So this is Christmas....... and what I've done......

Well, Christmas is done & dusted.

It was good.

We drove to Poppy Ken's late in the evening before Christmas as the air-con in the car (which HAD been repaired was on the fritz again after just 4 deliciously cool days of driving....)

The day started with NOT waking up at sparrow fart, then having a swim at Newcastle Beach, followed by breakfast at Maccas. Yes, you read that right: breakfast at Maccas.

And it was good.

Then, my Dad, Beloved & I & the kids all got together for lunch at my brothers house with his wife, kids & inlaw family types for lunch. Cricket was played, copious amounts of festive food/drink were consumed and a few people napped after lunch, as is the custom.

And it was good.

Then it was off to my sister-in-law's place to get together for a while, without too much food/drink involved. It was good to get together with everyone there, especially Beloved's mum, the lovely Nanny Val, as she sufferred a stoke a couple of weeks ago. She is doing well. She still has her mobility & physical co-ordination, but is finding speech, reading & writing difficult. There is a long road of therapy & a few lifestyle changes ahead for her, but she is facing the challenge head on with her usual approach of humour & grace in equal measures.

And it was good.

All three of the kids then returned to GG's place in King Street to watch Xmas-gift DVD's for the evening. A sleep-over at Sisters! That was different! My babies are growing up..... Beloved & I returned to Poppy Ken's and turned in for an early night.

And it was good.

Beloved & I had a day together on Boxing Day, not doing much at all until it was time to collect the kids & head off to Uncle & Aunts for the traditional Boxing Day/Night get-together. There is always such good food at Aunty Dor's..... it's changing though: I'm not sure if it will still happen in a few years.... this will be a shame. GG couldn't be there, as she had to work. And Sboy was very busy socialising. But Vboy had fun with his cousins.

And it was good.

Breakie on the Deckie at Nords Wharf with lovely friends started the next day, followed by a visit back at Sister-in-laws to see Nanny Val again, and more relatives..... We rounded out the day by catching up with a family that we hadn't spent time with for at least 7 years.... Their oldest is the same age as Vboy, then a boy who was 2 or 3 last time that we saw him, and the youngest is a delightful little girl that we hadn't met before...... we dropped in at 6pm and talked our way through until 11..... then drove home..... 1.40am was the end of our journey.

And it was good.

The rain has continued up here, which is marvelous, even though it has effected Sboy's "holiday" activities. I gave up almost any pretence of hanging the washing on the line: it is happily tumbling around & around instead. I've spent a fair bit of it watching "Scrubs" dvd's and pottering around dusting & wiping surfaces........ There may have been a wee power nap in there, too.....

And it's been good.

I have 3 days of work ahead of me before another 4 day break over the New Year period. It will be interesting, as I'm having a night away, sleeping in a nurses' home in between shifts at a hospital a little further west of here.

I'll fill you in on the details.

Hopefully, it will be good.

Bye xoxoxoxo

Tannenbaum, oh tannenbaum

Renata,

your wish is my command........

This is my table centrepiece this year.......

simple, but effective.....

And the bush, which shall remain nameless (and out of focus...)

All the decorations are shades and tones of purple, pinks, white, gold & silver.
It wasn't easy to get motivated this year. It has no flashing lights or sparkling tinsel. There are also a lot of decorations still in boxes. This year, less is definitely more...... It's also way better proportioned than it appears after I cropped the photo... (I never said I was a photographer.... which is just as well...)

Christmas shopping is almost all done, but not wrapped. This will have to wait until my course work is all wrapped up. (hahaha) It will be my reward to myself. The last of the shopping will happen in Newcastle with GG on Tuesday. It could get a little expensive........

It's hard to believe that a happy little standard such as "O Tannenbaum" could be used by the Nazis in an anti-Christian exercise........

"Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree,
Your branches green delight us.
They're green when summer days are bright,
They're green when winter snow is white......"


It's almost Friday.

Enjoy your weekend everyone.

:0 )

Santa Baby......

Hi Bloggers!


I am alive and kicking, just busy and don't have time to sit here and share my life. Everything is fine up here, but hot. Bloody hot. But it's hot everywhere. A view excerpts from my life:

We've had 2 of our golden oldie men pass away in the last couple of weeks. Neither were blood relatives, but definitely golden men.

GG has moved house ....again. Hopefully, she'll stay put where she is for a while. I just can't move up and down too many more places with stairs. Mind you, where she is now has has a lovely view of Newcastle harbour, and the nor-easter breeze is to die for..... She's loving her Assistant-managing at Dominos. It can be fraught with stress & peril at times, though. But, she's happy; ergo, I am happy.

Sboy rode shows at the Sydney Motorcycle Show, and we spent a few days watching him. Damn he's good! He has 2 more shows in Sydney between now and the end of the year, and he'll be home in between, so that will be excellent! He has been working casually at a surf shop in Brisbane, so at least he has been able to feed himself when there are no shows.

V boy? Not too much happening with him...... it's a good life, when you're 15...... It's going to be a looooong summer school holiday break............

Beloved spent 4 days in Sydney & working with with "The Hell Team" at the Sydney Motor Cycle Show...... He loved it.... all those bikes: so little money.

I have worked and worked and worked. The Sunday before last, we all went to Newie for a Xmas lunch with Beloved's family. Then I stayed in Newcastle, went to a golden bloke's funeral then I had a course on the Tuesday. Then on Sunday, we moved GG to her new abode. Then Monday, we went on the CMFEU Picnic day at Luna Park in Sydney..... HOT HOT HOT!!!!!!! THERE WAS NO AIRCON IN THE CAR!!!!!!!....... but there is now....... Sydney harbour is beautiful......

The Xmas bush is up, most of the shopping is completed. We are in Newie for 4 days over the Christmas period, but I'm not sure what my contribution will be on the day, yet.

I have to complete the assignment & clinical placement days of my course.... by then end of the month.... I may have to negotiate and extension......

I have 2 days off between now & Xmas: one of these will be spent with GG, the other, I think I'll use to clean my house a little...... there is more than a little grime around here......

If there are any nurses or enrolled nurses out there looking for work, there's some (understatement) up this way....

If anybody needs an able-bodied man for some work, give my brother a call: he's unemployed and has 5 mouths & a mortgage to feed......


I'd best go: work is a-calling........ AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!

HoHoHoHo!

You say, "why": don't ask me why...........

Hi.

It's been an unsettled few days here. I've lost track of the order of days. I think that it was Tuesday....

I found out that a lovely lady that I know had a massive heart attack at her home and died. I met E a few years ago when she was working at a local supermarket. She was one of those friendly people who always had a smile & kind word to say. She had changed jobs a few times, but her approach never changed. I used to see her out with her family, usually her mother, daughter & granddaughter. it's not often that you see 4 generations all together. And there was no mistaking that these girls were related. She may have been in her 50's: I'm not sure.

Then last night, I received a phone call from my NUM at the hospital in Muswellbrook to tell me that one of my workmates, C, had been brought into the hospital by ambulance, & had died.

C was 41years young.

I wasn't working at the hospital today, but C was one of those nurses that everyone knew. She was a people person, and very good at her job. She had re-trained a few years ago, so was familiar to a lot of departments from her clinical placements. On a personal level, C had had a bit of a hard time, marrying young and having 2 boys before the breakdown of her marriage. She then found happiness with a new man, G, and together they had a little girl, who is now 4. Her elder boys are about 17 and 22. The 22 year old is about to become a father for the 1st time, and C was very excited and very involved the arrival of her 1st grandchild, who is due to arrive at any time. It will be an incredibly bittersweet time when the baby arrives. C, who works as a nurse in maternity as well as the general wards, was going to be on hand at the birth. My guess is she still will be.

