Stress relief

The best stress buster is staying with people who truly love you and enjoy your company. They are also people that you can feel so comfortable with, that the Spanish saying, 'Me casa, su casa' is very apt. That means, my house is your house. I do not know if I spelled it correctly, but you get the gist.
Last week I travelled to Tailem Bend on the River Murray, and stayed with my good friends, Trevor & Denise, who live across the river in Wellington, for a week.
We had a very relaxing time together, and just kicked back and did whatever we felt like on the day.
Some of the things we did were, travelling to Mt. Barker, to do some shopping, we had a cuppa there. They ordered hot choc, I ordered Cappuccino. When they arrived, they were so strong, we could hardly drink them. This was the only 'downer' of the week. After we had our drinks, we walked a short way to Foodland, but Trevor had to dash to the loo, as he felt quite ill. He did not make it. It is most embarrassing when you are sick in public. Denise cleaned up the mess and suggested to the cafe owner that she cut back on the ammount of chocolate and coffee she puts in the drinks in future.
Wednesday Denise and I crossed the river on the ferry and went into Tailem and had coffee with another friend. We then had a look in some shops, and I bought a little cushion with kittens on it, for my two and a half year old grand-daughter, who loves cats.
Thursday, some of Trev's family came from Mt. Barker and had luch with us. We had a lovely meal of cold meats and salads, and cheesecake and Danish scroll. Then tea or coffee. We spent a very happy afternoon together. This was the first time I had met them, and the first time Trev's sister and auntie had been to their new home.
Friday, Denise and I had a girl's day out. We went to Murray Bridge and I bought a couple of T shirts for Deb's boys. Then we had coffee and cake. We then went to Hahndorf, and had a look around. In all my years I have never stopped and just looked around, Hahndorf. We used to pass through it on our way to Adelaide, until the freeway was built.
There is a big horse drawn carriage, for want of a description, giving tourists a ride up the main street. It is pulled by two Clydsdale horses. Lovely fellas.
After that, we had a look in some shops, then had lunch. It was quite a warm day, and it was nice to be able to sit in the shade and watch the people go by.
After lunch, we went in to a craft shop. The local people are very gifted seamtresses, and the items for sale were exquisite. They had, hand made jewellry, Paper Tolle, pot holders, and all sorts of fun things. Denise bought a 'Dammit doll'. It had a card round it's neck with a little verse,Saying something along the lines of, when things don't go to plan, just whack the doll on a hard surface and say, Dammit, dammit, dammit! Great stress buster I would think!
Saterday was way too hot to do anything, so we tried to stay cool. Usually after the sun goes down, they get the cool breezes from the lakes. Not last weekend! It stayed hot, it is still hot, and we are not officially in ssummer, either.
I went to church with Trev and a friend of theirs, then we tried to get cool. No go! Monday they had to be in Murray Bridge all day, and I had to be at the Shell servo by 9.30 to catch the bus home. As Trevor and Denise had to be in Murray Bridge by 9am, their friend very kindly said they would get me to the bus on time. I was there on time, but the bus was late. By the time I arrived home it was half an hour late and the driver was not in a good mood. It is very hot and we have a few more days of this. I will have to get motivated and get my new air con installed.

Just a short note.

I am still recovering from the hectic pace set by my #1 son, when he was here last week. I know he thinks I am a wimp, but I am not as young or fit as I once was, either. We did get out and about and saw a lot of things I had not seen, or had not seen for years. And it was great to have him and his boy here for a few days. We do not see much of them, as they live 3,000 klms away.
On the Monday, after the school anniversary celebrations, we drove to Naracoorte so they could meet with his uncle and aunt, and go on a tour of the world famous caves. Father and I declined, as I hate caves, and father was not interested in them. We then drove to my brother-in-law's farm, some distance south of Naracoorte. I had not been there for quite a few years. I daresay #1 son will tell you all about the events of the day., and it and the pics will turn up on Face Book.
What I would like to relate, is a charming little incident that occurred at my old primary school in the hamlet of Mundulla. This small town is only 6 miles from here, and we had to come through it to get home. As we were coming in to the town, we passed half a house, sitting on the side of the road.As we drove a bit further, the truck with the other half was coming out of a narrow street and I suggested to Mark that he should turn down the street before it, and take the boy to see my old school. It was 4.45pm by this time, and we did not expect to meet any of the teachers at that time of day. There were several still there and about to depart for their homes when we walked over to the fence to take some pics. One of the ladies told me her name and I said in passing that i had attended the school with the husband of their pricipal. She was quite excited about that and called out to the other lady, "Hey, she knows Al!" (Alan) As it is 51 years since I departed to another primary school, and I have hardly seen him in all that time, I was pleased to note he is obviously well like in the town.He was always a very shy quiet, well mannered boy.I doubt very much if I would know him, or he me, now. This tickled my funny bone.I also mentioned the very rude reception we had received at Padthaway homestead, where we were virtually told to get lost.She said they would never do that, and would I like to have a look in the old place. Of course we jumped at the chance. There have been quite a few alterations since I was there. The principals residence, which is part of the school building, is now the office. We went past my sister's old class room, but mine was locked.

