The week that was, was busy. Two daughters finished school. One daughter went on the plane to Canberra to be collected and driven to the farm to get in some early bonding with her four legged friend. One daughter drove down with her father, recently arrived from LA. Her father responded to a last minute request from me to get me a new pair of jeans from Gap (a store that does not operate in Australia, people). To his credit he called me from Gap on Friday morning to check on the description and to tell me the pair I wanted were reduced to $20. Better and better. And get this, I have, with no effort on my part (sorry azura) gone down a clothes size. Of course, i could be suffering from some horrible wasting disease instead of which I now fit into all my old summer clothes and my jeans are too big.
Of coure, my intent was to scour my house with my children gone but instead of which my garage is filling up with stuff belonging to the man occupying my attention. He has to move and I am storing some stuff. Mind you, I am also storing his smart little black two seater soft top which I am permitted to drive while my car is at the panel beaters (yes, I managed to scrape the side of it again). Jeff, at the panel beaters, is very laconic and soothing. Don't worry, he says, at least you are all right. Cars can be fixed.
In pursuit of the quest described above, I also visited a beautiful apartment in Bondi. I'm getting to like Bondi better since I have discovered the cheap children's dinners on offer in many places. And got over my prejudice about English backpackers (I'm allowed to be rude about them since it is the place of my birth). Thursday night my children and I had a cheap and nice dinner in a restaurant overlooking the beach and it was a lovely thing.
It's interesting to observe another's decision making process. I am quick to make a decision and having done so don't spend a lot of time agonising over it. If I make a mistake, I try to right it or bear the consequences. My friend, on the other hand, spends a lot of time researching options and weighing pros and cons which I don't have the patience to do. I have to school myself not to offer a conclusion and recognise that he needs to work through the process. Much lip biting on my part.
My downstairs neighbour has recently moved in and occupies the garage next to me. I had parked across my garage and he left me a slightly sniffy note about making it hard for him to get into his space. He has just bought a flashy BMW Z4 and I can understand he is a bit precious about it. I saw him the next day and said, so sorry, hadn't realised it would block you since i reverse up the driveway and assumed you did the same. But occasionally a friend may park here, if it's a problem buzz me and we'll move the car. On Wednesday evening, my friend did visit and left his car across my garage. On Thursday morning there was a very peremptory note left. And I had offered to feed his cat if he ever went away. I do not propose to write a note in return but it was irksome since I had told him to call me if there was a problem. Frankly, a grown man in a grown up car ought to be able to reverse his car up a driveway but there it is. Sigh, it's hard to be neighbourly to people who seem determined to take offence.
But I feel the need to order something in my life. It won't be the garage just yet.
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