C had finished work yesterday afternoon and had taken her little girl to ballet lessons. She was chatting with the other mums, when she suddenly collapsed. A dr and a nurse who both knew C well attended her as they were also there at ballet lessons, but C wasn't coming back. The ambulance paramedics tried their hardest, and the nurses and drs at the hospital just kept on trying & trying, but to no avail. C was still in her uniform. She was one of ours.

Everybody was on autopilot at work today. Numb is a good word to describe feelings and actions. There was a debrief/get together at one of the local hotels this afternoon. Hospital staff, Drs, even the ambos came along. The sense of loss, shock and disbelief was profound. It wasn't easy to go, but necessary for those who were directly involved in particular, to help them verbalise and validate that they had done everything right. There was simply nothing that could have been done to bring C back. The cause of her death: a fatal aneurysm. There were no warning signs. Nothing could have saved her. It was just her time.

Other hospitals in the area are offerring staff to cover for C's funeral on Monday. That's what it's like in rural areas: we look after each other. Staff are already organising food for the "after the funeral gathering". In a couple of weeks, a bit of a roster will be put together to ensure that there is food in the freezer for C's family. There has been a huge push by top-level management to promote team work and the values of our health service. Well, we have news for them: if you want to see people that care, respect, support and love each other, just look at us.

But the grief here is palpable. And it will continue for the next few weeks at least.

It's so, so sad.

What am I supposed to say..... When I'm all choked up and you're ok?

Sunday in Blogmuggle land.

It's quiet....... shhhh

Vboy and his friend have "gone out" for a while...... there's not much to "see" or "go out" to, here.....

Beloved is motortrialsriding at PPark on the Hawkesbury River. He wasn't going to go, but I told him that he really should. Things have been a little chilly betweeen us over the last few days, so at least we wouldn't have to spend the day at home ignoring each other.......

I went to a lovely friend's 50th birthday party in Newcastle on my own yesterday due to the afore-mentioned chillyness. Beloved felt that it would be a little hard and uncomfortable ignoring each other in public. I think that the 2hr drive down & back would have been more uncomfortable.... for him anyway. I was just intending to immerse myself in a book.....

I picked GG up after she finished work. She told me that she would "Get maggot enough for both of us", and she did.... funny girl, that one. She's happy and in a good place right now, thankfully.
I had a fun time, talking, singing and dancing. It was a lengthy drive home at 1am: it was funny being Random Breath-Tested 1 house from my own though...... "You're nearly home, Ma'am", said the not-so-burly-police officer, Dave, ........ "yeah, hurry up so I can get there" thought I.......... That's the second time I've been RBT'd in my street....... It must brighten up their very long nights while they're cruising the backstreets of a sleeping country village...... If they'd been out on the highway a little earlier, they probably could have booked me for speeding... just a little bit....... Home by 0315hours.....

It's been an interesting week, workwise.

I've been at the side of 2 birthing women. I want to bottle those feelings and that "look" in the time after the birth when she's holding her baby in her arms with her baby at her breast for the first time. There's no-one else in the room, you know, just the two of them. So beautiful..... *sigh*. What a priviledge to be there. <3

And then there's the other end of the emotion and life scale. I was caring for an 87yr old lady I'll call Joy. I have been involved with Joy for a number of years whilst I have been working in the Day Centre. Joy, a widow, had developed Macular Degeneration, so her vision has been slowly deteriorating, so her walking and ability to function on a daily basis has been slowly reducing as well, but with a little help, Joy has been able to stay in her own unit, doing her own thing. That was until she had a stroke a couple of weeks ago. The poor love has lost the use of 1 side of her body, but worst of all, her ability to talk. And Joy was a good conversationalist: very switched on. She was transferred back to the hospital overnight; I volunteered for the job of taking to the Aged Care Facility since we had a little bit of a history. I was aware that Joy had never, ever wanted to "go to one of those places...." She had been fairly stoic, but a little teary. When we arrived in her room in her new home, I put my arms around around her as she sobbed her heart out. Her sobs were the only sounds that I had heard Joy make.......... I am concerned that she will just give up. But if that is her choice, then so be it. Dignity can be hard to maintain when you've come the point of your life that Joy is now at. To be with her was a priviledge, also.

It's been a very busy week, so having the weekend off has been something of a relief, not that it has been quiet.

I have a new favourite song this week. I think my friend, Stefan, would really relate to this one. he's only just starting to come to terms with and make a life for himself following the breakdown of his marriage of 20yrs to Faye. Faye's gone from strength to strength since the break-up, which she instigated, while Stefan has struggled. It'a song called "Break Even", by Irish group, "The Script". The lyrics are very reflective of the emotions of many folk, I think:


"I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing
Just praying to a god that I don't believe in
Cos I got time while she got freedom
Cos when a heart breaks no it don't break even

Her best days will be some of my worst
She finally met a man that's gonna put her 1st
While I'm wide awake she's no trouble sleeping
Cos when a heart breaks no it don't breakeven

What am I suppose to do when the best part of me was always you
What am I suppose to say when I'm all choked up and your ok
I'm falling to pieces
I'm falling to pieces

They say bad things happen for a reason
But not wise words gonna stop the bleeding
Cos she's moved on while I'm still grieving
Cos when a heart breaks no it don't breakeven

What am I suppose to do when the best part of me was always you
What am I suppose to say when I'm all choked up and your ok
I'm falling to pieces
I'm falling to pieces
(One still in love while the other ones leaving
Cos when a heart breaks no it don't breakeven)

You got his heart and my heart and none of the pain
You took your suitcase, I took the blame.
Now I'm tryna make sense of what little remains
Cos you left me with no love, no love to my name.

I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing
Just praying to a god that I don't believe in
Cos I got time while she got freedom
Cos when a heart breaks no it don't break even

What am I gonna do when the best part of me was always you
What am I suppose to say when I'm all choked up and your ok
I'm falling to pieces
I'm falling to pieces
(One still in love while the other ones leaving
Cos when a heart breaks no it don't breakeven)"

One day, I'm going to learn how to upload videos........ computer always says nooooooo....

BTW: there was no other man in Faye's life who "was gonna put her first"...... Faye just found and liked herself. I don't think that makes it any easier though: sometimes it might be easier if there's a third party to blame, don't you think?

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, people!



Cheerio ;0) xoxoxoxoxo

I'm right there with you.......

It's late, but I'm awake, so........

What to blog?

• A NannyVal update: Poor nan hasn't really gotten over her infection all that well. She probably came off the IV antibiotics quicker than she should have. Every 2 days, she's back at the Drs, with the possibility of a re-admission hanging over her head. She is feeling sad and guilty as we have found a new home for the very (un)fierce Bindi the atttack cat. I think that Bindi was probably the last gift that PoppyDon had bought for NannyVal....... I think she needs something warm & furry for company..... but what/who/how/when?
  

• Tomorrow: will be a difficult day. It's the 1st anniversary of Poppy Don's passing...... We've taken the day off to spend it with Nanny Val. I don't know what to expect, really. When it was my Mum's anniversary last April, we put notices in the paper, but didn't get together. Dad just went to work, as usual. So did my brother & I.... A busy mind kept us from dwelling on it, I suppose........ Dad is very private anyway, but misses Mum every second that he is at home. He aims to be away from home as much as possible.

• What else?.... I've been working at the local aged care facility, which is ok. I like the residents. And the staff are ok too. Being 5 minutes away from work is very convenient.....

