Read this...

.. in a very small font... so that no pesky interfering gods hear it.. 
Today we had a (small) win with the bank ..

The journey to mortgage-land has been rough, long, bumpy and nothing if not full of billabongs, culs-de-sac and backwards movements in all directions.

A few days ago I signed dozens of bits of paperwork and was told 'this is it'.  I've heard that before but this time it seemed to me that with my autograph all over things, it might mean something.

Nup.

MORE bits of paper required.  A certificate of currency (don't most people call that paper money?).  Registered thingies with the land titles office.  Double-header falling into a bureaucratic minefield of 'they said you have to', 'our lawyers said', 'it's required'... and such.  I had another request for such things this morning; my best (ie least aggressive, furious or bleep-laden) response was to turn my phone off.

Several hours later (and an/other huge medico-legal meeting over with) I turn the phone back on.  Many missed calls from Blocked.  Blocked rings me a lot. Mostly, Blocked is very shy and refuses to leave a message.  I get an auto-phone message saying 'An unknown caller from unknown number rang you and didn't leave a message'. Well, yeah..

But, but, I did get a call from The Bank Boss with a big apology. Apparently this week's paperwork requests are all wrong and the big boss never knew and there were bloods on the office carpet and quivering minions hiding in the shredder.. This is a easier thing to hear than all those reasons why *I* had to spend hours doing more things with no guarantee it would go smoothly.  I just sort of can't keep doing this stuff.  There be only one of me!!!  Anyway TBB also made a promise to front up at our place on Monday, bearing PROPER papers and another promise that after signing, yes of COURSE all those nice dollars will be ours, all ours.  A nice big debt to start off the week like good little (somewhat nervous) consumers.

And THAT means..

maybe

maybe  (shhhh)

possibly  (cross everything)

just about  (hopehopehope)

the house mods might start.

Don't gasp until I put up a photo of something REAL.  Like a bit of dug-up garden.. or a half-torn down wall.. or even a pile of builder's sand.  OOoooh, maybe even a concrete mixer!!  I like them.

We
shall
see.

This week brought to you by the quiet tears of a anguished angel watching over my shoulder; the memory of train doors closing in Paris (where my baby is right now, and where we were a little while ago, having a very different life, and we were very happy there);  aaaand the ghost of a suggestion of some Gucci, sprayed on my coat on a better day.

UPDATE: Yesterday we signed more zillions of papers. We took them to be witnessed and later the bank person rang to say the release of the first batch of dollars was available.  This cost us money!!  Nice one bank.  But then again, nice one, bank!


This update brought to you by eau-de-hydrotherapy pool, the hottest water I've ever swum in.  I am therapeutically dehydrated but fine.

Didn't happen...

I was briefly inspired to draw my impressions of the weekdays (previous post).  But it didn't amount to anything,  Another time maybe.

This week we seem to be working working working.  M is busy with uni classes and (no surprise to me) he achieved a Distinction for his first assignment. I TOLD you he wouldn't get a pass!  He's sort of pleased but I think still expects the 98.5% he (over)achieved in his previous semester (before the accident).  I seem to recall feeling somewhat like that when I was studying, but I never achieved such lofty marks!

We've been trying to sort out the contents of the house and garden, finalise the mortgage, re-work the architect's plan, apologise to the cat, get to class, cookwashsewknitdomesticate, see umpteen doctors all the time, get to physio, manage our 3-tiered diary system (yes, folly I know) and have some sort of leisure.  Tricky but possible as long as you don't look at the floor.

Today the cleaner came. Hurray for the cleaner! I think he had to rake the carpet before he vacuumed.

Tomorrow M must fast from 7am before having a small procedure at day surgery. We hope this will lead to a long-term improvement in his general health by clearing up a source of recurring infection.  M blithely announced we would be returning from the hospital (at 6pm) by BUS.  At NIGHT.  In (relatively) PEAK HOUR.  I don't think so.  I just sent messages to our three favourite taxi drivers to see if we can get a lift home. I don't fancy a post-sedated M in a power chair on a bus with lots of people.  Well, only as a spectator sport..

It feels a bit like we've got a routine.  I suspect it's dangerous to say that but .. I live in hope!

This post brought to you by quite a lot of Prada, sprayed in M's room last night when the carers said it smelled of cabbage in there... as far as I know M doesn't secretly cook brassicas in there at night, but it was a good excuse!

Reflecting..

