THIS REALLY MADE ME CROSS

Back in May when I started my little Cleaning 'business', I ordered some magnets for my car.

Once I got them, I did exactly what was advised, and put them on after cleaning the surface.

Then you were advised to remove them once a month to clean under them, to help them stay put.

Well... the first time I took them off to clean under them, I found to my HORROR that on the driver's side of the car, the magnet had damaged the paintwork!  Water damage by the look of it.

Totally can't fix it:

ABOVE: Short of re-painting that door, it's stuffed.   Every time I look at it I seethe.  There was NO indication from the makers of the magnets that this could happen.

So, now that I'm not doing the cleaning ... I've had to remove the magnets, and I see that damage every day.

Lightbulb moment the other day.   I decided to order some new magnets to cover the damage.  Not much else I can do, the magnets are a cheap solution, cos I really don't want to spend hundreds of dollars getting the paint re-done.

Any guesses on WHAT I ordered?  *smiles*
Some clever bugger is bound to think of it...

While ya do that.  It's another lovely day here.

And I'm thinking of going into Hamilton to get a haircut.
I've made appointments here in Cambridge (Twice in a row now), and had them cancelled on me at the last minute, so ain't gunna do that again.  I just want to go to the cheap place in the mall and pay $25 for a trim.

Well... I say trim, but I'm thinking of having a fair whack taken off.

ABOVE:  Now that the (massive mistake) UNDERCUT has grown out a lot, I'm wanting to get about 6-8 inches cut off... so that in about a year's time, and probably after one more 'trim',  my hair will all be one length again.

NEVER have an undercut!!!  Worst mistake I've done with my hair since Griffin was a little baby, when I had it all chopped off!

Righty ho... time to go start the day.

ONWARD...

1.15 pm: 

In answer to the questions about 'Did I go back to the magnet company with a complaint?"
No.  I have had quite enough on my plate lately, and just didn't want to be engaged in yet another battle.

Now... so far today has gone really well.
I went into Hamilton, had my hair cut, bought some groceries and came home.

 ABOVE:  I feel bald.

But it totally needed doing.

It grows fairly fast, so I'm not shedding tears.

I got home to a parcel on my doorstep.  Hmmm... not expecting any parcels right now.

Get closer... and I see it has 'Merry Xmas' on it!!!

Bit early for Christmas presents right?  

Then I take another look.  It's not for this coming Christmas.  It was for LAST CHRISTMAS, and it's a parcel I sent to a Blog reader way back LAST YEAR!!!

It clearly got to it's destination, just not to the recipient.

Now I have to contact him and see if I had the address wrong!

I can't believe it took THAT LONG to get there and come back again!  Almost a year.  I have to wonder if it went on a row boat? lol

Time for lunch...

HIDDEN VISTA

I don't know if any of you remember, but quite some time ago I 'named' our home 'Hidden Vista'.

Well, Tony our Real Estate Agent has run with that name...

ABOVE:  The big photo board arrived yesterday... and he's used 'Hidden Vista, Dream Home' as it's heading.  The main photo is of the back yard... that being the 'hidden vista'.  *smiles*

I think it looks fabulous.

Our home will be in all the local papers this week... so hopefully that generates more interest?

Now, as for today.  The electrician is coming back to do the jobs we need doing.  He just checked out what needed doing yesterday, when he popped in.

He loves our pool, went home to try and talk his wife into getting one for their place.  lol

I need to stay home all day so I'm here for when he comes back.  So, not making any promises, but I might get into the sewing room yet.  *smiles*

ABOVE:  I won at cards last night.  We had a really lovely evening.

I can't get over why we have come across this 'PROBLEM' twice now!
In our Auckland home, and now in this home, the friggin' dumb twats who installed the under floor heating controls in the bathrooms did this:

 ABOVE: Yep, let's mount the control on the wall, sitting it on the top edge of the tiles.  That way...

ABOVE:  There is absolutely NO WAY IN HELL anyone can replace the batteries when they go flat!  Yes, we have had to get an electrician in both times to remove, and or replace the controls.

