Month: March 2019

Lighthouse, Wetlands and Spencer Gulf

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs
Benji at the lighthouse.

Friday 22nd. Just after lunch I  put a blanket over the front seat in the car, strapped Benji in and off we went to the Lighthouse. It was a lovely day, warm but not hot, so it was a comfortable ride for the 24 miles. Of course, with the air conditioner on it would have been a comfortable ride anyway, but he did what he usually does, curl up facing me and  have a nap. We spent some time wandering about and it was good for us to be out and about again after all the hot weather we have had recently.

We came back home by way of the town center and I  went into the lolly shop and bought 250gms of sugared almonds, because I knew she had them in for the first time in a long time. I know, but it’s my indulgence and they remind me of my childhood in Scotland – every lovely crunch of them. In the evening, after the news, I took Benji down to the wetlands. It’s been a while since we were there. To say I was shocked is an understatement. The amount of water loss is incredible. With the continued drought and the fact that there is no

The loss of water at the wetlands

water going into the system, this, plus the water going out to water the trees, lawns and plants has really taken its toll. Having said that, it did rain for a bit last night and although it rained for several hours, it was fairly light rain and didn’t make a lot of difference to anything.

Today both Annabell and I are  exhausted.  The family at the back of us were having an 18th Birthday Party. The father came around and told his neighbours  what was going to happen and said he would try and keep the music to a reasonable level. Well, that was a lie right there! He did  indicate that they were going to play music, but they didn’t. I don’t know what the heck it was they played but music it was not – it was just a thump, thump, thump. My son follows Iron Maiden, and some other sort of heavy metal and though I  don’t like to admit it, it is music – of a sort – but this last night, until 2am was just a continual thump, thump, thump. I almost took a serious dislike when the alarm went off at 6am. I did not have

The Spencer Gulf at the Lighthouse.

a good night, but Benji and I went out for our walk in the calm,  early, cloud covered morning. Today was the Congregation Annual General Meeting, so  church was well over two hours long. I think Annabell is resting – good for her. We go back to the doctor this week and we expect he will increase the  amount of her insulin again. At the moment she is not too bad, but  the readings are still higher than he would like.  ( He did increase the  level to 17ml.)

The drought continues to bite in the north of South Australia and over in Victoria. There has also been high and strong winds that have  turned the bare paddocks into dust bowls and animals are starting to perish for lack of food and water and the dust that gets everywhere – into the animal eyes and mouth. There’s not a lot of help being handed out. Must have looked away for a moment and when I looked back, March is just about finished and we are rushing towards April. Today – Thursday 28th –  Dougal is coming to stay for a little while. I have no idea how long this time as Ina is still in a Respite Center outside of Adelaide.

Under our system, you can qualify for traveling assistance if you have to travel for treatment.  The hospital at the Port does not have Nuclear Medicine facilities – our hospital does. So  this lady had to travel from Port Augusta to Whyalla for treatment –  a distance of 80 klms. ( 160kms round trip) She does not quality for assistance because the cut off point is 100 klms.  This lady is traveling 160 klms twice a week for treatment but does not  receive assistance. This was highlighted with the  Minister for Health and he  agrees that many of the  rules were made to  apply to Adelaide not the country areas. He has promised to have a look and overhaul where necessary.

Adelaide, Kangaroos and walkin’ the dog!

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

On Tuesday morning I set off for Adelaide. I was  not too far from Adelaide (less than 90klms) when my son contacted me and said that there had been a change of plans and that they were both arriving in Adelaide on Tuesday night and  heading home on Wednesday morning, so I didn’t need to come down after all.  I told him where I was and how impressed I was but I hope I shall be able to cancel  the second room at short notice. This is the hotel I use when Presbytery is in North Adelaide. I took a run out to the shopping center at Tea Tree Plaza and did some shopping for Annabell. I like TTP and am generally quite comfortable there. For  some reason I don’t like Marion Shopping Center. Can’t think why but I just don’t like it. It doesn’t seem to have a lot of character and I find it quite antiseptic. Later on in the afternoon I was at a place that has  an overload of character – The Central Market.  It’s one place I really enjoy wandering around.  Anyway, I  went to the hotel and booked in, explaining why I no longer need two rooms and why I need to cancel one. No problem. They were very understanding.  Once I booked in and put my case in the room,  I took the bus into town. I had some things I wanted for myself at Kikki.k and David Jones

For more years than I care to remember I have used a  Filofax but in recent years it has become ridiculously expensive to get inserts. I think I said before that I can, of course, get inserts from the

I see the moon, the moon sees me!!

UK and the USA  but the cost of shipping/postage is greater than the cost of the inserts.  Yes I can download but my printer cannot not cope with the size and I am not about to buy a printer that can so I can use it once a year. Anyway, there are several printing shops in Adelaide so at the last meeting of the year ( late November early December) I can download, save to a USB and have the inserts printed off for less than $10. For years it was so simple and there were two Filofax outlets in Rundle Mall, Adelaide –  Borders and David Jones. Borders has gone and David Jones don’t really stock much now.

