Catching up.

As stated in recent postings, I have not been very well. I am much better now, though it will take at least another week to shrug it off properly.
Last Friday, we traveled to Adelaide, so Neville could do some car parts etc shopping, and I could spend the day with my mother. I had not seen her for five months, not since she had been very ill in hospital, and it was her birthday yesterday. Neville went to his chiropractor, and bought engine oil, and some other things for the car.
I had a reasonably pleasant day with mum, though it was a rude awakening to realize she is not the same as she was before she became ill, as her short term memory is not what it should be, because of the anaesthetic and certain drugs she was given, and she repeated herself often.Mum made us sandwiches for lunch. I had bought some packet soups and had one of those as well. We played two games of Scrabble. I trounced her in the first game, and she beat me in the next.
I had taken a 3CD set of the complete works of Flanders & Swann. I had promised her I would let her listen to it the next time I visited . We listened to the first CD, but mum's player is unfamiliar to me, and we could hardly hear it. I then discovered I had altered the balance, and it was not on stereo. When I fixed that, it was good. She did not want me to leave the CDs there, as she might forget whose they were. I have my name and address on them too.
I made us a cuppa in the afternoon, just before Neville came back. Mum and I cooked tea early, as my brother was in hospital in Adelaide, and my brother-in-law came and picked mum up to take her to see him. We left before Max came, and drove over to see mum's youngest sister and her husband. We had not seen them for a long time. I was nearly 'out on my feet', so we did not stay long, about 3/4 of an hour. We then drove to the motel and I made two phone calls and 'hit the sack'. I slept like a baby.
Next day, we went to The Central Markets and had breakfast. I shouted Neville half serve of bacon, eggs, mushrooms, tomato, sausage and toast, while I had scrambled eggs wholemeal toast and coffee. It was the BEST cup of coffee I had had in a looong time, and I told the waitress so. She was very chuffed. Then we went to Big W, so I could exchange some T shirts, and buy some jump suits for my grand daughter. We then went to the Brick Works, which is a market now, and bought a bit of fruit and veg. we were tossing up whether to visit my brother or not, and had decided to give it a miss. Then I changed my mind and said I wanted to go, as the last time someone I loved was in hospital, I didn't visit them, and they died two days later.
I am very glad we did visit , as he needs a big operation, and he was going to stay with our sister for a few days, then is going to be readmitted for the surgery next week.
We then drove to Tailem Bend, on our way home, and bought some lunch. It was 2PM by then, and I was feeling quite strange. We called in to see Neville's brother, and he made us a cuppa. Peter was telling us how he had been up a ladder recently, pruning a tree. He swiped what ever he was using across his face, and just missed his nose. He was certain he had knocked his glasses off, so climbed gingerly down the ladder and sifted very carefully through all the prunings, but failed to find them. He was sweating quite profusely by then, so wiped his face. Voila! he found his glasses were still where they should be, on his face! We packed up laughing, and I told him he was going to be mentioned on my blog.
We called in to our daughter's home to give her the things I had bought and the change. They had some friends there, and they had all been drinking very heavily. They were all shouting, and at me at the same time, and I 'lost it', with one of them a bit. I do not handle drunks at all well, as I am not accustomed to being around them. We did not stay long, as I was very tired, and we had to get home to get some tea. I checked my emails and watched a bit of telly, then went to bed.

Mistaken Identity!

One day last week, when I was really crook, I got a phone call from a bright young thing, from Austar. She informed me breezily, that she was from Austar, and the techie would be here in fifteen minutes to connect the service. I said I was not getting Austar connected. "Oh. You're not?" "You are Mr Ross P----- aren't you?" "No, I am not. I am not even a bloke. I am a woman with a very heavy cold!" "Sorry." Click. It is not the first time I have been mistaken for a man. I don't think my voice is THAT deep!

My Week.

