light, water and no water

I think this could have been the theme song for the eastern seaboard states this summer. It’s something everyone is talking and asking about. Just how is the water?

I’m now mostly settled back in the family home. I did however receive an upgrade from the West Room (my former residence as young adult) to the Balcony Suite (which my two brothers lived in at various times). Apart from obviously having a balcony (it’s 2.5m x 0.9m as in big enough to have perhaps a table and chair but no more than that) it has windows on two sides facing south and east over the garden. I’m not just talking about a window on each side. I’m talking about windows that run the entire length of two sides of the room from thigh height to the ceiling.

Believe me I’m in light heaven. There is light and I love the light.

The new room

Went to lunch today at Gusto da Gianni at Portside with the ladies from work as one of the nurses turn 60 on Wednesday. The decor was interesting, cohesion was lacking in some areas, not just with the decor but also with the serving ware. Every single dessert dish came on different serving ware. The gelato was served in a what is best described as a Tuscan pasta bowl and the tiramisu was in a gorgeous conical frustum glass bowl. It was different. That aside the food was generally pretty ok.

These photos are the end of the flood for me. I’ve spent time with SES cleaning up streets, I’ve spent time in my own clothes cleaning up streets, I’ve spent time sorting through my belongings and the water logged belongings of total strangers.

The house on Saturday 15 Jan
and the water went down

The house on Thursday 13 Jan in the early morning.
looking up the street

5:20ish, peaceful

and that folks is how the water rose and fell on the house that I used to live in.

and it keeps getting better

I put $20 into the work lotto pool yesterday for the first time in almost a year because I’m feeling a little lucky at the moment.

Rainbow teeth.
Two weeks to go

A little while ago, I made a deal with my then post grad orthodontist that for the very last time I got colours put on, I would get a rainbow. Well two post grad orthos later and I now have rainbow colours. It’s quite a change from the black I’ve chosen for most of my changes in the last few years.

I went to the orthodontist today and left a pretty happy lady. I’m getting de-banded (that means getting the braces off in slightly fancy orthodontist speech) in two weeks. YAY, the end of this metal in the mouth since 1996 saga is almost over.

I’m waiting to hear back in the morning from my prosthodontist as to when the last few appointments will be.

Happy Times πŸ™‚

and then there was good news

I’ve been out all day today with SES clearing streets in Chelmer and St Lucia.

I was very happy to come home to this email from QUT.

Dear Helen,

I am pleased to inform you that your Postgraduate Application has been successful.

Please find attached a PDF copy of your offer letter for the BS79 Graduate Diploma in Business (Professional Accounting) course.

YAY

Flooded


Picture from here

That’s our house (well I guess correctly my old house) on the left at round 9am this morning. 1 Park Ave, Auchenflower. The house is on the corner of Park Lane and Park Ave.

When we left last night with the last load it was just lapping the second step at the front and it was up to just below my breasts in the garage.

We did a mass move out/evacuation of the house yesterday afternoon/last night.

I’ve now moved in with Mum for the time whilst I find a new share house. We managed to get all my belongings out of the house with the help of some of Mums neigbours who came to help pack stuff up.

Thanks to other people further up Park Ave who gave us boxes, laundrary baskets and the like to pack things into as well as the guys off the street who helped move all the furniture out.

In 1974, the water was at the gutters of the house. Who knows where the water will hit in the next day.

I’ve really enjoyed the last two years I’ve spent living there with “the boys” and it was quite a sad way to move out all of a sudden like that.

progress

Whilst most blogs are talking about goals/plans/resolutions for 2011, I thought it would be much more to the point to see what progress I am doing on my list of 25 things to do before turning 26.

a nice filler photo
after the rain

The list …

  1. Be finished with orthodontic work.
  2. Going very well, should be no more than a few months to go.

  3. Challenge myself to take more thoughtful photos.
  4. I’m more happy now with my photos than I’ve been a while but I still don’t think I’m taking my strongest photos

  5. Ride my bike more.
  6. Bike goes in for a service on Friday

  7. Get a will.
  8. not yet

  9. Get better with my practice of one thing in means one thing out for my belongings.
  10. Did a big clean out of my wardrobe on the weekend, so getting there

  11. Spend more time creating.
  12. Doing pretty well on this front

  13. Print and frame more photos.
  14. I’ve printed more but they are not framed

  15. Bake a rainbow cake.
  16. not yet

  17. Do more study.
  18. Well I’m still at uni and I got a 6/Distinction/83% for the last semester πŸ™‚

  19. Go to the Drive In – hopefully the Wonga one if it re-opens in the next few months.
  20. not yet

  21. Go media-free for at least 48hrs.
  22. mmmm

  23. Make marshmallows and honeycomb.
  24. I’ve made other things ….

  25. Be more regular on my blog (gee, that sounds like an All-Bran ad).
  26. I’m doing better than I have been

  27. Grow my investments.
  28. Making sound progress on this front

  29. Reduce the stack of clothes in my mending/alterations stack.
  30. Just about all gone

  31. Make my own tea blend.
  32. I’ve got ideas in my head

  33. Make strawberry jam.
  34. done πŸ™‚

  35. Get fresh flowers more often.
  36. I like fresh flowers but I just wish they would last a whole lot longer

  37. Write and comment more.
  38. Not doing as much as I would like

  39. Grow professionally.
  40. It’s in the works

  41. Get my routines started again – planning meals for the week and exercise.
  42. making progress

  43. Read some more classics.
  44. yeah

  45. Finish my granny square blanket.
  46. Just need to block it and it will be completed

  47. Make mulberry crumble or pie from the mulberries in the freezer.
  48. The mulberries are still in the freezer

  49. Turn 26
  50. Well I’m getting closer every day …

… and that is where we are on Jan 5 at 21:48