One of those people

You find me once again in East Melbourne, gazing out at the lights of the city, while I wait for Lindsey to get back so we can meet Freyja in the pub for dinner. I am working Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday this week. And the rosters keep changing, depending on what else is happening. I am very pleased that I took copies of the week's roster or I would have no idea when I was supposed to be where !

There are some people that I know, or whose blogs I read or who come to my attention in one way or another who always seem to have things go wrong. This happens, or that breaks, or this doesn't work or that falls apart, or whatever. 

I fear I may have become one of those very people.

You may remember that I was waiting for someone to come and fix my garage door. Eventually I rang them to see when they were going to come. There was a silence, then I was put on hold. Then someone else came on the line, followed by a worried silence and I was put on hold. Then someone who I think was probably more senior came on the line. He was a bit confused. And far as he was concerned, his technicians had come on the Wednesday when they had first rung me to see if I wanted a cancellation. They had done X, Y and Z and declared the motor of the door to be beyond repair. I queried this. I had definitely said that they couldn't come. What was wrong with the motor? And how, exactly, had they got in?

The bloke said he would call me back on the morrow. And he did. His technicians weren't sure quite what my issue was. They quite often went out to rural properties to fix shed doors and just let themselves in. I pointed out that I don't live on a rural property and don't have a shed. My garage door was shut and weighted down on the inside. You couldn't just lift the door with a finger or two. As far as I was concerned it was unauthorised access, especially since I had said not to go in without me there. Also, they might say they had done X, Y and Z but I didn't know that. I wasn't there!

So I have paid for a service for my garage door but still have a non-working motor. I have declined their offer of a discount for the new motor. I don't absolutely know that I need a new motor - though I wouldn't be surprised. I don't think the motor has been serviced in all the time that it's been installed. I'll have to find someone else to do it. I don't trust trades who break into your garage when they have been told not to.

Sigh!

Now. Let's consider Services Australia and the Aged Care Financial Assessment team. You may have thought that was more or less resolved. I thought it was, if not actually resolved, act least almost done. You can imagine my unchuffed response when I found a letter to Jim saying he needed to pay the basic daily fee of $58 plus an accommodation fee of $223 a day. This puts us right back to last October when they first sent a Demand with Menaces. That works out at around $9000 a month. I rang them the very next morning to see what was going on. We didn't earn that much a month last October. We still don't earn that amount a month.

They wouldn't talk to me. You haven't verified your identity. What do you mean, I haven't verified my identity? You've been talking to me since last October. Regularly. Often. You know who I am !  No, no. We need you to go into Centrelink and take your driver's licence to prove you are who you say you are. New Protocol.

So on Monday I did just that. Even more unchuffed. Then I went home and rang the Aged Care people again. Oh, he said. That's not right. It can't be that much (no S--t Sherlock. Of course it's not right!)  He then explained at length what was happening, what would be done and when it might be done. He did mention, in passing, that they had had a computer upgrade last October and that everything had gone to hell in a handcart (not quite how he expressed it!). He also said that the two letters we had received that said we didn't need to pay anything more than the daily fee were also wrong and that a new assessment would be done.

Sigh!

I have had to summon someone to clear out the gutters, at a proposed fee of $800. Jim used to ge them done yearly by the council but they don't offer that service any more and I don't think I qualify for assistance through My Aged Care. Anyone who thinks I am shinnying up ladders and doing the gutters myself has got rocks in their head. I am also, therefore, saving up for gutter guards so the gutters don't need to be done as often. Not that they have been done often, which is possibly why they are costing so much to get done now.

The Handygirls are going to do my windows. I simply don't have the time, or more probably the inclination to do them myself. There is always so much else to do.

Also, I need to arrange a new passport, arrange a new re-entry visa, complete my citizenship application, get a police check from the UK, get my Centrelink account linked to my MyGov account, apply for a Senior's healthcare card, sort out my (tiny and minute) British pension and ...

I think I need a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down!

Lindsey, Stella and I went out to the Wendouree shops on Thursday. The Japanese cafe has turned into an Indian cafe. We went to a general, all purpose cafe for lunch. Lindsey and Stella had avocado and smoked salmon on toast. I had a pork belly salad. It was delicious - definitely not what I was expecting in a cafe in Wendouree. So many delicious, tiny morsels. I'll definitely have that again.

Sigh!!!