HAPPY 4TH JULY TO ALL MY AMERICAN FRIENDS

The results of the last test bode well for the future. I am sort of looking forward to going down to Adelaide in August. I may have a look  for the camera lens I was thinking about – but we will see how things are by then..  Tomorrow is Monday ( Again!)  and sometime during the course of the day Dougal will be going home. It’s been great having him here and he and Benji have always got on well. I will be sorry to see him go home.  I have a medical appointment in the morning so Annabell will stay at home and wait  in case Sam turns up early. I will call her after the appointment and if Dougal has been collected I’ll go home and collect Annabell and then to to the shopping centre.  Sam came about 9:30 so Annabell was able to get showered and ready and  we went out together, She sat in the waiting room whilst I saw the doctor and had the biopsy  done on my upper arm..  Monday – time to take the dogs out and I am not even dressed. Well, it is raining and has been since the noise woke me up over an hour ago. If it

were just Benji I would take the chance between showers since I would have rain gear on and Benji would be protected in the stroller. However, with Dougal here I decided to suspend the walks until tomorrow (Tuesday) and it;s just Benji and me. I might try and  sneak out on my own but the trouble is that Benji knows these things –  he’s not silly.

When Annabell and I go back down to Adelaide, I think it will be the last time we will be booked into the Finders Lodge. If we are down again after August ( possibly November/December) we will be booked into the new building in Greenhill Road. That will be interesting in itself – to be in the new Lodge. Of course,  there will be only one Cancer Lodge and

both of the current lodges have been sold but have been leased back to the Cancer Council until the move to the new lodge takes place.  Interestingly this August visit is on a Tuesday rather than the normal Friday. This means that we will not be spending the weekend in Adelaide – which I suppoise is a good thing.  If we leave early enough I might get the opportunity to  drive out to Tea Tree Plaza Shopping Centre. There are some things that I would like and I can get them at TTP. Also want to go to the Spotlight store and get some things from their Stationary Dept.  Many people think of Spotlight as merely fabric, sewing and  household things but they do have a very good stationary section. I have included a photograph of the new Lodge under construction behind the old lodge.  Nearly completed and should be ready  when we go back down next time.

This weekend is the end of the quarter and  generally I would be compiling the stats for the  Assembly. However, we do not have a Commissioner and I don’t see it as my responsibility since I am no longer the  Commissioner to the Assembly.  Annabell does not want me to take it up again and I am not really all that keen to do so – thus it may prove to be a bit of a problem`.

There seems to have been a lot of rain in Adelaide recently yet up here it has been fairly plerasant – cold at times but  mainly dry with some sun during the day. Benji  has been quite lethargic these last few days but  he ius still eating well and sleeping perhaps more than he generally does. We still go out in the morning – that hasn’t changed nor does the  physical walk in the evening. Actually it has been very cold in the mornings and Benji is in the stroller but well rugged up. I had on heavy gloves and still my hands were cold when I was out this morning.  I am getting  just a tad miffed with the boy – he’s great at opening doors but not so good at closing them  :o)  I’ll have to show him hpw to close doors. Don’t see it happening, though…

Dougal arrived yesterday for a short stay. We went out for a walk this morning and  I had Benji walking alongside Dougal. Roughly the same time and distance despite the fact that Dougal kept stopping, but otherwise the two walked well together. That’s the longesr distance Benji has walked in weeks. I didn’t use the stroller this morning since I felt it would be too difficult to control the stroller with one hand and have Dougal with a leash on the other hand. Anyway, they both walked well.   Benji is over in his bed and Dougal is here with me, curled up at my feet.  If Flinders call in good time, I might try and get both dogs down to the Ada Ryan Gardens for a little while.  Today being the 17th.  Flinders will telephone sometime today so we should have a fair idea  of where we go from here in Annabell’s treatment.

I ordered a new printer last week and it arrived on Tuesday. I spent all day Wednesday setting it up. Up until this new printer I was using an HP Ink-Jet but recently the cartridges were starting to get too expensive – $29 for the Black Cartridge and $36 for the colour cartridge — and— they were not lasting all that long, Doing the Orders of Service for two Funerals plus the magazine and I  had ro replace the cartridges. I felt that this was  just getting too expensive – yes I did get repaid for the cartridges and the Special  Paper for the OOS but that’s not the point – it is too expensive. So taking a lot of things into consideration, I bought a new printer. I bought an Epson Tank Printer. It does not use cartridges it uses ink. Each Ink Bottle costs $14 and I need 4 bottles  – $56. I know it seems like not a lot of saving really, but the cartridges last about 6 – 8 weeks  ( if you’re lucky) whereas the ink tank should last about 8 or more months.  The printer came with four bottles — AND, I  took advantage of an offer to buy four bottles extra  at a reduced prince so, I should not have to look for more ink for this machine for at least the  next eighteen months. Well,  that works for me.

