10 posts tagged “nephew”

A comment that will have feminiists out there gasping in horror.  "Sometimes, when I've had a particularly crappy week, I don't WANT to be so independant.  I hate having to be tough all the time". 

There, I said it and I wasn't struck by lightning.  I had such a lousy week last week.  I had a fellow staff member from another office in another state call me screaming and vile down the phone spitefully having a go at me about getting something done.  I'd only done what I'd been told to by my manager and I'd kept her in the loop the whole way along about where I was up to.  Not my fault.  Simple.  Well this woman from interstate got VILE and spoke down at me like I was some junior reporting to her (but no junior deserves the tone and overall demeanour I was copping down the phone).

I handled it calmly and professionally with a bit of bit-back frustration, kept her to the issue and we kept on point and dealt with the problem, after about 15 minutes of abuse which had me shaking at the end of it.  I was upset. I was proud of myself for handling it without biting back given she was getting so nasty, but it didn't take the bitter shock out of being spoken to like that.  I got emailed TallFriend telling her "fark going home and checking for my lecturer's review of my draft assignment, we're heading to the pub!".  I was upset, vulnerable and pathetically (very unprofessional career-womanlike I'm sure), and would've killed for a hug. 

I emailed Angel from work saying simply, "I'm heading to the pub after work, or I'm gonna punch something!" (my little toughie way of admitting I was upset, rather than telling him my lower lip was trying ever so hard to stop from wobbling).  I'll give him full credit, I got an instant response of "hey are you ok? what happened?"  so I told him and got an instant tirade of concerned fury on my behalf back over email which was really sweet.  Damn.  He's a friend, but then shows concern to that kind of level and I just wish he cared that bit more than he really does (being realistic).  He offered to sms me later to make sure I was ok, offering to pick me up after the pub (though I was still cynical about his motives for that). 

It's times like at that afternoon last week, where I really sookily wished there was someone in my life I could go home to for a hug, who could assure me that everything would be ok as it'd been a lousy week with my boss having a ratty go at me despite me working through a splitting migraine to get her monthly management reports done earlier in the week. 

I can be tough, but jeez I get sick of always having to BE tough.  Angel comments about how self sufficient I am in terms of doing things like painting around inside the house and minor things like that around the house.  I think he got a kick out of seeing my hot pink hammer. I mean, c'mon it had to be done really.  :)  for sheer giggle factor.

I worry that I keep that tough facade up too much from having to at work to make me less vulnerable, but also making me less human, less approachable and less fun to be around.  But just when I start to relax and socialise, I get my head totally blasted off my shoulders like last week.  By the end of last week, and another example of my boss switching messages on me to react to the latest manager-whine and I was feeling pretty damn disillusioned and fed up with my job, and on top of that to get the email ripping my DRAFT assigment to shreds, my motivation to continue study, to continue in the job were all out the window and I had a weekend of skulking, (by that stage nursing my black eye courtesy of Nephew!) procrastinating and generally asking myself if it was a job a) I was cut out for (doubting myself at the first study stumbling bock), b) that I WANTED if it was going to mean much more crap from my manager taking her moods out on me rather than defending me when I'm only following one set of her instructions.  I find myself disillusioned and getting surly and I have to mentally pull on the reins because I've started to fight back with my manager, when, when she's in a mood, just won't get me anywhere and angers her further.

*sigh* after working on the assignment, doing stuff to the house, pressure on me to work unpaid over time (which I've done happily in the past when I thought it would clear a momentary overload but the workload is now constantly too much for one person and I'm getting sick of it not only being taken for granted, but when I'm not working the hours through trying to get my assignment, housework etc done, I'm copping abuse for not getting as much done which infuriates me) well it's been a tough few weeks, and on top of it emotional pressure from a few friends who have been pouting on me because I don't dance to their tune (mind you, not much sympathy from the people I'm thinking of either or understanding), ick at times I feel like I am copping it from several directions at once. 