• We are all well..... so that's a good thing. I think I'm a wee bit boring...... Facebook is quick & easy, isn't it?

• Had dinner with friends before going to work on Sunday night.... Gay is such a wonderful cook... lamb roast...mmmmmmm

• Ummm... working Thursday. Home on Friday. Prawn & Chicken Night Fundraiser on Saturday night. Working Saturday, Sunday, Monday. Course in Newcastle on Tuesday. Working Wednesday. Off Thursday, working Friday. Then 2 DAYS OFF! We're going to a friend's 50th birthday party in Newcastle..... That's me in a nutshell.. No deep & meaningfuls here. I think that they are buried too deep......

• I've become a slave to tv again.... "The Vampire Diaries", "Good News Week", "Bones", "Moonlight", "Weeds", "Fringe", "Australian Idol", "NCIS", "Dexter", ABC Dramas & comedies mostly Wednesday/Thursdays... "The Big Bang Theory" "Frasier", "Seinfeld", "Flashforward", "Skins", "Nip/Tuck", "Curb your enthusiasm", "Eleventh Hour", "Torchwood", "Dr Who", "Red Dwarf", "Hogan's Heroes"........ mostly ABC & GO!. All of it is escapist.......

As a wise pig/sheep farmer once said......

"That'll do, pig..."

Goodnight all.

xoxoxoxoxooxo

What's new pussycat?

This is the lovely Nanny Val, with her daughter, Susan and Susan's daughter, Sophie.

This photo was taken an hour or so after we scattered Poppy Don's ashes on the water on the beach at Tuncurry last April.
Isn't she a beautiful soul, Our Nanny Val?

Unfortunately, Nanny Val is laid up in hospital at the moment with IV antibiotics on board to clear up a nasty infection in her leg. Susan is the only offspring that resides in Newcastle these days, and so bears the weight of being there for Nanny Val when things take the path of the more winding road. And she does it fabulously. We wish that we could be there to offer more support. But we can't always have what we want.

Big kudos to you, Sue. Thank you. <3

The culprit of the aforementioned infection is pictured below. It's not the real culprit, mind you, but a fair representation of Bindi, Nanny Val's lovely Ragdoll cat. Bindi is only a young cat, and has a habit of hiding beind the furniture (her jungle), then jumping out & swatting her prey (Nanny Val) with her mighty paw . Previously, this has resulted in scratches that have required oral antibiotics, but, unfortunately, not this time. Bindi is wonderful company for Nanny Val, keeping her lap warm, as well as providing extra-furry insulation for the furniture (and anything else she comes into contact with).

She is sooo handsome. And soft. Softer than any tissues that you might hear about on TV. She is so lovely......

Hopefully, the two will be re-united at the weekend.

And hopefully, we'll be down to see them.

BTW: If anybody knows how to generate a lotto win, please let me know. I've found a gorgeous house at Speers Point that I'd like to buy..............

Tomorrow's just a song away.......

Hey there, Bloggers!

The post title is a line from my current "song of the moment", Song Away by the band, Hockey.... It's a bit of fluffy, fun pop.... In the video, a nerdy boy dances solo to the song at a high school dance, entrancing a nerdy girl (after his shoe flies off & hits her in the head), and, eventually his enthusiasm captures everyone....... BTW, he gets the girl.........

It's been a quiet day in the Blogmuggle household. Beloved played golf with the guy from across the road. Upon his return, he professed that his may be "over it"...... He's lucky to play twice a year...... VBoy & I had a day in front of "Seinfeld" reruns, "The Flintstones", recorded episodes of NCIS.... yep, a day in front of the box.......

Oh and I LOVE GO! And ABC 1 & 2............ I watched a few episodes of "Frasier" last night.....

At the moment, I am "on-call" for Mussie hospital: a nurse escort is needed to take a patient to Maitland..... it might not be until 7 or 8 tonight, but at least I'm getting something while I wait. Work has been consistent, but I only have 2 Community Nursing shifts booked in this week. I'm fairly certain that it might not stay that way.... I worked a double shift on Wednesday, then knocked back a morning shift on Thursday. I was unsuccessful in my official job application/interview that I waffled about a while back, but I have found out that I am on the "Eligibility List"...... that's nice to know, isn't it: that I am eligible to do the job that I have trained for & that they call me in for on a regular basis?........

Life's pretty good.

GG has started an Assistant manager Traineeship at the Dominos Pizza that she's been working at. It will offer her up a few more challenges, less all-night shifts, and hopefully, a better lifestyle than she's had since she started there in February. It also gives her validation of her abilities & potential since she was singled out by management & offerred the job. She won't have to deliver pizzas as much either..... I am happy about that, for sure ;0) She seems happy, and settled. And very excited since there's going to be another "Big Day Out" in Sydney!

Sboy's been busy riding at shows, but this weekend sees an end to the bookings for the year. The clever little chicken has secured himself a trial in a clothing shop in The Hyperdome in Brisbane, so he's happy that he won't have to starve...... maybe he'll get more aquainted with "The Boost Juice" girl that he had taken a shine to......... hahahah

And Vboy? Well, life's just one big SMS for that one. He's happy just to be given his monthly $20 phone credit.... of course, he'd like more ... He's a good boy, sleeping until lunchtime, watching TV 'til late (He likes GO!, too). He even hangs out the washing & feeds the animals when I leave him a note.....

Just lovin' school holidays....... Last weekend, he & I caught "Inglourious Basterds" and "G-Force" at the movies: both good in their own way. I love Tarantino, and the animation & humour in "G-Force" was superb! While we were in Newie, Beloved was in Coffs Harbour motobikin' with Sboy. He had a great time. And we even managed to catch up with some friends for dinner on Monday night before we came home. GG was there too!

Ah well. That's enough of my drivel. I need to cook some dinner before I go to work.

Ta ta!


"Well, tomorrow's just a song away, song away, song away........."

Riders on a storm..................

Well, the sky hasn't fallen: I've heard no trumpets, nor the galloping of the horseriders of the apocalypse. Actually, I'm rather ignorant of the finer points of the biblical apocalypse... just tried to remember what I have assimilated over the years...... I'm much more familiar with the end of the world, "Buffy-Style" or in accordance with the breaking of the seals in "Supernatural".......

This, the advent of the orange sky morning, Beloved & I contemplated the potential "end of the world".... He was getting ready for work, whilst I still langoured under the covers: I posed to him the question of, since it may have been the end of the world and all, that maybe we should have sex. He replied wth a laughing "Do you think?"....... Together, we pondered it for a moment longer, then we decided we had better get ourselves ready for work........ It put a smile on for a moment there. And besides, there were birds singing outside the window, and in my vast experience, when the end is nigh, the birds will know well before we do, and it will be eerily quiet........ Anyway, there was no Lindt chocolate or champers on offer, either......

It's very bloody dusty, though.

I'm sure a goodly proportion of the Simpson Desert is going to end up washed up on the beaches in New Zealand.

I had a good weekend, catching up with some good folk in my life that I don't see enough of. That is, until Sunday afternoon, when I was driving home, and began to feel a little on the seedy side, but not for any good, over-indulgence reason. I spent Sunday night/Monday de-toxing my system... purging without my permission, that is....... food is still not my friend.

I am on the mend. Today, I went back to work, and have a busy few days ahead of me. But it's all good. I like my job: a lot! I haven't heard anything about the job interview that I had a few weeks ago. I'm not feeling too confident about success at this point, but I'm not doing to poorly on the work front anyway.