Blessings.

We have had two of our lovely grandsons to stay for a few days. L came, unexpectedly, on Tuesday morning. It was decided that day, that R would come on Thursday, as his parents wished to buy his birthday or Christmas present, not sure which, and did not want him to know about it.
The blessings are these, we got to spend time with them, they had something different to do in the holidays, and Mum and Dad had a bit of peace and quiet.
The boys amused themselve with painting, art and craft, they made kites and flags, computer games, and games on their Play Station, that mum brought down with R. Yesterday they went to the farm, and had a great time chasing sheep, grubbing out thistles and shearing some sheep. There were only seven to do, plus four rams. Neville decided not to shear the rams, because they are very big, (fat) and he needs another man to help throw them and perhaps hold them.
The boys also went with Neville on his three mile walk each night. He does that because he is a Diabetic, and needs to keep fit. I thought it was a bit much, especially for R, as he is not quite seven, but he insisted.
He was 'done up' after his big day out, and was asleep by 8.30, 9.pm.
They are good eaters and ate everything put in front of them. All in all, a good time was had by all.

Pet Peeve #3 Exhorbitant fees.

About a month ago, I was contacted by my Telco, to inform me that they were looking at ways to cut down my call costs. The upshot was, I agreed to change my plan and am now charged a flat rate of $72.95, and allowed $100.00 of calls per month. I had to agree to remaining with them for a further two years. I could not see a problem in doing that, so readily consented.
I received the first account since the call, yesterday. I had the money put aside, so paid it this morning. These companies prefer their customers to pay on line, by credit card or direct debit, and if we choose not to, they usually charge a service fee, of $1.50 to $2.00. I asked the postal employee if that was the case in this instance. He said no, but we were horrified to discover they had charged $4.00 for printing the account!!! This put it over the agreed limit I might add. Sneaky,what?
It is all very well for companies etc to expect people to pay on line, but what about those in the community who:- do not have a computer, do not know how to operate one, are elderly and infirm. It would seem they have no compunction in slugging these unfortunate and disadvantaged people excessive fees, because they can not, or choose not to comply.
This is discriminatory, in the extreme, and greed at it's worst. The C.E.Os of the big companies make enough and then some, without penalizing the poorer members of our society. Most of their 'salaries' are obscene, and it disgusts me no end. I do not care about their share holders either!
We are paying through the nose for the privilege of having these conveniences as it is.

Red Letter Day.

Today IS a red letter day. The reason being, it was the first time our little grand-daughter stayed here whilst her mother went shopping. The fact that her two big brothers stayed was of course, a great help in giving her the confidence to do it. She is a dear little girl, and now, always comes straight to me and gives me a big hug. She is a trick as she also now pats me on the back while hugging me. She is not so sure about her Pop. He picked her up but she did not like that much.
All the children were quite happy to sit at the table and draw. I made them a drink of 'hot' chocolate, as the boys love that. Willow spilled most of hers, and got Texta on her clothes, (I hope it comes out) but all in all, they were no trouble. They never are!
When they had tired of the art work, Lachlan played a game of Go Fish on my computer. I got Willow to look at some picture books. She was engrossed in that when her mum returned. After a few minutes, Deb asked if she was ready to go home. A very firm, 'No'. was the reply.
It was very gratifying that she felt so comfortable here with us. After another short while, they all piled into the car. The only time Willow was not happy, was when she was told to get into her car seat. She wanted to sit next to Riley on the back seat, as Lachlan sat in the front.
The boys were out of school today because it is the first day of The Royal Adelaide Show.
The school kids always have the day off, so they can go to the show if their parents choose today to attend. I am glad I am past all that, as I could not manage to walk very far nowadays. It is so expensive too.

Pet Peeve #2. Bloody Capsicum!

