Wind and Weather - Friday

Weather, Incoming

I have never before had a Watch and Act alert for severe weather. I had, of course, had severe weather alerts but the Watch and Act alerts for bush fires and flood are serious and require that you do something quite urgently to preserve life and/or property. My reaction to alerts for bush fire is pretty much to run away. I have important papers in a bag ready to grab as I run away with the cats. Everything else can look out for itself.

I didn't know what to do about a weather Watch and Act alert. I looked it up and the most relevant  recommendation for me was to shelter in place. 

So I did. And the weather wasn't too bad. Stormy but not particularly alarming. I pretty much forgot about it.

Wendy came to visit and survived the wind and rain. People outside carried on as usual. I didn't see anyone getting blown over.  The harbour was choppy but the boats, yachts and barges seemed unperturbed.

I went to bed and slept well - until at about 3:00 or so when I was woken by the sound of heavy rain, whooshing wind, whistling wind, growling wind. Then there was a bang, as my ever-so-slightly ajar bedroom window blew open as far as it can (which is not very far) and the blind was sucked out as far as it could go. I rescued the blind and closed the window properly, which was more difficult than it should have been. It definitely wanted to be open!

Reminder to self: next time there is a Watch and Act for severe weather, make sure the windows are fastened shut before heading to bed!

In other news:

The Ikea delivery did arrive on Tuesday afternoon, as expected. What I didn't expect was the size of the boxes. They were enormous. Ikea, as you are aware, is famously flatpack. I was expecting flat packages. I was also expecting it to be very complicated assembling a flatpack sofa bed and had summoned Freyja, Simon and Lindsey to help on Thursday.

Fortunately, one of the concierge staff helped me bring the bigger of the enormous packages up to my place.

Turned out the sofa bed and footstool were not flat packed. I had to put the rolling bits of the sofa bed in place (not sure they're properly in the right place) but mostly what I had to do was to put the coverings on. I had it all done by the time Lindsey came over at lunchtime on Thursday and all Freyja and Simon had to do was join us for dinner at Dokutoku after work

I bought a one and a half seater sofa bed, thinking that a two seater would be too big for my small flat. In fact, my flat isn't really as small as I think it is and a two seater would have been fine. A one and a half seater isn't big enough for me and two cats. One cat, yes. Two - no. Fortunately, the dining chairs are the same height and they are happy to share the dining chair if I push it up against the comfy chair. The cushion Brandy is sleeping on is a blanket bag. It also works as a bolster for me when sitting on the chair.

I have been to Ballarat twice this week and brought almost everything back from Hill House. There are a few things left, including a box of pictures, a pot plant and some miscellaneous bits and pieces. Now I need to start organising the stuff that is already here. Most things have homes but they are definitely not their final resting places. And especially not the second air fryer I bought, which has shelves rather than a drawer. It is *this* *much* too tall for any of the places I might want to put it while it is not in use.

Settling in

Sunday was an absolutely beautiful day.  I went to the local Woolworths, about a 5 or 10 minute walk. It was an urgent mission. The cats had decided that this is an alright place to live but - THERE WAS NO CHEESE for their after breakfast snack! There is cheese now, plus a few other things.The fridge now has a bit of food in it, in addition to wine, milk and water.

I bought a toastie and went and sat by the water to eat it. There were lots of people out walking, some with dogs. There was a running group. There were people rowing on the harbour.

Breakfast view

"I will help you eat that sandwich"

I took the tram in the afternoon and went to Kmart. It's a very big Kmart. It was hard to find things. And in fact they didn't have what I was looking for, which was a particular kind of under-bench storage. However, there is a Daiso next door and they had lots of things that I was looking for. Not the under-bench storage I had in mind, but some shelving which does just as well. I was restricted in my purchases only by what I could fit in my shopping trolley.

Freyja and Simon came around in the evening and we had pizza for dinner. The pizzas were quite big so the leftovers went in the fridge. I must admit that I felt very much like a university student yesterday morning as I sat in my rather untidy flat, eating cold pizza for breakfast while drinking coffee.

I went across the Marvel Concourse yesterday to check out the Coles on Spencer Street and the Asian grocery store opposite it. I might have accidentally got on a tram and gone back to Daiso for a few more bits and pieces. It might not be an absolute advantage having a Daiso quite so close by!

