The Contingency Plan

We put in an offer for the house today but later discovered the owners have officially taken it off the market! They thought it was best after four months without an offer.

How strange. The agent thought it was madness.

Nevertheless they considered our amount and rejected it. I actually met the owners on Saturday and vividly recall one of them claiming the house was in good shape and didn't need much work.

I think they're delusional as the carpets are old, filthy and worn, the kitchen is dated with old appliances, kitchen tiles are mostly cracked, the pool doesn't even have a safety fence (which isn't even legal!), there are no built-in wardrobes in four of the bedrooms, the driveway is cracked, etc etc.

The agent is getting back to us with their negotiated price....

And in other news, our old place went to auction and is sold. Although it's a gorgeous home, I'm so glad we didn't buy it!

Trying to manage your expectations when looking to buy a house is a tricky thing.

Luc and I will be making an offer on a great five bedroom abode with three living areas and a pool this week.

Fingers, arms, legs, toes crossed.

Despite coming home to a horrid house full of dirty dishes, pizza boxes, and ANTS (gasp!) with a son who's decided that he only wants his mother's company (no one can currently come near me or do anything for him), a mobile phone that's been disconnected (Chloe forgot to pay our bill), bearing an appropriately infected middle finger (cuticle)..... it all disolved when I heard news that Project Runway is coming to Australia and that... wait for it..... the supermodel who's rumoured to host the show is none other than..... KATE MOSS!!

Must. learn. To. Sew. Now.....!!!

We leave bright and early tomorrow for a week of nothingness, living it up in an apartment by the beach with Mum, Natasha and Harry right there to look after Hugo. I cannot wait. But it's just past 10pm, Hugo has a temperature, I've lost my voice from sickness and have yet to wash a load of laundry (my own clothes) before packing our shit up. Then there's briefly tidying the house so I don't come back to mouldy dishes in the sink. I'm really contemplating the notion of taking dirty clothes (in a separate bag) as our holiday abode has an internal laundry...

I'm really looking forward to this escape. I feel that I need one. Really, completely, desperately. Chloe and I found out this week that we didn't win two accounts that we pitched for, which we really felt we had in the bag. They both took a lot of preparation. It was very disappointing and hard because we're not used to not winning. And although I love him, I'm happy that Luc's only staying for a few days (he has to work). Breathing space is required.

And there's further good news because we've found a house that we completely adore!!!!!! It has five bedrooms, an office, a gorgeous yard, three living areas and a pool! I know, amazingly large!! And because it's a little run down, it's going for a great price. All we'd need to do is to rip up the carpet, polish up the floorboards underneath, buy fuck loads of new furniture and, in a few years, replace the kitchen with a new one. Not much at all... Let's hope the owners take their ornate cherry wood bar with them too. It's the kind of renovation I'm really looking forward to though. We visit the house for a second inspection tomorrow morning before vacating the city.

Things Hugo has thrown in the bin this week:
* 5 nappies
* $50 in cash (2x $20 + 1x $10)
* A pile of Luc's receipts that included one for his new mobile phone and dry cleaning
* Yummy food we took home with us from mid-week Yum Cha with Mum and Drew (Luc was extremely unimpressed)

What I'll be coming home to after my holiday:
* A house Luc's lived in, unattended for a week...
* A full de-brief from Gordon after his debut television appearance as a guest photographer on Australia's Next Top Model
* A reunion with an old school friend I haven't seen since graduation, who's staying with us (travelling from interstate) for our 10 year reunion
* An update on how Susi's friend is going with her new relationship.... with a Nazi

See ya later suckers

xox

1. True or false:
I've spent $801.25 on ebay this month

2. Number of times I've exercised since creating my rather ambitious goal of loosing 1kg/week (yes, 20kgs in around five months):
2, 23, 50 or yeah right

3. Number of kilograms I've actually lost:
2, 6, 9 or don't look

4. True of false:
Current care factor regarding my weight is 0 (due to a great fake tan I found, because let's face it, tanned people look less fat)

5. Number of times Lucas asked me whether I'm buying MY OWN engagement ring prior to visiting a jeweller to get another ring re-set:
1, 3, 5, fuck off already!