I hate the stuff! Everywhere we go for a meal, the salads are slathered in the muck. If you purchase packaged meals, canned soups etc, they are loaded with the ghastly vegetable. I do not like it because, I can't stand the taste or the smell of it. It repeats on me for hours afterward.
I would like to think that the cooks, let's be realistic here, they can not be referred to as chefs, would have a bit more imagination when they are preparing food. I know that adding a diced red capsicum adds colour, but so do other vegetables, like tomatoes, peas and corn.Every salad, be it pasta, green, rice or coleslaw, none are exempt from the inclusion of this stuff. Which leaves the patrons with very little, if any choice. This is why I now choose to eat the hot veges, though they leave a lot to be desired. They show a similar lack of imagination and are never cooked properly. They are always half raw.
I am also well aware that the frightful things are loaded with vitamin C, but so are lots of other foods.
There is also the increase in food allergies. My beloved late mother, (and her three sisters,) was/are fatally allergic to the things. Why don't people who prepare food, do better research, and consider this aspect of the industry? Not to mention people like me who just loathe the bloody things!

In the words of Effie, 'How embarrassment!'

This afternoon, I asked my spouse if he would drive me to the outskirts of town. I wanted to visit a young woman who makes up baby bundle gift packs.She will make them to order, or you can purchase one of those she has already made. They mostly consist of nappies, socks and bibs. Some have small teddy bears in as well. She lives just off the main Adelaide/Melbourne highway.
Having made my purchase, I returned to the car and we proceeded to come home. Just as we drove on to the highway, the car 'died'. My husband pulled to the side of the road and tried to start it, to no avail. He tried several times on petrol and gas. Nada.
He recently joined the RAA, and decided to call them, as he could not find the fault if he had wanted to, as the motor is not like the ones in the old cars. They were very simple and straight forward to fix. Luckily I had my mobile phone with me. I called the RAA and told the lady our dilemma. She then proceeded to ask me very specific questions about where we were, and what the problem was. Were we in the vehicle, etc. I was getting a bit tense, as my phone is a prepaid, and I had no idea where she was. She could have been in woop woop for all I knew. When I told her we were on the outrskirts of Bordertown, she wanted to know if it was in South Australia. Oh, puleeze. She should know where all the RAA vehicles and reps are!
She said it could be half an hour to an hour before someone would be with us. I did not relish the idea of sitting in the car that long, as it is very cold today. We had been waiting about 15 mins, when the phone rang and she said she was patching me through to Mandula to talk to the rep there. I had no idea where that was, but, when the other lady came on line, I realized, she was someone I have known for many years, and lives in Mundulla! She told me that they would have someone with us in about half an hour. Ten minutes later, the car pulled up. This is the embarrassing bit. He got in the car and turned the ignition, and Voila, the damn thing started. It would not even fire properly for Neville. Grrrrr!

Private phone numbers, I hate 'em!

The reason I hate private phone numbers is simple. I use the computer a lot during the day and the phone/fax is right next to me. I only have to pick up the handset on the first ring. This usually startles the caller, but it eliminates the confusion for them, as most people do not know if they have the right number when they hear the fax squeaking and screeching. Anybody who has a fax/phone will know to what I am referring. The machine has to decide if the call is a fax or a phone call. This only takes a few seconds but most people are too impatient to wait and hang up after the first ring.
I had a call just now, and picked the hand set up quickly, but not quickly enough. The caller had hung up in a split second, resulting in an unanswered call. When I dialed to see who it was, I was informed it was a private number. This number can not be returned. Bah, humbug!The other annoying thing about this situation is, they very seldom call back, and if I press one, to return the call, it is usually engaged, so I still never find out who called.

Eyesore.

I have had a sore, itchy eyelid for nearly a week now. I am having shooting pains in it as well. I thought I had better go to the doctor about it. I went to the clinic yesterday, and asked if I could get an appointment this week. I was pleasantly surprised to get one for this afternoon.
It turned out to be a Stye!! I said to the doctor, "I haven't had one of those since I was a kid!" He has given me antibiotics and ointment. I was very amused when I read the blurb on the ointment box that told me my sight may be blurred for up to five minutes after application. As I have about 1% in that eye, it is not going to make a bit of difference to me! The irony was NOT lost on me folks.

There is no accounting for some people.

My husband is a fecetious sod sometimes. Well, quite often really. I was just cutting myself a slice of bread to have with my tea, and said that I only get about three slices out of every loaf. He said, "Hell, they must be thick one's then." This from the main bread eater of the two of us. I make a fresh loaf every second day! It isn't as though there is nothing else to eat either. Cheeky sod.

Pet peeve. #1.

