Hamilton Island, May 2025

Monday, July 28, 2025

Moving Out

Lindsey and I braved the dreadful weather and went to the market on Saturday morning. The weather wasn't quite as dreadful as the forecast predicted but it had been very, very windy and very, very wet overnight. The people of Ballarat are generally hardy souls but there weren't a lot of people at the market when we got there at around 9:30. We even got a parking space almost opposite the entrance. There weren't as many stalls either. But the tomato bloke was there and the Mornington cheese woman was there and the veg people were there. Apart from the olive oil man, the people I wanted were around.

Then we went to Stockland for a potter around the shops.

I went home and did some more packing.

Freyja and Simon arrived late afternoon, with a van. We had Thai takeaway for dinner.

On Sunday Freyja and Simon took all the stuff that was going up the hill, including the dryer, garden benches and citrus trees in pots that Lindsey was expecting, plus the barbecue and a few other bits and pieces that she might not have been expecting. There is more stuff heading her way but it is mostly things that will be coming with me but that I don't want to put into storage, or which I will want between now and Moving Day (TBA) or as soon as I arrive. Julia came and took some things that she could use or find homes for.

We all went to Okami for an All You Can Eat Japanese lunch, and were joined by Travis, Henry and Baby Theo.

The skip is now full, the house is full of detritus and things that I will want but which haven't been packed yet.

The cats and I are back at Hill House.

The storage people are coming at 9:30 or so to pick up the things that are going into the storage unit. I will shortly head back down to my place and make sure everything is ready. I might even get one more box packed to go with them. Not everything that is left in the kitchen needs to go in the Have This Ready For The First Night box. 

Enjoying the fire on their last night at Tani:


Although, the fire was still glowing with tiny flames on Sunday morning and I still had some fuel available so I got it going again for the day

Settling back in, up at Hill House. They hadn't forgotten where things were supposed to be




Many thanks to Julia, Freyja and Simon for helping to move all the big things. And the little things. And for helping fill the skip



Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Waiting (Again)

I am not waiting for anything on my place now. Everything is in place and it would be extraordinarily unusual for things to fall apart at this stage. Settlement is on Monday 4th August and I am confidently expecting that to go ahead as planned.

I am waiting for the delivery of a skip sometime today. Although - the weather is absolutely appalling and I wouldn't be all that surprised if they postponed it to tomorrow. I won't be here tomorrow morning but they've delivered skips before and I can't see there being a problem. Or not with the skip. I am a bit worried about falling trees squashing my house - which would certainly delay the sale. Fingers crossed no trees fall, or if they do that they fall the other way, hopefully squashing no houses.

I am actively waiting for things to be organised for the new place. It would again be unusual for things to go awry at this stage but I am waiting for my solicitor to approve the sales contract and then for my mortgage application to go through. I am not really expecting any problems but the waiting is taxing! 

Always assuming that settlement of the new place happens as planned, the storage unit where my stuff is going on Monday can potentially also move it all to Docklands. They will give me a quote when they see how much there is.

Things are slowly falling into place. But there is still an unnecessary amount of waiting to do 😂

The Community Care Centre people took all the things I had set aside for them, including my wooden bed base which we bought when we were in Khartoum Road for the attic bedroom which Freyja mostly used. It came with us when we moved to Tupton and went into the spare bedroom. It came to Australia with us and was promoted to the main bedroom both in the first unit and then in Tani. Unfortunately I decided that it would simply be too bulky for the new place and it has gone for a new life with a new family. Obviously they don't take mattresses but I am going to take my mattress up to Lindsey's place. It's a Koàla mattress and they are  very comfortable and very expensive. I do not want to send it off in a skip! Anyway, if my single bed plan proves not to be feasible, I am going to want it.

The cats have been very puzzled. by the state of my bedroom!


There are lots of boxes in there now.
I am using it as a storage space ready for next Monday

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Sold

The sale of my house has now become unconditional and will settle on Monday August 4th.

My offer on the view in Docklands has been accepted and should settle on Friday 18th August - always assuming I can find a way to transfer the 10% deposit. My daily limit is $5000 and I suspect the estate agent will not be pleased if I send the deposit in $5000 lots over several days!

The Ballarat Community Care Centre is coming this morning to cherry pick their way through my furniture. Once I know what I've got left, I'll organise a skip. Freyja and Simon are coming next weekend to help fill the skip and to take away things that are going to other places. Then on the following Monday people from the storage facility are coming to take away things that are going to Docklands with me. Then I have a week to clean the house.

The cats and I will decamp back to Hill House until I can arrange to get my stuff moved to the new place.


💲💲💲💲💲💲💲

If you want to transfer money somewhere and it is considerably above your daily limit, ring your bank just after 8am when the phones open and there isn't much of a wait. Discuss it with someone who will put you through to the bank's safety people. These people will put the fear of Osiris in you that a nefarious scammer is trying to defraud you of all your money. Then they will raise your daily limit. You then, in fear and trembling, transfer the money and then immediately reduce the daily limit to its original amount.

