TELLING IT ON TUESDAY (Part 18b) 1956-1958

I am not doing Wednesday Wandering this week but instead posting Part 18b of Telling it on Tuesday. I am also reposting this as for some reason when I published it it showed under the date of 30 April instead of today's date.  Why that happens I have no idea and it appears there is to way to rectify that problem without redoing the whole post.  If anyone has seen it on the first posting I am sorry and if you did leave a comment perhaps you would be so kind to do so again here.  Thank you.

As said, I am doing this in two parts so I can show you some photos of my/our beautiful daughter of who I was, and still am, so proud.  Some photos I have a date for, but others not, but I will try to show them in chronological order as much as possible.  Please forgive me my self-indulgence in showing these pictures but I so enjoy going back and remembering  Much of life at that time was just so good.

Again I must apologise for the quality of the photographs.  Do remember a Kodak box brownie was the only camera I had and the originals are really quite small (and rather old now).

This photo was taken in the back garden of Fitzgerald Street (you can see the outdoor laundry (wash- house) on the left of photo.  Karen once again with her beloved grandmother:

This next one unfortunately is the only one I have with her other grandma, at least when Karen was young.  It was taken one Sunday morning in Grace's back garden at 556 Fitzgerald Street (yes, she lived just up the road from us at that time and not all that far away when we moved to Walcott Street, still within walking distance.)

The next photo was taken just for the fun of it.  Mum always said when I was a baby I sat up very straight so she took a photo of me with a saucepan lid on my head to prove it.  I, of course, had to do the same thing but Karen seemed to think it quite hilarious and even though she was laughing the lid stayed put.

This next is one of my favourites and I hope my daughter will forgive me for showing it here.  Mum had also taken one of me in this position, so a repeat performance in the next generation was a necessity.

Moving on a few months and we are now living in Walcott Street and it is March, 1957 and Karen is 20 months old.  She now has pretty fair hair and a lovely smile. (You can see by the surrounds that it was indeed a very old house).

This next photo just had to be taken.  Although it was April (1957) it had been a dreadfully hot day (thus just the shorts and slippers).  I had been busy somewhere in the house and when I came down to the kitchen there was Karen sitting on the lino flooring playing with a lipstick of mine (which was very soft because of the heat) and a salt shaker.  She had mixed the two together on the floor and then applied the mixture to her face.  I had no other choice than to grab the camera before the cleaning up process began.   I couldn't help but laugh.  You can't be cross at times like this can you?  As you can see she is still holding both the lipstick and the salt shaker.

This is May, 1957 (22 months).  Just out of bed and still clutching her much loved teddy.  The weather had cooled down dramatically since the hot spell we'd had in early April.  Those pyjama pants don't look too secure do they?  I know Karen herself really loves this photo.

In July, 1957 Karen turned two and about that time we were visiting my friend Wilma who lived in South Perth.  Karen is cuddling their cat and he would than have been about 21 years old.  It had been Wilma's husband Jim's cat when he was a child and he had bought the cat with him when she and Jim were married.

We had chooks (hens) in the rear section of our back garden and Karen used to enjoy helping feed them.  This was August 1957 and she was 25 months old.  Not sure why this one didn't come out clearly but I had to include it as it's all part of Karen growing up.

November, 1957 .. 28 months.  Sitting on one of the benches in the back garden at Walcott Street.          

New Year's Eve 1957.  Karen in her bathers after going for a swim.  This is was 3 months after her brother Steven was born.  I think this would be down at the Swan River where we would quite often go for a swim and a picnic.  The river was much cleaner in those days than it is now.                        

Once again with her Grandma Win in January, 1958 when she was 2 years and 6 months.

March, 1958 (2 years 8 months) with our pet sheep.  Karen's hair by then was quite curly and she really was a delightful little girl and quite well behaved as well.       

