Thursday, November 30, 2017

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY

I saw a quote the other day saying "Time flies so make the most of what you have".  I've recently realised that our lives are slipping away far too fast and there's not a blind thing we can do about it. Suddenly you find a whole month has gone and you wonder what you have to show for it.  In our case very little which is mainly my fault as, not being able to get around very well, I tend to be a stay at home.

This is a little hard on Phil who is still perfectly capable of walking around, albeit somewhat slower than in days of yore.  He gets away from me to to top up shopping and has his monthly poetry meeting with his two ladies (actually there were 3 on Friday as a stranger turned up unexpectedly.  I told him he is collecting quite a harem!! ) Elaine and Doreen are two lovely ladies in their 70s and the 3 of them get on so well together.  I've met them both and I'm glad for him that he can share his interest in poetry with others of like mind.  I enjoy poetry but not all that much.

All our close friends have slipped off the mortal coil and the few acquaintances we still have live many kilometres away and it's not a lot of fun out on the roads these days.  I still think Phil a very capable driver but he still sticks to the road rules and it seems there are many out there in control of cars now that seem to think they should have total control.  They want to break the law and speed or chat away on their mobile phones with little regard for others who use those roads too.  They actually want you to break the law too.  Incidents of road rage seem to be increasing everywhere and there are so many dreadful crashes that shouldn't or wouldn't happen if everyone took care.

I'm not really complaining but apart from our music and the books we read there's little else that we can do.  Gardening has been out for me for some years and now poor old Phil is finding it a little much for him as well.  Last week we had a wonderful gardener here trying to make our wilderness look a little shipshape and I must admit he did a wonderful job, at some cost though.  I have him now going to do an hour a month in which he thinks he can keep the garden looking tidy which is all we really want.  Fingers crossed this will happen.  Will keep you posted.

Of course I still have my potted frangipani but they are very slow this year which is possibly caused by the weird weather this year.  The one good thing about summer is the fact that the frangipani love it.  Right now I am having to be content just looking at pics of some of mine from last season.  Oh yes, quite exciting....one of my plants has two seed pods and I did nothing to cause it.  No twirling in the flowers etc as one is supposed to do.  If they come to fruition I will give the seeds to my daughter as she is even more frangipani mad than I am and hopefully she will get some nice plants from them. If she happened to get a new type perhaps she could name it after me!!



These are the twin seed pods.  I have to cover them with netting so, if and when the pods split open, the seeds will not be lost.  Wish me luck on this one.  These are last year's leaves which have now fallen off apart from a couple.




Tuesday, November 28, 2017

TUNEFUL TUESDAY

I may have used this one some time ago but it is a favourite of both mine and Phil's.  It is "Vincent" sung by Don McLean (from YouTube of course).  I have a print of Van Gogh's sunflowers on the wall in our bedroom (it is a painting I have always loved).


Monday, November 27, 2017

MUSICAL MONDAY

I am sure I've mentioned previously that I've always enjoyed the magical voice of Mario Lanza.  I found this one on YouTube and his rendition of "Memories" another song I've always enjoyed.  You can also enjoyed the beautiful pictures shown here.


Thursday, November 23, 2017

THOUGHFUL THURSDAY

I think you already know I stopped blogging as we never go anywhere or do anything of interest to others.  I was thinking about this the other day and realised although we always spend time with family on birthdays, at Christmas, Easter on M/Day and F/Day and this year for our 50th W/aniversary nearly all our other outings are connected in some way with the medical fraternity.

This has been a very medical year for me including eyes, ears, teeth, skin, joints etc etc.  I know one's health is of little interest to anyone other than whose health it is but just to give you an idea of how it dominates one's life in old age.  I am going to relate to you some of what has been happening this year.  You don't have to read it but it will help me to cope with all that has been happening to me.

Skin:  We see our dermatologist annually and he often zaps little spots he doesn't like the look of. This year, just to be different, I had two little skin cancers removed.  The one just in front of my left ear was a basal cell carcinoma and they are usually pretty harmless but the one on the outside of my left foot was a squamous cell carcinoma and they can turn nasty if not treated in time.  Fortunately our wonderful Jonathon got it all (the margins were clear as they put it).

