No one weeps much for someone who moves houses but I could have done with a bit of a weep from someone… at times. This will be my last move but before I’ll let you in on my tale of woes, it in no way infers things were all that bad. I am just totally exhausted but at the same exhilarated when just an hour ago the Holy saint of Telstra came finally, oh so finally; and repaired my umbilical cord to the world by re-connecting me to the internet. But while my tale in no way reflects a dead Lazarus rising from the ashes I never thought that going without my Helvi would be so hard in this move of houses. All the packing and unpacking, and where to put everything. The photos that kept turning up. Especially this photo of my lovely daughter Susanna (1968- 2012).
“Pope Leo the Great referred to this passage when he discussed the two natures of Jesus: “In His humanity Jesus wept for Lazarus; in His divinity he raised him from the dead.” The sorrow, sympathy, and compassion Jesus felt for all mankind. The rage he felt against the tyranny of death over mankind.”
Feeling bad about not responding to some of your lovely blogs and pieces. Of course, much of it could have been done on my iPhone but with limited data and the lack of dexterity of both sight and fingers, it wasn’t an option for this almost octogenarian.
It has all been done now and while still waiting for council rubbish bins, all is now working. What I thought was rather telling of this modern internet world is that it is now impossible to talk to the internet providers. They blithely through endless repetitive pre-recorded messages, tell you to push this button and after that another button to get to the right section applicable to the specific problem, and then tell you because of the corona virus they can’t help you on-line and suggest that all problems can be dealt with on-line. But…I felt like screaming, “I am not on-line.” The latest to totally make you go around the bend is to send verification codes. The codes appear just for a split second and by the time you retrieve the code, time has run out. It drove me to such a rage I strangled two tea-towels to death.
I know, the Corona is serious but I have a sneaky suspicion that it is also a convenient way of hiding inefficiency. I am not so sure of this Holy Telstra man!
Here is a picture of my new place.
Tags: Code, Data, Holy, Iphone, Jesus, Lazarus, Leo the Great, Susanna, Telstra, Verification
Oosterman Treats Blog 
April 24, 2020 at 4:10 am |
Time to remember loved ones and rage against all telemarketers, Telstra and Optus and all the other inefficient wifi businesses.
Lovely picture of Susanna. Enjoy your new place. Xxx.
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April 24, 2020 at 10:35 am |
It was a nightmare changing to a new address not because of the hassles of moving but to try and get connected to the different services.
Of course I still haven’t found my reading glasses. I suppose they will turn up deeply buried in a doona.
Yes, Susanna was a nice girl and a terrific mother, calm and insightful.
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April 24, 2020 at 6:03 am |
Moving is very stressful, and tiring! You’ll be glad just to sink into a comfy chair and rest. I guess as long as his meals turned up more or less on time, Milo was happy.
Susanna was very beautiful; she looks like she was a kind soul.
It’s nice to have you back with us again.
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April 24, 2020 at 10:41 am |
Glad to have you back too, Yvonne. You are right, sinking in a comfy chair. Milo has taken to the new place calmly and great aplomb. He is now sleeping back outside in his own little home, all snug up. The nights are getting cooler.
Susanna was beautiful, a head turner wherever she went. She worked for awhile in childcare and was very popular.
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April 24, 2020 at 6:07 am |
I can only imagine what an emotional whirlpool this move on top of losing Helvi has stirred. I send you warmest wishes, and I hope and pray that you settle well in your new home, despite this turbulent and unsettling world season.
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April 24, 2020 at 10:45 am |
Yes, now that things have settled somewhat, my thoughts are with so many on their own and with self isolation it must come at great cost. We are social creatures.
I seem to gravitate to Bunnings, a very large hardware store with lots of people about. People are doing odd jobs around the home. Gardening has now taken off as a major pastime.
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April 24, 2020 at 11:23 am
The only shops open here are supermarkets and food shops. And pharmacies. And though household waste and recycling is collected every two weeks, all collections of garden waste have stopped, and all the public access tips are listed. We have so much garden waste from cutting trees back last winter that there is no room to store any more garden rubbish. People have been setting garden sheds and garages alight whilst trying to burn rubbish at home …
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April 24, 2020 at 11:24 am
*closed to the public – not listed!
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April 24, 2020 at 7:12 am |
Packing, moving, unpacking…so time consuming and exhausting! I get tired just thinking about it!
Your daughter Susanna was so beautiful! I know she is still with you in your heart and the love is there forever.
Your new place looks comfortable, beautiful, and peaceful. Take time to settle in physically AND emotionally.
Best wishes that you make some wonderful memories there.
(((HUGS))) to you! PATS and RUBS to Milo!
