Karratha Home

Another day, another room to pack and organise.  Actually I am into The Playroom, aka the sewing room, today and that will take much longer than a day! Never the less, a start is as good as an icy pole on a hot day!!    (- no relation I know but it is early still here and that's the best I can come up with  :)

Okay the photos:

The front, the verandah has drop down shade blinds on all sides

The Main Bedroom 

The slightly untidy kitchen

Looking from entry hallway through to back door and family living area

Spare Room number 1

Spare Room Number 2

Spare Room Number 3

Outdoor dining

So that's just a couple of shots for you. I think we are going to be very happy there, the best part is plenty of room for guests and air cond. in every room :)

Cutting off the Knots

You know I was reading a book the other day when I was struck by  a phrase that just sang to me off the page. I would like to share that with you as sometimes we need a nudge to do something that we have wanted to do for quite some time.

Speaking of time, and we are now, as a small digressive move :) , it is only three weeks till the house will be full to the brim again. Chris will be home in three weeks; Emily and Farooq will be home two days before him; then Danika and Shaun arrive closer to C. Day!  There will not be a more excited household in Launceston than right here on this street at No. 20!

Some of the beautiful people heading my way soon 

The fly in the ointment though is the huge amount of work that I need to complete before then. Those blasted lists are back with a vengeance. There is always a fly, isn't there.

I had Dad and two sisters here when I got back from Karratha on Thursday, which was lovely. I was talking to Dad about the move and everything and I said to him that even though I am going to be exhausted, tired and worn out by the time Christmas rocks around, I am happy.  I am happy that I can do all these jobs that I need to do. I am happy that I have been able to finish "work" sooner than I thought, to enable me the luxury of only having 1 full time job to do instead of two. I am happy that all this planning is going to lead to us having a great new adventure.

This is a good place to insert the Happy Face 

Anyway back to that book; There have often been times in my life when I really needed to let something go. For my own health; my own sanity; for the end to relentless ruminations in my head at night when I should be sleeping.

I'm not good at letting things go.  Chris will back me up here as he has been on the rough end of the pineapple at times with this particular fault of mine.  Pig headed determination can be a good thing at times but ....anyway you get the picture.

People let you down, you can be certain of that.  The choice that we have about that is to let it go and get over it, or doctor it along like a festering pimple.  The more you poke at it, the redder and more irritated it becomes; A sore tooth that you just cannot leave alone. 

When people let me down, I tend to think that it is my fault - that I must have done something to cause that.  Instead of just thinking, "well that's human nature for you - people can be shits".  A hurt person hurts; a happy person is too busy being happy to want to out and out hurt someone else.

I would like to think that as I get older I get wiser.  At times I get that down pat.  Other times not so much.  But I am learning. I am learning to let it go, to not keep poking that sore tooth with my tongue until both are so sore that I cant think or talk of anything else.

The thing that I would like to share is this - Sometimes you just need to cut the knot off instead of trying to unravel the mess. 

Sounds really simple doesn't it?  I'm going to leave that with you cos I need to think a bit more about it too.

Hope that everyone is having a lovely sunny Saturday. Thank you to the lovely people who are leaving positive encouraging comments, I love those.  Remember you can leave a comment, you may need to set yourself up a Google profile but that's easy :)

Next post I will put up some photos of the new house in Karratha.

Band of Four

* tissue alert Alarna

 I spoke the other day about Mum's three best friends.  I seem to be constantly thinking about Mum lately.  Maybe it is writing this blog daily that triggers many memories of Mum.  I think a lot too about what she would have thought about our move. I wish I could ask her advice.  I'm pretty sure what she would say, but it would be great to hear it. Maybe if I listen more closely.

Anyway about those girls, they were always The Girls to each other, always girls. Lorraine, Faye, Shirley and Mum, Minnie.  Typical names of their era and typical of the kind of ordinary small town working mothers. But truly remarkable in their own way, each one of them.

They probably all knew each other previous to working together, such was the community of our home town in the 60s.  That was when Mum went back to work and when to a certain extent, her independance  strengthened.  I reckon Dad would agree with me, Mum was never a dependant person, she rowed her own boat and stood firm on her own set of values and attitudes. However she must have relished being more financially independant of the household only budget. With six children, I reckon Dad was pleased about that as well, the extra money must have seemed God sent. The added bonus of course, was her life long friendship with The Girls.

