Heard talk today about council rates possibly being raised as the cost of street lighting is due to rise and it is the local councils that pay for street lighting. Now people are afraid our street lights will be turned off early.
Thinking about that I then realised that years ago all street lighting in the suburbs was turned off at 1a.m. and yet we were safe and felt no need for our streets to be lit after that time.
I know our city has grown a lot since then but what has happened to the population that a need is felt for streets to be lit up right through the night? It seems the world has gone to pot when folk are fearful of venturing out in the dark for fear of something bad happening to them.
My years on this mortal coil are numbered as I am nearing age 80 but my concerns are for my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well as other citizens of this beautiful state of ours. What sort of world are they moving into? I have no answer and I doubt anyone else has either. It saddens me as I remember the past and attempt to look into the future.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
I ACTUALLY DID A LITTLE WORK OUTSIDE
The area around our back door (under our patio) was getting really grotty so I decided the geraniums in pots should be pruned and put round the side of the house near the lavender where they would get more light..they were growing too rangy so I pruned them first.
Of course had to ask MOH to move the pots for me but when they were gone I picked up the broom and actually managed to sweep up all the leaves and pop a few simple potted plants in place of the geraniums and it's looking so neat and tidy now.
All this probably only took me about 20-30 minutes (with an occasional sit down in between) but I did it and it made me feel good about myself. I can't bend down much or lift anything that weighs more than a couple of kilos but I DID SOMETHING I've not done for a good while.
This may not seem much of an achievement but to me it was and with the advent of this cooler weather I am hoping to get the rest of the area out there really looking good over the next week or so.
Of course had to ask MOH to move the pots for me but when they were gone I picked up the broom and actually managed to sweep up all the leaves and pop a few simple potted plants in place of the geraniums and it's looking so neat and tidy now.
All this probably only took me about 20-30 minutes (with an occasional sit down in between) but I did it and it made me feel good about myself. I can't bend down much or lift anything that weighs more than a couple of kilos but I DID SOMETHING I've not done for a good while.
This may not seem much of an achievement but to me it was and with the advent of this cooler weather I am hoping to get the rest of the area out there really looking good over the next week or so.
FOR PINKPATENTMARY JANES
I have been trying to respond to your comment but it won't have it for some reason. I've tried the help section but it is all too complicated for this non-technical mind to take in. I've been able to comment on my own blog in the past but not any more!! I can comment on blogs that belong to others OK so what the heck is happening.
What I just wanted to say was how much I appreciated the comment you made and it in turn made me glad I had written the second post so quickly after the first as that first one was all doom and gloom wasn't it (apart from the appreciation of the rain).
I know young people today have lots to contend with but I somehow feel that perhaps we oldies have a little more spare time in which to ponder our woes which overall is not all that good for us.
When there is just the two of us perhaps one doesn't want to worry the other too much so we bottle up our feelings a little too much. All my friends have left this mortal coil (far too soon many of them) and the one that is left has had tragedies in her own life recently so she is not the one I can use for a shoulder to cry on.
Perhaps I shouldn't use thig blog to express how I am feeling as it is not my intention to worry others.
What I just wanted to say was how much I appreciated the comment you made and it in turn made me glad I had written the second post so quickly after the first as that first one was all doom and gloom wasn't it (apart from the appreciation of the rain).
I know young people today have lots to contend with but I somehow feel that perhaps we oldies have a little more spare time in which to ponder our woes which overall is not all that good for us.
When there is just the two of us perhaps one doesn't want to worry the other too much so we bottle up our feelings a little too much. All my friends have left this mortal coil (far too soon many of them) and the one that is left has had tragedies in her own life recently so she is not the one I can use for a shoulder to cry on.
Perhaps I shouldn't use thig blog to express how I am feeling as it is not my intention to worry others.
Friday, May 20, 2011
P.S. TO MY PREVIOUS POST
After writing the previous post I went in and had a muffin and cup of coffee that MOH had prepared (it was delicious too) and my little cat came in from outside and asked to be brushed (she does that every day) which she and I both enjoy.
I then sat for several minutes and stroked said cat (they say it is good for our blood pressute) and realised that yes, it IS all worthwhile.
