Another 7 months have passed.....

I just don't know what has happened with the time lately. Well I do really, I lost the plot and am still trying to recover. Just lost interest in everything after all the stress I have been through. I still have not unpacked all the boxes into the Palace, talk about slack.



The pain overcame me and had complete control of me, I became very depressed and could not cope with it. The frustration of not being able to get stuck into anything for no more than 15 minutes each day took its toll also. So it has been a long slow process. The pain has slowly subsided, but I still cannot do much as the agravation comes back still.



Been to specialist, not even considering an operation. It is degeneration of the bones, arthritis, bulging disks. So no hope for me have been told I have to live with it. So pain patches and slow release panadol are for the rest of my life. Seems so wrong.



So on with my life I must go. Have a lot of catching up to do with ATC swaps with the Keysborough group and the Bairnsdale group, am way behind. I am way behind with everything at the moment, so what is new...



I have got myself a student!! yes one...... well that is a start. I am not pushing it, she approached me. We are basically at the moment going through what one can do with her supplies. I am making a little technique book as we go along.



Survived June this year, no floods, in fact not a lot of rain although I did get a bit anxious when it did rain, although it was not much at all when you think about it!

Cannot help myself - dragonflies

While painting the ikea drawers, I started drizzling paint onto the inside of the drawers and drizzled some dragonflies. I cannot draw, but was amazed at my images I had made. I had to paint over them though, so decided to drizzle the paint onto the concrete floor. Hey it is my Palace and I can do whatever I want in here. I was rapt with the result. Mind you they won't be seen cos the compactus will be on top of them. But I did take a photo of them and here they are. What do you think?

OMG !!! TEN MONTHS LATER!!!!! It is April 2008...

Well how slack am I???????

It is almost the end of April 2008 and nearly Winter, that dreaded month of June is fast approaching and I am still not organised with everything!!!

My house is still a mess, boxes are still on the verandah, in the hall, second bedroom and loungeroom. I have emptied the cats area of boxes as poor Rusty my ginger cat was showing signs of stress, by tearing the corners of the boxes with her teeth, more mess to clean up, she spent hours doing it so that was the first area to be sorted out. See pictures further down in my Blog. Then the second spot was where the eating bench and the walk through to the verandah door! BUT not for long.........

It was Christmas Eve and I stopped to talk to my neighbour who asked me if I had heard her dog Fifi barking a lot?? Well she barks quite a bit especially at night.... I did not say that to her of course.

Anyway Fifi had discovered there was a wire cage on the other side of her fence, hence the barking constantly because she knew there was something good smelling in there and it moved,

the cage was covered with a sheet,

under the sheet was a large oven tray to stop the rain I suppose and the hot sun from coming into the cage.

Mind you the cage was in the front yard, no fences, we have foxes and other animal eating wildlife around here. Snakes for instance!!!!! Not that I have seen one yet, but one did kill another neighbours dog recently in their front yard about 6 doors up!!

Inside the cage was a cardboard box, which almost covered the whole floor area, it was falling apart coz the top of it had been sat upon.

A large icecream container with dirty water in it and parts of the cardboard box, so it was not easy to get a drink from it!

and....... wait for it...... about 8 large carrots.

No grass

No other food to be seen anywhere.

The grass that was available was all gone and eaten days before

and a huge mound of poo in one corner.

My heart melted...... It was a little white bunny with slightly brown ears!!!!

Anne and I scrounged around for some food other than carrots as in excess are a no no!!

We found a bit of grass, and some apple, boy how bad is that between the both of us we had no rabbit food in the place!!!!!

Well neither of us were expecting to feed a bunny in the next day or so...

The owners - get this ! - the ex-husband is the local animal by laws officer or what ever you want to call him, you know picks up the stray animals etc. Recently left the household. They have one Husky type dog that limped all the time - probably arthritis, is left outside day and night all the time, no kennel or anywhere to sleep, sleeps on the front lawn all the time, another dog in the back yard tied up 24/7(all the time lol), two cats that are left roaming and hungry. Who do you see about that?? The local council? huh?

Anyway they had been evicted from the house and were in the process of moving out and they left Christmas eve morning with the car all packed up and off they went, took the dogs, left the cats and the rabbit to fend for themselves.

OMG said Anne two roaming cats left for how long, her veggie garden had already been visited regularly by them to do their business, she does not want them hanging around, and one of them had gone through our doggy door to the verandah and sprayed on the walls leaving his mark, while our poor cats could not scare them off as they have no access to that part and our dogs were sleeping inside! (woooses),

I went back by myself Christmas morning to see if the Bunz was all right as it was predicted to be a warm day, Anne said they had it for about a month and only moved the cage about twice and by the bare patches on the grass or lack thereof I guess she was right.

