News

So we went to visit the bank.  Somewhat to my surprise we have had a home loan conditionally approved for more than enough to pay for our unit.  I'm not sure what conditions, apart from the fact that they want me to close my British credit card (gulp - I may have to learn to live credit free :-S )

We have put in an offer on the unit which has been accepted.

We have paid a 10% deposit.  Ordinarily the deposit would not be refundable if we pulled out, but we have made our offer subject to finance being properly approved, rather than conditionally.  If the bank pulls out we can have our deposit back.  If we change our minds ...

My mind does not like dealing with large numbers.  This confounded and infuriated my father to the end of his days.  He could see patterns in numbers that my mind simply doesn't get.  Lindsey is the same.  The patterns in numbers are as clear as crystal to her. It drove my father to distraction when I was a child that I could learn poetry and spelling and songs with complete ease but the multiplication tables were (and remain) a complete mystery to me. I see patterns in words, not numbers.

So it was very anxiety making having to transfer a deposit with multiple zeroes at the end of the numbers.

Fortunately, I got the zeroes right and I got the bank details right and the deposit has gone through.  It would have been a lot of money to send to the wrong person or out into the ether.

The outcome of all this activity is that in a couple of months or so, if all goes well, the unit will be ours.  Well, ours and the bank's.  I will be able to put up a shelf in the laundry. And mess about the back yard. And keep working until I am 195 years old.

In the meantime, CV-19 restrictions have lifted a bit in Victoria. We are allowed to have up to 5 visitors at a time.  So Lindsey and Ian came to Tani for Sunday lunch.  I had been at the mushroom farm on Saturday and the seafood man was there with his seafood truck.  I might have spent a week's food budget on seafood.  So for Sunday's entree we had this:

I made a cream cheese, smoked salmon and prawn mousse and topped it with a seared scallop and lobster pieces and prawn on the side.  Oh, and in a nod to Masterchef, I delicately placed a fennel frond on top.  There was one each.  This isn't actually Masterchef and it seemed a bit miserly to make one small plate to share between four people, even taking into account the price of lobster!

I tried my hand at making the chicken and ham pinwheels I buy from the butcher.  Mine completely lacked the elegance of his, but they tasted good.  I shall try again until eventually I get pinwheels rather than splodges.

Rupert and Hugo are allowed to have visitors too, so Jim and I came up at lunchtime today to play with them, given that they are on their own today.  I was somewhat taken aback to find a massive impediment to progress on the normally fairly quiet road that Hill House sits on.

I have no idea what they were doing but there was only just enough space to get my car past - and Ziggy is only a small car.

From next Monday Jim and I will be allowed to have 18 visitors at our place.  I'm not sure where I will put 18 visitors.  We don't have 18 chairs!