Despite the fact that it is cold in the mornings, Annabell is fairly well. Tuesday night is still her coffee night with the ladies and I still drive her there. She calls me to come and collect her and that two minutes is the total weekly use of her mobile (cell) phone. I answer, she  turns the phone off and it stays off until the next Tuesday.  I tried to get her to use it and even pay the phone company for her, but I ‘ve given it up as a “lost Cause”.

Was reading an interesting article about why Australias feel the cold so much and it has a lot to do with the buildig industry. Most Australia houses – particularly in the country areas – are designed and built to cope with  cooling during the heat of Australian Summers with little regard given to heating the house up in the cold of winter. The rooms are cold and what was difficult to start with – heating – becomes harder  by the week as gas and electricty prices soar. – fuel  has gone above $2.25 per litre.

We have just had the telephone call from Dr. Tamara at Flinders Cancer Clinic and all I can say is “Rejoice with me!”  The treatment is working and the recent tests have shown that  the cancer has declined. Thus we are going back down to Flinders  on 1st  August and they will continue with the treatment. There was some concern regarding the findings of the last  test but the people at Innovations in Cancer have examined the  results of the tests and the findings of the latest one and have concluded, based on the latest test, that the  cancer had, indeed, shrunk. Agreed, not as much as they wouldf have liked but it is a start and they will continue with the treatment.  Annabell tends to take these things in her stride- me?? I’m overjoyed.  The last few weeks have been a bit of a roller-coaster with all that has been going on, so with one thing at least settled, perhaps things will start to calm down in other areas – we can only hope. Just as an aside, Flinders was supposed to call at 1:50 but the call didn’;t come until  after 4pm which made it too late to go to the Gardens- not that I was in a mood to go to the gardens anyway, but there you are…

While not as wild as it was earlier in the week, it is still very cold in the mornings and sometimes wet.  I think we got spoiled last year with such a mild winter so we are feeling the cold with this winter. Benji and I still get out and about in the morning, cold as it is. He is in is stroller, well rugged up and even with his own personal Hot Water Bottle. Yes Well, the way I see it is that he is in the stroller and not really moving so he would feel the cold more than me walking alongside him. Perhaps I do tend to spoil him – but just a tad, you understand.

Amnabell is still good and we are expecting some information from Flinders later on this week. I hope it will give us some direction of where we go from here. However, that apart, we are not really dué to go back to Flinders until late July or  early August but this call could change that. I don’t expect it will but then I really dont know what we should expect. All very confusing, really.. What with one thing and another, I have not been  to the Gardens recently. I really must try and get down there sometime this week while the weather is still fairly reasonable. Talking about weather, the Victorian Snowfields have had the best start to the skiing season in  20 years – the snow fell steadly for days and all the lodges are booked out.  Rescue was called out inTasmania to rescue people that had been caught out in an unexpected snow blizzard. You might remember that a couple of years ago I posted  some photographs of snow in the Flinders Ranges – didn’t last long but still, it was snow. I like the photographs but unlike  many of you, I don’t have snow – or anything like it – on my doorstep. Mount Hotham is about 670 miles away from here.

The weather remained fairly mild for most of the afternoon so having made sure that Anabell was ok, I took Benji to the Ada Ryan Gardens and then a walk along the foreshore. I remembered to take a  couple of biscuit (cookies) with me to feed the Sulpher Crested Cockatoos. There were a few people around but it was not busy at all considering it was a mild

day and a long weekend. Still have no idea why the second cafe is being built right beside the first one. I dare say we will find out sometime. Can only rarely get Benji to look directly towards me when I want to take a photograph.  On the subject of photographs I finished and printed off the Church Magazine. I was told by  several people that they missed it.  Don’t know why –  I published the last one in March – one a quarter is enough I think. They might like to have an issue more often but it’s not an easy task to do on your own – as I do. Once a quarter is about as much as I can manage.