At least THIS  time we don't actually have to replace the controls, just move them.  Grrrr, I just can't believe people who do this for a living would literally deliberately do this, knowing you can't change the batteries.

Next house better not have this problem I can tell ya.

ONWARD...

11.12 am:  Good morning so far.  Electrician hasn't arrived yet.  I left Brylee at home to keep a watch out for him while I popped into town (local) for a couple of things.

 ABOVE:  Sadly, the two boronias that I took out of the garden and put in these pots have died.
So I went down to Mitre 10 and got another boronia and a lavender.

I'll pot them soon.

While there, I saw this really cool car:

 ABOVE: On first sight, I just thought "Yeah, nice old car"... but upon closer inspection, it's really funky!

ABOVE: The owner has had lots of fun with it.  *smiles*
I'm not a big car fanatic at all... they get ya from 'A' to 'B', but I do appreciate a car that's been given a funky difference.

So.  Now I'm making a bracelet with the beads I bought yesterday.  There's a reason I'm making myself a bracelet.  I'll tell ya later.

 ABOVE:  The electricians arrived, and are now working.

I'm super impressed with Sam, who owns his own company.  He's fast, reliable, efficient, arrives when he says he will and is rather cute too. (that helps)  *smiles*

ABOVE:  I've got a man in me bushes.
Yeah.
lol

ABOVE:  And there ya go... the last things on my 'To Do' list.  DONE.  A load off my mind.
Now I truly can relax and just wait till we sell this house.

Then the real fun will begin.  Shopping for a new home.

8.38 pm:   It's been a quiet afternoon/evening.  Stew and I went out for a little while to help a friend load her car for a market... then home for dinner.
Now... just watching some TV and hopefully, I get to bed at a earlier time than last night.  Which was 2.15 am.  Yeah... I can get engrossed in stuff on the 'net too often.

MORE GOOD NEWS

Steve rang me yesterday afternoon with the results of his biopsy's... taken during his colonoscopy.

100% CLEAR of anything and everything.

It did show chronic inflammation... but that's no doubt down to his IBS.


It's now time for him to have more investigations done... to make sure his problems really are ONLY IBS and not something like a food allergy as well, or an ulcer.

It does not look like it's Crohns or Celiac disease, as they present with different symptoms.

I'm convinced his flare up and the awful symptoms were due to an increase in his stress levels.  He's prone to stress and it's been very high for months.  Maybe his Doctor needs to give him something to help with that, get him to chill out a bit?  *sigh*

So I'm the Queen of Procrastination.  I had planned on sewing.. but instead I took myself off to Hamilton.
For Marley.
I packed quite a few of the dogs toys, and she's bored shitless.  She LOVES her toys.

So I thought I'd go and get her another set of keys, she loves them.  So does Coco.

ABOVE:  And well.. I got two sets of keys, some chewy and squeaky ones and a thing that helps you throw a ball and pick it up again.  

And then I went to Spotlight, they were having yet another big sale.  I didn't get much!

ABOVE:  See!  One little piece of fabric, some thread and beads to make a bracelet.

After that I went to the supermarket for some snacks to take to Card night.  $150 later... *sigh*

On my way home.... just leaving Hamilton and this car speeds past me, the driver waving out his window at me.  NO idea who it is.  Never seen that car before.

They remain just in front of me.  Then a few minutes later the woman in the front seat waves out her window at me too.  Weird.

Still no idea who they are.

Travelling along the expressway... they stay just in front of me.  Then they turn off at the exact same exit as I'm going off too.  

Beetling along the road, I'm thinking... I bet they won't turn into my road!

BUT THEY DO.  OK... I am totally bamboozled.  They get down to my house and pull over.  I turn into my driveway, and they back up and drive in my driveway too.

STILL have no idea who they are!  I get outta the car and the mystery is solved.

It's one of the Admin ladies from our Fat Bottomed Girls group, and her husband.

Seems they thought it was a right hoot to have me on like that!  So we have a good old natter, then they bugger off home. lol

I come inside and put away the groceries, and then... get on here cos I realise I've not updated all day.

