I won't hestitate no more, no more, I cannot wait..... I'm yours........

Hi there!

I am writing this blog (very quickly) from Belmont TAFE Library before it shuts. Thank goodness for free TAFE libraries! Dad only has dial-up at his house, and begrudges you every second that is spent there, so I just don't use his computer. And don't I miss it!

It is 2 weeks since his surgery, & he is doing well. Complaining, as usual, about anything & everything. As is his way. He isn't an easy person, my Dad. But you get that. I finally managed to get the community nurses on board: he wounds have infected, & he needs their expert attention. I think their advice is more appropriate than his doctors at this point. Now, if I can get some meals-on-wheels on board, all will be good, but he is resistant to this idea so far. He can't cook and is reliant on my brother or me to cook & leave meals for him. I would prefer him to have some independence rather than rely upon us: it's a long time before he really needs to be dependent upon us!

I went home monday night as Vboy was due to return fronm his camping expedition in the Tunumbar National Park: in a hoarse voice from singing on the bus, he exclaimed that "he had the BEST TIME EVER!!!".

Good.

He's back at school, so life is back to normal for him.

Poor Beloved had a fall from his motorbike last Saturday, and is laid up for a week or so after the handlebars had an intimate yet forceful meeting with his groin & upper thigh.......

I came back to Dad's on Wednesday morning, and will remain here until Sunday at this stage, I think. While he was in hospital, we basically gutted his bedroom so we could lay new carpet in there after the old, blind & incontinent dog decided that every piece of furniture that cast a shadow was a tree...... all over the house. Not surprising really, considering that he was a chihuahua...... I have threatened the new dog with death if she pees in his room....... It's difficult with her, as she isn't adequately toilet-trained, and will pee & poo in a number of locations well chosen for there position in high-traffic areas...... There is only 1 room left with original carpet in it, & she will toilet in there if given the opportunity. Dad just doesn't seem to understand that she will continue this behaviour while ever there are any traces of the old dog's places, and will happily put old mats and furniture (usually of the old, swollen-pee-laden-chipboard-bottomed-variety) back.... and so the cycle continues. His room was so bad that ithe smell knocked you over when the door was opeded. He was just putting paper on the floor to catch her eliminations.......

The clean-up continues, but I'm getting there.

Life will return to some normality next week. I am working on Monday and again on Tuesday night, so I may string together 5 days at home....... It will be good to work again. And to be at home. Sboy will be home from Wednesday as he is to have a minor surgical procedure on Thursday.

Anyway, I'd best go...... time is ticking away, and I wouldn't want to keep the lovely lady waiting. I haven't checked my emails or facebook yet!

Stay warm and safe!

love, Bloggie xoxoxoxoxxo

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ain't to sunshine when he's gone.......

Update:

PoppyKen good. Back in Cardio ward after 6+ hours of surgery and a night in the cardio intensive care ward. Eating and not hooked up to any machinery.

Blogmuggle well. Bought a very striking red wooly anorak-style coat from Salvos :). Looks like a coat to brighten a drab winter day.

Brother of Blogmuggle good. Proud owner of a striking black woollen European-style cay with dark green trim and wooden buttons from the Salvos shop. He is very chuffed with his purchase.

All things considered, all's good.

See y'all later.

On the road again.......

Hi. Just a quick post.

• Result from colonoscopy yesterday good. Able to break wind again without reservation of "follow-through"........
• Busy on PoppyKen & puppy duties as PoppyKen's CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Graft) surgery and heart repair in on tomorrow (Thursday). The John Hunter hospital called me today to get him in for the surgery sometime after lunch tomorrow. This is a BIG operation that will sideline Pop for a few months.
  
• I will be floating around Newcastle for the next few weeks while we get Pop back on his feet again.
• Don't know how much computer time I will get, but I will keep you posted.
• I'd better get off to bed: I've got to be on the train at 6am, & it's 12.36am already. Who needs sleep anyway?
  

See you later <3

;0) ;0) ;0) ;0) ;0) ;0) ;0) ;0) ;0)

Send her victorious, happy & glorious........

The Queen's Birthday holiday. Thank goodness ;0)

A day of nothing really. Washing by the overflowing clothesline full, cleaning of the bathrooms, & watching some tv that Beloved had recorded yesterday for me while I was at work. He has busied himself around the house constructing & fitting architraves. He's lovely, & much, much more handy than he thinks. He hates doing this sort of stuff, but does it anyway ;0)

Oh... and no food: clear fluids, noodle-less chicken noodle soup & the pico-prep necessary for the colonoscopy scheduled for tomorrow. I dunno: jelly just isn't the same without drunken sponge cake, fruit, custard & icecream. My empty stomach has responded with an acidic mutiny.

Never mind: it will all be over soon. It will give me better perspective about how the patient feels..............

Cleaning the bathrooms out gave me time to think today. It may have simply been the effects of the bleach fumes.

Is it ok to walk out on a marriage because "We've nothing in common anymore"?

On the other side of the argument: "Is love enough to stay where other things are lacking?"

