Decisions...decisions

We have had a busy couple of weeks since I last posted an update.

I have been researching rainwater tanks so we can take advantage of generous rebates schemes from the Gold Coast City Council ($500) and the Queensland government ($1000). The Gold Coast rebate scheme ends this month so I had to at least make an order and pay a deposit for a tank to be eligible. We have ordered a 7200 litre round tank that will go down in the area near our clothes line (if you know our place). I will install it myself and add a pump that will be powerful enough to drive the garden/lawn sprinkler system. We also want to use tank water to top up the pool during summer. All up it will probably cost us around $500 after the rebate.

I have been looking around for contract jobs in Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Dealing with recruitment agents can be so frustrating. Some agents don’t have authority to put people forward for some contracts but still advertise for the positions, then try and somehow put your resume in through the back door, which essentially gives you little to no chance of getting the contact. Fortunately I have managed to get an interview for a contract on the Gold Coast this Monday, plus I have a couple of other possibilities in Brisbane city that I am hoping to get interviews for. Hopefully I will have a bit of luck and get offered at least one of them.

Lani has also been considering a change in employment. She has a possible job opportunity to work as a Sales Rep for my brother-in-law Carl who runs a marketing company. It involves selling/marketing pharmaceutical products to pharmacies. She will meet up with Carl next week to discuss the job and they will decide whether or not she will be suitable.

Hopefully in the next week or two our employment situations will have been sorted out and decided so we can plan what we are doing for Christmas and the New Year. We were planning to spend Christmas on the Gold Coast this year but if everything works out the way we want it to we might visit Sydney and Canberra.

It was also Lani's birthday this week. 35 years old, but still looks 21.

Friends visit...no place like home

The kids are now settled back in at school after their holidays. James is going really well both at school and home. Since Lani has returned to work he has really made an effort to be more independent and does a lot of the everyday things without Lani or I chasing him up, like getting ready for school, doing homework/assignments and getting ready for bed. Jasmine on the other hand is testing the boundaries and often needs prompting to get things done. Hopefully it is just a temporary stage that she is going through.

On Saturday some good friends of ours from Sydney (Neil, Alison and their son Adam) visited while on a short holiday on the Gold Coast. We enjoyed having them visit and it was really good to catch up with them.

On Sunday morning the multi skilled Lani cut James and my hair in the morning. She does just as good as any hairdresser I have had. In the afternoon we went out to Jacob’s Ridge estate at Ormeau (about 17km north of Helensvale) to check out some display homes and also have a look at the land available.  We really liked a couple of the 2 storey display homes but didn’t think too much of the land on offer. We were kind of out there on a reconnaissance mission to see if we were missing out on anything but there was certainly nothing to match the location we have of our current home. We also visited Lani’s cousin Mark and family, who had only just moved into their new home a few days before.

Jumping for joy

School holidays are over for the kids. Back to school tomorrow. They must have had an OK holiday because they both aren’t looking forward to returning to school. They have had some fun riding their bikes, playing at the Broadwater park at Southport and swimming. The pool temperature is much more acceptable now and even James can handle a bit of time in it.

Yesterday we bought the kids a round (3m diameter) trampoline that was on sale and have put a raincheck on a netted enclosure for it. They were jumping with joy. Hopefully it will keep them entertained and active outside without causing any significant injuries. James has already tried to do a back flip and hurt his neck a little, despite being told not to try to do it. I don’t mind him trying a forward flip but back flips are much more difficult.

Today we bought a motorised treadmill. We got a very good deal because the part of the frame at the base had been badly damaged. However the damage does not effect the operation of it at all and is not really noticeable. I have been thinking of getting a treadmill for a while because walking is good for my back and walking on a treadmill has even lower impact.

I have also uploaded some new photos onto Flickr.