Flinders Hospital – Edgar's Page

Sunrise, Spiders and Flowers.

28/10/2021 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

It’s been a good few days – no medical emergencies, no hospital visits, peaceful and quiet. Wet and windy at times but that’s fairly normal here. However, I have still managed to get Benji out and about. This morning, for example, Benji and I were out at 6am. Quiet and peaceful with hardly a breath of wind. An absolutely brilliant sunrise. Seven am and we were back home and by 8am we were in the middle of a thunderstorm – the first of three that came and went throughout the day. More are forecast for the next few days I had a look at my plants outside and found a

creature with a web. I had no idea what it was since it was like no spider I had ever seen. Turns out it was a Golden Orb Spider. To be honest I had never even heard of it before. I did check up on it and they are common in rural areas and I realised that this was one of the plants I bought at the Arid Lands Botanic Garden. However, it is fairly harmless and a bite can cause temporary localised pain but it is not toxic.

Also on my walk this morning I had an unusual sight – a mother feeding her young. I carry a plain Oat Bar in my pocket. Sometimes when I am out a magpie will land beside me and I will crush part of the bar and let the magpie have it for breakfast. This does not happen every day. It did happen this morning and after the magpie

started feeding what looked like a second magpie landed close to it yelping its head off. The first Magpie lifted some food walked over to the second one and fed it. It kept doing that all the time I was watching. Magpies mate for life and I believe this was either a mother still feeding its young, or a male feeding its partner. I told Annabell and she thinks it was the former, a mother feeding its young. It really was interesting to watch and it’s something I will look out for.

During the week I spent some time with Benji at the Ada Ryan Gardens. I

remembered seeing a plant on a post recently and I think we established it was a South African plant. Anyway, as I was wandering through the gardens I came across what I think is the same plant. There was no identification but I’m sure it is the same plant- if not then it is something very similar.

I really must commend the council and the gardeners at the Ada Ryan Gardens for the great job they are doing. The gardens are well looked after and cared for and really are a credit to the work that the people do there.

Annabell has been good this last week and long may that continue. We have no hospital appointments until December. We were given a choice of two dates for day surgery – 10th December or 20th December. Since we didn’t want to take the risk of being “out of action” – so to speak – so close to Christmas, we opted for the 10th. Depending on what they want to do at the clinic, we could be another four days away, which was another reason for not going with the 20th. Any reasonable luck we should drive down on the 9th, day surgery on the 10th and drive home on the 11th or 12th. Well, that’s Plan A :o) Haven’t got a Plan B yet…..

Wetlands, Stroller and Walking.

04/06/2021 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

Well everything is booked for next Monday and we set out for Adelaide, booking into the Lodge sometime Monday afternoon. Tuesday morning I take her to the Flinders Clinic and she will go for day surgery. I don’t collect her again until around 1:30. After I hand her over to the medical staff – who have my mobile phone number – I take off to Marion Shopping Centre. After the surgery and the Vet Bills for Benji I was going to put the New Laptop on hold, but we discussed this and decided that I really do need a new laptop. At the last Church Conference in Norwood, it was embarrassing the way my old laptop kept falling out and had to be reset, so I need a new one. I hope to get it on Tuesday at Marion..

This last week or so has been pretty hectic with Annabell being ill and setting up a bed for her, so I can keep an edye on her . Her recovering – well sort of – and then Benji and his operation and me sleeping on a blowup mattress on the floor beside him rather

than take him into the bedroom with me. The reason being is that I was afraid the he would try to jump on the bed to be beside me and cause injury to himself. Or if I put him on the bed beside me he might jump off during the night and also injure himself, so what I did do was the better option. Crazy I know, but Benji is my dog and I look after him. Anyway, it was only for a few days.

At the moment because of the attack, followed by the operation followed by the number of dogs we now have around here, we have been driving to the Wetlands and walking

around there. He is in the stroller, of course, and he has made lots of new friends. Sometimes it’s “Good morning Benji” then as an after thought, “Good Morning John” However, I have found that even two laps of the wenlands is only slightly more steps than the walk of the district that we used to do before his “injury”. But it’s a good walk and we both enjoy it and the people we meet are really nice = even the joggers who give a “morning”as they go whizzing past in the dark – and yes, most (Me too) use a head light. This afternoon, I put the lead (leash) on him and took him outside and had him walking for a few minutes – about six minutes in all and I am pleased to say that he did well.. He did lift his leg a couple of time but mostly he walked using all four paws, which was great. – and yes, it is the leg he lifts when he “Lifts his Leg”! Hopefully, once we come back from Adelaide and he gets the stiches out, a few more days and we can retire the stroller for a while.. What I will do is one and a half turns in the stroller and the remaining half turn with him walking, and see how that goes.

At the Wetlands today I saw a man who had a dog with him, but the dog had a blue light attacked to his collar so that it tells people in the dark that there is a dog comming towards them. I thought this was a great idea. First time I have ever seen him or the dog and I didn’t get an opportunity to talk to him. There is a “Pets Domain Shop”here so I may have a look in there in the morning, but they tend to be over-priced in many things. But that is common here. I could get the laptop I want here rather than in Adelaide, but there is a difference of over $100 in the price, so I can wait until Tuesday. The reason for the difference in prices is “Transport

During the week I drove out to the Lighthouse and in our wander round I discovered a new information board which tells of the exploration of the Upper Spencer Gulf, Matthew Flinders was not the only explorer to venture up here. The French charted the area of the Gulf up to and including what is now Whyalla, whilst Matthew Flinders explored and charted the other side. There is an information Board for Flinders but I thought the French Connection would be more interesting. The ship was built in New South Walesd and sold to the French Government

What the French ship may have looked like.

