Gripes & Grizzles.

Before I get to the gripes & grizzles, here is a sunny picture of SG taken around Novemeber at his Pre School. He had lost both of his lower, front, baby teeth, & now has 2 new teeth growing beautifully sharp & new! His hair is much lighter in real life, so I am not sure why it looks so dark in this photo.
He is fascinated with skeletons, so I got him this shirt last year, when I was in New Zealand, & it is one of his favourites. Would not be my choice!

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What is it about Carpet Salesmen?
I have discovered they rate somewhere between Used Car Salesmen & Lawyers in my List of Beware!

As you may remember, we recently had a mishap with our drains, which caused a flooding into our passage of sewagey waste water. This caused us to have to replace the carpet, which luckily was insured.

We also had a ceiling & roof repair as a result of storm damage, & it was just coincidental that these things happened at almost the same time. The roof was repaired, the ceilings repainted, & the fact that a patch of paint in the lounge is now cracking, will need to be addressed.

The carpet was a different claim, & a different story. The original carpet had been in the house for approximately 24 years. It had worn a little in patches, but on the whole was not really in bad condition, considering it's age. Which would seem to indicate to us that the carpet had been reasonably good quality, to have withstood much traffic & wear & tear over the course of 24 years.

We duly went & looked at carpets, & hummed & hahed over what we would like to replace the carpet. We consulted with cunning carpet salesmen, whose eyes would gleam with joy once they heard it was to be an Insurance claim. A couple even rubbed their hands together with glee. One rushed off into the office & did a little tap dance!

We were quoted approximate prices of the range we could expect to choose from. We even got quotes done for replacement, & were told exactly what price we could expect to have an acceptance of, from the Insurance Company.

We tried to ask all the right questions as to durability & stain resistance etc. We brought home samples, & 'test drove' them on our floors to see how we liked the colours. I would say here that there were wild variations on the replacement price for supposedly & apparently, similar or equal quality to the original carpet. I couldn't see why they varied so much, really, but we went with the one who allowed us the better quality - ie higher priced- carpet, including a better quality of underlay.

The carpet we chose is a creamy goldy colour. A Neutral, just as the old one had been, but much fresher of course. We were assured it was stainresistant, durable, & ideal for heavy traffic, dogs, etc.

It has been laid since July. We have had the edges refastened twice, & still it is lifting from the edge at the wall, in places. There is a huge bulge in one spot in the lounge.

As to the look of it... well, it has stains which seem to be solidly permanant! I have tried the stain remover that never fails me... to no avail. To say I am bitterly disappointed would be to understate the matter. If it looks so shabby after only approximately 6 months of wear & use, what will it look like in 24 years? I just cannot believe it is of the same quality in any way, as the old carpet!

I like to think I take action instead of just whining about things. I am not sure what to do about this. Is it buyer beware? The shabby laying should be addressed better than it has. The layer -is that the term?- told us it had been cut a little 'meanly' in the lounge, hence the lifting. He got out the 'stretcher the second time he came... now there is the bulge.

Another complication is the fact that we have since changed our Insurance Company. They are essentially the same company, but we were insured under a different company name before. I suppose this is all something we will have to deal with in the New Year.

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I never sleep in. I sometimes have a snooze in the afternoon, when it is hot.
I went back to bed yesterday morning, after getting up at 6am. At 8am, I felt deathly tired. I slep until 10am, & still did not really want to wake, even then. I did feel better later, but still went off to bed fairly early last night.


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I have been having very vivid dreams that haunt me all day. It is over 10 years since my Mother died. I have recently started seeing her in all my dreams.

When she was first gone, I wished I could see her in my dreams. I never seemed to see her at all. The idea of her was there, but never her person. Now I see her smiling face, & small figure almost every night. It is very curious.

I miss her just as much, after 10+ years, as I ever did. The scars just get a little thicker, but the wound of losing her, remains. A sort of psychic umbilical cord.


Crowded House, Time On Earth, the whole double CD.

Extreme Happiness.

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who has commented on my last post. It is a comfort to know I have someone on my side. And nice to know it can make others laugh- I laugh to cope with some of these little life curves!
So, thank you All for taking the time to comment.


Well, one thing went completely 'right'! The new carpet got laid in good time yesterday, & we are very happy with it! It is a type of honey colour, & little Honey sort of blends in with it. We are going to tell people we wanted a matching carpet for our dog. The TV was my biggest fear. To get everything reconnected is a major puzzle of wires & cords threaded through a maze of holes in the rear of the unit. I have trouble getting down onto the floor, what with the dud knee & all, & once down, I am more or less 'cast', like an old ewe!

GOM just doesnt seem to have an affinity with electrical appliances, so it always falls to me, to do the connections, & ensure all is up & running. Anway mission accomplished, I am happy to say. And I managed to get off the floor, with a little help from the GOM.

While I was down there, I took a few moments to just enjoy the nice new carpet, & admire the colour. You know, ... make every moment count! haha.

The cheery young men who laid it were very efficient, & have done a beautiful job of it all, so we are much happier, now that it is all done at last. Has the approval of Adult Granddaughter, & Daughter J, so that is a plus as well.

Now, it may be going to take a month or more to get things back to normal. I am hoping to do a little culling of the 'stuff' while it is all 'out in the open', so to speak. GOM has actually been quite restrained in his comments at the sight of all the 'secrets' revealed. I did hear him muttering about a 'garage sale' with a friend.

But I figure I will deal with all that once the Fang has been dealt with, & the healing has taken place.

And on the culinary front, I made a Meatloaf for our tea, the evening before carpet laying. I am sorry there are no progress shots, but here is the end result, half eaten. haha.

Please dont mock my ancient burnt orange bench tops. I try not to look at those, when preparing food.

Here is the recipe for the meatloaf, which has served us well for two nights now, & GOM is partial to slices for sandwiches.

500 grams Mince -I used pork mince, since I dont eat beef.

1 cup of diced mixed vegetables, fresh for purists, or frozen for people in a hurry like me. I used the carrots corn & peas mix.

1 good sized diced onion. I precook mine in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Just seems to work better in the finished product.

1/2 cup of either mixed seasoned Bread crumbs, (stuffing mix) or plain bread crumbs with 1 teaspoon of mixed herbs.

1 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

salt & pepper to taste. I use about a teaspoon of Maggi seasoning mix.

I also added a tablespoon of Sunflower seeds just for a bit of crunch.

Mix all the indgredients well to blend.

Pat into a loaf tin.

Pour 4 tablespoons of tomato sauce -ketchup for USA users I guess- over the top of the loaf.

Gently pour a half cup of boiling water over the top.

Bake at around 180 C for approximately an hour or until done. The water evaporates, & the result is a nicely glazed meatloaf which is nice & moist.

I have also made a large batch of Pea & vegetable soup, & will make another different version today, so I will have plenty of slops to live on while the jaw heals up.

Connie Francis, Among My Souvenirs