Well the girls and I have had a lovely 2 month break back home enjoying a cold Melbourne winter, while it fried in India, enjoying too too much as the scales kindly reminded me this morning (once I was game enough to get on them that is), but that was a no-brainer .... I knew I'd enjoyed wayyyyyy too much Aussie food and beautiful wines with family and lovely friends and it was good!
But now it's not good cause I can't figure out what I can fit into!!!!
My last days in oz weren't that great, being sick and desperately trying to fit 2 months and 120kgs of luggage into 3 suitcases and 3 carry-ons. Not having Deano to lug those 30odd kg bags into the car boot and out again just about put me in my grave ... but then of course there was the annoying French checker-in-er-er lady at Tulla who insisted I move 1kg from one locked and already on the conveyor belt suitcase into another locked and further down the conveyor belt suitcase! I was practically in tears as Mum and I had already had to do the tango with 2 cars, 6 pieces of luggage, 3 handbags, 2 fluffy toys, a policeman's hat, 3 punnets of precious raspberries, and a large metal box of Littlest Pet Shops which Xanthe insisted on carrying on the plane .. then having dropped off the hire car, leaving 2 suitcases unattended at Thrifty, we got stuck in a jam driving Mum's car back into the short term car park just as the credit on my payasyougo Aussie sim ran out and then my iphone decided it didn't like my Indian sim card after all!
So there goes my plans to ring Dad and Angela to thank them for their kind hospitality, bed use et al, I can't even ring Mum at the airport after we split up, her taking one trolley and the girls to the check in counter and me dashing off to hopefully retrieve my unattended luggage at Thrifty, and I've got 13 minutes to get my bags, find Mum and the girls, knowing I HAVE to catch that plane despite the fear of my ears causing me serious pain on the plane, cause I forgot to take travel insurance out for the very first time in my life, but knowing that if I did miss that plane then at least I'd have a really cool house warming party to go to and a pretty cross hubby!
Blah blah blah, very stressful, annoying and tears still pending.....
7 minutes to spare, we got to the check in counter and that annoying French lady did her "occupational health & safety/heavy bag" lecture all over ONE MEASLY KILO. Tears abated, luggage duly rebalanced, and we said our very sad and oh so teary goodbyes before being told by the security dude that my carry-on was tooo big and 8kgs too heavy (which I knew but thought I'd get away with if I just battered my now unmascared, very red and puffy eyelids at him).
Having a massive head cold didn't help, I'd been sick most of last week and the worst hit while we were descending into Hong Kong airport .. suffice to say know I know why babies scream their guts out when they can't clear their ears!!!! So, we flew in at 2am on Sunday morning ie; yesterday was a complete write off!
Today I woke early, a lil jet lagged, wrote a todolist for my caretaker, vowed to be firmer with staff who had seriously been taking liberties last year and spend more time with my angels, one of whom is now sick too. Awake, alive and thinking I was recharged, rejuvenated, re-enthused and all those re words and ready to tackle Delhi for another year!
Right, sure ... uhuh .... what planet are you on girl?
So on my first day I:
I'm sure that's not it but that's enough for day one don'tcha reckon?
ALL not before pledging today would be my first day of an alcohol free month, how bloody stupid am I?
The trip home was wonderful but exhausting .... already stressed from 10 months living in India, exhausted from 46degree heat .... I tried to see and please EVERYONE, probably not very well, ran 3 social calendars, with play dates, sleep overs, enjoyable lunches & dinners with loved ones (but way too much food & wine), fitted in a wedding, 3 gp appointments, 2 neurologist appointments, a termite inspection, Emmy's birthday, bought presents and organised a rollerskating party for 20 kids, trips interstate to spend time with family .....