I'm expecting an electrician in 15 minutes, he's coming to install an outside power point for the pool pump, and probably replace the under floor heater controls in both bathrooms.  More $$'s being spent to get this house totally sound for the new owners.  

The electrician came and went.  He's back tomorrow to actually do the work.

I went to Card Night tonight.  Lots of fun. We played 'Crowns' tonight and I won.  Photo tomorrow.

Stew got home from Rotorua and had to get his own dinner... poor man.  Though I did leave him plenty to choose from in the fridge and pantry.

It's now bedtime.. well, it will be once I've finished doing this and checked a few things on the computer.  Like... I might get to bed in an hour or two! lol

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING

Well... it's come to this.

I have absolutely NOTHING to do today.

Nothing needs doing.

So I might just SEW!

My next market is in 4 weeks, thankfully after our Open Homes end. Well that is, IF we sell at or before Auction.   If we don't, Open Homes will continue.  

I've got a few 'normal' jobs to do too. Washing mostly.

And I want to pack a suitcase with all the stuff we don't want to put in storage, cos we need/want it with us.  Paperwork. Passports. Camera. Chargers and so on.  I have been putting stuff in 'safe' places then forgetting where I put them.  So I shall gather them all up and put them in ONE suitcase.  Much better idea.

There is so much to try and remember.  I know it's only been 3.4 years since we moved, but I sure have forgotten lots.  I must start making lists of all those things ... shit I love lists! *smiles*  (it's true, just ask Stew!)

 ABOVE: This kid.  Our youngest grandchild.  Love him to bits, but oh my lord he's a handful!
Sadly, didn't get a photo of Dante yesterday, we were on the go too much!

The following are a couple of thought provoking sayings I saw and copied off Facebook recently...

ABOVE:  Both are pertinent to our current situation with ... well  ... not saying any one in particular.

But the 2nd one.. OMG so, so spot on.  We've made some BIG mistakes for sure, allowing that to happen.  There is NO respect what so ever.

Right, I'm off to start the day.  After I've had a little sleep/lie in.

ONWARD...

Well... I'm not sleeping in. I'm about to go on an FBG MAPPERS walk. Just checking distance, parking, footpaths etc. Back later...

ABOVE:  Hee hee... we had a lovely 4.34 km walk this morning.  Just three of us from the Mappers Group, and Cleo the dog.  It's really lovely when it's a walk with just a couple of good friends, you can chat freely and not worry about putting your foot in ya mouth.  *smiles*

Since coming home I've attended to a few things on the net... paid a bill, paid for the Craft Market in January (down at the local church) and just fluffed around on the computer.

Waiting for washing to finish in the machine now.  

I was nice and warm, but now I'm cold.  I'm not in the mood to sew right now either. I just need to warm up a bit first.

It's been a weird day I must say.  After being so busy for months... I am a bit lost with nothing to do.
I didn't get to do any sewing... I spent a lot of time with the dogs actually.  They have been sorely neglected of late.

So ... lots of cuddles and just chilling.

Stew arrived home to find me and the girls curled up on a chair... and nothing on for dinner!

WHOOPS.  Luckily, we are only having curry on rice... so the rice cooker is on, and the curry is heating up in the microwave.  Sorted.  *smiles*

Signing off for the day, it's been a really cruisy day.  So  nice.

ROUND TWO

Shall I just push 'replay' today?
Yeah.

I will turn the crock pot on right now, so all going well it will be smelling lovely by 1 pm.
After that I'll fluff around the house making sure everything is tip top ready.

And then ... I will sit and watch TV like yesterday! lol

ABOVE: Yesterdays loaf of bread. I'm glad we are not making any today, we are struggling to eat it all.  It's an extra large loaf.

Steve and Bex are due around midday.  They are going to spend some time at a local playground, have lunch in town then come back here after the Open Home.

I really hope we get at least one or two groups through again today.  You feel pretty suckful if no one turns up!
Hopefully once our advertising is in full swing, we will get more interest.

But really, I should not be feeling discouraged!  It's early days.  And it only takes ONE BUYER to be the right one.

Right, off to start the day.  Fingers crossed.

