Category: House, Garden and Dogs

It’s cold. And for those who might perhaps claim that I do not know what cold is, I do and 12c here is cold. A nice 56F may be the bees knees in Scotland, but here in South Australia it’s colder and it is only the start of winter.  However, I have made a discovery – I have discovered how difficult it is use  a laptop when wearing woolen gloves. Annabell, bless her wee heart, is sleeping in a warm bed, in a warm room. Ah yes, my electricity account in action  :o). I am drinking lots of coffee. I know that’s not so good, but who cares, the mug is warm to hold  and my poor hands enjoy the temporary heat.

This weekend is a long weekend with Monday as a public holiday. The public holiday is to celebrate the King’s Birthday. Come Monday and may  have a glass of something to wish ” Happy Birthday, King Charles”  provided, of course, that I haven’t frozen to death before then.  Annabell has not been too bad these last few days. She still gets me up at 3-4 am to help her but mostly I can get back to sleep again. If it is any later – say around 5am, I just stay up for our morning walk. and get ready to take Benji out at between 5:45 -6am.

Tuesday 13th. Well, as you can see, I didn’t freeze to death. Was awake twice this morning and although I stayed up the second time, Benji really didn’t want to go out, so I went out on my own. I really need to get him to the vet but I cannot do so until tomorrow. Monday was a public holiday, today is a hospital day, so  it has to be tomorrow. At this moment,  tomorrow is a relatively free day – depending on how Annabell is and  depending on the vet being available.

The CT Scan didn’t take that long and we were home by 5pm.   At the moment she is resting in her recliner and I have covered her with  blankets and I expect she will fall asleep. She has had a troubling day and she is tired. I  am fine but I suspect dinner will be very much delayed tonight.  This afternoon I put a dry towel down on the table so later on I will move my laptop in there, which will allow me to continue doing what I want to do and still be close at hand if or when I am needed.

Today has been cold with some scattered showers, which, I must say were pretty heavy while they lasted. The Flinders  Ranges had  hailstorms that covered the area in an interesting white blanket. The temperature here fell to 9c – which was even colder than yesterday – the cold coming off the Antarctic icefield. Seem it will be like this for a few days.

Annabell was well rugged up and sleeping so I went out early and did the shopping and people are complaining about the cold. I mean, we have gone down to 2c  before and I really don’t remember it being as cold as it is at the moment with this 9c. It’s very odd.

Since starting this I have had to take Annabell the hospital (A & E) but after sitting in the waiting room for nearly three hours to have a seven minute consult with a doctor, nothing really changed. Despite all the tests and the scans there is no indication of what is causing the pain in the lower abdomen and despite what Annabell thinks, it is not related to the Cancer.

I have a view (doesn’t everyone?). She finds that placing a hot water bottle on the affected area eases the pain. It occurs to me that I did something similar some 40  years ago when I had gallbladder problems and the heat from a hot water bottle definitely helped ease the pain and discomfort – then  I had an operation and that was the end of that.   Probably totally way off base, but I can’t help thinking about that time and the hot water bottle. But then, doctors are supposed to know things that we mere mortals have no knowledge of.

One week today since we returned from Adelaide – three visits to A & E and she is still no better. We did have a telephone call from Adelaide and the medical team are discussing whether or not Annabell will be strong enough to undergo surgery. The latest results are not encouraging -not bad – but not as good as the doctors would have liked.  The cancer has not  grown in any way, but by the same token, it has not diminished as much as they believe it should have after nearly two years of treatment.   We cannot keep  driving back and forth to Adelaide. I don’t mind too much, but it is draining on Annabell and the way the prices are with fuel, it is becoming more and more expensive with each trip. I honestly believe that the people in the city have the impression that Whyalla is a suburb of Adelaide, not that it is a town 300    miles north of them.  The continued expense I can

