We'll all be old, one day.

After I finished the grocery shopping, we had a little time up our sleeves, before we went to the pub for lunch. We sat in the car for about 15 mins, then I asked the man about the house if he had tried the $2.00 shop in Naracoorte for the glasses the eye specialist had recommended. He said he didn't think he had, so he walked across to the shop to see if they had any. No luck. By this time, it was nearly 12 o'clock, so we drove around to have lunch. There were only four people in front of us waiting to order their meals. There were two women, one older and one about my age. The older lady was paying for her friend. She scrabbled around in her hand bag for about 5 mins, and I thought it was going to be a case of 'Oh, dear, I haven't got my purse.' She had one of those bags with umpteen inside pockets, and she went through them all at least three times. At one stage she pulled her wallet out, but continued to search the pockets for something. The lass on the till said she would serve us and give the lady more time to find what she was looking for. Then, Voila, she found what she had been looking for. It was a big handful of gold coins! I do not know if she was embarrassed for holding everybody up, but she did not offer any apology either. I felt sorry for her, as I thought she may have had some sort of memory loss, but no. Why she didn't just use some notes to pay for the meals, I do not know. She may not have had any.

The wheels grind sloooowly.

It is one of life's little irritations, but, government departments are never in a hurry to oblige us with what we require. I am referring to the massive procrastination of our local library staff in obtaining a car manual for me, so Neville could fix my side window. I inquired about the availability of one in January. After numerous inquiries, I finally got it last Friday, nearly four months after I first asked about it. Our local library did not have a copy on their shelves, and several others who did, were loath to lend it out outside their district.
I am pleased to say my window now works quite well, though I have to be careful when winding it up, as it is still a bit stiff. Neville had the inside of my door off again this morning, so he could fix the wing mirror which was very loose. That also is fixed. It would have been great if we could have had this done earlier, as it would have been nice to have been able to get some breeze in the hot weather.

Surprise visitors.

Yesterday, I was in the process of defrosting one of the freezers. I happened to be at the sink, when I noticed a lady outside. She looked at me and smiled and waved. I thought she was my friend Sue, then I realized she looked nothing like her. It dawned on me that she was my brother-in-law's lady, Margaret. I was surprised to see them, as I had not expected them to be in the vicinity this weekend. They had been to stay with his eldest son and his family. Peter usually lets us know when he will be in town. This was shortly after lunch. It was a pleasant surprise of course. They came in and we chatted for a while, then I asked them if they were in a hurry to get home. They said not, (Margaret mad a joke about her curfew being 10.30, but that is another story.) so I invited them to stay for tea. Now, they have only had one meal with us and it was an unqualified disaster.
I decided I could not go wrong with mornay and apple crumble. Wrong! I am still not au fey with the workings of my oven, and what temperature to set it at, so of course I burned the topping on the apple crumble. I was lucky enough to be able to scrape the burnt stuff off, and it did not taste burned, thankfully. Phew!!
After we had a cup of tea and a home made blueberry muffin, Peter and Margaret went to his daughter's place, but she was at work, so they did not stay long.
We filled in the time before tea chatting about all sorts. I was ready to dish up, and suddenly remembered I had not cooked any rice to go with the mornay. No problem, as it was only 5.30 anyway. We had tea, and they enjoyed it and said it was very nice.
I can't for the life of me understand why I make a cooking gaffe when they come for a meal, as I am quite a competent cook. Even great chefs, ( and I do not class myself as one,) have the odd disaster I guess.

Oh, Puleeeze!

Most of us expect and believe that when someone is in politics, they are supposedly wiser and more knowledgeable than the masses. They are also supposed/expected to be more mature as well. They are also expected to leave their egos at home when they are are commenting on things in the public arena.
I am of course referring to the hoo haa attributed to our Prime Minister's 'salute' to the American president. What a load of garbage! Brendan Nelson and Bob Brown need to get over themselves and grow up!! They also need to focus on really important issues, and not try to divert our attention away from their ineptitude, and get on with doing something useful and productive for this country. This petty bickering and back stabbing is not what is needed. I can not see the harm in what Kevin Rudd did. I would probably do they same thing if I met the president. He is after all, just a bloke, albeit a very powerful one.