                                                                

Please do forgive me for showing so many photos and for bearing with me in splitting this episode into two parts.  Even though I did include photos of Karen with Steven in part 18a, and include her in the story I felt the previous part belonged more to Steven as after all it was the year of his birth.       

TELLING IT ON TUESDAY (Part 18a) 1957-1959

In part 17 I left us living in Walcott Street having spent a lot of time making a somewhat dirty house into one in which we were quite happy to live with out little daughter.  I had just found out I was pregnant and my GP had once again referred me to Dr Connaughton, the obstetrician, just in case.

We were quite happy that another baby was on the way and there would be just over 2 years between them which I felt worked well.  I kept quite well this time but once again my baby decided to arrive 4 weeks early.  Strangely enough my mother, the night before Karen was born, was concerned about me and told me to take care.  The night before this baby was born she walked around to our home to see if I was OK.  When I told her I was pretty sure I was having contractions she was not at all surprised.  She and dad had adopted me so how was it she had this sixth sense where I was concerned?  It has never failed to amaze me.  I do know she loved me very much so perhaps that was enough.

It was probably about 8.30pm when mum arrived to check on me and we eventually took off for the hospital at about 10pm where on 24th September, 1957, at 11.55pm our son was born.  He weighed 6lb 5ozs and was 19" long.  This time there was some concern that he may have respiratory problems,  so he was placed in a humid crib for a few days.  During both pregnancies my blood pressure had gone much higher than normal and I had put on weight as my body was also full of fluid.  When this baby was born he was very plump looking but he too had fluid which, when it had drained away, left him quite a few ounces lighter than his birth weight and he then looked a little like a skinned rabbit. I had to be content with looking through the window to see him in the humid crib but after about 3 days they said he was doing fine so he was placed in the main nursery.

We first decided to call our son Peter and then realised Aub's sister had a son Peter and then someone made a stupid remark suggesting I had thought of Peter as a name as I was still sweet on Peter Webster that I had gone out with on a casual basis.  He was in fact the chap that had introduced me to Aub.  They were so wrong as it had never been serious between us although he was still a close friend.  We talked it over and decided that our second choice was best so we now had Steven Aubrey in our family.   I chose that spelling as I thought should be wish to use the abbreviated form of his name, the spelling would be the same and he did, in later years, choose to be called Steve, so that worked out well.

Once again, to the chagrin of other mums in the hospital, my doctor said I didn't have to stay in bed and it was great to be able to shower each day and walk around as much as I cared to.  I would often go down to the hospital shop to buy items the other mums wanted.  This time the maternity ward was over full so four of us were on a large verandah.  Being September the weather was quite temperate and it was rather nice not being confined to an indoor room and we had lots of fresh air.

I was a wee bit apprehensive about going home and dealing with a new baby, plus a very active  toddler, in a two storey house and strangely enough I developed quite a severe back ache day or two before I was due to go home.  I did wonder if it was perhaps psychosomatic but did mention it to Dr Connaugton. I am sure he knew the reason for this sudden sore back and his response was "Oh, you'll be fine.  When you get home pop out and mow the lawn and you'll find you then won't have a problem."  I'm not sure he would have suggested that if he'd known the large expanse of lawn we had and, needless to say, the lawn did get mowed, but not not by me.  Aub used to borrow his step-dad;s electric mower which made the job very easy.  My back did improve or otherwise I just didn't have time to think of it any more as I was suddenly quite busy.

It didn't take long for Steven to pick up and although he looked quite thin when I took him home it only took a few months for him to begin to thrive and stack on weight.  Unfortunately, for some reason, I don't have any very early pictures but here he is in December,1957, aged 3 months in his basket and with his big sister.  He had short quite dark hair and, unlike, Karen he did have eyelashes and eye brows when he was born.