Eyes:  Saw the eye specialist who said my eyes are in pretty good condition and he will see me in a couple of years.  Told me to bathe them with carb soda mixed with water (I must begin to do that one day) and also told me to get a foamy thing which I have to rub over my eyelids.  Quite a palaver so I'm not doing that as often as I should.

Ears:  I've always had problems with my left ear (hearing and have had infections of middle ear over the years) but my right ear was always good.  Had noticed of late when in a crowd (with family) I miss much of what is being said.  Off I trotted to the Lions Hearing Institute to be fitted with hearing aids.  I'd tried some years ago, put them to one side and that was that.  This time I thought I will really try to use them but I hate the sound of me breathing or chewing or swallowing although they say one's brain gets used to it.  The audiologist told me my ears were full of wax so when I saw Dr Ken on Monday I asked him to check.  He said my left ear was perfectly clear but my right ear was full of wax.   Put 10 of these drops in your ear each night, plug ear with cotton wool and come and see me on Thursday.  Last 10 drops last night and I feel the doctor is going to have to wash out my ear as no sign of wax coming out.  The cost of the aids are completely covered by private health insurance so maybe I'll decide to keep them and persevere.

Teeth:  I know to some of you this will sound dreadful but I lost my bottom plate months or perhaps years ago.  I don't show my bottom teeth when I smile or talk so wasn't all that worried and I did still have on bottom canine tooth left (although not much of it).  Decided to go back to the dental clinic and saw the dentist I'd seen a couple of years ago.  He virtually built me a new tooth (they won't take them out these days if they can avoid doing so).  Took him about 30 mins or more but after 3 months it is still solid.  I'd found a bottom plate I forgot I had so showed it to him and he said they could make alterations and it should do me fine.  Had to add a tooth as when it was made I actually had to canine bottom teeth.  Tooth added with clip to go around 'new' tooth but I found it hurt when I ate on that side or even when wearing the plate for any length of time.  Went back and saw a Chinese lady dentist who sent me for an x-ray of my bottom jaw.  She rang me and said it was fine and cancelled appt as she felt I should be OK.  Wrong!!!  I am going back on 7th December and this time will see the young gentleman I'd been dealing with before.  Hopefully he will find the problem and solve it for me.  Teeth are a nuisance when they are arriving and continue to be throughout one's life altho' Phil is fortunate to have nearly all his own teeth still.

Joints:  For months now my left ring finger has been swollen and painful and I am unable to bend it.  Last February Dr Ken gave me a referral to SKG to have an injection in PIP joint of that finger.  I had that injection yesterday!!!  Told not to use finger much for two days do am now typing with right hand and index finger of left hand.    Not holding out a lot of hop but these injections can take days or even weeks to have an affect so who knows.  This shows how swollen the finger was yesterday and looking at it right now I think the swelling may have gone down a tiny bit.  The plaster has of course been removed.


All other joints including lower back:  My back had got so bad I was unable to stand for more than 5 minutes and walking without my walker was getting impossible.  I'd talked previously to Dr Ken about pain killers, having found paracetamol useless, but he, and I agreed with him, was very reluctant to prescribe anything.  On Monday he took pity on me and prescribed morphine patches (very low dose he assured me) and Phil carefully applied one to my left upper arm last night.  You have to do it once a week at exactly the same time so next Tuesday at 7pm we replace it.  He only gave me two so I guess I will be back to see him in about 10 days.  He said they can take up to 3 days to take effect but I doubt on Saturday I'll be running around the block.  Just to be able to stand and make a few sandwiches without having to sit down will be wonderful so here's hoping.

Feet:  On Friday Phil and I visit our podiatrist and we always enjoy our 7 weekly visits as John is a great fellow to chat to and the hour flies by.   Our feet always feel pampered after our visit to John and I'm trying to get Phil to massage cream into my feet the way John does but Phil doesn't want to know.  Don't get me wrong Phil will rub cream into my feet when I ask him but he just doesn't have the same technique.  I guess practise makes perfect.