Neither of these has anything to do with my marriage (Oh yeah, as if, I can hear you say), but are words that I have heard from friends as relationships breakdown, seemingly irretrievably.
My mum reckoned that we don't try hard enough these days, but I used argue with her that life is short, so time shouldn't be wasted with someone that you don't want to be with.
I still think that this is the case. But not in every case.

As a society, we have been conditioned to believe that our own needs are paramount, with a "live for now mentality", and the social changes that we see these days are a reflection of that. More than half my friends are in a 2nd or 3rd committed relationship, struggling with the demands of blended families, stretched finances combined with the impositions of emotions and moods that extended families, partners, in-laws bring as well as trying to swim against the tide of overwhelming expectations to have the right house in the right suburb, the right car to drive around to all the after-school activities as well as an amazing education for our children who are supposed to be the best at everything that they do in up-to-the-minute fashions.

Is it any wonder that there's no time to "find" ourselves, or work out what can be made of a marriage that appears to be less than desired? Or that we think that this can only happen outside the "confines" of a marriage?

Sometimes I wonder if we can't see what we are looking for even though it's right there all the time. Can't see the forest for the tress, so to speak. Our poor old heads & hearts are so saturated with information & expectations.

In my line of work, I see a lot of octagenarian couples who are still devoted to each other. Other marriages may not have been so good. But a lot of these people have had the experience of making a life & growing old together. Wars, depression & deprivation, ill health, hard living conditions & meagre lives have all been part of their journey. But at the end of the day, they have each other.

Are we going to deny ourselves this dependable companionship in our "golden years" because the bells aren't ringing in the middle?

A lot of marriages are never meant to be, and it is the thoughts & actions of the individuals involved make it so. But is a marriage really meant to be with Prince Charming in the drivers seat and Mrs Perfect Housewife/Mum at his side? Is it possible to be individuals within a marriage, and still make it work?

I would like to think so. I am a romantic at heart, but a very practical, pragmatic one. I don't know if we are meant to be monogamous: maybe some of us are, & some aren't. It's whatever works for the individual.

But then, that's probably the hard part: finding out what works. And that takes time & patience. Maybe we need to make sure that we're not always looking for the greener grass only to find that it's greener because there's a sloshy old drain hidden under it that makes it so lush-looking.

Ah well: no answers here, just a few sociological ponderances.

Put it down to the bleach fumes, empty stomach and the colonic evacuation, hey ;0)

And that Beloved was eating chocolate in front of me when I couldn't have any..... Say, does anybody know a good laywer?


Goodnight all.

Take Care

xoxoxoxodohxoxoxoxodohxoxoxoxoxo

When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favourite things! And then I don't feel so bad!,

These are the roads most travelled for me. They are the roads that I drive on from my home in Denman (or, "Wattle Grove", as Lovely Lisa likes to call it) to Muswellbrook. It starts out as "The Golden Highway". If I drive another 27klms or so north along the "New England Highway", I will reach Scone.

But not for the last few days.
After coming home from work on Friday, which was a call-in for community health, I started on my downhill run. Stuffy head. Sore eyes. Headache. Achy everything, really. Sneezing, snorting, sniffing, blowing. Potential for my face to explode: you know: that sort of thing.
And sleepy. But not effectively sleeping. The most comfortable place is my lovely recliner chair in the loungeroom, & woe betide any person or animal that tries to occupy it.........

But......

I am Pseudoephedrine!
I am Chlorpheniramine!
And Paracetamol. Oh yes..... Paracetamol!
And I would fail a breath test as I'm sure that I have absorbed enormous quantities of alcohol from my gel hand rub......
I am also very obedient, as the box says not to drive a vehicle or operate heavy machinery, so operating the washing machine, vacuum cleaner and stove/microwave are out of the question........ especially whilst driving.......

The TV & DVD remote control are do-able though.

As is this very short stint in front of the computer.

I cancelled last night's nightshift in Muswellbrook. The money would have been handy......

I don't have much else booked in except for a day in the Aged DayCentre on Wednesday this week.

I should be better by then. It's only a cold.

Seriously, I don't have the H1N1 Influenza strain. I refuse to refer to THAT flu as "Swine flu".... I haven't seen a pig suffering from it yet. Just a lot of people with the flu, and a whole pile of rampant media hysteria. If we all practise suitable hygiene, then we should be ok. If people stayed home to get well, rather than swallowing drugs & soldiering on because our employers need us, and because we are determined that nothing will interfere with all Necessary Very Important Things in our lives, then there wouldn't be so many people ill, either. Bosses like to pull the guilt trip on us, don't they????? Money, money, money........

Anyway, this little chicken is off to re-claim her recliner, swallow more lemon & honey & fall asleep through yet more daytime television.

Stay safe, warm & well, People!

Now as the rain beats down upon my weary eyes, I cry

Wow.

Thank you, Michelle.

I have received award an occassional award before, but this one from Michelle, & the accompanying sentiment is just so lovely and from the heart..........

