WWQP Bulletin Board Chat

this might be a long one vbg

SARA: I also taught my sons to write 'thank you' notes as they grew up and notice it when it doesn't happen.  Now it's their partners who do it most of the time but every now and then I get a 'thanks so much, Mum - love you' text on the phone.  Even if the young ones can't write a letter they can still email, text or even make a phone call.  It's just common courtesy, isn't it.  I notice it from my nieces and nephews and their children - there are very few and far between follow-ups and when there are they are remembered forever vbg  It's nice to know what money is spent on specifically if that was the gift, for instance.  A couple of nieces, who received quilts early in my quilting 'career', still let me know that they are well loved and used.  Gives a warm glow.  On the other hand, will never forget handing over a card and a gift certificate to a niece at her 21st and watching her toss it onto her bed unopened, never to hear about it again.

My 'secret wish' is that any family member who received a quilt would bring it with them to my wake. One day I might mention this to a significant other.......

ROSEY: I think you reading that obit was meant to be.  Another 'warm glow', knowing that what you began so many years ago meant so much to so many people, and continued on successfully.

Well, as Marion suggested, I will let you know my 'exciting' news. First, I must explain that we have a building on the back of our block which consists of a very big cellar, two storerooms which were originally cool rooms and a bedroom with ensuite which was originally an office - neighbourhood stories say it was run as a cheese and egg supplier in the old days. It's been a great bonus for us when it comes to storage, plus very cosy and private accommodation for friends and family in the 9 years we've lived here. The cellar is now set up with a bar, etc. and has been used over the years as a community gym and goodness knows what else besides a great place to have a party!  Anyway, just recently we have had to have the ceiling of the bedroom fixed due to a leak, and then the whole roof replaced for the same reason. The verandah, which holds a solar heating system for the pool, is sagging and rusty and one pole is disappearing into the ground. In short, more money needs to be spent on that building as well as our 80 year old house.  We did replace the kitchen last year and are both revelling in the perfection of it. However, we only have so much money left to live on into our remaining years, and can see a big percentage of it being spent on essential repairs.
At the same time, i.e. 7 weeks ago, our 2nd grandchild was born in Adelaide, 400 km away. And when these two things happened in conjunction I woke up one morning and said to DH, "What are we doing living here?  Why aren't we living in Adelaide?"  To my surprise he agreed, although with the stipulation that he wouldn't like to actually live IN the city or suburbs, but on the outskirts somewhere.
Sometime during the next week or so he was talking to the men replacing our roof. When I got home from quilting one afternoon he told me that one of them had come back to him and suggested that, as he had a home being rented out in a town just north of Adelaide, but was intent on living here from now on, why didn't we swap houses!!??  His house is just 10 years old, has 3 br which we want, two big garages, much smaller garden, lots of storage space, an ensuite (which I would LOVE), and best of all is only 11 km away from our son's house. And both houses are worth about the same amount of money, give or take a floor covering here and a lick of paint there.
We have agreed that it will take at least 4-5 months for us to go through all our belongings here and get ready for a move, and he still has to make sure that he has ongoing work up here into the future. But we are 85-90% sure that the swap will go ahead. If not, he is willing to keep the house until we sell ours here, and then we would buy it in the normal way but without agents. Either way, we will be saving thousands of dollars in fees.
Besides being so close to the grandchildren, I have 2 sisters living down there plus several childhood friends, and we will be a day closer to our other sons living over in Melbourne. The baby, by the way, was a little boy:  a 10.6 pounder called Van, who looks just like his Dad and is just gorgeous in every way (of course) LOL.
I'll let you know if it all comes to fruition further down the track.
All the best,
Fran in S'Oz.

posted by Fran (Sth Aust) @ 7:51 PM