Monday, January 21, 2019

I think I see a small light in the distance

Bright looking lot weren't we.  I've been going through dvds looking for photos of the family grave and came across this which I'm sure I used on a post about the last GrogBlog.  Since most of us in the early blogging days used a fake face and name, taking photos was very naughty and plus none of use had mobile phones that sneakily took photos, it was hard to get away with it.  I do remember Annie O'Dyne publishing one photo shot in a darkened pub of a publicity shy blogger who then gave her such vicious comments we were all shocked. I mean from what I can remember the place was so dark he could have been a cabbage on a stick.  GrogBlogs were fun if you could find the latest hole in the wall, alley,
side street, where we gathered and the usual instructions were to follow the raucous laughter.  Then the Appocalypse arrived in the form of FarceBook and the laughter moved on.  This photo made me laugh and then I found a folder full of LOLcats and laughed more.

I had to put this up since I had a run in with one who was quite comfy in the towell I was about to put in the washing machine.  Yes, it has been some time since I bothered about washing but I ran out of nighties. I have worn nighties since the first fall when I was without a stitch of clothing and had to drag myself to the lingerie drawer and all I could grab was some old rag with one sleeve missing.  I loved LOLcats but now it's all ads and clickbaits or youtubes.

I will be off to the Home (shudder) tomorrow to pick up my mother's Medicare and Pension cards and any other official papers that I think should have been sent to me after she died.  I have to do this before Thursday when another payment goes into her bank account.  I will be telling Centrelink just whose fault it is, you Mercy Health not for profit bull shitters. I will say Happy Birthday to the last one left of the ten year mob but if she start bawling, I'll be off. I know my brain has been running in 'stupid' mode but I really did think that if a resident died in a nursing home, they should have let Centrelink know.  I checked the list and one I missed was the Electoral Comm.  Mum was really wild when she was not asked if she wanted to vote in the last state election, Mercy Health make the decision for her, wrong move as her brain was still running at that stage and she gave them what for.  I think I also have to notify the tax office because she does have a tax number and getting that was a nightmare.

Monday, January 14, 2019

There'll be time when she goes......

No there won't because the after dying stuff goes on and on and on. Money was put into Mum's account again last week and that light bulb blinks. Who informs Centrelink of a person who has died in the care of a nursing home, me, Power of attorny and next of kin or Mercy Health admin?  I had 6 tabs open on the MyGov web page and still couldn't find the answer and there are several options for a funeral payment and only one would fit our situation, which is a single pension payment but I thought that had already been paid into the bank account.

Apparently the chain of command is, Doctor's Certificate stating cause of death which lets the funeral minions take charge and they inform Births, Marriages and Deaths and sooner or later a Certificate will arrive with a note telling me to have someone with me when I open it as it might distress me only if it's 3 months from now and Centrelink is still putting money in the account.  
The death is magically flittered over to Centrelink and they send me a letter probably abusing me for not letting them know.

I don't need it for the Cemetary since I have Mum sitting in the wardrobe. I do have to make an appointment with them to sign papers to have a hole dug. An official stands by and for $450 watches the 2nd official digger dig the hole. They only have hole digging on Thursdays and Sundays and if a mob turns up I have to pay for the extras but it will be Thursday and only me.  The Monumental Mason is across the road from the Cemetary and I can walk there and order the bronze plaque which slides in next to my father's.  That's after I go to the Pioneer Cemetary and take a photo of the plaque to get the size right.
That starts at $900 depending on how many words are to go on it.  Heaven help me if the nag above doesn't get the last word. 
Look up Pioneer Cemetary at Cheltenham, it has some famous people there and very interesting to walk around.

So not having a reason to close down the bank accounts is a good thing.

I have the silk flowers to go in the lovely urn but not cement to put the flowers in lemonade bottles. My genius, when they get tatty I just take out the bottles, throw them away and make up another lot of lovely flowers. The roses lasted 8 years until the bush fire went through and our plot was the unlucky one to get frizzled.  Official funeral expenses, taxi to Bunnings, bag of cement, taxi home.
Fix flowers, taxi to cemetary, plant and taxi home. I think I'll go and have another look for photos so I can cut out one step. Photos are everywhere included a load I brought back from the Home.

Death Certificate will not upset me, someone walking into the house and asking why don't I just get a company to some in and do the cleaning up, upsets me. That's my Mother's junk and I have to go through it, especially when I find a birthday card from two years ago, for me, and she was upset when she couldn't find it so made another one. It's a tradition for a Victorian Spinster Daughter to go through and burn any thing that would trash a dear Mama's reputation, Queen Victoria's daughter practically re-wrote her diaries and Princess Margaret had a bonfire of the Queen Mum's letters but all I found were notes for me to buy this and that.














 

Wednesday, January 02, 2019

If I have to speak to one more robot......


Mother on the  (my) left and twin sister on the right.  If I never have to speak to her again I'll be happy after her ringing me on Christmas morning to demand that her eulogy be read out since she couldn't come because of illness. I gathered from that comment that she intended to stand up and blither on with her usual load of BS.  Sister and I had fights about allowing people to speak but I don't agree with letting people who aren't used to speaking to a crowd get up and waffle on.  I wanted what mum asked me for and she got it.

It goes on and on.  I have been on the phone for nearly 3 hours with bank, Home and Pharmacy and in the finish I had the choice of paying the Pharmacy or going through ebanking looking for a payment I'm sure I paid and he has just charged me again.  I'm too brain dead after wanting to strangle the pious little creep from Mercy Health who said naturally the direct debits stopped as soon as they were notified of death.  Well it would have been nice had they sent me a letter and set it all out.  I think I have paid for everything now but I should have put what I paid into my bank account and then put that into Visa because if can't take that out, see brain dead.  Pension this week and I will put that where the visa money should be.  Can't use anything yet until I get death certificate and will which I think I have and I suppose I have to pay for that and I forgot the Cemetary stuff.  They charge to dig a hole.  I'm going to bed to sleep.