Posted by: scottsabode | October 26, 2009

Doris

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Doris is spending her second night away from home. On Sunday morning we had to take her to the Animal Emergency Centre as she was exhibiting some very severe symptoms (I won’t go into details…). She was put on fluids, antibiotics, painkillers and antacids. Her  blood works showed that she had been bleeding internally for at least a few days. They’re still not sure what’s causing it – the ultrasound didn’t show anything conclusive and the next step would be a gastroscopy or even exploratory surgery. Today I transported her from the Emergency Centre ($1500 later…) to Dr John’s.

We’re waiting to see what happens next, though her appetite is back. We’re still very worried though.

Posted by: scottsabode | October 24, 2009

It Begins…

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Box Number One.

Mark’s already up to four now…

Posted by: scottsabode | October 24, 2009

Newnes Home Management #72

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Pineapple Banana Salad.

No comment.

Posted by: scottsabode | October 20, 2009

Unfortunate Advertisement Placement

I found this on today’s The Age online…

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Posted by: scottsabode | October 19, 2009

The Home Stager

So, we had the Home Stager through our house tonight. She was a lovely lady, but unfortunately I think we disappointed her.

A Home Stager’s job is to “stage” your home – one’s home is a performer that needs to give its all in the lead up to sale, so they’re kind of like a coach for your house. They discuss furniture placement, dressing (of the house), and the creation of the correct “lifestyle story”. Anything that suggests “work” should be avoided, so you need to create the illusion of an utterly beautiful, yet practical and effortless home. Teacups and hardback books strewn effortlessly (and very carefully) throughout the home tell the story of drinking tea and reading. That’s good. Rubbish and recycling bins in view at the front of the home suggest rubbish and recycling. That’s bad.

I always knew that our problem was over-furnishing. We came from a much larger house and just crammed everything into the space we had. The front room became a study, a sitting room , an entry hall , a music room and a cat lounging area. The family room room became a TV room, a dining room, a reading room..and a cat lounging area. The bedroom became a bedroom…and a cat lounging area.

Basically, the message that came from the home stager was “reduce”. “Reduce”, I must add, is very different to “de-clutter”. Apparently de-cluttering can lead to the “soul” of the home being lost, and no-one in their right mind would want that. We have all the “right” kinds of clutter: crystal and glass is “all shimmery and gorgeous” and that’s good because it reflects the light and makes people happy. Groups of three are also a positive, and unfortunately – for our home stager – groups of three abound in our home. Three Wedgwood Jasper Conran crystal vessels. Three Jeanne MacDougall Tupton-Ware vases, three Kate Spade ornaments, three art deco vases. I threw open our wardrobes and said “What about this?” and she sighed, “Normally I say: make sure all your hangers are the same, that you have grouped like with like, that everything’s facing in the same direction – and that’s exactly what I see here! I don’t need to do anything!”. In the kitchen it was the same story: “The fruit in your fruit bowl is colour-coordinated!” She tried to hold back a tear.

I attempted to reassure her as I led her to the door: “Don’t worry,” I said, “Maybe this is your first gay house. I’ll remember what you said about moving the dining table one foot to the right – it will make all the difference. Thank you.”

As she left I greeted a lady in a Scout uniform from the Scout Hall who was loading up her car with  the refuge we had put on our verge for the council’s hard rubbish collection tomorrow – old canvasses, a laundry trolley, an art deco coffee table that we never got around to restoring, two electric fans… “Great stuff!” she exclaimed as she stuffed our rubbish into her car…

We’re just glad it will find a new home. I hope it will tell the correct “lifestyle story”…

Posted by: scottsabode | October 18, 2009

My Latest Acquisition

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You may have seen on the news the Julien’s auction of the Streisand collection that took place at the Beverley Hilton in Los Angeles.

I bought Lot 421!

Posted by: scottsabode | October 17, 2009

Weekend Update

Well, things have been moving here at a swift pace.

Mark is recovering from his “nose-job” (corrective, not cosmetic) and today is his 50th birthday. He is in a remarkably good mood considering. Happy Birthday!

A week ago we decided to sell the house. It was a hard decision in some ways, but it really came down to the changes in the economic climate: the Australian dollar is at a 25 year high against the British pound, which means our pounds will not have the same capacity to help pay the Australian mortgage. This, coupled with a round of interest rate rises being tipped for next year, means that our old budget model had to be thrown out. Selling the house was the logical decision. It does mean that we will be able to buy a house as soon as we get to Liverpool, and UK house prices are low right now, so it’s an opportune time in many ways. It does, however, mean that we have to say goodbye to our home.