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April 24, 2020 at 10:51 am |
Susanna was very beautiful and in character took after Helvi more than me. She was calm and loving. Her beauty did not always stood her in good stead, often taken advantage off.
You are so right, I need to take things calmly now. I am seeing my cardiologist next week for a yearly appraisal. I will take my portfolio of medical prescriptions with me.
I still have low blood pressure.
Thanks for the hugs. I am glad you did not abandon me during those silent incommunicado weeks.
Hugs from Gerard and a wagging tail from Milo.
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April 24, 2020 at 11:40 am |
Welcome back. So glad you are reconnected. Susanna was gorgeous.
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April 25, 2020 at 5:48 am |
Susanna was indeed a lovely woman and she had a great sense of humour.
I had to go back to my old place to pick up a carpet that belongs to my daughter, Natasha. There were the neighbours hacking away at the garden that surrounded our place.!
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April 25, 2020 at 8:21 am
Oh no!
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April 24, 2020 at 12:16 pm |
Good to hear your move is completed and the new place looks excellent. And if it only took two tea-towels and hours on the phone of frustration, to get re-connected, you’ve done well. I took me two weeks of back-and-forth, and waiting at home for an entire day, for a cable person to show. Your daughter looks like she was a lovely, nice person.
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April 25, 2020 at 5:56 am |
Yes , this Government spent billions on putting in an optic cable in place to give us a leading edge on fast internet. Even though this fast internet was inside my garage, it did not work no matter how I changed cables and plugs. It even took the technician some time to figure it all out. It is very frustrating and I waited two days for someone to turn up. I spent hours on the phone listening to foreign speaking girls in silvery tongues specially trained to sooth irate customers.
My daughter was lovely and I am in contact with her son who lives in Melbourne. A very nice teenager now, called Jak.
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April 24, 2020 at 1:11 pm |
I hardly can believe it’s only been about five months since my move. I never think of the old place any more, and I’m enjoying this new one tremendously. Putting in the bird feeders was my best idea. Now that the trees have leafed out and the birds have found the feeders (and the squirrels!) there’s entertainment galore. Not only that, the birds have produced babies, so there’s a lot of squawking and hollering and demanding going on as the little ones follow their parents, demanding to be fed.
Your daughter was beautiful, as others have said, and you’ve spoken so often of her fine qualities I know she must have been a joy for you and Helvi. And even though you had to settle in on your own, I suspect your new place will bring you a good bit of joy, too.
I’d considered internet issues as a reason for your absence. I was extraordinarily lucky when I moved. Our complex has a contract with the internet provider, so it truly is a plug-and-play situation. All I had to do in my new place was set up the computer and connect the cable, and I was good to go. Elapsed time? Fifteen minutes. That may be one of the greatest blessings I’ve had in the last little while!
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April 25, 2020 at 6:10 am |
Just now, the woman opposite me gave me a dozen eggs, just like that, and offered help whenever I feel like asking. The other neighbour baked me Anzac biscuits. Not just baked them but wrapped them in cellophane and with a ribbon within she had tied a sprig of fresh rosemary.
Anzac day is special in Australia . It remembers the fallen soldiers each year. It is a day of reflection and remembrance; ‘Lest we forget.” Rosemary is part of that day.
https://www.army.gov.au/our-heritage/traditions/anzac-day
But the civility and the attention the neighbours give each other is wat attracted me to this place, Linda. The children opposite play around and have skate boards and make lots of noise and I just love that kind of neighbourhood.
I don’t know the reason why that other place was so toxic and steeped in negativity.
I have put up a bird feeding pillar and today added a watering dish but so far I have just seen one Rozella. Perhaps it takes time for birds to feel safe, I have put in lots of salvia because they grow quickly and might give birds a bit of a sanctuary apart from many slow growing shrubs that I have planted as well, with lots more to come.
I am very enthusiastic about this garden, both at the front and the back.
You were good at being able to connect to the internet so quickly, Linda. I also have a landline and managed to keep the same number.
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April 24, 2020 at 2:43 pm |
Gerard, I cannot imagine how grueling this move would be without your life companion at your side. Of course a move like this unearths so many unexpected, bittersweet, memories and triggers. And to be navigating all this in the midst of a pandemic, to boot. Holy cow. That you have held onto your sanity and your sense of humor is a real accomplishment. Of course those two poor tea towels might disagree with my assessment. It looks like you’ve done a fine job of organizing your new space. Helvi is probably watching all this and wondering why you seemed so utterly helpless when she was there to do all the organizing/planning. 😉
And I can totally relate to your round about battle with the internet providers. Those mechanical prompts prompt such horrific language that when one finally does reach a live voice, it’s embarrassing the language that spills out upon them!
