This coming weekend there will be a birthday celebration for Hippie Niece's twin cafe latte coloured daughters. If I do say so myself, the are very pretty and after a difficult upbringing in the early years, have become quite delightful. Thankfully Uncle Tom Cobley and all won't be coming. A great niece turned ten last month and this month the girl twins turn seven. Old, we are feeling.
I think Fire fighting Nephew, his wife, their four year old daughter and 18 month old twin boys will be there, which will be great. Their mother posted on Instagram a short clip of the boys running riot in a the big green hardware shed, with the comment, they will from now be in the pram until they are 16. Well before she had her children, she said in aside to me when other great nieces were running around with some visiting children, 'And he wants me to have one of those!' Not so long ago she asked me, 'Can I nail them to a wall?' She turned out to be a wonderful mother and manages with a little black humour.
We are renovating, well about to. We are having the apartment painted from top to bottom, having the bathrooms regrouted and the carpet replaced. Bedroom blinds will be cleaned and living room blinds replaced. We repainted the apartment well over a decade ago but not the trim. We are too old to do it ourselves now. The colours now look so old fashioned, as does the carpet which is quite shabby. We can barely afford it until settlement of Mother's will. It's been a long time since we've had a credit card debt, but that may become so if Mother's estate is not settled soon.
On Saturday evening I made the suggestion to go for Bahn Mi in Smith Street, Collingwood on Sunday. I'd heard about a certain place I wanted to visit, but the weather wasn't kind, so instead we took the car to visit the big green hardware shed to look at paint colours. We partook of the charity fund raising sausage sizzle before we entered. As usual, my onions squeezed out of the roll and fell to the ground. As per the great controversary a couple of years ago, the onions should go on top. R is still learning about my hand shakes. He shoved the roll into my hand, my hand shook and spillage happened. I needed to pick the roll up from his hand. There was a choice of tomato sauce, barbeque sauce, or mustard. We chose the barbeque sauce. It was nice enough but messy enough for us to visit the toilet to wash our hands. We went to the beach for coffee. It was pretty cold and we were underdressed. How typically Australian. As old people do, we sat on a bench with a good backrest and stared out to sea, only at times distracted by a hot guy walking or jogging past. Ah, the memories.
Last minute, Brighton Antique Dealer called to as if we were free to meet her and her toy boy for a pub dinner. We did, and once again I proved how gambling can make you an income if you are sensible. My imposed rule saw me double my money and take it. I put in $5 and came home with $10. It was a nice catch up.
The weather was to deteriorate on Monday but the morning was bright and sunny so we did tram to Smith Street for Bahn Mi, but the place is called Joey Bun Mi. It may be Vietnamese but we had a great German sausage in a crisp roll with other stuffs in the roll.
Tuesday was a doctor's appointment for me and I was ordered to have a coloscopy, and R had a haircut in Prahran. Our not so healthy brunch was a bacon and egg toasted sanger with the obligatory coffee. We separated after brunch and after my appointment I took a long way home, via Chapel Street tram, a walk along Swan Street in Richmond, a City Loop train to Flinders Street and a tram home.
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You are pretty darned busy for an old retired person.
ReplyDeleteJayCee, it feels like it most of the time.
DeleteI hear you on the shaky hands and the ensuing mess. Often down my front. We need to do similar renovations. Badly. And will not attempt to do it ourselves. Packing up the house before the carpet layers and painters arrive will be more than enough.
ReplyDeleteMore than enough is an understatement EC. We don't have a lot to pack up and the two book cases will be the worst. They are kind of in some sense of order and logic, to me. I will take photos, along with ones of the tv connections.
DeleteWe do. And have many more than two bookcases several of them double stacked.
DeleteIf it's a sandwich, every topping should go on top, per the Law of Gravity.
ReplyDeleteI agree Kirk.
DeleteStalker
ReplyDeleteAndrew
Old is a silly word if your mind is still active. Yes we have old bones and new aches emerging but if the mind is active and keen on observing and engaging in life then you are not doing too badly. Your beach observations are still focussed!
Last year we did the full reno new bathroom laundry kitchen. New appliances etc etc. Well we didn’t do it, we had wonderful tradespeople .
We old girls were site managers. Costly but worth every dollar
Paint quality has improved from 24 years ago as has trade work.
Thanks Stalker and no, my brain doesn't feel old at all. Even Mother's brain was fine at the age of 89 when she died. I suppose you could say we have a site manager, who takes a commission from whoever does the work. It does make it easier. I'm sure now you utility areas look great. Renos at the end should have you saying, that was hard work, and perhaps never again, but also you should be very happy with the result.
DeleteI must say, I would rather have a haircut than a colonoscopy. Sorry to hear that you and R separated after brunch as I know you had been together a long time.
