This week, me and Mister C wanted to acknowledge the beautiful Country of Haiti and say Bonjou (hello) in their native Haitian language. After seeing the recent media footage of the devasting 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit south-western Haiti; the loss of life with such sadness and level of destruction shown, was so heart-breaking. Our hearts and thoughts go out to all the communities that have been affected by this terrible natural disaster; we hope your beautiful islands will recover quickly and life can go on again…
Husband managed to get home the following day after Widy’s birthday (declaration forms all done), he did not know if there were border checks either entering the ACT or NSW (of which there were not). I can report Widy did have a nice seventeenth birthday at home; we showered her with lots of nice gifts, not to mention her new room (extension) was nearly complete. All Widy wished for was a new (second hand) car for when she gets her licence soon, of which we already helped to purchase back in April (going for her licence will have to be later now?), and to sleep in her new room. I managed to quickly patch and paint her room (rolled all walls in one afternoon and night!), in time for the new carpet to go in (thanks heaps!). The only downside was, our electrician friend couldn’t come back in time before the lockdown and there’s no power in the room yet. Never mind, we were able to bring an extension cord out from the kitchenette and now Widy has a light and heating. Husband also gave her a pair of exfoliating gloves (along with some other goodies), with a fifty dollar note hidden inside when he got home, which made Widy smile a bigger smile (what more could a girl ask for?).
Home schooling has well and truly gone into full swing at our place (like your place, I’m sure?); I’m please I can be home a lot more than last year, to help guide the girls with their work and be able to sit down with Mister C and work on his daily routine together. Of course, home school has its challenges; I’m having to get up fairly early (about 630-7am) to get some writing or illustration work I need to get done first, then be able to free up the morning after 0930 to help the kids. I can report, Mister C has responded better than last year’s ‘lockdown’ schooling, there were other added pressures with Mister C’s behaviour and I think both the school and teachers, including myself, are more expectant of what is required with the home school work. The communication lines are well open, which makes life a bit easier; the girls are doing well and have their set tasks each day and have ‘ZOOM’ work (don’t ask me what that entails!) that is working out well too.
Righto, let’s get the remainder of stories completed for 2019, to then commence the year of ‘doom and gloom’ (it wasn’t all that bad?). I recall we were heading out of a frosty Winter and into September for the beginning of another special springtime. Seasons are unique to us; for the family and I (and most people), it’s a time to reflect on memories and events such as birthdays or trips away (so missed right now), that are often related to the four seasons. The differing temperatures, with the subtle changes to our beautiful local environment and wildlife (we have plenty here), adds to the uniqueness of these wonderful seasons (my favourite is always Spring). We were all looking forward to some warmer weather (not unlike now in 2021); with a little goal for Mister C to master riding his red bike, so we could all ride down to the local park and ‘Seven-Eleven’ servo and grab a nice cool ice-cream (it’s quite a fair distance and a few big hills along the way).
As mentioned in previous blogs, a lot of the renovation work had also been completed to date; we had a several weeks wait for the retrofit double-glazed windows to be created and fitted. Husband and I were so excited after the day of the install (it did take nearly all day- thanks very much!); I recall the first night was such bliss, we all just stood in the lounge room and could hardly hear anything (probably an eighty percent sound proof improvement)- no loud barking or irritating birds squawking, such a delight and well worth the cost! I was secretly relieved the new windows had worked (was a big cost to fork out- if it hadn’t worked!); Husband was nearly at his end, with the issues of the dogs and the complaint to the council that had failed. Husband commented, “I would lie in bed late and listen to the endless barking and rack my brain for how I could make it stop, then think how dare they do this to us and our neighbours. I did not move to where all the surrounding blocks are over an acre big, just to hear damn barking all night. So, it looks like the money has been well spent, if it reduces the stress in our house day to day.”