cope with, but the drain on Annabell is getting too much.  But her system is so badly declined that I have doubts that she could survive major surgery.  Anyway, that’s just me- I’m a mere male, what would I know? :o)  However, that’s what Adelaide are going to investigate over the next three months. The reason for the delay is that we are not due back in Adelaide for three months. Had a letter today and Annabell, is to see a visiting specialist. She has been put on his waiting list. Since he only comes to the country one day a month, it could possibly be a while before she actually sees him.  She also needs to have an EEG in the hope that this can help determine the cause of the seizures. Oh, yes she can have an EEG  here, but she would have to wait between four and five months, but she can have it done in Adelaide in a few days. Her doctor is in the process of organising this. I  lived in Adelaide for a few years, knew my way about the place(mostly) and I like the city – Annabell is not so keen on the place.  But as I have said before, I am a sort of Shopping Centre Addict and there are a good many of them in Adelaide. But in 30+ years since I lived here, things have changed quite considerably

On the subject of Adelaide, this was the view from the window of our room at the SA Cancer Lodge. Not great because of the window and the insect mesh.

The weather for the first day or so was not all that great so it took me a few days to walk to the area and  explore the building. When the weather did clear I took the camera and went for a walk in the general direction of the building. I found it to be  a Catholic Church which was built in 1905 and overall, an interesting building.  The building stands just off Glen Osmond Road, which, like Greenhill Road, is a fairly busy road – among the busiest in Adelaide. However, considering the

distance from the center of the city, was probably a quiet, out of the way road, when the church was built over 100 years ago. I suppose that’s the case with most cities,  great buildings are built Away from the city  but as time passes the city finally encroaches and what was once  an isolated building becomes part of a city suburb.  I think  this is the case here and the name of the suburb seems to indicate that possibility – Parkside.

Correct me if I am wrong, but this is June 2023 – yes?  But, from Flinders Medical I am getting dates and times for  echocardigraphs for February 2024. I understand they are busy and all that but a future date  eight months away is really a bit much. I also have a future date for September 3rd. this year – which, I suppose is reasonable.

To close up, From time to time I use   a word that might be confusing to some people.  The word is Lead.  I was asked once, by an American, why I use a word of a metal in relation to my dog. It is simply how the word is used in the UK, particularly in Scotland and also some states in Australia.  The word has two meanings—Led with respect to the metal and Leed with regard to the  control of the dog. Same word different pronunciations, and, of course, different meanings . All very confusing….

 

The week is almost over and what a week it has been. Presently we are still in the SA Cancer Lodge in Adelaide getting ready to start the journey home tomorrow morning. The journey down from home – all 300 miles – was an exercise in frustration with ever-changing  speeds due to  road works – and a lot of the time there were speed changes with nothing seemingly happening – road works signs with little evidence of any road works.  And  to add to the frustration, two convoys.  However although we were late in arriving we settled in fairly well. The following morning we headed off to the Royal Hospital for her MRI.  This is a very big place and since we didn’t know where we were supposed to be we went to the front desk. The lady put  the name into the computer and discovered that we didn’t exist. We explained why were  there so she got a nurse to take us to nuclear medicine – no joy there either. We  were taken to various departments’ that do x-rays and MRI but no one knew us nor were we on any list.  We telephoned the Whyalla Hospital ,. Annabell’s doctor and Jones and Partner’s – the x-ray people in Whyalla and no one knew anything. They couldn’t even find the consulting doctor at the RAH.  The nurse wanted to take us to several other places but Annabell was stressing and fading fast so I called a halt, thanked the nurse, took over the wheelchair and headed for the main entrance and the taxi rank.  This was an exercise I never want to repeat again.

I got her back to the Lodge, settled her back down and she fell asleep. She sleeps a lot at the moment and I am not sure if that is a good thing. That was Wednesday. On Thursday we had a “free day” I made her breakfast then she went to sleep. I went into town do pay ambulance accounts and do some shopping. I was back about 11;30 and she was still sleeping. In fact she slept for most of the day.  She is quite weak and I have to do most things for her – or help her where and when I can.

