0706291300 The Cat - Free to good home

The cat.

Free to good home.
We put an add in the local paper for a home for our cat. We are very happy that our thirteen year old cat will now live with a retired old lady that will take care of her. We delivered the cat to her new home and Lori, the new owner came out to greet us. Lori is a Mori – the first clue was her tattooed face. Please excuse my ignorance here, is it called a Ta Moko or a Tupu? (I will gladly be corrected on this.)

This is a file photo what Lori may have looked like about 70 years ago.
I passed the cat over to Lori and the cat struggled for about three seconds and then settled into Lori’s huge Mori arms. The cat relaxed and stayed with Lori until we left.

The kids were sad when Lori rang, but the next day, just before we left, they seemed fine. I do hope that we have not imbedded some deep resentment in our kids and they send me to a home in a similar fashion when I am too old.

0706291200 Not Negotiable.

Our house sale has “fallen through” again. This is not altogether a bad thing. The buyers were plain silly. The contract was worthless – it depended on the buyer selling their home within 21 days and settlement within 45 days. There was no commitment by the buyers. They had a clause where they would not have to pay for the building inspection if I cancelled the contract. It turns out that their house has an illegal veranda built over an easement.


These people inspected the house as if I had just finished building a spec home for them personally. Then they made a list of what was missing from their imagined “dream home” and then tried to charge me $11,000 for the perceived shortcomings. They included $2,000 for a pool cover – I had never mentioned a pool cover in any advertising, conversations or promises. They seemed to think that I had to indulge their every whim and desire – including selling them a piano.

They replied, through the solicitor, that their proposal to change the contract was “not negotiable”. Did they think that I was going to take the contract to a bank and cash it as a cheque? The term “not negotiable” ended the contract. All I had to do to get out of their crazy terms and demands was to say “no”. They refused to allow any middle ground and as a result they have wasted money on a building and pest report for a house they will never own.

Expectations are a kind of prediction – some people can have wrong expectations and then be disappointed. I have heard that the happiest people are those that expect nothing. This sort of person is constantly pleasantly surprised by the smallest things.

0706240800 Less than one month to go.

The house has been sold again. The deal is not as good as we wanted – the buyers need to sell their house as a condition of the sale. We have a contract – the worst thing that can happen is a good thing.

The house has furniture that must go to rightful owners and the kids have no idea that all that stuff will not fit into one suitcase. The school holidays have started and now it is time for the kids to empty their rooms. Toys – it seems to me that kids grow to a certain age when the only toy that holds their interest is a computer. This is the age when all the plastic parts, cards, boxes and papers can be thrown away. My youngest son, who will be 11 in October, has reached that age. He has abandoned all other forms of entertainment with the introduction of a bargain priced laptop.

I gave notice to quit my job – four weeks to go. They have decided on a replacement – a contractor. The five year plan for floorspace and infrastructure management for the state of Queensland is now in the hands of a contactor that is leaving in 11 months.
My one-up” manager called me into his office and asked if I wanted a farewell morning tea. The guy can not even make a decision on holding a morning tea.

My dear wife, who is as a matter of fact, not just my personal opinion, a world class teacher, has left the school.