And such a slack & uncommitted blogger, I am. And very humbled.

Like Lisa, I don't tend to "do" awards, but .......

Well, there you go.
I am speechless.

I bet that if you all realised that this would be all it that was needed to shut me up, then you would have done it ages ago.... *snort*

I rode my bicycle past you window last night......

Good evening Bloggers ;0)

I have finally worked a full shift as a real nurse! And it was nightshift, too: my first ever!!!!
It wasn't too scary, but the hospital at night is such a different place. We were constantly busy, & never even stoppped for a break, but ate & drank at the desk throughout the shift. I worked with some of the best of the staff as well.

I will have to learn how to sleep properly after a nightshift, though. I was called in at lunchtime, so by the time I went to bed this morning, I had been awake for 29hrs straight. The shift was from 9.30pm until 7.30am: I only slept for 4hrs, then was awake again. I have another shift booked in for May 31, and again, I don't have to work the next day (I have refused a shift in the daycentre), so if I don't sleep too well, it won't be an issue. But, I have a month of nightshifts booked in for August, so I really will have to learn how to sleep as I have to back up for 4 nights in a row.....

............. Newie tomorrow to try to sort out Poppy Ken's operation schedule. Good luck to me with that one >_<

The weekend was good. SBoys Freestyle Trials Stunt show is a lot of fun. He has learned an enormous amount over the past 6 months. After watching what he does, I think I can feel a heart attack coming on......... Nanny Val & Poppy Ken both saw the shows on Sunday, and were most chuffed, even if Nanny Val was watching it with her eyes shut a lot of the time! Poppy Ken reckons that the boys are mad, but I found a newspaper clipping of him in his younger days practising to break a motorcycle long jump record....... which I have used with good effect. GG turned up to watch before heading to Mussie to work, & family friends, Doug & Nine were there as well. We were even home in time to watch "Merlin" on Sunday evening!

I took Vboy to the on-call GP yesterday, arriving at the surgery at 8.40am. We finally saw the doc at 11.50am. She decided that Vboy most likely has a viral infection rather than the appendix issue or bowel blockage that I was concerned about, which she feels will right itself. I hope she's right, as on June 16, Vboy heads off on his "Outward Bound" bush camping experience in the Toonumbar National Park, near Kyogle, for 7 days. There are no toilets there: the kids dig a hole when they need to go.......... It's definitely not the place to have a bowel infection. He will be eating loads of different food to what he's used to, so I think that his stomach is going to be very challenged. I will be very surprised if he doesn't arrive home a lot lighter than when he left. But the idea is that he challenges himself to find what's within. The founder of Outward Bound, Kurt Hahn, has the saying;

"We are better than we know. If only we can be brought to realise this, we may never be prepared to settle for less"..........

I hope he's right.

I think that's about all I have to report for now.

Have a good day tomorrow!

:0) ;0) :0) ;0) :0) ;0) :0) ;0) :0) ;0)

Home, home on the range.......

Still here.


But Vboy is not too bad. A quiet day at home with his mummy will do him good. I am concerned that he may have a rumbling appendix.


See y'all later ;0)

________________________________

If you leave me, can I come too?

Hi Guys.

It's a wet and windy night up here. Great for blogging, eating, facebooking, eating, drinking, eating and, eventually, snuggling up in bed with Beloved.

I'm not sure if I'm coming to Newcastle tomorrow.

My car is a bit off, so Beloved has bits (coils) that he is going to have tested tomorrow. We've checked out a number of other possibilities, but have been unsuccessful thus far.

VBoy is a bit off-colour this evening as well. He has had a headache all day & looks quite rheumy around the eyes. He also has some tummy tenderness that bothers me more than anything. He is quite flat & not himself. I'd rather not leave him at home on his own tomorrow. If the car was ok, I'd just bring him with me, but if I come, I'll be catching a train at 6am. He's not up to that.

*sigh*

I guess I'll make a decision about 4.30am.

GG says that she can manage the specialist without me. But she needs my money. I would like to make sure that she is adequately treated as well, which hasn't necessarily been the case up to now.

Sboy and Jack F are performing at the Caravan & Camping Show at Maitland this weekend, so I hope that the weather improves for them. We are hoping to travel down after Vboy's rugby league game on Saturday, spend the night with Poppy Ken, then take Nanny Val to watch the shows on Sunday. Weather permitting, of course.

I have been looking forward to this, as I've never seen my Jack perform a show before.

I finally finished painting the architrave around the pantry door today: big news, hey?
Thank goodness: that's one less to be done.

I tried to post a couple of pics of the boys on here, but, as usual, Blogger found my technical abilities wanting....... I got them on here, but then couldn't move them or cut/copy and paste without everything highlighting itself then deleting..... such are my skills....

Never mind. See you all later ;0)


__________________

I hear the train a comin' : it's comin' round the bend.....

Michelle over at The Truth as I Know It is right: it would be would be really good to be able to get off the railway tracks right about now. Or at least of this merry-go-round.