Friday we attended Flinders Medica at 8am. At least they knew  who we were. The place was very busy so we had a bit of a wait before we were called and  complete the pre-op. system. After that and all the forms were completed she was taken away and I was advised to come back for her around 1pm.  I left and caught the train into town.  I was able to do some of the things I had planned for the week, but not all. I did pay the bills so that at least is complete. Also I did buy myself a new  Mobile  (Cell) Phone. Getting a tad tired of the ” big boys” so I have gone back to the future and bought the new Nokia. Took a while to get it set up with attending to Annabell and everything else, but it’s done now and operational. It’s different so it might take some getting used to.

Sunday and I packed the car and parked it out front. It’s not a clearway at 05:00. I did a lot odf the packing last night and we  left the lodge at 5:30am. She slept for most of the journey. We did stop for a break at Port Wakefield but otherwise it was a clear run to Port Augusta. Some shopping there, then

head for home and we arrived here just after 11:15am.  Benji was pleased to see us. I think he missed his peepel. I had to attend to him and let him go daft for a bit before he settled down and I could move, A week is a long time for his peepel to be away.

Annabell is not so great. The boys and I are  concerned about her. She is sleeping much too much and that, as I said before, concerns me. I have made an appointment for her with her doctor today, so we will see what he has to say.  I am starting to wonder if it is the cancer treatment, more than the cancer itself,  that is causing all this illness.

Annabell had another seizure and was taken to hospital. She remained in  HDU for a day or so then was removed to a ward for a further four days. She was released yesterday (17th) Am going to try and have a quiet next few days and then a peaceful weekend before we head off to Adelaide.   There is still no determination of the cause of the seizures.  The Specialist she has been seeing is not at all convinced with the Idiopathic Epilepsy suggestion and maintains that for some doctors the term is an ” off the cuff” description for something with a yet unknown cause.  FMC need a blood test before we head down there, so we are going to get that done sometime today.  Flinders Medical Centre (FMC) are sending the forms directly to SA Pathology, so we’ll get that done this afternoon.

The way things are going it is getting more and more difficult for her to walk and walking, even with the walker, tires her out.  There was a sale on so I bought something I believe I might need in the not too distant future. Yes, I bought a wheelchair and right at this moment it is not even been unpacked. It is still packed, in its box and in the garage. Next time Annabell goes into the garage will be the first time – so it’s quite safe where it is. This afternoon we went over to the SA Pathology for the blood test and it was a painful walk -not just  for her but for me watching her. Every step was a nightmare.  Even with the walker she struggled to make a reasonably short journey from the car to the SA Pathology Clinic. These nurses are good at the pathology clinic. Of course they are doing blood drawing and injections many times every day, so it stands to reason that they should have it all down to a fine art.  First go, the nurse found what she needed and withdrew the blood without any drama.

Benji was concerned. Every time I come home from the hospital, he looked for Annabell. He misses his mummy. Anyway, yesterday when we both came home, he was overjoyed, and the tail was going fit to raise a storm. I had to be very careful since he was running around her, and I had to watch where she was walking. Anyway, I think he was pleased to see her home.  He won’t be too impressed next week when we are away from Tuesday to Sunday. Anyway, John James will be here to look after him.  — Which reminds me – one of the nurses looking after my Annabell was also called Annabelle. It has become quite a popular name recently.

At the hospital, one of the nurses asked Annabell how the dog was? Annabell was surprised, but the nurse had a big grin and told her that she sees me and the dog out walking most mornings. There you go – these days you don’t know who your neighbours are.

This has been one horrible week and everything that can go wrong has,  right up to this post, which somehow or other has been posted in another format and under a different title.  It has also over -written a post I had already published ages ago – complete with comments and likes. LOL – I am beginning to doubt myself and wonder if this coming back was such  a good idea.  :o)

On line today there was comments asking what we would consider a sad song that we carry around with us/ My contribution was ” Going Home” by Mary  Fahl    from “The other side of time”

They say there’s a place
Where dreams have all gone
They never said where
But I think I know
It’s miles through the night
Just over the dawn
On the road that will take me home

 

I like the music and I like the words. They just appeal to me  somehow.