ONWARD...

Well you buggers have been damn quiet today.  But I forgive you.  Nothing is happening eh?

Open Home today:  2 groups through again.  And both have registered their interest.  So positive vibes.

The kids have arrived, and we are going out shortly to look at ANOTHER house in Hamilton!
We were not going to, but the kids are keen .... so off we go.

Later on, once home, we will be having dinner then the kids will go home.

ABOVE:  So, this is the house we looked at this afternoon.
It was lovely, but has a few issues.  It's clearly had leaks from old or broken roof tiles.  And while I loved it, it's too big for us at this stage of our lives.
Shame really, cos it really was lovely.

Home now... and about to sort out dinner.

Dinner is over, and the kids have gone home.  Stew and I are once again... exhausted.
It's been a tense weekend.  Glad it's over and we get 5 days of rest before the next Open Homes.

Time to sign off for the day, and have a nice relaxing evening.  Won't be late up tonight, I could fall asleep right now in fact, and it's only 7 pm.

JUST DONE

I went to bed last night done in.
Drained.
Mentally exhausted by everything that is going on.  Some really UPSETTING STUFF, that just knocked me for six yesterday.

Found out SECOND HAND that our son Griffin got hit by a car outside his school yesterday.  He's OK APPARENTLY ... possible broken wrist, broken tooth, cuts and abrasions.  Just gutted we were not told till well after the event. 

I just can't get over the complete lack of consideration we have been given, like we don't matter anymore. 

But ... I have to move on.  We are having our first Open Home TODAY.
But I just feel like I can't be arsed doing anything.

Flat.  

Last night it took me 6 hours, using three different products, to get our oven clean!  I bought a product that you 'just' had to wipe on and leave for 4 hours.  So I did that.  It worked AMAZINGLY well for the stainless steel rack.  But the oven itself?

RUBBISH.  So then I tried just scrubbing it with Chemico.  Nope.  That didn't work either.

So out came the shitty smelling, chemical can of Oven Cleaner.  THAT worked.  But talk about a waste of time that all took!

I was still doing it at 11.30 pm.  

NOW... Trying to sort out what needs to be done this morning.  Bread on.  Beds made. Bathrooms cleaned. Dogs area cleaned.  Dogs in the car.  Brylee sorted and out of the house by 12.30. Bread out of baker at 12.45. 
Us out the door at 12.55.

Park up the road and watch how many/who comes to the first Open Home.  Often neighbour's turn up for a nosy.  Let's see who turns up eh?

I seriously doubt I will be back until after the Open Home... leave me some nice comments would ya?  I am teetering on tears constantly right now.  Just too much upsetting me right now.

The ducks might be in a row, but there's still too many balls up in the air.

ONWARD...

11.13 am: bit of a laugh! I've been sitting watching tv most of the morning.  This house is so ready... we have bugger all to do today.

There's the last minute stuff, but nothing else!

We are going to park our cars at the end of the road and then take the dogs for a walk to kill time during the Open Home. 

Afterwards we are going into Hamilton.... to look at a house.  Yep. Stew wants to...so we are.

5.23 pm:  Well.  Kinda a mixed bag day. There were 'only' two groups through our first Open Home.
But, as our Estate Agent said, the house has only been 'on the market' for two days, with minimal advertising.
AND.. of those two who came through, one is quite interested.  Enough to register his interest for the Auction.

So, we are not disheartened at all.

After the Open, we had fresh hot bread for a late lunch, then headed into Hamilton to look at just one house.

 ABOVE: We liked this home.  But it had a few drawbacks.  Very, very small kitchen, and a very small master bedroom. We'd certainly not get both our chests of drawers in it.
But it had a fantastic downstairs room, perfect for the sewing room AND the gym AND guest sleeping.

But, it will no doubt get sold before we are ready to make an offer (if we wanted to).

I am not stressing out about buying at all... the right house will be there, when we are ready to buy.

Now... time to relax.

