Ok since I last wrote, the whole blog spot site where I write has changed and I am not sure how to find my way around it.  Have just tried to upload photos and could not do it, damn and blast. I shall just keep writing as I do not have the time to take meandering my way through instructions etc. Will sit here with a small amount of smoke pouring from nostrils instead, grrrrrrrrr.

Getting photos organised has been the main reason I have had such a gap in my postings as have had some exciting moments over the last month pictorially documented, which I wanted to share. I have been on morning shift this week for a change and luckily missed four days of 6 kids down with some gastric bug last week, which has also cut a swathe through staff.  I myself had taken last Thursday night off thanks to the chiropractor who I had cause to visit twice that week.  I am getting relief each visit  but lifting babies, mopping floors, hefting all sorts of other things, I am not having much chance to get things right.  I also paid my second visit to the Dr in a week trying to sort out my health.  I needed another prescription for tablets so met my new GP. Told him I was not impressed with the specialist, explained symptoms and the GP did not have much to add except he felt that perhaps I could go off another tablet which I didn't seem to need and to re discuss things with the specialist next month.

So,  since then I have been having chest pains again, and gone to carrying my GTN spray with me at all times which gives relief  in a couple of minutes.  When I went back this week to the GP I said just in case, I would try the reflux tablets the specialist recommended.  On day four, it has made no difference at all except to my bank balance and the medical professionals' retirement funds.  I have woken with pain the last two morning but have been able to go to work without further bother at all - I nearly rang in sick but we are now down to skeleton staff with the gastric bug sweeping through the place so will give it one more day and if I get any more pain after tomorrow, I guess I will have to leg it up to the hospital again which I am loathe to do but am running out of options I guess.

Apart from the nuisance of my health, life has been very good indeed.  Have car will travel, so have been out and about more than I have been in a good long while.  Last Monday, after the chiro, I headed out to stay the night with Farmer Geoff and Janette (she was our office lady at Tardun).  They farm 8,000 hectares on the Mullewa Wubin Road.  The trip out flashed by and it was like going home driving out on the Mullewa Magnet Rd.  I pulled out some CD's I had not listened to in awhile so had nostalgic music playing as I made my nostalgic way back to Mullewa and surrounds.  The road was near empty but had a smile as I came up behind a road train with its FOUR trailers - over 100metres to pass! and thought to myself, yup I am back in the countryside again.  First thing after the lack of traffic that I noticed, was how dry it all is.  There has been little rain over the last two months and the season is not looking good with little rain on the horizon yet.  Janette and I ended up driving for miles out the back of the farm to move machinery with Geoff as he was dry seeding lupins with a 12 wheeled seeder, and he needed help with a tractor and seed hopper being moved to the paddock he was seeding (I say paddock but it is larger than some principalities).  I got to drive the 4 wheel drive nissan following the other two so that there was a vehicle to get back home in. The ground was rock hard and Geoff was having problems with the seeder so after trying to get a hub on a wheel for some time, he gave up to get a new one from home for the following day.

There are new railway tracks running alongside old tracks out Mullewa way as some of the line has been altered with loops at various points to accommodate the line needs once the port at Oakagee gets built.  All the wooden railway ties have been replaced by concrete ones and the line looks very pristine at the moment. The wheat bins at Mullewa are still being emptied of  as are many in the outlying towns as there was a bumper crop last year.  Wheat is still being transported daily to the port in Geraldton, so a huge enterprise for the wheat belt area of Western Australia.

Had home killed lamb chops for dinner and the lamb did not die in vain. There is nothing that tastes so good, grilled crispy - yum, yum. I had dug out a very nice cab sav wine to take out which complimented the meal to perfection followed by curling up on the couch to watch "The Voice" (yet another brilliant singing contest) and Janette's favourite of the moment "Revenge".  I was put up in the front room which doubles as Janette's card making area.  It was not without a little nervousness as when I got there she picked up a pillow off the bed and noticed a cobweb on the pillow, which removed saying oh, its a sticky web....  and what does that mean asked I. "I was hoping you wouldn't ask" says she - "it is a redback", "oh wonderful" says I ," where is the can of fly spray then".  A small napalm amount later and no sign of said spider,  I deemed it safe to sleep in the bed (with my own pillow) much later that night. I do recall however rolling over shoving my arms under the other pillows in my sleep and knowing that I shouldn't do that and turning back over again.  No bite was sustained to wake me up properly so all good.  The one downside of heading to the great outdoors again was the flipping midges, which I have been lulled into a false sense of security these days living in town where they do not seem to reside.  Of course, once out on the farm as the sun went down, the sodding little beasts bit the daylights out of both forearms which in turn have been torn to shreds by scratching, though a week later they are on the mend. Note to self, take insect repellent next time and USE it.  Moving through my CD collection ( the trip is a CD and a bit each way, lol) I drove back next morning in time to go to bed to sleep before night shift that night - oh the joys of shift work lol. 

I have been to North Hampton again to watch footie - this time with Jude to watch her grandson play last Sunday.  It occurred to me on the way over that I have watched more live Aussie football now than I have watched live matches of rugby - ouch.   The oval is just out of the  town, and it was a pleasant drive to and fro on a sunny afternoon.  I want to go back sometime soon and have a look through the local museum, - still on the bucket list.

In the light of being (slightly) healthier in my eating habits, and general laziness in stove cleaning, I bought myself a (small) George Foreman grill the other week and it has been in constant use since.  Have grilled asparagus, courgettes (zucchini), egg plants (aubergine), pork chops, lamb chops, steaks and sausages, all with great effect.  The food tastes great, and it is a quick wipe over at the finish and an empty of the fat catcher dish and all is done.  No more nasty stove grills for me.  I debated about getting the family sized one but in reality, the small one cooks enough for me.  I also lashed out today at while getting some groceries - went in for a lettuce and yogurt and $88 later lol, came out with all that including two tamarillos ( $1.48 each), and two feijoas ($1.98 each, I kid you not) as my tribute to NZ winter fruits.  The tamarillos were Australian but the feijoas came from NZ - go the exporting of. I laughed at the check out and said my family would think I was mad paying that price for feijoas, as at most homes, they rot into the ground as they fall from the trees.  I am taking them to work with me tomorrow and will have them for lunch - tamarillo or tree tomato (as it was called back in the day) sandwiches with a sprinkle of sugar on them - mmmm mmmm. 

I have a new flybuys card (loyalty card) that works at the local Coles and on top of that they are running a top 5 promotion at the moment where 5 of your most frequent buys earn extra discount even if they are already discounted - my bill dropped by just under $10 today so I guess that is a plus.  I also get 4c litre cheaper petrol by shopping at the above grocery shop and got $7 off last time I filled up so it all helps. Petrol is currently $1.60 litre without any discount so high for over here. 

I think winter has arrived - I have broken out the winter pj's and put two duvet inners in the duvet cover on the bed with my air cell blanket at the ready.  Have taken to wearing a chemise under my shirts and carry a jumper/cardigan most days/nights.  Bought the heater out of storage on the weekend as we had a night in the minus temps last week - friend Donna said it was -6 degrees in Perth on the same night. The days are still glorious though (except for the farmers), washing is getting dried in an hour if out in the morning sun. 

Looking at the time and have heaps more news but need to get some sleep. Have a 12 hour day tomorrow as there is some in house training again, all going well and if there is enough staff on board.