Life has thrown another of it's curlies at us over the last week or so. This time, it involves Poppy Ken. Poor old Poppy has been having very decidedly inconclusive tests for varying ailments over the last year or more. Or, at least they were inconclusive until one particular cardiologist decided to be more tenacious & motivated/proactive than other medicos that Poppy Ken had seen. The result: Poppy Ken has to have 4 coronary arteries bypassed & grafted sometime in the near future. This is a fairly common procedure these days, but is not without risks.

And for Poppy Ken, the thought that he will be unable to work for a period of time (about 5 -6 weeks before he can drive ) is just unthinkable. He is convinced that he cannot live on the pension during his recuperation. I think that he is also very concerned that he won't have a job to go back to. Mind you, he grumbles & grizzles about this job every day......... but then he tends to err on the glass half-empty side of things anyway about just about everything...... he is 72 going on 92, I think.....

But he has to have this operation, or else his heart, which is showing moderate signs of failure, will just slowly wither & die, and we all know where that will leave Poppy Ken. The cardiac surgeon has offerred Pop a good deal (of the money-kind) in return for his exclusive service for a few days. Pop, under enthusiastic encouragement from my brother & I, has elected to utilise this financially-enhanced service. Of course, the admissions department at the John Hunter Hospital has never heard of such an arrangement, which threw Pop for a while. Investigation & reassurance by the surgeon & his receptionist has eased some of these worries. And as we all know, the receptionists are the real power brokers: they know everything.......

I go to great pains to never upset the receptionists.......

So far, no-one can give any indication of an approximate date for the surgery, which is a pain from Pop's standpoint: he needs to organise his work. He prefers to be in control of his live. In fact, he needs to be in control of every aspect of his existence.....
It's a bit of a pain for me too, as I intend not working for a few weeks so that I can be with him as he recovers. My Brother wants to take time off as well.

As I suggested a couple of posts ago, I wasn't overly concerned in regard to finding work, as I thought that it would find me, and that has been the case.

I was called in to work at Muswellbrook hospital this morning, & I have a day in the Aged Day Centre tomorrow. The local hospital here in Denman has booked me in for a weeks work after the long weekend in June, as well as a month of night shifts in August/September. The trouble is, I can't say for certain if I will be available until we know what is happening with Pop. The Denman manager wants an answer by next week.

I have to take GG to an appointment on Friday: I intend to see the lovely staff at John Hunter Hospital before this to see if they can shed any light on the subject. I'm not holding my breath, but I am hopeful.

Is anyone interested in some afternoon tea on Friday afternoon? Lovely Lisa has my mobile phone number.....

Anyhoo, time for bed. My reflexes at avoiding impact with problems are better if I get enough rest......

Goodnight zzzzzzz

The spicks & the the specks.......

Why is it, that during the simple process of painting the architraves around the pantry door, I managed to sprinkle my russet-brown tresses with "Whisper White" Aquanamel??????

"Whisper", my foot: it's shouting from the curling long bits at the ends !!!!!!

One coat: that's all I was doing, before heading off into town to pick up Vboy from a friend's house, and then buy some groceries.

Oh @#*%#@#*%$@# Plurgh!!!!!!!!

Groove is in the heart........

12.51.
9 minutes before 1am.
Probably not the best time to be posting a blog when one has to be up at 7am. But there you go. As a very wise 11yr old named Lucy once said: You get that.

This evening, very late, of course, I had an epiphany.
I should warn you at this point, that I may be here a while. But anyone who is a regular reader of my not-so-regular-blogs is aware that I'm not known for the conciseness of phrase.... I'm more along the lines of your read-until-you-can-no-longer-feel-your-legs style of blogger....

So there it is... a question of style. Or lack thereof. Over the last year or probably 5, I've just lost it. I'm not even sure what "it" is. For the purpose of this exercise, let's call it my "Groove"....

There you have it: Cyndy wants to get her groove back....... I'm not sure that I'm up to posing this question when I sit here wearing uggboots & a pair of lolly pink flanellette pyjamas with sheep on them that are "Dreaming of Ewe..." Fetching, no??????

A girlfriend of mine almost peed herself laughing the other day when I told her that I had lost my motivation & drive, but that I had the idea that they were hiding in a corner of my mind, behind my libido that was rocking in a foetal position, sucking it's thumb............

Sad, but true. And I know that I'm not alone. I'm not unhappy, per se, just not ............... Discontentment: perhaps. A constant companion......

I went to Sydney yesterday: I am officially now a Registered, Endorsed Enrolled Nurse. So workwise, things are all good. Don't get me wrong: I have made major leaps & bounds in a professional sense. I placed myself on leave over the past few weeks, & now have to find work. But I'm not too concerned, as I think work will find me. And I am not my occupation, even though it binds to people & places.

There have been so may major changes in my life over the past few years & they won't be the end of it. Probably the oppposite, in fact. There are definitely more on the way. Aging parents & the care of the same in the knowledge that their health & abilities are going to diminish, teenagers becoming adults, retirement (as if that will ever happen) and the mortgage that just doesn't seem to shrink, even though the money does.....

