Random notes for the New Year.

It's been a few weeks since my last post , so this is simply a catch-up blog.

Christmas was very quiet for me. Vaughan was in Queensland with his fiancee, Andrea spent the day with Rob's family, so it was just the boys and me. We did manage to get together for a meal - all of us- on New Year's Day. So that was quite nice.

I received a gift card for a new wallet, a baking dish, DVDs and some other gift vouchers for Christmas. The wallet matches my new red Italian handbag beautifully, so I'm very pleased with that.

I didn't have to work after Christmas, so I added another week of leave and had two weeks off in all. It was nice but in retrospect I should have taken three.

It took me all of the first week to wind down but I was starting to get into the groove by the end of the second week. By that last Friday I'd decided I could really get used to long sleep-ins, hours spent reading and lazily pottering about the house - but it was not to be and I had to front up to work on Monday.

Gahhh.

Chris has been home for the last three weeks and he returns to his group home tonight. Except for some minor obsessing over when he could open his Christmas presents and his desire to spend a LOT of internet time spent looking for and at YouTube clips, it has been nice having him around.

When I picked him up the day before Christmas Eve, his housemother mentioned that he's very independent there, often makes himself hot drinks and peeling potatoes for meals etc. Funny, when I suggested he do these things here, uh ... he wasn't the slightest bit interested. He ran a mile in fact. LOL Whatever he is, is not silly.

I received some good news about his special needs funding for when school resumes in February. We applied for and received an increase in funding and he will be able to attend Giant Steps Tasmania's Adult programme (It is an Autism specific School) three days a week instead of two. He will then have two rather than three days at St Michael's more generic Day Support programme. I think that it will be good for him.

Nick FINALLY got his licence and it is a huge load off everyone's mind. I've noticed a marked increase in his confidence and independence since that day. In fact, he offered to do the supermarket shopping for me this week - and I was happy to let him. He's going to receive a job seeking allowance too, which will put a few dollars into his pocket while he's looking for work. I hope that he will soon have a job in his chosen field of graphic design.

Andrea and Rob are now in their own unit. They moved in just before Christmas. She's on the lookout for an apprenticeship, but is swinging between becoming a chef or a baker. I wish she'd make up her mind. She needs to get her driver's licence too. I've offered to take her out on some drives, but she's not taken me up on that yet.

We've been watching TV coverage of the floods in Queensland over the last few days. It has been a terrible business, but whole communities are rallying behind the massive clean up efforts and that is quite heart warming to see.

Tasmania was also affected - but to a far lesser extent - and we appreciate that we have been very lucky. Coastal towns to the East, a few towns in the NW and one local suburb were flooded, but most of Launceston been left unscathed.

There are some changes at work coming. The upshot of it is that I could work shift work if I want. It would involve weekend work which is a minus, but there would be more annual leave, shift penalties and time in the day to do other things.

I don't know how it will shake down, but I'm going to try to keep my options open.

One last random note. I unexpectedly found out that my illness two years ago might be covered by an insurance policy I had for Death Disability or Trauma. I'm in the process of making a claim - and there may be some kind of pay out! Fingers crossed anyway. My mortgage waits with bated breath!