To Quorn and Back

Visiting Annabell at Quorn is 150 miles round trip, so three times a week- which is what I do – means that I am covering 450+ miles

a week. Given the cost of fuel, added to the Respite Hospital Fees I can only keep that up for so long. The boys go up as often as they can, given work commitments.  The whole idea of Quorn rather than Port Augusta, was that if anything happened Quorn is right next to the hospital and problems can be attended to. She became very sick, and her blood reading shot up to a dangerous 22 and her test showed an excessive amount of Sulphur in her blood. Well, Quorn is not equipped with equipment or specialists to attend to this kind of concern, so the nearest major hospital was notified, and Annabell was moved there. The closest major hospital is Port Augusta!! Everything is slightly chaotic at the moment and although I cannot find things I have written, I have the feeling that I have told you all this already. She stayed in Port Augusta and the specialists there re-started the insulin injections., which the doctors at Whyalla had stopped. She is now back in Quorn and her blood reading today was 12 – not great but better than what it was.

There has been some improvement but there is still a long way to go. I was with her today and fed her lunch, which she finished – great!  I did talk to her but her responses were correct, but response times were slow. By that I mean that I made a comment. and she responded but it took a bit of time before she did respond. A dear friend in Glasgow sends a letter every week and I take that up with me and read it to her and when I can I try to get comments from her. Most of the time she sleeps. Sometimes I arrive and she is asleep and remains so for all of my visit. I sit and read.  As I tell people she may not know I am there – but I do!

Benji still misses her and each time I come home; he greets me then goes to the door to look for Annabell.  I found out recently that some laws have changed, and it is now possible to take a dog to Quorn – in fact some of the tourist facilities are being advertised as       ” Pet Friendly”. So when the weather is very much cooler ( 41c today – 45c tomorrow with 46c in Port Augusta and Quorn), I will get Benji in the car and we will go North. We have not been out for walks because the ground is just too hot for his paws. Well I tell a lie, we did go out yesterday, but it was almost 8:30 and it was quite dark when we finished our walk.  There are two trees. Look at the first one and try to enlarge the second one which was taken a few minutes later. Interesting.

Benji and I have changed our walk a little. Still the same time and mostly the same area, we just changed the last section a little. The

photograph of the tree was taken just down from my house and across the road. We seem to have an abundance of Galah in the area recently. We have always had a number of Magpie in the area, but with no “suitable” trees to build nests, there is very little in the way of swooping. Further don in Parfitt Street, it is all suitable trees and watch out for swooping Magpies!! I am sort of not popular right at the moment. I took the opportunity of the free day to go shopping.  The Benji was not a happy pup – daddy going out without him. I would have loved to take him with me but to do so would have been criminal not to mention dangerous. It is 45c out there but slightly higher than forecast because there is a North Wind coming off the desert. What that means is that leaving the car windows open would have been a waste of time because the hot wind would have pushed up the temperature in the car, even with the windows open. Anyway, a cool change is forecast for this evening and, according to the forecast for tomorrow the area will have a mid – to high 20s+c, so that won’t be too bad for driving to Quorn. The white flowers are nice, but I am not sure of what they are called.

Patience is a virtue and I regret to say it is a virtue I have in short supply – although I am trying. As Annabell used to say ” Yes, dear, you are very trying.”   My reason for mentioning this is to ask you to be patient. I do read all your posts and when I can, I will respond.

Writing this is the longest I have been on the computer for a while. I’m just so blooming tired these days.