On good news, dad gave me some shares which apparently could shoot up to as much as $10k in the next 5 weeks!  He's however trying to warn me to keep hold of them as he thinks they'll go much further.  Aw c'mon... struggling homeowner doing it all by herself and ya want her to do WHAAA?  Dat just MEAN!  Sis and her hubbie are giving me their leather loungesuite soon (COOOLLL), and my brother in law is giving me a second hand aircon unit from his swanky danky inner city apartment which he's been using as an office, I've been sitting under the right apple tree for sure so life could be far worse in the scheme of things.

Angel plagued me all weekend perhaps sensing a chink in my armour, perhaps because we've been closer than ever this past week in sharing a few things bugging us, repeatedly attempting to get around me with the idea of a late night catch up.  But it just hurt/insulted me that rather than making arrangements to spend time with me, he simply wants to pop around for a little late night relief.  Excuse me if I don't find that flattering.  :(  especially given the sook mood I've been in this week (probably a good thing we didn't catch up as I've been too vulnerable anyway).  I'm sick of having to be tough though. Fri night I got a sobby phone call from TallFriend who had had a friend abuse her. Again I was the strong one cheering her up.  Noone has seen me cry, but damn it'd be nice just to even snuggle up into someone and feel the reassurance of a strong presence.  It's times like this I miss being in a relationship as pathetic as that is. 

As a friend of mine's been fond of quoting lately "take a good dose of 'toughen-up' and call me in the morning!"  :)

Yes you read correctly.  But it is not what you think.

Ironic really given I had a husband who was a little violent, but I never got one then (surprising), but I get one from my nephew.  Yes, my NEPHEW!

Nephew is into playing "cubbies under dining table using big blankets to close the room in and then wanting Auntie N under the blankies reading books" with me.  I did my little quirky "FI...FI...FO.....FUMMM  ...I smell the blood of a B... BUM!" before tickling him senseless (the Ticklemonster).  Well, Ticklemonster got CLOCKED when he squealed in the confined space, whipped his head back and WHOOMF .... RIGHT....INTO  .... MY .....EYE!

All afternoon my eye has been swelling up and black.  The day after Friday the 13th, and after a whole week of stress and bad luck.  But I still can't complain.. things could be far worse *touches wood supersticiously*

Oh and my lecturer read through the draft 6 pages of the 11 of my assignment which is due in one week.  Her response, was to tear it to pieces.  :(

Well, I'm going to have fun trying to explain this shiner (a totally black and purple puffy eye) to my new starters at Monday's orientation!  It'll be totally offputting to them.

Well, JNL got married.  It was a beautiful ceremony on the beach at around 4:30pm, it drizzled slightly which is meant to be good luck and a rainbow came out right behind them for our benefit, it was georgeous.  She looked beautiful, and all her friends were barefoot on the beach with her.  Sure enough she was a little moody and had been while fretting about whether it would rain, and his parents showed up late (which was to be expected - I think his mother cannot STAND that JNL has so much hold over her new husband, and tries to cause rifts wherever she can) but JNL was glowingly beautiful, and all of her friends were out in force on the beach, despite the 4 ish hour drive to get there and the overnight stay.  Needless to say though, I didn't wear the frock she'd been pushing for me to wear to the wedding.  I'm just far too stubborn.

The pleasant surprise too was that the friend of hers whom i was giving a lift down with me turned out to be someone other than who I thought it was (I'm terrible with names..*WINCE*) and she and I have a fair bit in common.  it was a really nice and pleasant trip down listening to her cd's of 80's movie soundtracks for the sheer dorkish fun of it.  By the trip back I was singing along to some of it with her. 

The reception on Sat night was canapes, and LOTS of wine/champagne.  No sooner were our glasses emptied but they were full again.  I was staying with bub sis and her husband in their "modest" little 4 bed 4 bath place on the beach with 8 person spa.  I never got a chance to check out the spa,or the masseusse when he came by as I didn't leave much room for getting ready as well as getting nephew hugs before I had to bolt for the wedding. 