I have many pet peeves, but I have to start somewhere. I have for many years, bemoaned the lack of colour in the Sunday Mail wedding photos. They used to be in full, glorious colour, but some years ago, the powers that be decided, for whatever reason, to print them in black and white. Bleew! The fact that the wedding pictures in Monday's Advertiser, which also prints tthe Sunday Mail, are stil in full, glorious colour, has baffled me. If they can afford to print Monday's pics in colour, why not Sunday's? The lack of colour is not restricted to this item. They also sometimes, print the Style Police in black and white. What, pray tell is the point? How are we to judge how awful or otherwise, the dresses etc are, if they are in black and white? There is no comparasin.
But, wait dear reader, it does not end there. For the last two or three weeks, the lift out in the Sunday Mail called, 'home' now has some pages of house interiors in black and white. Is this something to do with the economic downturn, or just penny pinching? The news paper moguls are not short of a 'Bob' or two, so why are they being mean spirited in these areas? How are we to properly assess the look of a house, or any other item, if we can not see it in colour? The world around us has never been in black and white, so why should these articles be? I am not saying every photo in the news papers should be in colour, but, just this sort of presentaion.
We have had coulour television since 1975, and I for one would not want to return to black and white viewing.

Mutton done up as Lamb.

I had a bit of a winner today, but it was NOT with my dinner! We went to Naracoorte today, to do the grocery shopping. After I had finished, I went to Leading Edge Music, as I had some DVDs on order. One of which was Dreaming, featuring Andre Rieu and his orchestra. I have had the CD for some time. I had been in to pick it up last fortnight, but Mandy, the proprietor was not in the shop, and Cathy could not find it even though it was on the computer as being in stock. Mandy told me via email, that she had it in and would put it away for me. She said it was $15.95, as they are having a sale at the moment. Mandy was there today, and she and Cathy hunted high and low for it, to no avail. In the end, Mandy gave me the deluxe set, of DVD & CD, for $15.95. This normally retails for $29.95. Yaay!
Now for the dinner. We decided, unwisely as it turned out, to dine at The Kincraig Hotel today, instead of our usual one. They had a seniors menu, of half sizes at $6.00. Neville had the beef schnitzel, and I decided, with some misgivings, to have the roast lamb. I said to Neville that I would probably get meat that was all gristle. I should have listened to my instinct!!
I grew up on a farm and not until the latter part of my time there, we bred and sold sheep. My dad would kill one about once a fortnight, and even if it were mutton or and old ram, my mother or I could cook it so it was tender as lamb. This poor beast had not been a lamb for a long time before it was slaughtered. I do not know which part of it was roasted, but it was all gristle and should not have been, if it were lamb. It was obviously not cooked long enough or slow enough. I think I will stick to fish or pasta in future. I did not have salad, but probably should have. The veges were appalling!

He kneels at my feet.......

I never thought I would see the day my husband knelt at my feet, or any other man for that matter. It does no harm to dream, does it?
No folks, he is not worshipping me, he is just applying ointment to them as they have been dry and itchy of late, and the doctor prescribed the stuff, and I can't reach to do it my self.
This is not an indication I am too fat, just that I have lost most of the flexibility in my back and legs.
If I try to do it I get terrible cramps in my back and hips.

Snooping? Not a bit of it.

The other day I went looking for my spouse, and found him in the back yard next to the car. He was looking through the binoculars at our neighbour's place across the street.
I thought it was very odd, as he is not the type to 'spy' on our neighbours.To anyone else, it would have looked very suss, to say the least. I asked him what he was doing and he said that the chap over the road had picked all his apples, and that is why the parrots and other birds are congregating in our yard and eating our apples. Spouse is trying to keep ahead of the birds, and stewing apples and freezing them, but there are very few containers that are the correct size, as he does not want to defrost large quantities as he is the only one who eats them.
Funny thing happened yesterday. He has been saving the margerine containers for the apples as they are just the right size. He froze the latest batch on Saterday. Yesterday morning he was looking for the margerine. I knew it was a fresh one and we hunted through the fridge to no avail. Then I had a brainwave. I said, "I bet I know what has happened. You have put the margerine back in the freezer by mistake when you put the apples in. I will bet you anything that is what you have done" Sure enough, he had done just that. I should have had money on it! Darn it!

I'm Glad that is over!

