Cate's Diary

Who knows? I won't be leaving Tassie, no matter what, so I'll be here :)

It's just after 4 pm & I have just sat down for the first time today, with the exception of a brief break for lunch. I have not stopped sorting stuff out. I have packed up 2 boxes of kids books to give away, one to our new neighbour for his kids, I have sorted out all our old diaries & put them in chronological order in the bookcase that I took the kids' books out of. I had to rearrange the shelves for them to fit. I dragged R's furniture to near a door where G will have to help me take it all out to one of R's cabins. I then cleaned out the garage & moved lots of stuff that I want going, along to where R's furniture had been.
In the middle of that, I did sit down & rang my brother & had a good chat with him. He even thanked me for ringing. I then rang my old best friend & gave her an update on R. Her kids & our kids are the same age. She had her 2nd, 9 hours after I had mine. I love catching up with her. She can't declutter as her husband is attached to everything.
I sorted out a lot of stuff in my big kitchen dresser & put more stuff away in the "try to sell" cupboard & the give away as presents cupboard.
I got a big supermarket delivery at 3 pm & had to deal with that after I was already knackered. I have so much fresh fruit & veggies, it's lucky we have 2 fridges. I froze a lot of the fresh berries I bought yesterday.
I think it's safe to say I have had so much energy today, I have felt somewhat crazy. I made sure I put it to good use. I don't think Arch will be too impressed with me though as I didn't take him for an actual walk. I have walked backwards & forwards all day & he's usually by my side so he's knackered too.
I really don't know how I'll go about selling any of our stuff, but at least it will be sorted.

Edit at 5.56 pm. Just threw some veggie & fruit scraps over the fence to the sheep, had Arch with me & there was a snake in the yard about a metre away from us. I shrieked which gave Archie a fright, then I called his name & ran inside & luckily he followed. I shut him in & went back out. The snake was still there so I threw bark at him until he went through the fence. Far out! :svengo: That’s the 7th this Summer!
 
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:eek: I just exhausted myself just reading about your day! Must feel good to have got so much done though.
 
It's really nice you hear about all your visits with people and going out to a nice cafe and getting wonderful raspberries for the vets! Your snake situation is unreal. Can't imagine that many sightings in one year!! My sister in law had her daughter 5 days after mine, so they love when they can celebrate birthdays together.

It's great you are decluttering and just figuring out what your options are. I hope you are not sleepless over the whole moving thing. You are in so much better a position than us in the US. Your economy sounds like it is still intact and it sounds like you already got the affordable property that helped you be financially secure. So I hope you don't worry too much about things. You could always hire people to brush hog your fields and chop your firewood for you if you get so you don't want to tend the sheep anymore or be out there hauling logs around. Are you feeling you need a change and want to move, or more that it's a prudent time to do so? Oh, also make sure the young realtor you know is knowledgeable in rural properties if they are going to evaluate your place. We found an amazing realtor who lives in the forest here, so knows everything about reading the land as far as water flow, soil type, rural septic systems, water catchment, and all that. Other realtors we've chatted with at open houses didn't even understand the practical issues of the properties they were selling, and we knew we'd never use them to sell our house someday.

Anyway, really happy you turned a sleepless night into nice social days where you got so much accomplished! Sounds wonderful!
 
LaMaria said:
:eek: I just exhausted myself just reading about your day! Must feel good to have got so much done though.
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Oh, LaMa. It did & I'm glad I did get so much done. I kept remembering more stuff that I had done during the evening. I think I was a bit manic. I was so exhausted last night & stiff & sore, but I managed to stay awake & slept like a log. I'm a bit stiff today, but I feel really good & not at all scattered.

Hi, Marsia. I feel almost guilty for our situation here in Australia, but also extremely grateful that I can socialise. I didn't mind when we were in lockdown, but it was only for such a short time. We won't be getting vaccines for months & months it seems for a few reasons, but the main one being that we don't have any covid as far as they know. I can't imagine them opening our borders until we are all vaccinated. I hope our economy remains stable.
I think decluttering is a good idea, regardless. My Mum didn't have to move from her big house until she was well into her 80's but my sister & I were very grateful that she had decluttered her place while she could. I am not losing sleep any more about moving as I think I don't really want to. The snake situation this year is out of the ordinary & I wouldn't be worried except for the fact that we have Archie & I would hate to lose him. I don't think I will get a realtor here at all until a decision is made down the track. I also am going to stop looking at houses for sale. I was making stress for myself. We can afford to stay here & we don't owe anything. If things stay the same as they are with our health & fitness we'll stay. I think getting a small van would improve our lives a bit as I could go with G more often when he plays golf. I have decided I will look for a van that is not set up as a camper but could be converted if we decide that's what we want. Mainly I want to be able to sit comfortably in the back & be able to have fold-up chairs stored in it, picnic set etc, dog stuff, golf clubs etc.

