Have a great day!!
Category: House, Garden and Dogs
There and back again !!
The drive down to Adelaide was partly cold, wet and miserable to start with but by the time we were about halfway there, the sun came out, everything brightened up and it was quite a pleasant day. Parked in town and spent some time shopping. I wanted to go to the camera shop at the Central Market but I think the old camera (which still takes good photographs) is now so old technology has passed it. Amazing how things can change in 10-15 years. I was not able to get anything new – nor even pre-loved. Serves me right for buying a Sony all these years ago. The new camera is a Canon and I have yet to figure how to use all the bells and whistles and get the best out of it. I have bought a number of books and downloaded some things to the computer and I’ll see how I go with them. Booked into the hotel in North Adelaide and walked with John down to the
Memorial Hospital. As I said the day brightened up so the walk down to the hospital was fine. However, during the time we were in the hospital things changed. His appointment lasted longer that was anticipated and by the time we got out of the hospital it was raining, so the walk back was not so enjoyable. And that was the rain in for the rest of the night. I watched some television, did some things on the computer and went to bed. When I rose in the morning, it was still raining. It was a frustrating drive in that it was showers, sometimes heavy sometimes not so heavy, but windscreen wipers switched on – then off – then back on again. Took John directly to the local hospital where he made a follow up appointment for an MRI then probably back to Adelaide again to the Memorial Hospital
By the time I got home it was mid-afternoon and a short while later Jim brought Yogi over. He will be staying with us until they come back from Adelaide on Saturday. Jim is taking his wife Fay down to the Breast Cancer Clinic. Chienne was no problem. Yogi has been here several times before so she is fairly used to him. I took them both out walking last night – all well rugged up for the cold. Do you ever think that weather forecasters make information up as they go along? I distinctly remember the weather people warning us that it was going to be a cold, dry winter and to expect droughts. This would be followed by a hotter than normal summer. Here we are, well into winter and thus far it’s been cold, wet and fairly miserable. Rain here and floods further up north and no sign of drought – Yet! Some places have had average rainfall some much more than average and not much of a sign that it is going to change any time soon.
Not far from where we lived were the ruins of an ancient castle. The castle was once a home of Mary, Queen of Scots and was owned by the Earls of Lennox. The Earl rebelled against King James IV and the castle was partly destroyed by the canons brought over from Edinburgh. The present castle dates from around the 15th century but there is evidence of an 11th century structure. The castle sits atop a hill and as children we went there to sled and have snow fights. We used the South side of the hill to sled. The north side was a bit steeper but the south side ended in an area of flat land whereas the north side ended at the river. What brought this to mind was thinking about the long summer days and the concerts we put on as children. We all had something to do and sometimes we entertained the adults, who always encouraged us. Of course, all this was back in the “Middle Ages”when there were no mobile (cell) phones, no computers, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were still at school, and – most importantly – no television. I remember reading somewhere, that we were the last generation that went outside to play.
Rain and Gala Night.
There are times when I think Mother Nature goes out of her way to contradict me. Only the other day ( yesterday in fact) I was saying that the rain seems to pass away from us and today – yes — it’s chucking it down. Tonight is the Mayoral Gala and apart from Showcasing arts and performing talents, it is also a fundraiser for the RFDS, so we have to be there – not everyone but enough to make a recognised appearance – Red RFDS Shirts and badges. We will also have a Merchandise Table and an Information Table. Not sure when it finishes but I don’t think it will be too late.
As it happened we did finish fairly early but I have to say it was a great night, very much enjoyed – I just need someone to explain to me how six girls from the Dance School can stand in a line on the stage wearing tap shoes and tap out six different rhythms at the same time :o) As far as I am aware we did fairly well and all the proceeds of the night will be donated to us – which is fantastic. In the last five years we have raised over $151,000 for the RFDS. I think it was great that the Mayor chose us as the preferred organization.