GG had a job interview this evening. She's quite happy with the way it went, so we'll just have to wait & see. She was shortlisted from 100 down to 40 for the 1st round of interviews, which is pretty good in itself. This was for a job in retail...... a written email application drew 100 applicants! Lordy, it's tough out there....... She's only applied for 1 other job, and then attended an interview. All of her other jobs have been an informal "Chat" with the manager that she was introduced to..... It's all very intimidating.

She's lovely, though, my GG. And customer service & people are her thing. I hope that she managed to get this across tonight. She'd be an assett wherever she worked. her Dominoes manager offerred to write her a cracking reference if she wanted one, not because he'd glad to get rid of her, but because he likes her so much........ One day, she will work out what she is really capable of, so look out! *sigh*... proud mother moment there. No apologies will be given.

Anyhoo, I awa' tae the sho-werrrrr...... Hoots mon: Only 2 days to the weekend, people!!!!

G'Bye <3 <3 <3

Gimme a head with hair, long beautiful hair Shining, gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen Give me down to there, hair! Shoulder length, longer (hair!)

Hi Bloggers!

I've had a lovely day today.

I didn't work.

I pottered around home doing not a lot, for some of the morning.

OK: I facebooked & payed bills on the internet... sms'd...talked on the phone......

Then I headed off into town and got a new "do". Last year, I decided that I would "stop fighting the inevitable, and embrace my grey...." or something similar. Well, after finally seeing the natural colour of my hair for the 1st time since I first started playing with the colour when I was 15, I have decided that my natural colour is rather boring.

Obviously, I was smarter at 15 than I thought......

It is now a vibrant, deep violet colour. I have kept the front grey, which is actually a shiny silver colour. From the surprised looks on peoples faces (and the very positive comments,) it works. It took a while, but I convinced the colourist to leave the grey, and not to foil in any blonde. She's quite pleased with the results. too. The clever girl straightened it too, and looks very shiny and mod. I look a bit spiffy......

Even Beloved approves, and he's never liked it straight before.........

I thought I'd best capture the moment for posterity, as it will never look like this again..... the camera gave me quite a bit of grief, and the colour reproduction really isn't all that good........ ah well, not to worry. By lunchtime tomorrow, after I have showered a few oldies as well as myself, the insistent wave will creep back in.......



Then I braved the RTA to hand in the number plates from SBoy's car that died way back in April. Afterwards, off to the NRMA after that to cancel the insurance.

Followed this with a wee wander around the *ahem* shopping centre before I saw my friend, Tunde, who tried valiantly to remove the knots that have wound their way around my neck & shoulders, resulting in filthy headaches, and most recently (today) pain & immobility in and around my right shoulder/shoulderblade & back. There weren't enough hours to unravel everything, so I have to go back again next week.
I wish I could say that it was pleasantly relaxing, but I can't.
Fricking painful, that's what it was/is..........

A quick trip around the supermarket to find Vboy, who was socialising (it's a sad time when the most exciting place for young folk to gather is the supermarket, don't you think?) with his friends, then home and a takeaway for tea.

Then tv.

It's an exciting life. I bet you're kicking yourself for that wish that I blogged more often......... I bet you're glad that I'm blogging now......


hahahahahahahahahaha....hysterical laughter........hahahahahaahahah



Bye ;0)

He's like the wind...................

He had the time of his life...........

The Lovely Man

That scene from "Ghost" in 1990

Look at all those young faces....... "The Outsiders" in 1983. Patrick Swayze, Emilio Esteves, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe & Tom Cruise

The "Woman".... "Too Wong Foo Thanks For Eveything, Julie Newmar" (1995)

How great is this pic: they look so happy!



And of course, there's THIS one...............................

R.I.P. Patrick Swayze
18/08/1952 - 15/09/2009

And though our doors may knock and rattle in the wind the wind...

Lyrics to The Lighthouse Song : Josh Pyke

And I've been getting urges late at night
To walk and walk for days and throughout lights
Through people's houses, picking food from plates
Through people's gardens, picking locks on gates

So we are moving to a lighthouse, you and I
While seas drown sailors, we'll be locked up safe and dry
And though our doors may knock and rattle in the wind
I'll just hold you tight and we'll not let those fuckers in

And I've been leaving gifts out in the woods
That someone might stumble upon and wonder at their origins
I've been feeling like a fox with sad old eyes
Whose skulk has all moved on to leave the dark and empty den behind

So we are moving to a lighthouse, you and I
While seas drown sailors, we'll be locked up safe and dry
And though our doors may knock and rattle in the wind
I'll just hold you tight and we'll not let those fuckers in

I'll anull these little walls of attrition and these invocations
That's seen me holding my camera out at arms length
To self-document these new locations
When I should be leaning against you
Deciding on things to get done
And you should be leaning on fountains
And filling my space up and breathing the air from my lungs

Na na na na

So we are moving to a lighthouse, you and I
While seas drown sailors, we'll be locked up safe and dry
And we are moving to a lighthouse, you and I
Our beams will burn the clouds to beacons in the sky
And though our doors may knock and rattle in the wind
The wind...
I'll just hold you tight and we'll not let those fuckers in

[ The Lighthouse Song Lyrics on http://www.lyricsmania.com/ ]


This morning, in a romantic moment, I stepped into the space occupied by my Beloved as he opened the fridge.

Josh Pykes' album was playing on the stereo. "The Lighthouse Song", Beloved's favourite, had not long finished.

I wrapped my arms around his divinely cuddle-able body.

Whilst encompassed within the haven of his arms, I said to him:
"You're MY lighthouse..."

Without missing a beat, he looked deep into my eyes and said:
"What: I'm stuck on a pile of rocks in the middle of nowhere, just going round and round....?"







*sigh*.

That's my boy..........

At least he cooked me bacon & eggs for breakfast afterwards......



xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

All around me are familiar faces..........

I really should blog more often:

but i really have nothing to say..........



xoxooxoxoxxoxo

Time is like the ocean: you can only hold a little in your hands.......

I can't for the life of me, move this pic, so here it stays..... GG and 2 friends at the blonde boy's 21st birthday recently.... it's her profile pic on Facebook... I stole it....shhhhh

Good Morning Bloggers!

My brother said that it's time I updated my blog, and who am I to argue with an edict from my big bro?

My life has been doing it's usual busy thing. Too much to put into 1 post, so I'll give you a condensed version with just some of the highlights... and maybe a few lowlights, just for light & shade, in the interests of reading enjoyment (and a more balanced piece of prose, as it were...). It's over 2 weeks since my last post........

It might be a bit of a short novella...... be warned....... disclaimer here........

• I have been in Sydney: down & back, Wednesday, via Newie.... Sydney: down on Friday.... Newcastle: Saturday and back to Sydney. Home Monday. Newcastle: Saturday, down & back. Maitland: Down & back Sunday..... phew......
  

• VBoy's rugby league team made it to the grand final against Central Charlestown. That was why we had to go to Newie on the Saturday from Sydney. It was a great game, played in good spirit, with all our family in attendance (except for Sboy, who was riding at a show at Rockhampton). Unfortunately, we lost, 22-18. We gave it a good shake, though.

• We were in Sydney at Pacific Park on the Hawkesbury River, for the Aussie MotoTrials Championships. Beloved was supposed to be competing, but missed the 1st day of competition while we were at the football, so for him, Sunday was a day of enjoyment. He finished the competition, so he was happy with that. It's been quite a while since he rode competitively, or at all, really. He really enjoyed himself. And the company over the weekend was marvelous! We are a very small country in the world of trials, with a huge geographic area, so it takes a lot of dedication to be involved. There were West Australians, Queenslanders and even New Zealanders! Most of the time, it is a Gentleman's sport, (even the women are mild mannered, but oh-so-good!) but I have to say, the behaviour of a few of the riders in the "Expert" division leaves a little ( a lot) to be desired.... their mothers should give them a clip behind the ears for their rude attitude & bad sportsmanship (oh hang on: maybe mum was part of the problem....).. damn primadonnas! Methinks it's time that the up-and-comers knocked them off their pedestals....

