House, Garden and Dogs – Page 78

Bushfires and flooding rains.

08/01/2015 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

Today in the Adelaide Hills ( Not my photograph. Photographer unknown)

At this moment of writing there are two fires burning out of control but the one causing the most concern is that in the Adelaide Hills. Already much property has been lost but, thankfully, no lives. There are 100 units and 550 fire fighters together with 8 water bomber aircraft. Some 200 rural firefighters from New South Wales are on their way to South Australia to help our people. Units and firefighters are also being sent from Victoria – which is battling its own fires. At the moment this is not shaping up to be a good fire season. This is now deemed to be the worst fire in the Adelaide Hills for 30 years. The fire is now burning on a 130 klm

perimeter with over 10,800 hectares burnt. By any stretch of the imagination it is a significant fire. Today (Sunday) the temperature has fallen from 44c down to 35c and the wind – at least up here – has died away. It was still a Little bit windy when I took Chienne out for walks last night. The recent reports say that 30 homes have been destroyed and 14 firefighters injured – not seriously- and that almost 600 firefighters are trying to contain this blaze which is now burning on a 200 klm perimeter. The concern is to try and get it under some kind of control before the temperature build up again – which is forecast for tomorrow.

Things are starting to get under control and I now understand about 85% of the fire is within containment lines and the wet weather this weekend should help. Adelaide is dry and I head off to Adelaide on Monday morning. No meetings – shopping expedition. I’m looking for a Dalek for my son’s birthday on the 19th. There was one here and I thought I would get it later but when I went back – it had gone. I should be able to get one at the ABC Shop in Adelaide. I will only be away for the day and no more trips until February. Apart from which I am not driving. Andrew and Trish are going down for a medical appointment so I’ve bummed a lift with them. They drop me off in town, I do what I want to do and get the evening coach home. No stress at all.

On the subject of stress, four of our young people were on their way back from an archeological dig on the far side of the Peninsula and were only 35 klms from town when they happened to meet up with a driver who was determined to kill himself. He ran – at full speed into them head on. The driver and the front seat passenger were killed outright, the two in the back seat were seriously injured – one flown to Adelaide by the RFDS in a very serious condition, the other to the local hospital. The other driver was also flown to the RAH by the RFDS. He was so badly smashed up it is unlikely he will survive. The funeral of one of the young people was held yesterday, the second is today. And before you ask, yes I knew them. Not one of them was over 24 years of age. The other driver is 36 years of age – he was driving a Nissan Patrol – I do not know him. As far as we know he is under guard at the Royal Adelaide and if he does survive, ( he is in a coma) charges will be laid against him by the SA Police. A sad start to the new year for many.

Something made me think recently about librarians (probably because I like the TV Show) and I was considering our local library and we have no young people there at all. Sad really. Do not know about other places, but our library shows no sign of decline – always well attended. After days of 43/44/44/42 degree heat everything goes haywire and we are right in the middle of a major rain and thunderstorm. Chienne is, of course, going slightly crazy and I have medicated her. The forecast is for flooding rains in this part of the State. I don’t see it, but you never know.

Boom, Bust and feet on the Desk.

03/01/2015 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

Nine Months ago this was all empty land.

Since I came out of hospital and after a few days rest, I started to take Chienne for walks again. They were not long walks but that was more for my benefit than it was for hers. What’s also been interesting is that The Man, who has been increasing in strength, also comes with us sometimes. He refuses to use his Stroller, refuses to be carried and insists on walking. Yes, he does trip up from time to time and I have watch him because he wanders, but all that apart, he seems to enjoy his walks. Can’t see where he is, of course, but there’s nothing wrong with his sense of smell. As I said before, he tries to stay as close as he can to Chienne. The walking is slow and easy and that’s fine. We also find that he sleeps very close to Chienne – right up against her in fact. One of Andrew’s girls suggested that I should put Chi and the Man in the stroller together and perhaps that would settle him down. Tried that! She settled down quite happily he screamed and screamed and went nuts. I un-clipped him and he sprang out of my hand onto the concrete where he promptly fell and rolled over – he was that desperate to get out. Lucky he didn’t hurt himself. So we’re back to square one. I don’t understand!

