August 2014 – Edgar's Page

Field Days. Shows and Hospitals

27/08/2014 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

Royal Adelaide Show — royal Adelaide Show

Mid-July and August are the traditional “Show or Field Days” period. I think for America it would be about equal to the State / Local Fair. The Royal Adelaide Show is about on the same par as your State Fair. We have just completed the Eyre Peninsula Field days in which we exhibited the RFDS Aircraft Simulator. This brought a lot of interest and has really proved a great way to bring the work of the RFDS closer to the people. It helps to give them more understanding and adds to what they already know about the RFDS and how it operates. We have had people come into the simulator and tell us that they have been in an aircraft but didn’t know much about it at the time. I had one lady who pointed to the Humidicrib and told her daughter that she spent the first hours of her life in one very similar. Not that the last weeks or jaunts out of town have been associated with the RFDS but I just thought I would mention it since they are just about over and the simulator is on its way back to Adelaide. I Believe it will be a feature at the Royal Adelaide Show.

After a long hard look at the little we have managed to do regarding the vine and associated garbage, we came to the conclusion that our little brush cutters are not really making much of an impression. That being so we called in the services of a gardener and with his better tools, he believes he can have it all out and the ground cleared within half a day. His price to do the job was fairly reasonable.

I was at a fundraiser for the RFDS last night and I have another one this morning and I have to honestly say that for the first time ever, I really don’t feel like it. I think all this running around is starting to catch up with me. That, plus the ton of paperwork that I need to catch up on. The paperwork can be done in fairly short order -it just needs time to get it done..

Can't you let me sleep in peace?? — Can’t you let me sleep in peace??

It’s still cold so the dogs have been sleeping in my room at night. I came home from the fundraiser, put the fire on and brought the dogs in. The man curled up on the second bed with foam underneath it and went to sleep. Chienne did her usual wandering about before she settled down. They slept through until 6am when I got up. They both had their sticks – I hand fed The Man – then they went back to sleep. Half their luck!! Opps, he’s snoring. Never heard him snore before. Must be having a good sleep.

It’s been over a week since I last looked at this and I am pleased to say that the vine and the other stuff has been cleared – well the plant stuff that is. What we discovered underneath everything is that the previous owner – or even before that – had used it as a rubbish deposit. There is just so much garbage behind the garage that he will need to fill a trailer and get it all to the dump – old tyres and metal of all descriptions. It will take a trailer to clear it away before he can even start the new fence.

Most of the paperwork I have completed and have started to catch up on everything. I still think I will continue my “Sabbatical” for another week, or at least a couple of more days before I allow myself to be out of the house. I have one more serious piece of paperwork to get done and I will do that over the next two nights. Actually I have written the paper just need to sort out a couple of things before I send it off.

Oh the joys of it all. Took Herself to the hospital to see her diabetes person and she recorded a blood pressure reading of 230/90. The Practitioner came out to see me and suggested that we go from the hospital to see her doctor – the hospital will phone ahead. Well, did this and her BP was 235/90. Of course, Herself just can’t see what all the fuss is about because she feels perfectly well. Brought her home then took her to the hospital today and her BP was 156/90, which is fairly good. However, Dr. is concerned so he is sending

her for an ultrasound. So much for my quiet, recovering days. Oh well….

Back from Adelaide again.

14/08/201414/08/2014 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

Some people call them 'Top-Notch" pigeons. — You invading my space, Bird.

Adelaide (second time) was fun. The aircraft was due to land at 20:15 so I got there a little bit early. Now, in Adelaide airport, all the shops and the eating places and the coffee shop are all upstairs and in order to get to them one must go through security. I had the great good fortune to get a Security Jerk. I have since found out that this is not unusual at Adelaide. Anyway, I was told to take any laptop or tablet out of my bag and place it / them and the bag in the white tray. This I did along with my phone but the alarm went off. I was asked to go back through and try again. I was asked if I had anything that could be setting off the alarm and I suggested that the steel belt buckle could be the problem. The girl examined the buckle and suggested to the Jerk that this was indeed the problem but I was ordered through again and again the alarm went off. So he instructed me to take off the belt, which I did with difficulty and then my shoes. Threw the belt in the tray and walked through. There was no reason other than him being a prat because having been told that it was the buckle he could have brought me through and used a hand scanner. I understand the need for security but the scruffy, untidy, overweight “character” just wanted to be a jerk because he could. Never did have my coffee – well not until we got back to the hotel.