As my reader(s) will know, I have not enjoyed the best of health lately. I visited the doctor yesterday, and he told me I have a bad case of Sinusitis & Conjunctivitis, He prescribed drops for my eyes, and antibiotics for the other.
I am starting to feel better already.
Wednesday we journeyed to Naracoorte to do the shopping. Neville went out to the farm for a few hours. When he came back, we went to the pub for lunch. We had battered Butterfish. The salads leave me cold, as they are loaded with capsicum, which I loathe! I didn't feel like eating much anyway.
Later, I went to Trev's Emporium, a discount shop, and bought some ribbon, and bows with flowers in the centre, so I could decorate my mother's birthday gifts. I had purchased a bottle of Liqueur Port for her as well. She said last night she has never had liqueur Port before.
As I was about to enter Trev's, I had not seen there was a young woman, well she is younger than I, looking at some plastic containers that were displayed outside. She said hullo, and I looked at her, and said I coulnt not see her to know who she was. She also had the light behind her, which makes it nigh on impossible for me to see anything or anyone. I said I could not tell who she was, and she identified herself, and asked why I could not see her.I told her I am legally blind, and she said, "Of course you are," and patted me on the shoulder in a very patronising manner. Her tone of voice was very patronising too. She should have remembered about my poor eyesight, as I have known her since she was about 12. She and my younger sister were great friends at school.
Neville has gone to my late cousin's former farm, to saw logs and cart them in to a yard in the town. He will be away all day. It is supposed to rain this evening. It is overcast now.

You have got to be joking!

Sue and I went out on our usual weekly outing today. As her granddaughter's parents are working day shift this week and next, she had Stacy with her. Stacy is nearly two, and is thoroughly undisciplined and willful. Sue doesn't think it is her 'place' to discipline her, when she is looking after her as she says she is allowed to run rampant at home, so it is pointless. Now, don't get me wrong, I love children, but I like them best when they are well behaved and well mannered. Cuteness has a limited appeal for me, and spoiling and making much of a child because of it is doing the child a great disservice. Our coffee mornings are somewhat spoiled when Stacy is there.
We did some of our errands before we went for coffee. On our way back to the car, we stopped at the local art gallery, to see the latest exhibition of our local talented artists. I bumped into our roving reporter, a lady I have known for years. We exchanged greetings, and she went on her way. We left soon after and met he further down the street. She was chatting to a lady who was collecting donations for Red Cross. She saw us coming and said something about the two Sues. It was then I realized she had a camera in her hand. I didn't catch what she was saying, but very soon realized she wanted to set up a photo opportunity with the Red Cross lady.
I said there was no way she was getting a photo of me for the paper, and went and sat on a bench. She conned Sue into it though. I look terrible in photos at the best of times, but not being well, I knew I would look ghastly!

Not much of a week.

I have been quite ill this week, as I reported last post, with the dreaded 'Lurgi'. It is amazing how clearly we see in hind sight. I probably should have gone to the doctor, and got some antibiotics.
I have gone through three to four different kinds of symptoms. of different kinds of colds/chest infections & sinusitis. I also had two days of horrendous Hayfever. I still have something wrong with my left eye, not sure if it is Conjuctivitis, or an allergy, and will endeavour to consult the doc this week. Ah, well, they made me of pretty tough stuff, and I have weathered this as I have all the others. Am still a bit 'stuffy' in the head, but getting better each day.
On Tuesday, Neville and his brother, Peter, travelled to Kyabram, in Victoria, for their sister's funeral. I is a five hour drive both ways. Even if I had not been sick, I would not have been able to make the journey, as I must move around sometimes, or my back and knees seize up.
On Friday, Deb and her friend, Kylie, came to do the shopping. Willow has grown considerably. In weight and length. Riley came in here and said, with his usual cheeky grin, "Look, Nana." I looked, but as I did not know what I was looking for, cast a glance in his mother's direction. She said, "His ear." It was then I noticed he had a small silver stud in his left ear! He informed me, with some alacrity, that his brother had had his done too. My comment proved beyond any shadow of doubt, that I was brought up in a totally different era. I said something along the lines of, 'It makes you look like a girl.' It turned out his Pop said something similar. We were howled down by both the girls.