We had a quiet weekend in that we had John Jnr. only for dinner on Sunday. Connor is with his mother this weekend and Andrew is in Adelaide. This is good since it’s been a while since Annabell and I had a  reasonably quiet  Sunday evening. John  was good but he’s fairly quiet,  has dinner, stays for a bit, plays with Benji   then goes off and does his shopping.. Having the rest of the evening gives me

time to get things done and  sort out what I am doing in the morning – other than taking Benji out on our morning walk.  Benji was a bit sick early this morning  so I had to wash his blanket and clean out the stroller. He’s been fine since then, but I have kept an eye on him. Perhaps it was just something he  had eaten.

We will be having a visitor for a few days. Sam has to go to Adelaide so he has asked us if we would look after Dougal  from Thursday to Sunday. Haven’t seen Dougal for a while  so it will be nice for the two boys to get together for a bit. I like Dougal. I wont see Yogi again.  Jim has gone to be with his family in  Perth, Western Australia, and , sadly, Yogi has died. However, Jim did tell  us that he had Yogi creamated and he is taking his ashes with him to Perth.  Be good to see Dougal again and I think Benji will enjoy the company.

Thursday 2nd June. The second official day of winter, which, thus far has been cold, wet and miserable:  rain and  high, cold winds, Also, today is Connor’s 5th Birthday. It does not seem like  five years since the rascal  came into the world and now here he is starting school in July.  Benji has not  been at his best these past weeks and I have been taking him out for our main walk ( 2.75 miles ) in his stroller, and, since it’s been cold, well wrapped up.  For the evening walk, which is  a twenty minute walk   around the block – he walks and it’s not too much for him. I   think he enjoys both outings. These days we don’t venture very far from home.  Benji  may well be 12 this October, because he is a rescue there is some  confusion about his actual date of birth, but I am ok with 12 and if  taking him out in the stroller helps  I’m all for it.   It is winter and Annabell gets cold easily, so we bought an electric throw blanket to keep her warm  when she is watching TV. The photograph shows the Benji making use of the bottom part of it.  LOL  I tell you, what a pair…

At the moment there is no word from Adelaide, so I guess we will have to wait until the 17th to find out what the next steps in the process will be.

As you have no doubt heard, we have a new Federal Government.   Not going to say a great deal about this new government other than = Pray for us.

Winter has arrived in an unhappy mood and already there is wild weather and  major flooding in Adelaide due to heavy rainstorms that are coming in from the gulf. We have had a fair bit of rain here but not much since the bulk of the rainstorms went below us – struck the lower peninsula and crossed to the Yorke Peninsula and the Adelaide plains..

As far as I am

aware the bulk of the damage was Adelaide North – Elizabeth and Salisbury although there was some in town. We did have a bit of a belt this afternoon – quite heavy for a little while, but it has now passed over. Don’t know if we will have any more, but at least  we don’t have to water the garden. Having said that, I took the car to the car-wash at 7am this morning = LOL that was a waste of time.  By the time that it has has taken me to get home and write this last couple of sentences, the rain has passed and the skies are   a nice blue again.  If this stays like this I might actually get down to the Ada Ryan gardens.                  (I didn’t)

Annabell has been a lot better these last few days and I am really pleased. She is up and about more but still gets a little bit flustered at times, but that’s ok – still good. We have had our third Covid injection but to tell the truth, I don’t think anyone really cares much now. I think there are still some places that require  to see a Covid Digital Certificate but these are few and far between – mostly aged residential places.

I have a cataract  in my right eye and I was at the  hospital to see about it this afternoon. What a performance, different rooms different machines different tests. Anyway, I  had this wild notion that I would have this done   fairly shortly –  yes well.  I don’t get to see the specialists until  mid August and it will be at least 12 – 14 months after that before I would be admitted to hospital to have it attended to. I never for a moment imagined that it would take that long to get things done.  Just as well it’s not too bad.

As far as I know, the main cafe at the foreshore is not doing all that much business so why we are building a second one right beside the first one has got me puzzled. Perhaps we will find out – in the fullness of time.

I think I have only written once since we came back from Adelaide. There has been no news since then – well not from Adelaide anyway. On the home front, Annabell has been slightly unwell, member of the congregation died, I have two funerals – one Wednesday and one Thursday., Friday doctor and Saturday the General Election. So all in all, it’s been a sort of hectic time. Still I  have coped  with each crisis and I am still on my feet. but most important, I sleep at night.

