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.

Been away, but I am back now.

I am very happy to be able to write this post, as I had an operation on my left hand two weeks ago, and was therefore unable to.
I had had a Dupuytren Contracture in the palm of my hand for ten years. It would have eventually pulled my fingers in toward the palm, in a claw, making life even more difficult. I love writing my blog and sundry other communications, and it would have been very limiting for me, as I do not get out and about much. It was also becoming painful to use a fork, and it used to 'catch' on all sorts of things.
My surgeon told me to go to my GP to have the stitches removed, a week to ten days after surgery. I duly made an appointment for last Friday, thinking at the time it might be a bit previous. My doctor removed the half plaster splint and padded bandage. I was glad that was gone, as it was very hot and because I had not been able to wash the atiseptic off, very itchy. I have also had a layer of dead skin come off since. It turned out my hand was no where near healed enough to remove any stitches. My doctor advised me to come back on Tuesday, or at the latest, Wednesday, to have them removed. I went back Wednesday, and the stitches were embedde in my skin. I discovered this morning , when I removed the adhesive dressing, that my GP had missed one of the stitches. I rang the surgery early, and told the receptionist my dilemma, and she made a booking for me. I will go and have it removed this afternoon. It will, no doubt, hurt like the dickens! I told the doctor Wednesday, while he was removing them, "You realize that up until this moment, I have had no pain in my hand?" He just smiled. I have a large zig zag wound. Never seen that before.

Frugal Bastard was right! How 'bout that?

Nearly a month ago, it was my birthday, once again. My lovely son, as indicated in the title of this post, generously gave me some money, and said he would like me to take myself and a friend, (and his father) out to lunch to celebrate. I spent the actual day driving to and from and around Adelaide, so did not have the opportunity to be taken out for a meal.
I said at the time, that I would keep it in a safe place, and that it would not melt if I did not use it straight away. He agreed with me on that score.
A few days ago I was going through my purse, getting rid of unwanted receipts etc, when I came upon the money. I had to think for a minute as to why it was there and what I was to do with it.
The 'penny dropped' quite quickly, and I asked my mate Sue yesterday, if she would like to come with us for a meal today.
We three had lunch at the Bordertown Hotel. It was quite nice. For a change. Neville and Sue had the fish and I had, wait for it, crumbed Turkey chops!
There was much speculation and hilarity about how they could get chops from a turkey!
It was, I believe, meat from the thigh of the bird, as it was dark meat and a bit sinewy. Most of it was very nice. My salad and their veges were uninspiring, but quite edible.
We had a choice for dessert of fruit pudding, custard and cream, or, Sago and peaches. Sue had the Sago and we had the pudding.
Thank you dear boy for my celebration lunch and the fun we all had as well.
Frugal was correct. Money does not actually 'melt', though it does tend to disappear rapidly.

Funny Bugger!

My mate Sue and I have great times together. We 'send each other up' something chronic, all the time. I try to make her laugh whenever we meet, as her life has a lot of tension in it, most of the time. I rang her at lunch time today, to tell her I had another bucket of scraps for her chooks, and I needed more buckets, as I was on to my last one. She said she would be around later. I reminded her I had a doctors appointment this arvo, so she said to let her know when I got home.
Neville said, while I was getting the scripts made up, my phone rang, but he couldn't find it. It was in my bag which I had left in the car, as I only needed my purse. Duh! I said it was probably Sue, and that was the case when I checked for missed calls.
I did some other errands, and we came home. I sent Sue an SMS to aprise her of that fact so she could come around.
When she was coming in the door, I said she had to throw her hat in. If it did not come back at her, she was welcome to come inside. She had never heard that saying before. She improvised, as she did not have a hat she threw the buckets in, instead. We both 'cracked up' laughing. Then she said, "They haven't come back at me, so it must be safe to come in." She was coming in anyway!
i am always saying, you don't have to be crazy to be my friend, but it helps.

Who is protecting who??

I rang my daughter on Monday morning, and asked her if she would like any of the DVDs in the Big W movie catalogue. She said there were a couple she would like, but queried when we would be going to Adelaide again, as the sale ends on the 11th of this month. I said I would put the purchase on my credit card. I rang, and the girl on the switchboard placed the call. The phone just rang and rang. I tried twice more, to no avail. I tried a fourth time and the girl on the switchboard asked me, when I told her I was having no luck, if I would like them to ring me back when they were free. I said I would, and gave her my phone number. I am still waiting for that call.
I have just rung again, and this time I was put straight through. The lass took the information and went to see if they still had the DVDs. She was out of one of them, which was a three in one pack so, I asked if she had one of the movies on it's own. This was the one my daughter particularly wanted. she had a look and said she did. I told her I would pay for them on my credit card. She informed me I would need to fax a copy of both sides of my credit card and my drivers license, as proof that the card was not stolen. I told her I do not have a drivers license, and would have to fax my pension card details.
Something made me balk at this requirement. I told her I had never been asked to do this, and she said they had been doing it for some years. I told her I bought something last year with my card over the phone and had not been asked to do this. She did not believe me of course.
I rang my daughter and told her, and she immediately said not to do it, as it would risk my identity, as some unscululous person could use the details for their own nafarious purposes. She said, as they would have all the numbers AND my signature, there would be nothing to stop them robbing me blind.
Thank God I listened to the' still small voice.' Phew!!
It begs the question, who is being protected from whom by this kind of thing? I wonder how many people risk it?

Coffee, gimme coffee!

For those of you who never see the news, whether in the printed media, or on television, or hear it on radio, we, in Australia, are sweltering in an oppressive heat wave. There are some of our 'cousins' in the UK and Europe, who say they would swap us for our weather in a heart beat. Trust me folks, you would die! There will be some relief this weekend, and I for one can't wait.
I am not, dear reader, one of those people who can drink hot beverages in this weather, as they only serve to heat me up more, and thereby add to my distress, and discomfort.
When my husband and I were first married, I was aghast to see him drinking a pot of steaming hot tea on a scorching hot day, with the sweat DRIPPING off him, and he assured me, it made him feel cooler! Yeah. Right! Well, this morning, after nearly two weeks of not having my morning cup of coffee, I decided to have one as it was not very warm today at the time I arose. Aaagh, bliss! I did enjoy it. It is starting to warm up again now, so I am glad I decided to have it when I did. Roll on the cooler weather.

The Phantom Chocolate Eater.

I have been purchasing Christmas food hampers from a reputable company for some years now. Part of the contents is usually, some boxes of chocolates.In last year's, there was a large box of Cadbury Favourites. This consists of mini bars of most of their most popular products.
I opened the box the other night,and tipped them in to a wooden bowl, when Sue came around and we played Scrabble.This morning, I chose a couple of them, and was most surprised to discover, that the mini Crunchy was A. not sealed properly, & B. someone had taken a big bite out of it before putting it into the wrapper.
It would appear that chocolate packers are not all put off by so much chocolate,and still like the odd nibble of what they are packing.