MOH and Precious cat both need me even if I'm not very useful and I need to be here for them and regardless of all the grizzles I have about myself they put up with me very well so my thanks to them for bringing me back down to earth.
MOH will rub Dencorub into my back before I go to bed tonight and I'll help him with the drops he puts in his eyes for glaucoma and earlier in the evening we will both do the lymphatic massage which has brought my feet and ankles back to normal size.
We've managed quite well so far so whatever the future may bring we'll get through it together as long as we have each other. Lets hope it stays that way for a few more years.
I then sat for several minutes and stroked said cat (they say it is good for our blood pressute) and realised that yes, it IS all worthwhile.
MOH and Precious cat both need me even if I'm not very useful and I need to be here for them and regardless of all the grizzles I have about myself they put up with me very well so my thanks to them for bringing me back down to earth.
MOH will rub Dencorub into my back before I go to bed tonight and I'll help him with the drops he puts in his eyes for glaucoma and earlier in the evening we will both do the lymphatic massage which has brought my feet and ankles back to normal size.
We've managed quite well so far so whatever the future may bring we'll get through it together as long as we have each other. Lets hope it stays that way for a few more years.
A DAY OF MIXED FEELINGS
I am blue!! It is not the weather as I love the sound of rain on the roof and goodness alone knows, we need it and so much more too. I am a winter person so the wind and the rain and cloudy skies are my friends.
Why am I blue? I am getting so tired of not being able to do THINGS. OK I can stand and wash dishes and cook meals even if the old back starts to howl after a few minutes but it's the not being able to carry things or bend down in the garden etc. etc. I begin to do something and have to sit down again so I sort of give up and do nothing which I realise is wrong but that's how it is. I see so many things that I once used to do and know darned well I can't do them now no matter how much I want to. I know I still have two legs and two arms and can see and hear (fairly well) andall that but the frustration does get to me.
On top of that for some unknown reason my diabetes has taken quite a sudden turn for the worse. I have increased one of my pills to the maximum and it doesn't seem to be making a tad of difference. There is nothing else I can take now except insulin. My MOH has been injecting insulin for his diabetes for over a year now and it doesn't really worry him but then he doesn't have any other real problems, and certainly not physical ones although he has slowed down a bit and does less now. Even he gets a little frustrated at times and seems to think that at 81 he should still be doing what he was doing at 30.
We see our endocrinologist on 1 June and before that I have to have a blood test and I dread to find out what my glycated haemoglobulin will be. Fortuanately I always ask that a copy of the pathology results be sent to my home so I am forewarned before I see the professor of the results.
I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping beyond hope that insulin is not going to be the answer. I guess I will have to be philosophical about all this but too many of these problems begin to make you wonder..is it all worth it?
Why am I blue? I am getting so tired of not being able to do THINGS. OK I can stand and wash dishes and cook meals even if the old back starts to howl after a few minutes but it's the not being able to carry things or bend down in the garden etc. etc. I begin to do something and have to sit down again so I sort of give up and do nothing which I realise is wrong but that's how it is. I see so many things that I once used to do and know darned well I can't do them now no matter how much I want to. I know I still have two legs and two arms and can see and hear (fairly well) andall that but the frustration does get to me.
On top of that for some unknown reason my diabetes has taken quite a sudden turn for the worse. I have increased one of my pills to the maximum and it doesn't seem to be making a tad of difference. There is nothing else I can take now except insulin. My MOH has been injecting insulin for his diabetes for over a year now and it doesn't really worry him but then he doesn't have any other real problems, and certainly not physical ones although he has slowed down a bit and does less now. Even he gets a little frustrated at times and seems to think that at 81 he should still be doing what he was doing at 30.
We see our endocrinologist on 1 June and before that I have to have a blood test and I dread to find out what my glycated haemoglobulin will be. Fortuanately I always ask that a copy of the pathology results be sent to my home so I am forewarned before I see the professor of the results.
I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping beyond hope that insulin is not going to be the answer. I guess I will have to be philosophical about all this but too many of these problems begin to make you wonder..is it all worth it?
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
A BETTER DAY TODAY
This morning up bright and early (for us anyway) and off to our exercise group which was enjoyable as usual....I still have problems with my right side and right knee but manage most of the exercises and the weights OK. I often wish I could afford to go more often but I could and should do most of the things at home. I wonder why it is exercising alone is so boring which tends to put me off bothering to do it. MOH exercises with the group but trying to encourage him to exercise with me at home....no go.
