Post Ahw9Q7SCmsuRXae2YS by trib@aus.social
(DIR) More posts by trib@aus.social
(DIR) Post #Ahw6p6AIPtrMv8UH9U by geordie@aus.social
2024-05-16T03:32:49Z
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So we used to have a nanny. When the kid first went to school we had a new parent's information evening where they told us all sorts of boring stuff, some interesting stuff, and concluded with "and after school care is extremely limited so good luck with that goodbye" except said as one word over the space of about a second, the principal then decamped. When we rushed to book afterschool care they could accommodate him Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but not Tuesday or Thursday, so we paid a woman we'll call Jo (because that's her name) to pick him up from school two days a week, and look after him at our place until 6pm. As the years went on, he'd come to get public transport to her house, she'd look after him there while he did homework etc. and bring him home at 6pm. We no longer needed her as of this year, kid is old enough to look after himself.
(DIR) Post #Ahw6u3pMXG7h7P3uHg by geordie@aus.social
2024-05-16T03:33:43Z
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Last night I get a phone call from Jo, I answer with a quizzical "hello?" and she asks hurriedly if I'm at home. I say yes. She asks if I can help her and I of course tell her to name it, anything. She says to go downstairs and she'll call me back, so I do.
(DIR) Post #Ahw78EPC0ITZymZv1s by geordie@aus.social
2024-05-16T03:36:12Z
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There's a woman downstairs, she's roughly three hundred years old, in a brightly patterned and coloured jump suit. I have bought bottles of milk that weigh more than she looks like she weighs, and height-wise she comes up to roughly my stomach. Jo, who when not looking after kids works for a service that provides in-home care for folks who aren't *quite* bad enough to be in an old folks' home, got a call at work that one of their clients is locked out. Jo realised she lives in my building and there's a lock box hidden on the ground floor with a code that contains a spare building swipe and front door key.
(DIR) Post #Ahw7NHyD23rHNZ8Yds by geordie@aus.social
2024-05-16T03:39:00Z
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Jo gives me instructions on how to access the lock box, I retrieve the key and tell the woman "let's get you up to your home" She chatters the whole time, and she's the MOST INTERESTING PERSON EVER. She used to be a ballerina, but a severely curved spine put her out of that. She tells me she weighs 30 kilos (my twelve year old son is 32 kilos I think), and she explains how she smuggled her cat here from France. The cat is called Chatte, which is French for pussy, and she locked herself out looking for an Amazon parcel that had been delivered somewhere she couldn't find.
(DIR) Post #Ahw7gDjF1fSJj7ABIu by geordie@aus.social
2024-05-16T03:42:25Z
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I get her settled, make sure she knows where her actual key is and she asks, feebly, "would you mind awfully if I had your number?" Absolutely no problem at all, I wrote it down for her. Absolute dame.
(DIR) Post #Ahw83XBCsDQ2iIMQ0e by Kels_316@aus.social
2024-05-16T03:46:37Z
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@geordie I had no idea where this was going but amazing
(DIR) Post #Ahw8JTHl7ViFGj1bOK by geordie@aus.social
2024-05-16T03:49:31Z
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Addendum: it turns out this is the woman whose door was bashed down by the fire brigade last week. She rolled on an emergency button in her sleep and didn’t answer when the folks monitoring the button called. She woke up to the fire brigade at the end of her bed and her front door in several pieces. Well she’s got another set of eyes looking out for her now. I wonder if we should set up a phone tree or something.
(DIR) Post #Ahw8OzAU0b6RbCFcX2 by LifeTimeCooking@mastodon.au
2024-05-16T03:50:29Z
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@geordie Such a lovely story.My SIL is a dancer, choreographer and dance film maker. She came to know of a (then) 90'ish yo dancer who had just relocated back to Australia. Turns out, she was quite a well known dancer in Germany and Europe in the 20's and for a few decades - even was known in those circles in the US where she danced several times. Although about 107 now, she still "dances" every day - even if she just sits in her chair and dances with her upper body. She also makes her own costumes and choreographs dances, much influenced by the 1920's and '30s styles.My SIL has helped her since they first met. She has made several award winning dance films featuring her, has helped her to write and publish 2 books on her life, and organised shows. Has also helped her transition into supported accommodation etc.She too, is an absolute and wonderful dame. Thank you for letting me share this too.
(DIR) Post #Ahw8U5qabSXtlINi2C by Taco_lad@aus.social
2024-05-16T03:51:25Z
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@geordie this (and you) rocks actually
(DIR) Post #Ahw9Q7SCmsuRXae2YS by trib@aus.social
2024-05-16T04:01:54Z
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@geordie this seems appropriate. Keeping an unobtrusive but caring eye on the elders of our neighborhoods, just so we know they're okay is good people stuff.
(DIR) Post #Ahw9eNvAMNKgfOzeQS by decryption@aus.social
2024-05-16T04:04:30Z
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@geordie reading this added +5 faith in humanity to my stats
(DIR) Post #AhwDbyaPyxLxKXOaci by froosh@aus.social
2024-05-16T04:48:29Z
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@geordie oh, and someone on the owner’s corp who might defend the need for there to be lockboxes on common property and make the approval process easy (ours just cut them off and bin them, even when approval has been obtained after months.. renting is great*)
(DIR) Post #AhwFiOLnIwDOskk5Ro by caity@bne.social
2024-05-16T05:12:26Z
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@geordie Thos is wonderful. Thank you for sharing. You're good egg, Geordie.
(DIR) Post #AhwHLPqrkzR0mmRptw by ausfestivus@aus.social
2024-05-16T05:30:42Z
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@geordie you're a legend.
(DIR) Post #AhwTj0XCjgRkfMGd2e by stufromoz@aus.social
2024-05-16T07:49:25Z
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@geordie I remain convinced that you are very good people
(DIR) Post #AhwlVIXCoW4Hc3sdI8 by elronxenu@mastodon.cloud
2024-05-16T11:08:36Z
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@geordie Quite the story.
(DIR) Post #AkYQS5J44XiZV1VEv2 by ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz
2024-08-02T10:55:56Z
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I need to see the entire discussion ... this is fabulous ...Calling @Chartodon spine ...CC :@geordie