I seriously needed a couple of weeks to re-group. Holidays..... I've been constantly busy, back & forth to Newcastle, running family members to appointments & such, here & there, just like everyone else. When I've been home, I've just stopped..........

Now look where that has led us.......

Beloved knew that there was something afoot when he entered the back door to the aroma of cleaning products & the frisson of activity in the air... at 11pm...... "I think I need my sunglasses... it's too shiny..." he said on his way to the shower.......

As I tucked him into bed with a kiss, I mentioned that I thought that I needed to get my groove back: he knew immediately what I meant & nodded in agreeance, with the comment "I think that we're both a bit like that, but we'll get there". And it wasn't sex that he was talking about, even though the loss of groove is not without collateral damage......

Ah, Beloved.

My divine husband. I really couldn't have asked for a better partner. I told my mum after knowing him for about 3 weeks that he was going to be "big".. you know, "the one"..... We've certainly tested each other out over the intervening years. It will be 25 years since we met on July 4, & we launched straight into a courtship that lasted almost 4 years before we were married. He gives me a lot of rope/freedom, but will always be there to lift me down if I hang myself with it. This is purely in a metaphorical sense, mind you. And this is ardently (if grudgingly at times) reciprocated. He has accepted my need to be away in both a physical & emotional sense, just as he accepts that I often cannot share his bed when he is snoring or sleep simply eludes me. Shift work & study probably made this a little more acceptable initially.

He loves me. Me, me, me me............

We're big on change at our place. We've never lived in one place much longer than 3-4 years. I'm not quite sure why. Beloved & I both lived our respective family home until the age of 21. Beloved's parents only sold their home a couple of years ago, & my dad is still living in the house that he & mum built in 1963.

Some changes & decisions haven't been the most successful, such as buying the house we're in now.... dumbass me, & dumbass Beloved for supporting me in this, even though he was trying to keep me happy. Beloved: now there was a good choice... ;0)

I'm not sure why I have this drive to keep moving.... I think that it may have weighed heavily upon our kids at times........ VBoy is adamant that we don't move again as he likes being a Denman Boy.....
After all, where is home? To me, it's simply been wherever we all are, & never about the postcode or walls around us.......

But back to the question of Groove. Maybe we never left it.

I'm a bit of an "action" person, although not in the physical sense: I'm rather lazy.... Economical with my energy, I am. I think that you make things happen for you. So, I guess I need to make some positive steps in the groove-making scheme of things. Get myself out of this rut that I seem to have grooved myself into & start making a new one. Maybe I just wore the old groove out, so that it just disappeared into the dust. Maybe I do need to just start etching away again..........

Enthusiasm..... Joy de vivre... Where are you??????

If only I knew where to start....... but there are some positive steps taken.

I have booked myself into the docs to address a few of my minor, but nagging health issues. It's boob-bus & pap-smear year. I probably need a consult with the gynaecologist: it's been a while. You'll be pleased to know (not) that I have a colonoscopy booked on June 10....... A visit to the dentist, optometrist & naturopath should round-out my look-after-me-campaign. Yegods! I'll be working until I'm 90 to pay the bills...... The dentist, in particular, will be fiscally challenging.

Hmmm.. maybe I think that I'd better get more active on the looking-for-work front. It might not find me soon enough.

Can you still feel your legs?

Blogging seems to bring some clarity, doesn't it? My cat is happily purring as he eats his food: he always does this. And into my mind pops......

"Free your mind, and the rest will follow"...... the EnVogue song from 1993.....

Yep, let's free my mind so that I can get some sleep: it's almost 2.30am.......

You know, maybe if I can successfully clear out the crap that clags up my mind, then I will indeed find the Groove that's in my heart.......

"Groove is is the heart....... ah, ah, ah, ah....." So say Deee-Lite, anyway.

After all, the cat is now snoring happily. I might try to do the same. And Beloved has just appeared looking delightfully dishevelled & bed-rumpled, with a questioning "wha....?" & shrug. He looks like he would be a snuggle that is second to none. I'm off then.

I'll keep you posted.

Night all.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz (hopefully)

Woo Hoo!

Sorry that I missed out on catching up, ladies! The week went so fast...........

• As reported, Friday/Saturday spent in Canberra. Sunday/Monday was spent in Cowra & travelling home via Newcastle to pick up S Boy from the airport & the dog from my Bro's. Washing done Tuesday, Sboy taken to see surgeon, then back to Newcastle on Tuesday night.

• Sboy taken to airport to fly back to the Gold Coast Wednesday after sorting out last details of traineeship paperwork. Shop with GG, visit Lovely Lisa for a quick cuppa Wednesday evening. Cooked dad Red Rooster for tea.

• Thursday, cleaned out mum's wardrobe, visited with bestie, Janine, after dinner.