Later I saw my podiatrist who has been off seeing the world with his family. We'd missed him since last year as he is also doing some study and so I had been seeing a locum (a really lovely Vietnamese lass) this year but it was nice to see John again. He does look after my feet so well and when one is diabetic that is just so very important. I used to go to the podiatrist about avery 4-5 weeks but my toenails grow so slowly these days I've extended the time between visits to 8 weeks. My fingernails grow very quickly so why not my toenails? Circulation problems..I do hope not.
Came home and did a few (little) necessary chores, had lunch and then onto Facebook and my farms that I have on there (all so much fun).
I then decided to get onto Centrelink to register and had to answer questions which I thought I'd done quite well but it seems I hadn't 'cos I got the response that I had failed and couldn't register! What? One question under my spouse's details was 'Maiden Name' and as my spouse is a man I thought that a little odd so put in my maiden name but perhaps that was wrong. Goodness how I hate government departments and their red tape. Why is it that nothing is stated in plain straight forward English? I consider myself a well educated and intelligent adult person but....I ask you. Perhaps I'll get on the 'phone tomorrow and ask them what answers they would like me to give.
One interesting and confusing statement was this: You will be asked certain questions so make sure you have the necessary information available before you start. How on earth was I supposed to know what information I should need to have with me before I knew what they were going to ask???
One question was: bank account details payments made to: Did they want to know which bank..my bank account details (number etc)..or who the payments were made to? There was only room for about 9 characters so wasn't sure what to put in that little window so perhaps put the wrong answer there.
Apart from this little glitch the day is going quite well...the weather is cooler and we had rain yesterday .. 12mm in our rain gauge at home (nearly half an inch) and we are keeping fingers crossed for more rain later in the week. With the beginning of winter only two weeks away we certainly should have had a lot more rain by now and think though our garden thoroughly enoyed the rain that fell yesterday.
Tomorrow is another day and I am hoping it will be even better..now the weather is cooler I am beginning to feel I am alive again so on to bigger and better things..well perhaps anyway.
Later I saw my podiatrist who has been off seeing the world with his family. We'd missed him since last year as he is also doing some study and so I had been seeing a locum (a really lovely Vietnamese lass) this year but it was nice to see John again. He does look after my feet so well and when one is diabetic that is just so very important. I used to go to the podiatrist about avery 4-5 weeks but my toenails grow so slowly these days I've extended the time between visits to 8 weeks. My fingernails grow very quickly so why not my toenails? Circulation problems..I do hope not.
Came home and did a few (little) necessary chores, had lunch and then onto Facebook and my farms that I have on there (all so much fun).
I then decided to get onto Centrelink to register and had to answer questions which I thought I'd done quite well but it seems I hadn't 'cos I got the response that I had failed and couldn't register! What? One question under my spouse's details was 'Maiden Name' and as my spouse is a man I thought that a little odd so put in my maiden name but perhaps that was wrong. Goodness how I hate government departments and their red tape. Why is it that nothing is stated in plain straight forward English? I consider myself a well educated and intelligent adult person but....I ask you. Perhaps I'll get on the 'phone tomorrow and ask them what answers they would like me to give.
One interesting and confusing statement was this: You will be asked certain questions so make sure you have the necessary information available before you start. How on earth was I supposed to know what information I should need to have with me before I knew what they were going to ask???
One question was: bank account details payments made to: Did they want to know which bank..my bank account details (number etc)..or who the payments were made to? There was only room for about 9 characters so wasn't sure what to put in that little window so perhaps put the wrong answer there.
Apart from this little glitch the day is going quite well...the weather is cooler and we had rain yesterday .. 12mm in our rain gauge at home (nearly half an inch) and we are keeping fingers crossed for more rain later in the week. With the beginning of winter only two weeks away we certainly should have had a lot more rain by now and think though our garden thoroughly enoyed the rain that fell yesterday.
Tomorrow is another day and I am hoping it will be even better..now the weather is cooler I am beginning to feel I am alive again so on to bigger and better things..well perhaps anyway.