..on the understandable but not always easy to tolerate focus of the invalid. On the long-time resident of hospital recently discharged into the rather dodgy care of the wife. Or even on the battered relying on the lame..

Lame pretty much describes my abilities today.  Two friends are mourning two excellent moggies.  The new 'case' 'manager' visited and told us she's been approved for a whole five hours of work.  She'll be working very hard to get across all the services and coordination we need from her then!

Caveats, killer caveats.  The company that has this awesome power over our lives has managed to wield its stick quite effectively at us today.  We're upset, frustrated and horrified.  Somewhere in there we signed more important papers to do with the house mods starting.

I figure this blog has to stay real for me to be interested, so the bad days have to get some press as well.

Move along, no sunshiney sweetness here today.  Sorry.

Wednesday? already??..

Later I will draw a picture of what I've been doing.  For now I'd like to mention that today, as of about 2 hours ago, marks fourteen years of blissful wedded bliss for us.  Which means in three month's time, it's been fifteen years since we met!  And HASN'T the time flown!

No I'm not being ironic. Sometimes life goooeess veeerrry sloooowwwly for sad or mad reasons.  I've had times like that - I look back and wonder how each day ever passed.  Like oh for example, the non-sleeping, non-eating baby who was (not surprisingly) a bit grumpy for quite a long time til he worked out how to eat.  Then he had to work out how to raise his parents.  Poor lil chap.

Time moves faster when things are going well or very very badly.  And I'm not fishing for sympathy when I say we've had a bit of both lately.  I'm GLAD I can't really remember what it was like for the first few months, when M was in Intensive Care and life was so far beyond upside-down .. I'm glad HE can't really remember either.  Like the early days with a baby, the repetition and intensity make memory blurry when you look back.  And what a relief to be able to forget some of it!  These days we still surprise ourselves with the trivial things that make us tetchy.  I hold back from being really Pollyanna and saying 'well isn't it a BLESSING that we are so CALM and GOOD now that we can swear at the WEATHER, or pout if the bloody RED face washer makes the WHITE wash go pink again'.. but I think I'm enjoying the lack of Big Scary Things Which Must Be Attended To.

Just don't ask me about my to-do list..

We're celebrating in two perhaps slightly odd ways - M got his first major assignment in. Yes, !!!!!!!!!! This essay has taken quite a toll, given he was back in hospital with pneumonia; then not long after that feeling grim and on bed rest.  And then trying to convalesce while being nagged by physios, dodging the exploding wife, and coping without a cat in the house. But he has pushed and pushed and studied and offered dire predictions about only getting a scant pass mark (yeah right) and dithered and gloomed.. and refused to let me read it (no doubt cos I'd be annoying positive and encouraging and HELPFUL and sometimes you need to d and g to keep yourself focussed).. BUT today while I was wrangling a computer at Real Home (while Miss Wendy tried to sit on my back) he texted me to say it was submitted.  My shoulders felt a great weight fall, then a little prickle of claws..

My odd celebration was a call from the bank from a bloooke caaaallleed Peeeettteeerr whooo taaaalllkeed reeealllyy slllooooowwwwlly but eventually got to the point which is that our loan to cover the house mods is APPROVED.  I will refrain from putting another twenty exclamation marks in, but you get it don't you????

So..

We are delaying an official celebration until tomorrow, when it might have stopped raining and being a bit too cold to go out.  I fancy taking the bus (stop that laughing) into town and having something immoderate for lunch and then finding a cd shop.  Possibly a bit of hand-holding.  Certainly not any more of the work I've been trying to do all week.  A day off, ferfu.. er .. I mean, please.

I looked at some perfume today.  Big-boned Molly's mum will be horrified to hear that I gave into temptation and bought a version of Cabotine - Cabotine "Rose".  Forgive me BBM'sM; I will at least not send it to you! (it's very nice but)...

M is a bit sick..

.. so he's in bed.  I'm dashin about lodging forms for things and being efficient and such.  Again.

I read some amusing stuff on one of my favourite blogs today (www.yarnharlot.com.ca) about one's Inner Knitter.  I'm not sure whether the blog entry or the comments are funnier. But there is some priceless stuff about the Inner Adolescent which gave me a good laugh in the middle of a bit of an ordinary day.  I think my condition is more one of adolescent senility..

M is going to be fine.  No ambulances to be seen here, move along please.

No perfume was harmed in the writing of this post.  However a dire need for a cat arose and I'm not sure how best to assuage it.  Going home isn't possible just now.

Rats!


(The word not the beast..)