Glad to have you back.
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April 25, 2020 at 6:26 am |
Yes, my life companion was missing and I don’t know how I all did it. The good thing was that the new and old place were only 4km apart.
I put the back seats down on the Peugeot and carried all the stuff up and down at least a hundred times over a few weeks and stored them in the double garage at the new place.
Lucky I had Helen, a mutual friend of Helvi and I, and she has a lightning quick mind and that knack of moving things in the right place. The corner sheets, the mattress covers, and normal sheets she can distinguish by sheer magic and with a thousand other things put it all in cupboards, wardrobes and shelving. This place is blessed with enormous amount of storage. Helen is an angel.
You are right, I often think about how Helvi might have been surprised at what I have achieved in this move. I am so glad I did.
Another good thing is that the other place might finally have been sold. They have signed the contract. Mind you, that is the third buyer!
And ,that GLASS OF WINE at the end of the day with Milo looking at me for his feed. What a blessing.
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April 24, 2020 at 3:05 pm |
Your new home looks lovely I especially like the light above your plant, when I moved I hadn’t realised I’d collected so much and horded so much so goodness knows how much you had to clear. I hope you settle quickly and are very content there.
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April 25, 2020 at 6:34 am |
What a lovely surprise to see you popping up again. How are you going, Charlotte?
That light above the plant (Ficus Lyrata) comes from a skylight in the stairwell leading to the upstairs bedrooms. The stairs are nice but it would not take the bed-base so had to buy a bed in a flat pack and have it assembled upstairs. The old bed base I put on the street, and it went within half and hour by some student neighbours opposite me. What a hoot. Glad the bed is getting more use.
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April 25, 2020 at 2:15 pm
I’ve been stuck inside now for over five weeks Gerald going a bit stir crazy but it has given me several benefits, catching up with blog friends, reading novels from blog friends I’ve downloaded but never had time to start and refreshing old songs for balcony concerts we’re doing to cheer our neighbours up on Friday afternoons.
I’ve had to put back my wedding due on 6th June, however, it’s given me 24 hours per day to double check he’s the man for me 😂 fortunately we’re even better friends now, George is very big into plants so thank you for the name. I was very sad to catch up with some of your news but happy that you have been resourceful and are making a good outcome with a new home.
I enjoyed your story about your old bed, very useful student neighbours are for freecycling! Lol. Also pleased you sorted out your internet 🙂. All my best wishes as always Charlotte x
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April 26, 2020 at 5:06 am
Now that is happy news Charlotte. Wedding bells will be ringing! I looked and listened to your balcony concerts. If you ever come to visit Australia I would be so happy to let you use my home to inspire the neighbourhood with your singing.
George looks a nice sensitive man and if he likes plants that is a good omen.
I have put a link to your blog and amazing voice and musical talents here now.
https://charlottehoatherblog.com/
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April 24, 2020 at 5:37 pm |
Hi Gez. Moving . Yikes. It’s been 14 years since my last move. An exhausting collision at a point in the universe where past present and future meet. Thought of the inevitable future move terrifies me.
FM and. I are working from home so our ancient. Cable modem decided to cark it under the pressure of one too many zoom meetings. Simple- I rang a couple of Telstra shops and found a new one. But it is never THAT simple. After a few hours of doing the reinstallation tango without success I phoned the small business support – which is supposed to be more efficient than consumer support. With Telstra both are spelt “mug”.
90 minutes after speaking with everyone in Manila, I was switched to a recorded message. I paraphrase. “With Covid we are unable to help you today. Good luck in your life. Now fuck off”. Hangs up!
But FM topped me ! She has been trying to do the online paperwork for Job Keeper – FOR THREE DAYS !. Problem is that our accounting software MYOB has to send payroll details to the ATO. It does not work properly – leaving out the one piece of data that is required. They acknowledge this but seem unable to ever call back with the solution. We pay $960 a year for support.
There is a deadline for doing the paperwork. So stressful !
But, not to sound too self-possessed, we are all well holed up in the Batcave and things are so much worse for millions of other folks.
Daughter sends us wonderful pics and movies of both grandsons (aged 2 years and four weeks respectively). Yesterday we had the 2 year old Jack wearing his Mum’s glasses upside down “reading” to Ned , his little brother. He insisted on the glasses because both Pop and Grandpa wear them when reading to him !
Wishing you all the best for recovering from the move, love from FM and me.
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April 26, 2020 at 4:46 am |
Yes, nothing is so bad as having to change something on the computer. Telstra et all are terrific in setting up the phone helpline but should include phone numbers for ‘Beyond blue’, ‘Suicide prevention’,’ Modem depression’ ,and Pillow sobbing’.