Monday, May 16, 2011
MY SUPPORT FOR STAY AT HOME MUMS
I have recently heard many people say (including our government) that young mothers should be able to return to the workforce while their child is quite young. On a discussion forum I was watching tonight I actually heard a single childless career woman say she resented any of her taxes being used to support families in any way and that mothers that chose to stay home made no contributiion to the economy or anything else.
Do all new mums want to go back to work and leave their little one to be cared for by others? Surely not. If it is possible for them to be fulltime stay at home mums then I don't think they should be made to feel they are not making any contribution to our country.
A mother is many things: a wife, housekeeper, nurse, accountant, teacher, etc. etc. You cannot tell me that doing all these things and being there to teach her child right from wrong (which is very necessary these days) is not making any contribution. She must teach her youngsters to be caring and understanding of others and everything else that turns a child into a worthwhile adult and Australian citizen.
Men and women are different...women are physically able to bear children - men are not. If a woman and her husband/partner decide it is time to have a child then hopefully they will also decide if they can afford for the new mum to at least spend the first few years home with the new arrival, should she wish to do so.
Many people in this modern world appear to want to have everything that is available in the way of big houses, swimming pools, spas, home theatres...you name it and they want it. On top of that they decide they want a family so what happens. A baby arrives and after only a few months he/she is left each day at a child care centre and mum goes back to work. If that is the mother's choice then so be it.
I know I am old-fashioned but I cannot come to terms with wanting it all. It is of course once again the way of the modern world and has been accepted as the norm but are we teaching our children to be unselfish or are they going to be even more selfish than many of the modern generation. They will be brought up in homes where everything is laid on and wll expect the same for themselves when they grow up. What has happened to the anticipation of being able to buy something one wants after saving hard for it? Not to expect all to be laid on and unhappy if it is not?
I would support any young mother who felt she needed to be there for her young child until at least that child was going to kindergarten when the mother could begin to think of finding a part-time job and still be there for her child out of school hours.
Financial circumstances forced me to return to the workforce when my two children were 10 and 12 years of age and yet I still felt guilty that I was away from our home during each weekday in case they should be ill or need me for some reason. Fortunately it did work out well and I think those two children were sufficiently shown right from wrong that neither got into any trouble. I may be wrong here but do feel that my being home with them during their formative years helped in some small way for that to happen.
Do all new mums want to go back to work and leave their little one to be cared for by others? Surely not. If it is possible for them to be fulltime stay at home mums then I don't think they should be made to feel they are not making any contribution to our country.
A mother is many things: a wife, housekeeper, nurse, accountant, teacher, etc. etc. You cannot tell me that doing all these things and being there to teach her child right from wrong (which is very necessary these days) is not making any contribution. She must teach her youngsters to be caring and understanding of others and everything else that turns a child into a worthwhile adult and Australian citizen.
Men and women are different...women are physically able to bear children - men are not. If a woman and her husband/partner decide it is time to have a child then hopefully they will also decide if they can afford for the new mum to at least spend the first few years home with the new arrival, should she wish to do so.
Many people in this modern world appear to want to have everything that is available in the way of big houses, swimming pools, spas, home theatres...you name it and they want it. On top of that they decide they want a family so what happens. A baby arrives and after only a few months he/she is left each day at a child care centre and mum goes back to work. If that is the mother's choice then so be it.
I know I am old-fashioned but I cannot come to terms with wanting it all. It is of course once again the way of the modern world and has been accepted as the norm but are we teaching our children to be unselfish or are they going to be even more selfish than many of the modern generation. They will be brought up in homes where everything is laid on and wll expect the same for themselves when they grow up. What has happened to the anticipation of being able to buy something one wants after saving hard for it? Not to expect all to be laid on and unhappy if it is not?
I would support any young mother who felt she needed to be there for her young child until at least that child was going to kindergarten when the mother could begin to think of finding a part-time job and still be there for her child out of school hours.
Financial circumstances forced me to return to the workforce when my two children were 10 and 12 years of age and yet I still felt guilty that I was away from our home during each weekday in case they should be ill or need me for some reason. Fortunately it did work out well and I think those two children were sufficiently shown right from wrong that neither got into any trouble. I may be wrong here but do feel that my being home with them during their formative years helped in some small way for that to happen.
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