Car Problems A

20/02/2021 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

There were a number of things that I wanted to do while I was in Adelaide. First and foremost was to get down to Central Station and confirm that there was a lift from the ground to the concourse I have never used it and I didn’t know. People said they thought there was, so I had to go and confirm that there is. Secondly I wanted to see for myself how long the train took to travel from Central to Flinders and lastly I wanted to know the distance from the train station at Flinders to the entrance to Flinders Medical. The train was going to sit at Flinders for ten minutes – without really rushing and walking at a normal pace I walked from the train to the Entrance to the Hospital and back to the train in eight minutes. Yes, it will take me a tad longer pushing a wheelchair, but it’s flat ground and doable. That was the first thing and finding all that out saves me the stress of driving to the Flinders Medical or the expense of taxi fare there and back ( $80). The other thing was to go to a camera shop and buy a new lens. I wanted an 18-55mm lens as the one I have is not

Benji at rest — Sometimes it’s all just too much!

so good. I wanted the new version. I arrived at the shop and asked for the lens. The salesperson asked if the lens would fit my camera. I said it would since I already

have that lens. He wanted to know why I wanted a second lens – seemed odd. Fair comment so I explained that I wanted to replace the lens I had with a new up to date version. He then suggested I should ungraded to a better lens – larger and more expensive, and yet another lens, even more expensive. I thanked him for his time and trouble and left – no lens. I have since found the lens on line in a shop I have bought from before – and it was cheaper – despite the postage from the USA, so that’s on its way here.

The meeting on Saturday was interesting in that we still have not come to terms with Covid-19 so we did not have a full physical meeting but rather two meetings linked by a Zoom system and from what was said this is going to happen for some time to come. Back to the future indeed when we used to have two separate units. Now we call them “Hubs”

Sadly the present weather conditions mean that I cannot take Benji to the wetlands. I did go down – briefly – to check out the pavers and the bitumen and both were too hot to the touch for me so

At the Ada Ryan Gardens where all the trouble began.

too hot for wee paws. Apart from which, there is not really much shelter at the wetlands, except at the barbecue area just beyond the carpark and of course, at the kiosk. The beach being much the same, we went back to the gardens for a little while. Getting to the gardens was a problem in that the car started playing up. I only just made it into the carpark when it died. Pretty rotten parking, but not much I could do about that. I called out the RAA ( Royal Automobile Association) and they arrived about an hour later. The mechanic tested everything, the car started, he logged into the car’s computer and everything there said all was well. The car started again and ran fairly smoothly so I drove home with the RAA vehicle following me. It cut out once, but then started up again and we drove home. I just put the car in the drive with the intention of getting it under the carport later. That didn’t work too well and it’s still out there.

Hospitals, Traveling and Adelaide

03/08/2015 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

I really should not make promises that I find difficult to keep. I did promise me and a few other people that I would curtail the running back and forth to Adelaide so often, yet here we are – just back – going off again on Tuesday to Memorial Hospital – spend two weeks at home before taking off again for two church conferences – one on Friday, one on Saturday. Probably all day Friday and then back again on Saturday. The one on the Fridays may well be the last of its kind for many years and it is likely that we will dissolve the State Assembly and be controlled from Brisbane and there is no way I am going to travel to Brisbane for a meeting. Traveling to Naracourte was one thing, Brisbane is a very different proposition. This will mean that there will be no one to represent this area. Well, not a lot I can do so little point in worrying about it. Apart from anything else the expense involved not to mention the time away from home as well as the traveling itself just too time consuming – and as a point on interest I just looked it up – 4360 klm there and back (2180 each way) but this is really speculation and it may well be that the meeting will not vote to dissolve itself and vote to stay independent and in time (short) go quietly and gently into the night. Now I don’t have much time between trips since John James has to go for knee surgery next week, so back down again. Yes, I know, but who else is going to take him and bring him back home if not me? Isn’t that what dad’s are for? Part of the job description?

Great mounds of this seaweed along the Foreshore

I was out wandering today and took the camera with me. It was a nice day – cool, windy but dry. I had a wander down the Foreshore and took a few pictures. Even in summer our beach is not as well frequented as it could or should be. The little children don’t like the idea of having to go through the thick rings of seaweed – you never know what can hide there – broken glass for instance. Sadly, yes, it has happened – we have alcoholic idiots like other places – we are not immune from clowns and vandals. But we have a high youth unemployment problem and it’s not getting any better with South Australia now having the highest overall unemployment in Australia.

John Jnr had his knee operation and everything went well. There are no hotels anywhere in the vicinity of the Flinders Hospital, but there was a house available for a short term rent, so I took that and stayed there for the three days. Picked John up on Friday morning and drove us home. It was a long drive ( no sharing this time), finally getting in at 4pm, having made two detours for Herself. Chienne was glad to see me and I had to spend some time with her before I could do anything. Next week we do it all again. However, to be fair, next week was really not in the plans, and it is an “Urgent” meeting and this time I will be in town – not stuck 28 klms away in Bedford Park ( Flinders Hospital area) The house was comfortable but I was not very impressed with Bedford Park – very difficult to get in and out of with a major highway on one side and Flinders Hospital and Medical Center on the other and to get out I have to cross all the

Flinders Drive and the entrance to the Medical Center

lanes of the major highway – what fun!! – Please don’t ask – it’s South Australia, we have weird ways of organizing things. Did that at 5:30 am on Friday morning and drove round to the parking area at the hospital. Why 5:30? – it was quiet and only light traffic. Any other suggestions??

Bedford Park is blocked off by a wall and a fence from Flinders Drive so the only way in and out is off the Main Highway. We didn’t know this when we booked the house, but I have to say – as you can see – that it is handy for the hospital, which is at the back of the Medical Center. There are three hospitals here, the Public Hospital / The Neurosurgical Hospital / Flinders Private Hospital .

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