2 weeks with an exhausted husband who wanted us all to himself, tried to keep my kids occupied while their friends were back at school, without toys/dvds etc to keep them busy, 3 vein treatments, tried to look after my mother recovering from a heart attack and breast cancer, dealt with constant email problems, constantly running out of pre-paid telephone service, a visa bill threatening to engulf the entire asian pacific rim, remembered to renew 2 mail redirections, dealt with staff issues from afar, a lumbar puncture and MRI, uploaded photos so I didn't lose them, had 2 haircuts/colours to fix my blue fried hair
yes there's more ... obtained quotes and installed wardrobes into an investment property that's been empty for 4 months, then demanding new lawyer tenants who wanted internet connections in every room and couldn't cope with channel 2 being occasionally fuzzy, fired crap managing agents, who amongst other things lost keys and overlooked fence damage from tree fall during a massive storm, hired new managing agents, picked up keys, dealt with mail and bills that arrived already overdue in India via pdf and staff issues via Dean's pa, tried to renew already expired benefits for my superannuation account, updated rabies vaccinations, supported a close friend who's mother was just diagnosed with breast cancer,
ummmmmmmmmmmm unforgiveably didn't manage to catch up with many friends, including my old boss, maintained twice daily contact with a father/husband who was increasingly pissed off being alone and missing his girls, maintained contact with new friends in India, UK friends, remembered birthdays, and dealt with banking and taxation issues while trying to spend quality time with my girls and yet remain relatively sane and healthy (let's not even mention lack of exercise) while.....
remembering to buy everything we can't get in India and post stuff home so I had the room to transport it, as well as make new appointments in Delhi including the last stage of re-root canal treatment which might include a trip to a periodontist, with a tooth that split big time while I was home, all the time hoping it would hold till I could have the treatment finished and the crown done in Delhi where it's 500% less the cost in Australia.
So if I haven't managed to call, catch up or say thank you for all the wonderful hospitality, great times, presents for Emmaline's birthday (I will get to that soon as my email is back up n running) I'm sorry but I'm hoping you might understand.
Yeah so I've got 380 emails stuck trying to come into our inbox, which somehow screwed up 2 weeks after I left, and I've no idea how to re-route it or fix it!
AND my Indian simcard blanks everytime I turn off the phone when Airtel customer service rep tells me to reboot it, so I can't take or make calls, only texts ... arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!
And I've still got 3 full suitcases that need to be unpacked.
Day 2 can only get better huh?
But now it's not good cause I can't figure out what I can fit into!!!!
My last days in oz weren't that great, being sick and desperately trying to fit 2 months and 120kgs of luggage into 3 suitcases and 3 carry-ons. Not having Deano to lug those 30odd kg bags into the car boot and out again just about put me in my grave ... but then of course there was the annoying French checker-in-er-er lady at Tulla who insisted I move 1kg from one locked and already on the conveyor belt suitcase into another locked and further down the conveyor belt suitcase! I was practically in tears as Mum and I had already had to do the tango with 2 cars, 6 pieces of luggage, 3 handbags, 2 fluffy toys, a policeman's hat, 3 punnets of precious raspberries, and a large metal box of Littlest Pet Shops which Xanthe insisted on carrying on the plane .. then having dropped off the hire car, leaving 2 suitcases unattended at Thrifty, we got stuck in a jam driving Mum's car back into the short term car park just as the credit on my payasyougo Aussie sim ran out and then my iphone decided it didn't like my Indian sim card after all!
So there goes my plans to ring Dad and Angela to thank them for their kind hospitality, bed use et al, I can't even ring Mum at the airport after we split up, her taking one trolley and the girls to the check in counter and me dashing off to hopefully retrieve my unattended luggage at Thrifty, and I've got 13 minutes to get my bags, find Mum and the girls, knowing I HAVE to catch that plane despite the fear of my ears causing me serious pain on the plane, cause I forgot to take travel insurance out for the very first time in my life, but knowing that if I did miss that plane then at least I'd have a really cool house warming party to go to and a pretty cross hubby!
Blah blah blah, very stressful, annoying and tears still pending.....
7 minutes to spare, we got to the check in counter and that annoying French lady did her "occupational health & safety/heavy bag" lecture all over ONE MEASLY KILO. Tears abated, luggage duly rebalanced, and we said our very sad and oh so teary goodbyes before being told by the security dude that my carry-on was tooo big and 8kgs too heavy (which I knew but thought I'd get away with if I just battered my now unmascared, very red and puffy eyelids at him).
Having a massive head cold didn't help, I'd been sick most of last week and the worst hit while we were descending into Hong Kong airport .. suffice to say know I know why babies scream their guts out when they can't clear their ears!!!! So, we flew in at 2am on Sunday morning ie; yesterday was a complete write off!
Today I woke early, a lil jet lagged, wrote a todolist for my caretaker, vowed to be firmer with staff who had seriously been taking liberties last year and spend more time with my angels, one of whom is now sick too. Awake, alive and thinking I was recharged, rejuvenated, re-enthused and all those re words and ready to tackle Delhi for another year!