I had to fend off JNL's young brother, in his early 20's, who considered himself somewhat of a Don Juan - mistakenly!  He even assured me he's been out with women as OLD has 33.  I just smiled with amusement and told him I was still out of that age bracket.  I didn't see the need to be mean about it.  He was seriously the only single male there other than her other brother who is even younger. YEP.  The girls were all great, except for one of JNL's old friends who I thought I got along well with, who was just plain sneery and snide.  I have NO idea why but her attitude really bugged me.  She's such a negative wet blanket at the best of times however, so it isn't much of a loss but it was puzzling.

So the night was messy. Fun.  Dancing.  Lots of silliness.  Apparently the other guests in the exclusive resort where the two got married, had complained about the noise and the disruption.  Boohoo- JNL wasn't going to tone it down for anyone!  How strange to think that the friend who about 13 years ago, I had a dream about seeing her get married on a beach but could not tell her with whom, or what the guy looked like,  When I first met her guy he was with someone else and at the time I joked with her - oh boy keep him away from JNL - he's JUST HER TYPE!  I'd known her long enough and well enough that I knew she'd see him and her eyes would go huge.  Little was I to know though just how that story would pan out.  He was with another friend of mine at the time and they were both good people but made each other miserable - just didn't gel relationship-ways and the more they got unhappy the more they made each other unhappy which was a shame and sad to see happen.  He's so different now with her, that it was obviously just the difference of personality type which suited his personality.  Who'd have thunk that just this past weekend I'd be standing on the beach watching them pledge their lives to each other with their little boy crowing in the background.  I certainly had NO idea of it when I met him.  I hope his ex finds just as much happiness with someone who complements her just as well.

I still feel like she and I have drifted apart.  It's a shame - and they have a fabulous group of friends all very tightknit, but I don't like being pushed around and I get that from her a little even if she means well in her own way. 

Nephew1 was in fine form, he went into hysterics when I tried to pick him up to keep him out of the road in the kitchen while my sister was preparing breakfast.  Anyone would've thought I was trying to murder him.  Oh and hungover this morning I crawl out of bed, go downstairs to drink some water and wake up to a plaintive "MIIICCC"  (it's what he calls me) from upstairs.  Too cute.  the yells kept going until he saw me and started to natter on about toys and showing me around the two story "beach cottage".  So my sister invites me to sit in the massage chair located in the master room of this place (one of the perks) and to switch it onto the morning massage.  I did, and the individual leg holders grab hold of my legs and squeeze and don't let go and the chair starts pounding my back vigorously like I was meat to be tenderised!  My nephew thought it was a hell of a giggle to hear his disgruntled hungover aunt mutter in vibrating tones from the chair "will this thing let go of my leggggssss any time soonnnnnnn?"

JNL & party met up at the resort where they are staying for breakfast this morning (a bloody well overpriced breakfast given they lost my orde and took over half an hour to bring it out, at $27 for 2 eggs florentine on english muffin halves!).  Whoopee so I got to nibble on cold eggs florentine at the place where Cameron Diaz is rumoured to be staying while she accompanies Kelly Slater (the surfer) during some kind of Surfing Masters.  Uh huh.  It still took them about 40 minutes to feed me while I watched others stuff their faces from the breakfast buffet, while I starved with a hangover and they were even cruel enough not to bring me my latte for another 15-20mins after that.  But finally stuffed full of caffeine and my FAVE breakfast of choice, we headed on our way home so that J and I could each go home to get some housework done before getting back into the daily grind. 

Now imagine.  I have a 1/4 of a tank of fuel and 2 more hours of driving to do at 110kmph.  We narrowly miss one turn off for a petrol station thinking that it was a sign directing us to turn down a road and drive say 10-15 k's and I wasn't interested.  D'oh it turned out to be a roadside one that trees obscured until we'd driven past.  So we drive for another 20 minutes or so and have decided by then we really need to stop at the very next petrol station.  We see another sign pointing off to the left (after having passed at least 2 dead kangaroos on the side of the road - Aussie motorists wince - not at the national symbol so much as the evidence of the dangers to driving on Australian roads right by the roadside...they cause quite a few serious car accidents and don't usually leave the car very driveable afterwards). 