Annabell and the ladies held their Annual Brunch. This raises funds for our local Hospital Cancer Support Unit. This year they raised just over $900 and at their meeting this afternoon they decided to make the amount up to $1000, which, really, is a fantastic effort for a few hours but then the ladies put on a great spread and it is always well attended. Not much out of the South-East, but then I never really expected any anyway. When they say that they are going to “Rationalize”what they mean is they will abandon everything outside Adelaide. They have done this in the past so they kind of have a track record. I think they get nose bleeds if they move out of the city limits. Yes, I know, I am being unkind – I’ll feel bad about it later – probably.
It has been raining off and on for three days now. No flooding to speak of but we did have a couple of mini storms when the rain was so heavy that it
overflowed the gutters which means water everywhere. These mini-storms didn’t last long – a sort of cloud burst if you like – but both of the water tanks are full. Everything outside is wet and damp and I’ve had Chienne in here with me. The noise was too much for her and she started to get anxious so I gave her half a tablet to calm her down. I made up a bed for her on my moon chair (bucket chair) then covered her with a blanket. She lay there for most of the night.
Next week we will be having Yogi back again. Fay was recalled to the Breast Cancer clinic and now has to go down to Adelaide for further investigation, so we will have Yogi to look after for a few days. I took herself to the clinic today and it will be three weeks before we get any results but we don’t foresee any problems. I head off to Adelaide on Tuesday so I’m looking for calmer weather. I think some showers on Wednesday but if we leave early enough we should be clear of the area before it becomes a problem.
PS: Yesterday I went back to the Art Center to be presented with a cheque by the Mayor as the funds raised on the Gala night for the RFDS.. Had to leave where I was, go the to toilet in the Art center and get changed, then get on the stage for the presentation – photographs and interview – which was pretty cool!
Trip to the South East (pt. 2)
As for the reason for the trip — well we are in serious decline across the state, but what you have to remember is that when they talk about “The State” what they actually mean is “Adelaide”. We here are not in decline, we have increased and are continuing to do so, but we are not in Adelaide, so it doesn’t count. If the negotiations bear fruit – as far as the leadership is concerned – we will lose our identity. Doubtless we will be assured that this will not be the case, but when you are managed by someone who may well have a different outlook on things, we will come off second best especially if the “Management”has the financial clout. However, I take heart from the poem by Dylan Thomas –
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
At the moment we are not included in their plans – which are all about Adelaide – and although it would be nice if they just quietly forgot us, that’s not likely to happen. We may had differing views on things but one thing we do agree on is that we cannot continue on the way we are. Things have to change and I have no doubt they will have something festering away in their collective minds. However, this is not going to happen overnight – but it will happen before the year’s end.
Presently it is cold here. We did have a little bit of rain but not much here. Up north we had floods, swollen creeks (usually dry) and travelers and communities stranded. Of course it was not bad for everyone because the farmers were quite happy. This is always our problem – the rain bands pass north of us – so we miss out – or they pass across the bottom of the Peninsula and we miss out again. Sad really. I am always amused when people come back from a holiday in the UK and tell me they went up to Scotland. They generally remark on how fresh and green things are and I just nod. Things tend to be sort of fresh and green looking when you get as much rain as Scotland does.
The return journey from Naracoorte was a lot more relaxing than the journey out, but isn’t that always the case? On the outward leg everything is new and unfamiliar and you have no idea of the road conditions ahead, whereas coming back you are traveling back through familiar territory and you seem to get places faster and the South Eastern Freeway looks very different coming back than it did
going out. I would loved to have taken photographs but stopping on the Freeway can mean a hefty fine. I did stay for a break at Tailem Bend and then drove through to Adelaide. It was my intention to drive directly to Bunnings but by the time I got to Adelaide I was starting to feel a little weary so Bolivar it was. I did get on the road at about 6:30 the following morning and got all the things that Annabell wanted me to get for her. I was glad to be back home and glad to see Herself and Chienne. Chi is still fairly well. Not a lot we can do but I understand the tumor is very slow growing so we will have her for a good while yet and besides she is over 14 now.
