Monday

A really pleasant, easy, drama free weekend.  The couple who looked through the house on Friday afternoon asked to come back for another look on Saturday morning which wasn't a problem for us.  I was surprised they were even serious about buying the place.  Apparently they were tossing up between this house and another one.  The agent told me that if they did buy this one they wouldn't be moving to Cootamundra for a long time and would want to keep renting it out.  So I was hoping they would, it would mean no more annoying inspections and we could stay here as long as we wanted.  Phill wants to find somewhere closer to the school, and I agree with that, and also something cheaper but rents have gone up, and rentals are at a premium in this town, they always have been really.  I like it here now, I'd be happy to have it long term, another three years would be nice.
The weather is warming up, although the nights and early mornings are still pleasantly cool.  The garden, what there is of it, is coming to life more and more.

This pretty geranium was a cutting taken from a pot we bought last year.

These little marigolds have buds on them.

I know this is blurry but that was my little surprise yesterday when I was watering the beans and tomato plant over by the far fence.  This rose bush was just a tangle of weeks and old dried flower heads when we moved in.  I cut it back and fed it and it's smothered with tiny buds but this is the first flower.

That's the little bloom down there on the right.

The beans are growing, we'll need a trellis soon for them to climb up.

Our little tomato plant.

The sage bush is in flower, isn't she pretty?  This photo doesn't do the purple blooms justice at all.  The flowers are edible and have a sweetish taste, a nice addition to a mixed salad.

Phill's strawberry plant has had a hard life but it's fruiting this year, we need to cover it with some bird netting. 

Strawberry flowers.

Watercress.  Haven't grown this before, not too sure about Phill's decision to put it in a hanging pot next to the bbq......

I'm enjoying the garden, nobody has planted or tended to anything in a very long time here it would seem.  There are a couple of other rose bushes, which with a little bit of care are coming back, there are pretty apricot and cream roses on the bush in the pool yard.

Phill left early today to go to Sydney and won't be back until tomorrow afternoon.  We have an inspection this morning, and I am finally getting my hair cut after I drop Josh off at school.  I look like Professor Julius Sumner Miller, it's driving me crazy, I'm getting it cut really short, as much of the blonde off as she can manage without me going bald.

Made a big pot of steak and kidney yesterday, for our dinner and for Phill to take away with him.  It was very good and finally erased the horrible memory of the Great Steak and Kidney Tragedy of 2010 when we had pies at the RSL that tasted off....well you can use your imagination.  I don't know what kidney they used but it wasn't delicate lamb or veal, and they clearly hadn't been prepped properly.  We couldn't eat S&K for ages after that.  Kids had home made pizza with seafood, and vegies and have stopped asking for pepperoni and other fatty crap that they would have normally had.

Emily came out and got in the pool with us.  She was the happiest I have seen her in a while, she has a boyfriend, she met him online (yes she is careful and very savvy with stuff like that), but he is her own age, she's spoken to him on the phone, and seems like a sweet boy.  He lives in Melbourne and I said to her that we can plan a trip down there after Christmas so she (we) can meet him.  I've been wanting to do another trip down there for ages, I love it.  If not during the holidays, then definitely for her birthday in March.  She told me she thinks she got a visit from Sarah in a dream.  She was similar to Emily as she was to me in my recent dream/visit.  She gave Emily a pep talk and told her lovingly that everything was going to be alright.  We compared notes and she looked the same to us both, long wavy blonde hair (that's a surprise as her hair was gingery in life) and the message was similar (I hadn't related my own dream to Emily till yesterday).  I really believe Sarah is watching over her little sister and cheering her on.  Emily has a long way to go to get back to some kind of normal life but I truly believe she will, I've always, even in the darkest times with her, known that eventually she would be okay, probably better than okay.

The big news and I'm still getting my head around it, is that the bank came to the party with a loan to get us out of this credit card debt.  It means we can breathe a bit easier each month, and there is an end in sight which means Phill can retire debt free.  We won't be that much better off financially in the short term but that's okay, I just have to put my foot down and never allow him to get another credit card, ever again.  Debit cards are wonderful things, if you don't have the money you don't buy stuff, end of story.  Now I'm so much better mentally I can take charge of the money, I'm a whiz with it!  Thanks to me (yay me) we have managed to replace all of our major appliances in the past couple of years, and pay cash, all of us got new, good quality beds, plus other decent furniture when for years we just had crap and if we need anything we will save for it, or lay by it.  Just like I managed to live for years before I met him!

I should have taken a "before" photo.  When we got the new fridge, we had the older one in front of the kitchen door which meant of course that I couldn't have it open, but it was cold anyway so it didn't matter.  But it made the kitchen very cluttered and  closed in.  Yesterday I cleaned it and we moved it into the "walk in wardrobe" which is just a crappy room next to the bedroom with open hanging space for clothes.  You can see by the state of the door, how well the owner "renovated" this place.  I might get the bug and paint it an interesting colour....

I have wanted another fridge for ages, we got rid of the two little ones we had when we moved out of Margaret Street.  Phill wanted to get rid of this one but I talked him into keeping it, it's going to be very handy during the Summer, especially over Christmas and the school holidays, and an extra freezer is always good.  Phill likes it 'cause it's right by his tv room.

I can open the kitchen door during the day now and it makes the kitchen so much lighter and airy.

Well the day is getting away and I have lots to do.