Seems to have worked. I hope the deposit has in fact gone to its intended recipient. It would be annoying and inconvenient if it has wandered off to some tropical island in an unnoticed part of the Pacific








Tuesday, July 15, 2025

You don't need whiskers to ...

Or perhaps you do, I thought to myself yesterday. Maybe you do need a Y chromosome to install a toilet seat successfully.

When I put the house on the market I bought a new, wooden toilet seat to replace the disabled friendly one we had for Jim. I installed it. I do not, as far as I am aware, have a Y chromosome. And I did install it but it wobbled from the day I installed it. Every now and then it just fell off.

When Dean the Tradie came to do a few bits and pieces I asked him to try and fix it. And he did. And it didn't wobble. Nice and firm.

Until yesterday when it simply exploded off the toilet and fell to the floor, spattering nuts and bolts and washers all over the toilet floor.

I gave up, went to Bunnings and bought another toilet seat with less complicated fixings.

Or so I thought. 

It looked easy enough but I struggled and struggled and struggled. One of the bolts got stuck and had to be liberated with WD40 and hot water. 

I nearly gave up. Who needs a toilet seat anyway?

Eventually, though, it all came together and I have a toilet seat, installed, not wobbling. And it is fixed with wing nuts so should be easy to fix if it loosens again.

So apparently you don't need whiskers or a Y chromosome to fit a toilet seat successfully.



Lindsey and I went to the market on Saturday morning. We haven't been for ages. I came home with eggs and vegetables and belly pork and bacon. I also came home with garlic oil and lemon oil but I got those at the supermarket because the olive oil man wasn't at the market.

Lindsey came for lunch on Sunday. Apart from the potatoes and gravy, everything we ate came from the market

$30 worth of shopping from the market.
That doesn't include the belly pork or the bacon

We have had some very wintry weather recently. No snow, although we have had some icy rain. And it's been cold. I am going to miss this:

It keeps the house lovely and warm



A winter morning sunrise:

 


Thursday, July 10, 2025

Still Waiting

The Building and Pest reports have come back and are absolutely fine.

The buyer's finance has not yet been approved 😢

It was supposed to be done by yesterday but their bank has decided that they need to have a valuation done on my place. The valuer is coming shortly. The buyer's conveyancer has asked for a week's extension, which both my conveyancer and estate agent have recommended I agree to. So I did. Reluctantly.

You would have thought they might have got around to that before now.

Sigh!


Freyja and I went to look at the Flat with a View after work yesterday. Freyja hadn't seen it before and I thought it was a good idea to get her to look it over with fresh eyes. It's a good size, in a good location and, of course, has a fabulous view. It's a bit tired in some ways. It's had a tenant in until recently and could do with a bit of a spruce up and a couple of (minor) repairs and a coat of paint. It does have new flooring, which is an advantage. The estate agent says the owner probably won't take a low offer because a similar flat on the 9th floor sold for 400k+ three months ago. Which is all very well, but this place has been on the market since the beginning of April and has already had a price reduction and still hasn't sold yet. I shall wait and see what is happening when my place eventually becomes unconditionally sold and I have a mortgage pre-approval. And if it is sold by then, or the owner really won't take a lower offer, then there are other places available. I am not paying lots of money just for a view, no matter how fabulous.

Freyja and I went for coffee at Southern Cross Station and then she took a train to her place and I drove back to mine.

Monday, July 07, 2025

Waiting

The Building and Pest Inspectors came on Thursday, late in the morning. I was expecting serious, even severe people, suited and stern. In fact they were jolly and friendly and funny. They were also thorough. They flagged a couple of small things but did not indicate that there were any major problems. Of course, they weren't working for me so they may not have felt they had to alert me to major problems, but I think they might have given at least an indication.

The potential buyer needs to make the purchase unconditional or pull out by Wednesday and they can only pull out without penalty if their finance falls through or if there are serious defects with this place.

So I wait.

I went and looked at a flat on Friday afternoon. I first notice it online some many weeks ago and had flagged it as being interesting but it was a bit expensive. They've recently reduced the price so I thought it was worth a look - mainly for this:



I could definitely live with this view.

It does have a balcony, which is fully enclosed and also very narrow. It would make a great cat run, and possibly even a morning coffee nook for me


Bedroom with a view:



Freyja and I are going to have another look at it on Wednesday after work. And the flat that Lindsey and I looked at a couple of weeks ago is still available. Plus I've spoken to my mortgage broker and she is going to see what she can do about a small mortgage for me. I might be able to pay for either of the flats outright if the seller would take a low-ish offer. I might even be able to pay outright at the full asking price but it would leave me with absolutely no financial buffer and I do not want to do that.

So I wait.

I do not like waiting!!!

Lindsey and I went out to the Wallace Pub for lunch on Sunday. We haven't been since last October and I cannot tell you why. We like the pub, the owners, the ambience and the food. We just haven't been. It's not even as though it's particularly far. It's a 20 minute drive from my place!


Lindsey in her magnificent cardigan
showing off her lunch

That's not beer I'm drinking.
It's a lemon, lime and bitters 

Sunday roast:
a pork stack