Dinner tonight is gunna just be sausages and veges.  After dinner I am going to prepare a beef curry in the crock pot, ready to turn on tomorrow morning.  No hot bread tomorrow, we will have a lovely mild curry wafting through the house.  *smiles*

Steve, Bex and the boys are coming for dinner tomorrow.  So.. curry and rice should go down well.

And that's a wrap of the day.  Stew and I are exhausted... probably a combination of physical work and mental stress.
We won't be long out of bed tonight.

My curry is ready, sitting in the fridge ready to be turned on in the morning.

LOVEN TIME

No... it's not spelled wrong.

LOVEN.. is an oven cleaning company here in New Zealand.  They use totally natural, environmentally safe cleaning products to clean ya oven.

And as nearly everyone knows, cleaning an oven sucks.

So I'm not doing it.  I'm employing someone else to do it for me.  I decided I deserved a break from friggin cleaning! 

I did the same thing in Auckland.  They did an AMAZING job.

Once the oven is pristine, I shall not be using it again ... EVER.  It will be stove top/electric frying pan/microwave and crock pot cooking for us.

Heck, we could even use the BBQ if the weather gets better.  

So, that's happening this afternoon.

This morning Brylee and I are off into Hamilton ... we got stuff to do.  Girly stuff.  Maybe some shopping.  Just 'time out' stuff.

Should be nice.  We don't do that much together, better make the most of it.  Won't be long (a few months probably), till she flies the coop too.

OMG... I can't IMAGINE how it's going to feel with just Stew and Me at home!  It's never happened... EVER.  We have been together 34 years and it's never been just him and me.

ABOVE:  This is my favourite photo of our house, taken for the marketing advert.

 ABOVE:  I put this little floaty ring in the pool yesterday, and it was promptly blown out.
So... I got a dumb bell and some string, and tied them together so the floaty was weighed down to the bottom of the pool with the dumb bell.

ABOVE: It's not going anywhere now.  *smiles* And that pool is crystal clear!  
And that's it for pool photos, I promise.

ONWARD...

12.34 pm:  Home from a very successful morning out and about with Brylee.

 ABOVE:  After attending to some personal business, we had a little walk.  This work of art is up by the Hamilton Lake.  I'd never noticed it before... it's rather striking.

ABOVE: As we were in the area, we also popped into the BERNINA shop near the Hospital.
OMG, how that woman manages to sell anything in there is beyond me.

It's an utter mess.  You literally have to move shit to see what fabrics she has, and there is clutter everywhere.  Just baffling to me how you can run a business like that.
I shall never go in there again, that's for sure.

After that, we drove into town to find a new portable power pack for my phone (I've lost my previous one).  Couldn't find what I wanted in Barton Street, so out to the base we went.

Got one there.. in fact Brylee got one too.  ON SALE, we got two for LESS than the price of one.  SCORE!  Crikey, I'm having so much luck with Sales lately.

We had a quick, meaningless wander around the mall, then headed to Pak 'N' Save for a few groceries.  We didn't get much... I'm running down our pantry and fridge/freezers now.

The less I have to pack and store, the better.
I don't care if I have to go and buy fresh meat and fridge items every day, I just don't want to waste/give away anything when we move.

Quiet time now till the oven cleaner arrives.  Might watch Home and Away, have some lunch etc.

Been sitting here mulling over the past few months, and how crazy they have been.

ABOVE:  I really don't know how I've managed to stay sane.   Cat naps!  Yeah, that's how.  And I will be having another one after the oven cleaner has been too. 

So I'm sitting here waiting for the oven cleaner to arrive right?
And it's gone past 2 pm... no one here.
So I go to the last email I received from them.. only to discover I've read it wrong and they are coming in OCTOBER!
Fuck.  Now I have to do the damn oven myself.  TODAY.  Grrrrrr, damn and bloody blast it.

Lacy just came out for a visit.  Dropped off some stuff that she thought I would want.  She was right.
Thanks Lacy.

***  I'm over today, it's gone to shit.  Just too much going on.  ***

GARDENS TODAY

It's getting closer and closer!
Two more sleeps till our first Open Homes... two days in a row.

The only things left to get up to scratch are the lawns and gardens.