 

Anyone know how to delete a post once it has been published?? I pressed post by accident and have posted  the page twice??  Any help would be appreciated

 

The  few hours I spent out at Wild Dog Hill with the group was really very interesting. Some of the more “senior” members have very high-quality cameras and some of the long-distance close-up photographs of the native birds were really very good. These are the ones that generally get posted on-line. Still I don’t do too badly with my D7000 Nikon. I have achieved a number of “6” in points  from the Adelaide Judges and once I even managed to get a “7”  :o) So, I am quite happy.  Given the domestic situation, I do not get out with my camera as much as I would like. If Annabell is not too bad and I can leave her for a little while, I will take Benji to the Wetlands /Ada Ryan Gardens and the Foreshore and if Annabell is really having a good day I might, from time to time, get out to the lighthouse or even  Douglas Point and the Shingle Ridge. I remember, once upon a time, when I used to go there quite regularly!   Benji is well enough although I came to the conclusion that a two mile hike is starting to get a bit much for him – he is almost 11. The last couple of days I have used a combination of the stroller and walking. I put him in the stroller and we set out on our walk. The last stage of the walk takes us past our house, so instead of going on I cross over and into the driveway, get him out of the stroller and into his harness and we complete the last part of the route walking together, and he’s quite happy with that. He’s still eating well. He likes one brand of Dog Biscuits and I couldn’t get that brand anywhere in the Shopping Centre, so I spent ages wandering around town until I finally got the brand that he likes — I Know – spot the loony!

Alas, it could be that Wild Dog Hill is the last outing for a while. The nurse finished the injections on Annabell on  Tuesday afternoon last week and we began the antibiotic  medication  on the Wednesday. Everything  seemed to be going well and the swelling was going down. However late yesterday (Sunday) afternoon I noticed that the swelling rather than going down, was starting to build up again, so, it looks like another trip to the doctor and then, possibly, the hospital.  You know the odd thing was that we sat talking yesterday and I looked at my diary for this coming week and it contained only two entries the ANZAC Dawn Service on Tuesday and a Funeral on Friday afternoon.

I attended the Dawn Service at the Memorial Gates this morning. There was a fairly large turnout, but I didn’t see anyone I knew – but then, I wasn’t looking. The Mayor gave an address as did a Lt. Commander from the Royal Australian Navy. The Prayers were offered by someone called “Pastor Josh” and I have not the faintest idea where he comes from. I’d never heard of him before.  I had thought of going back up later in the morning with the camera and take photographs of the March, but then it would mean leaving Annabell on her own not knowing where I was since she was still sleeping.  Given the fact that she is on anti-seizure medication it should be ok to leave her for short periods, but being the overly anxious person that I am, I’d rather not do that.

Once she is awake and up, I will take the Benji over to Westlands and give him a bath.  The “Pet’s Dominion” store has an area for Self- bathing the dog. It’s a good area and only costs $10, which is

next to nothing, really. What I like about it is the fact that it uses warm water whereas the  bath at the vet uses cold water. Talking about Vets, I’ll book an appointment for him later on this week. Nothing wrong – just for a quick check-up.

 

The nurse arrived at 09:20 yesterday morning. I had a talk to her and we decided that since Annabell

was still asleep, we would leave her sleeping and nurse would come back later – around 12:30 This she did and the last injection was administered. Once that was done the  Port was removed and the area cleaned up and bandaged. Doctor this afternoon to follow up and that “should” be us.  Yes, well,  I’ve said that before!

She is still sleeping but I will give her another half hour then I will waken her. I will leave her for ten minutes then give her the traditional Glasgow morning call  “yupyet?” which should – if all is well – be answered in the correct manner “mup”.  Now that the call has been made and the correct answer given, I can safely divest myself of all the communication equipment that I carry around with me each morning. If I stay here at the computer ,or sit and read then it’s not a problem, but if I decide to go outside to do some work, I have the house phone in one pocket, my  mobile phone in  a breast pocket and the  doorbell in another pocket all so that I can attend to things and answer them as necessary without Annabell being disturbed. Doesn’t always work, but the thought is good  :o)

I ordered a new telephoto lens for my Nikon. I have ordered  things on line from Adelaide and sometimes it’s the best part of a week before they  acknowledge the order and another week (or more) before it arrives.  The lens I ordered is coming from Sydney NSW.. I ordered it Monday and on Tuesday morning I get an email telling me that it has been, posted, all the information about tracking, and thank you for the order. Adelaide to Whyalla – 300miles / Sydney to Whyalla 1000 miles. I have been thinking about a Nikon Z Camera but right at the moment I have more important things that need attention other than a new camera for me.  So, I will have to be content with my two Nikons for the present.