SO back on track sorry, we see another petrol station sign and with a bit of a sigh of relief & reluctance both as we were making good time but really didn't want to pull off at the same place where these idiots in a 4wdrive vehicle ahead of us were turning (the driver kept waving his arm around in the air rushing past, as he was driving - it seemed like a gesture to overtake him but it wasn't and it was so distracting and annoying we were debating finding a rolled up newspaper to overtake and swat the arm with).  So we take the same turnoff, rapidly realising it is one of those "short roads leading off the main one to a petrol station".  After a good 25 minute drive off the main road to the never evident petrol station, and lots of vacant road, bush, dead roos and Mister Arm Guy, and we're laughing at the sheer idiocy of it but I was silently cringing to myself too at the wasted fuel given we were down to a 1/4 of a tank.  SO we turn around and leave ArmGuy to it and head back to the main road, snorting at the "slight detour" as what else could you do.  Wouldn't you know it?  About 8 minutes down the road, there is a decent truck stop.  We fill up, grab some water & head on our way still bopping along to all the tragic 80's music and comparing notes on fave tv shows (Grey's won with both of us).

So a tiring drive back and I got home (still running on only 6 hours sleep and suffering still from a slight hangover) and my brother wants to pop by.  He's in LURVE and itching to tell me but not wanting to admit it and as cute as hell over it.  I roped him into helping me put my new outdoor table together with me (tempered glass top) we sat and chatted a bit longer then he left.  i've since done 2 loads of laundry, hung it all out, watered the back lawn, the garden, done some dishes, put away everything that was in my bags, cleared up some cluttered paperwork lying around, had a shower, fed Max and fussed over him and now I'm stuffed. 

Dammit tonight is a Greys Anatomy repeat.

Oh, and the shares that my bro in law gave me as a gift, have more than gone 5 x up what they were originally worth - woohoo! 

Sis rang me yesterday (interrupted my sleep-in, HOW RUDE!) to ask me if I'd like to come over to go for a drive, fuss over littlest nephew Tie (who I don't get to fuss over much or Nephew #1 gets a tad jealous), while Nephew1 went to my mother's house with her for a bit. The drive was to check out their new house - 6 bedroom 6 bathrooms.. enough to make anyone want to barf.  I'm so happy for them though and the envy - eh I think a lot would feel at least a pang or two, and at least my sister is happy, healthy and is living very very well.

After we got back from the drive, Nephew1 was back with mum at sis's current house (which they've been trying to declutter in secret whenever Nephew1 is sleeping, to ready it for going up for sale next weekend). SO I had the hardship of having to swim in 35 degrees heat with Nephew1 while sis and mum tried to declutter the house while his attention was well and truly monopolised by me.  I have to admit, a selfish part of me loved that he didn't care what they were up to while we splashed around in that pool - it was all about me,his favourite (and only) auntie.

Nephew has been trained to paddle around on one of those pool noodles.. you know, those things made out of foam?  WELL his swimming instructor has trained him to straddle one like it is a horse and to balance on it while paddling.  He's become quite adept and has no fear about swimming to the middle of their pool and out into the deep section so I have to watch him like a hawk.  Mind you,and this will become more horrifying later, keep in your heads that last weekend her inlaws were visiting with their son who is older than Nephew.  They left Nephew in the pool with a 7 year old who was more intent on doing dive-bombs, and none of the adults bothered to keep an eye on the 3 year old who can't swim.  Sis was upstairs feeding Tie and came down to discover them paddling around by themselves.  The uproar that came from her, was well and truly deserved. 

So back to us, paddling away in the sunshine.  I was only a metre or so away from him (I'm pretty damn careful and I had visions of him slipping off this damn noodle thing) when I looked up at the house for a split second and looked down to see two halves of his noodle floating around in the water, and his colourful swimsuit shining up from the bottom of the pool in water which was up to my chest.  In that split second that it took me to react he was still under he'd sunk like a stone.  I reached out and plucked him up into the air and hugged him tight already dragging him to the edge of the pool thinking I'd have to do CPR or something but he was spluttering and boasting about holding his breath but shaking and holding on to me for dear life like a limpet. 