Right, sure ... uhuh .... what planet are you on girl?
So on my first day I:
- think I saw a shrouded dead body on our street, Dean thinks it's the same one he saw last week
- have been warned that cannibal Nigerians tried to abduct a small child in neighbouring suburb 2 days ago, the same Nigerians who subsequently admitted to previously eating other small children!!!!!!!!!!
You couldn't make this stuff up right?
- went to a market where I had to step over poo, mud and unknown gunk only to find black cauliflower which I quickly realised was because it was covered in flies!
- have been leered at by local dudes at the atm
- yelled at my cook, who after 2 months paid holiday had the gaul to ask, on his first day back, for the next 3 days off, after turning up to work 2 hours late (work colleagues coming to dinner)
- had a maid turn up late because of "swelling"????
- watched our caretaker drain all our water tanks cause they were silted up to the max so spent 3 hours with no water
- found water dripping on our filing cabinet from a leak in the ceiling
- can't email, can't call or take calls
I'm sure that's not it but that's enough for day one don'tcha reckon?
ALL not before pledging today would be my first day of an alcohol free month, how bloody stupid am I?
The trip home was wonderful but exhausting .... already stressed from 10 months living in India, exhausted from 46degree heat .... I tried to see and please EVERYONE, probably not very well, ran 3 social calendars, with play dates, sleep overs, enjoyable lunches & dinners with loved ones (but way too much food & wine), fitted in a wedding, 3 gp appointments, 2 neurologist appointments, a termite inspection, Emmy's birthday, bought presents and organised a rollerskating party for 20 kids, trips interstate to spend time with family .....
2 weeks with an exhausted husband who wanted us all to himself, tried to keep my kids occupied while their friends were back at school, without toys/dvds etc to keep them busy, 3 vein treatments, tried to look after my mother recovering from a heart attack and breast cancer, dealt with constant email problems, constantly running out of pre-paid telephone service, a visa bill threatening to engulf the entire asian pacific rim, remembered to renew 2 mail redirections, dealt with staff issues from afar, a lumbar puncture and MRI, uploaded photos so I didn't lose them, had 2 haircuts/colours to fix my blue fried hair
yes there's more ... obtained quotes and installed wardrobes into an investment property that's been empty for 4 months, then demanding new lawyer tenants who wanted internet connections in every room and couldn't cope with channel 2 being occasionally fuzzy, fired crap managing agents, who amongst other things lost keys and overlooked fence damage from tree fall during a massive storm, hired new managing agents, picked up keys, dealt with mail and bills that arrived already overdue in India via pdf and staff issues via Dean's pa, tried to renew already expired benefits for my superannuation account, updated rabies vaccinations, supported a close friend who's mother was just diagnosed with breast cancer,
ummmmmmmmmmmm unforgiveably didn't manage to catch up with many friends, including my old boss, maintained twice daily contact with a father/husband who was increasingly pissed off being alone and missing his girls, maintained contact with new friends in India, UK friends, remembered birthdays, and dealt with banking and taxation issues while trying to spend quality time with my girls and yet remain relatively sane and healthy (let's not even mention lack of exercise) while.....
remembering to buy everything we can't get in India and post stuff home so I had the room to transport it, as well as make new appointments in Delhi including the last stage of re-root canal treatment which might include a trip to a periodontist, with a tooth that split big time while I was home, all the time hoping it would hold till I could have the treatment finished and the crown done in Delhi where it's 500% less the cost in Australia.
So if I haven't managed to call, catch up or say thank you for all the wonderful hospitality, great times, presents for Emmaline's birthday (I will get to that soon as my email is back up n running) I'm sorry but I'm hoping you might understand.
Yeah so I've got 380 emails stuck trying to come into our inbox, which somehow screwed up 2 weeks after I left, and I've no idea how to re-route it or fix it!
AND my Indian simcard blanks everytime I turn off the phone when Airtel customer service rep tells me to reboot it, so I can't take or make calls, only texts ... arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!
And I've still got 3 full suitcases that need to be unpacked.
Day 2 can only get better huh?
Have a headache just reading that, girl! Me thinks it will get better as the week sorts itself out ... right? Then once school starts, it's that much smoother, right??
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