Did the follow-up as requested and  we are on antibiotics for a week.  Another tablet – great. Must make sure I don’t shake her or she will rattle. But, joking aside, I hope this will clear things up for her. Today was not her best of days and we have those kinds of days from time to time,  –  it calls for a touch of TLC and then get moving again.

The photography group are doing a “wander” in the outback this coming Saturday. I said I would try to get with them, but as usual it depends on how Annabell is. I may go but only for a limited time, which is better than not going at all and besides, my camera is not really getting a lot of use these days.

Well, as you can see by the photographs, we went to Wild Dog Hill and had a picnic.  It was a good afternoon out, although I would have preferred to have Benji with me. Yes, I climbed the hill – I should not have done that – not with the knee I have, so it was painful, but I considered the pain worth the view. Actually, the   journey back down was more painful than the going up. Still, that’s it done. If all is well I should be  able to attend the next meeting but the meeting after I will be in Adelaide with Annabell.

The rain lasted all of last night and into the morning  but it had stopped in time for me to take Benji out for our walk. Annabell was fairly well today so I went through to Port Augusta. My son (John) called me during the week and asked  if I would take him to Port Augusta.  Of course I made sure that Annabell was ok with that since I would be away for several hours. Fortunately  John was able to do what he wanted fairly quickly so we decided to  go for coffee at the Arid Lands Botanic Gardens. It was good to see that the  place was really quite busy.  We left home about 8: 45 am and I was back home by 11:50, so it wasn’t too bad. I made her lunch everything was fine. I would liked to have taken Benji with us but that would have meant no Arid Lands because like all other parks and conservation areas in South Australia – dogs are banned

Fairly quiet afternoon and I did some work outside but mostly I stayed around making sure that she

was ok.   She slept for a bit and I got on with getting things ready for dinner and it was well after dinner when the nurse came to give Annabell the injections.  Actually it was after 7 pm. Same time again tomorrow then back to afternoon visits for the last three injections. We were going to suggest to John that he not come for dinner on Sunday, but since the nurse won’t be here until about 7pm (ish) we decided that it would be ok. I may  cook a little bit earlier than usual.

As it happened John was here, we had dinner, sat and chatted for a bit, cleared up and he was away before the nurse arrived at 8 pm. We only had the overnight rain and some rain in the morning and that was it. The forecast for the next few days is  low 20c and overcast. Still a bit cold in the mornings, but dry, which means a fairly good walk. I have changed the route a little bit but still keeping the same 2 miles distance.

Today the nurse arrived fairly early, and I spoke to her about the arrangements for tomorrow and Annabell’s hospital appointment.  The nurse was greatly amused because she was going to ask us to have the injection done at the hospital tomorrow because of the shortage of nursing staff, so we both wanted the same thing – the injection at the hospital.  Wednesday, is the last injection, so that should be ok to be done here at home. However, what it meant is we were at the hospital for the injection and then up to the first floor for the physiotherapy class. In all, we would be over two hours at the hospital.

The Session Clerk called me today and was quite upset because  she was about to do something that she had put off doing for as long as she could, which was to request of me that I return the Church Keys and anything else I had that belonged to the church. I suggested rather than do that I would  open the church after the hospital tomorrow and place the keys on the table beside the organ along with anything else that I have that may belong to the church. That will save her the unpleasant task of coming to the house to ask for them. I  felt it was the least I could do. It’s also sad for me because as long as I had the keys I felt still connected, in a small way, to the church. That feeling will end tomorrow afternoon and perhaps that’s a good thing.

