Am sitting in my sun porch area with side window open to catch some of the brisk southerly that is keeping things cool as we are a mere 32o Celsius today. There are white caps on the waves though the sky is clear and the sea is greeny blue. The drive to and from work this week was amazing, ships lined up on the horizon - I think the most I counted was 10 at one stage. Apparrently the tide was not right for some of them to come in hence the back up but most days there are 5 - 7 waiting as I drive to and fro. For such a small place the port does a roaring trade. There will be tonnes of wheat being loaded and canola from the harvesting that has been happening around the district. I have just seen a two trailered road train loaded with wheat as I type this, head to the port on the artierial road from the eastern acces to the city - again from my window.
Time is fleeting as Christmas draws ever closer and I am nowhere prepared for it yet. Am surrounded by xmas lights that need putting in my window. The house two doors down must be plugged into the national grid - a full sleigh and reindeer on the roof and an amazing hodge podge of xmas lights stuffed into the front windows and around the house. My stumbling block is that I have not been struck by the creative muse yet as to how I want my display to look. Hopefully once this is written and I have had some lunch, I will feel more motivated. I have got parcels away to both grandsons which was my top priority and after the lights its time for wrapping and tagging for the next lot to be got away.
My life with insects and vermin issues continues. When I had my special little lad (from work, now fostered after his first placement broke down) help me put my Christmas tree up (mentioned last post) the lights didn't go once I had switched them on, so I took them off the tree and left them in a pile on the floor (as you do) as by then my back had had enough. After the lad had left and later that night, I walked to the sideboard adjacent to the tree when I caught movement out of one eye just as a flipping cockroach scuttled from somewhere near the sideboard, ran across the floor and hid in the lights. After a girlie squeal and leap backwards, I dashed to the laundry to get my "you beaut" can of spray, and stood well back and let at least a minute blast of spray off at the lights till I could almost see the mist settling in a blanket over them. In a pleasing move, said bug crawled out of the lights and flipped about on the floorboards with its legs pointing upwards. Just as I was composing an effusive letter of thanks in my head to the flyspray people that it finally worked at ONE spray, like the can says, the damn thing flipped about some more and ran across the floor to a corner by the front door and seemed to scuttle up behind the curtains over two small windows. RIGHT (again think John Cleese when you read that), go to second can of spray. This time, still standing well away I blasted the area from the ceiling down as I believe these insects now try to get above the spray line to fresher air .... No insect body fell to the floor but I lived in hope as by now I had to leave the room to breathe. I could do no more, so as the spray settled I moved to a different room with laptop for the rest of the night.
Had work the next afternoon, so at 11pm when I got home, came through the front door, kicked shoes off, walked to the kitchen through one door, heading back into the lounge through the second door and nearly leapt into the air when I realised I had almost stepped on the by now dead cockroach! Gave it a wide berth and did not use that door again that evening sweeping it up the next day. The next morning I had a fit of spring cleaning in my bedroom, changed the sheets and took the duvet inner out of its cover as it was finally hot enough to have just the cover on the bed. Went to stuff the inner in my wardrobe but a bit like cinderella's ugly sisters trying on shoes, it would not fit. What to do. I remembered the spare wardrobe in "Jude's" room so walked into the room (bare feet again) with the duvet squished in my arms, shoved it into the cupboard, turned around to walk out of the room and there in the doorway was another flipping coackroach. (I forgot to say these are not your snivelling little things seen at home but at around 3" long, - you can just about throw a saddle on and ride them!!). This time it was more than a girlie squeal, more like a banshee shriek and a leap onto the bed as I contemplated what to do next as its feelers waved in the air and the rest of it was not budging. I decided to lift the beside cabinet to thump it on the floor so hopefully the dratted thing would at least run out of the room so I could get out, at the same time wondering how long I would be stuck there if it didn't. Lifted and dropped the cupboard and it didn't move so just as I was contemplating what I could throw at it, the doorbell went and I heard friend Donna's voice call out. Naturally I yelled back to come in (by some luck the door was actually unlocked which is very unusual as I am usually hemetically sealed in and all greeblies hopefully sealed out). She came inside and yelled again, following my voice, a bit nervous not sure if I was karked out on the floor somewhere in the house (re chest pains - also previous post). As I called her down the hallway she got to me just as I was telling her about the cockroach and she bent over double in fits of laughter at my predicament!!! Luckily she is not scared of bugs, went and got the broom and shovel and dealt with the beast and disposed of it. Thus I was able to make my escape for a recouperative cup of coffee while I had to listen to Donna laughing again wondering how long I would have stayed in the room - as long as it took was my reply. The worst part of it all is I have no idea how they are getting into the house, so have now got the outside spray to cover all doorways and new cans of the perpetual spray in place.