On Monday afternoon I walked to Victoria Square and took the photographs which I posted last post. Considering the time, effort and money that was spent on the Square, I am not very impressed. Perhaps the six skateboarders jumping on and off the wooden benches, the less than appealing nature of the place ( I found it cold and impersonal / no warmth about it) and the cracked tiles might just have had something to do with it. Rather than walk into town I thought it would be good to just wander through the Central Market. Good plan – problem is that most of the Market is closed on a Monday :o) I did, in fact, walk into town after all. I did some shopping for my Filofax and was just too lazy ( no, let’s go with tired, I like tired) to walk so I took a taxi back to South Terrace. I picked up John from the airport and returned to the hotel. We had much to talk about :o) and it was good to have him home again.

Traveling home was interesting. John went to the restroom before we left, and I had to find a place to stop several times for the same reason. I think the flight was catching up with him. He stayed and had dinner with us then I took him home. I was very pleased that the dogs were very kind and the Man slept through all last night – actually until 7am this morning – so I too was able to get a good sleep. This afternoon I take herself to the hospital for some tests, so that’s the afternoon all tied up.

Over the weekend I have two fundraising functions for the RFDS and I think the Saturday morning one could be a bit on the cold side. I will be home until the end of September, one week away and two days in Adelaide. Two days during the first week in October and that will be me for the remainder of the year. I will have another two days away but that’s not until December.

I do not know if this will work, but I pressed the wrong button and I really did not mean this to be posted at this stage. I am trying to retrieve it but I think it is unlikely. However other than the fundraising, I have a relatively quite week end to match the quiet few days I have had since I came home. John's Poster I really need to gert back out and get some work done on this mess that used to be the back garden. It would take too much effort to set it to rights so once the weather calms down and it’s not quite so cold, I will get back into it and have it ready for Herself’s sister arriving in November. Lots to do between now and then.

Home, for a while!

13/08/2014 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

I have been working in my room for most of today and it is cold outside, so much so that I carried the Man’s bed from the other room into my room, where there is a fire. He is curled up and asleep. He sleeps a lot these days. In fact he spends most of the time sleeping, but when he is awake he eats well enough and he still has his stick in the morning. For the last couple of nights they have been in the room with me and Chi sleeping up with me. I just looked over and he is out cold on his warm bed on his three inch cushion of foam Only another eight days and John will be back with us. He is still enjoying his holiday and I believe he is presently in Budapest. I hear the weather over there is quite good at the moment – it’s cold here.

It has been a week since I wrote the first paragraph and I have spent most of my time away from home. I spent Monday to Thursday out of town, came home Thursday evening and set off to Adelaide on Friday Morning. I was at conference on Saturday morning and although I can’t say much about it, I can say that in all honesty it was probably the worst conference I have had the misfortune to attend. I felt a deep sense of shame over what had taken place. So much so that I left before the end, got in the car and drove through the city and up to Port Wakefield (about 115 klms) before I settled down. I called herself from Pt. Wakefield and spent some time talking to her before starting the drive north. Today (Sunday 10th) I am home. Tomorrow I head back to Adelaide and pick up John from Adelaide Airport. Just seems like a few days since I took him down there and yet six weeks have just flown past. However, as a British Politician used to say, “A week in politics is a long time” and I think the same goes for Word Press – CDL has a sort of Kitchen Meltdown. and Rachel has a horrible time in Hospital and I feel so much of a “fraud”complaining about having to do all this traveling whilst people have had “real” problems.