My little puddytat.

I have a cat whose name is Eddie. She (yes, she) has been part of this household since Dec.1994, when she and her brother Tiger, came here with my daughter, when she moved back in after she broke up with her boyfriend, and she had nowhere else to go. Eddie was only two months old and so small she could fit in the palm of my hand, and my hands are not very big. I had no hand in naming Eddie, as she was my daughter's cat and she decided to name her Eddie. I did ask her why, and she said she had always wanted to have a female cat with a male name?? When my daughter found somewhere to live, Eddie had bonded so strongly to me, that I refused to let her go. Deb took Tiger though.
Eddie has enjoyed very good health and lots of love and care from me.
Four years ago she became very ill, and it took nearly two years to return her to health. She has been well ever since. But, last week she was off her tucker, and , as it was the Easter weekend, I had to wait until yesterday to get her to the vet. The vet checked her out and said she seemed OK,but took blood and had it tested. I got the results today. Eddie does not have cancer, but her Thyroid gland is way out of whack.The reading is very high. She must be feeling dreadful, but she looks alright.
I asked the vet what treatments were available and she said there were three options:- 1. we could take her to Melbourne so she could have radiation treatment, This would cost thousands. :-2 we could take her to Adelaide so she could have the thyroid operated on, but there are side effects and risks involved.:3 we could give her tablets every day for the rest of her life. I chose this option, as it is within my financial scope.I picked up the tablets and they cost $35.00 for fifty, and she will need another blood test in three weeks. As she will need two tablets a day, I will have to renew them every three weeks. I was informed there are side effects to the medication too, but that will be monitored.
I know there are many who would not understand my going to so much trouble and expense over a cat, and would have had her euthanased, but. she is just as much my mate as your dogs, or other pets. She is old for a cat,(13) but I would do no less for any animal or human, for that matter. I will do anything to make her last days as happy and stress free as possible. It is not much to ask for all the years of companionship and devotion she has given me.

Social Pariahs.

It is with some misgivings I use this space to add my thoughts about Wayne Carey. I wonder if it is a good use of this space, considering I think he is getting more than adequate coverage in the tabloids.
I can not for the life of me understand why people like him are feted in the press, and paid handsomely for the priivilege no doubt, He was interviewed by a mass produced women's magazine, and now, is to appear on Enough Rope. What is it about these 'fallen heroes' that is so fascinating?
The guy is out of control in so many aspects of his life. A life we don't really need, or for my part, want to know about. He needs some anger management counseling. He is reported to be a woman beater, drug user and drunk.
How long can he live off his celebraty? He is a private citizen now, let him and what he does in private, stay there please. I think there is something rather tacky and distasteful about promoting these people. The guy needs help. I just hope he realizes it and does something about it, soon.

I say, I say, I say, did you hear the one about.......?

A funny thing happened this morning when my mate Sue and I went to the nondenominational church service at Charla Lodge.
I went in through the door in to the activity centre, as I needed to go to the loo, and we are not allowed to use any in Charla. This meant I did not enter from the usual direction, the front door of Charla Lodge.
Gwen, one of the residents,a lovely lady, greeted me and asked me where my 'mother' was today. I, being the possessor of a 'wicked' sense of humour, cracked up laughing, and said Sue was my mate, not my mother. Sue was absolutely horrified that anyone would think she is old enough to be my mum.
Now, Sue was born in October 1949, and is therefore younger than I am, by a year and nine months. She is however, completely gray, and her face is much more heavily lined than mine. That notwithstanding, she does not look THAT old!
My Mum may be nearly 84, but even she does not look old enough to be the mother of two women in their early sixties.
Sue was SO overcome with horror, she went on and on about it, until I told her to give over. I, however, think it is the biggest hoot and can not stop laughing about it. I asked her what she was most upset about, that someone thought she was old enough to be my mum, or, the thought of me as a daughter.

Make up your mind,'Sam".

It has been widely reported in the media, that 'Sam Newman has prostate cancer. This is not good, and, even though he is not one of my favourite people on the box, I sincerely wish him a speedy recovery.

