The Ramblings of my Disorganised Mind

Not much to say

It's school holidays.

And been writing.

All.

Bye.

:-)

posted by Heather @ 9:14 pm 1 comments

I have a 15 year-old

as of 9.36 am today.

Hoi. That's a little weird, because I remember, like it was yesterday, wanting to be 15 years old.

Several reasons for that:

15 was... actually, is, my favourite number. It has a good vibration to it. I don't know why, I just like the way it look and feels.

My favourite book series was Trixie Belden, girl detective. All the good stuff seemed to start happening when she was 15.

I started Year 10 when I was 15. In Canberra, Year 10 were "top of the high school" (We have pre-school, then Kindy & Yr 1 - Yr 6 as primary school, Yrs 7 - 10 as high school and Yrs 11 & 12 are college, before you hop off to university or work or whatnot. It was a good system. Yrs 11 & 12 were autonomous: if you didn't turn up, well, that was your prerogative, but you also took the consequences, like, say, failing school. You could, theoretically, do really well and never attend a class. There was also a Yr 13 for anyone who got to the end of Yr 12 and regretted never turning up to class and wanted to improve on Yr 12 or repeat it). Top of the highschool is pretty cool. Well, I liked it.

Now, I'm 34 and the mother of a 15 year old. Most of the friends I knew from that self-same high school who have kids are all having them now-ish, or have kids that are similar in age to my 5th & 6th children.

It's a little bizarre, but in a good way. I'm planning on going o/s next year, all going well (btw, look out for my creative travelogue soon), and will, all going well, be able to take my eldest with me. He's old enough to enjoy it and I'm young enough to be able to keep up with him (hehe). I'm actually very fortunate in that respect, teenage rebellion issues aside, I have a 15 year-old who can actually stand to be around me. And his girlfriend likes me too. # 2 son's friends think I'm not like a "real" mum. Apparently I'm, like, too young, man. I'm, uh, not really sure how to take that, but I think it's supposed to be a compliment.

#1 son tried to wrangle a day off from school today, but no go. He has a maths test.

See, I am a real mum. ;-)

Oh, and for those who are keeping track (hi dad!), I took off another kilo this week, after a looong time on plateau (actually, I think I took off a half kilo last week and finished the kilo this week, but whatever). Plateau was good, after taking off so much weight so quickly. Allows for the whole skin reduction thing. Mind you, 6 weeks on a plateau can be a wee bit demoralising, but then, it's not like I'm really noticing.

Much.

Funny thing is, I ate more chocolate this week than I have in the past 3 months, which is not to say a whole lot, because I actually only eat chocolate in a serious way once a month. But still. So, 12 down, 25-ish to go. Hoi, that's almost a third of the way. Coolish. :-D

Bad thing is, I bought a new pair of jeans after dropping the last lot and they're now too big. And look it. Sigh.

Oh, and I'm taking up swordfighting (mediaeval) again soon, now my chiro's happy with my pelvis and T1 actually staying in one place for more than five minutes.... I'm down to 2-week visits and in a little over a month she's fixed my PMT and headaches, as well as some minor damage done to my arm when my ex slammed it in a door 2 years ago (it was causing some numbness in the right wrist that I was so used to I hardly noticed) and I can now sit for more than 5 minutes without getting a sore back, so I'm all good. Yay!

I just hope I haven't forgotten, you know, everything I once knew. Mind you, I was doing 15-16th c sidesword and I'm now doing the era I'm really interested in (300-odd years earlier, more crashNbash than finesse, really), so it's back to the basics for me. She's a little reluctant to give me the OK to go back to the horses, though. Can't think why hehe. I mean, it's not like I actually intend to fall off and ruin all her good work. ;-)

Anyway, must dash. I have a cake to make.

posted by Heather @ 6:52 am 3 comments

This one's just for Nicky

From MM, weekly, this am:

Cap: Get set for your bravest new world yet. The New Moon on Sunday inspires a daring rewrite of your life 'saga'. That evening it trines Mars, embroiled in your Romance sector till Feb. Stale old realities are dissipating fast. Reinvention opportunities are everywhere. Grasping whatever feels fresh is the way through. Monday's Mercury-Uranus situation is your chance to say something that needs to be said before it comes to a mid-month Full Moonie Not-So-Much-On-Your-Terms climax.

Ugh. (!!)

posted by Heather @ 7:09 am 2 comments

Yay

In both the real and sarcastic terms.

Hmm. Sarcastic first. Shall get the whingeing out of the way first. I know what is causing the ex's dummy spit. I'm not going into detail, no (I mean, how boring, truly). But never mind, it was all my fault. *rolls eyes*

Good yays next. Have I mentioned my brother's in town? No. My brother's in town. Sort of. Actually, he's up at my mum's, but close enough. Bro lives down in Canberra, so this is the first time in a year we've seen him. 'Twas his birthday yesterday so I went up to mum's for a BBQ, as you do. He was actually down here in Brissy on Thursday, but that was just to use my front drive as a parking spot (I feel so used *sob*). Kidding. Actually, once he'd finished with his lunch, we caught up a bit, I looked up his chart (no real surprises there, not pour moi, anyway).