Since I came home I have had a very busy time working in the garden and several days when I have been asked to come in to work. I have decided – after all this time – that I am not going to get anything to grow here so a touch of landscaping with river stones is in order. Clean the area, put down weed matting, concrete
paving stones and cover the area with river stones (20mm). Tomorrow I’ll go to the hardware shop and get a bunch of interesting and colourful artificial flowers and put a flower pot on either side of the door – brighten the place up a bit. The place has changed a little since I took that photograph and I now have coloured solar in ground lights.
Trip to the South-East ( Pt.1)
Before I even left home I was being told that Naracoorte was a cold place, so I took a pile of warm clothing with me. As it turned out it was lovely for the whole time I was there – cold at night, but warm during the day. I had an excellent four days – good accommodation and lovely weather. It was also a good drive to get there, but not something I will do again. I am not a professional driver so 800klms. was a long drive for me. This was a bit silly since I was advised to break the journey, but I didn’t.
The accommodation was excellent and I really enjoyed the duck park across the road. It was
interesting sitting and watching the birds during a breaks. I didn’t spend too much time getting through Adelaide but I did stop for a little while at Tailem Bend before hitting the last 200+kms. After that I could actually sing ” I’m 500 miles from my home”. The river looked healthy – well the part of it at Tailem Bend was anyway.
The Drive from Keith to Naracoorte was interesting in that it is part of the wine region of South Australia and the landscape on either side of the highway was vineyards – dairy farms and more vineyards. I did take photographs but it really does not show the extent of the amount of vines there were. I saw some beautiful photographic opportunities when drivi9ng on the Expressway but not worth risking a hefty fine since there is no stopping unless in an emergency.
I did mention the park and duck pond in Naracoorte and this a photograph of one of the birds. I was not sure what it was so I asked and was told that it was a Moorhen, found in Indonesia and parts of Australia. Lovely thing it was. We do have Moorhens in Scotland but I must admit that I had never seen one. Annabell told me that the ducks were Mallard Ducks since I remarked on their size.
On the return journey I completed the 340 Klms from Naracoorte to Adelaide and stayed in Adelaide for the night. Actually I really hadn’t intended to but I met up with friends and stayed longer than I had intended. I drove out as far as Bolivar and stayed there for the night. The other reason is that Annabell wanted me to get some things for her in Port Augusta and if I had gone ahead, the places would have been closed. As it was I only managed to get half the things she wanted and placed an order for the remainder.
Thunderstorms, Lookouts and a Goldfish Bowl
Tuesday 19th May – time 3:48 am. Last night around 9:30 we had a serious thunderstorm – the works, thunder, lightening and heavy rain. Chienne was not a happy lady. By 11:30 it seemed to have gone and everyone settled down. The rain had gone and more importantly the thunder and lightening. By 11:30 I went to bed, herself went to bed and Chi settled down on her bed. At 2am I was wakened by an incredible crack of thunder and the storm had not only come back, it seemed to be right overhead – the combined noise of the thunder and the rain crashing on the roof was almost deafening and to say Chienne was going gaga is definitely an understatement. At the moment things have quietened down somewhat and Chienne is spread out on the floor at my feet. The poor thing must be exhausted – two very stressful periods so close together.
I finally got back to bed and reset the alarm for 7am which gave me an extra half hour. Poor little lady. Must be horrible to have such sensitive hearing where even a loud noise
can set you on edge. She’s not neurotic – the word I would use is skittish. Other than unexpected thunderstorms, Chienne has been good and there has only been a couple of nights this week when we have not been out for a walk.