Stew has not had a chance to do much out there with the weather being so shitty, so he's taking this afternoon off work to get that done. 

Seriously, we've had rain almost every day for two months solid!  Fingers crossed that this afternoon he can finally get the lawns mowed and all the weeds pulled out.

I am going to give him a hand with the weeding, even though I loathe gardening... well the back breaking, bending over part of gardening that is.  

Well that ... and the dirt.  I can't stand dirt on my hands.  So I shall wear gloves.  Now I just have to find them again.  *sigh*

ABOVE:  Dante had cross country running at school yesterday.
This kid ain't athletic AT ALL.  But Bex tells me he did much better this year, and didn't even come last, like his effort last year!  *smiles*

Proud of ya Dante... though you do look ever so slightly pained by it all.

NEWS DROP:  Keera didn't run as she now lives with our daughter Kelly in Hamilton.  Living with Steve, Bex and the boys did not work out sadly.  Various reasons, which I will never go into here, except to say there was no fault.

Suffice to say, she now lives with her Aunty, Uncle and cousin Rena.  She's perfectly happy, so that is awesome.
+ No comments asking questions will be answered.

Moving on.... I really am getting excited.  Two sleeps to go.  I'm not sure what to expect this time around... because we are going to Auction.

We've not tried selling by Auction in 18 years.  Last time was a flop.  This time... well I'm certainly hoping that doesn't happen again.

We may even get a pre-auction offer?  If that happens we will bring the auction forward, IF the price offered is acceptable of course.

It's just all up in the air really.  

EXCITING!!!  SCARY!!!  

LYNDA:  Your question from yesterday about tying everything in, in relation to selling and buying... if we have a lag in dates for leaving this home and moving into our new home we will:

- Employ a company to pack and store our household contents.

- Then we will move into temporary accommodation in Hamilton (Option A).   

There are a couple of places that cater for just this sort of thing, you pay on a week by week basis.  Everything is provided, so you only need your clothes and personal things.  It's like a motel, but not at motel prices.  

It's still expensive, but not as bad as having to get a rental and move all your stuff into it for just a few weeks (Option B).

And as it's pretty hard to get short term rentals, Option B isn't really a go.  

The other options were a motor camp (yeah nah), and couch surfing.  Another not so good idea as we will have Brylee too.

Both dogs would need to go to kennels in the event we have to do Option A.

So, there ya go.  Answered.

Now... it's PORRIDGE time.  lol

ONWARD...   

OMG... I just remembered!  We go ON THE MARKET TODAY!  We should be on the websites by the end of the day.
TradeMe and Real Estate.co.nz.  
It's really happening!

10.50 am: Not online yet.  I've been down town (Local) to apply for the LIM from the Council. 
Seems a lot of money for something only the eventual buyer will want?  Oh well... it had to be done.  
I just hope the estate agent makes copies for anyone who wants one, not us.  I ain't got a printer any more.

A huge cloud came over, dropped a few raindrops and I thought, BUGGER!  Stew won't be able to mow the lawns.
Then as fast as it came over, it's gone again.
That's a relief.

The pool is now totally crystal clear too.  I've got the pump on to keep it clear, that will be a daily thing from now on.  It only needs to be on for about 4 hours a day.

Stew is due home after lunch?  Not sure of the time.  Wonder if he wants lunch?  Hmmmm.

5 pm:  Well.. Stew is outside mowing lawns.  The estate agent has been and put up a temporary sign, and shown us our listing on TradeMe and Lugtons.  It will be on Real Estate.com tomorrow.

The photos are lovely, except the one they used of our bedroom.  That one is only so-so.
But on a whole they are great.

I'm knackered, but it's more a mental tiredness today.  I've had a headache all day, most annoying.

A girlfriend popped in at lunchtime for a natter, which was nice too.  She brought food.  I just had a piece of custard square.  Not a good idea at this time of the day I must admit!  Oh well... we can delay dinner till later I'm sure.

We had fish 'n' chips for dinner tonight.  I still have my headache so took some panadol.  Hopefully it works soon.

Signing off for the day.  Catch ya tomorrow.