Horse Germs ...

Now the old person and I have owned her ladyship for 9 years and have spent everyday of that nine years with her. Not once have we had any health problems, except the old person has a bit of an allergy to dust. Since it affects his skin, he wears gloves when preparing her food and no problem.

A while ago, the old person watched an item on Landline on the ABC about Hendra virus. So now herladyship has horse germs because a bat infected a horse and the horse infected a Vet who died - in Queensland.

He is convinced that her ladyship is going to infect him with it and he is going to die. She intimidates him when he eats anything outside, and one time he had a cup of coffee which she proceeded to lick from the cup. He had to thoroughly wash his hands, change his clothes and was actually going to throw the cup away. Luckily he decided just to thoroughly wash it in really hot water.

She bit him as well. She really hates having her chest played with, even touched, so it can be a bit dicey when putting on the small belt on her rug at night. I will sternly say "No" and she will stand. He doesn't talk to her at all, ever. (She is an animal). So even though after all these years he knows she hates it, he still fiddle faddles around with her rug. Then gets upset because he wasn't smart enough to read her body language (ears back, head swing, probably tail swishing) moments before it came.

Alas the daughter and I have been laughing about this for a while now.

BTW, we don't get Hendra virus here, 1. No bats (and therefore no bats with Hendra). 2. Our feed is kept in a shed. 3. We feed her ladyship under shelter. I tell you there are days when bashing your head against a brick wall would be softer than dealing with the old person. lol.

tra ...

Long time no see ...

Sorry it has been a while since I have blogged. No major excuses, just got tied up doing other things. Things that have sort of been pending for an age and have finally got around to finishing. The good thing about my medication for the depression is that it has chirped me up no end, and I can finish things and focus more. My Doctor warned me about feeling euphoric, which I guess I need to be careful of, but I must say I am feeling much happier these days.

Having said that, I am also aware that the chemicals could make me say things differently to what I would if I wasn't on them, so if I suddenly sound a bit nutty, please point it out to me.

I have a million (well about 100) cross stitches that are just in a pile waiting for a home or display of some sort, so I made a stick book and put in 8 of them into it. I still have to finish the cover, and I will post it on Bilum in a while. I will probably make another one for another pile, and maybe a new star book for some smaller ones. This might eliminate about 30 from the collection. lol.

About three weeks ago the sister and I left Sunnyboy with the daughter and the grandsons. We got a bus and two trains to Rosehill Racecourse. We spent about 4 hours after that wandering around the annual Stitches and Craft show. It was a super day and we saw loads of things we "wanted" to buy, but luckily were able to limit ourselves to our budgets. Actually I had about $30 left, which was unusual for me, but I just have enough scissors for just now and buttons. I did buy another iron, a little one about 10cm long, so it is about 5 times bigger than my dear little clover iron, which I love. It is specifically for ironing cotton and afixing iron on - whatever needs ironing on and has iron on glue, such as interfacing, hemming web etc. So it doesn't need heat settings. It cost a little more than I really want to pay, but I have it now.

I also bought some fabric strips, about forty of them. They are selvedge to selvedge and 7cm wide. I have sewn some of them together to make a bag for my laptop, but as it is a quasi crazy quilt thing, it is going to take a bit of a while to make. I got some fat quarters as well, some Japanese inspired fabrics. I also got stamps, I mean, can you see me going anywhere like this and not buying stamps? They were paisley pattern, and not very expenive at all. But I am going to have to mess around with colours for them.

It takes two hours from home to Racecourse and then two back. So it was a long, full day. And the Daughter said Sunnyboy was good as gold.

Work has been much the same as ever. I was off almost 7 weeks with being sick and my heart scare ...

I didn't tell you about that. Ha, well, I did a stress test on a walking machine for about five minutes at speed (walking) till my heart rate went up. It did not go up as high as they were expecting, either. (I am not totally unfit). I had a heart ultra sound as well, lasted for about 20 minutes. Lady was very nice, very professional.

And the outcome? Next time I have chest pains, see a gastro-intestinal specialist first. I paid a crapload of money to find that out! Still, can't complain, better than there was actually something wrong; better than a blockage. FFS.

So until next time I get my butt moving to blog ...

Long time ...