I was out and about today and I actually remembered to take my camera with me. Nothing much happening but I thought I would take a couple of photographs from the Lookout Area, The large building slightly left of centre is the High School. At the outbreak of WW2 ( you must have heard of it – it was in all the papers) there was a shipbuilding industry here. It was believed that it needed to be protected so the hill was fortified with big gun emplacements and like Singapore all pointing out to sea. But then again, there is one of the world’s largest deserts behind us so it is unlikely an enemy could have at us overland. In the second photographs there is a hill to left of centre – this is where the gun emplacements were
We had a lunch at church today and I was talking to one of the ladies. We got on to the subject of photography and it turns out she is a keen photographer and is a member of the local photography group. I expresd surprise since I was unaware that there was a local photography group. It was an interesting chat and it looks as I might be going to a couple of meetings when I get back from Naracoorte and we’ll see if it meets my needs. At least I will have some photographs to have judged from my stay in Naracoorte and, of course, for anything interesting I see on the journey. On the subject of Naracoorte, I leave in the morning and the agenda only arrived this afternoon. And it was in a very odd format that my computer did not
recognize, so I asked for it to be resent and it was. Just as well since it seems I have been allocated a role in the Second Sederunt . So much for my plan of having a leisurely breakfast and walking in at the morning tea and biscuits break :o)
A couple of the ladies will keep an eye on Herself during the week. She had a bit of a fall last week – nothing too serious, but worrying. We have everything set up and Andrew gets back from Roxby Downs tomorrow so he and John will also keep an eye on her. Great – nothing like living in a goldfish bowl :o)
Trips, Tag & Caught.
Only a week until the trip to the South East. Still not certain if I will have company or not but it kind of looks like not. What is about to follow will seem pretty silly to most people and you’re right – it is, but it’s fun. Herself and I play a game when we are out in the car. If a Police car passes, or turns off just as we turn on the road, the game we play is “that they nearly caught us that time”. From time to time (not very often though – only once before this year) we do “get caught” For example, we pulled into the car park of the supermarket
and I took herself shopping. When we came out, this was the picture: I think we were well and truly “caught”that time. It’s a sort of playing Tag with someone who does not know they are playing. Ok, so to all you serious minded people it’s probably silly, but I have friends who play at finding a particular coloured car on a particular day. What can I say – it’s not of medical concern – it’s a country town – there’s not a lot to do :o) But it could have been worse – I could have had a bald tyre or something , or I could have had a sudden rush of blood to the brain and signed myself up for a half marathon. :o)
The Budget was presented to Parliament and People and the general feeling is that it’s an Election Budget” the sort of budget that a government produces when it’s looking to an election coming up and spends money to influence votes. The government denies that this is the case but considering the horror of last year’s budget and the fact that a lot of it has still not passed through the Senate, it’s very suspicious. However, the likelihood is that this government will be elected and all the rage against it over the last year will vanish as the new spending budget takes effect. Apart from which, the Opposition is full of faceless, bland people, with the leader being the man who stabbed not one, but two Prime Ministers in the back. Did the dirty on Kevin Rudd, then backed Julia Gillard then stabbed her in the back and welcomed Kevin back into the job. Probably just as well that Rudd and Gillard have gone from parliament or else Shorten would probably looked to see which of his knives were still available.
I set off on Sunday morning for Naracoorte and according to the weather forecast it promises to be a nice sunny day. Assembly is due to finish on Wednesday morning and it
depends when it finishes. If it finishes late I will leave Naracoorte but may have to stay overnight in Adelaide. If this is the case, it may well afford me the opportunity to get some shopping, particularly Bunnings, although Herself wants me to stop at the Bagman (it’s a company – not a person) and pick up some sleeves of polystyrene trays for the ladies craft and baking tables. The update is that John will not be coming with me. His boss is away sick and John has to run the place until she gets back from sick leave. Pity, I would have liked his company.
Chienne is well. In fact she is doing great. Still drinking copious amounts of water, but eating and walking well. I am still taking her out every-night, so she is getting plenty of exercise but also plenty of rest.
Thinking Arizona Thoughts..
We attended a funeral during the week. It was very unexpected in that he was ill but his death was sudden and came as a shock to his family. We knew the daughter and some other members of the extended family I have also been watching the British General Election, which is due this weekend. From what I have been reading it is going to be a bit on the nasty side. I miss the times when we had political figures that had the ability to use the English Language, who had wit and style, who could destroy, but still be good-mannered about it. These days I look on most politicians as thugs in ties whose first thoughts are in filling their pockets with looking after the interests of the nation coming a far away second. Vision is something that lasts only between now and the next election. There is something seriously wrong with a system where politicians can award themselves a 7% pay increase yet maintain that they can only afford a 1% pay increase for frontline troops.