Annabell had another seizure and was taken to hospital. She remained in  HDU for a day or so then was removed to a ward for a further four days. She was released yesterday (17th) Am going to try and have a quiet next few days and then a peaceful weekend before we head off to Adelaide.   There is still no determination of the cause of the seizures.  The Specialist she has been seeing is not at all convinced with the Idiopathic Epilepsy suggestion and maintains that for some doctors the term is an ” off the cuff” description for something with a yet unknown cause.  FMC need a blood test before we head down there, so we are going to get that done sometime today.  Flinders Medical Centre (FMC) are sending the forms directly to the  Whyalla Hospital.

The way things are going it is getting more and more difficult for her to walk and walking, even with the walker, tires her out.  There was a sale on so I bought something I honestly believe I will need in the not too distant future. Yes, I bought a wheelchair and right at this moment it is not even been unpacked. It is still packed, in its box and in the garage. Next time Annabell goes into the garage will be the first time – so it’s quite safe where it is. This afternoon we went over to the SA Pathology for the blood test and it was a painful walk -not just  for her but for me.  Even with the walker she struggled to make a reasonably short from the car to the SA Pathology Clinic

Benji was concerned. Every time I come home from the hospital, he looks for her. He misses his mummy. Anyway, yesterday when we both came home, he was overjoyed, and the tail was going fit to raise a storm. I had to be very careful since he was running around her, and I had to watch where she was walking. Anyway, I think he was pleased to see her home.  He won’t be too impressed next week when we are away from Tuesday to Sunday. Anyway, John James will be here to look after him.

At the hospital, one of the nurses asked Annabell how the dog was? Annabell was surprised, but the nurse had a big grin and told her that she sees me and the dog out walking most mornings. There you go – these days you don’t know who your neighbours are.

 

Monday was a public holiday, Tuesday and Wednesday were both hospital days. Tuesday was physiotherapy (Annabell, not me)  and Wednesday was to discuss the things we would like done to the house to make life easier for her – i.e. a ramp rather than a front step– however,  that was cancelled and we were not informed, so we ended up at the hospital for no reason. We just came back home via the doctor’s clinic to make an appointment for her.

She still gets very tired and sleeps a lot. When we came back from the hospital on Tuesday morning, she sat in her recliner and fell asleep. I covered her with a blanket and left her sleeping until  almost 5:30. Interesting that the doctor who runs the physiotherapy program is called Annabelle. Up until Wednesday the weather has been pretty good but then we had several rain storms and more are predicted for the remainder of this week. First real rain we have had for a while. I have still managed to get out with Benji in the morning and we still complete our 2 mile walk. A Cyclone, Category 4 is predicted for the top end of Western Australia. It wont cause any damage here but we should get some of the rain bands passing on through the state

The thing about this area – and I think I might have mentioned this before –  that  the land is reclaimed land from the Australian Bush, not all that good in growing things  -with the exception of weeds – really great in growing weeds. Many people who had houses built in this area really did  the necessary thing – like grow flowers and such like. That includes me. The soil is not so good and the cost of water is expensive. My last water bill was $178.03. Most houses here have removed lawns and replaced them with  garden stones and even then – the weeds still get through. It’s getting harder to walk Benji in the area because of the weeds,

turning him into a three feet dog. For those who don’t understand – means he stops every three feet to have a sniff and a pee,  and it’s not just a quick sniff either- every leaf, every blade, every stem.

I have been following the series “Lego Masters” on TV recently.  It’s all very well to build a Lego kit from a commercial box following the plans but this is free-hand with no plans and no pre-set designs – all from the imagination of the builder- and to a set period of time. Really interesting because I don’t have that kind of creative mind. Andrew (But not John) is  a Lego fan. I mean, we all  played with Lego when the boys were young, but then other interests happened, and the Lego was  pushed to one side. Andrew and Connor are interested in Star Wars, so already they have much Sci.Fi Lego. Andrew has a room set aside for Lego – his things on the top shelve, the things by Connor on lower levels.