I have still managed to get out with Benji and I have to tell you of my crazy stunt. I woke up and for some reason I was convinced that my wrist alarm had gone off. I got up,  dressed and got Benji ready to go out. I had a quick glance at the clock and I swear that  the hands were straight up and down — I.E.  6am. So off we went. Had a look and the moon

seemed to be in the right place so I continued with our walk. Then I kind of started to notice the lack of the cars I generally see in the morning and the place, I felt was a bit quieter than usual. Still on we walked and finally we finished and I  got back into the house. That is when I discovered that the actual time was not 6am but rather 2:45am which means I had left the house to start our walk at 2am. I have heard that men in white coats have been looking for me but I have managed to avoid them them   :o) One person I cannot avoid and  when Annabell found out what I had done, she was less than amused. Ah well- – these  brain storms .happen.

Annabell is well. The hospital sent her a letter this  week regarding her last examination and they will telephone her on the 17th June to discuss issues with her. Can’t see why they could not have included the information in the letter or simply telephoned her rather than mail her. Adelaide hospitals do strange things. I can’t remember if I  said that the treatment  after two years is not working, so I don’t know where we go from here. I dare say we will find out “in the fulness of time” – as the saying goes.  I take copies of all the mail and the information she  receives from the local hospital, Flinders or  doctors. There is no sinister motive, I just want to have a record of what has been happening.   The cats have gone but they have left a calling card that my doctor and I are presently dealing with. I never knew but it turns out that I am allergic to cats.  I have a rash and the doctor and I have been trying to work out what is causing it. We did believe it was an allergy of some kind and  have been treating that but it was only yesterday that I  mentioned cats and alarm bells went off. Turns out I am allergic to cats and I have developed an annoying rash which is being treated with medication and  cream. I am not in any way confined since the rash is not contagious -however, it is very annoying!!

Currently there is a new tearoom – Cafe Hub – being built  at the Foreshore next to the current Cafe.  Can’t think why we should need two beside each other – unless there is something Council are not sharing  :o)  Every year, starting in early June though to August, the Giant Cuttlefish arrive for the breeding season. What has happened is that people have come from all over, donned  wetsuits and braved the cold waters to  observe a rare sight. After all the years that this has happened 2022 will be somewhat different with the arrival of a Glass bottom boat. Now you can have the pleasure of viewing the Giant Cuttlefish without getting wet or cold.

I have a new 18-55mm lens for my camera – now I just have to save my pennies for an 18-140mm.  I am not too happy atthe Photography Group. They are lovely, friendly people and I feel very welcome, but, really, I am not learning anything. It’s more of a social group for people who are interested in photography.

The journey down to Adelaide was not all that different from the last two trips, roadworks, delays, constant changes of speed limits, all making

the trip  very much longer than it should be. Still it was fine weather and being a Sunday, not too much traffic, so the convoys were not too large. The new overpass and bridge at Port Wakefield are almost completed so that’s a great improvement to time and safety.  We reached Flinders lodge early afternoon and once  we were booked in and  I had her settled, we were able to relax.  In the evening after I cooked dinner, I managed to watch my Lego Masters program on TV. Early bed and  a rise  at 05;00, washed and showered and a taxi ordered for 06;00 to be at the hospital for 06;30. I stayed with her until she was taken at 08;20 then made my way back into town.  Had brought my camera with me and wanted to see if I could get it checked. I thought it had been damaged after being knocked off the table by the grandson. Anyway, it was checked and I am thankful to say that the camera itself was fine—no concerns there.  However, the lens was a different matter.  That required a minor repair to fix but it was that  which was causing the photographs to be fuzzy. I was also told that the lens (Nikon 18-55mm) was on its way out and it  should be replaced in the not too distant future.  I also found out that the 18-55mm lens is no longer made by Nikon  but I could still get a replacement if I look hard enough. The Camera Shop didn’t have one or I would have bought it then.  I did some other shopping and made my way back to the hospital to wait and collect Annabell.

Sad to say that we were told at the hospital  that the  treatment does not appear to be working so they may not continue with it after this three month period.

The cancer

has not grown nor has it moved, BUT  it has not shrunk either and after nearly two years of this treatment there should have been some movement but there is not.  Don’t know where we go from here but at least we have  three months to think about it. I suspect the  Innovations in Cancer Clinic will call us before it’s time to go back down again.  Actually, we will have to go back down again anyway to have the units removed, regardless of what happens from here.

