Mel's Sunday Update

Again with the stresses of work, the commute and internet mod duties I haven't done any stitching at home this week.

I did however do quite a bit of stitching on the train - an extraordinary amount when you consider I cat nap on most trips.  Friday was the worst  I had to be woken when the train was pulling into my stop in the morning and I woke myself just as it was pulling into my stop Friday night. First time  I ever almost missed my stop on the way home. Even more extraordinary when there were monster children screaming in my carriage and I could hear drunks further down in other carriages.  I was just exhausted Friday.

The weirdest part was after I came home and started chatting on the email and then watching Eerie Indiana I stayed up until 1am !!!   Eerie Indiana is a kids show I watched nearly 15 years ago now.  You know those times when you are so sick that for nearly a week you just lie on the lounge and don't move and nap and doze and eventually get up the energy to go and make another cup of tea?  I was home sick for one of those for about a week a while ago. Can't even remember where or when.  Anyway this show came on and I really liked it.  Watched a couple of episodes over the week and then went back to work.

I've never found it since although I have looked and looked for it.  Finally found it (and at a reasonable price) at http://www.fishpond.co.nz/  last week.  It arrived Friday and I watch 4 of the 40min long episodes that night.  I love this show !!!  Pity they only made 19 episodes.

At the same time I also finally got myself a copy of the TV miniseries Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.  I have read at least three different novelisations of this and again have been looking for a copy of the original TV version.  I will watch this later - its one of those you have to concentrate a bit on ....

Oh and of course as soon as I rung Stephen to let him know my good news, I discovered he had obtained a copy himself the day before and was planning on lending it to me.  (The amount of times this happens between the two of us alternately amuses and terrifies me).

Anyway stitching.

Jasper. 
All the cross stitching is now done. All that remains is the backstitching. I cannot backstitch over already stitched work on 16ct Aida on a train - so this one will go into the "wait till I get time at home pile". Goodness knows when I will actually get to it - there is a fair amount of backstitching on this one and I haven't stitched at home in weeks.

Something in Red.
Still don't know what I'm going to do with Black Beauty - probably order a new skein of GAST Black Crow and start again. I *think* I have more of this Ivory linen. Its not good quality linen but I do want these two to match - so on the same exact piece of fabric would be good. This is again train stitching with just a wee bit on Friday night ... No mistakes so far and I have finished the bottom half of the dress.

In other news, lots of chatting with my support network and dinner with my best friend last night has really cheered me up and lifted the malaise my emotion's have been under over the last couple of weeks so I am back to being happy.

Now just to force myself to work through the blue on black problem on BoInk and to write a job application.  I detest writing job applications. I wasted all day yesterday because of the procrastination.  I didn't want to write the application, but the guilt wouldn't let me do anything else until the app was written so I cleaned house a little, bought unnecessary items for the dinner party etc etc until 5pm when I finally forced myself to sit down and start the blasted thing - whereupon I realised I need more information.  I need more info on the software packages the organisation uses and the layout of the hierarchy etc etc.  So I will talk to the official contact person for the job on Monday and I will also find out any goss from people at work.  The University Library sector is so small that surely someone knows someone who works there ...

So today I am free from the guilt paralysation and I am determined (Oh I can't used that word without thinking of the Gruen Transfer now!  One of our banks has adopted the new slogan "determined to be different".  Wil Anderson asks "what would the bank say if I went in there and said yes I'm determined to pay of my mortgage".)

Anyway I'm determined to make progress son BoInk today.  and watch a little more Eerie Indiana ....

Oh and finally - my backyard is "finished".  I've uploaded pics into here.

Backyard cleanup 12 months later.

Yup first working day after the June Long Weekend 2008 the workmen finally arrive to start putting the backyard back together. Kinda.

Storm damage - Ten weeks later

Well its been ten weeks since the storms that created so much havoc both in the whole area and to me personally.

The phone was re-connected in five days.  The electricity came back in seven days.  The road down the front was cleared away in five days, the actual trees themselves were removed and taken for wood chipping or firewood three weeks later.

In the intervening seven weeks nothing has happened in the back yard.  In fact the insurance assessor only came out earlier this week.  As it is simply external damage, it was low priority - people who couldn't live in their homes were highest priority and well with so much damage up the coast, it took them 10 weeks to get to my landlady's claim.

She still doesn't know if they will cover much of the work.  Removing the tree and replacing any tiles on the roof will indeed be fixed.

Apparently her insurance company does not cover storm damage to grounds or external structures (like walls, fences, gates etc).  Apparently because the storm created sooo much havoc in such a large area, they made a decision to offer home owners a one-off payment towards this type of damage.  My landlady doesn't yet know what amount that will be or how much of the removal and rebuild work that will cover.