I think I'll be having a quiet day today. G is going brush-cutting near our house garden. I may do some more gardening/trimming (well-covered). Archie knew exactly where the snake had been. I escorted him to the toilet this morning & he went straight to where I had seen the snake, but he hadn't & he followed its trail :eek:- behind a garden bed, under the rosemary bush, behind another garden bed..... Short of following my brother's advice about how to catch them (read kill them) I'm not sure what I can do. G just took Arch for a walk, so he's right for a while. I'm still in my dressing gown :blush5:
 
Looks like the snakes heard there's no covid in Tasmania and all fled there dor safety! It should be getting easier with fall approaching though, right?
 
That really did sound like a very productive day. It's so good when you can get a lot of sorting done like that. Too often I will start a de-cluttering project and just end up with all my stuff spread out around me and me sitting in the middle overwhelmed! I've learned to do very small sections!...
I think it's wonderful you guys are covid-free. And great there's no big rush to try and get everyone vaccinated.
 
LaMaria said:
Looks like the snakes heard there's no covid in Tasmania and all fled there for safety! It should be getting easier with fall approaching though, right?
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I have a feeling the snakes may not have got that memo. I hope they do- soon!
liza said:
That really did sound like a very productive day. It's so good when you can get a lot of sorting done like that. Too often I will start a de-cluttering project and just end up with all my stuff spread out around me and me sitting in the middle overwhelmed! I've learned to do very small sections!...
I think it's wonderful you guys are covid-free. And great there's no big rush to try and get everyone vaccinated.
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I wouldn't want to do that much in a day again any time soon though. I'm going to ask our son, D to help G get R's stuff over into one of his cabins. It's the perfect opportunity to get R's furniture out of our house, ready for when he buys his next house. He can then decide if he wants to keep it or sell it (or give it away).
I have had a lovely day today. I did some housework, but have been fairly lazy. G did some brush cutting & it feels better walking Arch outside the yard now. I'll keep working on him to do some more (read gentle nagging).
I'm actually sharing a bottle of red wine with him tonight. It's Portuguese & delicious. It will fit within my calories for the day (just) & I have eaten very healthily. Dinner tonight will be venison meatballs with lots of veggies. My wine drinking this week has been about a 1/4 what it once was & feels like a treat, rather than an everyday habit. Win.
 
Hi Cate! It didn't sound like you really wanted to move yet. I'm glad you aren't stressing about it. I agree with LaMa - the snakes need to stop sheltering in place at your place! I keep finding baby snakes here, but harmless gopher and gardener snakes. Glad your decluttering went so well and you could channel all that energy into something so satisfying to accomplish!! Nice how you can now get R's furniture out of your house conveniently, too. I like the small van idea - probably a lot easier to find and less expensive, too!
 
LaMaria said:
Yay for furniture-moving help, safer walks, and wine as a treat!
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Thanks, LaMa :)
Marsia said:
Hi Cate! It didn't sound like you really wanted to move yet. I'm glad you aren't stressing about it. I agree with LaMa - the snakes need to stop sheltering in place at your place! I keep finding baby snakes here, but harmless gopher and gardener snakes. Glad your decluttering went so well and you could channel all that energy into something so satisfying to accomplish!! Nice how you can now get R's furniture out of your house conveniently, too. I like the small van idea - probably a lot easier to find and less expensive, too!
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Hi, M. I'm not ready to move & will try hard not to think about it. I do wish I would stop seeing snakes though. I need D to call in so I can get him to help move R's furniture into his cabin. It's currently blocking off a doorway. I'll start looking harder for a van I think & stop looking for campervans. You're right about my relationship with R. We are very close.
Emilyrose said:
I really like the sound of that dinner. Well done on clearing out the house.
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Thanks, Em.

It's raining this morning & it sounds lovely. Everything is so dry & the plants will just love it. It's meant to rain all day. I really must find some waterproof gear. I have a light raincoat that would be enough if I had waterproof pants, so I'll start looking for some. I also need some winter walking shoes & some gaiters. My hiking boots are too narrow. I hadn't worn them since last winter & I went for a 2 km walk in them the other day & my feet really hurt.
I really should do the ironing today. :(
I'm dropping G off at a charity golf day tomorrow & going out to lunch with my old friend, V. I'm taking Archie too & we'll have to eat outside. I hope it's fine tomorrow. Tasmania is way behind lots of places with being dog-friendly. I loved how it was in Switzerland, where well-behaved dogs were allowed just about everywhere. It's one of the reasons I want a van so that I can have a safer place to leave Arch for brief periods when I'm out & about. I might have a look at vans tomorrow.
 
Good outdoor gear makes such a big difference. I must have tried a hundred models of hiking boots over the years and somehow they all hurt! Good thing I don't need them for snakes or high mountains so I can generally get by with sneakers, even if they do get wet.
 
It really does make a difference, LaMa. I might try a compromise with hiking sneakers & gaiters. I have wet sneakers right now & really do need some new shoes
 
I've found my hiking boots are absolutely amazing for the low impact woodland walk I take, because there's mud and puddles everywhere, and they keep my feet and socks dry. But for actual (easy) climbing, they are quite painful and I find runners better.
 