Now guys, can you IMAGINE what would've happened if the same thing had happened, that day when my sister's inlaws left him alone in the pool with 7 year old?

Yup I'm an aunty again, to a littlie who I'll nickname Tie. I've only seen him once so far, but he was adorable tho he slept the whole time.  Another little rugrat to spoil rotten, teach what chinese burns and camel bites are when he's older... lots of fun. 

Work has been the normal, busy.  Been spending more time at home tidying up (the house has needed it), and Max has caught yet another mouse.  Yup in case I didn't mention it before, Max is a mouser.  BUGGER.

It's been a full-on week.  Monday was my first night of TAFE.  It went ok.  Some of it (5%) so far I haven't heard before.  But it's worth it to hear things from a more generic perspective rather than my industry only.  Of course some of the others have similar experience to whatever degree.  There is one know it all already in our class who had to inform us with great importance that she has already done everything covered in the course and went on pompously about how beneficial the class would be for us.

After a while she left with a pompous swish of her head as she strode out of the class early and I swear I sensed a collective mental sigh in the class of relief.  I just hope I didn't fill her empty spot because the teacher was seeking responses from teh class and everyone else was too afraid to pipe up after the obnoxious one had left so I responded (plus I guess I wanted to let the lecturer know that although I was staying in the course because I don't think I know it all that I'm no dummy.  I hope my ego didn't stuff up any potential friendships in the class though.  Oh and one unfortunate thing was that a good friend of gf's is in my class. The real shit of it is that she is a really nice person - so is gf when she isnt on a narcissistic trip.

Anyhoo, I got an sms from my CopFriend's wife telling me that she is pregnant which is really cool - they'd been undergoing IVF.  So I chatted to her over handsfree on the trip home.

Tuesday night I caught up with JNL whose birthday was on Monday, for a coffee and we sat and chatted.  It was a little stilted, as we've grown apart since our lives have gone on different paths.  She had thrown a wobbly last weekend about me saying I wouldn't travel 4 hours south of the city and spend the night there for her birthday.  I love it down in that countryside.  But leaving Max without food and fretting is not something I'm keen on doing and I didn't think my budget would allow it.  But I also thought it would be 2 nights.  1 night I could've done.  So we've hit a truce.  I think she wants me there as I was the one who introduced the two of them.  :)  One of my finest matchmaking achievements.  I still to this day wish I could tell the girl he used to live with, just how different he is now, and how he realises his part in their messy/nasty breakup, and how he's grown as a person and how their personalities just gel so much better but that JNL has said herself that she has seen some of the crap that his ex had to handle, especially with his family. 

SOO coffee Tues night, girls night with ChefGurl who has invested in a cafe' down south with a guy who she met off the internet a few months ago (don't get me started but I'm wishing her well and crossing my fingers madly) on Wednesday night, then last night I went to a friend's first movie premiere (one he'd developed with a grant from the government and which he's been nominated for an award for - very cool, a 10 minute flick entitled "switched on") and tonight I piked out on catching up with Angel as I just couldn't face another night out and to be honest, being a bit tired and needy, I didn't want to be used and get too attached.  We've been in very close contact and our friendship has never been closer (well, hardly ever) .. it'd be too deadly to cross that line.

SO the biggest news of all is that my next nephew is due tomorrow .. Tyson his name will be.  I'm very excited.  Oh and brother in law bought me some shares...they've tripled in value already!  But it's still not mega bucks.  Oh and bub sis has sounded me out on possibly taking their white leather couch.  Coulda knocked me over with a feather.

Work is busy, up and down like a yoyo.  EEK.

BTW, today has been a great day.  My boss hasn't been as nutty as she's been of late. I still wonder what is going on in her life for her to be moody when she is sometimes seemingly out of proportion, or if it's just different perspectives.  But anyhoo she was appreciative, supportive, and friendly and it made the day go so much more easily and I felt so much more productive!  :) 

Add to that, I got a call from sis after nephew again demanded that she call me .. he's been missing me apparently... aawwww love the munchkin, and bub sis is due with her third child in little over a week how exciting!

