battery running low and my house smells like vomit.

I am sitting in front of the telly with my laptop on my ... lap! Because we had the carpets cleaned today.

Adolescent boy+too much alcohol = vomit. Well it has done in this house. As recently as last night but that's another story for another day because my battery is getting very low.

We got all the carpets steam cleaned and the whole house smells like wet dog (wool carpet) but there is a distinct chucky smell in what used to be Two's room. The carpet in there came up very well, though.

Hair has been cut and degreyed. Feet have orthotics and are in great pain. Flowering plants and pots in which to plant them have been purchased. Walls have been washed and look so much better (so I will be repeating the process throughout the house).

Battery getting to critical level so will hit the "publish" button and close the lid.

And watch telly and read my book.

btw ... my foot is causing me far more problems than my back or shins ever did. And I am OVER THIS!!!

And isn't it great how the NZ fugitive who (allegedly) murdered his wife and dumped his daughter in a Melbourne railway station was arrested in America. I love the description of the citizens who nabbed him hog tying him with his pants and belt and then SITTING on him. There is justice.

We have a date

Saturday 19th April at noon and this place will, hopefully, go under the hammer. For a good price. We're not after record breakers ... just enough to ease the mortgage load.

Nance suggested freezing a water bottle and rolling it with my feet. I will try this. I am running out of half full bags of frozen food!

At the risk of sounding like a total dork I have to admit I felt a frisson of excitement when I saw that she had left a comment!! As I did when Miz S first left a comment. It's like getting an autograph from a favourite author. That's me. Total dork!!!

The feet are improving. I think the combination of no exercise, stretches and that nasty massage (followed by ice - aaaah, bliss) is finally helping. I see the podiatrist on Friday and will get the orthotics which should help even further.

Back to the house. We signed on Monday with the agent I mentioned in my last entry. Part of the service they offer is a consultation with a person who tells you how best to present your home for sale (referred to as a clutter nazi!!). She is coming around next Wednesday. I can't be here but Himself will be. So I really want to get the place looking good. Himself doesn't seem to have the same sense of urgency that I do. I'm getting the carpets cleaned on Friday and will then decided whether I need to get one room replaced. I hope not because that will cut things very fine as the photographer will be coming around the 14th March. The property will go on the internet on Easter weekend and then we start the 4 week campaign the week after Easter.

I am fluctuating between exhilaration and total anxiety. I am looking forward to moving and having the lifestyle change but we have been here for 20 years and this is where my kids grew up (in two different houses but the same address). I guess I'm worried that we'll move down the peninsular and then I'll want to go home. Only home won't be here any more. Because of the date of the auction we will almost certainly have to rent. This is good as we will rent closer to where we are building (cheaper rents than around here) which will give us a chance to acclimatise and moving into a brand new home will have to be an improvement on a rental property. I will also get an idea of what travel to work will be like before my secondment expires and can decide whether to return to my original position or apply for work at a closer hospital. Or we could win the lottery and I could retire. Right.

We had to trace contacts of a potential chicken pox patient today. Busy, frustrating but interesting. Why on earth don't health care workers know their immunisation status? I can understand the average person who wouldn't necessarily realise the significance of some of these diseases but DOCTORS and NURSES who work in an EMERGENCY DEPT. for crissakes!?

Dinner's ready.

Knackered

The podiatrist says it's plantar fasciitis. The heel spurs are not an issue in themselves. She is making me an insert for my shoes (orthotics ... I'm getting old) and has given me stretches to do and I have to massage the soles of my feet and then ice them. Bloody sore but if it means I can walk and run again it's all worth it although it could take some weeks.

I have worked so hard this weekend. I have finally got the place looking reasonable. Lots of stuff has been thrown out and the house looks very spacious. And I shall slowly throttle anyone who creates such a mess as there was ever again.

We went to an auction yesterday and bumped into a woman whose kids went to school with mine. She is a real estate agent and we got talking and she is still as ethical and good hearted as she was back then so we have decided to go with her agency. That's one stress out of the way as Himself was doing way too much research and was getting very confused as to which way to sell the house.

I have an ADO on Friday so only a four day week. Yippee.

And now I'm going to bed.

Heel spurs

I started work at 6.30 this morning (immunisation status clinic) so left at 3.00 and went and had my feet x-rayed. I have heel spurs on both heels. The left is much bigger than the right which explains why I feel as if I have a piece of glass embedded in my left heel (and just a stone bruise on the right!)

I see my physio on Thursday and the podiatrist on Saturday. I have no idea how this is treated. Dr. Google offers many ideas from rest to cortisone injections to shoe inserts to surgery to ... who knows what sort of quackery. Needless to say I am rather upset as that really does put the brakes on getting back into running in the near future and walking isn't looking promising right now. The good thing is that I was starting to feel quite neurotic but am relieved to know that there is a cause for this constant pain.