In those days there were restraints for babies or children in cars and the baby, in her or his basket (as shown above), would be placed on the back seat or otherwise mother (dads usually did the driving in family cars back then) would nurse the baby in her arms or, with older kiddies, on her lap.  Adults also did not wear seat belts.  The traffic was far less dense then although the speed limit much the same as it is today, or even faster then as it is now 50kph in built up areas.   In Perth suburbs the speed limit was 35mph with give way to the right rules in place at all intersections where there were no traffic lights.  I don't remember any of our family or friends having traffic crashes in those days but I know that quite a few did happen from my experiences when working for the insurance assessor and also in the claims section at Western Assurance.

Steven continued to thrive and by six months he was a happy, plump baby.  He was always very happy with the family but was terribly shy with strangers so they did not get rewarded with a big beaming smile from him as they always had from Karen when she was a baby.  March, 1958 at 6 months of age:

It was at about this time that my daughter decided to go walkabout.  I would have been sitting quietly somewhere in the house feeding Steven (he took rather a long time to have his feeds) and after it was done I called Karen but she was nowhere to be seen.   I searched the house and the big shed but no Karen.  I popped Steven in his pram and popped around the corner to my friend Del's place.  She put her second daughter Susan in her pram with Dianne on board as well and off we set.   Thinking Karen may have headed to my mum's place we proceeded down to Fitgerald Street.  Mum, of course, was at the office but no sign of Karen in her garden anywhere.  Karen was wearing her red candlewick dressing gown and Del spotted a tiny figure right up at the top of the park where there were swings.   Del said to let her go up there while I minded the three children as Karen may run if she saw me coming, thinking I could be cross.  Next thing there was Karen coming down holding Del's hand.  She was not the least bit perturbed about going walkabout but she had been playing in some gravel and said "I got a stone up my nose" and sure enough there was.  Del carefully removed the pebble and all was well.  Strange how other mums can often do things with one's children that they are wary about their own mums doing.  We realised she had managed to climb the cyclone fence (she couldn't open the gate) that stretched across the back yard,  had walked down the back lane and headed down York Street to Fitzgerald Street.  Her other grandmother (Aub's mum) had a friend tell her she had been heading up Fitzgerald Street for a visit that very morning and had seen this little girl in red walking up the middle of the road.  I have no idea if that lady had the presence of mind to tell Karen to go to the footpath but somehow that child managed not to get hurt at all (except for the problem of that pebble) and we had her back home safe and sound with many big sighs of relief and my thanks to Del for being there when needed.  Karen at that time would have been a few months of 3 years old.  I doubt she would have survived in today's traffic.

Things in the Lewis household were going along reasonably well although cracks were showing.  We had a group of friends and would alternate between each others's homes to play cards and perhaps enjoy a drink or two.  Sadly two of the couples with whom we were close lost their babies when not very old (one to cot death, the other we were not really sure what happened).  When you have babies of your own it is sad to go to the funeral of a very young one. We did what we could to comfort them but unless you have lost a child it is difficult to even imagine what they were going through.  One of the couples split up not long after the loss of their son but I feel theirs was never a happy marriage anyway.

Aub was not a good one at handling money.  He was great in that he handed me his unopened pay packet each Friday and I would put money away to pay all the different bills.   Unfortunately he would find he had need of money to perhaps go fishing or shooting with friends and he spent quite a lot of money on photography and so my well thought out payment plan would go out the window.  I remember once going to see Dr Wheeler and felt so embarrassed when he suggested I ask Aub to please pay the accounts that were owing.  I'd had the money put away but of course it has been spent for other purposes.  I made sure our doctor got his money straight away and always on time after that.  In those days you didn't pay at the surgery on the day of your visit but would receive a bill in the mail.

This is a photo of Steven in April, 1958 at 7 months and Karen would be two years and nine months:

 

We were always rather short of money and my mum was wonderful in that she would buy items for both the children and I always made their clothes.  She bought me a very nice brushed nylon dressing gown when I was expecting Steven and a very smart overcoat the following year.  I even made some of Aub's working shirts which also saved us quite a lot of money.  I had an account with Economic Stores (long gone now) where you would 'buy' some of their store currency so you could buy things in their store (mainly material and wool in my case) and pay off the account on the 'never never'.  That worked out very well and they had a great variety of fabrics and other things required for making all types of clothes.  I first of all had mum's old Singer sewing machine but then managed to buy myself a more modern machine (again on the never never) that had fancy stitches so I could make really pretty things for Karen and buttonholes on shirts and blouses as well.  That really made dressmaking so much easier.