Between them these mothers had 17, or is it 18, children. Shirley, who I believe was the youngest, had two children - sign of the times with a changing attitude and  contraception probably. So they all had their plates full already with all those kids.  They were all good cooks, who was the best is still being debated; they all supported their husbands in their given fields, cared for elderly parents and they all made real time for each other.

Mum worked mostly night shift in later years, as I think Lorraine did as well. Mum used to  come home from work and sleep until noon. Then she would do her jobs and go into town.  We lived 5 miles out of town  on a small farm, a hobby farm it would be called now.  I reckon most days she would visit one or other of her friends. 

Every now and then her little white Torana would be waiting at school to collect me. I used to love that, no bus home plus it meant we were going somewhere together. I can't remember ever being bored or disappointed if that was to visit one of The Girls.

Those four ladies supported each other through illness, death, marriages, births of grandchildren, arguments with their husbands, trouble at work and I imagine the trials that come with all those kids. They used to laugh, cry and get angry together. They never had to ring or text before hand; they knew each others routines and they knew that all they had to do was turn up and the kettle would be put on.  Jobs  would be put to one side and total concentration given. No beeping mobile to distract them, no TV blaring in the background, just the beautiful art of friendship.

Those Girls were fabulous women, strong hard working women, loving family women but my godness they could be devils.  I can remember heaps of stories about them that I don't think are approrpiate for here. Let's just say they had fabulous senses of humour.  As I sit here I can picture each one of them, their faces crinkled, heads thrown back laughing uproariously  at something one of the others had said.

Like the time they were all taking Mum taking ouf to lunch on her birthday and Mum asked Faye if she could possibly borrow a pair of pants as she had fogotten to put hers on. Now my mother was an impeccable dresser - hat, jacket and gloves always matched, lippy always on.  And there she sat in her lovely Fletcher Jones kilt with matching tweed jacket and thistle pin, without her knickers on! Of course when Mum passed away, all these funny stories came out.

The Girls all came out to the farm together when Mum died,  that memory is just so vivid.  Mum had made plans and had completed little jobs before she became ill.  One of those tasks was to choose a piece of jewellery for each of her friends. She wrote a little note and put either a favourite brooch or necklace in a box for each Girl.  When my sisters gave them Mum's gift, we were all huddled in the bathroom (don't ask me why, except to say it was just off the kitchen), they said "oh Min, that's just like you!"

Each friend had a specific role in the group. Lorraine probably held the role of spiritual counsellor.  I know she served that role to me after Mum had a heart attack and I went to her for counsel. I asked Lorraine how I would ever cope if I lost my mother. She said, "When you need it, Kathy, God will give you the strength you need." And thank goodness, He did, because I certainly needed it.  Wise, wise women, all of them.

Last year at the local Christmas Parade, I ran into Shirley. I have to say it was nearly as good as if it were Mum. She was so happy to see me and my word I was happy to see her too, dear thing.  Sadly Lorraine passed away not long after Mum and I am not sure about Faye. Like me, Shirley still misses Mum and the other girls.

Those girls remained friends all their lives.  I bet there were times when one or another would hurt or piss them off, but they got over it. Theirs was a honest true friendship and they each treasured it. It was a balanced relationship based on love and respect for the other. 

Mum said to me, more than once, " true friends are like diamonds, precious and rare. Fake friends are like sand, found everywhere. "  The trick is to know the difference and then protect it once you have found it like a precious diamond deserves.

Make Do And Mend

One of the interesting things that I found out on our recent holiday in the UK was that Winston Churchill coined the very popular phrase, that is used on advertising and labelling and all sorts of merchandise these days - Keep Calm and Carry On.

This along with all sorts of little quirky sayings, has made it's way into our everyday vernacular.  It is used everywhere and on everything but it's original use was something quite different.

Churchill was famous for his speeches and for his extremely quick wit - I knew there was a reason that I  was fascinated by the man. He coined this phrase during World War II to bolster the morale of the good folk of London, who were copping a lot of the fallout, literally, but also the country folk whom he didn't get to interact with other than through media; press and radio. The phrase, Keep Calm and Carry On, was plastered all over the city to let people know that they had to keep their shit together and live their lives as best they could in such terribly frightening circumstances. Stiff upper lip and all that. It seemed to have worked as Churchill was very well regarded and some of his decisions for the war effort are legendary.

