Alison

First week of 2023…Domestic Disasters and Passport Predicaments

I had somewhat presumptuously predicted a good 2023, I said I could feel it in my bones. Our first few days were lovely and quiet. We celebrated the new year just the two of us and I just about made it to midnight, only because I heard fireworks that I could view from the bedroom window.

Tuesday was a pretty good day also, coming first in Bridge, that hasn’t happened for a while. I’ve managed to infiltrate a social Bridge group on a Wednesday and played at a club with lunch after, very civilised.

Thursday started off as a pretty chilled day, everyone swimming in the pool, relaxing and having fun. I said to my daughter, let’s go to the beach. It was going to be 38 degrees. When we arrived all the carparks were full, so we had to drive slowly around stalking anybody walking back to their cars. Eventually we found somewhere and set off to buy buckets and spades, solar suit for Rosie and flip flops for Elena who had left the house barefoot. I think we spent 30 minutes on the beach as it was too hot and both kids had had enough. The water was glorious though and we needed one of those new fangled cabanas that everyone else seemed to have.

When we arrived home Anthony said he would shop for dinner. As he went into the garage, he heard a tap, tap, tap. Thinking it was a cockroach, he looked around and up and saw a hole in the ceiling with water pouring through. It was deemed an emergency. So I got onto the emergency plumber who came in an hour, quoted us an exorbitant price, which I accepted, I mean what could you do? Anthony had decided to go shopping anyway and so abdicated responsibility. He came back and declared that we could have flown to the UK for that price and interrogated the plumber about why it was so expensive. Anyway all fixed now, but finances have taken a loss.

Friday I thought I should check up on where Anthony’s new UK passport had got to. I finally got through to the Royal Mail in the UK to an actual person. The man was very polite and helpful and said, you can call it lost now! How can that be? Anthony said it’s probably been stolen, Laurence said it’s identity theft, really, I sincerely hope not. The UK passport office said if they don’t receive documents by a certain date they will cancel the application. I went to the Post Office here and another helpful man sent an email to someone who will send another email to customs in the UK. So I don’t know what to do, cancel the passport, apply for a new one or wait?

All these things are First World Problems I tell myself, they will eventually resolve themselves, maybe!

In the meantime I’ll be chilling in the garden.

I hope you’ve all had a great first week to 2023

38 comments

  1. Life can get a bit complicated, Ali. No doubt about it. I fine everyday heat of 38C challenging at the best of times. We had an interesting New Year’s Eve but somewhere along the line picked up the latest flu variant going the rounds. We struggle on, sniffing and sneezing, but still getting out for a bit of fresh air in our pleasant 19C winter temperatures. A couple more days and we’ll be good as new…. more or less!

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  4. Hope the New Year gets better after the shaky start. Trades people can be quite expensive, but when you need them you just have to pay and grin 🙂

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  7. You deserve a long chill in the garden, my friend! Don’t you just resent having to pay such high prices to fix things that shouldn’t be broken in the first place – like having to buy a new washing machine or fridge. I hope the rest of the week and year get better and that Anthony’s passport issue is resolved quickly.

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  9. Oh dear, sorry to hear about your leak, I sympathise as our home is over a hundred years old and we spend a fortune on maintenance and roof repairs, damp patches appearing on chimney breasts from time to time. Hope the passport issues are resolved soon. Does he also have an Australian one as a backup to use if the new U.K. one doesn’t materialise before your departure?

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    • Thanks for your comments Marion, yes he has an Australian one. He’s not planning on going to the UK soon though, just me
      I think the big money is becoming a tradie and not an accountant or lawyer!

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  11. Waves from NSW! We have cool and rainy weather now, on the coast, and so far the days of your temps have not arrived..but they will. I hear you on trade’s costings but we have to have them we are in a pickle …Take care, and good to meet you from Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share. Denyse.

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  12. Ali, Chilling in the garden is a great way to manage stress. I’m glad your water leak was fixed and hope your husband’s passport issue gets resolved soon. Thank you for your weekend coffee share. Have a safe trip to the UK!

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  14. Nice to meet you through the Weekend Coffee Share. We are having opposite weather. You are too hot & we are too cold. That beach looks delightful right now with our area covered with snow & ice. Karen

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  16. Oh dear Ali, hope the passport issue can be sorted easily and quickly for you. and that it’s not identity theft! I think I’d chill in the garden too. Great shots of the beach 🙂

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  18. Oh Ali, that’s quite a start of the year. I know tradies seem to be like that nowadays. Sometimes they just don’t even show up. But at least one less thing to worry about! And now comes the passport…. Hope it gets sorted out. Have a great year!

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