Enter the Fairy tripping lightly, Happy Birthday to Me and Happy Valentines

It is near the witching hour so thought I would recount the day as I cycle through another year on life's clock.  Had set the alarm for 5.45am as I had work today and it was not a pretty sight that greeted me in the mirror 15 mins later as I dragged myself off the bed to get ready for the day.  I had not got to sleep much before 1.30am,  so the years fully showed in the bags under my eyes, lol.  It has been so hot at night, I now have a fan at the foot of my bed and the ceiling one going all night and I merely flop on top of the bed as it is too hot to even have a sheet over me. My air con has broken down and the repair man said yesterday that it is not worth fixing and will need to be replaced ,,,,,,, great except the house is under contract to be sold so cannot see the current owners racing in to spend money, so meanwhile, I gasp about the place like a fish out of water and feel like I lose my body weight in moisture each day.

I had received a parcel in the  post from home and kept it on the mantle piece during the week so once I was dressed I hastened to open it to find several packets, all containing jewellery from family and friends in NZ - all bits that I love and the beginnings of a new collection since nearly all my jewellery was stolen last year.  All came with notes to explain the different sets.  I did not make a fuss at work this year with the kids as it was a school day and one of our lads was having an off day, though a couple of staff wished me well  and then I received txts from several friends which was lovely.  

How does one know one is aging??? In my case today I had more than one reminder :).  I was just biting into a nectarine for breakfast when part of a upper left  hand side tooth parted company from my gum at the roots and I was lucky to spit it out without swallowing it.  Great I thought.  Fortunately no pain was involved so although a nuisance, I finished the nectarine and carried on with no one the wiser.  Not so my next act, lol.

I had to go back to the school to pick up one of the children for an appointment when as I came back to the van from the office, I negotiated the first drop in level from the footpath to the parking bay tucked in beside the footpath, and instead of looking where I was going, I was concentrating on said child getting in the van safely, missed the drop from the parking bay curb to the road, ricked my left ankle and dropped like a sack of potatoes into the road which lots of ouch, ouch, ouch at the pain in my ankle, a scrape down the front of the other leg, a bang on my left knee and then my  wrist where I had put my hand out to save myself plus  a general feeling of being shaken up.  I managed to get up off the road, and drive the van into town and back - thankfully,  it is an automatic and managed another trip into town and back only to jar my ankle as I got out of the van and tried to walk up a step.  I finally got to put my leg up and ice the ankle four hours after I injured it as it was beginning to hurt a lot and I was having difficulty weight bearing - the irony being I had to fill out an incident form and then do a report on the report in my role of OSH person at work. 

While I was typing up my report, I got a call from the WMH to see how my day was going, and to invite me to a birthday dinner he was cooking for me.  He wanted to know how I had fallen .........  I tell you, the jungle drums in Waiuku have nothing on the Geraldton ones.   My supervisor had been into Maccas after work and as her daughter works there she knows the WMH too so no secret too safe, lol.  I finished work and drove home which was an exercise in fine torture, - who knew there were so many gear changes required between work and home and for the first time in my life, an automatic car started to look good as a future option.  

I got home to find another parcel on the door mat and bless it was from the former Principal of the boarding school we both worked at back in NZ.  She sent me a tee shirt depicting a NZ scene and some NZ shortbread so wore the tee shirt to dinner tonight and will save the shortbread for later.  I managed to drive to Bron and Gerard's  ( down the road and around the corner ) and on arriving was settled on the couch, another ice pack on my ankle and laptop set up for skype and emails.  Bless all those who sent a quick email or put a mention on face book - it was all much appreciated indeed.  By luck I was able to chat to Mum on skype though I missed sister Kay.  

Dinner was brilliant - very crispy pork chops, lamb chops, roast veg and stuffed homegrown capscicums for main course and a grand marnier torte for dessert from the cheesecake shop that was enormous.  This was followed by coffee, a tim tam and a glass of Frangelica liquor.  Bliss in the food and drinks department - was back on the couch with more ice on my ankle while having dessert and coffee.

my birthday cake 

We were  relaxing on various couches watching American Idol,  when Gerard got a phone call from daughter No 1 to say she was just in an accident - another car had gone through a stop sign without stopping hitting her and spinning her car around before the other car also spun out and went through a fence.  I waited on at the house while Bron and Gerard went to pick her up and she is one lucky girl looking at the photos of her car which is completely written off.  She had some cuts on her feet from broken glass and some marks from her seat belt but as the air bags deployed on impact she was saved from any major damage.  The people in the other car - a 4WD with bull bars - ended up in hospital.  I waited until they all got back and then got driven home as my foot although feeling better was still too sore to drive and I didn't want to undo all the good works. 

Once home I hied myself off to bed and then started to check through emails and facebook again.  Am very humbled from all the good wishes from everyone - many facebook people I only  know through playing various games so blown away by so many good wishes - and then there were friends and family msgs from NZ, Oz, and England so felt very spoilt by the time I had finished reading them.

And now for a total winge - something has happened to my hotmail account and I cannot retrieve it in its usual form - I managed to get into it off my phone once and Gerard's tablet once and then pffffffffft, I cannot access it again for love nor money. I put my email address in and password and it takes me to windows somewhere else and then will not let me access anything.  Am just about ready to hurl the laptop to the wall in frustration.  I do NOT want the new, improved version with so many bells and whistles - I want my old version back, I do not like the outlook version, nor the live version  (I feel a burst of I do not like them Sam I am coming on here, lol) so am bewildered what to do next.  I may have to head to Telstra to see if they have any bright ideas or maybe a computer shop - much annoyance full stop.

Friday 15.

I started to fall asleep while typing so will give a quick update now.  I am about to head off to the Dr for a Dr's 1st certificate as I am not going into work this afternoon.  This makes it about workers compo instead of a sick day off apparently - I think workers comp is the equivalent of accident compensation at home .....  My ankle is much better but I have not tried driving yet as my car is still at B &  G's,  and I am not wanting to take the risk of carrying small people up and down steps at work.  I have the weekend off and not due back at work until Monday pm so all should be good then. 

Since writing the paragraph above, my face has swollen up with possible abscess on gum where tooth came away so on antibiotics from the Dr.  Ankle is much better, very little pain and swelling right down.  Gerard dropped me off at the Dr's and then I caught up with him at the shopping centre across the road after getting my prescription filled and found him checking up on the insurance for No 1 daughter's car.  We then went to where it had been towed to find it looked even worse in the daylight - and the car is a total write off.  Have done little for the rest of the day, dozed and read a book in between taking pain killers and the antibiotics.  Hopefully I will be restored by tomorrow as my concentration is not great at the moment.  As a friend of mine tells me frequently - aging is not for sissies, lol - I can tell you the outside of me might be clapping out but the inside does not feel changed at all :):):)  And by now, Belated Happy Valentine's to one and all  (have put the apostrophe in for Kay - the teacher, lol)