Sunday

We pay a ridiculous amount of money in this country for electricity.  We really do.  Even 30 odd years ago when I was a single mother of three on a very limited income, but managing well with what I had, the power bills were what scared us the most.  I don't understand it, all other "neccesities" are, in my opinion, affordable and reasonable.  We're on a plan to pay for our power, as it's so bloody expensive.
So yesterday, with the sun out and no storms nearby the power goes off just before 1.30 in the afternoon.  No biggie, these things happen.  Nine hours later, with the sun long gone it finally came back on.  Calls to the provider just got the message that yes, the town was out and would be restored as soon as possible.  I feel very sorry for the poor old pensioners who were planning on cooking their humble evening meal on their electric stove, all by themselves with just a candle or two.  We have gas cooking here and the bbq which we were planning to use anyway, so we had a good dinner but honestly WHAT THE FUCK?  It's times like this that living in the country really sucks. 
At some point a helicopter was hovering overhead at quite a low altitude, I couldn't make out what kind it was, but it wasn't a medical thing, it was dark in colour so was either an Army or a police chopper.  It looked like it was searching for something and eventually appeared to land in farmland up towards Wallendbeen.  I really need to get a battery powered radio and some hurricane lamps if this is going to happen as soon as it rains or gets windy here. 
The ferals got busy making a "documentary" with the video camera, and did a nice job, at least it got them off the couch and outside and doing something.  I had a couple of conversations with Kate, she had a fall off her bike the other night just after talking to me.  She broke her bike helmet, thank goodness she was wearing one!  I had to teach myself not to get in a stew worrying over her when she left home five years ago but it's still hard.  One more year she won't be home for Christmas, but she told me she's thinking of volunteering this year which will be great for her. 
So I'm up at 4.30am again.  I was asleep till Phill got home about an hour ago from work.  He has never been able to grasp the concept of being quiet when people are sleeping.  I was woken up by him loudly yelling to whoever dropped him off, from the front steps just outside our bedroom window.  Barstard.
Never mind, I'll play out here with little fluffy grey kitten snuggling with me till I get tired enough to go back to bed.  If we were to keep any of these babies it would be him, he's such a sweetie.  But one cat is more than enough. 
Something is playing on my mind, when I mentioned to Em's therapist that we would need a letter from her to support our request for distance education she was fine about it and commented that she'd done this several times before for "the other girls". I was really surprised at this, wondering who these other kids are, and if they're all from this town and why can't they attend school?  Is this why the principal has been so reluctant to help us with alternatives for Emily?  Schools need numbers, I know this, their staffing and funding levels depend on how many students they have enrolled.  But if, as I suspect, parents are pulling their children out of school to either home school, or do distance ed, then why?  What is going on up there that they are not dealing with?  What is going on in schools in general?  A boy the same age as Josh died last week after a fight with an alleged bully, from a school close to where we lived in Sydney.  Who are these faceless bullies and what are their motives?  Are my childen bullies?  What is wrong with these kids? 
Today Phill was supposed to go down to Albury for yet another hillbilly gathering for his dead sister.  She would have turned 65 today and they're interring her ashes with her daughter who died in a car accident years ago.  I assume he isn't going.  Very strange family that one.