It’s been ages since Benji and I were down at the wetlands. It’s really been too hot  and  sadly there is only a limited amount of shade there. This whole week the temperature will be around the mid 30c mark and still too hot to take him onto the concrete paths at the wetlands for any length of time. Interestingly, there is no shade at the Wetlands Kiosk. Not long after it opened I took Benji for a walk then stopped off for a coffee for me and a small Ice Cream for Benji. The cost was over what I anticipated which I thought was a bit much. I have not been back since. I also notice that it is closed for a number of days during the week, so perhaps it is not doing as well as was expected. Personally, I think the lack of shade might have something to do with that.  The forecast for next week is  for cooler temperatures, so perhaps we can get back down to afternoons at the lighthouse and the wetlands.

In the early evening.

This morning on my walk with Benji, the place was covered in Kangaroos – they were everywhere. Not just the odd one or two as normal, but mobs of them. Why no photographs – it’s 6am and it’s dark. In the early evening, I go around the park/ play area: I no longer go through it. There are quite a few Kangaroos there in the evening and I find that even although Benji is under control and does not offer a threat – he doesn’t even bark at them – they still take off when they see the dog, and that’s my problem. There is bushland across from the park and that’s where they make for, but it means crossing a road and they would just take off without  any concern for traffic. Hitting a Kangaroo is not  good –  it kills the Kangaroo, but  the car would be a write off and  depending on the angle of the hit – the driver could be too. So, I go around the park and leave them be – it’s safer that way

Injections, Storms Wildlife and Sunsets

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

Saturday 2nd March:

Sunset at the far end of town

Today we  went to see the diabetics educator and learned how to do injections. For me it was very simple. Why? Well the  new insulin injection system is very similar to the operation of an EpiPen., so I didn’t find it difficult. As part of the Red Cross First Aid Course, the use of EpiPens were included. Actually Annabell found it quite easy to use and she was able to administer the insulin without  a problem. All in we were about an hour and a quarter with the nurse. On Friday there was a telephone call from the insurance company to let me know that they have received the photographs and the report from the repair  garage but they would like their own assessor to come and have a look and make the final decision. Once that is completed I should hope that things will be settled fairly quickly. I have had a look and there are a couple of cars that caught my eye. We’ll see what happens after Tuesday.

Annabell has another infection so I have had her up at the hospital. She is now on another course of antibiotics and I will make an appointment for her with our own doctor in the morning and see what he has to say. She is not having a good run of things at the moment. The assessor should be here sometime tomorrow (Tuesday) They did say that they will try and get here in the morning.

I remember we did a course some years ago that  suggested that once we set our minds to something we start to see representations of  what we have set our minds on in many places. For example, if we buy a red car,  in order to justify our decision in our subconscious mind,  we start to see red cars around us – something we have never really noticed before. It proves to  us that red cars are very popular thus we made the right decision.  It used to be called the “Baader – Meinhof Phenomenon  although these days it is called “frequency illusion” I mention this because I have been looking at a replacement car and the one I was giving thought to was coloured blue. Thus I am seeing a frequency of blue cars.  I am amused by this and I was going to put LOL, but I am informed that LOL is now out of fashion so I don’t know what to put anymore..

We had a bit of a storm last night – lightening for four minutes – couple of peals of thunder – rain for about three minutes – been the scariest five minutes this entire week. This morning (Tuesday)

Tanks fa lot…

the Insurance Assessor came and took photographs and examined the car.  He will write it off, but I  can keep the car. However, it cannot repaired and I will have to arrange for the wreckers to come and take it away – or  not, but once the registration expires next week, I can no longer register it, so,  between that and the  massive storm, it’s been a really  interesting week.

The army with their tanks, artillery and armoured vehicles are here in Cultana for “live fire” exercises. I think they are only here for a couple of weeks, so we probably wont see much of them.

However, I did see  army trucks with tanks on the back on the way north as I was travelling to Adelaide on Thursday.  The two boys ( John & Andrew) are off to some music festival in Melbourne. Andrew is staying in Melbourne for a few days but John is heading back. He has asked me to go down to Adelaide, pick him up and bring him back home. I said I would. Couple of things I need at David Jones, so it works in well. That’s why I was not too bothered about doing any shopping this trip and just came directly home.

We are still having Kangaroos and Emus wandering around this top end of town. The City Council and the Wildlife people have asked us not to feed the Emus nor the Kangaroos, because it

Burns wrote “A rose-bud by my early walk”. I wonder what he would have made of this.

will get them used to being fed and watered and they will come to rely on it and be aggressive if they don’t get what they  expect. Also if they are supplied with food and water, they will start to mate and that could cause problems  farther down the line. Well, you try to do the right thing and it’s wrong, but no matter, I will still leave out the water. I know, I’m an environmental vandal, what more can I say.