I bought a pair of barefoot shoes today and saw they have boots as well. If I stay enthusiastic about the shoes I might end up shelling out €220 for the boots...
 
Hi, Em & LaMa. I might call into a hiking store today & check some hiking shoes (not boots) out.
I had a strange day yesterday & ended up having an f it moment & shared a bottle of sparkling shiraz with G. I went over my 1400 cals for the day by 212 cals. We both were cheesed off with our grandson, A really. Our plans for today had to change because he asked if G could pick up him & his friend & bring them home from the charity golf day obviously so they could drink & neither had to worry about driving home. That's a great idea, but I was going to take G down in my car & pick him up for the same reason & continue on, with Arch, to go out to lunch with my friend. We really do need a bigger car. So we are now taking both cars & Arch & I are on our own again & G has to drive there & back. It's no biggie, but it would be good if we got more notice about things. I know younger people don't really consider older people much & we were probably the same. He doesn't reply to texts which is frustrating. G is going to have a little pop chat.
My laptop is about to die, so I had better finish up. I really, really need to start looking at cars/vans.
 
I hope you find some super comfy shoes!

It may be a cultural thing but among my friends and family the rule is to not say yes to a request unless you can do so without being even a little bit annoyed by it. It takes out a lot of the guesswork and makes it easier to ask for help without feeling like a burden AND easier to say no, both of which are valuable skills.
 
Wow, I thought I was the only one who had trouble with hiking boots. I can only take mine on flat hikes, too, or they start to rub and hurt. I really liked the van shopping we did. I liked how high up you are in the van and the huge windows with the great visibility. They really handle well, too. Well, really what I am comparing them to is driving the hugest size moving van across the country with my mom and her cats. That was an adventure as my mom wanted to avoid the major cities, so we took smaller roads, which I would never do again in a moving van. But the Ford Transit van I tried would not have had any problems. It was fun to drive. I was looking at a passenger van at one point where the middle seats fold down enough to maybe set up a table over them and get a swivel seat mechanism for the passenger seat, so you could have a picnic in the van if you were visiting a city or something like that and didn't want to get out of the van. I didn't measure if the seats folded down enough for a table over them though.

Do you think you should get someone to brush hog your trail so you can start taking walks on your property again? I remember how much that helped the anxiety to do meditation in nature. I need some of that too and must get out for a good walk today.

LaMa, I really like the idea of saying no to things you would be a little bit annoyed with. I wish that were the cultural norm here. Sounds so freeing!
 
Yes i hope you can get nicely geared up for the rainy season Cate. Comfy shoes and proper rain coats and pants are so nice to have. I have some good waterproof boots that work well for me on the really muddy trails. My feet seem to do pretty good overall lately though--I used to have such trouble finding foot-wear that worked well for me...
 
@LaMaria - I didn't try on or look at any shoes as I left home a bit late. That is a great idea & I wish it was the cultural norm here too. I did let our GS know that it inconvenienced his pop & it meant he couldn't partake of the free alcohol. I felt bad as he looked genuinely shocked. He's a good kid & just thought everyone would fit in my car. It was funny actually as I then talked about getting a van & remembered that one I had looked at was probably owned by a rellie of J's(A's housemate) & it's his brother's. I messaged his brother last night & we're going to have a look at it one evening this week maybe, but probably next Saturday. It looks a bit too schmick for what we were looking for & isn't set up as a camper, has leather seats & all the gizmos, but seems to be a very good van. Actually, I just looked up car reviews & had a good look & it's too low to the ground & not suitable. I just messaged him back. I really fancy a little hippy van ;)
@Marsia - I have trouble with shoes of any kind & often buy men's shoes & if they hurt after a while G ends up with them as we are the same shoe size. I will have a look next time we go to town (minus, Archie). I think I'll try to keep my ears open for a van. I'm just as likely to have someone I know let me know about one for sale if I put the word out. I might ask our neighbour to drive his tractor with a chain or a log along behind it through our bush, but we don't like asking him for favours.
@liza I really must get some wet weather gear. The pants in particular would be good. If (when) I lose some weight I'll have a lovely red raincoat to wear. I'll buy some black, waterproof pants. I need to shop without G or Arch.

I had a delightful day yesterday. I visited my friend, V & we went & got some fish & scallops(skipped the chips) & ended up going back to her caravan to eat them as it was too cold for her. She loved Archie & he behaved himself well. He had quite a few walks in between & then after I left her I took him to the beach in Devonport. I had a thermos of peppermint tea in the picnic area there. Then I visited another old friend whose husband died last year. She lives right near the golf course where G was playing. He rang to say to call in as there were lots of friends there. I left her & left Arch in the car for a while & went to the clubhouse. It was a big fund raiser for Beyond Blue in honour of a guy who committed suicide last year. His father spoke & it was very emotional. They had an auction & it raised lots of money. G won first prize in the raffle- a cord-free cooler for camping, worth $880. I had whispered to him to accept it if he won as he's inclined to say "redraw it" when he wins something. I was hoping he would. I said "now we have to get a camper for it to go in".
It really was a great day. Once again I slept very well last night. We all did.
 
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