This new code verification ploy by internet providers is really the pits, and in my case was the catalyst for a catatonic episode of tectonic proportions, it now will need some insightful counselling by a soft yielding, soothing gentle woman for months to come.
So glad you have contact with the lovely grandchildren. My daughter Natasha came to visit me with Max, my youngest grandson and sorted more things out. She had made a nice lentil soup, so that came in handy. I am now busy setting up a garden on both sides of the abode. Neighbours wave to me and I never thought gestures like that would so gladden the heart.
I am overcoming, Trouserzoff, and please give my love to you and the good FM.
Love,
Gerard
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April 24, 2020 at 5:48 pm |
Good to have you back, Gerard. I take my (metaphorical) hoff to you. We must be about the same age, and I certainly couldn’t face moving house yet again at this stage – my last move was 15 years ago, and it was bad enough then. You will soon get straight and settled – and eventually the memories will be more sweet than bitter. Welcome!
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April 26, 2020 at 4:54 am |
I am not sure about same age. You look half my age but from now on I shall grow younger or as in the Picture of Dorian Grey, the painting will age, but I will at least remain young forever.
Looking back I am surprised it actually did happen and that I have moved. I have to pinch myself in the arm and on awakening in the morning I know it is true because the sun peeps into my bedroom right on my face. It is glorious.
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April 25, 2020 at 8:47 am |
Thanks for posting that photo of Susanna. I was going to rib you and say that she’s beautiful, so must take after Helvi, but she also takes after you. It’s amazing that all those memory triggers stay hidden until a move, then they try to open a floodgate of emotion. I believe that Helvi is proud of you and your new move.
As you say, organising the minutia like internet, etc, is so frustrating when their advertising seems to guarantee suc a smooth transition.
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April 26, 2020 at 5:18 am |
I have found many old photos including relatives I did not know I had. You were such a terrific help, Big M., when Helvi started having the low blood pressure episodes and other ailments.
She is gone now and I nurture the memories, but did not think Helvi deserved breaking both her arms as well, towards the final few months. Yet, she kept giving that wonderful Mona Lisa smile.
In a way, I wanted to prove to her that I could change homes and make a new life.
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April 26, 2020 at 11:23 am
I agree, two fractured arms would have certainly added insult to injury. Yes, she bore hardship with good humour. Lovely to hear that you have generous neighbours. Turns a house into a home.
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April 25, 2020 at 6:02 pm |
I think that computers and the Internet were built to frustrate us, Gerard. I know it’s just a conspiracy fantasy but I really laughed about your comment,” It drove me to such a rage I strangled two tea-towels to death.” I just may have to keep some teas towels around the next time I try to solve a computer glitch! –Curt
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April 26, 2020 at 5:22 am |
Yes, I reckon they should give yearly awards for those that have overcome the trial of modems and verification codes. Or, better still make a TV serial and like ‘you are on candid camera’ have secret cameras trained on those brave souls just about ready to throw a fit in coping with ‘service’ providers’ or changing ‘internet addresses’.
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April 26, 2020 at 10:49 pm
Might learn a few new words! Or learn how to cuss in a hundred different languages. 🙂
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April 26, 2020 at 10:55 pm |
Moving house is high on the list when it comes to lifetime events that cause stress, Gerard, and you have others on that list as well. No wonder you felt the need of a shoulder. Add the absolute frustration of dealing with Telstra ( one I’ve experienced myself a few times, but not so recently, thank goodness) and you have quite a cocktail there. I was pleased to read in other comments how very pleasant your new neighbours have been, and I hope that, accompanied by the pleasure of being in a new place, will help your sense of well being to return.
Thank goodness we have our gardens to entertain and stimulate us. We are getting so much pleasure from ours, especially as the weather has been so glorious.
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April 28, 2020 at 11:24 pm |
With Telstra the truth is finally coming out that they and a host of other multi nationals use foreign workers to do the work for them in order to satisfy making increasingly larger profits for the shareholders.
The foreign workers from impoverished countries work under stressful conditions and in some cases ended up sleeping on mattresses on the floor of their ‘offices’!
Yes, the garden tempts me no end. I want every window looking out to have a lush and green look. I will never be short of works.
Even inside I have continued with all the peace-lilies (Spathiphyllum) that Helvi managed to grow over the years.
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April 27, 2020 at 4:00 am |
Don’t worry Gez, I have a six pack and a couple of joints, hope you like lamb casserole, I’ll bring it. Discombobulation was always one of my strong points especially after you told me what it means.
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April 28, 2020 at 11:29 pm |
Your memory serves you well, Mark. How are things going. From memory you had moved to a quiet place away from temptation and nubile nurses. Or am I mistaken?
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