment at some of my jokes.
Next post, I'll tell you what I love about our new home. But not before I respond to the emails that have been sitting in my "Reply" box - for months.
Sunday, 9 September 2007
Encycopedia of Me Meme: Z is for .. the END of the alphabet ...
..... but the beginning of a new life for the Fleas. Talk to you all soon(ish). And, thank you again.
Encycopedia of Me Meme: Y - is for YOU
I have so enjoyed YOU, my cyber friendships and exchanges with you all. I haven't reponded to the last several lots of comments, and I've really fallen behind with reading your blogs, which I enjoy very much. I'm glad that some of you have enjoyed reading this blog and seeing the photos of our wildlife. I have enjoyed all your comments and promise to catch up when I start blogging again. Thank you.
Encycopedia of Me Meme: X is for ......eXtraordinary
It's eXtraordinary what crisis and change reveals about people - good and bad aspects of their nature that you had not appreciated in the ordinary turn of events.
We have had a lot of help from friends and family - and as always, when the crunch comes, have discovered who our true friends are. Disappointing to find that someone you would move heaven and earth to help, because of your friendship, is not prepared to move out of their own way to do you even a small favour. It's a bit reminiscent of when Gpa Flea had cancer, 11 years ago - all sorts of unexpected people came out of the woodwork to lend their support, moral and physical, while someone we thought was amongst our closer friends showed their true colours in a quite unnecessary and hurtful way. That sounds a bit judgmental - it IS judgmental, but the hurt lingers long after the event. However life moves on and we don't take those people on our journey. (See why I find blogging so demanding? - the potential to be misunderstood is enormous - do I sound bitter and twisted? I hope not - just disappointed.)
The photo is the Flea family - minus the little Fleas, whose faces I don't like to expose to the world at large. The biggest Flea (third biggest in height, biggest in age) is in the purple jumper, second biggest (actually the biggest but second oldest) has the goatee, third biggest (but second tallest) is in the heavy duty jacket while Gpa and Gma Flea are the two oldies. Clear as mud? They have been a great help and support. They all came home to this house as newborns and did all their growing up in it, but have all said their goodbyes. Gpa Flea is a bit short-tempered and I'm sure it's because he's sad to be going, but he seems excited at the prospect of moving into the new place - he's a stoic like his Mum. My dear neighbour came down today and was quite upset and I felt a bit guilty that I'm so happy to be leaving - although I will miss some of the neighbours and our beautiful wildlife. Our two lovely young male neighbours have been so helpful with lifting things for us, and on Friday night had a good-bye neighbourhood get-together for us - we are only moving one station away, so we'll have no trouble staying in touch.
We have had a lot of help from friends and family - and as always, when the crunch comes, have discovered who our true friends are. Disappointing to find that someone you would move heaven and earth to help, because of your friendship, is not prepared to move out of their own way to do you even a small favour. It's a bit reminiscent of when Gpa Flea had cancer, 11 years ago - all sorts of unexpected people came out of the woodwork to lend their support, moral and physical, while someone we thought was amongst our closer friends showed their true colours in a quite unnecessary and hurtful way. That sounds a bit judgmental - it IS judgmental, but the hurt lingers long after the event. However life moves on and we don't take those people on our journey. (See why I find blogging so demanding? - the potential to be misunderstood is enormous - do I sound bitter and twisted? I hope not - just disappointed.)
The photo is the Flea family - minus the little Fleas, whose faces I don't like to expose to the world at large. The biggest Flea (third biggest in height, biggest in age) is in the purple jumper, second biggest (actually the biggest but second oldest) has the goatee, third biggest (but second tallest) is in the heavy duty jacket while Gpa and Gma Flea are the two oldies. Clear as mud? They have been a great help and support. They all came home to this house as newborns and did all their growing up in it, but have all said their goodbyes. Gpa Flea is a bit short-tempered and I'm sure it's because he's sad to be going, but he seems excited at the prospect of moving into the new place - he's a stoic like his Mum. My dear neighbour came down today and was quite upset and I felt a bit guilty that I'm so happy to be leaving - although I will miss some of the neighbours and our beautiful wildlife. Our two lovely young male neighbours have been so helpful with lifting things for us, and on Friday night had a good-bye neighbourhood get-together for us - we are only moving one station away, so we'll have no trouble staying in touch.
Encycopedia of Me Meme: W is for ....a While
It will be a While before I post again. Once we leave this house I'll be off the air for some time - so check back in again in late October - I can probably post from my daughter's computer.
Encycopedia of Me Meme: V is for ... Venturing Forth
Venturing into a new life.....
Today is Sunday - tomorrow someone is coming to take the washing machine (we hope) - a freebie because of its age and idiosyncratic ways. Our two lounges (sofas) and the dining room chairs ( a misnomer since we don't have a dining room!) are being collected to be recovered while we are away.
Tuesday, the moving people come and take our very few pieces of furniture and our 150 boxes to storage. Tuesday night we move our suitcases and files and computer to Maroubra to our daughter's place (she is in Canada at present) and sleep there until later in the week.
Wednesday, we come back here to clean up the yard and the inside. The cleaners are also coming in the afternoon to help.
Thursday, I go shopping to buy some summer clothes that fit my 15-kg-heavier-than-last-summer body. I'll also buy a swimsuit if I can do so without looking in the mirror.
Friday, we fly to India and Thailand for 4 weeks - and while the rest of our group are out looking at the Taj mahal and other things, I intend to explore the cultural differences of massages in the East!
October 10 we return to Sydney, stay with our daughter until October 13, when we move to her sister-in-law's (luxury, I have been told) apartment at Coogee where we will house and cat sit until October 23, when we will resume our nomadic existence until our place is finished - mid -November we have now been told, but I'm counting on Christmas.
When we do move in, we're faced with the enormous task of again sifting and throwing out, as our new place is for over-55s - that is, on the small size. About a 50 box size! I suspect that when we get there, so much of our stuff will be so obviously unnecessary that Vinnies and the Salvos (both within walking distance) will have a bonanza.
Today is Sunday - tomorrow someone is coming to take the washing machine (we hope) - a freebie because of its age and idiosyncratic ways. Our two lounges (sofas) and the dining room chairs ( a misnomer since we don't have a dining room!) are being collected to be recovered while we are away.
Tuesday, the moving people come and take our very few pieces of furniture and our 150 boxes to storage. Tuesday night we move our suitcases and files and computer to Maroubra to our daughter's place (she is in Canada at present) and sleep there until later in the week.
Wednesday, we come back here to clean up the yard and the inside. The cleaners are also coming in the afternoon to help.
Thursday, I go shopping to buy some summer clothes that fit my 15-kg-heavier-than-last-summer body. I'll also buy a swimsuit if I can do so without looking in the mirror.
Friday, we fly to India and Thailand for 4 weeks - and while the rest of our group are out looking at the Taj mahal and other things, I intend to explore the cultural differences of massages in the East!
October 10 we return to Sydney, stay with our daughter until October 13, when we move to her sister-in-law's (luxury, I have been told) apartment at Coogee where we will house and cat sit until October 23, when we will resume our nomadic existence until our place is finished - mid -November we have now been told, but I'm counting on Christmas.
When we do move in, we're faced with the enormous task of again sifting and throwing out, as our new place is for over-55s - that is, on the small size. About a 50 box size! I suspect that when we get there, so much of our stuff will be so obviously unnecessary that Vinnies and the Salvos (both within walking distance) will have a bonanza.
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