Lindsey came round in the evening for dinner. I made a Japanese style chicken curry. It was the first proper meal I have cooked in this kitchen. This was made all the more difficult by the fact that only one of the kitchen lights works. I can fix two of them myself by buying appropriate light bulbs. That is made more difficult by the fact that they are weird light bulbs and I can't find them around here. I'm going to have to go to Bunnings, I think. The light in the extractor over the stove I can get bulbs for. And I did. But once you put the bulbs in the lights won't turn off. And the last light fitting is completely broken. I am going to have to get an electrician in to fix that and the lights in the extractor fan. (Yes, I did look for a switch. And no, there isn't one.)

Fortunately, I have two wind-up lights which worked well enough for me to cook.

I am expecting an Ikea delivery today, which means I am stuck at home until they come. Alas - I haven't had a "Your items are out for delivery" notification yet which makes me think the comfy chair and footstool may not come until tomorrow. Which will be annoying because I had intended to go to Ballarat tomorrow to collect some/most of the things which have been left behind. Not that it matters. I can go pretty much at any time. But I had booked the service lift for tomorrow afternoon. I don't suppose that really matters either. I can always unbook it

Moving In

I ran up and down between Mount Helen and Docklands for the rest of the week.

I brought some more stuff down in the car on Wednesday. Freyja and Simon came around and we walked over the Marvel Stadium concourse for lunch in Friend of Fire. There is a handy exit from Victoria Point on Level 4 which drops you directly onto the concourse. A very useful discovery.

Thursday was Furniture Arriving Day. I left Mount Helen at 6:15 and was here nice and early. I filled in the time unpacking and sorting out some of the stuff I had brought in the car until the Stor-It people arrived at about 9:30. Lindsey, then Freyja and Simon arrived and between us and the Stor-It people we had the van empty by about 11:30. I had been a bit apprehensive about the arrival of my stuff from Stor-It. They do move things around but they are a storage company and not removalists. In the event, it all went smoothly. Stor-It went away and the rest of us went out in search of lunch. Then Japanese restaurant next door was absolutely packed so we wandered down Bourke Street and had Vietnamese instead.

Docklands is very busy on weekdays!

Friday I brought a bit more stuff from Mount Helen and unpacked boxes with  determination. I think there is going to be too much stuff for my place, despite the enthusiastic culling I undertook before moving out of Eilish Court.

Thursday and Friday progress:

Saturday was Cat Moving Day, which I had also  anticipated with apprehension. As predicted, Brandy cried all the way to Docklands. Whiskey gave up after a few minutes and went to sleep. We came down quite early because there was a footy match at Marvel in the afternoon and I thought all the parking spaces might be taken up if I came later in the morning. Lindsey met me and we brought the cats into the flat and sorted their stuff out. Brandy looked around in horror and headed immediately for the safety of Under the Bed. Whiskey, on the other hand, headed straight for the litter tray then had a look around and then joined Brandy under the bed. He came out after a while to have another look around. It took Brandy longer but he too eventually emerged to have a look around. He is a bit disconcerted by the view. I think Whiskey just thinks it's a giant TV set.

Lindsey and I had lunch in the Japanese restaurant. It was much, much quieter than it had been during the week. Docklands is much, much quieter. I think this might be one reason that it has a reputation for being a deserted windswept wasteland. It is very quiet during the day at weekends, although it livens up in the evenings. I do not mind it being quiet at the weekends. Suits me just fine 😂

The cats and I stayed in the flat last night. Freyja dropped in on her way somewhere to inspect progress. And progress is being made. All but one of the boxes has been unpacked and I've taken most of them down to the recycling area. I've put lot of things away. I am going to head to Kmart this morning to get some shelving for under my island bar for the saucepans, cat paraphernalia and anything else looking for a home. 

First evening:

This morning my place looks more like a somewhat dishevelled home and less like a disaster area.

There will, of course, be some re-organising as it becomes clear that somethings aren't working where they are. I already know that my clock isn't effective where it is. I can't see it!

There is still a bit of stuff at Lindsey's place. I know I just said that I probably have too much stuff but I need to bring the boxes down to Docklands. They hold the last things I packed in Tani so most of them will be things I actually use. And I have ordered a "sofa" bed. My lounge area has no cosy chair

And It's Mine

Mind you - I was beginning to wonder, as yesterday afternoon wore on, if settlement would actually happen.

I had gone down to work, intending to leave around 2 or 2:30 and head into town, on the assumption that settlement would be around 3:30.