• Friday; shopping, haircut, cuppa with Glen & Lisa at Westfield (I bought 2 pairs of high heeled shoes!!!!!), organised impromptu housewarming for my friend/hairdresser, Maxine. 6 women sat around Maxine's table, & 6 lives have all undergone big changes over the last year. It was so good to sit and talk. Oh... and laugh..... the conversation definitely took the odd bawdy turn..... there was so much cackling, that I wouldn't have been surprised to see an egg or two under the chairs....

• Saturday, I went to the send-off of the mum of a friend of mine. Ann & I have been friends since we began working together at Newcastle Uni in the early 80's. Her mum, Mary, was 83. A delightful lady, to say the least.

• Saturday disappeared as I drove home & met Beloved after Vboy played football. Saturday was the "Denman Food & Wine Affair", which is the premier event on the Denman social calender. The main street is closed & festival runs all day, then the fun continues into the night. The stalls were all closed by the time we arrived: Beloved, in his naivete, had thought that we would be able to eat a lovely meal at the pub.... no chance when to town's population doubles in size for the evening....... Thank goodness for the local scout group and their sausage sandwiches..........

A band played into the night, & much singing & drinking ensued....... I was a little hoarse yesterday.......... but I didn't dance my socks off...... because my entire week was hampered by the stupid calf muscle that I had strained the previous weekend in Cowra! At least the bruises are finally emerging.... bugger of a thing is still sore, though... and I can't walk in flat shoes properly as it stretches the muscle out......

And here's a picture! Or 2..........

Beloved having fun with Tracy & Lois (she's going to kill me for this....)

Tracy, Amelia & I getting our smiles on........

At this stage, I am coming back to Newie with GG on Wednesday evening/Thursday morning, so the quest for coffee may not be over yet!

Have a good day all!

Waltzing matilda

Hi guys.

This lovely song is being sung by John Williamson on the TV as I type. I am in Beloved's sister's living roomin Canberra.

I'm going to be AWOL for a while as I'm away for a few days, & will be sans computer.

The good news is that I'll be in Newcastle for a few days from Tuesday.

Lisa, I will be in touch soon so we can organise a get together.

Have a lovely weekend: ANZAC Day is just so special.

See ya!

I've been everywhere man...........................................

Today I've been through/to:

• Hollydeen
• Sandy Hollow
• Gungal
  
• Merriwa
  
• Borambil
  
• Turill
  
• Ulan
  
• Budgee Budgee
  
• Mudgee
  
• Mt Knowles
  
• Havilah
  
• Lue
• Toobong (I kid you not)
  
• Rylstone
• Bylong (along the Bylong Valley Way; lovely)
• Kerrabee
• Baerami before revisiting Sandy Hollow & Hollydeen before reaching home, ie Denman.
  
• various "gaps"
• watercourses that include the Goulburn, Merriwa, Krui, Cudgegong rivers as well as too many creeks to name
• Lots of hills; I think I crossed the Great Dividing Range 3 times (at least)
  

Vboy reckons we have some (actually, lots) weird, but interesting place names. Methinks he's right.

It was a grey day, but not too cold. Rylstone made me feel like it should have been cold, as it was so overcast, with a heavy sky & a brisk breeze. It's a very pretty town that was settled in around 1840, nestled in the valley between the mountains. The main street is very wide, with a generous island of trees down the middle, which have already been busy making a show of their autumn leaf colours, which was another reason that I felt that it should have been cold. Well, it was cool enough for Vboy & I to don our coats and enjoy a wood-fired oven pastry for lunch. Vboy rather ascerbically pointed out that the pies may have been cooked in a wood-fired oven, but then they were put into an ordinary old pie warmer......... but the sausage roll that he ate wasn't half bad, though.

It hasn't been too yuppy-tourist-ified yet, but it's on the way... the lovely old stone buildings and grace of the town are definitely appealing, as are the small selection of shops, 3 real estate agents, 3 pubs and bowling club. I can understand the pubs/club, but 3 real estate agents? The locals tended to look as if times haven't been all that grand, & the tourists stood out, especially from the local family we saw consisting of Mum, Dad, 3 kids under the age of 6, the black cattle-labrador cross all walking up the street... with their goat on a lead as well...... yep: they had their goat on a lead. Vboy reckoned they went into the vets, but I'm not so sure...

Anyway, we've got Clover back. We travelled just under 3 hours on the way over via Mudgee, as we didn't want to travel over the crappy unsealed roads between here & Bylong. But the lovely Fiona from the Midwestern Shire Council informed us that the newly sealed road was opened last weekend, so it took us less than 2 hours for the return trip. And it really is a delightfully scenic drive home. And we got to see Bylong, home of the famous Bylong Mouse Races........

Clover seems happy to be back home, but will have another roadtrip on Friday when we drop her off at my brother's house in Newcastle on our way to Canberra. On Saturday, we travel to Cowra so Beloved can ride his shiny-but-tastefully-blingy-bike in a competition on Sunday, then he will drop me back in Newcastle on Monday for my "holiday".........That means........

COFFEE & CAKE TIME LADIES :0)

Woo Hoo! See you later ;0)

Well, we’re taking this road, and it’s the road that we’re taking..........