I could not help myself, I threw back the sheet, tossed the oven tray aside, undid the latch to the top of the cage as it had a wire bottom while this poor little Bunz huddled in the corner frightened, daylight shining in at him, he could not even see outside as the whole cage was covered up.

I reached in and pulled him out, well I did not know it was a "he" then, but he is a "HE", and he huddled tightly into me so scared.

""""""""""sucked in"""""""""!!!!!!!!!! I JUST COULD NOT PUT THE POOR LITTLE BUGGAR BACK INTO THAT DISGUSTING CAGE!!

We did not know when or if they were coming back or had just nicked off, hot weather was looming.

So I grabbed the sheet chucked it over the cage and found myself walking back across the road with this bundle of white fur in my arms!

OMG!!!!! O.K. so now what do I do with him????? I have just STOLEN... no, I have just RESCUED a little Bunny Rabbit!

It is Christmas Day, nothing is open to get food for him, Anne found some old Lucerne hay that she uses on her garden, but it was dusty and mouldy, I had one more apple in the fridge, luckily there was a little bit of grass in one small patch of the place. Well he gobbled it all up in no time and looking for more. He was very boney, obviously very hungry.

Where was I going to put him?? what was I going to do with him? and on Christmas Day, nothing was opened and the local animal shelter only took dogs and cats! Oh what a shame. I put him in the cat basket for the time being locked the cat flap so the cats could not come into the house and went out to the garage and just happened to find the cube panels we used for our bunnies indoors in Rowville. Thought they might come in handy for something one day!!! And might I add 4 of them have!! We have about 60 of them... lol

So I set about making a 2 storey set up for him by the verandah door inside so he could get used to us and introduce him gently to the dogs and the cats. Millie our little dog, Rusty and Ashley the two cats were used to living with rabbits on and off for about 6 years, but I do not know what Missy's history is with rabbits, she is fine with cats, just ignores them, but rabbits? She used to go to a farm regularly with her previous owner and we got her at 9 years, so she may even chased bunnies at the farm! She was fascinated with him, spent hours just looking at him with her tail wagging constantly.

Anyway to cut a very long story short, Bunzeloid (Bunze for short) is still living with us!

He must have been very young as his colour has changed, his feet are getting darker as is his nose and ears and more fur is on his ears now. He also has a soft brown colour coming on his back.

HE IS JUST GORGEOUS AND SOOO CUTE AND CUDDLY...

He now permanently lives out with the cats in their area and unfortunately for the cats I have had to lock the cat flap as he knows how to get through the hole and comes inside and just loves rummaging in the loungeroom through my stuff I have not moved to the Palace as yet. AND he also chewed the finest wire in the loungeroom which was the sensor to the Wii game!! No other wires just that one!! poop.. cost me $19.00 to get another one as they do not repair them! The guy said they have a lot of people ringing saying their rabbit ate through the sensor wire!! He is not completely people friendly as yet as I have limited time with him and so he is very hard to catch when he is let loose. and he knows it too... lol.

He has got the cats bluffed and Rusty especially, he loves her large soft fluffy ginger tail and she is not the type of cat that likes to be touched by anyone unless she wants to be touched!

I used to leave the cat dry food in a bowl on the floor until one day I noticed Bunze chugging into them... must think he is a cat.

I had to vacuum in the house while he was first inside and he was not at all worried by the noise and blow me down no noises worry him, he is as deaf as a door nail or is it a post?? So you cannot call him as he does not hear you, he even sits on the runway between the two cat towers outside with his back to the neighbours grandchildren when they visit and does not even hear them squealing to him to turn around. Just ignores them. I clapped my hands one day and the dogs and cats nearly went through the roof, but the bun did not flinch.

I go through days saying I must find him a home, but have not done anything about it, our little dog Millie is rapt as she loves grooming him especially his head face and ears and he looks so funny with wet spiky hair. His first time with Missy he started to snuggle into her tummy as if it was his mum. Missy just layed there but looked at me as if to say "get this thing away from me" he kept leaping over her and running circles around him.

Well here he is hiding in his favourite box a few days after he settled in, his ears are bare of fur at this time. But oh such a cutie. And yes he has red eyes!

He has a liking for the so expensive Japanese Yutzen papers and thinks my wood mounted stamps are toys for him to toss about and move around!