I was not a wonderful housewife but did my best although did find it a bit difficult living in a not very convenient, but otherwise comfortable, old two storey home.  I often wonder if some of my later back problems came from carrying the children up and down the stairs, especially when by 12 months of age Steven weighed 2 stone (28 pounds).   These are photos of him when he was 10 months and 11 months old and you can see he was quite a big boy.  July, 1958 and

having a picnic with his sister in the back garden at Walcott Street in August, 1958.  Looking at this photo I wonder if he painted more on his face and legs than he ate!  Karen had turned three the previous month.  They really did make a delightful pair.

As things became worse between Aub and myself I decided I'd had enough and told him I was taking the children and going to stay with mum.  Talk about the old adage "I'm going home to my mother" but go I did as I didn't feel it was doing the children much good seeing and hearing us arguing so much.   One of our friends helped me moved as much as I needed to mum's home and this of course enraged Aub and I truly think he believed Don and I were having an affair.  Nothing could have been further from the truth and I often did wonder if perhaps Don wasn't all that keen on girls but must admit he was very kind to me.   He actually picked the children and me up on Christmas Day 1958 and took us for a picnic to Harvey Dam (south of Perth).  Steven was 15 months and Karen 3 years and 5 months.  This is a photo of the two kiddies on the day:

Karen had begun to talk when very young and by the time she was about 12 months you could almost carry on a conversation with her.  She had also begun to walk just before she was a year old whereas Steven didn't talk much at all (apart from mumma and dadda) not did he try to walk.  I talked to the clinic sister and she said not to worry and asked if I thought his sister understood what he wanted.  I then realised he would often make a sound and Karen seemed to understand what he wanted and many times seemed to do what he wanted her to do.  The clinic sister explained this was often the case.  The older child would know what their younger sibling wanted so there was no need for the young one to bother talking.

We were quite comfortable staying with mum and fortunately the tenant from the room at the back of her house had left so Steven and I were billeted out there and Karen shared mum's bedroom.  I cooked most the meals so mum had less to do when she returned from the office.

We did give her a bit of a break when the kiddies and I went down to stay with friends Judy and Barry in their home in Katanning for a couple of weeks.  We had lots of fun all driving down their in Barry's VW beetle.  I still try to remember how we fitted but think Judy and Barry were of course in the front bucket seats while I was on the back seat with Karen and their daughter Robyn and the two little boys, Steven and their son Bruce, sat in the little well between the back seat and the rear window.  Sounds dangerous and when you consider it was a trip of about 180 miles I guess we were lucky to make it without any mishaps.  As said before, driving on the roads was much different back in the late 1950s.

Judy and Barry were moving into another house they had bought (they were going to rent out their current home) and I was able to help Judy with the packing.  Their eldest son Geoffrey was away at boarding school in Perth but she still had her hands full with the other children.  We actually had a lot of fun and it was nice to get away from Perth for a while.  Aub had decided he would drive to Katanning and pick us up and he did this, though still back to my mum's place.

I think that is a good place to have a rest and give you one as well (if you've even got this far).

I have divided this into 18a and 18b as I am going to do the second part entirely with photos of Karen up to the age of about two and half years which is just after Steven was born.  

MONDAY MURMURINGS

One of the articles on the front page of today's "Western Australian" was to the effect that 2400 drivers are caught speeding here every day, many of whom are doing more than 10/kmh above the speed limit while some may exceed it by up to 50/kmh above the limit.  While 10/kmh doesn't sound a great deal over the limit, it certainly is if the speed limit on that particular road is 100/kmh or in some cases 110/kmh.