Sorry I disappeared for a few days I needed a break and I was rushing around a bit this past week.

SO, in a nutshell:

• I went to see Arj Barker on Weds night.  I know he's meant to be world reknowned but I found him just annoying and obnoxious.  I really enjoyed the warm up act, an Aussie guy (not because he's an aussie though).  Arj I just found he was trying too hard, and drawing out the jokes to the point where I guessed a few of the punchlines a few sentences before he finished.  I think a lot of the audience did not laugh at some of his jokes..he must have picked up on it.  Maybe he had an off night.  Anyhoo it was like he went on trying to drag out the performance to drag out more laughs out of the audience by adlibbing at the end and I just prayed for it to finish.  To end up, my car got trapped in the carpark and an ungrateful part of me wished that I hadn't gone despite being given a free ticket. 
• My dad's birthday was on Thursday so I cooked him dinner.  My mortgage payment came out and after renting a ute last weekend to move furniture (long story involving mum giving me some furniture which wno't fit into her new place and a friend of mine gaining my bed as her spare bed and on it goes) as well as purchasing a few tools to pull the bed apart, well, I was feeling a tad broke and a bit sheepish about not being able to get him more for a present.
• Work has settled a bit thank goodness.  I've been less resentful about checking others' work lately as they've removed the necessity for me to check all correspondence coming from someone who is (ironically) paid far more than me.  That used to infuriate me.  The time out of my own workload to fix someone else's mistakes but I didn't want to kick up and complain about it and be the cause for this person getting into trouble.  What a relief.
• Angel's been sms'ing me every now and again.  He's been back a week and pushing for me to catch up with him.  I've missed his friendship but I'm loathe to weaken again and I really don't want to catch up with him when he's in this kind of toey mood.  It ended up with me getting sms's every few hours yesterday suggesting catching up and even Fri night as well, and a 2am/3am run of sms's asking if he could come around (hmm gee I just WONDER what his motivation was there).  I played dumb and responded with "asleep.." and ignored the rest much to his consternation. But how dare he after 3 years, and him telling me himself he's not out for a relationship... am I meant to be flattered, when it isn't even something I was in the mood for being fast asleep myself?  If I'd said yes it wouldn't have been for a physical reason, and anything else would've been damn stupid. 
• Friday, I joined some of the people from work for a few drinks after work.  I'd sent a broadcast email out to most of the people from work asking them if they would like to join us.  A girl at work who I'd had a falling out with, I still invited even.  She then went and arranged for half the people who were to join me to stand us up and head to a different pub with her and deliberately didn't copy me in on the invite (of course).  It was like high school all over again - it depressed me a little that she couldn't be more mature about it.  But the evening was still fun - some of the guys from work came along including Gilligan.  I think more and more I'm right about his level of interest.  I'm still not sure myself, but strangely enough, whether or not I am he reminds me of all the things Angel is not nor ever will be.
• GF is continuing to be really chummy.  It's nice as we used to be so incredibly close, but I still remember how betrayed I felt when she just shut me out for no reason.  I won't let someone hurt me and let me down like that again by playing the fool.
• My Nephew's third birthday is on 21st - we had a family breakfast at mcd's and he had a blast.
• I spent yesterday helping mum move gear over to her new place. 

Well, I've calmed down since before.  Despite the "fuck you. not talk any more" from GF over sms.  I calmly replied with "Fine" and left it.. I don't need that kind of rubbish.  I was livid but went out and caught up with a bunch of friends who had gone to the same day out on a different bus.  THis is what GF has never tried to grasp in the 3 years or so I've known her.  I do have other friends.  A lot of them.  I don't need to put up with that rot. The girls who I caught up with this evening were a laugh - they were loud (a day out winery wine tasting will do that) fun and soon had the insulting encounter with GF in its place.  I won't give her any more of my time with this.