You would have thought that was enough excitement for one week but no, last but not least I had one more surprise in store. Once again home from work, into the lounge and about to venture into the kitchen when flipping heck, a dead MOUSE lying in the middle of the doorway. What is it with vermin having to die in doorways!!!!!!!! or is it just in my house, lol. Luckily mice do not worry me. I used the other door and after I got whatever I needed, went to bed for a sleep, thinking if the beast was not truely dead, another few hours would be the test. Sure enough, it had not moved, so into the rubbish bin it went and then out to the main rubbish bin. I reckon that mouse had cost me between $40 - $50 to kill after the various baits I had left about the place, trying to find a flavour that worked. Have found one more dead cockroach in the sunporch since and again after a day of leaving it to make sure it was well and truely dead, that too has gone to the tip via the rubbish. I had to make sure about that one as it looked like its feelers were moving when I first saw it but on retrespect I think it was movement from the breeze coming through the (screened) windows. All of this has caused much mirth at work and I have been told repeatedly the cockroaches are harmless, - well and good, but I cannot stand them, could not get close enough to hit them and kill them - so am left to my multitudinous cans of spray instead.
In between all this I have continued to go to the chiropractor and finally last Friday I almost felt back to normal. I worked two 12 hour days on the weekend and was sensible mostly about lifting babies and toddlers, using a cold pack when I sat down so all good. Yesterday I was told that my upper and middle spine were in alighnment and have one apt next week and probably one more in Jan before I come home to NZ for my holiday to keep adjusting the lower back which is taking longer to retrain. I have had oodles more energy this week and had not realised how much dragged down I had felt with the constant ache in my lower back. The whole exercise has made me more sensible about the weight that I carry so now take the trolley to the car with bags of groceries and have had other folk pass me babies from the floor or lift heavy objects at work. I am able to mop the floors again and this afternoon hope to mow the back lawn and will see how that goes - it is totally flat. Will wait another week before I tackle the front which is all slope.
Re the chest pains. After thinking it was maybe connected to my spine I have had several more episodes since my initial one. Everyone has been nagging me skinny to do something about it - I had the cholesterol test done but could not do the treadmill or bike stress test when I could barely walk. I rang the GP I visited earlier in the year for a medical test to update the F endorsement on my licence (means I can drive a certain axle weight van) only to find he has moved from the practice and they had no xrays or blood test results in my name arrive in the past two weeks. I followed up by ringing the new practice my Dr was at only to be told, I couldn't get an appointment for over a week (how do sick people manage I wonder) and to go to the hospital next time I had chest pains. I have been taking an asprin when I feel the heaviness coming on in the meantime and the pain goes in about 10 mins mostly. Anyway long story short, I had been out and about yesterday, got home and had a nana nap on the couch whilst reading a library book (fell asleep while reading lol not able to do both at once :) and got up to have dinner, remembered clothes on the line so changed direction got them in and got pains in the chest again while I was taking things off the line. I got back inside, turned lights off, switched fan off and drove up to the hospital only to walk into a shut down as they were dealing with some bloke who was drunk in the emergency area. Another woman and I were taken into side rooms and not long after a nurse came to get our info. By then the pains had gone pretty much but I was taken and wired up for another ekg, blood test and blood pressure was taken. All were normal. I was then seen by a Dr who came and asked more questions followed by a nurse who bought me asprin, then some about 6 pink tablets which she said were like asprin and said I needed to have an injection in my stomach!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ye gods and little fishes, I said you have to be joking and did I have to have it. She she no and no, but if I had a clot near my heart or anywhere else, that and what I had taken would dissolve it. A woman in the next cubicle (once again having real angina but different woman to last time) yelled over the curtain to take it, so couldn't really argue with that. I must say, the nurses here are excellent at taking blood and injections, felt nothing either time but OMG as she was walking away whatever she injected started spreading to wherever and did it smart. Once initial obs had been done and a couple of other patients dealt with, I was moved into the side room for the night. I had put my library book in my bag on the way out (priorities, lol) so at least had something to while the time away until was tired enough to sleep again. Had to sleep flat on my back as had a leur in one arm and was hooked up to automatic blood pressure sleeve and ekg machine with the other. I went to sleep with the tv remote/sound thing on my chest so woke up to the World News at 5.30am, and then switched to a local channel to find that Molly Meldrum was in a critical condition in hospital in Melbourne after falling three metres while putting up Christmas decorations at his home. He has head injuries, broken ribs, pierced lung and though he made it through the night, and is in an induced coma, it could go either way. For anyone who doesn't know who he is, Molly Meldrum is an Australian icon in the music industry, has interviewed all the biggest stars, been in several tv music shows over the years etc.
Had a new Dr call round this morning to say the morning bloods were all fine and I really need to do the stress test now so they can see how my heart works under exercise, that if I get any pain then, they put me on an ekg straight away and I would be looking at having an angieogram to rule out angina. In the meantime it is all a mystery but I have done what I was told to do, does not appear to be heart so unless there is massive pain involved, I will take an asprin next time until it passes and get onto the stress test. Hopefully I can book it in for next week.
Have just seen sister Kay on skype (waves) briefly, and now need to go have lunch and get some sleep for night shift tonight. Am thinking I will take some Christmas cards to get started at work once all the jobs are down as today has eked away with phonecalls as I try get this written. Am going to have my own homegrown tomatoes for lunch - I have not bought any for nearly three weeks now as the cheery tomatoes have been prolific, with the Italian ones just ripening beautifully now and the beefsteak ones slowly coming on. I just remembered too I need to go water the worm farm lol - it is so hot over here the paper on top dries out very quickly and then the soil starts to as well. Also eating lots of mangos $1.98 this week and nectarines $3.20k so cannot complain at that. Bananas are down to $3.45k so can start buying them again rather than one or two to go on with. Catch you all later.