The weather, as I said was great on the Sunday travel. We had good weather both Monday and Tuesday. On Tuesday I went into town and  out to the hospital since they had not signed the forms that Annabell needs. That took me a couple of hours.

From town I  went directly to Norwood and did some shopping for her there.

On Monday evening I fed the birds—four of them. On Tuesday I counted 25 Cockatoos around the railings with more on the roof. I don’t know what will happen once this place closes down in September.  On Tuesday night I packed the car with most things and on the Wednesday after we  finished packing and tidied up the room, we were on our way by 6am. We had breakfast at Port Wakefield. From there until almost ten minutes from the house, Annabell slept. She does not even remember me stopping at Port Augusta to go into Big W to check out their Lego kits. I guess she needed the sleep – it has been a busy,  and at times, stressful two days for her.  I did say good weather Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, but I drove home mostly in the rain on Wednesday – mainly showers and rain-bands but some were quite heavy. Less that an hour from home and the rain

had gone and the remainder of the journey was with sunshine and bright blue skies.  To say that Benji was happy to see his peepel home is an understament. Took him ages to settle down and I had difficulty unloading the car. As soon as I moved towards the door he was at my heel. I wasn’t going out that door without him.  It was good to be home again and I miss him.

A fairly quiet long weekend and a public holiday.  Monday 25th April (Today)  is ANZAC Day, a day when Australians and New Zealanders give thanks for the sacrifice  those in the past made to defend and preserve the freedoms that we generally take for granted today. I attended the Dawn Service at the Memorial Gates  this morning and I  saw that  whilst there were quite a few people there ( a reasonable size crowd) I did observe that there were very few young people  attending. At the end of each Service the Australian and the New Zealand National Anthems are played.   On the way home, I stopped off  at Maccas ( which is always open) and bought breakfast for my travelling companion and me.. I have chicken nuggets in the freezer , but this was Special and he deserved a treat. Besides, nuggets are very useful to hide medicine inside. The pills the Vet gave me to give to him are fairly large antibiotic so I find it easier to cut them in half and  use two nuggets,. Just as well he really likes nuggets. At 06:30 Annabell was still asleep – which is good.  I did talk to her, briefly at just after  7am then she went back to bed.

During the course of this week I will get things sorted out and ready for our drive to Adelaide on Sunday Morning. My Nikon Camera is  needing to be looked at so I have to remember to take that with us as well as the Canon – which I am using along with my  Cell Phone. I have decided  for the present to use the term “Cell Phone” mainly because it’s much easier than writing things out twice..  The other

day I wrote that I had somehow acquired cats and then discovered that I also had kittens wandering about. I have found that cats and kittens seem to vanish for much of the day then in the afternoon and for most of the night ( I think) they gather to sleep on the park bench. Still haven’t figured out what the nose rubs between Benji and one of the cats, meant although I have been told by someone

that it is part of an animal greeting ritual. Does this mean that Benji and the Marmalade Cat are now “Pals” ? I don’t see it but you never know. I do know the kittens run and hide whenever Benji or I appear. I know where they hide and it’s quite interesting. There is the barbecue and there is the barbecue cover, which covers the unit right down to the ground. This is where the kittens run and hide – underneath the cover.  The two photographs, well,  all the photographs of the cats are taken through the  window. Just as well the window is clean after all the rain and wind we have had these last few days.

A friend has suggested that there is a danger that the adult cats will take off leaving me with the kittens.   I don’t think these are feral cats but I will certainly keep a close eye on what is happening. It could well be than the cats are not getting any rest with all the noise from the neighbour’s place. Well, they call it music but we wont go into that..

The hospital (Flinders) called this afternoon – four calls, doctor.  nurse, anaesthetist, and the nurse again. We have to go to the hospital here tomorrow for blood tests the results of which will be faxed to  Flinders. The nurse did say that she was sending an email to me with all the admission details, but thus far – nothing. Will have to watch for it over the next day or so.  We  have had the blood tests Adelaide asked for so we will have the scans done a week tomorrow when we return from Adelaide,. Monday and Tuesday  look good days – Wednesday warm and dry for driving home but at the moment Sunday looks a bit wet and windy for the drive down.. Still, early days – it could change.