Tuesday, June 21, 2016

TUESDAY CHAT

It was a busy week and, once again, had a medical flavour.....surprise! surprise!    On Tuesday I paid a visit to our GP for my B12 shot and Phil too as he needed to have his eyes etc., tested for this year's driver's licence renewal.  It seems the powers that be have stopped having 85+ years old do driving tests.  Had probably become too costly.  I often wonder as we age, really age, if perhaps we should have a driving instructor put us through our paces once a year to make sure we are still conversant with all the traffic rules etc.  Although my driver's licence is current I've not driven for some time as I fear my arthritic bits and pieces could cause me not to be able to react quickly enough in a crisis.  I could still drive in an emergency as I keep very alert when in the car with Phil and, no, I am not a back seat driver altho' there have been been one or two occasion when I've noticed something outside his range of vision which may have helped prevent an incident.  I still feel perfectly safe with him driving and always hopes he drives that well when I am not with him.

On Wednesday we paid a visit to our dermatologist (I mentioned him on Saturday) and Phil got an all clear and I had a couple of spots zapped, just in case.   Nothing serious though, thank goodness.

On Thursday we had our lovely cleaning lady Jenny whiz through the house and do another wonderful job in an hour.  She arrived early so we were able to have a cuppa with her before she began work.  She is from Bristol in the UK and I know she misses her family.  She has divorced her husband since they came to Oz and even if she wanted to return to the UK (her two children want to stay here) she couldn't as her ex has access to the children on a regular basis.

It must be dreadful to be torn between two places as so many migrants are.  Jenny and her two children go home to the UK every couple of years for a lengthy holiday but she was saying on Thursday she is concerned as her parents are both about 80 and should they need her she would like to at least return to care for them at the end of their lives.  Not a situation I would like to be in as it must be heartbreaking at times.

Had some good rain, especially over the weekend. but managed to get some washing done on the dry days.  I prefer to line dry everything so don't have a drier so watch the weather forecasts very closely to choose the right time to do the washing.  Phil generates much more washing than me but then he does more things than I do outside the house.  He is good 'cos he hangs out the washing as well as bringing it in so I mustn't complain.  I just can't stand long enough to hang things on the line any more and at times I feel so useless.

The Aussie Rules football team we follow had a dreadful start to the season (they were top of the premiership list last season) but have won their last 3 games and have some new players that are doing really well.  Unfortunately this year 3 of their top players are out for the season with injuries with quite a number of others 'out' for a week or more with more minor injuries.  The other W.A. team also won on the weekend and it's nice to see both teams get home although there are some would disagree.  I can't be that one-eyed about the game.

Le Tour de France begins on 2nd July and I will watch as much as I can.  Karen introduced me to it last year and we really enjoyed watching it.  Phil did a tour of much of France as a young man with a friend (on a motor cycle with lots of camping) and he enjoys seeing places he had seen back then.  I even watched some of the tour in Italy a few weeks back and last week some of the cycling tour in southern France and the scenery is spectacular.  Actually to be really honest I do watch it as much for the scenery as anything although the cycling can be quite exciting too.

I hope everyone has had a satisfactory week and the coming week will be just as good, if not better.

10 comments:

  1. I think older folks should have a road test every now and then too. I hung my license up a couple of years ago too, my reaction time might be a bit slower, but mainly my hands have no strength in them and if I had to turn suddenly, I couldn't guarantee my hand could grip the wheel well enough. Arthritis is a problem with so many of us.

    I really need a cleaning lady, but those that hire out are few and far between. The last one I had got a job at the lumber mill.

    I suppose I am fortunate, DH washes his own clothes. (Because I can't)

    Nothing big on the horizon here, just hot and more hot ...

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    1. Hi there and thanks for paying my blog a visit.
      You obviously share some of the same problems I have, particularly regarding arthritis. I can 'do' the washing or at least the washing machine can do it for me.
      Our cleaning lady is hired through our local council and is subsidised by the state government. Only $8 (Aust) for the hour's work which is great and she get so much done in that time. Dusting is my job and I have to admit it is not done as often as it should be as I cannot stand for very long.
      Sorry about your heat. I hate summer and ours in Pert gets really sizzling at times. Currently I am enjoying the cooler days of winter.

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  2. Sounds like a busy time. We enjoy the Tour de France, too, and like you, it's for the stunning scenery and history titbits as well as the amazing physicality of the riders.
    I passed my driving test when I was 17 and have been driving for more than 50 years - can't quite believe it's that long. I hope I shall know when to stop - driving, that is, not braking . . .
    Have a good week:-)

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    1. So, another Tour fan. I have had two wonderful holidays in New Zealand where the scenery is magnificent but have never been to the UK or Europe so really do enjoy seeing it all on film during the cycling and on the Tour they give so many details about different place. I also enjoy seeing the competition of the race.
      I drove for 5 years before I bothered to get my driving licence but things were so different back in the 1940s/50 with low speeds, no traffic lights and just the good old give way to the right rule. Very few crashes I ever heard of although a cap I knew did crash his model T Ford on a sharp bend, silly fellow.
      Hope your week goes well for you too. (*:*)

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  3. Hari om
    G'day from Ohio, Mimsie... just thought I better check in so as you know am still about!!! My dad had his 80th the day before my flying away on the adventure...and announced to us that his licence had been refused renewal for poor vision. The advanced Parkinsons was not mentioned! Will catch up fully when am back in Dunoon... YAM xx

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    1. Hi there Yamini, so glad you found time to drop in.
      Great to hear your dad had reached the grand old age of 80 but rotten luck re his d/licence. Perhaps Parkinson less of a risk then poor vision. Hope he will still be able to get around OK....maybe a gopher for short trips to the shops etc.
      Hope you are still having a great time. xx

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  4. You've certainly had a busy week. I hope Jenny does get back to see her parents when they need her. Perhaps by then the father will allow the children to accompany her for a lengthier visit.
    I'm not a tour fan. I know a lot of people are, but I get annoyed at having to watch every side street and corner when out walking because a lot of those bikes are so silent and speedy and I'm talking about the amateurs and wannabes who take over the roads for the duration. And they clutter up the footpaths around cafes with their bikes as they sit sipping fancy coffees.

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    1. A quiet week now to make up for it thank goodness and then next Monday the tree chopper man comes to tidy up our garden.
      I really only meant the cycle races in Europe i.e. Italy and France where the people seem to cope very well but then it's been going on there for years so I guess they are used to it. I just love to see it for the beautiful scenery.
      I understand they do have an Oz Tour in South Australia but thought that more out in the countryside then in the city. I saw some of it but not all that impressed.

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  5. A very busy week. I hope Jenny can go back to help her parents when the time comes...
    I like some of the scenery from the Tour, but the bike racing leaves me cold.

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    1. Knowing our Jenny I am sure she will manage it as she seems to be very well co-ordinated with her work, building her new home back in 2014 and her two teenage children.
      I felt like that about the cycling until I began to understand more of how the teams help their own member and then realised how technical it all is. The scenery though wins me over more.

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