Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Happy New Year, Everyone.

If that superstition is correct, the one that says whatever you are doing on New Year's Day is a good indication of what the next year holds for you, then I may spend a lot of 2008 in hysterical tears. There may also be swimming. What else can one do in a heatwave??

New Year's Eve 2007

We spent New Year's Eve happily in the air-conditioned comfort of Astrid's house, only to come home after midnight to find it was actually hotter inside our place than the oppressive 35+ degrees out. The 4 of us all slept in our bedroom that night with the portable air-conditioner roaring noisily away, but the house was still so vile the next morning I stupidly started scouring internet real estate sites to try and find us somewhere nicer to live. Only to realise of course that we could not afford anything else. Normally I don't mind our lack of money but in the searing heat I couldn't find my happy space. Clearly it had melted.

New Year's Eve 2006

When all is said and done I would always value having a life partner who treats me nicely over one that spoils me with material goods, and this held true when, after howling and wailing at Fixit that I needed to get out to swim or to the movies just anywhere but this hellhole & I didn't want to have to do all the organising for once & I needed a break because I'd had to do the single parent thing since our Canberra trip because he'd been off having fun during the first heatwave & how the thought of signing a year's lease to live here was unthinkable when the summer was this bad so early in but that there was nowhere else for us to go & so on, he stroked my hair, he packed us all off to the pool and back, he minded the kids while I went to the movies on my own, he heated my dinner when I got home, he brought me a glass of wine and sat with me while we watched an episode of Jeeves and Wooster. And I felt much better.

Which made it, I suppose, on balance, a happy New Year's Day. So maybe I won't spend 2008 in a waterlogged state. Fingers crossed.

29 comments:

  1. The weather has been revolting, hasn't it. If you spend the year as you spend new years day then I will be spending it lying around, sweating and eating ice cream. Could be worse, I suppose.

    Now that the weather's reasonable again, I am of course back in the office. Blah.

    Nice job by Fixit to fix your new years day, though.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Happy New Year Stomper Girl!

    I'm sure the rest of 2008 won't be spent in tears - it certainly sounds like it's been scorching in the Great South.

    Not a good time to mention the unseasonally UN-sticky weather we've been having here.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mr Fixit is a hero!!
    And that photo! My gosh! If I was 30 years younger, you would be very worried about me!

    We spent the day being IDLE! Not a good start??
    We were happy together though. So I guess that counts, right??

    ReplyDelete
  4. How's your house hold up under a deluge of water ?

    *Apparently* the weather cycle that brings us drought is supposed to break in a BIG way, and those of us that bought will be finding them rendered useless under Noah's Ark type rains.

    Well, so they say, anyway...

    That was nice that Fixit realised quickly what to do and how to FIXIT ( funny: me ) fast.
    Good man.

    We only got A/C this year - and I must say it's got a battering these last few days.

    Come on over and have a playdate ?

    Oh - and have a great Unhysterically Sobbing 2008 ....

    :p

    ReplyDelete
  5. err.. "that bought WATERTANKS".

    Dunno what happened there...

    ReplyDelete
  6. THAT is love. What a sweet man.
    Come down my way the the beach one day...that's how we've been keeping cool. It's at least 10 degrees cooler, and it's how we all spent New Year's day.
    Happy new year to you all.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dear SG.

    Dear Fixit.

    I remember such hot nights in Adelaide that all nine of us - Mum Dad and the seven kids would sleep out under the Hills Hoist. Or sit within range of the sprinkler in the late afternoon.

    So I know of what you speak.

    If I ever win lotto I'll be in touch!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I understand. And I buy lottery tickets.
    Everything feels harder in the heat.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ah you poor love.

    Glad you have a supportive man, it helps.

    I spent the morning in tears, I cannot stand the rollover of the old year to the new one. I get crushed in my chest by the sadness of what I didn't achieve the last year.

    Yes, I forget about what I did achieve, but that's just the way I am.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I like the fact that Fixit's a patter.

    I have air-con in the kitchen, if you ever find yourself alone and in that state. I know it well, and it's Very Distressing.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh. And a Wii. Every kid on the planet loves me, at the moment.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oneof the very first comments that I ever left you was referring to an inner prince - you may have just found it.

    PS pretty happy to bet that you won't spend the year in melbourne in a heatwave, despite the first day of the year....