If you actually got this far I am surprised and you will realise that compared with some poor folk who suffer nasty diseases I am fortunate in that the above are minor things but they can take up so much of one's life ;cos on top of that we have both have to inject each day with insulin for our diabetes and of course take a multitude of pills.  I often wonder we don't both rattle!!!

It did me good to write this down as it has made me realise I don't have all that much to complain about.  Phil and I still have each other and out little family helps make life good.

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

TUNEFUL TUESDAY

I remember Pernell Roberts  playing the part of the oldest son in Bonanza but until this week I had no idea he also sang.  I found him on YouTube singing "They Call the Wind Maria" and thought he did a rather good job at it so decided to share it with you.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  It has always been a favourite with me over the years.


Monday, November 20, 2017

MUSICAL MONDAY

My choice for today is another blast from the past but I am sure some of you will remember Connie Francis and here she sings "Tennessee Waltz".  This was recorded in 1959.  I find all my music on YouTube.

Thursday, November 16, 2017

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY

Going from wearing winter clothing to summer clothes in a couple of days can be quite disconcerting.  Phil really rugs up in winter (and spring and autumn) whereas I still wear quite light clothing in cooler weather so it has been harder for him to adjust than it has been for me.

We've had a weird year weather-wise in 2017....October was quite chilly and damp and suddenly November came upon us with HEAT.....it has been the hottest beginning to November in Perth on record and still the heat goes on.


All days (except one) have been above 30C (86F) with one day 36C (97F) which we thought was no laughing matter.  The weather bureau keeps promising us rain but it seems to either fall out in the Indian Ocean or the other side of the ranges so the metropolitan area proper receives practically none.
On Monday night we had thunder rumbling around for over an hour but it only produced 1mm of rain in our gauge.   Areas in Mandurah (50 miles south of Perth) copped the lot though with some flooding and damage to buildings.  Apparently they had a really grest light show and one I'm glad I missed.

It has been good not to have to begin watering the garden until now.  I remember a few years back we had to begin watering in August so I guess we have to be thankful for small mercies.  For one long strip of lawn and vegie beds Phil has bought a soak-it hose which will save him having to keep moving sprinklers and I've suggested he perhaps do the same in other areas of the garden. The hoses would only need to be rolled up once a month when the gardener comes

Years ago Phil had set up quite a good sprinkler system but when this restriction came in where we can only water two days a week he decided, as the system began to break down, it wasn't worth spending money on fixing it up.

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

TUESDAY TUNES

To try and keep myself in the swing of things here's another of my old favourites.  It may not be to everyone's taste but it brings back wonderful memories for me.

Bear with me while you listen to Artie Shaw play "Frenisi".  I remember dancing to this type of music way back in the 1940s.   Artie Shaw is a past master with this instrument.


Don't tell me that didn't get your foot tapping.  (*:*)

Monday, November 13, 2017

MUSICAL MONDAY

I realise I've been very tardy of late with regard to blogging and blogs in general and for this I must apologise.  No excuses but just no mojo stirring me up.  Just to keep in touch I thought I'd go back to some of the music of my youth and childhood and see how many of you enjoy the type of music that lightens up my life.  Some of the hit songs came and went but many of them remained favourites for many years.  Going back into the 1940s I remember with fondness this rendition of "Along the Navajo Trail" sung by Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters.  Do any of you perhaps remember it?


I am hoping this will play as I saw a strange sort of message on YouTube and I wasn't sure if it was saying I could only play it on YouTube.  Fingers crossed.

Sunday, November 12, 2017

ANOTHER SPECIAL CELEBRATION

Not for us this time but today my beautiful daughter and her wonderful hubby celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.  I believe they are going out for a quiet dinner tonight and then spending a few days away.  They both deserve a break away from the hurly-burly working world.



We send them all our love and good wishes and hope they will return home feeling rested.  xxx