The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

Well, what an eventful Christmas. Bloke lovingly proposed. I accepted. It was all very romantic.

I rang my best friend to ask if she would be my bridesmaid, and she was over the moon. Maybe I just caught her at a bad moment last time? I dunno, but she definitely sounded different this time.

So, my parents have gone into "Stealth Wedding Planner" mode. Dad's booked the caterer, mum's running around organising marquees and somesuch, future sister in laws are organising flowers and bonboniere, future parents in law are organising alchohol. I have to say I really appreciate their help, as the wedding will be back home in WA, and we live in Victoria, so a lot of time will be spent on teh intarwebs researching bits and pieces.

Anyway, short post this time. Trust you are keeping well, Santa was good to you, and you have a good New Year. Ciao for now.

The Possible Decline of a Treasured Friendship

I have been best friends since I was 9 years old with a girl I met in primary school. Danielle and I were more like sisters than friends, and our friendship had survived long distances, failed relationships, sporadic phonecalls (once every 3 or 4 months or so) and "life" just generally getting in the way. However, that said, I always thought we had the kind of friendship where we could just pick up where we left off, without too much drama. This is how it had happened for the 6 years since I left WA.

That was until last night.

I rang her, as she's been teaching in Karratha, WA for the last 6-ish years, and was looking to get a transfer somewhere south of Perth. School finished in WA last week, so I thought I'd give her a call and see whether she got a transfer. Her other half answered the phone, and told me that she'd already left there to stay with her parents. She had managed to secure a transfer to Bunbury, and he was packing up and driving down later this week.

So, I rang her at her parents' place for a bit of a chat. The conversation continues on like old times, until the bombshell "Oh, by the way, I'm 18 weeks pregnant". The fuck?????? You're 18 weeks pregnant, the sprog's due in May, I'm your best friend (at least that's what I had thought), and this is the first I'm hearing about it?

How did our friendship drift away so badly that the first I'm hearing about such a significant, life-changing event, is half way through it happening?

Bloke thinks I'm overreacting, but I just feel like I've been cut adrift. Such major news, and I knew nothing about it.

I feel very excited for her, but sad about the slow loss of my oldest friend....

Backyard Blitz Update

Well, tired of waiting and waiting (this has been going on for nearly 2 years now), I SMS'd our landlord to ask whether we are going to be invited to renew our lease, and when works are likely to commence on our backyard. The reply I got back went something along the lines of "I don't have time to dedicate to the problem now {this is despite the fact that this is not a new problem} but if you guys would like to come up with some ideas about what you want to do, I would be willing to spend up to 3K on the backyard".

So, punters, any ideas? There is no access to the backyard from anywhere else but the house, ie no side gate etc, so all materials and resultant rubbish will need to be carted in and out via our house.

We don't want anything fancy, but something functional would be good. I was thinking those big concrete pavers (900 x 900mm) with mondo grass in between them to soften it. The killer is that Bloke is very much against doing the work ourselves, as ultimately, it isn't our house, and we shouldn't be doing something to improve the resale value of the property, when it should be up to the landlord to be doing this.

Other than that, we're heading to Williamstown on Saturday night, as we've never been there before. Anyone know of a good fish and chips place down there?