It has been blowing and raining, sometimes simultaneously, although most often at 20 minute intervals for most of the week. Still I'm not complaining, the dam is very nearly full to overflowing and I suspect that by the end of today it will be.
On Wednesday evening was just heading out in the LR to attend a lecture by Rob Gordon on managing post bushfire, when our builder Michael phoned to say rather apologetically that he'd costed the project and despite having stayed up to the wee hours couldn't get it below $430k.
I took a deep breath because I'd been hoping that it would be more like $350k which was within reach of the likely funds available. We agreed to meet on Friday morning when he would go through the numbers with me and make some suggestions about possible changes.
I'd been planning to go sailing with Ian on Friday but this needed to be addressed.
Taking my life in my hands I drove up the road to Kinglake and towards Whitlesea through fog the like of which I haven't experienced since I was riding my motorcycle from Woollongong to Campbelltown after a night shifts in the University computer centre and had to ride along the white line on the edge of the road so I could tell where I was going. That was in the mid-seventies so it's been a while and I was very glad to have four wheels beneath me and the white line on the edge of the road. Instead of the 31 minutes that google maps told it would take it was about 50 and I arrived just before the scheduled starting time of 7:00 pm.
Rob is a very easy to listen to speaker with a great deal of empathy and a self-deprecating sense of humour. It was an excellent session highlighting that most people had probably moved from the adrenalin fuelled immediate response phase to the cortisol driven problem resolution phase, where most energy is focussed on getting things done. A sense of humour is mostly absent and anger and frustration often just below the surface, and you are a bit fed up with people telling you how lucky you were to have survived! Hmm - he's been looking inside my head.
The solution - recognise that this stuff takes time, take support from your community and time out for yourself.
So on Friday after talking with Michael and giving him the go ahead to finalise the quote I went sailing with my mate Ian. A great afternoon.
Saturday the 6oth
It's been blowing a gale - literally. Weather Bureau warnings for 100+kph winds for yesterday afternoon and beyond, materialised a little earlier than expected and threatened to blow what little hair I have left on my head to Bass Strait. It was actually a perfect day to be planting my Lomandra confertifolia spp. ruginosia ("seascape"). I haven't got anywhere near enough but even my 9 or 10 plants are displaying their eponymous and characteristic rolling waves, particularly with the wind at the strength it is. I'd put a picture in here but it's pouring with rain and there's no way to keep the camera dry.
As we had been invited to Shona's 60th, Ros had arranged for a hot shower at Cathy and David's. A wonderful experience, I haven't shampoo'd my hair and beard for weeks. Not quite enough water in our little camp shower and even when it's sunny, I'm too much of a wus to use cold water.
Shona and Ros used to work together at the Epworth hospital for about 10 years and we've been in loose contact with her and husband Geoff since Ros left. It was a 3:00 pm start which I initially thought a bit odd but it turned out to be a very good idea, particularly as I was able to start the afternoon with a glass of (bugger the French) - Champagne. People came and went throughout the day and we eventually left at about 10:00pm after having talked and eaten and
eaten and talked with a host of people, most of whom where relatives from NZ, great bunch of people or like Ros, former and current nursing colleagues. It was a very pleasant experience and we even got to sit on the chairs and around the table that Shona & Geoff have donated to us. Not forgetting of course a couple of chests of drawers from daughter Penelope's boyfriend, ( I think Mike).
As we drove home, it became obvious that the wind had not abated, with many dead branches strewn across the road and I wondered aloud whether or not the tent would still be standing. It was but only just. The temporary walls erected by Jan were even more temporary having ripped and blown out in several places. So I again lowered it to half mast and re-tensioned all the guy ropes before falling into bed with the rain hammering on the caravan roof. Almost forgot, our new friends Tony and Barbara had called around while we were out, with details of the shed suppliers they were using and had carefully tucked it into the space for the external light switch near the caravan door.
Was a bit late to call last night so after we eventually rolled out of our cocoon this morning and Ros went shopping for breakfast, I called to say thanks and was invited around for a coffee and to have a look at the shed components which had arrived yesterday.
So that's where I'm off to next. - Cheers.
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