Our speed limits in Perth are 40/kmh past schools morning and afternoon; 50/kmh in built up suburban streets; 60/kmh in other suburban areas; 70 or 80 or 90/kmh on main roads and usually 100 or 110/kmh on country roads.  (In miles per hour that is approximately 25, 31, 37, 43, 50, 56, 63 and so on.)

I have noticed over past months/years that there are a lot of single car crashes, particularly of a car crashing into a tree or occasionally a telegraph pole, or even a house.    Surely the majority of those crashes would be caused by a car being driven far too fast or driver inattention.

Neither Phil nor I in our years of driving have ever been pulled over for speeding and the only time Phil received a ticket was many years ago when late at night he had gone through a red light.  It was one of those double intersections where there are two sets of traffic lights and if you happened to be looking at the wrong one and it was green you could quite easily continue driving.  My daughter also did that once years ago at an intersection near our home where another set of lights just up the hill was green.   I think these days they have managed to change the type of traffic light so that is less likely to happen.

Getting back to the question of speed on the roads.  Of course most cars are capable of doing speeds much higher than any allowed even on our big highways.  In a way this is a good thing as it means cars have the ability to accelerate when necessary to perhaps avoid a collision so we can't argue about that.  I was always confident that my 2 litre Ford Escort could accelerate well if needed but even then one must always take into account the car could fail for some reason so best not to take chances in the first place.  I always maintained the speed limit wherever possible as I consider that drivers that drive below the existing speed limit can also be a danger to others as well as themselves.

Why are people speeding more than they did?  I have heard say and read as well, that many people are becoming more arrogant these days ... selfish and thoughtless ... and I think unfortunately this may be true.   I feel, for some reason, there is more pressure on folk these days and it is becoming more of a rat race than it has ever been before and so people are more worried about number one and less likely to consider the feelings or needs or others.

Recently it was decided drivers caught using mobile (cell) phones while driving a car would lose 6 demerit points and I think this was an excellent idea and feel it should perhaps be kept in force until people learn that it is against the law.  I've even seen drivers of huge semi-trailers driving one-handed with their phones pressed to their ear and if that is not asking for trouble I don't know what is.

We are nearly all taught at an early age that we should obey the law and also not to do anything that is an annoyance to others.  In other words, "behave yourself and don't be naughty"!!   The majority of people do not commit assault, burglary etc., etc., and yet those same people think nothing of exceeding the speed limit or using their mobile phones while driving and yet by doing those things they are still breaking the law and endangering themselves and others.  They even become exceedingly annoyed should they be stopped by a traffic policeman and feel they are being targeted.  If they were doing the right thing in the first place they wouldn't have been pulled over; it is as simple as that.  Don't break the law.

I have no idea what the answer is.  It would seem once a person gets behind the wheel of their car they think they are sacrosanct and have no need to answer to a higher authority.  Why?  I only know whereas I once enjoyed driving, or being driven, there is no joy in it now as one is nearly always aware that some idiot out there is going to do the wrong thing and not give a damn about other people on the road, or themselves for that matter.

SUNDAY DOGS

The WELSH TERRIER is (obviously) a Welsh breed of dog originally bred for hunting fox, rodents and badger, but during the last century it has mainly been bred for showing.  Despite this, it has retained its terrier strength of character.  The Welsh Terrier originates from Wales and has been claimed to be the oldest existing dog breed in the UK according to research.  It was a late comer to the British show ring (being primarily a working dog) and was not officially registered as a breed until the 19th century.  It is currently on the UK Kennel Clubs list of breeds that are in danger of dying out, having as few as 300 or so pups registered annually, as compared to the nation's most popular breeds that are registered in the tens of thousands each year.