More houses. — This used to be the end of the road – more houses.

Christmas was held at my younger son’s place this year. We spent a family Christmas with John, Andrew & Patricia and the girls, also Patricia’s mum. Herself wasn’t doing the cooking for the first time ever. Actually Andrew did much of the cooking, which is a credit to Herself. He left for Roby Downs and should be away for about 12 days. New Year was a quiet time and although I did stay up and see in the New Year, I brought it in with Lemonade ( oh the shame of it all!!) with the 26 year old Single Malt staying where it is for the time being. Very sad, really! Reminds me of Zathras from Babylon 5 “Have very sad life – will probably have very sad death, but at least there is symmetry”

Have been doing a lot of reading of late and once I sat back in the chair here, opened my Kindle and put my feet up on the desk. I think there must be some kind of special desks in the movies or on TV because I found the feet on the desk thing very

uncomfortable. However, that apart, it has been a relaxing few days.

At this moment there are over 1108 houses under construction. These are not government houses, these are fairly large private development houses. The mining boom is happening to the North of-us and we have become the fly-in / fly-out destination. When we bought this place, we were the very last house. Not any more!! However, I have this fear that we could go right back to square one when the mining boom peters out and that there will be a glut of houses for sale and no buyers. The developers could make a few dollars on houses like mine which is the older style and size South Australian house, sitting on a quarter acre. You could get two modern houses on that. The widow of one of our former RFDS members did just that – sold the house they had together in town – this was demolished to make way for two new town houses. Sure, there are no gardens, no lawns, no flower beds and barely enough room for a washing line, but moderns are not interested in flowers and gardens today so they don’t care. Kids grow up in the house and in their rooms – we grew up in fields and woods, in playing with our friends during the long summer days that lasted until 10:30 pm. We very rarely saw home until it was time to come home for food. However, on the plus side, there are people prepared to pay extra for more land so they can have a garden and flowers and a place for the children to play and when you consider the amount of land that is actually available it’s pretty much a money grab. However, having said all that the main drawback to development in outback South Australia is the same as it has always been and always will be – WATER. There was an up-surge of tourism into the Flinders Ranges and the people there wanted to extend the Hotel and the facilities, but doing so would have put so much pressure on the little water that was available the plans were shelved.

Well it was a very quiet Christmas and New Year. I sent in letters of resignation to one of the State Committees and I am giving serious consideration to

resigning as Secretary to the Royal Flying Doctor Service Support Group. The trailer will no longer to kept here because it was dropped in my driveway and I had the job of getting it behind the gate – and it was no lightweight. I also had the problem of getting it out ready for collection. Herself put the foot down on that. However, the trailer yes but the other – I will wait until I see the cardiologist in a couple of weeks.

Heartbeats and slowing down.

23/12/2014 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

I remember being told once that “you should always be careful what you wish for – you might actually get it” I mean, we didn’t want much – just some peace, stay at home, nice, quiet, down-time. Oh I got that alright – in spades. I cannot say I was pampered, but the nurses and medical staff in the Cardiac Unit did look after me. Having said that, let me qualify it by saying that 1) I did not have a heart attack ; 2) I did not have a stroke. 3) Came close to both but no cigar – thankfully.