Although I have been sick, and spent much time in bed, I have also been doing things. Not alot, because the whole thing has left me weak and tired, mostly. I have finished of my "chatelaine" and will photograph it and load it onto Bilum in the next few days. I have also finally watched the video for my Embroidery Sewing Machine after having it for a few years now. I hope to sit down and do one little design this weekend. If it works I shall tell you.

I have begun sorting out things to keep and throw away for our "move". I am a junk collector. It isn't second hand junk, I just buy things and think I will use them one day, and end up never using them. Mostly my motivation peters out and I just forget about it. Now that I am on medication, I feel more motivated to do things, and finishing the blog, the "chatelaine" and stuff was really easy to do. I should live on this stuff! lol.

Her ladyship is loosing her hair for the warmer months ahead, and there is brown fur everywhere outside. I have been brushing her, rubbing her with a towel and whatever I can to ease the itching, but she has about 2 months to go of the worst of it. Poor thing. She just asks for a carrot now and then. Okay, she is somewhat spoilt, but being alone still she needs some sort of company.

The old person is getting grouchier and nastier and fatter. I suppose partly to do with his old age, but I think now more than before, he might be getting dementia. He refuses to see the doctor for a diagnosis. "There is nothing wrong with me. It's everyone who has a problem."

The daughter is blogging now. She bought a movie camera and is trying to load videos onto her blog, but has struck some technical complications we are going to have to get more information on. Once she has the videos uploaded I will let you all know.

Must go serve dinner. Nice chatting with you again ....

Nigh unto death's door ...

I hear ya knockin' but you can't come in ...

So I am a bit of a drama queen. What else is new. I have been sick. I have been feeling like the bottom of a dog's stomach and then some. It has been the dreaded lurgy, bitten me three times in seven weeks. It has left me feeling weak and tired. So I haven't been blogging or anything. Not even my sewing, cross stitch or horse have cheered me up. Although I have cheered my horse up, lol.

I also had a very nasty scare from my Doctor during this time and have had to sit down and rethink much of what I am doing and still want to do. I have been taking medication for the depression, and about the third day of taking it, my stomach, chest and throat felt funny. I went to the doctor's and he did an ECG test on me. He said that I had a small blockage in my heart.

Do you know what freaked out feels like?

He referred me to a cardiologist at the new Campbelltown Private Hospital. Swanky place. Not impressive when you could die there. Anyhow, the cardiologist had a newer machine and buttoned me up to it (yes, buttoned up. He put little disposable press buttons onto my vital points and hooked the machine up to them). After a few moments of reading on his computer, he assured me that I did not have a blockage, but that because of my weight and general health (I have high bloodpressure), I should do more tests. I have had to put these off because I got the dreaded lurgy again.

I am going to loose 40kg and get fitter than what I am. Nasty scare and not happy, Jan.

There is much more news, but let me get back into the swing of things again, and I shall catch you up.

adieu

The dreaded lurgy ...

I have been sick. I have had a head cold and have been feeling cold (or as my late Mother used to say "Death Warmed Up"). My head has been stuffy, my throat sore and my nose, well let's just say I wish I had a faucet handle with an off direction. Aaaarrrggghhh!

Anyhow, I am over that now and will be blogging on tomorrow with my late but not forgotten second part of my Tutorial on my craft blog.

I have been back to see the Doctor, after he did a blood check on me last week. It was all good, although he did say to watch my blood sugar. Since diabetes runs in the family (again, from my Mother, "like a wooden leg") I take this warning seriously. The old person doesn't, since it does not affect him. But I will be looking seriously at our/my diet and make a few adjustments. If he wants to claim we are starving him, well let him starve. The doctor said he has to loose about 20kg. He gained it all since he quit smoking last year. I will not even think about what he has been eating much less print it here, but it involves alot of sausage meat.

And frankly, if I never saw another potato it would be 20 minutes too soon.

I saw the Doctor about my depression and for the time being he has put me onto medication. This is okay, but it takes a few weeks for the body to adjust. He said to be aware of feeling euphoric, but mostly I have had even worse erratic sleep than normal and feeling anxious. He assured me it was just the medication and gave me this week off work. I have been trying to go to bed at normalish times and try and sleep all night, as I wake at sixish to feed the horse anyhow. Last night was not too bad, I went to bed about 10ish and woke just after six, but I had woken several times during the night, and probably had one wake time of about an hour. It was too cold to get out of bed, but I tossed and turned.