We can all breathe again. Clover has turned up. Life must have become a little humdrum around here, because our girl decided that she needed a........

ROADTRIP!

What the?????????

This afternoon, I received a call from Fiona at the Midwestern Shire Council, asking whether we had lost a dog.......

Well, yes, we have.......

And would we like to come & pick her up, or do we need to arrange to meet a ranger or somebody to transfer the dog because she quite a ways from home?

No, I will drive over & pick her up, because I feel like a roadtrip, & really want to get my dog back.

But I was confused as to how Clover ended up over there. Because "over there" is Rylstone, which is at least 3 hours driving from here, over Mudgee way. The pleasant Fiona from the Midwestern Shire Council is also a bit confused, as the people holding her picked her up yesterday afternoon...... in Denman, whilst they were driving through. Or at least the lady's son, husband or brother picked Clover up..... Beloved & I cannot understand why he didn't check at the local vet's, service station or community centre, instead of taking her with him. And given that she doesn't like men (she is scared out of her wits by them & will even run away from Beloved, even though he feeds her), how did he even get her into his vehicle?

Questions, questions.........

Anyway, tomorrow, I roadtrip. And there's a box of choccies for the caretakers of my dog. No more holidays for Clover, though. From tomorrow, she's tied up more often, since we've no fences.

Oh alright.. she can come inside instead.

It's a good thing that I'm on holidays, isn't it?

Where, oh where....... has my little dog gone?

I had the unfortunate task of making this poster up today.

LOST!

Clover is a 4 yr old Boxer that most likely followed some kids home from the main street on Sunday. She is very friendly, but is unsure around men. She is small for a boxer, de-sexed, registered & micro-chipped.

Please contact us if you have seen her: we are missing her :0(

Thank you, from the Kavanagh family from Macauley Street.

I had a lot of trouble finding photos of our girl, even though I know that there are oodles. But you know where I found some? In "Blogmuggling...."

I knew that there is a reason that I blog.......

Have a good day ;0)

This is the dawning of the rest of our lives...on holiday

Hi Y'all.

Well, today was the final day of my traineeship.

I wish that it wasn't. I feel that I have so much more to learn. Don't get me wrong: I have learned an enormous amount over the last year, on both a personal & professional level. This has been such a steep learning curve for me. I know that I am not alone in this. But I feel that I fall quite a ways short of the mark, too.
Working as a nurse has deep & profound responsibilties attatched to it. The trust that clients/patients ( the terminology changes depending upon the place of work) have in me & my abilities scares me at times. Work colleagues need to be able to have faith in me as well. As I said to a workmate today, I feel "undercooked". She laughed, but re-assured me that all was ok.

But it's not unusual for me to have doubts in my own abilities. I don't think that this is necessarily a bad thing. I think that it makes me work harder to ensure that I do my best at all times.

It has taken me 14 years & 4 attempts to get to this point. I seriously started to think of nursing as a career when I was pregnant with GG (she's now 20!), but it wasn't until VBoy was 5 months old that I decided to give uni a go after working as a lab tech from the age of 19, with a 4 year stint as a family day carer thrown in as well. After 1 year part time studying for my Bachelor of Nursing, Beloved secured his job in Muswellbrook, so our move to the country with 3 children under 9 (with no family support around) put paid to any idea of continuing my studies.

Fast forward to 1999, I started working as caretaker at the local dog pound, then my career changed in 2002 to working in Dementia Daycare & I was offerred a traineeship as an Assistant in Nursing in Aged Care. At the same time, I was nightfilling in the new Big W in Muswellbrook. The move to Denman concluded my relationship with Big W, & I became the Activities Co-Ordinator at Denman Aged Care Facility.

This was a lovely, comfortable, non-threatening job, but nursing continued to beckon. The more time I spent within the hospital system, the greater the urge to nurse became. Then the idea of an Enrolled Nursing traineeship was suggested. But securing a traineeship was easier said than done. I applied once, twice. I was interviewed once, twice. After the second attempt, I was contacted to say that I was shortlisted, but 1 off the list. If someone dropped out, I would be in. "Who do I have to shoot?" was my reply.

Nobody dropped out, but again I was contacted, this time asking could they put my name forward to a private company. Of course I said yes. Another interview, but for a Newcastle facility. I don't think that they believed that I would have been happy to work out of my geographical area. I was actually applying to work anywhere from Wyong to Gloucester/Taree & all over the Hunter.

Discontent had set in at Denman, & I applied & was succesful in securing work in the Aged Day Centre at Muswellbook Hospital. At the same time, Beloved & the kids convinced me to apply once more for a traineeship. I was reluctant as Sboy's HSC year was coming up, & I felt that it was important that I was available if he needed me. Vboy was had only recently turned 13. Was it fair to take so much time out from my family?