Monday took herself shopping. After lunch I decided to do the concreting and bed in her replaced washing line. Set up the cement mixer and got to work – not great exertion or even all that hard work, but about half way through I had more problems with breathing – more than I have had recently. I put it down to the fact that it was a warm day and carried on working. Before I knew what was what I started feeling very hot, my heart and pulse were racing like an express train and I was fighting for breath. I stopped work, went into the house and banged on the A/C ; set it at its lowest and stood in front of it. After a while I started to settle down. However, herself was not too happy and insisted that we go see the doctor. At 3pm I saw the doctor, at 3;50 pm I was at the hospital and by 5:00 I had been seen by two specialists and moments later was on my way up to the HDU ( High Dependency Unit) and hooked up to heart monitors. Not a heart attack nor a stroke but a serious Cardiac Arrhythmia. A number of xrays also showed that I had a pneumonia infection and fluid in the lungs which was not helping. Anyway, over a period of days I was given medication to bring the heart rate down to a less dangerous level and then get it under control. It is now under control but that’s more to do with the present medication rather than anything else. It is still fluctuating but I am told that unlike when I was admitted, this is a controlled fluctuation. I was also told that the problems with the heart were directly responsible for the breathing and thus the tiredness and shortness of breath that I have experienced lately.

I have to remain on these drugs for four weeks then see the heart specialist and return to the HDU. I will be taken off the drugs and monitored. If the heart does not behave I will be taken down to the Theater by the Cardiologist and given electric treatment to shock the heart back into a normal rhythm. All good stuff.

On the first evening I was in hospital Herself asked if there was anything she could bring up. The boys would bring her and I asked her to bring up my pens and my Filofax. To many people that might sound a bit strange, but I use my FF for recording everything. It helps me keep track of things I do and places I go. I don’t see why a visit to hospital should stop me from making sure everything in my FF was up to date. I also asked for my iPad mainly I have a kindle program on there and have a number of books that I can – and did – read. Yes I would have watched TV but I felt that $14 a day was a bit steep.

Where do I go from here? – First thing is to do as I said I would and resign from one of the State Committees. Secondly, cut down the trips to Adelaide. I can do this by a careful examination of the Agenda and if there is nothing there that really concerns us or has any bearing on us, I’ll put in an apology and stay home. Not an ideal solution but the best I can manage. The Property Trust Committee, which meets in Adelaide, I really do want to remain with – such a lovely group of people and the meetings are always a pleasure. The next meeting will feature a presentation by Dr. Klee Benveniste of the Adelaide Hebrew Congregation- and I do want to be present for that. Other movements I will curtail as much as I can until we are certain that things are back to normal.

Adelaide, Flinders Ranges and the Man

16/12/2014 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

Driving into Adelaide - what's not to love?? — Driving into Adelaide – what’s not to love??

Heading down to Adelaide at the weekend. My son is taking his partner for some tests she has to have so they are driving down and I am going down with them. They will drop me off in the city and I’ll catch the coach home in the evening. I thought I would grab this last opportunity to do some Christmas shopping and see what I can get for Herself. Not too much for me – I’m easy to fix; a Bunnings Gift Card in an coloured envelope and I’m happy. This is not the scheduled trip that I spoke about – that has been cancelled – so this is the last until February. I have resigned from one of the State Committees and I will not be going to the Assembly, so my runs to Adelaide will be considerably cut down. Between Assembly, Conference, Committee meetings, The Commission, Alan’s illness, Alan’s passing and Alan’s Funeral, the last year or so really took a lot out of me and I have no desire to repeat the exercise.

I’ve been trying to palm off The Man to my other son :o) I said I would just keep a photograph because it will be cheaper than keeping him. He is well, growing in strength and eating like a horse. I can’t keep up with the amount he eats at the moment. I am forever filling his bowl with food and I still hand feed him his treat in the morning. He has even been out on walks twice in the last week. He generally stays close to Chi but he does wander about until he finds his way back to her side. I have to watch him like a hawk because he crosses in front of me at times and the idea of getting up close and personal with the roadway does not appeal to me.

My Filofax - Scanda Personal — My Filofax – Scanda Personal

I bought a friend a Pink Filofax for her birthday last year and she makes great use of it. So much so that she asked me to help her find an A4 Filofax for her study next year. Interesting because I have temporarily abandoned Filofax for a similar system but with a different maker – Van der Spek , a Dutch company , and unlike Filofax these binders ( planners/Organizers) are hand made. It will be an interesting exercise and to be truthful I will not be surprised if I am back to my Filofax by Easter, but I will try to get used to the smaller A6 unit.