Anyhoo I'm now officially on a week's leave from work.  I'm relieved.  I worked 3 nights up until at least 7pm this past week and Max is forgetting what I look like awake.  Bosslady wigged out in stress over something and snapped my head off midday on Thursday and I was that furious I was ready to get up and walk out and tell her where to shove her job.  I had to lock my office door for a few hours and work with head down so I would not be tempted to snap her head off verbally I was that livid.  She must have picked up on my mood because she played nice all afternoon and even volunteered to work back with me on Friday evening.  But she had a go at me again finding excuses suggesting I was wasting time in my job on miscellaneous things throughout the day.  I have not blogged, send jokes or even responded to friends' emails at all.  I've only had one lunchbreak all week.  I fought back and pointed out that in fact she was wrong.

Well I have a week off now and I'll be able to spend time with my aunt who is visiting from Canada.  For an older broad, she's sexy - I admire her.  She's in her 60's, fun, alive, confident, stylish.. I'm a big fan.  Plus I'm seeing my family for my birthday too.  My sister got me some perfume (Dior) for my birthday - I've gotten it already I've been spoiled.  :)  I've caught up with my nephew today - he's soo adorable.  He now is old enough to run up to me and climb up on my lap, and even while playing with his dad, will pipe up and demand for me to come out and play with him instead.  His smile and giggle gets more mature every time I see him which is almost upsetting - I adore his innocence and his ready smile.  I never want to see it clouded. 

I've been painting the bathroom - it's starting to look great, I'm thrilled!  I look at the bedroom and the other areas which need painting and I'm starting to cringe.

In other news, mum won the villa which she had put an offer in last Monday.  SHe's a little shocked herself that from the moment she decided to actively look, to the time that she won the place, it's only been a matter of weeks.  Now, she'll have possession of her new home by the end of the month! Meantime my brother in law has given mum a Rav4 4wdrive car (near new) to drive around in, as she'll be helping my sister out with the kids. 

Ok, under the cloak of complete anonymity, I'll mention that my sister's husband is reasonably wealthy.  Not comfortable, not just well off but reasonably wealthy.  I've been around VERY wealthy people at times most of my life so it doesn't daunt me but it's still a culture shock with me driving around in my bent up little ford festiva, while my brother in law is loaning my mother the money for her funky new villa while she sorts out the sale of her current place.  Meantime he's gone in thirds on a boat.  Not just any boat but a LARGE boat.  I babysit for them sometimes and watch Foxtel on their tv twice the size larger than most large tropical fishtanks because I can't afford to go out, and give them a breather.

I'm happy for them.  It's just surreal and at times I'm envious.  Then I see the long hours he works (far worse than mine) and the phone calls at all hours and on holidays, having to be away from home on frequent trips overseas.. ugh.  The joy for me is my nephew - I adore the little munchkin.  He's a miniature of my sister at that age in so many ways it's endearing, he's clever, big eyed and quick to smile and laugh.  He mimicks people and what they say but not in an annoying way. 

I don't expect them to help me out.  They still do in little ways occasionally but I'm actually proud of myself for my own achievements even though they seem so silly by comparison sometimes.  I feel like the poor country cousin of the family now.  My sister has always been the glamorous one.  But even mum's life (as it should be at this point in her life too to be fair) is far outshining mine for all the trappings.  I'm not a majorly materialistic girl despite liking the trappings, but my little dinky duplex with it's dodgy kitchen and pokey bathroom both in need of rennovation and with the Feral neighbours next door, somehow pales even with some of the things I've been doing to improve the place.  Ah well, it's still mine. MINE.  In an age in this area, where it is nigh on impossible for someone my age, single one income, to buy their own place, I got in and bought a place just before the market completely BOOMED.  In a way which has almost doubled the value on my place.  It doesn't mean I can upgrade though - because to get another place I'd still be purchasing at the inflated figure, PLUS I'd have stamp duty and agency fees to worry about.  So I stay in my little dinky duplex, do it up little by little .. no major things though as the eventual purchasor might be someone who will want to tear it down for the size of the block.