Rixta’s weblog

June 29^th

It’s just like we aren’t allowed to have Internet connection! Now our connection is quite stable, but yesterday the modem died. It was only six months old, so we still have warranty. But, as I expected, in the shop they told us that they will first send it to the manufacturer for repair. But that can take four weeks or longer and that’s not really an option. I asked friendly if we couldn’t make a deal and we bought a new modem, but if the old one will get repaired we can return this one, if still in good condition of course. And if the old modem can’t be repaired, we will get our money back too, of course. So that’s a great deal, better than I had expected. We are on line again and will just wait and see when we hear about the repair.

June 26^th

I had another appointment with the dentist. I’m getting tired of it, but the work really had to be done. Now I only have to amalgam fillings left that I want to be removed. And as I’m now in the process anyway I decided to get that done soon as well. But it’s getting expensive. Our private insurance has a maximum cover per year and I have reached that.L Oh well, we can afford it, but I can think of much nicer things we could do with our money than paying medical bills.

June 23^rd

Our Internet connection is playing up again! It has functioned quite OK for exactly one week. Sigh… This is driving me mad. I suppose I should call the helpdesk again, but I’m sooooo tired of all of this. I think I’ll wait till Grant is awake, so that he can do it. I hope the connection will last long enough so that I can upload this.

June 19^th

I have finally finished painting the veranda! It has taken a long time, but it’s nice that it’s done now and it looks good.

June 17^th

Grant is introducing me to all kinds of new food since I have come to Australia. Tonight we had a Thai stir fry with (Chinese) dim sims. Veeeeeeeery nice and there weren’t any cultural problems with the two.J The only problem was that I have eaten a bit too much, but that’s nothing new.

June 16^th

We have had problems with our Internet connection since we moved in our new house. In the beginning they were just regular dropouts, but we could live with that. But last few weeks things got worse and worse and often we only had Internet connection for a few hours a day. That’s not what you have broadband for. So we called the helpdesk of our ISP and as it seemed that the problem was with our phone line they arranged that the phone company should come to solve the problem. They came and nothing happened. They came again and things got worse. Last Wednesday they “worked on it” again and then the line was completely dead. Grrrrr… This morning they have done something again and at least we have connection now. For how long? Who knows…

June 13^th

Yesterday we made a little drive in the area and I had no idea that such wonderful nature was so close at home! Imagine a road where you drive 10-15 minutes without seeing one side road. For lots of people that might be normal, but it will take me a long time to get used to that!

I took some nice photos and one is on the picture page.

June 12^th

The photo of our backyard appeared to be not very clear, so I have taken another one. I think this one is a bit better, but the fence is in the way.J

June 8^th

We have got everything done now in our yard! The clothelines are up and the gazebo is done too. I have put a new picture up on the page “our house”. Compliments are welcome.J

June 6^th

We finally are getting rain, which we need so much. But today the sun was shining when at once I heard a lot of rain on the roof. I went outside and too this picture of a wonderful rainbow (a bigger one you can find of course on the picture page).

June 5^th

I have survived my second appointment with the professional torturer, also know as dentist.J It wasn’t as bad as last time, but then they filled two teeth and now it was only one. Next week I have my next appointment. Don’t like it at all, but it needs to be done. I wish it had got done earlier, but things like this can happen if you decide to emigrate.

June 4^th

We have got a certificate of appreciation from the nursing home/hostel/retirement village of our church, where we go singing twice a month with a (small) group of people. You can see it at the picture page. Of course we got one certificate, but someone made copies for everyone. It’s always nice to get something like that.

June 2^nd

This morning I saw the eye doctor and I got the good/bad news I pretty much expected. He couldn’t find any problem with my eyes. No infection, no disease, not even wear from contact lenses! So that’s the good news. The bad news is that if there’s nothing found, nothing can be done to help me. I have decided to leave the contact lenses out totally for the next four weeks and then see if things are better. If not, then I will go back to the optometrist and try soft lenses. They might work then.

May 31^st

From all silly mistakes… I thought I had an appointment with the ophthalmologist today, but it appeared that that was yesterday.L Saying that I was upset when I noticed would be an understatement. Grant called and I could first get a new appointment in August, which is really not an option. So we took the yellow pages and Grant got it done that I have another appointment on Friday, with another doctor. Someone must have cancelled just before he called, for the waiting lists are long. But I was very happy with it, for things are getting worse every day, it seems. Grant will take a sick day to go with me, for I don’t dare to go on my own. We will have to go to Newcastle, 45 minutes by train, so that’s no problem.