This is an example of what Sboy does for a living....... shortly afterwards (very), he lands this...

This is Sboy with his bosses (and adopted family), Rhianna Buchanon and Jack Field....... it's a hard life..... they call him "Kavy" to save confusion.

A lot of the time, he does commentary work: at least this time he's not the one on the ground.....

• VBoy celebrated his 15th birthday with a special meal of....... a plate of vegetables, followed by Woolworths caramel mudcake...... at his request. We cut our time in Sydney short so that he could go to school on his birthday (at his request....): it's not that he is an incredibly dedicated student. He just loves the social aspect of his school life. In the end, he wasn't well & didn't go anyway.....

Vboy in his birthday clothes with his mate, Dylan

• I had a job interview at Muswellbrook Hospital for an Endorsed Enrolled Nurse position on Friday. I didn't have to worry about drycleaning The Black Power Suit for the occassion, as I was at work anyway..... I just made sure that I put on a clean shirt & smoothed my hair down as I interviewed in between tasks (& patients). OK, I freshened up my lippy, too. Smoothing my hair down is no mean feat, either: it has attitude, if you know what I mean.

It seemed to go ok, but there were quite a few other girls from work that interviewed, too, as well as others that I don't know. It's a pretty cruel system of employment. A few of the girls who are permant part-timers (who are after full-time work) have interviewed on numerous occassions, but not been successful. You have to be able to sell yourself (and maybe your soul... and perhaps that of your firstborn as well): there's a panel of interviewers who ask questions, and the answers are graded on points that may total up to 100. So even if you've been working well in the position within the hospital for 20years, if you get stage fright on the day, you'll miss out. And this has happened quite a few times, to a few of the nurses. It's a system that doesn't necessarily put the right person in the job. But sometimes it does. We'll have to wait & see now, won't we?

• Sboy tackled his 1st solo drive home from Brisbane on Wednesday night, arriving shorly after 6am on Thursday. He & Beloved then headed down to Pacific Park (PP) for a friend's surprise 80th birthday dinner. Sboy reported that he was so glad not to have missed it! He & his dad then had a great day of riding with the other party goers (they're all MotoTrials nuts, and PP is THE place to do it). After arriving home on just after 7pm Friday, SBoy went out with friends in Mussie, Vboys slept at a mates place, so Beloved & I went to the local bowlo for tea. Crumbed Cutlets: Yay!

Thanks to MySpace for this lovely pic of my boys being tools in my nice, but under-utilised bathroom. They know how to impress the ladies... ;0)

• Saturday was spent in the company of my lovely Mother-in-law, Nanny Val. Her helpful sons & grandsons (including SBoy) were giving her place a spring clean. She was the best supervisor..... Then she & I attended the Waratah Girls Choir performance of "Journey; songs of the world" at the Hunter Theatre. My beautiful (and talented) 11yrold niece, Grace, is a member of the choir. It was a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon. The title & focus of the performance wasn't so much about the physical journeys that we take in life, but rather more about the spiritual & emotional travelling that we do. This quote by Norman Cousins resonated with me:

"Death is not the greatest loss: the greatest loss dies inside us while we live"
hmmmmm.....

While at Garden City in the morning, I also saw my favourite hairdresser, Maxine for a hair reduction, and had a quick chat with a lovely, hobbling-on-crutches-friend, Coralie. I can't feel too sorry for her though: she's on crutches as she tore her AC ligament while skiing in New Zealand.... a few weeks after returning from a sojourn in Europe & the UK....... I really like her parents too.... (they were shopping with her & love a chat too: I'm not that weird.)

• After arriving home, I sat down for an hour or so before going to work.

breathing, breathing... in.... and...... out

• Beloved was Head of Security at friends' eight year old daughter's birthday party....it was a disco *snicker, snort*

• Fathers Day; I finished nightshift, did 2 loads of washing while Beloved cooked bacon, egg, & cheese rolls for breakfast. Then we were off to Greta to watch Vboy's football coach and some of his mates play in the Under 18's Grand Final against Greta-Branxton. Unfortunately, another loss, 22-18, but it was sooo fast, and tough..... lots of testosterone out there...... a Father's Day treat for Beloved was supposed to be a test-drive in a Volkswagon Maxi-caddy van (he's lusting sfter one), but we didn't do our research, and they weren't open on a Sunday... DOH! So we had lunch, and saw "The taking of Pelham 123"... Denzel & John...... it was good for me too <3.>
• Monday saw Beloved drive back to Maitland after works as his wallet had fallen out of his pocket at the movies.... lucky for him, it was still there.... Lucky also that I suggested that he go to the Volkswagon dealership & get some brochures to drool over. Maybe I was just a little tired, suggesting this to him..... Don't encourage him.... I was just drooling (and dribbling, it would seem) after after runing on no sleep from Saturday to Sunday night, then a 6.30am start on Monday....
  

• No wonder it cost us $800 for new tyres when rego was due last week....
  

• In between this I've worked 5 morning shifts, 1 evening (I cancelled 1 the evening before the interview as I had a migraine) & a nightshift. I have a Muswellbrook nightshift tonight, followed by 2 mornings, then an evening shift. After that, things slow down, with only 4 more days of work booked in until the 26th......

• Happily, Sboy has arrived home safe and well in Lismore. Not so lucky was a fellow party attendee at a party that Sboy went to at Morrisset on Saturday night...... the kids had a very subdued gathering/debrief on Sunday after the boy died in a horrific car accident after the party.
  

• GG is tired but happy. She works too many unsociable hours for not enough money. It has made her come to the realisation that "she must start thinking about getting on with her life as she is 21 soon, and will most probably be tired of partying by then...." She is thinking that nursing may be a viable career option for her...... I think that the world is her oyster... she should see it's layers first before it all gets away and life closes on the pearl..... She also might be ...*ahem*... seeing a boy..... Her phone conversations are erratic, amusing and usually at innappropriate times/places with disparate content...... but whatever.... I'm just happy to hear her voice. Her latest call this morning was to tell me that she had lost her only set of car keys & her car was in a metered zone outside her work...... *sigh*..... I can feel a tow from the NRMA coming on........ and completely new lock barrels all round..... She may be without wheels for a while.
  

GG with some luscious & much loved hair extensions that a friend gave her... this was before the party in the 1st pic.... again, with thanks to MySpace... where else can you find pics of your kids? ;0) oh that's right.... facebook. ..

That's enough, no? And I said that it would be short.......
Housework, thy cause is mine!

or not.....

xoxoxoxoxoxox

Long night gone, yellow day........

Morning Bloggers.....

I'm going to start off with an apology: I've not long walked home from night shift, so I make even less sense than usual, you'll know why.

Vboy has just left for school, the washing machine is doin' its thang, the toast is good and the tea is yum...... it sounds a bit like "Breqakfasat at asweethearts" ..... I meant to type "Breakfast at Sweethearts...", and that's how it came out, as, not only am I tired & unco, I'm leaning on my knees with my feet up on the chair, which makes typing difficult..... I love this Cold Chisel song:

Campbell lane
Through the window, curtain rain
Long night gone, yellow day
Speed shivers melt away

Six o'clock I'm goin' down
Coffee's hot and the toast is brown
Hey streetsweeper, clear my way
Sweethearts breakfast is the best in town
Oh-oh, Breakfast at Sweethearts . . .

