Saturday, September 18, 2010

Annual Leave

I'm taking annual leave next week. I had planned to do some yard work and catch up with the mowing, and sort out some stuff inside the house - the sheer curtains all need washing, and the outside of the house needs a long shot with the pressure cleaner.

The weather forecast was OK a few weeks ago, but now I can see that rain is forecast for today, Sunday, Monday, showers Tuesday, showers increasing Wednesday, rain Thursday and friday. I'm so happy. What a waste. I'll have to do some work inside then, and there's a lot to do! I can't wait for tomorrow to see what next Monday's weather will be. This is the only time I can take any leave for about six weeks as we are short staffed and a colleague is away for six weeks. The grass needs to be cut and everything caught up with before it gets too hot...

I had a good day on Thursday. The visit to the cardiologist was just a routine checkup, it's been just over seven months since my procedure in February. I'll get another appointment in five months and they will assess and decide when I'll have the next procedure - third time's the charm!

I had a lovely lunch with MDFD, she shouted a steak at the Norman Pub at Woolloongabba, just up the road from the PA Hospital where I had to go and near where she works.

Then I went to the little shops opposite the PA Hospital and spend a load of money on me – well, most of it.

I bought 10 new facecloths, a set of two large bath towels, facecloth and handtowel for $20, from Target. I rescued four azaleas in colours that I have lost due to the drought (I can’t plant them in the ground, the soil is way too whatever it is they don’t like, along with camellias, gardenias, etc, all the exotic plants I wanted to grow in my garden!!), I have to plant them in pots. The four plants were $3.50 each, half price. When I got home I watered them and on Friday morning they were all perked up and looked fine!

I bought two books, could have bought more, but they are so dear now! I remember when paperbacks were so much cheaper than hard covers – I wish we could have imported books in our bookshops. We’d benefit, the readers I mean! I bought a book about the Coast Watchers in WWII, I’ve read to page 10 and it’s fascinating! And I replaced a book I loaned which I never got back, The Time Traveller’s Wife. I wanted to read it again. I loved it when I went to Hawaii and the CDs at Tower Records and the books at the bookshops were so cheap – and the variety of books was brilliant. So much more to choose from in the genres I like, ie. true crime, biographies, etc.

I also bought three punnets of raspberries, which I love. Extravagant I know, but it WAS my birthday!

Yesterday I went to Target Country, the local one. It’s not as good as a real Target when they have specials. They’re a small shop and so don’t have as much room, but I bought some outdoor lights for $4 each (half price) which are solar, just got to get the back off where you put the batteries and then I can use them, and I saw a nice table centrepiece I’d liked in there which was $29 I just wouldn’t pay that much for a dish, some candles, and little stones, but it was only $10, so I grabbed one.

Now I just have to bring the new dinner table and chairs inside, and assemble the table so I can put the centrepiece on it.

Update:
Hmm, just figured out what I really want for dinner tonight. Something simple. Something yummy that I really, really fancy.
Scrambled eggs on hot buttered toast.... YUM

Update II:
Book importation in Australia, some links.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Leave?" ANNUAL leave? No such thing in the life of a full-time Homemaker, I'm afraid. I'd like ten days of time in my house, with no other duties. SO much to do, but can't seem to get to it in and around other obligations.

Australia allows no imported books? That would be a protectionism I'm not sure I'd be willing to back.

kae said...

Here you go, prairiecat!
http://www.google.com.au/#hl=en&source=hp&q=book+importation+in+Australia&rlz=1W1DDAU_en&aq=o&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=8f8d673c9fe2a623
I googled about it. Aussies have been arguing for a long time for parallel book imports, but they're not allowed. For a long time we had to pay whatever was asked for CDs, especially around the 1990s (91 to be precises), when I was in Hawaii - CDs in Aus were over, way over, $20 and Tower Records had them for only $11 and less. The $AUS was up around 80-something cents US so it was a bargain.
Australia's arty-farty lobby groups are way too strong here. (And we don't really have the same lobbying as in the US!)

kae said...

That worked well.
Google "book importation in Australia".
Oh danggit, I'll put it in the post!

Merilyn said...

Have bought books from "Abe Books" here in Australia, they were not to bad. Have heard of "Amazon", they have a very good list, and when I have a bit of spare money will try to order some books from them.

stackja1945 said...

I get my books from
Free eBooks by Project Gutenberg
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

Anonymous said...

stackja1945 said...

I get my books from
Free eBooks by Project Gutenberg

Yes they are good stackja1945,
but I can't get used to reading a book on screen and I have one of the early E-readers too.

Waste of money, for me, it was too.

Orion

Anonymous said...

I'm watching ABC "Life-Plants."
Just saw the seeds of some tree using a gliding device to disperse the seeds.

They looked like a modern paragliding wing. (or the modern paragliding wing looks like them?)

I'm not religious in the least, but when I see something like this, it makes me think if Mr Darwin was right after all?

Watcha think?

Orion

kae said...

Stacks
I'm with Orion.
I prefer to read a book on dead trees. It's too hard to use the computer to read in bed, and besides, I find looking at a screen to read for pleasure hurts my eyes!
Even at work I prefer to proof read big items after printing....
There's nothing like a book!
Merilyn, apparently when you go to Amazon you can select to purchase second hand books which can be much cheaper than new.
I have a wish list there, but not sure how to set it up!

Egg said...

Sinney Olympics was chosen as this time of year for low rainfall - hope it pans out for you in Qld?

kae said...

Hi Egg
It's pouring at the moment and has been for a while.
It has rained on and off all day, so nothing doing outside!
Monday tomorrow and so much to do, will have to get my skates on!

kae said...

Prariecat
I wish I didn't have to do it all myself, cooking, cleaning, mowing, light maintenance, moving heavy stuff.....
But when you're on your own you just have to do what you have to do - and I find that there's a lot that doesn't need to be done... but then you need to catch up!
Fortunately in Aus we get 4 weeks (20 work days) annual leave. That's it. Some people who do shiftwork get an extra week. We get two weeks (ten days) annually as sick leave in most jobs. Bereavement leave up to three days, and some places even let you have five days annual carers' leave, for example, of you have a sick child or close relative, usually someone who lives with you.

cindy lee said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
kae said...

spam deleted

Minicapt said...

Time for: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwy2MPT5RE

Cheers

Mr. Bingley said...

My azaleas are not at all happy with how dry it's been here. :(