It has been a month since I have written!

I cannot believe it is almost a month since I last wrote! Things have been happening but I have been pretty flat and down and not feeling like writing or talking to anyone for some time. It is not good for me to be in this type of mood, but once I am in it it is hard to snap out of it, especially when I got the shits with Gerard as he did not want me to put the compactus up in the second bedroom. I am so fed up with not being able to find anything and walking around the house like a crab and stepping over things, I thought it would be a good idea to put it up and get some stuff in it even though it would all have to be taken out again when the palace was ready, but it would make the house feel a bit spacious maybe?? Anyway when I get upset or angry, which is not too often thank goodness, I seem to get this amazing energy and usually do tidying up like housework, but this time I was not going to be told I could not do something I wanted to do, so I decided the compactus was coming into the house! So while Gerard was at work I managed to clear a space, mind you a lot of bending etc. and bring in the two base pieces. First I had to manoeuvre them out of the shed.. Yep Gerard is so fanatical about having everything tightly packed in that they were at the back of the garage and almost inaccessible. But I did it, it took me a while as they were damned heavy, but I got them inside after giving them a good wipe down, (more bending). I managed to lay them in place on the floor and found that they were longer than I was told, so there was not much room to get past them to get to my computer. Anyway I did not care coz I could get some stuff put out of the way and maybe find some things I needed! It took me hours to get the two bases inside and by the time Gerard got home, that was all I had managed to do.

I think I mentioned the day before about cutting back a tree and then moving gravel from around the palace to find all of the rust. Another reason for getting the compatus out of the garage was to make room for the stuff we had in storage in Melbourne from when we moved, yep more stuff!! So the following day Gerard and I managed to get in all of the frames, putting them together on their bases, getting the wheels to run smoothly and then found we could not get the last two units onto the base to roll as we needed another couple of inches and the door was in the way. so we left them stacked inside with access to them, but not on the base. Gerard did not say anything when he got home the day before, I suppose he knows me by now and almost expected to see I had started to move the stuff inside anyway.


The following day we had to go to Melbourne with a truck to pick up the stored stuff and when I went to get out of bed at five a.m. I could hardly move. I managed to get into the truck for the three and a half hour drive, was pretty useless when we got there as I could not do anything but make noises every time I tried to move. The truck was also pretty high to get up into which was an ordeal and I felt every bump we went over. Then of course there was the drive home again! I should have stayed home, but I gave in and went to keep Gerard company as I was a bit worried about him driving there and back in the day as he gets tired driving all the way and back.

Boy was I glad when I got home and have a lie down. Well I got into my reclining chair and put up my feet and promptly fell asleep! I woke up at about four a.m. only to find I could not move. Picture this, me lying back in my chair, the laptop still open on my lap, the cat on top of my arms as she is now so I am pinned down, the other cat decided to join in and was fast asleep over my ankles, so I was lovely and warm.
( managed to get the cats off me and then I had to get the lap top off me so I could get up.
Well it took me an hour to manage to get rid of the lap top, put the chair back into normal position, get off the chair onto my knees and make my way to the dimplex oil heater on wheels and wheel myself three feet to the other chair. by this time it was five a.m. and Gerard was getting up for work and was shocked when I called out to him to help me get up off the floor. I finally managed to get to bed, Gerard went to work and then I woke at seven am to go to the loo, it took me three attempts to get there and then decided to make my way back to the chair as it was more comfy than the bed. I thought I might have to ring an ambulance to get me out of bed, Gerard had left me the phone, but I had no phone numbers of any one local to come around and help me get up!

Anyway I am now walking, my frame of mind is improving as is the back and hips, but it has taken a while to get to this point. I suppose I really need to not be so pig headed and stubborn and not want to do anything but rest, I also did not have the lap top for two weeks which was a real bummer as I could not sit at the normal computer for the pain. so it has taken we this long to feel like I can write to you. I have also been back and forth to Melbourne to visit a girlfriend who had a heart attack at forty six only to get to the hospital to find she had been rushed back into intensive care so we had to drive back home again. She is still in hospital and got a long way to go, and then for Matt's twenty first last Friday and then come home Saturday morning and sitting at the restaurant also did not help me so I have taken a step backwards again.

Honestly I am just so frustrated and fed up with everything. I went back onto the slow release pain relief which are absolutely useless and that did not help my mood either so I am now back on stronger stuff. looks like I am going to be addicted to pain killers.

Anyway back to the palace finally after waiting for three weeks, they took off half the plaster walls and removed that part of the insulation, no the water did not soak up to the ceiling with the insulation, but the dampness was in the plaster. we decided to have the floor raised eight inches, it is not as high as where the water rose to but hopefully it wont get that high again. A large cost to us but hopefully it will be a peace of mind. The painters came in yesterday and now the palace is back to its light purple colour on the wall and they also repainted the ceiling for me as there was a lot of condensation marks from the dampness. So what else is there to do you may ask? The Colourbond has to still be replaced and the heater/aircon. Am still waiting to find out if the carpet will be replaced by the insurance company and my shelving etc. will ring them on Monday to see if there is any news, I won't hold my breath though.

I feel for those poor people who had the water through their houses having to wait this long and longer to get their houses into order. The painters were saying they have been working day in and out painting houses on Raymond Island, some of them have had their houses raised so hopefully not so much damage will occur next time. Yep I did say next time. There were floods in 1998 and previously. They reckon roughly every 10 years! The guy at the end of the street's house is built on the ground, not raised at all and this is his third flood and he thought he had all the preparations to save his house this time, but no he even got sewerage through the house this time. How awful for them. I think he won't stay for the next one! Will we??? Well at this stage we are not planning on going anywhere, now that Gerard has settled down and found a job, he is enjoying! But I do get an uneasy feeling when it starts to rain especially when it is heavy and for a few hours, like the other day!

Will post some photos soon of the progress of the Palace and hopefully by next month I will be slowly moving my stuff back in. Not long now to the grand ribbon cutting ceremony! lol...