Another idiom to emerge from that same era and for the same reason, was "Make Do and Mend".  This one is my favourite at the moment.  It was to encourage people that they could get by with what they had and mend anything that needed it rather than throw it out and buy something new.  Definately different from today when  you can't even fix a kettle; it is cheaper to throw it out and buy  a new one. Plus during the war, a replacement was not an option anyway. Often a repair job could offer up another use as well.

Not only does this little saying remind me of my love of sewing,  it also reminds me that we don't always have to have the latest, the best, the greatest, the most expensive.  Sadly this does seem to be the norm in our culture now.

A few years ago I started reading a blog called Down to Earth.   www.down---to---earth.blogspot.com.au  A lot of the things and ideas that Rhonda wrote about, I was already doing, but there was also a lot of new ideas for me to consider and adopt. I have to say that it changed my life in regard to my reconsideration of spending and making do.

Chris and I were already growing a lot of our own veggies, making most of our meals from scratch.  I already sewed and knitted, l had always been a keen old fashioned home maker. We did start making our own bread, that saved us a motza; we tried making our own soap and then washing powder. So much cheaper than bought washing powder and the soap was just nicer and a fun thing that Chris and I did together.

 As we were saving for our next holiday, I followed Rhonda's other suggestions for saving the pennies and the pounds would grow.  All my life my father has said, "It's made flat to stack and round to go round." I told you he was smart :)

Anyway, we tightened up a little on expenditure, only buying things that we really needed. I just didn't go into the town centre, if  I wasn't near shops then I couldn't spend.  I  have never been much of a shopper, unless we are on holidays and then it is usually gifts for others as well as a few treats for ourselves #insert jewellery here :)

When Chris was made redundant, we were financially in a pretty good position with no debt. A little careful planning and a fair amount of lucky timing. The fact that I had a well paying job, meant that we could still go on holiday and save for that to happen.

I think too that as children, we witnessed Mum and Dad making do.  Not rushing out to buy the latest or best.  There were definately times when I wish this wasn't so, when it impacted on me directly especially. We went for years without a telly cos Dad didn't think we needed one. I think Mum got a new colour TV when my brother was coming home from the army on leave and the Olympics were on!  That was the excuse she used anyway , LOL.

Making do can be a kinda fun challenge too. I find that by the time you go out to get dinner, you can just easily boil a couple of eggs and make some toast. Saves money, saves petrol, saves the ozone a little with a gentler foot print and all that. Plus that food will be better for you.

Now as we set up our new home in Karratha, we will again put our frugal selves to the test.  Although the house is fully furnished, there are obviously 'bits and bobs' that we will need. I am counting on getting these second hand next year, as it would not be at all cost efficient to bring them with us.  The removal costs would exceed the value of the items. There are a few exceptions to this rule ; my sewing machine and a few quilts.

I know, Karratha is no place for quilts. But I ask you what would my home be like without a few strategically placed quilts??

So as a wise man once said, "Make do!" Reduce, reuse, recycle and repair!

Bend Or Break

Inspiration sometimes comes in the weirdest forms.  A movie, a book, a passing phase or indeed a passig phrase.  For me inspiration usually comes from my family and friends. The people I love and respect inspire and encourage me to try new things or just give me the push to do the things that I need to that might be hard.

My parents are a great source of inspiration.  I love to listen to Dad tell me stories about the stuff he used to do as a young man and a kid growing up in the depression of the late 1920s early 30s. That was when life really was tough, not just "oh God the internet has crashed again" tough.

Dad tells me the story of his younger brother, Jim, who didn't have a pair of shoes until he was 8. Dad said he had feet as "hard as the hobs of hell".  I asked Dad once if he knew how hard the hobs of hell were and he said that yes, he did cos he had been there.

 No doubt living through a world war, a depression the likes of which one of our recessions seems like a garden party and bringing up a family of 6 children, one does see the tough side of life and the struggles that can be associated with keeping your family fed and together. I think Dad is well accustomed to bending. He must be because in all my life, I have never seen him break.

It's only when I look back on my younger days that I realise, we are all tougher than we think.  We have all had times that we have had to bend or break.