So I will keep up with this and should eventually get back to normal. The medication does not cause me distress, and I will settle down with it, but if I appear nutty or something, in the next week or so, you will know why. lol.

Now the daughter has the dreaded lurgy and is struggling to keep herself from drowning.

Adieu ...

Out on the town ...

The daughter has a friend who often makes plans with her, and then just before all these events are going to occur, has to cancel them. The daughter often has quite good plans of her own based around these events, and it is always a disappointment for her and the boys when this happens. The friend is well intentioned, but does it with consistency. I often think I should advise the daughter to drop this person as a friend, but the grandsons are very fond of her daughter and would miss her.

So the latest let down was a sushi party they were to attend on Friday next week. The friend has had to cancel it. So the boys, who she had told herself, were really disappointed about it. It was to be the highlight of their holidays. So I told the daughter I would take them to see Kung Fu Panda, a cartoon on a the cinemas. It is a really kids thing and loads of fun. However, when we got to the cinema, it was booked out, and there wasn't going to be another session of the movie for four hours.

The boys really wanted to see the new Will Smith movie, Hancock. My feeling was that it would have been better for the daughter to call that one. Will Smith is good with the one liners, but sometimes a bit over the top and the younger grandson is only nine. So I said, what about, Get Smart? Mumble, mumble, okay Granma, since you want to see it so badly. Say What?

So we waited about three quarters of an hour for the session, and saw Get Smart. Very good chuckle, a few rudy bits, but nothing that was even porno in it, just jokes. And these went right over the boys' heads thank goodness. Other than that it was a delightful movie, not stupid funny but much slapstick and good jokes. Some really hairy scenes that left you a bit on the edge of your seat. I heard the boys giggling at quite a bit of it. We all agreed, that while it was disappointing not to see Kung Fu Panda, Get Smart wasn't a bad movie at all.

So Granma has the brainwave that while we are downtown, we might as well do the grocery shopping. When Granma is tired, some of her brainwaves are more like high blood pressure and not very brainy at all. Grocery shopping with two bored little boys is not fun for Granma or them.

The old person has said, ring me when you are ready to come home and I will pick you up.

What I forgot about the old person is his great leaps of assumption. The phone has rung, therefore it must be me, he does not need to pick it up and answer it, but just to come and pick us up. Meanwhile we are a little concerned: has he finally died? (This is us, we don't get that lucky), Is he in the shower? (Not for half an hour he is not), Is he out mowing the last of the horse's grass - again? We go downstairs (this is with a loaded trolley) again and, lo and behold, there he is.

I've been looking for you, where have you been? Ringing you. You should have known I would just come.

Is any of this logical to you? Now you know why I have high bloodpressure. Even my doctor is concerned about this.

Let me know when it is okay for me to go insane ...

... Brass Monkeys ...

Whoa! Here I sit in the garage on my laptop freezing cold - well sort of. The parts of my body with bare skin are cold, but the rest of me is quite warm. I came out to clean up after the grandsons and I had a day making Artists Trading Cards. They had the best fun. Grandson2 got stuck into the punches and grandson1 got into the paint pens. Every box of stuff they opened and saw all the goodies evoked a response of "Oh, Sick!" which in kid talk means the best ever. They spent a good half hour going through the sticker sheets, and then I showed the the boxes of beads, brads and eyelets. One got a tiger eyelet for his card and the other got a zebra. They were easily pleased. Being in the garage means they can make a bit of a mess and as much noise as they like and not disturb the old person.

The sister came over with Sunnyboy. So they then got stuck into the mud. We have had some rain here, and as it is so cold the ground takes forever to dry. Anyhow one of the benefits of living in a first world country is running hot water, so the mud was no big deal. When you are 9 - 12 years old, mud is as much of a toy as anything else. These days will draw to a close all too soon.

We had hot pies for lunch, except the sister and I who had pasties. Have not had a pasty in absolutely years. The places that still sell hot pies, no longer have them. I bought these ones frozen from the supermarket and heated them in the oven as the sister had sms'ed me to let me know she was on the bus.

The other sister has e-mailed to let me expect a visit at the end of the month. She has been out and about with her job, and hasn't had time to scratch her butt. It will be good to catch up with her.

So that is all my news. Yeah, mind boggling I know. Deal with it.

ciao ...