I shall have to see if Fireman Sam can rise to the challenge and design a training regime that will help me regain my fitness levels but not aggravate the heels. And I think the cross trainer might have to go and I might have to look at buying another exercise bike!!

So that's where I am.

And I am now going to surf the net and then read a book. With my foot off the ground.

How're things in your neck of the woods?

Come in, relax and make yourself at home.

Not sure whether Tom was pissed off because someone was on his part of the couch or happy because he had someone to snuggle up against!! To be honest, he doesn't look particularly fussed either way!!

Once again, Himself has worked like a *insert politically correct term here*. Three's room which defied description has been painted. Dr. Teacher is waiting for the new occupant (which he assumes will be a smallish child) to be traumatised with the vision of a large hand drawn skull emerging from the newly painted wall over time. Needless to say I forgot to take before photos (although to be fair, Himself was in such a foul mood over the prospect of attacking this room it would have been injudicious of me to venture anywhere near it with a camera). But it's done and it looks great.

I got stuck into our bedroom and the study and they are ready for inspection! I still need to go around with a cloth and some all purpose cleaning spray but I'll wait until the whole house is done and then spot clean as required. The carpets still concern me. Not sure whether to clean and live with the indelible stains or get some of them replaced.

The good thing is that we have broken the back of this. I reckon that a good hard attack next weekend (with some minor assaults through the week) will see the place at least ready to have agents through.

After all of Himself's hard work he needed a break so we headed down to the new place and were able to go through the house-that's-the-same-as-ours which is now complete with carpets and door furniture and stuff. Even though the colour scheme is the one I like the least I still love the house. And BONUS ... we were told that the company is now landscaping the back garden as well as the front. So we will get paving, garden beds and a bit of grass all included in the price. We are a bit suss about this as it's not in our contract and we can't work out why they are doing this but that's what we've been told and it was very good news. If it doesn't happen it's no big deal.

We went to an auction of a house just around the corner. It's a brand new place, architect designed and featured in a fancy magazine. The asking price was ridiculously low (if all the advertising hype was to be believed) but there was not a single bid. Not one, single bid. It was passed in on the vendor's bid and we were really concerned at what that suggested for when we sell our place.

After we had been for our sanity drive we went past to see if it had been sold post auction as often happens. Nope. But then Himself realised that it was, in fact, the front unit of two. Which would have been obvious if we had had a good look before the auction but none of the advertising (and it was extensive) even hinted at the fact that this was, effectively, a town house with NO garden (and we arrived after the auctioneer had started his spiel).

So I am still hopeful that we will realise a sum for this place that will enable us to substantially reduce our mortgage.

I saw the physio on Thursday. More of the same and the purchase of shoe inserts. My feet felt fantastic on Friday but yesterday the pain was back and remains today. I think I'll need to get an x-ray after all.




Is this why they call him Fabio?! (and worse!)

Blink and you miss it

The weekend goes by so fast.

It's now Sunday evening. Himself worked like a Trojan and the front looks great. Photos will be forthcoming. One and Three helped. Three more than One who was out all night, didn't sleep and is probably still drunk. I moved stuff around the house to try and make it look less cluttered. Lordy, we have a shit load of crap. And we a have a lot of stuff that isn't crap but that I will need to cull. That will be hard. But I will be brutal.

We then drove down to the beach to have a look at how things are coming along. It was so lovely down there. A breeze blowing, salty smells from the Bay and everything was just so peaceful.

One and Three have gone into the St Kilda festival. I have no idea how One will pull up in the morning. In fact, I'll be very surprised if he makes it into work. Three is the sensible one! And the one with no money although I shudder to think of the state of One's bank account. And his credit card.

Himself has gone to get fish and chips. I have made a salad to have with mine.

Tomorrow, foot permitting, I will hop (well, maybe step gingerly) onto the X-trainer and get some fitness back.

I wish my photography skills were better. I bought some ham for lunch and there was a smidge on the chopping board. A European wasp (nasty little buggers) flew in and started eating it. That was amazing enough but then it took off carrying the piece of ham that would have been as big as the wasp. I tried to take a photo but I couldn't catch it. It was amazing to see and shows how awesome insects are in their capacity to move objects.

Not awesome was the family at the pub on Friday night who were sitting at the table next to us. The children (probably around 10 - 15) were eating their meals. One was eating fish and chips with two hands - no cutlery. And they all ate and talked at the same time so that whoever was unfortunate to be sitting opposite them could see the mastication process in all its glory. And then the parents started their meal and I could see where the children got there table manners.

Have a good week!