Today here in Australia it is Mother’s Day – Happy Mother’s Day to all Mums and Moms and including all Fur-baby Mothers. My little Chienne is as happy as anything – we play and we go walks and she sits beside me. There is no indication that there is anything amiss and unlike the Man, I can do a lot more with Chienne because she is not blind and
can see what is going on. I feel a little sad in that Chienne was just a tad neglected these last few months when we were looking after The Man. If it gets to the stage where she has difficulty in walking ( and I really don’t see that happening) we always have the Dog Stroller to fall back on. That’s good fun. I put her in it from time to time and wheel her around the garden and the house and unlike the Man, Chienne is quite comfortable in it. My idea here is getting her used to it – just in case! I miss the Man and think of him constantly
It’s been a fairly quiet month and I have been doing some work in the garden and across in my office. My office was a mess- well very untidy anyway, so I decided it really needed a clean and a clear out of all the old paperwork that was piling up and was no longer relevant. Isn’t that what I bought the shredder for anyway?? So, I filled the recycle bin with all this shredded and other paper and generally gave the place a good clean out. I’m quite happy with how it looks now – like it’s supposed to!
Only a few weeks and I set off to Naracoorte. I am sort of looking forward to this. I have never been in that part of the state so it will be somewhat of an adventure – almost as far from Adelaide to Naracoorte as it is from here to Adelaide. Although I have driven through part of the way when I went over to visit Alan in Geelong some years ago. I am looking forward to having some different places to photograph. I was thinking of taking a short course on photography but having looked at some of the costs I decided to just potter along as I do. My photographs might not be great or professional looking but they work for me.
I am so sorry to hear that things are not well in Arizona. I am thinking about you all every day and I really hope that everything can be worked out and settle back down again. I am sorry about the horses. I know how you loved them too. Poor Charlie! I thought building the “Fortress” would solve the problem, but apparently not. Everything that has happened must be very upsetting ( to put it mildly) so I really do hope that you can sort everything out and get back to “relative” peace. I have missed you and I think others have too, so you know many people are thinking about you.
I have missed the posts of late, but then, since New Year I have missed a lot. However, as I said the other week, things have improved and I am much, much better.
Time for a Chienne Winter Coat.
I decided to resign from one of my organisations and instead I was asked if an assistant would help. I said I would have a think about it and I will. I will most probably stay
and work things through. The organisation is starting to become like many others in South Australia, baffling everyone with bulldust. There has to be a form for everything and I am just fed up with forms. Every time we do any catering that is connected to the Local Council, I fill in the same form with the same information, same addresses and telephone numbers, and I provide a copy of our insurance liability – every time – even to the silly extent that we have worked for the Council twice in the same week and filled in the forms on both occasions. No the same form will not do – it is two different functions – so – two separate forms!! It cannot be filled in on line – that’s way too complicated for the council , so it has to be hand written and personally handed in at the Council Office. Now there is a whole new batch of forms that have to be filled in every time we poke our heads outside the door and I’m not really sure I want to go on doing this. And if that was not enough the Central Office of the Organisation now also wants a whole new batch of forms for their salaried staff to play with so now you start to understand why organisations are failing to deliver as much as they did in the past – lack of volunteers to assist. Every time you move there is a form to complete. It has reached the farcical stage where a teacher, who requires a police clearance form to even enter the school, has to apply for a further police clearance if he or she wants to cross the corridor at the end of the day and engage with students in after school activities. There are so many of these Police Checks floating about these days that the backlog has people telephoning talk back radio on a daily basis complaining that they cannot work because they have to wait on a police clearance and a waiting list that is measured in
months rather than days or weeks. We have not quite reached the stage where you have to have police clearance before you can adopt a dog from a shelter – but it’s getting there. To adopt a dog you first fill in a form – then you are interviewed to determine if you – or you and your partner – are suitable persons – age is a consideration – next a person or persons come to your home to examine your home and your property ( yard) to determine if the environment is suitable to meet the needs of a pet that is – the fencing is secure. Of course I could simply go to the nearest Pet Shop ( few and far between these days) and just buy a puppy, or I could look in the “Animal”section of the newspaper and buy either a dog or a cat, or I could go to a registered breeder. But if you want to rescue a dog from a shelter, you have to go through “The Process”. As I said, no police clearance required — YET!! This is only fairly recent – we never had any of this process when we rescued the Man from the Shelter.