I read the interesting Road Trip by Uncle Spike and for me to travel on the kind of highway that he is using, I am looking at close to 1000 miles – Melbourne – Sydney – Canberra. Melbourne would be the closest at a mere 700 miles. Also the land around here is fairly flat, with a very small population – 350,000 in an area about 904,880 sq.klms The Flinders Ranges is the largest Mountain Range in South Australia. It’s about 270 miles in length with the highest peak being St. Mary’s Peak at 3,780 feet. Have not been into the Flinders for ages. Must try and get up there for a couple of days before it gets too hot.

Road Trip, Adelaide and Bunnings

10/12/2014 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

Let me tell you that I lurve you and I think about you all the time :o)

The recent trip to Adelaide was completed in excellent weather. No storms sneaking up and no nasty surprised lurking over

The Lower Flinders Ranges from Highway 1

hills. I made directly for Bunnings at Para Hills. I like Bunnings – different from most run-of-the-mill hardware stores. There is always an excellent range of stock and I can generally get things that I want and that are not stocked at home. They alsdo have a good garden center.

Provided the weather is good (and it was) the drive on Highway 1 is quite relaxing. The change in the vegetation is very noticeable the further south you drive – it becomes softer and you can find this strange green stuff, which I am told is called Grass. We had this in Scotland, but I had forgotten it.

We do not have the great multi-lane highways and intersections that are normal in the populous parts of Australia – Sydney – Brisbane – Melbourne and driving through Adelaide, although busy and frustrating at times, is not a patch on Sydney. What you see is the major highway linking the north of the state from the south. It carries on across the top of the state and links South Australia with Western Australia. You have, no doubt, noticed the distinct lack of transport – other road users – this is fairly normal. In our little world if we see more than four cars in a row, we wonder where the funeral is. There is not much in the way of wildlife either. People die on this road because it is long, little or no traffic, and minds tend to wander. I do not travel this road at night. I used to but it’s not a great experience – major trucks tend to travel at night. The one advantage of Highway 1 is the 4 klm long passing lanes. They occur every 10 klms, so the longest you are ever stuck behind a caravan or truck is about 20 minutes to half an hour. On the way down (or up from) to Adelaide is the “Tin Man” a BP Service Station and the Crossroads of South Australia for anyone traveling north or south. This is where I generally stop for coffee and a snack both going do0wn and coming back. You meet all sorts of people there – even family :o)

Highway 1 - the road behind — Highway 1 – the road behind

Highway 1 - The way ahead. — Highway 1 – The way ahead.

Games, Betting Tips – and Bunnings.

03/12/2014 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

One of the saddest things in Australian Sport took place this week – a Batsman playing for South Australia was hit with a Cricket Ball and was rushed to hospital where he died two days later. No doubt, when the dust settles and the period of grief in the International Cricket World has run its course, there will be an full analysis and investigation. I suspect that much of it will revolve around the standard – or lack thereof – of protective helmets but it will be interesting to see if the Australia obsession with speed and bounce will come under scrutiny. I doubt it and if anyone does mention it, they will be ignored because speed and bounce wins games. When Australia was on the receiving end of this they turned it in to “Folklore”and anti-English sentiment – The Devil himself would have been more welcome than Jardine or Larwood. It was called “Bodyline” and in this day and age we have gone far beyond that and although Larwood was the fastest bowler of the day, modern bowlers are trained and taught and work to achieve speeds that Larwood never even dreamed of in 1938. Current speeds are up to 102 miles per hour and the best Larwood ever achieved was believed to be 80 miles per hour. Commentary is not how well the bowler bowled but what speed he bowled at. But it must be said that Australia is not alone in this obsession with speed and bounce and regrettably it has become endemic. Larwood did settle in Australia in 1950 after his cricket career was over and was warmly welcomed by the people. Cricket is a game that once had gentlemanly traditions, but commercialization of the game has subsequently tended to elevate the principle of “win at all costs” above traditional ideals of sportsmanship. Feed the masses – “Bread and Circuses” Once you got match commentary – now you get commentary and betting tips.