Yes I know I have been slack here, but here it is...

The cheque eventually arrived about four weeks later..... yeah I know cannot rush these people! Anyway just before the cheque arrived I got a call from someone at the Insurance company asking if everything was good!!! GOOD!!!!! so I was trying to stay calm..... In the end, two days after the first cheque arrived, a second cheque arrived for another $600.00 which was very nice... Of course they arrived on Wednesday and Friday so the weekend extended the waiting time for the cheques to be cleared.

To be continued!!!!

The Beginning of the compactus

All of these orange files on the floor are to be sorted out into categories, they are all of my card!! Mostly A4. To the left of the picture are some of the 50 drawers waiting for the shell to come in and be placed on that far wall, it will fit to the right of the window and rach up to the two white half squares which are power points and then across to the full rectangle, right beside it. Yep it is long and 5 ft tall!!
The tall mauve rectangle is my Ikea drawers I managed to save, plenty of bleach on the bottom drawers to kill the growing mould and then undercoat and painted. Am rapt with the outcome!
Oh and yes the orange files on the table too are card. Yes some people have said I have enough card for a shop!Unbelievable, I got fed up with trying to sort them back into colour ranges etc all that bending and lifting was not helping the poor old back, no one thought of putting them all on the table for me and then the help (DH) left for work!! Unbeleivable, not much space left in that side!

The compactus here is closed and just beside it is my Printers Drawers, I was absolutely amazed at how they recovered. Just need someone to make me a bottom drawer to match, unfortunately one was not with it when I bought it! Still got to put name tags in each drawer so I know where to find things instead of opening almost every drawer and it is usually the last drawer opoened that I am looking for!

Here is the whole compactus. It does not look too big here, got lots of space in it four more sides to fill.

The new heater/air conditioner

has been raised off the ground, now that makes sense.... why did they not do it to the lounge one??? In the "too hard" basket!!!!!

Well Finally - but still waiting!!!

Finally the Insurance co agreed to pay me for most of my damaged stuff, down about $1,000.00, but they won as I could not be bothered fighting for myself anymore. It is over two weeks now since they rang and told me the case was now closed and a cheque would be in the mail......... well it has not arrived as yet, will ring them this week to find out what is happening.

In the mean time I am plodding along with adding things to the compactus as you will see.

WOO HOO!!!!!!!

The loungeroom what a mess!!
more of the lounge room
and my work space, a little bit tidier here!

These boxes were rescued from the garage when the flood rose, they are all for the Palace, I just had not got around to un packing them. Goodness after 2 1/2 years you would think I could throw them out without opening them!! Oh no I cannot do that..... So now the task of going through these boxes too. The plan??? to have the Palace completed by the end of December. And more of them on the verandah..... and the cat's area.....
down the hall, sick of impersonating a crab as I walk down here.
and the other little hall to the laundry


At long last the work to the Palace is finished, sigh.... So now the long task to put everything back in it!

The Insurance has come good with most of the stuff I claimed so just have to wait for the cheque, but in the mean time I can get the compactus and my 50 drawers in and filled!

Will keep you posted with some pics as we go.

bye for now
luv Jill
xxx

The colour of the walls, note the difference where the air conditioner was?
The sky light has gone, need to block up the gaps, they forgot to put the rubber stuff back.
This is embarrassing - my messy space at the moment. Everything piles up as I don't know where to put it! Thank goodness I am not stamping full on. Gerard's chair would be taken up too! lol...

Roll on the beginning of November!!

Today is Friday the 26th October, the chap is here installing the heater/air conditioner. Woo hoo!!!!! at long last.

The colourbond sheets were replaced on Tuesday and I had the skylight also filled in coz the extra light was fading all my stuff even though I had rigged up a blind to cover the light but it was not enough.

We have to get some "expandable foam" to squirt under the colourbond sheeting to fill in the lower gap on the ground as the sheets were cut a little shorter so they are not in contact with the soil so if we leave the space most likely crawly critters like ahem... "snakes" could make themselves a warm cozy home. "NO THANKS"""

I am hoping that maybe this weekend we can put up the Compactus. First, I have to get the stuff and it out of the second bedroom dismantled again and then put it up again in the palace. Oh so exciting. NO!! I won't be doing any of it by myself this time. I am still not 100% from last time.

My moods have improved a lot, I did hit rock bottom and it has taken a doctors appointment to help me get back up. I have also started Tony Ferguson again as all of that yummy chocolate helped me put on almost all of my 15 kilos I lost!! Mind you I am not complaining at all it was so appreciated. We will have a little extra money each day now that I am totally off the chocolate!!! Yeah right... Well I have survived one day so far.. today is day 2.
talk again soon
luv Jill

Recent photos of the Palace being fixed!