ReplyDeleteAh well YP, separating because of the way you hand your partner a sausage in a roll may seem trivial, but there you go.
DeleteAre the sets of twins related to each other? Do twins run in your family?
ReplyDeleteHels, they are cousins. There is not history of twins. As you would know twins are decided by the mother's body and the 7 year old twins are daughters of my niece and the 18 month old boy twins are my nephew's sons, so they came from his wife. No direct connection.
DeleteWe get to an age where it is just not worth doing some things ourselves and any form of renos is one such thing.
ReplyDeleteYour culinary exploits have made me hungry. I do love a charity snag!
Merlot, do you mean we should be buying a brand new place? That's what R wants to do. Even then there is so much to do to get it right and how you like things.
DeleteI am getting my Banh Mi from Springvale every week.
ReplyDeleteI expect they are very good in Springvale, Roentare.
DeleteRenovating, he says. Old fashioned colours and shabby carpet after only ten years. I've been here close to thirteen years and barely look at my decor! Which hasn't changed one bit since before I moved in.
ReplyDeleteI hope the twins birthday party goes well. I also hope your colonoscopy doesn't reveal anything nasty.
River, maybe you should ask for it to repainted and new carpet, if you can cope with the process. We are on the edge of being too old do this, but it has outweighed our fears.
DeleteNo family history of bowel cancer, so that is promising.
I am allowed to repaint myself if I want to but forst the cracks in the walls would have to be repaired and they are quite large, also furniture would have to be moved and there isn't anywhere to move it to. Ditto new floor coverings. These p[laces usually get redone when someone moves out or dies, and before a new tenant moves in. When I moved in the place only got a coat of paint quickly slapped on over all kinds of marks and dents on the walls and woodwork. I was in a desperate situation and needed a place in a hurry. So I'm thankful for the roof over my head.
DeleteMy mum had bowel cancer, so I am careful with my diet. Lots of vegetables.
Good to get the inside of the house painted, all will be fresh and clean.
ReplyDeleteWhat colour did you choose, or is that a surprise?
Bunnings sausages, for me I just have onion first then sausage, no sauce. If the put the onions on top, I put them on the bottom, makes good sense to me.
Margaret, it will be the very palest of grey and the carpet a darker grey with subtle white flecks. It probably doesn't matter where the onions go for me. I will spill some regardless.
DeleteI think your family will miss you both when you’re gone. You are always there for them no matter what they do or where they do it.
ReplyDeleteCarpet and painting needs doing here also but as EC remarked it’s the prep that’s the ‘killer’. Winters coming- nobody will notice when the days are dull
Cathy, some will miss. They younger children coped with their grandmother's death very well. They were sad but not upset. It is often when you are older that you start to think about family members gone. We are doing some clearing out to the hard rubbish collection due tomorrow, and other things will go to the op shop. It still will be a big job.
DeleteLots of jollifications in your family - very nice, too.
ReplyDeleteAs for decorating and refurbishment, our house is in dire need, so much so that I'm ashamed to let anyone in - I don't like being judged;-)
JB, yes, our family is good. As long as your home is tidy and visibly clean, they won't even have critical thoughts. Judge people by character first.
DeleteI do envy you the freedom to have plenty of places to visit and eat in the sunshine. As for our minds growing up, it is a bit embarrassing when they don't!
ReplyDeleteThelma, in spite of our nice places here to visit, I would readily live in your country with so many more places to visit, and just short flights to the greatest continent in the world with such a huge variety of culture, architecture and weather. Sadly modest wealth has come to us as we are older and not when you are youthfully energetic. Much as my northern born English partner complains about our weather, it is not so bad.
DeleteI know nothing about raising children, has she tried stapling them to the wall, just the clothes around the edges, not hurting them, just immobilizing them.
ReplyDeleteI expect she would love to, TP.
DeleteI recommend duct tape.
DeleteWell, that's a lot of activity! A colonoscopy is no fun but it's a necessary evil these days.
ReplyDeleteno fun at all. I am counting down the days until mine.
DeleteYes Steve. Err on the side of caution.
DeleteWe won't compare notes, will we Debby.
DeleteWhen the decorating is over you will be so happy. We did the carpets during the pandemic and what a pleasure it is to look at the new ones. Our walls are brick so stay that way except for a few small ones.
ReplyDeletePat, I expect we will be happy we had the work done, after the event.
DeleteOur carpet is original to the house built in 1978. Ugh... Best wishes!
ReplyDeleteOh Darla! A lovely floral Axminster? A Berber? A very long pile?
DeleteFunny, I never think of us as old. Although we have changes some of our habits, like not going out at night.
ReplyDeleteJackie, I am slowly becoming aware that the old people I complain about are quite close to my age.
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