Though my blog has been online, I had a major drama with Movable Type - yesterday I was suddenly unable to log in. So that really sucked - and after trawling the support forums and harrassing my poor server person, last night I gave up. Then, this morning, in response to my second plea for help in the MT Support Forum, someone suggested I remove the mt-rebuild plugin that I had installed. I did. It was like someone had waved a wand. All fixed!! (Regardless of the fact that I had reinstalled MT three times to no avail….). So that’s that drama over.

Here’s the pic I was planning on posting yesterday.

Eyebags are great, aren’t they?! Ugh. Due to a phone call I got yesterday from the bank, all my housing plans are thrown into disarray again. This time it was mega-stress. Everything has to be sorted by Friday (which actually means Thursday, so they have Friday to sort it out) and they call me and say that because the house needs some work done on it, they will be witholding up to 10k of my loan while I get the work done (and I’m not allowed to do it myself, I have to get a tradesperson in to do it) who will then invoice me for all the work, and I will give the invoice to the bank who will pay out the tradesperson. Oh, and btw, they also need a building inspection done.

It was at this point I left work and came home to have a spasm. They had also told me that if I was going to borrow the 10k from somebody that whoever I was going to get it from would have to sign a statutory declaration that the money was a non-repayable gift. I can’t believe how difficult this is. How does anyone ever buy a house to do up?! I was ready to give up. It’s already fallen through once, I didn’t want to borrow money from my dad (who is somewhere on a river and uncontactable anyway) and I just felt it was all more trouble than it was worth.

Then M put on his super-hero cape, and as I sat there damply, he called the bank and convinced them that he could provide quotes to do the necessary work, which they seemed to agree to. Then he rang around and organised a building inspection for lunchtime today. Then all that was left was the small matter of finding the extra money…I called my mother. It took considerable explaining. It seemed quite clear to me, but obviously not to her. I tried to explain that she might not even have to come up with any money, all I need is a piece of paper saying that she will give me the money as a gift (though I repeatedly assured her it will be paid back within two months and that I most likely will not need anywhere near that much). I explain that M will do the work, he will invoice me, I will pass the invoices to the bank, they will pay him, he will pass the money to me and I will pass it back to her. This is only if I actually need to borrow any as I will sell my Telstra shares (though I don’t know how to) and try for a personal loan so I don’t have to bother her. In the end, after explaining countless times that she doesn’t have to go to the bank tomorrow and withdraw any money, she agrees to sign a document saying that a gift of $5000 will not have to be repayed. Though she is extremely doubtful about the whole thing…like I’m about to do a runner to Siberia the moment she signs her life away.

So, I have to call the bank this morning and explain. M says that they won’t consider my shares, as the share market is not a safe bet. I have no idea what they will think. I can’t believe this house is going to fall over for want of a few grand that I can get back from the lender in a month or two!!! I am surrounded by clumps of my own hair. I’m shelling out more money for a building report that is going to outline what needs to be fixed. I have a mother who I have completely prostrated myself to, who thinks that ‘this whole Queensland thing is ridiculous’ and the current owner will not extend the finance date beyond Friday.

We went down to the police station last night to get the stat-dec forms in case my mother said she would sign, and we were sitting in the waiting area whilst the guy on the desk dealt with the people who were there before us. This tall girl walks in carrying two big daffodils and pushing a baby in a stroller. She looks like she’s been doing it kind of hard, but is kind of bubbly in the way that says she’s either insulated herself with some kind of drug, or just doesn’t give a toss what people think anymore. She asked if we were waiting, I said yes. Then she asked the time. Then she looked at me and said…’Oh no, you look like you’ve been crying!?’ And I said that I’d had a pretty bad day. She was so nice. She gave me one of her daffodils!!