Twintensity: Shiva Rules!

Let go and let God, they told me.

Matthew, reading with his new glasses, post dyslexia-scare

I did just that and watched it all fall to pieces. (Note to feminist movement: the god running my life, at least, is most assuredly male.)

It began 2 days before 2013 officially started, with the first tire blow out. Continuing with the oven going, the aircon, the pool equipment, the balcony and a fan or two here and there. Another tire blowout in March. End of April we got kicked out of our house - because the owner can't afford to keep fixing the things that keep falling apart around us. The second car breaks in half. Pretty much literally. And the first one is finally declared unsalvageable. After almost one thousand dollars of new tires in four months. I get rear ended in the loaner car.

And today that same loaner completely gave up the ghost out in Samford, 2 1/2 kilometres from John Scott Park, our intended destination.

Hiking at The Gap

Look, it could have been worse. If you have to break down somewhere, Samford is really the place to do it. (Note to residents of Westchester County, NY and Greenwich, CT: Samford is the area you want if you ever relocate to the Brisbane area. Trust me. It pains me to admit how comfortable I feel there after running from it for so long!)

I was able to coast another half a kilometre down the hill - on Mount Samford Road - and really could have jogged the last two kilometres quite easily, even with Ian in tow. Ryan, however, was wearing her thongs. FLIP-FLOPS to the USA crowd, FLIP-FLOPS!

Aidan's Aboriginal Art project for school

We had packed sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs, carrots and kiwis for lunch and, as it was 10:30 when we broke down, opened up our bag and had a proper tea-time while waiting for word from the dealer. All very civilised really.

I can imagine what the word from the dealer was, though!

Our friend picked us up and drove us to our get-together in the park, so that we spent the rest of the morning not even aware that the dealer hadn't arrived yet. He came right before 1:00 as everyone was packing up. Rigorous home-schoolers, all!

Matthew is presenter and weatherman

Funny enough, the dealer had been wanting that car back to show to a potential customer. Although he might have some more work to do on it now. And our new car will be ready on Saturday, a fancier model (meaning it has doors I can open with a button on my key - ooh la la!) from the original.

I wonder if we can keep this current loaner damage free until Saturday.

Life's chaos swirls about us. Shiva rules.

When all is said and done though, we have a better car than the one we started out with, a nice new one, and a new home in Narangba at the end of June. Narangba is further out, more country, more horse and pasture and nature and trails. And Narangba Valley Secondary School is supposed to be one of the best in the state, with Schools of Excellence in Music for Ryan AND a reputable special needs program. Even better, in Ryan's eyes, is the pony the owner says she will leave in the paddock out back! The pastures all around us. The riding ring. And kangaroos. An owner who is a friend and a horse-owner and someone we can live next to and talk to directly rather than dealing with a real estate agent.

Mexican! (Aspley? Chermside? Somewhere around there!)

Andrew is applying to a local Soccer (and Engineering!) School of Excellence instead of taking the train into the city over an hour each way every day. Together with about half of his current soccer team. He's joining the Youth Group at the associated church. He's finally got his band of mates.

Sock it to us, Shiva. Give us your best! We wouldn't have considered moving at this point if we didn't have to. The universe gave us a big kick in the pants.

And booted us into a place that is better for all of us in the long run.