Its been a hard days night plus plus.

Just when I thought I had got my life organised, hello, the universe struck back and said no, you need a few more challenges in your life yet, lol. Balancing jobs has continued since I last wrote. After a massive week I got to Monday (ten days ago now) and as I worked late the night before at the ff place I thought bliss, I have a day off tomorrow, I will sleep in,catch up on some stuff, and surface to catch up with folk. Well, the alarm went off early as I had forgotten to turn it off, but I did go back to sleep. I got up later in the morning, did some tidying up and washing, curled up on the couch to watch some morning telly, made it to lunch time and crawled back into bed and slept the afternoon away. This was all good as I thought I had two days off in a row. Wrong!!!! at 11.30pm that night as I was putting some things away, I picked up my calander and nearly stroked out when I saw I was working at the residential home at 6.45am until 3pm the next day, in fact the calander said I should have been there that day. OMG, but surely they would have rung me. Well, try to sleep when you have already had more than your usual quota for the day, not made any easier by waking on the hour so I didn't sleep in again like the week before. I made it to work ok, to find out we were going on an outing to the Greenhough Wild Life Farm south of Geraldton. The boys were in high spirits so we nearly didn't get there until they settled, had seat belts on and were getting on together. The wild life farm was a bit of a misnomer as there were a few domestic animals as well but there were dingos, emus, kangaroos, a crocodile and some cockatoos, along with the donkey, horse, goats, sheep, steer - (there were lizards and snakes too but didnt get to see them up close). We were given bags of food to feed some of the animals, strict instructions on not feeding others and everyone seemed to have a good time. Just as I walked up to one of the enclosures, there was a male peacock with his tail up which was awesome. I think the last time I saw that happen was a zoo visit when I was around 5 yrs old, lol. Unfortunately, the battery in the camera died so missed getting photographic evidence.

I found I was to be working the following day too, so another early morning start - this time a trip to Horrocks Beach had been organised. Horrocks Beach is about an hour up the coast line north of Geraldton. Horrocks Beach looks like a picture from the 1950's - fibrolite baches across the road from the beach, one general type store, and a motor camp. Where we parked, there was a covered area with tables and a kitchen sink at one end where you could sit and eat, there was a barbeque outside and a play area beside that. Down on the beach, a grader was working to fix the shore line from the storms of the week before. There was a jetty going out into the tide and as we had gone with another group of kids, some had a go at fishing off that, while others played in the sand or got into the water. It was a beautiful day, so I sat up on a bank, surveying where the kids were all at soaking up the sun - woohoo. The water is relatively shallow for quite a way out, so had already worked out the likelihood of my having to leap down the bank to rescue someone lol, which was extremely minimal. After a picnic lunch we headed back to the home. I finished at work there with 20 mins to spare to get back into town, get dressed to head out the door to the ff place for my evening job. Luckily is was not a late night so was back here by around 9pm.

grader working on the beach

looking out from beside the play area

baches

I had noticed the car smelt hot when I got home that night, but didn't think much more of it. I had the next day off until 3pm, had made my list of things I wanted to get down in town but first, I wanted to get the inside light in the car sorted. After replacing a missing fuse the week before I hunted out a small screwdriver to pop the cover off to check the light bulb and as I jiggled the bulb, hey presto , the light came on. Eureka, I thought, and was feeling pretty pleased with my mechanical prowess. Oh, how pride goeth before a fall, and the following was the Grand Canyon of falling, lol. Remembering the hot smell, I thought I would check the oil and water, imagining the oil may need a top up. If only. I found a jug, filled it with water and watched somewhat disconcertedly as it poured in one end of the radiator and whooshed out somewhere near the right front tyre. Just in case it was an abberation, I poured another jug into said radiator, and lo and behold, it whooshed through again. All was not lost, as I had just opened the mail that morning to find my new RAC card. In NZ it would be the Automoblie Association - I am thinking it may stand for roadside assistance something but if I am wrong you get my drift. I mentioned some time ago joining the RAC when I bought my car and how I had decided to take out the one (large) fee option that covered everything and I am VERY pleased that I did. I had work that afternoon at the ff place so I was not too worried as I thought - no problems - I will use Phil's car, give it a run and that will work. WRONG!!!!. Hopped into Phil's car and flipping flat battery - not a jumper lead in sight. Had about an hours wait when the RAC man turned up, said my car's water pump was in its death throes and he would organise a tow truck to get it to a garage - and bless, he got Phil's car going, said to leave it running in the garage for half an hour and all should be good. I had just enough time to grab a shower, get dressed and get to work at the ff place for a 3pm - 10.30pm shift.

Worked like a cut cat as we were busy with staff down through sickness, and with stocks run out of several items. A fun night! Never mind, I thought, car is primed, will zoom home catch some telly, wind down and get a good nights sleep. Again, if only. Got into the car, and buggary bollocks, it was flipping flat AGAIN. No one at work had jumper leads so once again, I was on to the phone to the RAC with a somewhat terse conversation seeing a mere recharge had not fixed the sodding thing. Another near hour wait, car going again and zoomed home before anything else went wrong. This bloke said the battery was obviously dead so best thing was to try and get one the next day. Good oh. The WM and family were still away on school holidays so waited patiently until 9am and decent time to ring, rang Janet and she said she could take me to get a new battery - brilliant. Went to Repco and $180 later, new battery all good to go. Had no spanners to hand but found a pair of pliers that did the job, took the old battery out, lugged the new one in and woohoo, the car started first pop. We had already had a well deserved cup of coffee at Dome so Janet headed home and I zoomed to the library to return books for the WM's children. Pressed the door lock/opener on the car keys shut, shot into the library, dropped the books off and back to the car, pressed the automatic door opener and nothing. Pressed the button again, then the other button, still nothing. It was about 1pm, my phone, and wallet were locked in car, and I was due at work again at the ff place at 3.30pm from memory. Began to think I had been born under a bad sign by now, two cars down and now the sodding lock. Crossed the road to a service station and wouldn't you know it, they did not stock this particular battery. ARRRRRGGGGHHHHH. I took a deep breath and thought the key has to open a door, surely cars have not bypassed being able to use a key altogether. Tried the drivers door but no luck - do not know why. Boot wouldn't work either, and just as I was ready to kick in a window (thinking dark thoughts indeed), for some reason, I tried the passenger door and had a pavement kissing moment, when the door opened. Needless to say, I leapt into the car, shot off back to Repco and got a battery for door lock. Was so stressed, rang work and said I would be an hour late has had got nothing achieved that I had planned for the day.

Friday worked at the ff again until 10.30pm then onto the home to shadow another night shift until 3am. Was wide awake by the time I got home so poodled about until 7am then slept for a chunk of the day before heading back to the ff place for work that evening again. I did a dash round to the WM's place to use the drier to get uniform dry and as they were getting back from holiday that day, zoomed round the house and put pile of washing left on and hung it out, got in washing left on line, cleaned fridge out of a few things as there had been a power cut at some stage and got a bottle of fresh milk so they had something to come home to. Worked until midnight and got to bed around 3am and then woke up next day to a call from the WMH to say they were back. Paid a flying visit that afternoon before heading back to work once again at the ff place - an early night 4pm until 9.30pm and a reasonably early night because, in the blur the past two weeks had been, it was back to school the next day for teacher only day and on the Tuesday we had all the kids back - well the ones that turned up after the holidays, lol. I have one more week on the roster at the ff place and will then drop back to being on call, only picking up a shift if I have nothing else on. Whew.