In writing to his sister, Lord Byron wrote, ” kingdoms and empires in my little day I have outlived and yet I am not old” and the same sentiment could be said regarding the “Paperless Society” We seem to have outlived this and instead of the promise of less paperwork that was touted at the start of the “Technological Revolution ” we are generating more than we ever did and creating a grossly inflated bureaucracy that employs people to shift all this paperwork from one pile to another. What do they do with this mountain of paper? I suspect they shred it all, send the shredded remains to the papermill to be made into more paper sheets so that the process and the flow of paper can continue uninterrupted.
Chienne is well. I still continue to take her out every night, however she has learned another word that excites her when we come to the end of our walk and start back – Home. I did put her in the stroller a couple of times and walked her around the garden and she quite enjoyed it. I hope I wont have to use it for a long time yet, but I’ll put her in and wander with her from time to time to get her comfortable with it. It was bought for the Man but it looks as if Chienne will get the benefits from it, and that’s fine.
Heart and Heartbreak
I have been asked to come and talk to the Vet about the results of the blood tests – which came back very quickly. The immediate blood test ruled out Diabetes but the blood that was sent to the lab was not so good. It would appear that Chienne has a tumor and it cannot be operated on. It will grow very slowly so we may well have her for at least 9 – 12 months but she will need constant blood tests to monitor her condition and the tumor progress. I have not told the boys yet. Andrew is in Roxby Downs again and it’s not something I want to do over the phone. John was here last night so I sat down with him and told him. At the moment Chienne is fine and behaving fairly normally. I took her out last night and she walks quite happily, so in that regard she is still well. If she were lagging behind I would be concerned but she is not and generally walks ahead of me or at my side, stopping only to investigate an interesting smell.
Chienne is, of course, the most important issue, but as a secondary issue, I have been cleared by the Cardiologist. The Cardioversion was a great success and I am very pleased. The heart has gone back to a normal rhythm – the arterial fibrillation having been corrected – so the energy levels should start to go back to normal. However, no more running around the State like a crazy thing. I have a week away during the last week in May and then nothing for another three months. I should have been in Adelaide for the rescheduled West Terrace Trust meeting, but no word on that and we are now into the third week in April so I don’t see it happening this month. Probably just as well. I’m not the best of company right at the moment and these last ten days have been pretty rotten. The heart problem aside, to lose one dog and then to be told that I may only have a limited time with the other one makes it two weeks I would rather not have happened. I keep thinking that I had really neglected Chienne somehow. The Man was ill, blind and require a lot of attention and he got all that attention, even when it meant getting up at 2 and 3 am to attend to him. Chienne looked fine, she seemed fine and behaved as she always does, calm and placid. It was only afterwards that I began to notice that she was drinking a lot of water – and I mean a lot of water, that I suspected something might not be quite right. I thought perhaps diabetes and, really, I was prepared for that – but a tumor, that was never in my thoughts at any time.
As if to add insult to injury the weather has not been the best over the last couple of weeks. Summer is well and truly behind us and we head towards winter. It has been cold walking at night and I think it might be time to get Chienne’s coat out of storage. We have had only a limited amount of rain unlike New South Wales, parts of which are flooded and being battered by storms. I am never sure if backward South Australia is lucky or just plain boring. We are in the middle of Australia – sort of – and we are protected from the extremes of weather from the Indian Ocean by the bulk of Western Australia and from the Pacific by the bulk of New South Wales. We do get some weather coming in off the Great Australian Bight, but nothing remotely like the storms of NSW or Western Australia. Flooding here is a few very large puddles – nothing to be concerned about.I wouldn’t wish flood, fire or famine on anyone, but nothing ever really happens here, and I miss The Man.
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