Their resounding response was "YES!". The application went in the same time as the application for the Day Centre, about September/October. The boss knew this, but wanted me to work with her anyway. Again, I was asked to attend an interview. God, how I hate interviews.......... All the required questions were asked, & appropriate answers given. My one & only question to the panel towards the end of the interview went something like this:

"Well, it's no secret that I've been here in this seat before. Actually, 3 of the 4 of you on the panel have interviewed me previously. So, my question to you is.... 'What do I have to do to convince you that I am the right person that you need for one of these traineeships? How can I convince this panel that you should employ me? That you need to employ me....'..?". There was a bit of shuffling in their seats, & a few wry smiles before the question was answered. After this we ended up having a lovely informal chat about the direction of healthcare etc...... On January 5, 2008, I received a call on my mobile after my Aunty Viv's funeral offerring me a traineeship, based out of Scone Hospital.

And the rest is history. You've walked the journey with me.

I can't believe it's over.

I feel that's it's a bit of an anticlimax.

My lovely workmates bought me a beautiful chocolate cake for afternoon tea, and some handcream & shower gel. I love these women. This morning, they argued over who was taking me with them...... It was so nice... And I only had 15 days with them. But they are my original employing department in healthcare. In my appraisal, I said that I felt as if I had come home.

I'm now unemployed. But instead, I'm referring to it as "holidays"............

Who knows?

I might have LOTS more time to blog.............

*sigh*

Amazing grace.. notes...NOT

I love the bagpipes: always have.

It's a good thing, since I have spent over 20years as a highland dancer & travelled all over the place with pipe bands.

So why is it do you think that I don't enjoy it when the guy who lives next door decides that his favourite party trick at 1.30 in the morning is to;

1. play his bagpipes (not all that well)

2. Let his very inebriated friends have a go at them as well.........

Grrrrrrr...........

At least they're inside the house. On other occassions, it's happened in the screened enclosure not too far from our bedroom window......

Yep... grrrrrrr............ note that this post has been written at 1.30am........

If he's got to play "Mairie's Wedding" couldn't he at least get it right?????? And in it's entirety???? Any song from beginning to end would be an improvement fro the snippets that he manages........

Hrpmh.

Whinge over.

G'night.

Happy zzzz'ding.

xoxoxoxoxoxooxox

NB: for those confused by the title, grace notes are played on the bagpipes. I think that they are unique to this style of instrument. Ok: I have bored you with enough trivia for now.....

Get a haircut, & get a real job........

Slack me has been going to post for days, but I haven't been able to... this is especially bad since it was Beloved's birthday yesterday;

"BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BELOVED"

And because I love him so much, here is a picture of his favorite thing. He has spent hours pulling this bike down to nuts, bolts & pieces, then buffing, polishing & painting bits until it has been bling-ed (very tastefully) within an inch of it's life........ this photo doesn't do it justice, really. It is Sboy's newest bike that we bought him, which he then systematically managed to demolish over the past few months with his show riding...... He has hinted that he might need it for the Caravan & Camping Show at Maitland in May, as his show bike will still be in transit from Darwin... really, his chances are between none & buckleys.........
Beloved's biking cohorts are green with envy at the sight of this little beauty, & they have sighed whilst requesting a "Do" for their bikes in Denman....

As you can see from this pic, our house & yard are less of a passion..... unmown lawn, building rubble, dirt pile, unpainted house, unused/unfitted water tank... & a 1974 model car........ It must drive our neighbours mad, as they have a pristine house & a yard that looks like it is vacuumed regularly....... with 2 for sale signs out the front. Do you think that we may be de-valuing their home, or even worse, scaring off potential buyers????? EEEEEK!

Damn "Bejewelled Blitz"!! You know that you have played a game too often when you see red squares, blue diamonds, orange hexagons etc on the insides of your eyelids when you shut your eyes....... and I still suck at it. I very occassionally post a good score, without really knowing how I achieved it....

It has been a good week workwise. I really like Community Nursing. There are lots of options & variety in it. I spent Thursday in the Chemotherapy Lounge, where people with cancer receive their intravenous cancer drugs. It was an incredible positive experience, & I met lovely people who were more than willing to share their journey with me. Because that's what cancer does: it sends you on a journey of self-discovery. And a journey through the halls of medicine. And I think that I like being part of that experience. I'm a talker, and you need to be in this job. And more importantly, you need to be a listener, and as someone wise once said (even though it was in a movie, & said tongue-in-cheek), you need to listen with your eyes as well.

Monday is my last day... *sigh*.......
The girls took me out for lunch yesterday... none of the other places that I have worked has been as warm & social as this one. But then again, I have a history with these people. Working with them has been a bit like going 'home'.

And as of Tuesday morning, I am unemployed. Does anybody see anything out there for me? I have only ever been unemployed by choice. I have to admit, the thought of being unemployed is doing my head in a bit, considering our level over fiscal over-involvement.. Oh, and I need a haircut, too...... (see the blog heading..)

I hope that a few of my Goodest Ones in Newie (and Backpassage) are up for cuppas & food...... a bit of a holiday will be good.

So now I've shared, I'd better get on with the day. After all, it's 11.23 am, & I'm still sitting in my dressing gown & slippers!

Enjoy your day!


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