The last time that I made a really big move like this, I was only 21 and had a 10 month old baby boy.  My husband, Keith (the children's father) and I packed up our little maroon Sigma and drove to Canberra right before summer to make a new life for ourselves.  Goodness, we are doing it again insummer, what's wrong with us -LOL!!

Anyway we did it.  With hard work we succeeded;  we built our own home there and had two more babies while we lived in the
Nations capital.  We had a good life and  stayed for nearly 7 years.  It was family that brought us back to Tassie. No doubt the same drawcard will make us return this time.  Probably sooner than 7 years but that is the unknown at this stage.

The first few months in Canberra were hideously hot, no air conditioning then.  I used to fill a big round plastic tub with cold water and sit baby Jonathan in the dish on the front verandah and we would go to the pool a lot too.

I went back to school to get my matriculation so I could persue nursing (that's another story) and a couple of days it was so hot, they sent all the students home. I think once it gets above 40 they used to close the schools.

So in that time, we became quite accustomed  to learning how to do things differently. I looked forward to getting  a letter from Mum every week and only occassionally  a phone call, it cost too much back then to make STD calls very often.




Mum had always been a bender. She had made her life doing things that people might have said she couldn't.  I know she certainly used to rock my Papa's boat by being a headstrong young woman and that determination allowed her the strength to do remarkable things.  Well they are remarkable in my mind.

 Mum was a Land Army Girl during the second World War and worked on farms in northern Tasmania.  Ploughing paddocks, putting in crops, looking after hens and walking from Sasafrass into Devonport on her days off. Dad and Mum married in December 1945 and through hard work they had a good life together and made one for us kids as well.

 Mum went back to work when I was 2. She worked as a nurses aide in an "old folks home". Most of my young life she worked night shift while being very active in charity work for disabled children. Mum was a fabulous cook, always making cakes and meals for other people, not just the family; she was a sewer, a knitter - making lots of our clothes when we were little. She may not have been the best of housekeepers, our place was clean, not spotless. But I would rather have had a trip to the beach when she got home from work than a dust free zone!  She was a contestant in Woman Of the Year and maintained beautiful friendships with three equally inspiring women.  I
will write a post one day about Shirley, Faye and Lorraine. They deserve a post of their own :)

I could write all day about my parents and how wonderful I think they are.  How their hard work, love for their family and their dedication to making the best of things, enriched all our lives. I like to think that their example made us all hard workers too; people who know the value of having a loving supporting family.  Their life was an example and an inspiration to us regarding the true meaning of what a
successful life is. More importantly how to know when you have achieved that.

For myself, I already believe that I have acheived that.  Please God don't let it happen yet, but if my life was over today, I have succeeded.  I have a given three fantastic children to this world and they have served it well already. I am proud of the young man and women that I have left here as a legacy. They are smart, kind, caring and mindful young people. They are loved and are loving in return. They are a joy to those around them. They think about people other than themselves.

I have worked hard in my  jobs and tried to make the people I come into contact with feel at ease and welcomed.  I may not have always been successful  at that , but I have tried. I have cherished my husband and been a partner to him in all things. I have no real regrets. Well only a few tiny ones, again another story.

For this reason alone, we have nothing to lose by marching into this next phase of our lives, nothing at all, not even time. Time will be spent where ever we are, it will not stop for us or anyone else,  so we may as well do it anyway.

It will be hard, it will be lonely at times, we are going to miss our family and friends.  We have their love and their support though and that means a lot.

 We will bend and not break because that is our way. That is they way we have been brought up to do things. That is the inspiration that I want to be.

Lazy Sunday

Today we have had a lovely lazy day doing not very much at all.  Chris has been assembling a new barbeque, I gave him a haircut and we did the house work.  I vaccummed and Chris mopped the floors.  We did that early this morning though, as it is a bit hot to being doing house work later in the day.  But that's OK, it's just about learning new routines. 

The rest of the time, I have been watching Mad Men Series 6 in between cricket.  Emily and Farooq bought  it for me just prior to leaving Tassie.  Such a thoughtful gift to while away some time.  Plus I had better fess up, I did get my head on the pillow for a little snooze :

Chris and I have been discussing how best to get my car here; I know I keep dancing around this issue but now we have a new idea.  Our latest rumination involves leaving the car in Tassie until after Emily and Farooq's wedding in April.  We are, after all, going to need a car for the 2 or three weeks we are home and then maybe selling it after that.