But no. Apparently my mortgage company was reluctant to transfer the mortgage money to my solicitor, despite the solicitor and my mortgage broker asking them to, multiple times. Eventually they transferred it at about 3pm. In Victoria settlement has to be finalised by 4pm. At 3:30 I arrived at the tramstop nearest to the estate agency where the keys were. I sat on a seat at the tram stop and waited. And waited. And waited. By 3:55 I was cold, fed up, and fairly certain that settlement wasn't going to happen that afternoon.. I was JUST about to give up and head back to my car, when at 3:59 I got a message to say that settlement had happened, the flat was mine and to go and collect the keys.

I was slightly surprised when I walked into their reception area and their receptionist simply handed me the keys without asking anything that proved my identity. No check of my ID. Nothing. I said "Hello, my name is Frances Hyde and I'm here to collect the keys for unit 6 hundred and..." and she interrupted me with an "Oh yes. I've got them here". And gave them to me. I know she was expecting me but I could have been anyone. A flat burglar, perhaps.

Anyway.  I didn't argue. I accepted the keys, a bottle of champagne and a Happy New Home card and went away.

Closer inspection of my flat made it obvious that it has been inhabited by tenants for quite some time. This is not to say that no one looked after the place but it is tired and a bit dishevelled and needs a few repairs and a bit of TLC. This doesn't really bother me. If the imperfections do begin to bother me then I will get them fixed. Plus, if the place had been in pristine condition I almost certainly couldn't have afforded it. Anyway I bought it for its light-filled space, its big windows and the view. I don't really care about scuff marks, nor even the crack in the kitchen bench (I may begin to care about that eventually; not sure what I would do about it though).

I took some boxes down today. This was the first time I had been in the flat in the middle of the day. 

Isn't it beautiful?

Lindsey and I marked the last Sunday that I will be a resident in Ballarat with lunch at The Boatshed. It almost certainly not be the last time I will be in Ballarat on a Sunday but it was something of an end of an era. I am not anticipating a return to Ballarat as a resident. But I have lived in and around the city, on and off, for very many years. I lived in Beaufort for three years, Ballarat city centre for three, then had a twenty year gap before coming to Mount Helen for nine years. It seemed worthy of a noteworthy Sunday lunch.

So we had mocktails and a seafood platter to share

It was a bit disconcerting just how quickly Lindsey and I managed to demolish all that food!

Paying for my flat

Settlement on the flat in Docklands is due tomorrow afternoon.

The conveyancing solicitor sent me an email late-ish on Thursday afternoon telling me how much I needed to pay. She did not include the loan that has been arranged so I wasn't sure how much I actually needed to transfer to the law firm's trust account.

I decided to transfer the whole amount, on the assumption (apparently correct) that any over-payment would be transferred back to me.

I rang the bank. The person I spoke to increased my daily transfer limit to the maximum of $100k and said I could transfer the money over 4 days. I didn't really have 4 days. Then I would need to go into a branch and sort it out there.

It was too late in the afternoon to do it on Thursday. The bank branches open at 9:30. I was going to have to take Friday morning, at least, off work. Realistically, the whole day. I'm supposed to be off next week but there are things that need to be done before I disappear for two weeks. I'll have to go in on Monday instead. Sigh!

So I trundled into the branch in town on Friday morning. The bank people were very, very cautious. I had to ring the solicitor's office in front of them to double check their bank details, even though I had done it the afternoon before, prior to ringing the bank. They double and triple checked absolutely everything. Then having gone through it all with one person, it was all checked again by another person. Then we had to go to the tellers' counter to put the money through and yet another person checked that I wasn't being coerced in any way.

When we were all as certain as we could possibly be that my money wasn't going to head off to the Canary Islands without me - then the money was transferred to my solicitor's trust account.

It took about an hour and a half. Absolutely no point in heading into work. So I rewarded myself with a toasted sandwich and a hot chocolate for brunch and then went and bought myself a new TV. Smallish, because I need mostly small things in my new small flat. It doesn't strictly count as a tiny flat - but most people would think it very small at 58 sq m. My dining table is coming with me, as are two quite large dressers/shelves. But mostly I am replacing large things with smaller versions.

I am cautiously optimistic that settlement will go ahead as planned, although transferring the money on Friday for a Monday settlement was pushing the time a bit. Neither my conveyancer nor my mortgage broker seem to be in the least bit worried.

I do wonder how people who are buying $2m properties manage with the payments!

We had a brief but quite intense rain storm on  Friday afternoon. I watched it rolling in from the west

The neighbours weren't at all worried about the incoming storm. Until it arrived and they all disappeared. Not sure where they went

Sunday and Monday ...

 ... continued warm, sunny and gentle.

Not much happened. I did a bit more packing, a bit more organising, a bit more tidying.