His mate, Eddie McGuire, wrote an article in today's paper, telling us how 'Sam' broke the news to him and one of channel nine's producers. Now I ask you, was that really necessary? This is a private matter and should have remained so. He said that 'Sam' had wanted no fuss or publicity, and was even contemplating going to the U.S.A. for the surgery, just to keep a lid on it. Now, this is where they have lost me. If that were so, why the report at all? And, why did 'Sam' have the channel nine cameras rolling all through the operation?
Is this just 'Sam's' huge ego in play, or hypocrisy at it's worst? Is his 'mate' trying to make mileage out of his mate's predicament? I think the only good that may come out of this whole sad story, is, more men will drop their reluctance and their pants, and get checked by their doctor. If only one man's life is saved by this, great.I can forgive them both for that.

Germaine Greer. Pooh to you.

There is an editorial by Germaine Greer in today's Sunday Mail, giving her opinion of Adelaide. She says , it is a 'good hearted little town, not overburdened with imagination'. My first reaction when I read the headline on the front cover was, "Who gives a damn what you think?" "I will give you 50 cents so you can go tell someone who does." I think this person is a vitriolic, vituperate viper, who is too enamoured of herself, and should get over herself.I think, Germaine, you should live by one of my late father's maxims:- if you can't say something nice about someone or something, say nothing at all.We humans do not appreciate being slapped around and demeaned all the time. Try saying something helpful encouraging or kind.It is not altogether a bad thing for us to stay in our comfort zones sometimes, although, I do not think it is good for us to be lazy or inert.
A person's character shows in their faces, and this person's countenance is very forbidding and harsh. She is a very negative person on the whole, and it shows in her face.
There is nothing wrong with Adelaide! The fact that it is my capital city not withstanding, I prefer it to any other city I have visited in this country, apart from Townsville. Adelaide is still my first choice. It probably is a bit parochial, but I would rather it be that way than end up like Chicago, New York City or even London.I think it could hold it's own with any of them.

Can I spot a bargain, or can I spot a bargain?

Just over two weeks ago, after we had had lunch at the pub, I walked to the curtain and blind shop to see if they had any specials. I was not intending to buy anything, but, could not resist it when I saw some lovely burgundy curtain fabric out for $5.00m. as it was the last of it on the roll.
I bought five metres, and had it sent away to be made up. I went there again yesterday, to make a payment off the cost of having them made. I was very pleasantly surprised to know they were back, and, it was only going to cost me $66.00 for the making up. That is of course, the princely sum of $91.00 all up! Now, is that a bargain or what? The curtains look wonderful, as I expected them too, as I have had some done through these people before.
The next thing is to get the Man about the House to hang them for me. This will be a major undertaking, as I have a queen sized bed, in a room that really only has room for a double bed. The bed head is across the window, therefore, he will need to move the bed and head board to do the job. I will take the opportunity to vacuum at the same time. The curtains have block out backing, which is why I decided to do this now. I am hoping it will allow me to sleep later than the crack of dawn.
The young woman who served me yesterday, said I could take the curtains, but I was reluctant to do that until I had paid for them. Just then the boss came back, and she asked him if if would be OK for me to take them. He said,"Yeah. I know where she lives." I thanked him and told him he was a cheeky sod.

Once more.....Part the second.

After lunch, I asked Neville to meet me just up the street a bit at the curtain and blind shop. I was just going to browse, as I was thinking of getting new curtains for my bedroom, as the old ones I have let in too much light in the wee small hours, and I am sick of waking up at the crack of dawn and not being able to go back to sleep.
They have a special deal for curtain sales. If you purchase certain fabrics by a certain company, they will make them up free. I liked several, but, as they were around the $30-$40 mark per metre, I balked at the idea. I was just about to give it the flick and leave, when I spied some remnants on rolls. I liked a burgundy one very much. I liked the price very, very much. $5.00 a metre. The owner and I worked out how much fabric I would need, and I bought it, and I told him I would measure the curtain rail and ring him with the details as soon as I got home. It will cost me just over $60.00 to have them made and the owner has agreed to let me pay that off gradually. He knows I will not let him down.It is good for business anyway.