Today is the Christmas Pageant and we are running a fundraising for the RFDS at the “After Pageant Fair”. As I recall, we did fairly well at the Fair last year. We have another fundraising event on Sunday, but I wont be doing that. Like other groups in South Australia we are running out of volunteers. It’s the same people doing more and more and most of us are starting to get tired – well, I know I am, considering everything else in my life at the moment. Up early this morning and put the car out on the roadway so that I can get the RFDS Trailer out and Frank can get in and collect it sometime this morning. At the end of the day, it will be brought back here because this is where it’s stored. I believe the Pageant was very good this year. – I wouldn’t know since we never get to see it :o)

We had an exciting thunderstorm last night with a lashing of heavy rain. Chienne was medicated and The Man slept through it all – as he generally does. Fortunately the weather for this coming weekend will be warm and sunny with no hint of rain. This will mean a fairly pleasant drive down to Adelaide and an equally pleasant drive home the following afternoon. This is the last for the year and I have one more trip to make, but that is for other reasons. However, once this weekend is over I hope to get back outside and get to work on cleaning up the garden and finishing off some of these projects – that would be nice. My plan is to detour on the way down to an area called Parafield where there is a nice, big Bunnings store. It’s over 260 k away from here but it’s the nearest one there is.

Groomers, Adelaide, Shopping and Conferences.

27/11/2014 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

Because of his many problems, I now have difficulty in getting a groomer to take the Man. One was recommended and I called her. I left a message on her answering machine and it took her six days to get back to me. In the meantime I went back to Fussy Dogs and had a conversation with Corenza and if I bring him in tomorrow morning before they open, she will wash and groom him for me. I am pleased about this because it will help to make him more comfortable and I’m all for that. I am down in Adelaide next weekend then one more and that will be me until mid-February. I can’t say that I am particularly unhappy about this – I mean, even for a shopaholic, like me, there is just so many times you can get excited about Rundle Mall, Elizabeth or Tea Tree Plaza. Although, having said that, it will be slightly different because the places will be all decorated and that’s worth seeing. Anyway, once I get back from Adelaide I should be able to make a move on the work of at least one of the projects I started. I will move the Hills Hoist from the back of the house to the area at the side of the house – the area of the Crazy Paving. I have decided that it would be just too much to have the lot dug up, so I have covered over the worst sections with concrete, so the next thing is to lay down plastic sheeting and/weed matting and put a decent level of topsoil, pack that down, then artificial grass. That should make it a pleasant area for her washing line – and not so far for her to move things. Once I get this completed I will decide which of the remaining projects to tackle next. I’m not really thinking that far ahead at the moment – one

thing at a time.

The Man is starting to wear down and I have tried to make him as comfortable as I can and been on hand when he’s needed me – even at 3am – but he’s been washed and groomed and he is looking much better. In “The Old Days” Chienne used to attack him when I brought him back from the groomer, but, interestingly, not this time.

I would like not to be running back and forth to Adelaide every few weeks. It is something I could very well do without and it is tiring. However, it is not my choice – well yes I suppose it is since everything really is by choice – but at the moment I am doing the work of two people. Generally Helen shares the workload but Helen has Breast Cancer and is undergoing treatment for that, so I have to fill in and do the traveling she would normally do – hence all the running around this year. I am also a member of two Assembly Committees, which I have to attend. One of these I will resign from after Christmas. Only three people have the authority to attend to the Courts and do all the other things – Me, Helen and Annabell (Herself) Helen is presently unwell, Herself is disabled so, lille ole me it is! Believe me, CDL there is nothing I should like better than to sit down, put my feet up and close the door on the world for a while, but I can’t – not just yet. And yes, it is something of an ego boost, but sad at the same time, when you call to book the hotel and the receptionist asks you how you are by name because she has recognized the voice. I have the 6th December and the 15th December and that should be me until mid-February. As for the shopping, well I have to be down there the day before for an early morning start and I have no intention whatsoever, of leaving here at 4am on the day of the conference and driving down – so I go down a day early and I have to do something to occupy my time :o) See, it’s not all bad…

Health and welfare, Man and Me.