I was surprised, while gazing out the kitchen window while making breakfast on Sunday, to see this:

I would not have been surprised had I been in East Melbourne, Northcote or even Docklands. It is not absolutely unknown to see balloons in Mount Helen but it is not as common.

I am trying to work out the logistics of moving me, my belongings and the cats to the new place in Docklands. Most of my stuff is in storage and the storage company tells me that they can move my things to the flat. The building management wants to know their insurance details. The storage company seems strangely reluctant to give them to me. If they continue to delay I shall find another removal company (although I am not sure how I will get my things out of storage; I don't have a key to the facility or to the storage unit. But I am sure that can be worked out.) Then I have boxes of stuff at Hill House, which I can take to Melbourne in the car although I might have to book the lift for that too. I will talk to the concierge on Monday. Plus, of course, I have to move the cats and all their stuff. I will probably do that last.

In the meantime, I have rented a parking space, at vast expense,  for two months in the parking facility across the road from Victoria Point (which is the building my flat is in). I am not anticipating keeping the car once I get settled in, although Freyja, Simon and I might share it and keep it in the parking space which comes with their apartment. Mine does not have a parking space.

Today, the weather is cooler and greyer. Having beguiled us with the promise of spring, winter is returning this week. Which I suppose is fair; it is, after all, still August. 

Saturday

 It was a glorious morning yesterday

The view from Hill House
at about 9:00

So I went to the Lakeside Market. It was a considerable improvement on the previous market day, which was wet, cold and horrible with few visitors and few stalls. I got there just after 9:30 and it was packed, plus there were LOTS of stalls

I bought some tomatoes and some meat, some raspberries and some blueberries. I had a wander around. I bought a chicken shish for brunch and went and sat by the lake to eat it

Brunch view

I had a stroll around the Piper's end of the lake. It was still and quiet and peaceful. There were people around but it was still quite early so the large groups and activities hadn't arrived yet. People were strolling or sitting or eating and drinking. The birds were enjoying the sunshine

I came back to Hill House via Wilson's where I bought some vegetables. I had fruit toast for afternoon tea and did some more organising of my stuff. Is it coming to the new place? Yes - then into this box. No? Then either into what will probably be the last box to go to the Lion's shop in Buninyong, or into the skip.

It was a beautiful afternoon and quite warm for August. It held a strong promise of spring. So I opened the door between the kitchen and the lounge ends of the houses and opened the front door to let some air in since I didn't have the heating on.

Brandy and Whiskey thought this was a bit good!

(Whiskey was also looking out but every time I got my phone up to take his photo, he moved away!)

It was a lovely day. Relaxed, calm, peaceful. And sunny!

The estate agency that I used to sell Tani sent me some flowers on settlement day

So kind. I love flowers

And the new owner hasn't mucked about. It's already on the market as a rental. I thought they might at least paint inside. It was looking a bit tired once I moved all my things out.

Homeless

I couldn't decide whether to title this "Farewell to Tani" , or "Of No Fixed Abode". Perhaps "Between Residences".  "Homeless" seemed suitably melodramatic 😊

I have spent the past week and especially the weekend cleaning and taking things out of the house, aided and abetted by various other people. Julia organised A Bloke to come yesterday afternoon and to take away things that I would have put in the skip if I had had a skip. Lindsey came with her station wagon and took garden stuff and other bits and pieces up to her place. I brought things up to her place as well. I scrubbed and cleaned and cleared and brushed and vacuumed and polished.  It took several goes to clean the oven!

(Memo to self: if you use the oven in the new place, you should perhaps clean it more than once every two or three years.  Better yet, don't use it)

By the end of yesterday afternoon, the place looked like this:

I have said goodbye to my lovely neighbours. Hilary next door will put the bins out tomorrow. I went down this morning and cleaned up the garage and that was that. All done.

Farewell to Tani. It was a happy and sunny home for not quite 8 years

Many thanks to everyone who turned out to help get it all organised

Lindsey and I went to the Buninyong Pub for lunch yesterday. They had been advertising a Sunday special of roast beef with Yorkshire pudding. It is not common to get Yorkshire puddings in Australian country pubs.  Lindsey and I both fancied it. So I booked a table for a late lunch. And this is what we got:

It was delicious, and a perfect lunch for a weekend spent cleaning and clearing.

You don't often get spectacular sunrises at Hill House. The sun rises behind the hill. You more often get spectacular sunsets in the west behind the plain.  This morning, however, Lindsey came rushing back into the house as she was leaving for work and exhorted me to go out and look. So I did:

An auspicious dawn for my New Life
in the City, which should 
come to be in a fortnight