Month: January 2024

Annabell was moved to Quorn on the morning of Monday 8th January. We have no idea how long she will be there – we just have to deal with things as they happen.  I did not go over on Monday, but I did spend most of Tuesday with her. At the moment not a lot of change – she sleeps I sit and read. I had intended to return to Quorn on Thursday – which is today – but instead I was asked to bring two sets of her clothes, which I did on Wednesday. The idea is not to have her in bed all day but to get her dressed and working with the right people to try and get her moving again. Personally, I don’t see how, since she sleeps all day. I don’t know but perhaps it’s something to do with the medication they have her on. Anyway, I did set out two sets of clothes and took them through to Quorn yesterday – Wednesday. Today I am trying to have a free day to get some of the neglected housework done and the laundry folded and put away.   Sigh…. housework is never done!!! LOL  I told her yesterday that I would have to buy new dinner plates – either that or wash the ones piled up in the two sinks.  Not true, of course, but I thought I might get a response from her — I didn’t.

Anyway, Quorn is a small town in the Lower Flinders Ranges. about 125 klms (about 77 miles) north of here. The drive to the Port is fine – a straight – direct road.  The road to Quorn through the lower Flinders Ranges, is very tight, bendy, up and down with some very sharp bends. It’s a road that requires concentration and careful driving. Overall, though, it’s not too bad. However, it is 150 miles round trip, something that I cannot do every day.  Some time ago I said that Port Augusta was talked about so why not there? Why Quorn?  Well, Port Augusta Nursing Home (Brilliant Place I am told) is at one side of the port, Port Augusta Hospital is at the other end. If anything happened it would require calling an ambulance to take her to hospital.  Quorn (Flinders House) is attached to Quron Hospital so it was felt that given her current situation she would be better off (medically) at Quorn rather than Port Augusta. Yes I am inclined to agree but 150 miles a day – every day – is just not possible. A tank of fuel twice a week, added to Medication and Fees for Flinders House, would push my budget well into another ballpark.  I will be back there tomorrow (Friday) and that will be my third trip this week.  And yes, we did consider a mobile (cell) phone for her but we feel that currently she would be unable to use it.

You know, throughout all of this- missing his mummy, looking for her each time I came home, being left in the house all day on his own, getting fed late (sometimes 8pm) – Benji has been really great. Not perhaps as great as a Ninja, but great in his own way. Howefferr  he has had a couple of “accidents” but I can forgive that considering what he has had to put up with. Today is a day he has not had since 11th December – I am here in the house with him all day. And after lunch we’ll go shopping and I might take him down to the wetlands for a little while.  Why not Quorn, you may ask. Well, I can’t— Quorn is within the Flinders Ranges National Park and dogs are not allowed in SA National Parks except in two somewhere in Adelaide – two out of 360 National Parks in SA.

As it transpired, we did go to the shops but not go to the Wetlands. There is only one area of shade and since the temperature started to reach 35c, I decided that it would be a bit too much for him. I will be getting ready for Quorn tomorrow, but I will have a day at home on Sunday so I will try and get him down there early in the morning before it starts to heat up. Although Andrew (my son) did suggest that I could take him down to the Wetlands after dinner when it starts to cool down and whilst I agree, I am concerned that there might be a lot of dogs there at that time.

Well, here we are – 2024. This year Benji will be either 12 or 14, which is confusing to say the least – He is a rescue dog as you know, but one set of documents. say he was born in 2012 and another set of documents say he was born in 2010.  Still he’s my boy irrespective of how old, or how young, he is. In  the major news, it is unlikely that Annabell will be coming home. She is now been in the hospital for 25 days and is currently awaiting a place in a nursing home. There is no  place available here, so she will either go to Port Augusta(60 miles away) or Quorn (75 miles away) Yes, she will be going into care. This last seizure caused a lot of damage, mentally and physically making her unable to do anything. Currently I spend most of my day at the hospital. She sleeps I sit and read. The nurse feeds her breakfast and I feed her lunch and dinner. During a period of clarity I once asked her – as I was feeding her – ” when you said I do all those years ago,  did you ever imagine that I would be hand feeding you?” Her reply was ” no I did not, but did you ever imagine you would be doing it?” — Annabell is still in there!

The boys are not too happy with me. They wanted me to stay with them and Connor for New Years Eve. I said no, I wanted to be  home. Just me and Benji, but it was where I felt I needed to be. Yes other than Benji and I, an empty house, but as I said this is where I wanted to be and where I felt I needed to be. Don’t ask me to explain that because I can’t. Weird, but there you are. I have already been through the depression stage and, having recovered from that, I feel quite fine. I did have a good analyst to see me through – his name is Benji and he is really a great listener  :o)

So, that’s our start to the new year – sitting waiting  care placement for Annabell. At the moment I spend most of the day there at the hospital but that’s a cost of about $90 a week in fuel costs. Travel on the Port Augusta/Whyalla Highway is not too bad during the daylight hours, but not so good in the night and early morning – Kangaroo times… I will have to sit down and work that out. Although it is summer and still light late at night, so I have until March to think about that. By that time I hope there will be a placement back here – well, actually I hope long before that.  I am told that the Port Augusta facility is very nice and that might be so but it’s still  60 miles away.

Benji is very good. He is left in the house for most of the day. I do come back about twice each day to check on him, ensure he has enough food and water and so he knows he is not abandoned. And yes, before you ask- there is a dog door!  When I come home from the hospital in the evening, we gear up and go out for a walk. Of course we still go out for our morning walk at 6am.  Between hospital – home – hospital and walks with Benji,  I still manage about 14,000 steps a day – roughly about 6 miles.

Goodness, January 2nd already!  Yesterday was not the best of her days and apart from  some  exchanges in the morning, she was out of things for most of the day. She had breakfast but refused to take lunch. I was not there at lunchtime. I fed her at dinner time, and she finished off almost all of that and the Ice-Cream as well! Then I helped her drink some coffee.  I suppose, more than anything else, that the sleeping is doing her good and will, partly, help in the recovery. A recovery that  is taking a lot longer this time.

Now that the holiday  period is over and people are back at work, I  hope that we will see some movement. I am not anxious for her to go to Port Augusta but at least there will be  staff back in the hospital and I might find out a bit more that  what I have been told over the holiday period. However unless something changes, I don’t see us not going to Port Augusta. There are six wards in the new part of the hospital and four of them are closed down.