Please hold, this blog will be updated by the next available operator

Its Tuesday here and eight days until we have to be completely out of this place, and eight days until we can move into the new place.

Still hoping for early access to the new place, otherwise we will be double moving (putting our stuff in storage until we can move in). Where we will go while we're in limbo we're not sure.

I will be internetless for awhile, maybe a few weeks depending on how kind Exetel want to be.

- Jen

When he hears the firebell chime...

After Daniel's post the other day about old ad's on youtube I started exploring what other old things might be on there.

Plenty of fireman sam, postman pat, the raggy dolls, noddy and thomas the tank engine. Although re-watching fireman sam I'm not so sure he IS the hero next door.

For starters, just watching the intro:

- He gets up at 8:50am. What kind of bludger does that?
- Then he does a dangerous stair slide - obviously one that helps him get ready in 'seven seconds flat'. My question is why Sam (being a firefighter) hasn't just put in a pole?
- Then we see him checking himself out in the mirror.
- Apparently he's always on the scene, but then we see him lounging against his truck reading the paper
- Then he steals the paperboys skateboard
- Then the italian lady brings his lunch to him in his firetruck - something he could have gone and gotten himself if he wasn't so busy looking at himself in the mirror and reading the paper.
- Then he JUST makes it to work on time.

Clearly a bad influence on children. I hope Postman Pat might be better, but the guy is riding around with his cat in a truck! A cat with a beard!



- Jen

It is not like riding a bike.

Yesterday and today I decided to give riding to work ago. Much to the man's dismay I might add. He is convinced that I will get hit by a car, or fall off...or get hit by a car and fall off.

He has no faith whatsoever in my bike riding abilities. Doesn't he know I spent most of my childhood careening around Albury (and a couple of times Wodonga) on bikes - with nary an injury that I can remember. Bar a chipped tooth. But that happened when I was learning to ride. So it doesn't count.

Pause to wait for parents to insert comments on horrific bike riding injuries I may have forgotten.

Anyway the bike ride went okay. 42 minutes on Thursday morning and 25 today. Trick - avoid that pesky roundabout at the top of Elizabeth St.

Things I didn't know: Flemington Rd is a hill (to the Children's Hospital). Grattan St is a hill. Rathdowne St is a hill. Taxi drivers are pricks to cyclists.

I wouldn't mind doing it everyday except it is REALLY tiring. Well, it would be either ride or go to the gym - probably not both. Unless I spend all day eating to keep up with it.
My legs are wrecked right now. But its nice to be able to be outside in the kind-of sort-of fresh air.

- Jen

He's a well respected man about town, doing the best things so conservatively

After a big weekend back in Albury we finally had the opportunity to meet up with Craig and Pauline - Albury's biggest party animals it seems. Surprisingly I wasn't too nervous about meeting people off the internets (must be all those Grand Final BBQs), and they are just as genuine as they come across online.

You can see Craig's blog here and Pauline's blog here.

Originally from Rhyl in North Wales (I think thats right) they moved out here in July last year and live in Wodonga. I think they're liking it too! They have two beautiful girls, who they kindly labelled for us, Lowri and Robyn.

I've never seen more enthusiastic people about Albury. AND this is coming from people who live in Wodonga! I honestly think they should be on a big billboard on the Hume Freeway promoting Albury. Someone get cracking on photoshop and arrange that!

Anyway we are really looking forward to seeing them down in Melbourne or hopefully heading back to Albury for some more brews with them. The man even socialised! but thats not unusual because as he keeps telling me he 'is too a people person'! I'll believe that when I see him at a GF bbq!

- Jen

Sitting on the front porch of that home, stomping our feet on the wooden boards

Probably have to worry about locking the door though.

Maybe I should explain the start of some of my posts more, most of them are song lyrics.

Sorry for the delay in posting but we've been really busy lately. Bought some stuff.. like this.

Yeah I know. It was an absolute bargain and one of those flukey things that happens. It was the auction the man and I attended last weekend that I mentioned. Place got passed in and we swooped in like the little magpies we are. Or is that swooped in like the magpie I am and the bomber he is? Anyway with a bit of luck settlement will be 1 May...

Its so fast and for you readers it will come as a shock. I know. It's okay. It was so flukey because we'd gotten back from tramping around Brunswick and realised the auction was on. So we literally ran from our place to get there. If we hadn't of we would have missed out.

So there you go, no longer potentially homeless, we won't have to impose ourselves on the future in-laws, and the fleabags have a small backyard to try and kill each other in. Also, shiny floorboards! And 4 bedrooms. Thats a bedroom for Matilda, one for the man, one for me and a spare. Schroddy can sleep in the shed.

- Jen

'And all you see is where else you could be, when you're at home

And out on the street are so many possibilities...'

I might have chopped the end of the lyrics off there, but house hunting is making us realise there is so much out there and selling this place has not been a bad decision.

We still don't have anywhere to live, but we have vague ideas and plans. And backup plans.

This morning we went to an auction for a 4 bedroom, brand new house in our suburb - and we bid on it. The place should have gone for well over the $700k mark but got passed in at $550k. The man was one of the first few bidders while I stood next to him with what felt like my heart in my mouth. Terrifying. But fun anyway. It is out of our price range at $550k but still such an incredible bargain - to be able to move in somewhere that doesn't need work would be great.

We have a good idea of where we want to live now, after spending all week on realestate.com.au and google maps. Almost literally too. If we weren't at work - we were on websites or looking at places. We spent the whole morning walking around OFI's and auctions in Brunswick. Thats right, using some real estate jargon there. Still haven't figured out what ROW means though. One place said it had a ROW out to the street. I made one of my jokes and asked the man if that meant the place had a moat. As usual the man looked at me in disgust. Mum would laugh at that. A moat would be awesome. The cats hate water.

One place we are looking at needs to be attacked by the paint brush and carpet monster. Or the floorboard monster! But other than that its pretty nice. We'll see. Don't know about putting in an offer before auction now, especially after this mornings effort.

I now fully appreciate the public transport nightmare some people have to endure, living where they do. We looked closely out past Maribyrnong but we just do not think its right that it should take anyone more than an hour to get to work (using PT). Even though we could build a very nice house (thats right - a house) out there.

Also, Subway finally coughed up our bikes. The ones we ate subway for a week for. Haven't gone for a ride yet but they look decent. Doubt we'll ever eat Subway again though. They got delivered to the man at work so we had to go and pick them up at the hospital. There we were (well..there the man was) lugging a bike in a box around a hospital. We got some weird looks from nurses, like we were torturing the sick with the things they couldn't do. It's not like we were riding the bikes. Plan is to ride to work, well for the man at least. If I was organised enough I should keep all my work clothes for the week at work - and then ride in and shower. We'd save over $200 a month just there!

Well, I'm off to see some of the comedy festival tonight so I'd better go and get ready.

- Jen