It is coloured tan on the head, legs and underbelly while having a black or sometimes grizzle saddle.  This is not always the case with female terriers as they are sometimes a simple darker tan all over.  It is a sturdy breed and a compact dog of about medium size.  The tail was usually docked until this was prohibited in the United Kingdom in 2006, being preferred in order to complete the image of a square dog, as tall as it is long.  The body shape is rectangular, with elongated "brick-like" face.  This shape is formed by the whiskers and beard.  With pedigrees the face can take a more oval shape and be finer boned and more distinct.

The Welsh Terrier has a typical terrier temperament.  In the right hands it is a happy, lively and seldom shy or timid but but sometimes can have an attitude.  It is generally good with people and dogs but when a challenge is perceived, it will not back down. Dogs of this breed can be devoted friends and can function either as city dogs or as country dogs.

Welsh Terriers were developed to hunt independently and this required that they be very assertive and stoic dogs.  As a consequence, developing obedience in a Welsh Terrier is a long term proposition and one has to constantly work on and reinforce the training.  They rank 53rd in Stanly Coren's "The Intelligence of Dogs", being of average working/obedience intelligence.  This, however, does not mean they fail to learn or understand commands, just that they tend to make their own decisions; thus the need for constant reinforcement.  When acting on their own, they are quite creative and quick in decision making.  They also have the potential for excessive barking and like other terrier breeds, they enjoy digging.  (They would be two traits that would put me right off this dog much as I love its shape and its looks.  Who couldn't just love this face?).

A Welsh Terrier is full of energy and requires regular excersie.  A run around the yard during the day is insufficient.  They become yappy, and if bored, they may explore and potentially cause mischief and damage.  They need a challenge to keep them entertained.  They love chasing toys and love to swim (i.e. lake activities with their families).

They get along well with children; they love to play and follow a child as it plays, however they will often tug at pant legs and can knock young ones off their feet.  If they are around young children at an early age, they will easily learn to play more gently.

As with all breeds, it is important to socialise Welsh Terriers as early as possible with a wide range of dogs, people and experiences.

(Much as I love these 'square' dogs I doubt I would have the patience to own one of these.  Phil saw these pics and says this Welsh Terrier looks like a miniature Airedale and I guess it does.)

Once again thanks to Wikipedia for the information but the pictures were found free on the internet.  Once again Wikipedia says some clarification could be needed but as these dogs have been around for such a long time I would think the information here would be correct.

SATURDAY CATS

This will be the last Saturday cat of the felis domesticus variety but I may try and find information about some of the big cats if I can.

The YORK CHOCOLATE (or simply York) is an uncommon and relatively recent breed of show cat, with a long, fluffy coat and a tapered tail and most of them are mostly or entirely chocolate brown.  The breed was named after New York state, where it was established in 1983.  It was created by colour selectin domestic long haired cats of mixed ancestry.  The breed it not widely recognised by cat registries.

The breed was created by Janet Chiefari in 1983 (unreliable source).  The father was a black long haired cat and the mother was a long haired black and white cat.  Their Siamese ancestors created the brown colouring in one kitten: Brownie.  Brownie had a kitten that subsequent summer with a black long haired form.  There were two kittens in the litter: a chocolate male and a white and chocolate female.  Upon noticing similarities in coat and body types, Chiefari began her own breeding programme.

The breed is recognised under the shorter name York by the recently founded World Cat Federation based in Germany, and with some differences from previously published standards, most of which seem to have been lost.  In March, 1990, the Cat Fancier's Federation of the New England area of the US recognised the York chocolates as an "experimental" cat breed, and allegedly gave it championship status within the group in March, 1992, but publishes no breed standard or any other information about the breed today.  It was supposedly granted champion status by the Canadian Cat Association in March, 1995, as well but while the CCA published a breed standard in 1995, as of March, 2013, the organisation no longer advertises it, and it includes outdated wording.

The York is a medium to large cat with a rounded heat and a moderately long muzle.  They have large almond shaped eyes that are either gold or green.  Their bodies are slender and midway betwen the Oriental and foreign types, with long necks.  The have full taped tails. tufted feet and sometimes ruffs.  The coat is semi-longhaired and very fine.  (There seem to be a variety of acceptable colours allowed with the kittens being much lighter with tabby "ghost" markings and tipping being acceptable in kittens).