23/11/2014 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

There is a song from the Musical(?) Jesus Christ, Superstar, called “Could We Start Again, Please” and for some unknown reason it came to mind recently and has decided to take up temporary residence. I remember a group of us went to the musical and not long after this the family and I left Scotland to come to Australia. So, it’s about 30+ years since I had exposure to this particular piece of music but I think the

recent concerns with my health and the health and well-being of The Man seems to have triggered some kind of response from the past that has some bearing on the present:

I’ve been very hopeful so far

Now for the first time I think we’re going wrong

Hurry up and tell me this is just a dream

Oh could we start again, please?

Between my health, the Man’s health a garden that looks more like a bomb site than anything else, half finished projects in several places, so, yes, I think, Could we start again, please? Between today and the middle of December I have to be in Adelaide three times – this week the Sitting of the Commission, nine days later a two day conference and a week after that a one day session that I need to attend and I really have to get some work done on the projects I have started in the garden. So, basically, yes – Could we start again, Please?

The drive down to Adelaide in a 38C heat was “interesting”. I met up with a friend in Adelaide and had coffee, which was really good. The same could not be said about much else. The temperature collapsed

overnight and the following day was rain storms and thunder. Fortunately I got out of Adelaide before the real heavy weather closed in. However I did run into a mini-storm on the way up north and the storm was not the only thing I ran into. The mini-storm brought high winds which brought down a number of tree branches. I came over the hill saw the branch on the road and hit the brakes. I was lucky in that I hit the foliage end rather than the wood end, so other than some minor damage and a bit of a scare, everything was fine, although I did not stop to inspect the damage for a while since I had no intention of coming to a halt on the road in the middle of a storm with heavy rain and poor visibility. That, I felt could have been dangerous. Once I cleared the storm and could pull off the road, I was able to inspect the damage, which, fortunately, was light. The remainder of the journey was completed in fairly reasonable weather. Surprisingly the two photographs were taken on that same journey and within an hour the blue had changed to almost black and the white to grey. However, it has to be said that my little mini-storm – violent thought it was – pales into insignificance in comparison to the storms sweeping across the United States. That’s really scary.

I decided to change my diary system from Filofax to Van Der Speck and I am not altogether certain that I made a good decision. I didn’t realize at the time how difficult it would be to get A 6 inserts to operate the system. I have this feeling that it will look very nice on the shelve in my office whilst I continue to work with my old, worn and battered Scanda Filofax. I blame myself, I should have given it a lot more thought and consideration rather than being swept along on a wave of euphoria . I have, however, ordered a set of inserts from Holland so perhaps once I use them and start to operate the system I might feel differently – but we’ll see.

The Man has recovered from his sojourn in the hospital and the Humidifier Crib. He still bumps into things and I still have to rescue him from these nasty corners, but he is sleeping well and eating well. His medication is kept up to date and as far as we can tell he is in no pain, so I see him being with me for a little while yet.
Crib

The Man

16/11/2014 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

I have renewed my WordPress Account for a further year even although I am not sure why. I have, for the most part, recovered from my illness although I am having a little bit of a breathing problem, which, I am told, will sort itself out. I also get tired easily and I find that I am quite lethargic and not in the mood for doing much. I missed the last meeting of the RFDS and organized someone to take the minutes. I would prefer not to be going to Adelaide this week, but I have to be there for the Sitting of the Commission. To make matters worse, the Man is not having such a great time. One night I was particularly worried about him and I thought I was going to loose him, but he seemed to settle down and slept peacefully. He did not have a great night last night although he not only had his dinner, we wanted more food, so, I fed him again and he scoffed that too. Here again he settled down and is again sleeping peacefully – well, he snores, so as peacefully as that allows. ///// I was out and Herself telephoned me because she was concerned about the Man, who seemed to be fighting for breath and was in some distress. I left and came home and agreed with her – he was not good and his mouth was blue. I called the Vet and he agreed to meet us at the surgery. He is in some trouble, his heart is not good, his lungs are not good. He was given an injection to try and calm him down and put into a humidifier crib and oxygen pumped in to help his breathing. At the moment it is touch and go and he will be in the crib overnight. Mustapha (the Vet – he’s Turkish) will have another look at him in the morning. It’s not looking good and even if he comes through this episode, it’s only a question of a short time before it will be time -a few months at the most.