Dot points

• Jenny and I had a lovely bike ride this morning. It was great to be up so early (not THAT early but early enough for me on a Satdy) and everything was lovely and fresh.
  

• Physio hurt.
  

• New glasses look awesome. My kids think so and I like them. Himself isn't sure yet but he never is when I change something like my hair or specs. A photo will come at some point!
  

• Himself has started tidying up the front garden and it's starting to look pretty good. Of course, I forgot to take before photos!
  

• I have put a lot of stuff back into the linen cupboard and there is even more to be got rid of.
  

• The boys are all out together to celebrate GGF's birthday.
  

• I think the next couple of weeks are going to be horrible as we try to get this place to a point where we can get an agent through. And then keeping it spic and span in the run up to the sale will be a challenge! But it will all be worth it in the end. And as Three said to me this evening "in 9 months it will all be over and we will be in the new place!" I can do that.
  

Foot update and a dinner date.

Well, I have warned you in the title so if you could care less about my feet go and read someone else!

I saw the physio this evening. She's now thinking bony spurs and I need to see a podiatrist. More massaging of calves (ouch ouch ouch) and more glamorous taping of the feet. No running for a while. Rest over the weekend but I can ride or swim. Seeing as I can't swim (think "brick") it looks like I'll be riding a bit. In fact I had arranged to play golf with Jenny but really don't want to risk all that walking so we are going for a bike ride at 8.00 on Saturday morning before I see the physio again. Rest up and then I can ease into walking next week. But NO running.

At that point the door bell rang and it was a friend arriving to go out to dinner with me. Just as I was settling in for the evening in my dressing gown and reeking of physio rub. I thought we had arranged to go out NEXT Thursday!! So I threw some clothes on and went and had a quick Chinese meal. And she told me her latest problems with her children. Nasty stuff. The son who is 24 takes drugs (ICE in particular) and the two daughters are not very nice to my friend and her new(ish) husband. Obscene text messages and the like. I always appreciate my kids so much more after spending time with her!

It's Friday. I'm feeling a bit seedy (too much red wine). I'm feeling VERY fat and unfit and am about to go to work.

Pillows

Amy mentioned a brand of pillow in my comments the other day (I think it was dunlopillow ... and why haven't you updated your journal, Amy, or have you moved it and I haven't worked that out yet!? It wouldn't be the first time that's happened).

I hesitate to say our pillows were ridiculously expensive. Mine is a Tempur and Himself's is the same sort of thing only a bit softer. I like my things firm. These pillows are made from some sort of memory foam and feel really weird initially but are oh so comfortable. My neck is much less stiff in the morning although Himself still snores fit to wake the dead so the pillow hasn't helped that. Not that it claimed to but I live in hope.

And now I must rush off to work as it's been raining a bit over the past day and the roads will be wet and the idiots will be out in force.

One more sleep and it's Friday and that can be considered the start of the weekend. It's anticipation day!

My first grandchild

Yes, folks, Two and GGF are parents .....



... isn't she just gorgeous? Her name is South African for little cabbage and sounds something like meeshoo. Two chose her because she looks like Thomas and Sheba. There was an older cat that was also up for adoption that he felt sorry for and would have taken but GGF wanted a little cat. I understand that sentiment, I really do. I just hope that the other cat finds a home. And trust Two to relate to it just as I would have AND tell me about it!

I can't wait to meet her. They got her yesterday and Two sent me an email with the photo.

Three had a good second day at his new job. This is good!

One is being a bit of an arsehole. This I can live with as I know I haven't done anything this time. I think he's just having a bit of a life transition crisis!

Himself is still not 100%. But is still happy about moving. Life at home is a tad difficult but we will get there.

The foot still hurts but is getting better. I guess rest really IS an option. Bugger.

Work is fantastic. It's a pleasure to go to work and spend time with my colleagues.

Hope everything is hunky dory in your neck of the woods.

Oh. my. god. The pain.

This morning I met Fireman Sam in the park at 5.30. He sent me off to run a lap. I ran about 200 metres feeling just fantastic. Breathing was right, legs were right, foot was only a tad sore. And then it felt as if I had landed fair and square on a nail. "FUCK" just might have escaped my lips as I pulled up short. And just as I was about to overtake a fella. I stretched and rested a minute or two and the pain subsided. So I thought I'd try to run again. BIG mistake.

Hobbled back to where Fireman Sam was waiting for me and then showed him what I had done. Second big mistake!

We did some boxing which was great after such a long break.

I then went into work and hobbled around the hospital. My foot is more painful than it has ever been and two nurofen and two panadeine didn't touch it. I don't think I'll be running again anytime soon. In fact I don't think I'll be WALKING anytime soon. Maybe a bike ride tomorrow night. I don't know what Fireman Sam and I will do on Wednesday morning. I'll have to email him and see if he can come up with something else to stretch me and keep my fitness levels up. Maybe I shouldn't have given the exercise bike away after all!!