Wikipedia states that this article needs additional citations for verification.  I wonder if anyone has actually heard of the York Chocolate or even just the York?  I certainly haven't but they look to be rather nice cats.

FRIDAY FUN

I was wondering just what I could find for today when an email arrived with some great animal pics so I thought I'd share some of them with you.  We all love animals and the antics they can get up to and these are no different.  No descriptions needed.  I just love the owl!!

Take the smile with you into the weekend and have a good one.

THOUGHTS ON THURSDAY

Once again I look back on the week that was and find as many 'rights' as I can.

1.  I had not heard from my doctor re the x-ray I had done  on 22 April (the follow up one from 2 weeks previous 8/4) so I rang the surgery and was told by his receptionist "Everything is fine" so that was a big 'right'.  My GP always sends a letter to make an appointment if any test we have done needs to be followed up and when no letter had arrived I 'thought' all was OK but needed to be reassured.  I will definitely seek confirmation when I have my next B12 injection in a couple of weeks but he's never let us down before so am confident all is well.

2.  The grouting in our kitchen was done last Thursday and it looks really great so another 'right'.  With the lighter bench tops and the white tiles it is all so much lighter and brighter AND I am getting used to THAT sink, albeit slowly.

3.  A good 'right' was going down to celebrate our third great-granddaughter's second birthday last Saturday.  It was so much fun watching her open her presents and even though she is only two she is so 'grown up' in the things she does.  As you know I always enjoy seeing our little family and we spent an enjoyable few hours together.  Had hoped our grandson would be there but he may have been working so we missed seeing him yet again.

4.  We had rain last weekend and although we would have preferred to have more we feel the season has broken with the days and nights cooling down and all days below 25ºC.  That is a big 'right' in my world and I actually had to check what the noise was when it rained.  It was of course the rain on the patio roof which is just outside my workroom and, not having heard it for so many months, I truly didn't know what it was.  Silly me!

We are now looking forward to having the new vinyl laid this morning but it has been quite a bit of fun with what has been happening the past couple of days.

On the 6 MARCH we had a visit from a Mr Tyler from Western Building who looked at all the damage caused by me flooding the kitchen.  He then submitted his report to the insurance company.  We then had a visit from Aquacare to assess whether the floor coverings needed replacing and we were told the vinyl in the kitchen definitely had to be replaced and also a section of carpet in the hall that had got very wet.

So far so good.  We then had a visit from Reece whose cabinet works had the job of manufacturing and installing the new lower kitchen cupboards after, of course, removing the old.  We are more than satisfied with their work although they did lose the covers for the 3-pin plugs and we are hoping they will be able to rectify that problem as it rather spoils the overall appearance.

I then rang Aquacare to ask about the floor coverings and were told they only inspected them and reported their findings but did not do any replacement work and we would have to ring the insurance company about their replacement.

I rang GIO on the Wednesday before Easter (16/4) and was told I'd need to speak to our Client Manager and they would have that person ring us (I think I've mentioned this previously).  I had heard nothing by the following week so rang GIO (23/4) again and this time was transferred to a gentleman who said he would set the ball rolling.  The following day (24/4) I then had a phone call from Mr Anderson from Western Building to tell me to expect someone from Allen's Carpet Court about replacement of the floor coverings. He didn't mention which so I expected it would be both the vinyl and carpet.   We then of course had the long weekend for Anzac Day.

On Monday (28/4) a young man rang to say he had been asked to come and measure up and quote for replacing the kitchen vinyl and some carpet but not just the hall carpet but the living area as well.  I queried this but he was adamant this was correct.  "Mmmmm" thought Phil and I "we'll believe that when it happens".  As he left he handed me his business card but he was not from Carpet Court but from another carpet firm "Choices".  This I must admit left us rather confused but we thought we'd just go with the flow and wait to see what happened.