I tell you folks, I am glad yesterday is just that, yesterday! We left home at 7.30 am to travel to Mt. Gambier because I had to have a bone scan. The day before, one of the receptionist rang to ask if I could come is earlier. I said That I could not as I had a two hour drive to get there. It would appear that NOBODY who lives in a city, be it provincial or a capital , have absolutely any conception of distances. I had an appointment here, with my Ortheopedic surgeon at the end of next month. One of the receptionists rang last week and told me he is not now coming until the end of July. She asked me if I would be going to the city in the next two months and i said I had no idea when I would be. She then asked if I would prefer to see him at Jamestown. I assured her, quite vehemently, I would not. It is north of Adelaide and quite a lot further to travel!! When I arrived at the hospital, the receptionist took my details then told me that the doctor had omitted to put my name on the referral, and she would need to ring and ask them to fax another one with my name on before they could do the procedure. This took some 20 to 30 mins and two phone calls to accomplish. I was under the impression, mistakenly as it turned out, I was to have only my knees x rayed. The radiogropher took some pictures to check my circulation. I am not sure now if she had injected the radioactive isotopes or not. I was then told to return in two and a half hours. When she injected the isotopes, she must have hit the tendon, as it is quite sore today. I have had quite a few bone scans and never had any after effects before.
We went into the city and my other half needed some oil for the car motor. This is to clean the injectors. We then went to a furniture shop, as I wanted to see about purchasing two recliner chairs. I got the shock of my life when the assistant told me ONE was $1,699.00!! Oh, please, cow hide is not that valuable, surely. I told him we only paid $1,000.00 more for a whole suite.Then the bos came in and tried to talk me out of buying fabric coverd chairs, which is what I would rather have. He told me they were greatly inferior, and he had lots of them in the repair shop. I said we were not going to be jumping on them, but he was insistant. The salesman told him not to try to put anything over on me as I was a tough lady. I then said, "Excuse me, but where is the front door, as I am leaving?" Neville said to me when we got in the car, that I should have asked him , if the chairs are such rubbish, why does he sell them. Good question.
We then went to Radio Rentals. Nothing there and NO service either! I had taken my small sterio down to get someone to look at it, to see if the laser could be replaced in the CD player. I was quoted $45.00 to look at it, and, wait for it, $150.00 to $200.00 for the laser!!!! Spouse thought it would be a waste of money and I would be better off buying a new Hi Fi. We then walked over the road to Target. It is in a shamlbes as they are doing refurbishments. Dust and chaos . I was asked by the young man behind the counter if he could be of assistance. I said I was looking for a CD played with external speakers. He scratched his head, and pointed out a small Hi Fi yonder on the shelf. I told him I could not see that far and he walked over with me so I could get a closer look. There was a price ticket on the shelf of $29.00. He said that was not the correct price. Bugger! He scanned it and told me it was $129.00. I bought it as it is a Sanyo and a micro sterio. Just the right size and has a lovely tone. It also has a single tape deck, which suits me just fine. I then went into Spotlight and bought two pairs of cutrains for the sitting room. I have just washed them and was horrified to discover they were covered in white stuff. As there was only liquid detergent in the machine, I am at a loss as to what it could be. I have put one pair through a cycle with no detergent. I will see how that works out.
We traipsed all over the city trying to find a park so we could go and have lunch, as we were both feeling yuk! No parking spaces near a pub to be had. We went to the shopping arcade, and were very lucky there too. The place was jammed, as the kids are on school holidays,and we would have had to queue for ages, and I felt as though I would collapse if I did not get some food very soon. Neville probably felt the same, as it was quite late.
We finally managed to get some pasties. Mine was nice. Cheese and veg. Neville had two meat and veg ones. He said one would have been enough as they were very filling. I had a couple of bites of the other one, and threw it in the bin. It was awful.Some people are easily pleased, it seems and will eat anything. Not me.
It was by then, time to return to the hospital for the scan. Now, under normal circumstances, these things are not a problem in any way. But I have a very painful back, and one has to lie still for 45 mins or more on a narrow steel 'bed'. This thing has a rubber mattress on it, but it does nothing to cushion you from the hardness of the underlying steel plate. With my back condition, I am always unable to move and am in a great deal of pain and discomfort afterwards. I never get any assistance from the staff, and am left to sruggle on my own. This time, however, it was worse, as my knee stiffened and locked , and it was agony trying to get it to move again. When I finally made it to a standing position, the girl asked me to wait while the doctor read the films and wrote a report. Another half hour of sitting around.
I paid a $20.00 Gap and got outta there. We went back into the city to do a couple of other errands.Then we headed for the hills, so to speak. We stopped in Naracoorte so I could buy some fritz for my daughter, from Woolies, as that is the only place we can get the kind she likes. We then filled the car with gas and I asked Neville to stop at the furniture shop and went in to see what they had in the way of chairs. It was then he told me he did not want a recliner. I asked him what sort he preferred and he told me something with wooden arms and a straight back. He said there had been some like it in the first shop we visited in Mt. Gambier. I asked him why he had not said something, and he told me I was in such an almighty hurry to get out of there, he did not have the chance. These people have a sale on next week and there is a leather recliner for $799.00. This is nuch better that $1,700.00 for one. I told the lass I would come back next week when they have one in stock and see about it.