We went after lunch and collected him from the Vet. Not a clean bill of health but not too bad for his age. He had a wander around, did some sniffing and settled down in his bed, where he has been all afternoon. He is sleeping very peacefully now – not even snoring. We may only have him for a little while longer but we will try to make it as comfortable for him as possible.

The Man, me and sleepy-time.

11/11/2014 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

The first “real” fire of the season and it claimed a life. A major fire burning north of Port Wakefield was brought under control but at the cost of a life. Is not a good start to the fire season and despite the odd rain, if has been very dry, so it’s not looking all that good. I almost had the best sleep in weeks – almost. He finally settled down just after midnight and I went to bed. I went to sleep and was sound asleep when he decided to start yelping at 6:33 and woke me up.” I could have been a contender – I could have been somebody”- I could have slept until at least 7:15. But no! Duty, in the shape of the Man, called at precisely 6:33am.

Here, in the North, we may not experience the problems that the south has – we don’t have floods and we don’t have serious gale force winds all that often, but we do have major fluctuation in temperature more rapidly here than in the South of the State. A few days ago it was 34c but up here the temperature can drop as much as 12-15c overnight, which means that you go to bed with a light sheet covering and wake up in the wee small hours just about freezing and scrabbling frantically for quilts or blankets. No – it does not happen the opposite way. Temperature rises are gradual – it can drop from 39c – 24c overnight but it wont rise from 26c – 39c overnight – if that makes sense!! At the height of summer the temperature rises to 42+c and can stay there for days at a time- then the major problem for fire-fighters is a wind blowing in off the desert and swinging back and forth in different directions. Arizona would know all about fighting fire and changing wind direction. However, I also have to say that there is nothing in this area that even remotely resembles a forest – or even a large area of trees and the closest I have ever come to a forest fire was when I drove back from Adelaide last year. In Scotland the North wind came screaming in off the Ice-Cap bring cold, ice and snow. Here the North wind is a hot wind blowing in off the desert.

The Man is not having a good day. I fed him his treat and medication this morning ( at 6:33) but he’s crying as if he was in some pain. I understand that he is a bit scared and has no idea what is happening to him, he is blind and can’t see what is happening around him. There is nothing in this world that I want more than to be able to lift him, cuddle him, comfort him and somehow let him know that I will never abandon or desert him and be always here for him. I touch him, and he tries to bite me – I lift him and he screams and struggles until I put him down. He fights and resists every attempt to help or comfort him and at times I just don’t know what to do. The closest I get to him is when I hand feed him his treat in the morning. My recovery is not helped by him yelping at 3am and I have to get out of bed to attend to him and get him back to his bed again. Poor wee thing…

It seems like weeks since I last wrote anything here and I suspect the reason it feels like weeks is because it is. The “Bug” turned out to be a little more serious that we thought and the swabs threw up a few “nasties” – interesting but not dangerous. I am still tired and unable to do much, but I am recovering and I should have recovered sufficiently to be in Adelaide on 19th & 20th November. I will be down for the Commission – which I have to attend. I also have to attend a conference on 6th December and that should be me until mid-February next year. Because of the lack of energy I have not been able to keep up with much of what’s been happening around the place and with the other members of WordPress. I really must try and get on top of things. In the meantime all I can do is quote the words of the Great Mark Twain “The reports of my demise are grossly exaggerated”

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