On Tuesday (29/4) we had a call from a gentleman from Allen's Carpet Court (it was actually Allen himself) who said he would call after lunch.  He arrived and proceeded to measure up the kitchen for the vinyl.  When asked about measuring the carpet he said he had only been told to replace the vinyl.
Curiouser and curiouser!!  Later than afternoon Allen rang to say he's been given the go ahead and his workmen would be hear Thursday morning to do the job.  He had brought samples with him and we had chosen the vinyl we would like and also some carpet in case he was given that job as well.

Yesterday morning (30/4) Phil took a call from a man saying they had received an email from GIO in Melbourne and been given the go ahead to do the work (both the vinyl and the carpet) and would we please come in and choose the patterns we would like.  He also said they would move all the furniture if we would remove the books from the book cases and other odds and ends and smaller items.  Phil is never fully awake for the first half hour or so in the morning and when I queried who had been on the phone he said it was a chap from Allen's Carpet Court but not Allen himself as it was his RDO.   Phil said he may be a brother as they both have the same accent (we knew Allen himself had been born in Wolverhampton but had lived in Bolton so had a north England accent.  (Phil, being English himself, recognises most English accents).

I was not at all happy with this so checked the phone screen for the number and found it to be a local number and not one from north or the river so knew it was not Carpet Court.  I then hit redial and the man who answered the phone did indeed have the same accent as Allen but he was from Choices carpets.  I explained to him about Carpet Court being given the vinyl job (he knew nothing about this of course) but perhaps they could still do the carpet replacement.  He said he would get in touch with GIO and try and clear up just what was going on.

If you've got this far I hope you are still able to understand what is going on.  I just had to write it all down because I was beginning to believe it wasn't really happening but of course it is.

I also rang Allen from Carpet Court and told him about this call we'd had and his response was that the vinyl had been cut and his workmen would be here to lay it this morning at about 8.30 or 9am.  I told him not to worry that the job was still his but I just wanted to keep him in the loop and he could still go ahead and quote for the carpet if he wanted to do so.  He said he would do that.

I then thought it perhaps judicious to speak to either Mr Tyler or Mr Anderson of Western Building to find out just what the situation.  Mr Anderson transferred me to Mr Tyler and his explanation completely floored me:

It seems that floor coverings, such as vinyl, that are stuck down are part of the building are covered under one's building insurance, but flooring, such as carpet, which is not stuck down is covered by the contents insurance.  Western Building therefore had only been give the go ahead to have the cupboards and vinyl replaced as they are part of the building and when he had contacted Allen's Carpet Court the instruction to them was to replace the vinyl only.

I then telephoned "Richie" at Choices and told him Carpet Court were going to replace the vinyl and it had already been cut, but hoped they would they still go ahead with the carpet.  He said he had just been on the telephone to GIO (who apparently were the ones that had contacted Choices without telling us so no wonder we were confused) and they were going to look into the matter and would email him (Richie) this morning.  We are right now waiting to hear back from Choices in the hope of having this conundrum settled once and for all.

It is beyond my dreams that all the carpet will be replaced although we were told by Choices that insurance companies will sometimes do that if the area is not too great and it definitely showed that about 52 square metres were to be replaced (I saw that on the work sheet but am not sure if that included the vinyl as well).  Richie said the area was less than that so it should be covered OK.  As the hall carpet is part of the whole living area it would be nice not to have different carpet in the hall. We could of course ask for a quote to replace the lot if GIO say only the hall carpet is to be replaced and it would depend on just what that quote would be.

I wonder if all the above has been part of the reason I've not been having restful sleep over the past few nights.  I've been warm enough without too many many aches and pains and am hoping when all this is resolved I will sleep peacefully once again.

Sorry to have burdened you with this (that's if you manage to wade through it all) but I just had to get it off my chest and as you know my blog is wonderful for doing just that.