May 30^th

Our house has a name! I have finished and framed the design and it’s at our front door now. You can see the full picture at the page “our house”.

May 29^th

Applause for us! We have succeeded in putting up the new clothes lines. The rack is strong and stable and should last for a long time. Now the next job needs to be done: putting up the gazebo we got. When that’s done too everything is ready. I will take a photo later.

May 27^th

I have added a new photo to the page with the newest pictures. It’s one I took this morning, when there were at once hundreds of birds taking a rest on the electricity cables in our street. I can’t offer the nice sound they made, but it was really pretty.

We noticed the birds because we were working on the new clothes rack. We have put the poles in and hope that the cement will set properly. We followed the instructions on the bag, but somehow it didn’t look good. Let’s hope it will be OK. The old lines have been cut down, so we better get this new rack put up quickly, for else I don’t have a place to dry the laundry.J

May 22^nd

Last week I had a routine check-up with the dentist, but it appeared that on the x-rays I had brought from the Netherlands it showed quite a few holes, that need to be filled. Dutch dentists like to give things a chance to heal on their own, but obviously Australian dentists have a different opinion. I have just got my first two fillings done. I wanted to get it done without anaesthetic, but that appeared to be a bad idea. It’s definitely no fun, but a toothache is worse. Next appointment in two weeks…

May 20^th

We have finally succeeded in getting deep enough holes for our new clothes rack! Grant’s father had given us a tip for a place where you can hire tools and the right tool did the job very easily. Now we will have to get cement to fill up the holes again, with the poles at the right place of course. And when that’s done we can get the old lines down and things will get really great.

May 19^th

I have added a new picture to the home page! It’s for the page where I will try to put up new pictures on a regular basis. This can be anything that I like to take a photo of.J Of course I will also give a description of what’s on the picture and why I took it. And I will mention here when there’s something new to see, as I have the feeling that most visitors only visit this page…JJJ

May 16^th

I’ve just painted the rest of our veranda and that was a heavy job. But it’s the right weather for it and soon it will get too cold and let’s hope to wet as well (we really need a lot of rain). Maybe I can do the last part tomorrow, for some pieces still need a second coating. But it looks a lot better now!

May 11^th

We have decided that our house deserves a name. And I’m going to do that myself, in cross-stitches, just as the name and number signs. What the name will be? Just wait and see, but it might take weeks before it’s ready, maybe even months.

May 10^th

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday, dear Grant

Happy birthday to you!!!!

And that’s about the most special thing we will do today.J We don’t like a fuss with our birthdays.

May 8^th

My computer played up again.L Saturday night we had a minimal power cut and my computer turned off. No problem, I thought, for that had happened quite a few times before. But the next morning I couldn’t start it. I panicked a bit, for I didn’t have a decent back-up, as also the CD-burner was behaving weird. This morning I brought it to the shop and there at once it worked fine again! The man said that if you have such a minimal power cut some parts can get confused. Turning the power of for a little while can solve the problem. I’m relieved of course, for this also saves us a lot of money. The CD-burner still needs to get checked, but they didn’t have time for that today. I’ll bring it in later this week. The shop is just around the corner, so that’s very easy.

May 3^rd

Today I got my name badge that all volunteers in the opp shop use. I had asked for that a few weeks ago and it was ready. It’s really nice, as it makes me feel even more part of the group. And of course also for the customers it’s easy to see whom they can ask a question. Not that I know the answer, but OK.J I work mainly in the sorting and organizing and not in the shop itself.

April 29^th

Grant and I went on a little shopping spree. We both needed some new clothes and there were also a few other things on my list. And it was really satisfying, for we found everything we needed. Grant had a big say in the pants I bought, so in the next shop I could decide about the colour of his new jeans.J We also got pyjamas for of us and that all for a very nice price. After that we had tea in a very nice, little place at the end of the shopping street. Grant had discovered that and we will definitely go back there.

April 27^th

I have been to the optometrist and he mainly gave me good news, though I had hoped for something different. He couldn’t see any type of damage to my eyes or retinas and there’s no infection. But what is causing the problems then? He said that even after a very long period of wearing contact lenses it can still happen that the eyes want a break. So he gave me the advice to leave the lenses out for a few weeks and then try it again. Let’s hope that works, for I’m really handicapped now. And the glasses also make me very tired.