Husband was also dealing with some other issues at work that were irritating him, the kids being their overly noisy selves and Mister C- well he was his usual rowdy, bouncy self (which sometime did get on Dad’s nerves- as it did all of us). I had noticed over the last month or so, Husband had been more irritated than usual, complaining about work, commuting, chaos with the kids, life in general and overall, not his happy self. Husband had also lost a close dear friend the previous month (RIP R.K), he was probably also going through his own grieving process from the loss of his friend. We had a few good chats and I tried to be as understanding as I could; life is always hectic with a young family and the ongoing house renovations, that never seemed to end. Unfortunately, Husband did end up having a couple of meltdowns, the first related to Husband stepping barefoot inside in dog poo (naughty Duggie- the back door had been shut by mistake!) early one morning, setting Husband off for a very bad day. The second was slightly worse, after Husband having another meltdown at the local club on Father’s Day with his parents (and all of us) present (oh no!).
Husband commented, “Much drama, in essence because I was anxious (and irritated) at the club on Father’s Day, and because I lost it on Monday morning after the foot squishing poo incident, I ended up staying in ACT for four nights to calm down.” Poor Husband, basically he did blow a fuse- if you know what I mean? It was important to keep things calm at home for the kids and to give Husband a break; the best thing was to let Husband have some time-out at his parent’s place for a break (thanks M& J!). Days later, Husband returned home felling a bit more refreshed and able to tackle the world again (with less dog barking noises too!). We had a few more chats and Husband made an appointment to chat with his GP and had also booked a counselling appointment, of which I attended the initial session with him. I have to write, well done Husband, we are very proud of you for addressing your issues and working through your own head space, to come through a much happier and tolerant person again. We all know life has its ups and down, compounded by work stresses and family; it is wonderful raising a family, however it is a never-ending story and relentless, even if you’re not in a good head space everyday…
More busy weeks were ahead, with new carpets going into all three bedrooms for the girls and Mister C. Initially we decided to get the really old carpet replaced in Mister C’s room (it really was about to walk away, holes and all!), but the girl’s rooms were also old and dusty (who knows how bad the old underlays were too?). In order for the new carpets to go in, I had to finish all the painting work in each of the rooms (so much work!); I managed to diligently get the work all done (phew! – my wrist was aching) and it did look fabulous (apart from a few patchy trim areas- surely no-one else would see!). So, the carpet was able to be installed in the girl’s rooms on one day and Mister C’s a few days later (thanks so much!). Mister C was super excited to see his room completed, he laid down on the new carpeted floor and spread his arms and legs out like a star fish- I think he was there for about thirty minutes, soaking up his new surroundings. What a difference it made to the rooms, the new underlay was super soft to walk on and the smell was like moving into a brand-new house- so great! Renovations are always hard work, but it really pays off, when you can see the finished product at the end of the journey! A week or so later, it was wonderful to see Husband calmer and spending time with the family. Husband also commented, “On Saturday, Flossy and I went for a nice bike ride. On Sunday, Mister C and I went across to the forest and dug up our ‘Pokémon’ tin of treasure and re-buried it”…
A Word from Mister C…
“A few weekends ago; I took Mister C and the girls to the shops, to get some groceries and for Mister C to have a haircut. Mister C asked the Barber for a shave stripe on the top of his side part; and was a good boy sitting still. When home, Mister C went straight into the bathroom to check out his new style. Mister C came back out looking quite pleased with himself; he then said, “I like my haircut today, Mummy. My hair is as smooth as a house brick, and shiny- just like a big juicy orange! I love it! Thanks Mummy, for taking me today!” … 😏 (A repeat from last year- one of my favourite Words from Mister C!).
Stay tuned…
Thanks for your ongoing support over these difficult and trying times… Hopefully over the coming weeks, a little light will shine at the end of the Covid tunnel shortly, and we may well be able to get out and about more too… Me and Mister C hope that by reading our blog each week, it helps you to feel a bit brighter; all else fails, eat cake- lots of cake will get us all through (or lasagne as Garfield enjoyed!) … Night from Mister C 🧁
