Tuesday, May 27, 2014

~The Car~





........I have finally come to the conclussion I must be OCD ....just a little.  I have been wanting a new car for over a year now....and I have known all that time exactly what car I want, the model, the year and  I have studied this car and know everything that I need to know about it.  I have poured over ebay and every car accessory place there is to find the cosmetic bits I would like on it (I am a bit of a car nut) and how much they cost etc..
       My dilema was hubby is a cash man...does not believe in finance.  He believes if you need something you save and pay cash...not spend on the spur using credit.  Great beliefs,  but frustrating to me because I want everything yesterday.
          He finally told me he has almost enough for the car I want.. and he did agree that if we were only a little bit short he would get a very small personal loan for the difference..so last weekend daughter and I decide to go look for and test drive the car I would like... ......the last measure to make sure this is 'The' car for me.  I had 5 car yards on my list that had the model and year of car I was after in the price range we allowed.
        The first yard had listed one in stunning metalic blue...it looked amazing on the internet and even had an extra feature I didnt expect to find.....so by the time we got to the yard (an hour trip) I was pretty excited....the car was just back from the front and looked amazing in the sunlight....thats where my excitement ended.  We opened the door to look inside only to be hit with the stench of stale cigarettes.  The sunroof (the feature I didnt expect to find but really wanted) was dripping with condensation straight onto the drivers seat.  The let down continued to faded paint on the rear and scratches carved deep into the back from obviously heavy items being dragged in and out.  The car for want of a better word was a pig.  I was starting to think maybe my expectations were too high.  Disheartened, we left the yard and decided to try another car in another yard from my list.  The next yard was only 10 minutes away and we arrived with me no longer wondering around with glazed over expressions of granduer but a more realistic approach of what to expect for the money I had to spend.   This yeard was set to spoil me with two choices of my chosen car.  The first was a stunning dark gray metalic....and did it shine.  I opened the door to be greeted by ....nothing....no odours of stale cigarettes....but pure cleanliness and perfect condition.  In fact this car was perfect all the way around.   So rather than standing there drooling I decided to check the other which was a metalic silver.  It turned out this one was the delux model and while a little dearer than the other, it had all the bells and whistles.  Everything was finished off just that little better and had some fantastic extras that would cost me quite alot if I wanted to put them o the Grey one.  Again spotless, fresh smelling and perfect all the way around.  This was the one I decided to test drive.  The salesman was perfect.  Not pushy...answered all my questions...even my stupid ones.  Handed over the keys...so in we hopped and around the block we went.  I was more convinced than ever now.  I had found it...the car I had my heart set on for over a year.  Now I just had to convince hubby.  The salesman offered for us to drive it to his work (nearly an hour away)...and who were we to turn that down..........we pulled into hubbies work and it was like a grand prix mechanics bay....the 5 boys (hubbies employees...all rev heads) all poured out of the workshop and had everything opened, up, pulled down and were underneath within minutes.    They then proceeded to find several faults (mechanical) ....my heart was in my throat over these finds...but I had to be practical......I asked hubby to ring the salesman and see if a deal could be met but I wasnt holding my breath.  Hubby came back and told me if the salesman would put the agreements they had made (repairs and such) over the phone  in writing....I could HAVE the car.    Back to the yard we went and I must have look so silly driving with a huge grin.  The salesman put everything in writing and I paid our deposit.  Now we are just waiting on the news from the bank (have everything crossed that they approve it)......oh and the car I have wanted for over a year now....Toyota RAV4........keep your fingers crossed for me. xx


Monday, May 12, 2014

~Lifes Lessons~




.         While lunching with my 84 year old mum last Wednesday she was complaining of numbness in her hand ...within seconds the left side of her lip dropped and her speech was a jumbled mess....she was having a stroke.  Two minutes later it was as if it had never happened.  She responded to each question I threw at her with obvious clarity and correctness so my first assumption was I had been wrong.  Rather than take chances I bundled her into the car and drove back to her unit...a 7 minute drive.....if anyone had ever told me 7 minutes was a long time I would have said they were lying.  In those 7 minutes her speech became jumbled and incoherent and my heart was in my throat trying to watch her, question her and still drive saftely to the unit...the longest 7 minutes of my life.  I promptly rang and ambulance and by which time her speech and reasoning had returned and mum proceeded to argue with me she didnt need an ambulance there was nothing wrong with her.  I made her sit and even as I am talking I can hear the ambulance sirens blaring getting closer.  The ambulance oficers agreed she had had a stroke but it was what they called a 'mini' stroke and while loading her in the ambulance she was having another.
        So that was last Wednesday...it is now Monday and they have lost count of how many of these mini strokes she has had.  there have been no lasting effects from the strokes but it has bought an awareness for her that she can no longer live alone and actally wants to move into a nursing home.  Personally I think she is loving all the wonderful care she is receiving.  But for what ever reason my brother and I are definitley glad of her choice.  The next step is working out where she wants to go and when we can get her in.
         The moral of this story is be aware of you elderly relatives and be aware of the symptons of stroke....my mum was lucky (mostly because she has been on blood thinners for years) but also lucky I had been with her when it happened.




Saturday, May 3, 2014

~Cold Wet Saturday~




Winter is definitely here.....we have had heavy rainfall for the last few day and everything looks dark and dreary.  Its even too dark for photos inside....and I hate using a flash so this weeks pretties will be photos from the past.   I do love winter though because it means more sewing time and I get alot of things done inside that I normally put off for time out in the sunshine in the warmer months.  It also means more pinning time on Pinterest....my other addiction.  If you want to check out my Pinterest boards you will find them here: ~Shabby Delights ~ Pinterest
 Thank you Beverley from How Sweet The Sound for being host to Pink Saturday each and every week.

~Happy Pink Saturday~

~The birdhouse I have had forever and the little pink bird is a recent find~



~A couple of pretty plates~



~Dining Room China Cabinet~



~Washing the china usually happens about every 3 months and takes me anything up to 3 days to complete (because I have tooo much).  The Australian climate is very harsh on delicate vintage china and must be done to avoid crazing~

~Sweet Pinks in one of the kitchen hutches~

~One of my favourite musical Bols bottles~

~These jugs were my mums but there use to be 3 in the set and now only the smaller two have survived.  My mum used to use these to heat up my bottles in when I was a baby and the small chintz pin dish belonged to my nanna~

~Lovely Royal Albert~

~This cabinet gets changed around regularly~

~Thank you for visiting me~