    ReplyDelete
  13. Nice, nice man! How sweet that he pats you and lets you vent.
    Everything is worse when its hot.
    I've heard about these mythical rains to which H&B refers. Perhaps that deluge we experienced a few weeks back (and certainly rendered out water tanks useless) was the start of things to come?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Happy New Year. May the only rain in your life fall from the sky, not tears.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Would it help if I told you that it is below freezing today with the wind blowing a brisk pace here? We spent weeks last August in hot, sweaty agony during an intense heat wave.

    All that Fixit needs is a cape.... and maybe the red underwear? He's certainly a superman! Which is fortunate, since he's partnered with a super heroine of his own.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm sorry it is so stinkin' hot there. That would drive me crazy, too.

    Having said that, I love a guy who'll take care of the kids AND bring me a glass of wine. He's a keeper. Definitely

    Sending even more cold, winter vibes your way!

    Heidi

    ReplyDelete
  17. We have about 9" of fresh snow on the ground (on top of the 18" we already had - although a lot of that had melted). That's making me rage and whinge and whine. A lot. I don't like winter. Although your heat and humidity doesn't sound pleasant at all, not even a little.

    What a nice Fixit.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wise man, Fixit. That's a big load that you've been carrying. Sometimes we need to let it all out for a bit and have a break before we can even think about going forward.

    May the rest of 2008 be kinder to you.

    ReplyDelete
  19. that's so nice that Mr Fixit would do that... the pool is the best thing as are shopping malls (yeah, when most other times I'd rather chew my right arm off), libraries, the museum and the piccies. Oh and sitting in the shade outside with watersquiters and a paddle pool, but only if there's no wind.

    It was foul, that heat. We don't have aircon either. And I'm hoping if that suspicion is true it just touches on the fun bit at the pool not the shouty bits before.

    Happy New Year Ms Stomper!.

    ReplyDelete
  20. our shouty bits I mean, we had lots of shouty bits...

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh, you have a good man there.
    Happy New Year - here's to more rain, less heat, more disposable incomes, and airconditioning!

    ReplyDelete
  22. No wonder he's named Fixit.

    -J.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Poor sis - has been hot here too, and our house too has been reaching 29 degrees inside, despite our best efforts to prevent this, by closing everything up. Stuart even spent hours and hours in the heat erecting shade sails in an attempt to prevent the sun hitting that LONG, LONGGGG, western wall all afternoon, AND finally fixing the wretched flyscreens. Yesterday was 33 degrees (ok, not 42) for about the 6th day in a row, and was getting to me (as was Ziggy from across the road, have just sent him home!), but today is blissfully cooler, only going to be 25 or 26 today, hurrah. I despise the heat. The worst thing about going out at night at this time of year is that in today's truly crap environment, it is foolhardy to leave the place unlocked, so you end up closing it up, and therefore prevent ANY chance of the house actually cooling down even slightly. But honestly, when it's still 35 degrees after midnight, there are just no words!!!!! Summer sux! Excellent letter about the stupid citylink issue by the way....

    ReplyDelete
  24. My darling Stomper Girl, please come and spend some time at my home, the temperature right now as I type is 6 degrees (farenheit) so that is like negative bazillion to you. I would kill someone for a heatwave. Cherub is gorgeous no matter what, but don't go any shorter, Fixit is a keeper, and Happy Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  25. If I had only known that whatever I am doing on NY day would carry on through the year earlier! I've wasted a whole year - looks like I will spend the rest of the year gardening. Bugger! Next year it will be wall to wall (or floor to floor) wine, women and absolutely no singing.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Dear, dear Stomper! That was a yucky day. And a wonderful Fixit. Hair-stroking gets BIG points from me.
    BTW, I came across an amusing word verification the other day. It was Fixit's cousin from the Kath & Kim side of the tracks - F I X O I T.
    Good one,eh?
    Oh, and New Diva is right - don't go any shorter. You should have heard me howling at the computer when I saw the photo of cherub's hair. Pete came running to see!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Happy New Year!

    Oh, that heat makes everyone a little crazy.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Don't mind the New Years Day myth ... the universe doesn't know about calenders ... Be happy and content with your boys - big and small - they are what really matter!

    ReplyDelete
  29. we love fixit! we all need a man like him in our life. Don't worry in a couple of months time we will alll be freezing our arses off in this crazy Melbourne weather!!ps happy new year x

    ReplyDelete

Don't let the cat get your tongue.