Hey, Anne-Maria
It's always good to see her
She don't smile or flirt
She just wears that mini-skirt
Drunks come in
Paper bag, Brandivino
Dreams fly away
As she pulls another cappucino

Six o'clock I'm goin' down
Coffee's hot and the toast is brown
Hey streetsweeper, clear my way
Sweethearts breakfast is the best in town
Oh-oh, Breakfast at Sweethearts . . .

I would go to bed except that I have to hang the washing out, and call work in Mussie to ask the DON if I can use her as a referree for a job in her department.

VBoy's league team, the Muswellbrook Rams, managed an almost repeat miracle performance of the previous weekends football win when they played Greta-Branxton. Last Saturday, they played Swansea-Belmont in the final. The Black Swans thought they had the game pretty well sewn up; they were winning 14-6, until about 5 minutes before the end: we scored 2 tries to romp into the Grand Final against Central Charlestown at Harker Oval next Saturday. The final score was 22-14. We are still pinching ourselves.

I had a lovely shift in the maternity department last Friday, with 2 brand new babes in residence. I am back working there tomorrow morning, and there will be at least 1 baby delivered in the morning... I know, as it's going to be a caesarian delivery. I am really looking forward to it ;0)

Ah well... I'm fading, and the washing machine has stopped.

Goodnight...err... morning..

xoxoxoxoxoxo

You are not alone, For I am here with you, Though you're far away, I am here to stay.........

Hi Bloggers!

I know it's been weeks.... but just look at the words of Michael Jackson up above..........

Actually, I am pretty sure that most of you won't even bother reading my blog any more as I post so infrequently these days. And I don't blame you one little bit...........

What's been happening in the world of the Blomuggle?

Ummmmmm........

Work. And lots of it. In different places, and differing shift patterns.

GG has moved house (with the help of her mother & uncle) just on 2 weeks ago, now. Her new residence is somewhat scarier than the old one. She shares with somewhere between 6 & 8 uni-style students (depending upon who's visiting) in a very... ummm .... interesting "rooms- above -the -shops" with a downstairs laundry, no yard/clothesline/balcony, 1 bathroom, 5 or 6 bedrooms with a common living area. Her room is small & internalised, with no real ventilation unless she opens the door.... but it's cheaper, and so far, she loves it. If you've ever watched the 80's TV show, "The Young Ones", starring Nigel Planer, Ade Edmonson & Ric Mayall, then you will have an idea of what the place is like....... It's also one of the reasons that she loves it so much... There's quite an assortment of young, ecclectic people there...... She is also recovering from a bout of H1N1 flu that she contracted the same time. She came home for a few days to get over it....... But I hardly saw her because of my work committments.


Sboy has been around Newcastle for a week or so, but I haven't seen him either. His boss has been working in New Caledonia without him, so SBoy made the most of the opportunity to catch up with old friends, and make some new ones.......


Vboy's football team, the Muswellbrook Rams, has performed a minor miracle. After being beaten very soundly by Greta-Branxton twice in the last 3 games, the boys managed to rip the game out from under the G-B Colts in the dying minutes last Saturday. This eliminates G-B and means that we will face Swansea at Charlestown this Saturday to play for a position against Central Charlestown in the Grand Final....... I'm not sure that my delicate constitution can survive another event like last Saturdays........ Mother Mary McKillop may get her sainthood yet.


Beloved is excited that his tax refund has arrived in the bank, as am I....... Mind you, I don't know where to spend it first...... But I payed for the caravan that we have hired for the week of the Aussie Mototrials Championships at the end of the month. This year, it's being held at our home club, Pacific Park, on the Hawkesbury River at South Maroota, near Windsor. Beloved is looking forward to it, & I have had to re-arrange my shifts to accomodate his week-long absence, as well as act as chauffeur, as we only have 1 car these days. He has been riding his newly registered (old) motorbike to work. Lucky for him, it hasn't really been much of a winter.


Vboy & I went to his school's final performance of "Footloose, the musical" : it was so much fun. What may have been lacking a bit in "musicality" was more than made up for in enthusiasm.... We saw"GI JOE" at the movies on Saturday on the way home from the football. It was entertaining, but not to be taken seriously at all. The local catholic high has it's musical on this weekend, but I don't think that we'll make it.... Bugger!


I've not got much else to say really...... thank goodness, says you ........... life just keeps on going.... thank goodness....... I don't play games on Facebook anymore, & I'm flat out just trying to keep up with blogs & Facebook updates..... If I don't leave a comment, please don't take it personally: I'm still here.... and there.... and there...... then there.......


As the good man, Micheal Joseph Jackson, sang:

You are not alone,
For I am here with you.
Though you're far away,
I am here to stay.
For you are not alone,
For I am here with you,
Though we're far apart,
You're always in my heart.

For you are not alone........


Cheers Everyone.


Love, Blogmuggle xoxoxoxoxoxoxonnnnnnnnnn

Another Saturday night, & I ain't got nobody....

Yep, It's Saturday night, & I'm home alone.

Beloved is at work, & Vboy is spending the night at a friend's place. TV is now boring, so I thought I'd drop a little blog, then shower & bed.

It's been a fairly normal week in Blogmuggle land.


Last weekend was good. Poor NannyVal was under the weather with a flu, but we were at a good place to have a quiet time. And yes, time was definitely spent sitting around the lovely fire. The hosts, Alison & Adam were wonderful, and the food was excellent! The company was pretty good too.


Monday was the 1st anniversary of my friend Sharon's passing. Where did the year go?????


Tuesday, I had my first day working with Patient Transport, with a lovely excursion up to the Land of the Golden Guitar to collect a patient & return him to Muswellbrook Hospital. I am looking forward to 4 more Patient Transport days in the coming week. I was curled up in bed with my book by 8.30pm, much to everyone's disbelief.


On Wednesday, I worked an evening shift at Muswellbrook Hospital: it wasn't too busy for a change. The ol' H1N1 flu has been quite rampant up here, with lots of staff having been off work. After work, I drove down to my bro's at Elermore Vale, as I needed to return PoppyKen's car that I had confiscated a few weeks ago.


Thursday morning, I attended an appointment at the Cardiologist with PoppyKen. The cardiologist isn't all that impressed with pop's progress: he is still in cardiac failure, needs to take it easy, and was advised not to drive anywhere (he discussed the insurance ramifications in the event of an accident: poppy said nothing), & increase his medication, pending his visiting with the cardiac surgeon next week. The problem is, neither my brother nor I can attend this appointment with him, so not all of the info will be absorbed, nor shared.........
The doc on Thursday will be most impressed to know that Poppy couldn't wait to go home & have his breakfast in a rush so that he could hop in his car & drive to work on the Central Coast. Evidently, PoppyKen found some keys to the old car, & has been driving himself to work & wherever & whenever he wants...... regardless of the ramifications.


My bro & his lovely wifey picked me up at Pop's then met SBoy (who was driving around in GG's car) at Jesmond so I could drive Sboy up to Williamtown to catch a plane back to the Gold Coast.... He's gone again!!!!!! My wallet will be glad of the relief.........


I then drove a bit further up into the wilds of the Tiligerry Peninsula to visit a friend since I was in the area, but there was a very artfully written sign on the door advising:
"Back at 3.15"........


I drove down to meet GG at Mayfield, but not before I stopped for the 1st ever time to ogle & listen to the wind turbine at Kooragang Island. There's a big kerfuffle up here at the moment as a wind farm has been planned, & the locals are up in arms about it. There is a definite "woosh, woosh" sound, but I think I could live with that. It's got to be better than the rape & pillage of the coal mines that dominate the landscape (& economy) up here.......
En masse, I think that a field of white windmills possess a rather unique beauty. It's peaceful.