Once more in to the breach, dear friends, once more.....

I am not sure if we are gluttons for punishment, or just slow learners. It might just be that we have very little choice in this burg, but the Man about the House and I went to the pub for lunch again today.
It was about 11-35 a.m., and he asked me if I would like to go to the pub for lunch, as it is seniors day, and cheaper. We were unable to enjoy our usual pub lunch last week when we were in Naracoorte, as I had had a large filling and was not allowed to eat for two hours.
We checked the menu and I decided to try the pasta, as I have no confidence in the cook's other meals. When we ordered our meals, we were told that the pasta was not on the menu for seniors. If it was with all the other dishes they could have, why was it NOT for us?
I settled for the 'beaten up butter fish' and salad, and Neville had the corned Silverside and veg. When it arrived, the salad portion was so miniscule one needed a magnifying glass to find it! Neville's meal looked passable, but the 'white ' sauce was yellow. Don't know what it tasted like. When the desserts were eventually brought round, he had trifle, or what passed for it, and I had a banana fritter. Very nice.
I will; have to finish this later as the pressure pump for our water is not working, and he needs to remove fuses to see if that is the problem.

Where do they find 'em?

Yesterday, while in Naracoorte, I was going to do an errand for my daughter, when my spouse asked me if I would put a prescription in at the chemist for him, as I was going past it anyway. I asked which one he preferred, there are two, and he said the one we were parked behind would do. I duly entered said premises, and was approached by a young female assistant, who asked what she could do for me.I said I would like the script made up for my husband. She asked if I had had scripts done there before. I told her, yes, but this was not mine, it was my husband's. She then asked if I had my Medicare card, or my pension concession card. Once again I told her it was not my prescription, and that information should be on the script. All this time she had not once looked at the script. I walked back to the counter, as I had started to walk out the door to do my errand, and pointed to the script and asked her if the numbers she was asking about were on it, as I could not see them, as I am legally blind. At this point, one of the older shop assistants came over and pointed to the script and said "There is the Medicare number, and there is the concession number." She was a bit exasperated like me. I would appear it is easier to glean the relevant information from the customer, than it is to actually look for it. How some of these young people get the job in the first place I don't know. What gets me is, how they manage to keep them. Grrrr!

Methinks something got lost in translation.

I have just opened the box containing the wonderful foot spa my son and his family gave me for my recent birthday.
I was reading the instructions before using it. I was highly amused to read some of them, as they are reminiscent of those he has posted from other countries.
To wit:- If you are pregnant, consult your health care professional before using. Please explain.
Do not use appliance if you are SLEEPING or drowsy??? Is there some danger one would pitch forward and drown? One would need to be VERY small, and an acrobat.
Never leave an appliance unattended while in use! Bit difficult, as you have to sit down and have your feet in water.
Do not place the appliance on a gas flame or hot electric element, or on a heated oven. Do not place on top of any other appliance.
Do not let the power cord of the appliance hang over the table or bench top or touch any hot surface! The mind boggles! Where the heck are you going to be using the thing?
They say laughter is the best medicine, and I certainly had a good belly laugh over these.
Enjoy!

Gonna have a gripe!

One of these days I am going to post a list of my pet peeves. Today, I am just writing about one that has me wondering about the wisdom(?) of the ad men.
I have purchased a certain brand of sugarless chewing gum now for over a year. It was always a pack of six packets. There are seven sticks of gum in each packet. Yesterday, I bought what looked like the same product, packed the same way as I have been used to. However, when I opened one I was stunned to discover three cardboard boxes of 14 inside the wrapper, each one of these was wrapped in cellophane.Now, why on earth was it deemed necessary to wrap the little boxes in cellophane?
Ok, I think it is much better for the gum to be in little boxes, as it is more convenient and the gum stays put, but, the cellophane is an unnecessary waste of paper,and resources, as the boxes are already in a wrapper, and it is not helping the environment.
This also applies to all products that we buy, as I have thought for a long time, there is far too much packaging which is a waste, and they are not always easy to open.