April 27^th

I have added some photos to the site. Look at our personal pages and click on the link at the bottom…

April 23^rd

For our television we only had a very simply antenna and the reception was really poor. So we wanted something better, but we couldn’t find a business that installs antennas in this area. With Easter the family came together and I asked for tips. And Grant’s sister had a good idea: a set top box. Cheaper, nothing on the roof and even a better quality. So we got such a box, but then we had to figure out how to get it working. It was a bit confusing, but today I got the job done and now we have a perfect quality and even a few more channels! If all problems could be solve this easily…J

April 22^nd

There are such times… The pain in my hand is a lot better, as long as I don’t do anything with it. I can’t put any weight or pressure on it, for then it hurts way too much. Very inconvenient en very tiring. But OK, that’s something that will heal and I even know quite exactly how long it will take.

But since a few weeks my eyes cause me serious problems. Some days I can’t wear my contact lenses longer than a few hours because it hurts too much. I’m really worried about it. I made an appointment with the optometrist for next Thursday. See what he says, but I’m afraid that after more than 20 years I will have to switch from hard to soft contact lenses. If it’s nothing worse.

April 17^th

My hand is getting a bit better, but I still can’t do much with it. That means I can’t do much at all, so most of the time I’m bored. Reading is nice for a little while, but not for whole days. And television never appealed to me that much either. It’s a good lesson in patience, but I don’t like the lesson. Still taking lots of painkillers…L

April 9^th

Yesterday I had a struggle with a power tool and it hurt a lot. Today I saw a doctor and it appeared that a bone in my hand is broken.L It will take 3-6 weeks till it’s healed. In the meantime I can’t do much, as it’s my right hand and my left one is quite useless. Also typing is hard, so whoever is waiting for a letter will have to wait a bit longer, I’m afraid.

April 3^rd

I’ve taken a few new photos of our home. So if you are curious, just take a look at the photo page.

April 1^st

We still need to take away the laundry lines and put up the new rack. That way we will get room for the gazebo. But we can’t find a handyman to do the job! One is to busy, the other doesn’t answer the phone, a third is on a holiday and the fourth has health problems. So we decided to get some tools and try to do the job ourselves. Today should be a good day for it, but if we really dare to give it a try? It would be nice if the job got done, so we will have to start with it.

March 27^th

Yesterday we had a family get-together for my birthday, our anniversary and our new home. It was very nice and sociable, but also very tiring. It was the first time we organised something like this and we had no idea how much food to prepare. As of course we didn’t want to risk not having enough we made way too much. So we will be eating salads and sausages the next few days.J

I had baked a cake, with a candle, which was a real success.

It’s been a really busy week last week and I’m exhausted, so I’m going to do very little this week. So I might not have much to tell here.

March 26^th

Our first anniversary!

March 24^th

Last Tuesday my computer crashed.L Luckily it wasn’t the hard disk, but the motherboard. Sigh…oh well such things happen. It just cost a lot of money, but that’s why we always save a bit every month. Luckily I have my computer back yet. Very good service of this business. It’s working fine again, actually a lot better. And you know, a few days without computer wasn’t that bad at all. Gives some rest, so I might have a computer free day now and then.

More computer news: Grant’s new refurbished laptop computer arrived last Tuesday. He really needed a better computer and it was his idea to choose for a laptop one. I think he has got a really good machine for a nice price. It’s not as fast as a new one, but who needs that?

March 20^th

Our carport has been put up! It looks really nice and we are very happy with it. I will take another picture soon.

March 14^th

Our old Bigpond website has finally been removed. Last week I called the helpdesk and after 30+ minutes I was told that I could go to the website and remove the site myself. Guess what? It didn’t work. Today I called again and I was told that they couldn’t help me, for the account had been closed. Yes, I know that and that’s why it’s so stupid that the website was still on. With Bigpond you must be very persistent to get something done, for they aren’t very eager to help their clients. And they just have very little knowledge about computers and Internet. I kept saying that they should do the job for me and at once it was possible. And yes, now it’s finally gone and that should close the Bigpond book for us. They will never see us back there.

March 12^th

Happy birthday to me!

March 10^th

The roof has been repaired, so we don’t need to be scared for leakage anymore. The rest of the roof will have to be replaced someday, but that’s expensive and at the moment we don’t have the money for that. But the man said that it’s not likely we will get problems in the near future, so we can wait with that till next year. We are pretty much at the end of our money, but we have everything we had planned, so no reason to complain.