6. Levels of self-pity I subsequently felt (seriously, how pathetic does he think I am!):
Low, Medium, Rocky Road Ice Cream

7. Number of Charlie and Lola shows I've made Hugo watch so I can write this:
1, 5 or very bad mother

I dare you to find three words that terrify me more than these:

"NEW AUSTRALIAN DRAMA"

Peace out.

'
The house is quiet and I'd love to write a post, but me head is fuzzy from sickness. Cough cough.

Let's see how I go.

Many blogworthy things have taken place in the last few weeks but there has been little time to write. Or I've been brainlessly watching television in that time.

The Wolf has grown into a little boy. This is him at the park. He is such a funny, soft hearted boy. We recently visited the stunning three month old baby of a good friend of mine and he laid on the couch directly opposite the wee child for quite some time, gently stroking her face and hands and saying in a very soothing tone 'why' over and over again, which was very cute! I didn't mind him hanging with us as her older brother (three years old) absolutely bollocks Wolf whenever they play together. This time, spoons were thrown at his head, he was pulled out of a toy car, violently yelled at, smacked... his mother (who I really adore) doesn't really discipline the boy and it's certainly not my job. I have to say that I don't see them as often as I'd like because of this.

We're moving to suburbia.... I know I've neglected to mention suburbs before, but for any Sydney-based readers, we lived in McMahons Point for nearly four years, had a short stint in Chatswood, then moved to Lewisham for a year and now reside in Drummoyne. For the last six years, a trip into the city has consisted of 10 minutes, depending on traffic. We've been near the water, beaches, fantastic restaurants and most of our friends, but that will all change.... We've looked at a few houses in the Hills district, which is around a 20-60 minute drive from the city, depending on traffic and although I'm excited, I feel as though I'm entering a new chapter of my life, the suburban mother phase, and it absolutely terrifies me.

Gone will be my options of a reckless drink with friends, last minute showers 30 minutes before client meetings, cool ocean breezes at sunset, the tangible buzz from the city and friends crashing at our place if the ride home is too far. After the jump, a taxi from the city will cost at least $70, I'll be in the thick of suburbia where the temperature is at least 3-5 degrees hotter and won't be able to feel a certain sense of cool about being on the fringe. The suburbs are not cool.

But my mother, my brother and my sister won't have to schedule time in the diary to pop over. They'll be five minutes away. They'll pop in all the time, which would really be so great. Our lives will be intertwined again. I'll be close to Drew and Mum might even look after the Wolf a couple days a week, which would eliminate the need for an au pair. We'll be able to own a house that isn't the size of a shoe box - one with room for everyone's own bedroom, guest rooms, an office and have an actual back yard with a pool! I'll be able to buy furniture without worrying whether it'll fit into the 'next place' and most of all, I won't have to deal with real estate agents. Ever. Again.

I saw a place that I completely adored last week but it sold before we could make an offer. I was devastated, even thought it was way over our budget. And then yesterday a client who Chloe and I REALLY wanted to work with decided to go with another agency after a few fantastic meetings and a pitch. We were so very very disappointed (even though I'm determined to learn from the experience and keep moving on).

Two nights ago I had a dream that there was a war and I escaped and went to heaven via an elevator. The scene was chaotic and frantic, I was alone and desperate for my child. I approached a shop-like counter, where all the babies were being held but when I went to ask for him, couldn't remember his name. But then I saw him, held him and instantly felt immediate comfort, intense elation and security. Lucas wasn't there. My brother and sister weren't there as they were at church (uhuh, let's read into that!) and my mother and father were busy with new families.

This Saturday, Mum, Natasha, Harry, Luc, Hugo and I are driving up the coast to Port Macquarie for a week. This will be our first family holiday in nearly ten years. I can't wait. Luc will stay for the weekend before returning home to work. I will be far away from client calls, media requests and deadlines. I've bought four new swimsuits and the night I return will be my 10/11 year high school reunion.