Nor will the insurance company cover any extra damage done during the wait for the assessor.  For example if there is any water damage in the ceiling (from water coming in from the broken tiles because of the tree) it will not be covered.

Mel's Sunday Update

I have the flu and I have a migraine and I'm shaking with a fever and I feel awful so I'll keep this brief before my head explodes ...

I have loaded pics of Teegs lovely RAK of book, card and floss in my RAKS album.  I adore the personalised signing and the book is fabulous.  If you haven't read this series yet - you must !!!

I've also loaded a WIP pic of the Party Cat I've been working on.  Its in its own album.

  Debbie so kindly RAKed me with this one, and seeing my good news a little while ago, I thought a simple bright boldly coloured stitch was the way to go.   As you know I still had the flu (which is *why* I'm stitching it on cardboard Aida - well that's *my* story). I then lost power and telephone for a while, so I was dark and cold for another six nights.  I can't stitch by torchlight when its too cold to feel my fingers.  So most of this progress was done in the past few days.  And of course getting caught out in the rain again in the past few days (and getting soaked to the skin) and losing my electricity again last night (it came back on around lunchtime today) means that the flu/cold has come back with a vengeance.  I'm shortly having some dinner and going straight to bed. 

I'm back .... kinda ....

Hi all, well I'm back kinda ... I still don't have any electricity but I *do* have my phone line back.

So I'm sitting here absolutely freezing in the dark with nothing but the PC, monitor and modem connected to the extension cord from the neighbours place.

I've uploaded pics of the storm damage into a new album called appropriately (but unimaginatively) Storm Damage.

The other main news is that I GOT THE JOB  !!!!!!!!  The last interview I went to (last Thursday in the middle of the first day of the storm, with the flu) was a fantastic job, right in the area that I want to work in, and its a promotion in responsibility and salary and I got on very well in the interview with the guy who will be the supervisor for the position. Well he contacted my referees today and then rung me tonight and offered me the position !!!!

I am sooooo happy !!!!!!  Freezing but happy !!!!!!  I'm going to wait until I get the official letter in the mail before I submit my resignation though.  Going to be a tough few days wearing a huge grin to work and not explaining why I'm smiling .....

In stitching related news, I put the obligatory 10 stitches in Faïence (The Castle) and I started on Party Cat before the power went out.  I'll post pics of both projects when the power comes back on and I can use my scanner.

Off to scamper into bed to warm up now.  I've finally run out of hot water, so no warming shower before bed.  Thank goodness I have such a huge feather doona on the bed !!!!!

Dragons and Storms

Well OK them - one of each ...

Last night my dragon wish *still* sulking. I had just as many hassles as the night before and got even less stitches completed - around 10 stitches all up for an entire night's stitching!!! I might try changing the needle tonight - I tried all the different skeins of floss last night and they all tangled !!!!

We also had a storm last night, not a tornado or hurricane, just a large windy, thundery storm. Emphasis on windy! Loud banging as the trees hit the sides and roof of my house ... I've since found out there were whole trees uprooted further down my street .....

How did I find this out .... at 12:30am the emergency services crews turned up. At 1am they started their chainsaws to cut up the trees that had fallen where they shouldn't. And they kept at it - loud whining chainsaw noises from 1am until 4am. And then the noises of the hydraulic winches as the pieces of trees were removed. All went quiet around 5am - when the cars started up as the first of the commuters scurried off to the train station ......

I understand that the SES do a great service, I know that some of these trees could have fallen onto people's houses .... but if I *ever* find the a##hole who constantly revved his chainsaw when it was not in use - for over three hours !!!! - I will go all Dexter on him and chop him into little pieces and put him in garbage bags and feed him to the crocodiles and alligators at the local reptile park!

Chainsaws have an idle function for a reason !!!!!

I got a couple of hours sleep and then the weather hot me - really warm and muggy - rally tropical weather. I looked out the balcony and everything seems fine in my front yard. I mean there's more debris, but hey, how can you tell? All telephone, electricity etc cables are still intact. I went out the back door. I attempted to go out the back door. Pics here and in my backyard folder ...... Once I removed the offending bit of tree - required me to put the camera away and use both hands and all of my strength - it was firmly wedged in the decking - I could scamper up the stairs and check on the car.

Salem was covered in debris but appears to be OK. I removed most of the leaves and small twigs and crap covering her and there may be a few scratches on the duco, but the rest is fine - no dents or smashed windows etc.

Coming back down the stairs I looked up on the room and saw more of the offending tree on the roof - so I grabbed the branches and hauled them off the roof. I can't see any damage, but seeing as they are roof tiles, I'll tell the owner tonight and she can have a look and decide whether or not to get someone in to look and see if any are cracked ....

So basically I have a headache from lack of sleep thanks to revhead chainsaw owner but no other hassles. I've called in sick to work and I'm heading back to bed.