March 6^th

Is there a limit to stupidity? Three months ago we left our ISP Bigpond, as we were very dissatisfied with their services. But the website we had there is still on. Nobody has thought about removing everything connected with the account. So I sent an e-mail that I want that website to be removed, as it’s out of date. First I got an e-mail that that could take more than a week. Huh? What’s so hard about removing a website from your server? When two weeks later I asked why it was still on I got a response that they couldn’t help me. I had to call a certain number. I just got a request to fill in a questionnaire about their helpdesk. How many zero’s can you give? I gave them zero for almost everything. At the end I could fill in a form, so that my problem still could be resolved. When I clicked on “submit” I got an error message…. Sigh…

February 25^th

It looks like quite a few things will work out at the end. The leaking roof will be repaired next week, for a very reasonable price. We have bought a gazebo that I will cover with shade cloth, so that we can sit outside without being bothered by mosquitoes. We wanted a built-on shade area, but that’s just way too expensive and not that much better than what we will get now. The clotheslines will have to move, but that won’t be such a problem either. And then we probably have enough money left to get a decent carport built. And this way our dream house will become the best of whole Australia!J

February 20^th

Grant has just got a permanent job! His supervisor told him that his temporary contract gets changed into a permanent one. That’s so great! No worries anymore if there will be enough work.

February 18^th

It’s a hot day again today. Yesterday we got rain and I should have been happy with that, as we badly need it. But it was so much in such a short period that the roof in the hallway couldn’t deal with it. It was leaking at seven places. Luckily I noticed it just in time and I put towels everywhere. But it’s clear that this needs to be repaired urgently. So much rain in such a short period might be rare, but I have my computer desk here, with my whole administration and a lot more things. Oh well, we had to get the roof checked anyway.

February 13^th

We got a check in the mail from the Bond board. Luckily we have got our full bond back without any problems! That’s a real relief, as we know that they can give you a really hard time. It’s a lot of money, so we can use that.

We also got a quote for a carport, but I’m afraid that will get too expensive for the time being. We want a bit good quality, as we intend to stay here for the next 20 years. But quality costs money…

February 6^th

As to be expected I totally collapsed two days ago. And I have such a feeling that it will take me weeks to recover from this. Oh well, that’s the price I need to pay for this nice house. Luckily last two days weren’t very hot, but today won’t be that great. I try to take things easy, but there is still so much to do. I put some pictures on the walls. That’s not too tiring and it’s nice work.

February 2^nd

How hot can you be? Today it was 41ºC and that’s HOT. In our new home we have a simple air conditioner in the lounge room, but today that poor thing wasn’t strong enough to really deal with the heat. It’s really terrible and everyone hopes that it will soon cool down. Summer is at 2/3, so the worst heat should be over in a few weeks. Let’s hope so.

January 31^st

Yesterday the removalists moved all our big things and we did more small things ourselves, which means that now we officially live in our new home!!! There’s still a lot of work to do, but things are getting into the right place and most work has been done by now. And when everything had been moved in it appeared that in fact we have more than enough room for everything. As soon as everything is ready I will take photos and put them on this website.

I’m completely exhausted, but I haven’t totally collapsed and the work is almost over now.

January 27^th

The carpets are in, but it was a bit of a nightmare. First after 6 PM on Tuesday the carpets in the lounge and bedrooms were done, so that we could move all the stuff I had stored in the bathroom into the other rooms. I needed the boxes for the next day, for then I got help from my parents-in-law, which was very welcome. Everything is getting a bit of a nightmare, as my energy is non-existent anymore, but the work still needs to be done. Three more days and then we have the big day… And I intend not to move again for the next 20 years!J

January 23^rd

Sigh… There’s always more that can go wrong. Today they should put the carpets into our house, but quite big problems arose. It appeared that the quality of the floor is very poor and they can’t put the carpets in the way they usually do it. A special quality under layer was necessary, but that would cost us even more and it is already very expensive. So I suggested that they fill up the holes in the floor and then glue the carpet on without under layer. That appeared to be possible, but it will take another day to get that job done, as the material they use to fill the holes needs drying time.

So the whole planning for this week (moving our stuff in) has got ruined, but what can you do? I’ve just made another planning.J As I can’t do anything tomorrow morning (maybe it’s ready in the early afternoon) I will use that time to do some other things that also need to be done. And let’s hope that off now everything will go smoothly and without any extra costs.

January 22^nd

I can’t see any paint anymore! But we have pretty much finished the job and that’s just in time. Today is a resting day (Grant is having night shifts again) and tomorrow morning at 8 AM they will come to put the new carpets in. That’s an expensive thing, as the floors are uneven and need to be repaired. But when the job is done it will look sooooooo good! I’m sure of that. And then we can start moving our stuff from here to there. That’s also a big job, but I hope not as tiring as the painting.