I have spent a lot of time in the last few days interviewing estate agents, and I’m pretty happy with my choice. We now have two weeks to get the garden paving done and turn this place into a show home. We will auction in the first weekend in December, and if we get the sort of price the agents are indicating we will be very happy – they claim that there’s a shortage of homes on the market. So it seems like we have picked the perfect time to sell.

Update: Mark has now come downstairs and declared that he is feeling sorry for himself and that I need to be nice to him. He is reluctant to take the opioids that have been prescribed for him – isn’t that the best bit of having surgery? Instead he may take a couple of paracetamol tablets…

Posted by: scottsabode | October 12, 2009

My Life on eBay

I just loaded up some more things onto eBay (yes – Frogdancer couldn’t fit any more into the back of her car!), including the following listing entitled “Massive Bulk Lot of CDs (53 DISCS): DISCO, DANCE AND DIVAS”. I think it pretty much places me in context. Bear in mind that I have already sold my massive Barbra Streisand collection, my massive Pet Shop Boys collection, and my even bigger Kylie Minogue collection (the Kylie parcel travelled all the way Paris France!). In the ad I say:

Collection consists of-

FULL LENGTH ALBUMS:
Deee’lite: World Clique
Whitney Houston: The Ultimate Collection
Cher: Greatest Hits
Bjork: Debut
Bjork: Post
Bjork: Homogenic
The Essential Cyndi Lauper
Donna Summer: Walk Away
Scissor Sisters: Ta-Dah
Sash!: It’s My Life
The Best of Sade
Macy Gray: On How Life is
Wigstock: The Movie
The Very Best of Bananarama
Spice Girls Greatest Hits
Amy Winehouse: Frank
Amy Winehouse: Back to Black
Kate Ceberano: The Definitive Collection
Kate Ceberano: Brave
Sophie Monk: Calendar Girl
Soul II Soul: Vol II 1990 A New Decade
TLC: Fanmail
Boney M: Gold
Margarita Pracatan: Live
Young Divas
Red, Hot and Blue
1995 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardis Gras: The Party Anthems (2 disc set)
1996 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardis Gras: The Party Anthems 2 (2 disc set)
1997 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardis Gras: The Party Anthems 3 (2 disc set)
Pointer Sisters:Legendary (3 Disc set)

EPs:
Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart
Cher: Believe
Spiller: Groovejet
Sister Act: I Will Follow Him
Madison Avenue: Don’t Call Me Baby
Madison Avenue: Reminiscing
Bardot: Poison
Diana King: I Say a Little Prayer
Boy George: The Crying Game
Alcazar: Crying at the Discoteque
New Order: 60 Miles an Hour Tour EP
Thelma Houston: Don’t Leave Me This Way
Efua: Somewhere
Whitney Houston: Step By Step
Janet Jackson: That’s the Way Love Goes
Sash!: Encore Une Fois!
Sonique: It Feels So Good
Sonique: Sky

… I could almost write my autobiography based on that list!

It doesn’t seem too gay, does it?

Posted by: scottsabode | October 11, 2009

Children Beware!

Posted by: scottsabode | October 10, 2009

Newnes Home Management #71

I can now reveal to you the context of last weeks “Figure F”. Frogdancer’s guess was way off: it’s a First Aid diagram for drowning. Long before mouth-to-mouth resuscitation there existed a much more hygienic method: “The Holger Nielson Method of Artificial Respiration”. No messy lip contact here – in fact you don’t even need to look at their face! My favourite part of the instructions: “Slap the patient smartly several times between the shoulders with the flat of the hand. This helps the tongue to fall forward and drives out any water…”. Closely followed by “Lay the patient in the prone position on a flat surface”.

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Posted by: scottsabode | October 8, 2009

Flight Details…

…for the cats.

catflightI think “CUT” is the time of their arrival at the Club Lounge for pre-flight cocktails.

Posted by: scottsabode | October 4, 2009

In the Garden

We have let the back garden get a bit out of control over winter – the huge hole we dug for the new patio has remained covered in weed mat since about this time last year. Yesterday, however, our landscaper Rod came over to measure up and this morning we went to the Garden Centre and ordered the pavers.

Now Mark is outside tackling some of the larger weeds and Orlando is supervising.

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Doris was uncertain about venturing outdoors, but then she took the plunge.

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It’s the last day of the school holidays. I managed to get most of my correction done, but there are still 12 more practice exams to finish off. By this stage of the year you feel like you never want to mark an essay again.

eBay seems to take over my life these holidays, but I’ve already raked in about $1500 (and spent most of it again…).

I also bought this book:

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It’s full of places for us to visit when we get there. I’ve counted and we’ve already done 15 of them.

I only have 11 more weeks of work (that’s 55 more days) and only 87 days in total before we leave.

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