So, we all did lunch yesterday, and my mum has a new telescope which I had to get to know well, of course (although, to be fair, my mum was the one doing the actual hugging ;-) ). It's a -- correct me if I get this wrong, mum -- Newtonian 10 inch with Dobsonian base? Or something like that. I was paying attention, really. Anyways, it's apparently a lot clearer than her C8, so there's a trip back up there for the Mars bigness in October-ish planned.

Must admit, one thing I really miss, living in Brisbane, is the lack of night sky. Well, no it's there, but... you know what I mean.

Yum. The jasmine I planted in the front garden has flowered and the smell is drifting in through my window here. I love it when a plan comes together. :-D

I was saying... yeah. Bro will come back down here for # 1 son's 15th (ack!!) birthday on Thursday.

Last night, also went to Jason & Mil's yearly bash, which was good (again). Oh, and the Saints won their prelim. final (a step further than they managed last year! Yay. A real yay, actually). They won against the minor premiers (Adelaide Crows) on an away game, breaking the Crows' 10-game winning streak, too, so one is v. happy. It means they get a week off (they were top 4 so if they'd lost they would've played the winner of either of the lower order prelims next week -- a game the Crows will play instead), but, more importantly, it means their next final will be at home, I believe.

Hmm. Sweet peas now. I planted those because my grandfather used to plant them for me every year, so they remind me of him (smell, very evocative). He used to plant them every year, but when he found out how much I loved them, he planted double the number and I'd get a huge bunch to take home every time we visited. He's the model for a character in one of my first draft novels, actually. Or, at least, that aspect is.

I have never been able to get them to grow properly, up until this year. The few years they actually grew they just didn't smell right. This year, well, they're starting to grow really well, now the sun's come around a bit, and the smell is just delicious. Just how I remember it. I like to think of that as a wee bit symbolic.

Oh, and Rob & Kate! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-D

posted by Heather @ 7:04 am 0 comments

The continuing stooooory

Hoi. Will the soap opera never stop?

The last time I said anything about my divorce situation, iirc, I said it was pretty much a done deal, property and kid issues. The ex had finally agreed to something, his lawyer had sent over preliminary paperwork, my solicitor got the court documents drawn up, I've signed them and all was good, right?

Nope. I should have known something would go silly.

He won't sign them. Apparently the children's issues are not what "we agreed".

I'm stumped. My solicitor's stumped. See, we didn't change the wording of what his solicitor sent to us. Not a single word. I think a paragraph was added that is required by law, which basically amounts to nothing different except that I authorise the schools to send information re the kids to their father, but apart from that. His solicitor should know a standard clause when she sees it.

Of course, yesterday, my solicitor's been trying to find out exactly what the problem is, and his solicitor wouldn't talk to her. Again. Although, apparently that was our fault. See, we sent the paperwork over on the 19th of last month. The ex claimed, as of the 28th, that he hadn't seen it. Then, on the 31st, there were several phone calls to my solicitor, whcih she couldn't take, being in court and physically not in the office. She tries to return the phone call on the 1st, and it's "too late". Never mind that the ex's solicitor will refuse to take or answer phone calls for three weeks at a time.

My lawyer, who is an expert in family law to the point she teaches it as well, has never seen anything like it. See, Australian family law isn't supposed to be combative. And more to the point, there's nothing to be combative about... the man's losing out for every moment this isn't settled, and if it goes to a judge the courts will certainly not be as generous to the ex as I've been -- and his solicitor should know it. I, on the other hand, am not, not in a true sense, except for that thing about not getting it final in my head. I've been divorced for six months and separated for two and a half years and I still don't feel like I can move on properly, mentally anyway.

I guess that's the point, eh.

I think I shall get annoyed for a moment. Right now.

Right. Done. Truly, I couldn't be bothered. The best I can manage is to roll my eyes and go "figures". Not like this wasn't expected. Not this exact circumstances, that's stumped me, but I knew there'd be something. There usually is.

Must admit, I'm very, very tempted to pull the plug and suggest he take the whole shebang to court. He'll lose. If this isn't sorted out today, I just might. Who knows, maybe that's what the universe is trying to tell me to do. Not my lesson this time: his.

Whatever.

On to world events, and thoughts go out to New Orleans. But I have to say... reports of anarchy, looting and shooting at rescue helicopters? WTF's wrong with that country? Entire coastlines swept away in the tsunamis last year, and no-one tried to kill the rescuers. Canberra, Australia, suburbs burn to the ground a couple of years ago, and people pull together to help each other.

Normally, I can't stand generalisations, but... sheesh.

America. Go figure.

posted by Heather @ 6:22 am 0 comments