January 19^th

I had an accident.L Around the house here there are steps everywhere, which I always thought was pretty dangerous, especially in the dark. I don’t know what happened yesterday, but one moment I was on top and the next I was lying on the ground. That’s only about 40 cm (16 inches) lower, but you can fall very hard on the concrete. Ouch! My legs are grazed en very much bruised and my whole body feels sore. Luckily I didn’t break anything, which could have very easily happened. But there’s a lot of work to do in our house and with this sore body that’s not great.

January 18^th

Our car has got a service and a repair. Since quite a few weeks the car was making a weird sound that worried me. Of course I should have brought it to the garage immediately, but I was a bit scared of the costs and kept postponing it. But I finally made an appointment for last Monday. It appeared to be the exhaust and it needed a repair. But the garage told us about a place just around the corner where they did this pretty cheaply. So I made an appointment there and yesterday things got fixed. Now the car doesn’t produce any strange sounds anymore and that drives a lot better! And the costs weren’t as bad as I had expected. In the Netherlands I would have paid double the price.

January 14^th

Yahooooooo! Yesterday we got the keys of our new home! We had to be patient, as settlement time was 2.30 PM and it took a lot longer before we got the phone call that everything was done than we had expected. But when the call came we jumped into the car, got the keys and started with painting the walls. Today we continued that job and we have done a lot yet. The lounge room is done and one bedroom and the hall only need a second coating. The main bedroom is a pain though, for it had one wall with wallpaper and we can’t get it off very well. But also that job somehow will get done.

Tomorrow is a compulsory day off, as Grant is working nightshifts today and tomorrow. But Monday afternoon we will continue.

Photos will come soon….

January 11^th

Yesterday we had a last inspection of our new house, which seems to be standard procedure. We were quiet surprised to notice that there was still a lot of furniture and other things left in the house. They should have removed all that stuff by now. Let’s hope they will do it today or tomorrow, for we don’t want any of it and don’t feel for getting rid of it ourselves, as that’s not our task.

The house was still smaller than we had in our minds, but we will have to find a way to squeeze all our stuff it. That will stretch my creativity, but we will get it done.

January 7^th

The heat has got a lot better, but my body doesn’t cooperate very well. I had hoped to feel better after a few days, but I’m not. Oh well, such things take time. I just hope that things will improve soon, for only six more days and we will get the keys of our new house!!!! It will happen on Friday 13^th, which is my lucky day. Eight years ago I moved to my own apartment on Friday 13^th and it was one of the best days in my life.J

January 3^rd

Today we said goodbye to our neighbours, a single mum with two young girls. They lived on the top floor of this house, but found something better. I helped them with the last few things that needed to be moved and that way I also got a chance to see their new place. We will get hardly any time to miss them, as in ten days we will start with our own move.

What will happen with this house is unclear, for it’s been for sale for a long time, but now the owner doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to rent it out again. And they also want us out a.s.a.p, so obviously there are plans. But what would we care?

It’s still very HOT and we hope that will be better when we need to paint and move stuff.

January 1^st 2006

Happy New Year to everyone! It’s a weird idea that while I’m writing this it’s still 2005 for my American friends. But no worries, you will get there too.J

It’s still HOT here. Today it will get 42º and I really don’t know how I’m going to survive this. I hope there will soon come a cooler break, for else I will get in serious trouble.

Oh well, first I’ll go to church and then I will see later how things will develop.

December 28^th

Will I ever get used to the heat? It was another very hot day and there’s not much change in sight. My body doesn’t agree with the heat at all. Maybe it just needs time. After all this is my first summer in this country and the climate is quite a bit different from the Netherlands. One thing you really need to do with these temperatures is keep drinking water! If you don’t keep drinking you very easily get dehydrated. But the result is an uncomfortable water belly. Oh well, nothing you can do about it. Our new home has an air conditioner in the lounge room, but we can’t use that too much, as it takes too much electricity. Besides the air those things produce causes me irritated eyes and throat. We will have to find a balance in using that thing.

December 25^th 2005

My first Christmas in Australia! It’s a really weird experience to have Christmas in summer, but luckily today it wasn’t too hot. Yesterday it was more than 40ºC, but today it was a lot better. First we had a short church service, in which I sang and played in the guitar in the music team. There was some confusion about who would do what, but at the end it all worked out fine.

Two hours later we had a family meeting, with of course a nice meal. We all ate too muchJ, but who doesn’t with Christmas? It was a nice time, but at the end I totally collapsed. Luckily no more family things, as Grant’s family is the only we have here. No family for me.