In Karratha there is a vacant lot on the highway into town called Dreamers Corner. What happens is that anyone who has a car, boat, caravan, or bike to sell, take it to Dreamers Corner with the details on the window and if you are interested you get their details and follow up.  The Shire regulate the activity and you need a permit to park your sale item there. But is seems very popular, there are plenty of people stopping by to peruse the wares.

 Chris and I went to check it out to see if there was a car there for me, or something that would be suitable for me. I'm thinking just a decent sized 4 cylinder with low kms.  I only need something reliable to get me to work.  It is just another idea.  Watch this space because I am sure there will be another option up for discussion soon.

We are also making lists of things that we need to buy for the house here.  While it is fully furnished, there are just the odd little thing that the owner has not thought of.  Things like shelving in the bathroom, walk in robe and more bedroom furniture, tall boy and some outdoor easy chairs etc. The furniture is very modern and retro, 60s styled low studded couches etc. They look really good but are not very comfortable. Well I just can't get comfortable on them.

Luckily, Sherry, at Chris' work, has given him another hot tip. There is a Facebook page that is by request membership only, called Karratha Buy, Swap or Sell. It is for Karratha residents only and is a free site to acquire or dispose of what you need to.  We are awaiting membership so that we can check out lounge suites and shelf units.
Apparently it is a Karratha institution and everyone uses it but you have to be a resident.

Another place to find stuff is fhe local paper, The Pilbara News. So I will get Chris to get a copy of that. There is a Harvey Norman here and a hardware shop but not a lot of choice in either.





Out the front of the house is a huge verandah which has drop down shade blinds; it looks to be a lovely spot for an evening drink but nothing to sit on yet. I am not expecting everything straight away, but we can keep our eyes and ears open.

The saucepan set that is in the house is very cheap and flimsy, so we bought a new fry pan, a Cuisinart; good buy as it cooks beautifully without burning everything to a crisp or teflon coating your meat. :)

So little bit by little bit we are turning this house into our new home where we will be comfortable and have a place that is welcoming to our visitors!!  It's all part of the adventure and we are enjoying it together.

I'm Here

Oh my goodness, so much has happened since I last wrote.  I have ben experiencing computer probs again, so that took me a while to figure out, othwise I would have written sooner.  More than one way to skin a cat....not that I would skin a cat, Emily, honestly it's just a saying.

Well I have arrived in Karratha and from the little I have seen, I reckon we will be pretty well set here.

The house is really big and well set out, brand new with four big bedrooms.  Most things that we will need are here, but I wil be bringing up a few of my wants. Like  decent frying pan.  I cooked Chris bacon and eggs for breakfast and the coating on the tiny fry pan came off onto to the bacon. Added protein, I think not. 
Small thing but if I have it at home, why not here? I can bring our good stuff up here.

The town of Karratha is undergoing a big spruce up.  There are major works in progress in the town centre to open it up and increase the roads and parking.  They have recently opened a huge, big leisure centre which has pools, netball courts, volleyball courts etc. We are going up there for a look later today.

Everything that we need shopping wise is here, banks, Target, The Mart, Woolies, Coles and lots of little specialty shops. I was amused the other night, we called into the bottleo to get a couple of  coldies and it is a drive thru in the true sense of the words.  The young lady comes up to the car, you dont even have to get out of the car!!  I made my first friend, as we left she said "Bye Girl."

People here are very friendly and welcoming.

Of course the fact that I have already scored a job, makes it even more attractive.  I will start work the week after we come back in January, being the relief administration person at the Nickol Bay Hospital. So every time someone makes a crack about the weather, I will just smile and think of the money. The financial advantage of working in Karratha is very appealing.

The weather cracks, I must say, are really starting to annoy Chris. After all, you do get weather everywhere and it seems to be the thing that all folk moan about no matter where they live. Too hot, too cold; too dry, too wet etc etc. And it's one of the few things in this world that you can do naught about :)

As the lady said to me yesterday, who conducted my job interview, the summer here is like the winter in the south. In winter, you stay in by the fire, dont go outside unless you need to and pretty much hibernate. Well that's what we will do in summer.  In winter we will go camping, have lots of BBQs and get out and about. It's all to do with adapting and learning to go with the flow.

We have both done it before and I am confident we can do it again.  I will get off here now and go spend time with Christopher, after all that's what I'm here for ;)