GG dropped me off at Hamilton station & I settled in for a quiet read on the train, until a friend got on at Maitland & we talked all the way home. Beloved & Vboy met me & filled me with Maccas for dinner.


Friday morning, I worked for 4hrs at the local hospital, but by the time I finished catching up with people, it stretched out to almost 6 before I arrived home at 12.45pm & made Vboy get out of bed. He's certainly turned into a teenager, that one!


I was so shagged by that time, that I rolled up in a blanket, & barely moved off the recliner, dozing off & on until bedtime.


Today, Vboy played footy in Muswellbrook: they went down again, and have just 1 more game until the semifinals start. 3 weeks ago, they were virtually unbeaten & on the top of the points table. Now they are in 4th position, & will have to work really hard to make the finals.


I should have been at Singin' Sue's Karaoke 40th birthday party tonight. Instead, I came home from footy & a bit of shopping and rolled up in my blanket again, too tired to do anything else. I am really peeved: tonight would have been an enormous amount of fun with the great crowd from the theatre group, but I just couldn't do it. This flu, after almost 3 weeks, is still having consequences...... I have 6 days straight at work this week, so I need to be on top of my game.... get plenty of rest in the bank... if you can bank it, that is.....


Tomorrow, I have nothing planned. I need to make a dent in the washing, and seriously look at cleaning around here. it's been a while since the floors were vacuumed, & even longer since they were washed..... they're all timber....... the shopping can wait until Monday after work, I think.


Anyhoo, it's time to shower & bed, I think.


Goodnight ;0)


zzzzzzzz xoxoxoxoxo zzzzzzzzzzz

Sail away, sail away, sail away..............................

"A ship is safe in the harbour..............

but that's not what it's for."



Is this another way of saying: "You must paddle your own canoe"?



It's a beautiful, wide, vast ocean out there..........


;0)

In a cavern, in a canyon, excavating for a mine, dwelt a miner, forty-niner, and his daughter, Clementine.

This is where Beloved and I are spending the weekend!

It's the Glen Davis Boutique Hotel, located at the once-thriving mining township of Glen Davis, which is nestled in the Capertee Valley, north of Lithgow & east of Mudgee.

As you can see from the rising escarpments behind the hotel, it will be cold..... but once inside, the roaring fire will keep us warm.

If all else fails, we will have our love to keep us warm .........

or we could run up & down the stairs, maybe.......

We might have to, if we eat too much of this.......

Of course, there is the pool, but since it's July, we might have to partake of pool of the indoor variety.....

Evidently, attractions include;

"4WD Tours, Accessible, Adult retreat, Birdwatching, Bushwalking & wilderness, Canoeing & Kayaking, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast, Family Friendly, Farmland Experiences, Fishing, Golf, Great view, Heritage Trail, Horse riding, Massage, Motor Bike Friendly, museums and galleries, One Night Bookings Welcome, Rockclimbing & Abseiling, Romantic getaway, Valentines Day, Wedding venue, Wine Appreciation, Winter Holiday"

And this one is a bit of a personal favourite:

"Take an early drive or stroll in winter and you're bound to see our local wedge-tailed eagles feasting on road kill."

Now, seriously, this Saturday is the first of Poppy Don's birthdays that he is not here to celebrate with us, so we decided a few months ago to take Nanny Val away for the weekend in an attempt to make it a little less traumatic for her. I found the brochures for this hotel in a service station in beautiful, downtown Rylestone when the dog was stolen (sorry, rescued) back in April. Beloved and I will be accompanied by his sisters, brother, and their respective partners, and of course, the lovely Nanny Val. All our meals are included in the package, so hopefully, it will be a lovely weekend full of food, ambience & fun. Lots of memories will be shared, too, no doubt.

Unfortunately, I'm still only firing on about 60%, so I won't be doing much bushwalking or exploring. I'll leave that up to Beloved's very energetic sisters. I can see Nanny Val & I quite happily curled up in front of the fire, engrossed in our respective books with a cuppa and nice little tidbit on the side.

Although, a massage would be nice. I wonder how the massage therapist feels about legs that resemble the forests behind the hotel?


The boys are remaining behind to "mind the house"........ EEEK!


So everyone, please have a good weekend, and if you are somewhere where it might get cold, stay warm! If you're not, then lucky you!


;0)

If you just smile...

Hi guys. This little piece came to me as am email, & I thought that I might share it with you:

BANK ACCOUNT!!!

This is AWESOME ... something we should all remember.

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each
morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved
perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.
His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After
many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled
sweetly when told his room was ready.
As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description
of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.
I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just
been presented with a new puppy.
Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.'
'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied.
Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.
Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is
arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it.
'It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice;
I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the
parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful
for the ones that do.
Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day
and all the happy memories I've stored away.. Just for this time in my life.
Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.
So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank
account of memories!
Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank.
I am still depositing.
'Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more..
5. Expect less.

Pass this message to 7 people except me. You will receive a miracle tomorrow.
Now, STOP! Did you hear what I just said. You WILL receive a miracle
Tomorrow. So send it right now!
Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans.

Food for thought.

:0)

This little piggy went to market: this little piggy stayed home....,.

I am still here!

I have not succumbed to the suspected Human Swine Influenza! Ok, I did.... but nothing's certain or definitive.......

Lots of others have gone down up here: the hospital has called 3 times to see if I am well enough to work over the last few days. I'm not and I'm not going back to work until I am well enough to cope with the rigours of the job. I am constantly tired, have a persistent cough that is eventually productive, but dry and annoying until it is, and a runny nose. My chest hurts and I have a very sore rib muscle from all the coughing. And then there are the very stressed out bladder muscles that are beyond hope at the moment........ At least I can sleep relatively well at night.

I rang the GP's this morning: of course, they have people lined up out the doors, and the clinic sister suggested that I give the Tamiflu another day or so to work........ Until this cough resolves, I can't go back to work, and I have now knocked back planned work right up until next Tuesday..... I will be very surprised if I don't end up on antibiotics anyway. Imagine if I had been someone who is really unwell, immuno-supressed or at either end of the age spectrum.....

At least it doesn't look as if I've shared it with anybody so far. VBoy has a bit of a cold, but all other family members seems to be in relatively good health and the household is longer under our self-imposed quarantine.

I'm a bit sad though: school holiday midday movies & kids' tv used to be good. What's happened? Did we get too busy or something for the networks to bother? Thank goodness for J.R.R Tolkien, Peter Jackson, J. K. Rowling and all the other dvd makers that have kept me entertained.... I've re-discovered my David Eddings books.... Unusually, I haven't watched any "Angel" this time around. But I would just about kill for the "Buffy" series...........


Ah well, never mind.

Back to my recliner ;0)

<3>

Miss Polly had a dolly who was sick, sick, sick......

Hi Bloggers!

It appears that the universe may have cut me some slack in the form of the dreaded H1N1 Influenza!

I went down with flu-like symptoms on Tuesday evening, and a visit to the local doctors resulted in 5 days worth of Tamiflu & a week off work. I am also in isolation for the next 3 days. I can't see Dad either.

It appears that a patient that I nursed on Sunday night has tested positive, so any contacts/exposures that develop symptoms are treated as if they have the same thing.

All I know is that, I wouldn't wish this on anybody, & I'm not particularly sick.

I also wish that instead of looking at me as if I was a leper in the docs as I was the only one wearing a mask, that all the other coughers & splutterers had had the common sense to wear one too. What a hot-bed of potential infection!