I went to a yoga class after work. I've signed up for 6 classes (a term). It was quite pleasant. Very gentle with lots of stretches and relaxation. But I feel that I've moved a bit. It was impossible to do a few of the poses because of my foot so I'm looking forward to next week. If I love it I'll continue, if not I'll look at Tai Chi.

Himself has spent the day at home stressing about anything and everything. Needless to say the home front isn't exactly relaxing at the moment.

Three started his new job and loves it.

On that note I shall go and help Himself get dinner on the table.

Isn't she beautiful

The seat is soooo soft and squishy. It has a completely different feel to my old bike and is far more comfortable to be sitting more upright. It's the first female bike I've had for a very long time and shows just how far female bikes have become. It used to be that if you wanted a decent bike you had to get a male bike but now that so many women are riding the bike companies are making good bikes for us. It will take some getting used to but I love it already.

We also bought a bike rack. Partly to get it home (I could have ridden!) but mainly because there are lots of trails I want to ride that need to be driven to.

Himself is very fragile still and is worried that he will be consumed with guilt tomorrow for not going into work. Baby steps.

Three starts his new job tomorrow. He's a bit apprehensive but I think is looking forward to it. It will completely different to anything he has ever done.

Fireman Sam is back. We are supposed to be hitting the park at sparrow's fart tomorrow. I am very nervous!!

Just a quick visit

We didn't get Himself some shoes cos he wasn't wearing socks and we weren't at the shopping centre.

We did look at our new house (or the piece of land upon which it will rise) and the work on the surrounding houses. Coming along nicely.

We bought ourselves new pillows. Very, very expensive pillows but if they help with the ongoing neck and back problems they will be worth it. I'll let you know (or not, if they don't!).

We popped into the bike shop and the chap started to fit me for a bike. Never had THAT before. Probably explains a few things. And makes me proud of myself that I have continued riding a bike that didn't fit and caused me much post ride pain. I will go back tomorrow suitably attired. A short skirt and sandals ain't the garb for getting on and off a bike!

We bought steaks at the butcher and Himself will bbq them shortly.

Himself has announced he is going to take TWO weeks off work. This both pleases and concerns me.

We touched base with a real estate agent who sells a lot of property in this area. Things are looking good.

Still tired, but!

Home

I picked himself up this morning and we have just got home. He is currently on the phone to his boss!! But he has agreed to take next week off.

The doctors don't think it's cardiac. I think it's stress. He has to make some major changes and seems to be amenable at the moment.

Once he's had a shower and a decent coffee we are off to look at the progress on the new place, buy him some proper walking shoes (yay!) and check out a bike for me.

I'm tired

I may not make a lot of sense.

Himself got home after 11.oo last night and then spent even more time on a conference call.
I took something that One said to me this morning totally out of context and stressed about it and it made me feel sad.

I got to work and the person from whom I collect the handover sheet and pager was out for a smoke so I couldn't get said sheet and pager until later which meant buying my coffee (a double shot mocca, thankyoujezus) and walking to my office on my SORE FOOT and then all the way back to her office on my SORE FOOT. And the two offices are at opposite ends of the hospital.

Himself rang to say that Three had been in a car accident. Nothing serious. A fender bender. But Himself was overreacting and I was worried about Three. Himself made out Three was totally to blame (legally yes, he ran into one car which was nudged into an arsehole who paid out on Three until the nice female driver of the middle car came to his defense. I told you I was tired ... this doesn't have to make sense!).

I finally got in touch with Three and he was ok. Shaken but ok. And worrying about how he's going to pay the excessive excess on the insurance claim.

Then Himself rang to say he was feeling unwell with chest tightness. I suggested he ring our GP. He said he thought it was more serious than that.

Long story short(er). He ended up in our ED. On monitoring. With something cardiac happening but not a heart attack. He still has episodes of chest discomfort (he refuses to call it pain ... all chest sensations that are not normal are referred to as chest pain by the medical people - just so you know). His heart rate fluctuates between a bit low and really, really low. So low the alarms beep. I have no idea why. He has been admitted overnight. He is not happy. I think I have convinced him to take next week off. And we will be having serious discussions about lifestyle changes and stress levels and priorities and life balance.

We are moving for a different lifestyle and I intend to have him there with me to enjoy it.

I have eaten too much pizza and feel bloated. Damn it was good, though. The brightest spot in my day, really!

Now I am going to kick back and relax (yeah, right) before I get up in the morning and go back to the hospital to see if they are going to let him home and if they have a reason for this epsiode. My gut feeling? Stress, stress and more stress.

I am sooo tired!!!