Anyway, I am home again. I picked up John at Adelaide airport last night and we stayed in South Terrace and traveled back this morning. I have the rest of this week off. I have made myself not available so I can settle down for a while. I took some photographs whilst I was in Adelaide. Some should please Jill because they are the two fountains in Victoria Square. A couple of others are the “Porkers” in Rundle Mall. It was a fairly pleasant two days – cold but dry and good for driving. Although John was not so sure – after the heat of Europe he was really feeling the cold. The Man has not improved any and still barks into empty space, which at 2am, is a bit of a trial. I have spoken to his Vet and he seems to think that the half tablet is sufficient for his age and weight. I did look this up and it

The Main fountain, Victoria Square, Adelaide SA

seems that a half tablet for dogs under 10 klo is the recommended dosage and that’s what he gets each evening – half tablet of Carprofen (10mgs) Still, I am not altogether certain that this is helping him as much as

it should. He is not in any way hampered because he still eats and he still runs around the place like a mad thing at times, but the yelping gets on everyone’s nerves at times. Poor little thing !! Most of the time the dogs are in with me – where the fire is. Not too long now and I can start to complain about the heat :o)

Laptops and Travelling people

02/08/2014 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

John continues his holiday which is sounding more like General Patton’s March through Europe in 1944/45. Just reading his posts is tiring in itself :o) He starts his last tour now which is a twelve day tour of Northern Europe.

I am still in Adelaide at this very moment but I leave for home in the morning. The funeral went well, as funerals go. I was very pleased that there were more people there than had been expected. Several members of

his family from New South Wales had come over, which was very pleasing. I had a coffee and a biscuit then started back up the Main South Road onto the South Road Superway, which is the reconstructed new roadway, and directly to Salisbury/Elizabeth. to do some shopping for herself. I will be home for the remainder of this week and then heading out of town again, one to fulfill a contract and the other to come back down to Adelaide and pick up John from Adelaide Airport. He has been sending photographs back and some of them are really quite interesting, while some really need some explanation. Someone suggested that I just stay down in Adelaide, go to the conference and then pick up John on the Monday save money on fuel. Arguably true, but the hotel bill would be a lot more than the fuel costs – and, as I have already commented, I do not stay with people

I have an AppleMac laptop, which comes to Adelaide with me, but I also have another “laptop” that travels everywhere with me, buses, trains, car, hospital, doctors and shopping. It’s the first thing I lift when I go out and it’s the last thing I fill in at night. It’s called a Filofax and I would be lost without it. It is more important to me than any electronic device. When herself makes an appointment for either hospital or the doctor, she tells me and I note the time and date in my Scanda and can then make arrangements to get her there by making sure that I am free on these days. My Filofax went with me to Geelong and Drysdale and has been all around the Bellarine Peninsula. It traveled to Ballarat, Gundagia. Yaas and Canberra. Well, yes, it has not been overseas but if I did go overseas, it would be with me. So, I am a great believer in simple pen and paper, and whilst I – at times – rant and rave about computers, there is always my Filofax to bring sanity back to things. Unlike the AppleMac., my Filofax is a very personal thing and stuffed full of things that are important to me – for the moment. At the end of the year, all will be removed, a new set of inserts put in and I start with a clean slate all ready for what the year might bring and if past years are anything to go by, it will end up being stuffed to the gills. However, I also record everything from my Filofax into the computer and print off so that i have a bound hard copy. Give me a date and time five years back and I will tell you where I was and what I was doing :o)

I came back home on Wednesday and I am home until Monday Morning then I am away again for the week – coming back on Thursday and heading off to Adelaide on Friday. I come home on the Saturday afternoon, have all day Sunday at home, then head off for Adelaide on Monday morning to collect John from Adelaide Airport. Presently he is on his last days of touring Northern Europe. At the moment I think he is in Prague. On the last week in September I head out of town again for a week and that will be it for the year. Joyful!! I did hope

that we could get some more of that vine chopped down but it has been raining and power tools and rain do not go together. Oh well. soon – soon!!

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