This is Ashley peering over the lap top, desperately wanting to sit on my lap, she gave in and went to sleep on my legs instead.

The new concrete floor raised 8" a big step up into the Palace.
The floor again before the plaster walls are cut off, below the plaster removed from the lower half of the Palace.
The plaster replaced and waiting to be plastered at the joints and then painted.The walls are painted waiting for the air conditioner to go on the wall.My Ikea unit before being removed from the wet Palace with all my stuff.
My Ikea drawers painted and look like new. Have used purple Lumiere on the handles.

Was drizzling paint on the new floor to draw dragonflies, cannot see them too well though.

Goodness time flies when............

Well not really, the time is dragging. The 10th October and I still have not got the Colourbond replaced or the air conditioner/heater installed. My frustrations have escalated and my mental well being has plummeted! Have not been good, the pain I have experienced from being silly and stubborn. The back has improved, but boy I thought I had trouble with my sciatic nerves before but this is sheer pain. I still cannot roll over in bed without feeling like I am being stabbed in the hip. Also feel like I have rubber bands running down my legs being stretched to the max. The improvement is very slow but getting there. So I have not been in the mood for anything, not even posting on the blog or answering my emails, sorry about that.

I had a spurt of energy and cleaned the toilet, well that was a mistake... gosh it is so annoying, I desperately need to shave or wax my legs, such a simple thing to do, but no way I will end up a cripple for another two weeks. Looks like I will have to teach Gerard how to wax... just not got the extra money to have a wax! lol.

Well I posted off my insurance claim for contents and had been ringing my case manager with no reply after leaving four messages to her. Eventually I got a call from Kooomar!! saying my case manager does not work there any more and he was taking over my case and what was the problem! When I mentioned I had sent in my claim for the contents he reckoned he has not got it. His words were that Australia Post must have lost it! I had better find my number and have the parcel tracked, but most likely will have to re send the claim. Oh bloody hell, it was 28 pages of photos, all originals and about 10 pages of paperwork and quotes. He insisted it was not there. So I had better get on the phone, and then ring him back with what I had found. I rang Aus Post and the item had been scanned at Silverwater the following day. I rang him to tell him this, but had to leave him a message. Did not hear from him two days later so the next four days I rang each day before he finally rang me. He did not believe me and insisted the parcel has been lost. He wanted me to ring the post office again and ask what they do with the parcel after it has been scanned!! Well you don't have to be brilliant to realise that it would be put in their post box eh? The conversation got a bit heated and I ended up saying he can ring on my behalf because if I ring again, I will leave him another message and not hear from him for days.. he finally agreed and it was left that he would let me know the outcome. Two days later no news, so I rang theAus Post number again and a very helpful person actually rang Silverwater P.O and insisted they empty their box each day and no parcels were left behind, definintely nothing there in the box! When he finally rang me back he reckoned he rang and they said the parcel must have been misplaced at the post office. Bull shit, please excuse me... I told him what they told me and he said oh well it looks like I will have to find it then.

I ended up ringing the Ombudsman for the insurance claims and asked him if I was being unreasonable and he said no and to ring the complaints dept which I did. She checked my file and my dear friend Kooomar reckons on the computer he had spoken to me. Nup. well abut half an hour later Koomar rings to say he is going to follow up on my file and see if he can find it. About an hour later he rings again to say they found it!! He even showed his other work mates my file as it was all different coloured card I used and then tied it up in purple cord. I felt like I had completed a school project. Then we had more problems as he had not read it properly and could not understand what I had written. Honestly.. read it first before telling me he needed written quotes from companies with their letter heads on the papers. What had I sent him then?? After all of this I was not a happy camper and was once again feeling very flat. I did not ring him last friday or this week as I just did not want to get upset again and just did not want to speak to him. Well today Wednesday he left a message to say he needed one more letterhead for some stuff and to ring him. I didn't..... will ring tomorrow to find out the rest of the result. Do I get carpet or not??? that is what is holding up the works.

While down the street today after having my hair cut, I called into the quilting shop to see if they had any dragonfly material to make some new curtains for the Palace and they sure did, so I spent $44.00 on fabric and came home to make them then and there only to realise I had my sewing machine packed away in the wardrobe of the second bedroom behind the compactus!! Shit... So I went and played computer games instead for the rest of the arvo and watched Days of our Lives for a change!