Anyway, I'm retiring to the isolation of my lounge, where I've been residing since Tuesday night anyway. I've just decided to leave my mask on, & not go near anyone. Beloved & the boys haven't been game to come near me anyway....... The "oink, oink" jokes have been thick & fast until I returned from the docs..... Now they're all just a little bit wary.

Anyway, all jokes aside.... I am not particularly unwell, and will be back on track in no time. I'd better clean the keyboard & mouse, I suppose.

See ya!


Wee, wee, wee, wee............ (you have to imagine this is a squealing piglet.....)

*************************

downhearted... this post comes with a numb-bumb warning

Forgive me Bloggers: it has been some time since my last blog.

Life is busy, and I seem to have really lost interest in anything computer-related. I have just checked out a few blogs every so often, maybe commented, and then just had a quick peruse of Facebook. Even emails are at the bottom of the "to-do" list.

SBoy came home for his little op last Thursday, survived his overnight hospital stay and he's doing well.

VBoy played football on Saturday and has socialised as much as has been practical when not engaged in school, footy or footy training. He plays at Swansea this weekend coming.

GG is enjoying her life at the moment, & is even attending a school-reunion & career day tomorrow in Muswellbrook. This is amazing, considering her disdain for all things Muswellbrook. She won't be coming home to see us though, as she has to work tomorrow night.

Beloved is recovering slowly from his bike accident & returned to work last Wednesday after 10 days off.

Me?? Well, life has revolved around everyone else, of course, with a bit of work thrown in to give me a bit of respite........ and money. Thank god for the money...and the distraction......

Today however, I crossed some personal boundaries with my dad. As I have previously mentioned, he is not easy, with a stubborn streak and irrational way of making things a tad difficult. Something as simple, say, as following a doctors instructions. Dad has had an on-going problem with swelling in his legs since his surgery. His GP's advice? Wear surgical stockings, elevate & rest the legs as often as possible, but make sure that you go for 15 minutes of gentle walking twice every day. It hasn't really happened. When I left him last week, I was not happy that his swelling & fluid retention had increased further up his body, which is usually a good indicator that something is not quite right with the workings of the heart & cardio system.


Another instruction? Don't drive for 4 - 6 weeks, and don't return to work until fully fit usually after at least 6-8 weeks....
Dad arranged with his boss to pick him up & take him to work last Thursday, 3 weeks after his surgery. Friday night, he called me to say that he was feeling fluey and unwell, but that he was going out for the evening. Early Saturday morning, he phoned me to say that he was more unwell & breathless, and needed the mum's left-over ventolin nebuliser medicine and where is mum's old puffer that he couldn't find? He has never, ever been prescribed ventolin, but was insistent & refused to go to the doctors. My brother, bless him, took dad to the chemist to buy one. It didn't help, as the breathlessness was the result of the increase in fluid pressing on dad's chest. He was also insistent that he needed me to return his car as he had to drive to work on this coming Wednesday, & felt that he didn't have the strength in his right leg to drive the old brown car in the shed. After work, he has tickets to a show in the evening, and needed to drive to that as well. I had arranged my week to return his car on Wednesday, so that on Thursday, 4 weeks after the surgery, he could take a drive up to the shops, or to visit his friends up the road, and gradually increase his driving time, as advised. But not my dad. He kept on nagging until I changed my arrangements & drove to Newcastle this morning & met he and my brother for his appointment with the cardiosurgeon. Dad said that he felt 100% better following the 1 diuretic tablet that he took yesterday as "it's cleared the phlegm and lets him cough better". He has not been prescribed this since his return home following surgery, but lack of a prescription has never stopped him taking medicine before.


His surgeon was not impressed. Nor was he impressed with the admission that dad had gone to work: he's not supposed to return for 2 months, nor to drive for 6 weeks, as his condition has deteriorated & he needs new blood pressure medications that he probably shouldn't have needed, including diuretics... He has had a chest xray, & will see the doc again next Monday.......


He was ropable upon our return home, & stated that he will drive when he wants to & go to work, regardless of what the doc says, as he feels fine and the doc is just "covering his arse...". Evidently, we should respect his right to make bad decisions. Which we do, but not when the lives of others can be affected........

The new medications may cause havoc with his blood pressure and the info sheets that he was insistent upon having advise not driving or operating heavy machinery in the first few weeks of taking it.........

Result?

Boundary crossing 1: I have driven home in his car, as well as taking the keys to the old brown one. I will not return until Saturday, and he's not getting the keys back yet either.


Boundary crossing 2: I contacted his boss to explain the situation, as he was unaware that dad had any issues as he had told them, of course, that he was just fine....... well derr.... that's why the nurses are coming to his home 3 days each week... they thought that it was miraculous that he has returned to work so soon after a major operation....... Dad feels that he will now lose his job as the company he works for will go bust without him there....... and they will think that he is a liar..... who put that thought there?????? ...

From my discussion with his boss, it would seem that he is quite a reasonable man, who would prefer have a healthy Ken back at work in a few weeks rather than one who is not going to be well for a while longer if he returns to work too early. He decided that he would pick dad up this Thursday sometime after 10 and bring him home again about 2 ish so that dad gets out a bit, but doesn't overdo it. I keep trying to find a compromise as I know that dad is hating being at home...... not that dad sees it that way.... I'm just too bossy & interfere too much..... It's got to be better than the 7 till 3 day that he did last Thursday.........

After a tirade on the phone after I arrived home this evening, I am going to make him sick, have a heart attack & vomit all night... evidently..... Well, that's your choice dad... whatever makes you think that this is easy for me?????



Boundary crossing 3: I visited the person with whom he was going out with on Wednesday night, & she informed me that she had expressed her doubts to him before he bought the tickets, but he was insistent that they should go as he would be fine...... There it is again... insistent and the "I" word again..... She is much happier with my disclosure to her. I told dad today that there was no way that I was going to let her go in the car with him.......


Dad is very big on the "I can", "I will", "he/she is doesn't know what they're talking about (even though they are an expert in their field)" & "I'm in charge". I get this: he's always been a control freak. He was something of a maverick in his younger days, with some wonderful achievements in his areas of interest. But he has enormous double standards. Most of the time, we accept that this is the way he is. But in this situation, his arrogance & irrational thinking has gone too far. When the safety of others is potentially compromised, then it's time to do the right thing. Because that's what my brother & I were taught to do: the right thing. Morally, dad is in the wrong, so he will just have to wait a bit longer.


When he IS well, and he is given his clearance to drive & work, then he can. The sooner the better as far as my bro & I are concerned, because it relieves us of the responsibilty that we have at the moment.


As I said to dad tonight:
"You need to just get over yourself & suck it up. You cannot just do whatever you want. You are Ken. You are not superman. You are 72yrs old, you have just had major surgery, and you will follow the same rules as everybody else. You were doing ok, and now you're not. If you were, then we wouldn't be having this conversation. We will fight & argue, & then get over it, because that's what families do..."


Of course, there was a lot more, but I'm sure you get the gist of things......... We have a lot to learn in the family stakes....... Hard work.


It's so sad..... I talk like this to dad, and it's my brother who dad said he will "Knock his block off if he comes anywhere near me tomorrow..."


Of course, he is going nowhere near dad... me neither..... I love you Glen <3


I find it so sad and disappointing that I have had to react in this way to my father's actions. But we were always aware that there would be issues. I took his car keys into protective custody while he was in hospital. I was just hoping that I wouldn't have to actually keep them.......


*sigh*


I feel so sick at heart.........




Well, that's a blog...... a few weeks worth, at least.

Am I off the hook now?

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