What a difference a day makes.

This is more like it! The chairs are on the ferris wheel. The sun is almost shining. Hopefully the weather will continue to improve so the tourists can enjoy their holidays.

Jinx went back to the vet to get her stitches out. We had to give some medication to calm her down so they could do the ECG (which was fine) and then they sedated her to remove the stitches. I didn't want her any more traumatised than she has been already. 

She came home very groggy ...

Himself gave her a bowl of water and Max came over to investigate and give her little get well lick.

I received a redirected (twice) Christmas card from an old nursing colleague. She put her phone number in the card so I rang her. We had a long chat. So much has happened since we last spoke many, many years ago. It was lovely to catch up and even though her life hasn't turned out the way she expected she is positive about it. So many of us can learn from people like her.

Tomorrow the Mermaid arrives. I have no idea how long she is staying but it will be great to see her.

She is super fit and will no doubt do a lot of walking when she is here. I will meet her for post walk coffees!!

I found another bottle of sparkling wine. This one was given to me as a Christmas present from One's inlaws in 2015. It is in a personalised bottle with gold flakes in the wine itself. I had to try it, didn't I? It is drinkable.

There is another bottle in the garage. I will show you that another time.

 

Grey

These photos are not photoshopped. 

It is very grey and wet and I feel for the tourists. You can see carnival ferris wheel in the process of being erected. That was interesting to watch. 

This was just before the thunderstorms hit. Still grey!!

The Mermaid is coming down on Thursday. The weather forecast is brighter. 

I find this period between Christmas and New Year an interesting time of introspection, reflection and anticipation.  

Merry Christmas

It has certainly been a strange Christmas Day.

Three sent me a video of the girls opening their presents from us which was great. I really appreciated it. We have just had facetime and they are all exhausted. Wee Alice feel asleep mid chat!

One rang me this afternoon. 

Two said he will call later.

It has been blowing a gale and is about to start raining. Hopefully we won't lose power before we cook dinner. Aldi turkey cooked in our new Aldi oven.

When we moved into our house in Langwarrin in 2017 we "inherited" several bottles of wine. They have not been stored well (and nor would they have been before we bought the house) but we brought them with us anyway. Today I decided I was going to open them. One of them was Yellowglen "Red" which is pretty crap at the best of times. I have no idea how old it was (at least 7 years) and it was bloody awful. The other was a sparkling shiraz vintage 2002! I am sure it would have been amazing when drunk when it was supposed to be but the dry and brittle cork and the lack of hiss were a give away. I had a mouthful of sparkling redwine vinegar and that, too, went down the sink. I have been meaning to get rid of them for ages but am glad I tried them. I now have more room in the fridge!

Fortunately we did have a bottle of Chandon from our wedding anniversary in April this year and that has been going down very nicely. Himself is not drinking alcohol at the moment so I get the whole bottle to myself.

Well, it is Christmas.

I hope you all are having, have had or will have a lovely Christmas.

Sunday (OK Christmas Eve)

The town is filling up. I hope the tourist influx helps those businesses that rely so much on a good season. Me? I don't do crowds!

So when Himself said he would take the dogs for a swim and a walk I went with him because we don't take the dogs where there are likely to be people - and if there are people we don't let them swim. 

I love this walk. It isn't far but when the tide is out it is a lovely stretch of sand and water.

This is looking up the hill towards Kalimna. The vessel is the dredger that keeps the entrance open. 

Jinx is so much happier since her surgery. I think the constant infection really affected her. I swear she is smiling here.

This piece of wood/tree really caught my eye.

I love how the angle makes it look as if Murphy was dragging the tree.

Jinx checked it out.

The sky. The sand. The water. This view ...

Today really was a "bloody magic" day.

After the dogs had had their swim Himself took them for a long walk to dry off. 

I chose to spend some time on my own so I let them head off. I sat and enjoyed the fresh air. I walked a bit. I had a phone call with a friend. It was just lovely.

I am looking forward to more of the same. This really is a little spot of paradise.

When my kids were little we went to my Polish inlaws for Christmas Eve and it was always a fantastic evening.

They were great times..

I wish you all "Wesołych Świąt Boże Narodzenie"

You

 

I pinched this from Boud. She is a very wise woman who shares insights and beauty. 

This really touched a chord with me.

I am struggling as I do often, especially at this time of the year. This is a time for memories, regrets, grief, loss and so much more.

I will hold onto the thought that I have touched people in my life and my map will glitter. 

Remember that your map will, too.

Aldi

 

As you are well aware we refuse to use the oven in this house. It is putrid.

We have an air fryer which is great for small amounts of things. 

In this week's Aldi catalogue they had this ...

It is an air fryer, oven, rotisserie and dehydrator. It is rather large so finding somewhere in this house will be interesting but at least I can cook things in an oven again. Not sure about baking but I really miss things like quiche and pies and oven baked salmon. 

I have always been interested in dehydrating since Dr Teacher's first wife used to do a lot. 

We will have plenty of room to store it in the new house but probably won't need it as we will have a large oven but you never now. Sometimes it just isn't worth heating a large oven for a small meal. Something I did discuss with Himself when choosing said oven but he has always wanted a 900mm oven so we got one. It will be used, I am sure. No more baking in batches or deciding what doesn't really need to be cooked as it won't fit. 

I can always give it away when we decide we don't need it. I am sure there will be someone out there who would appreciate it.

They also had these ...

... which Himself thought was a great idea. It turns out to be a coffee percolator. You put ice in the container and hot coffee drips over the top of it. You then add milk and anything else you like. I think it will be going the same way as the air fryer as I am sure the novelty will wear off. 

A packet of containers for dog food and two bottles of white wine completed today's foray into Aldi.

Tomorrow Himself drives the 4 hours to Melbourne for what will probably be a 5 minute check up with the surgeon who did his eye and then 4 hours back again!

At least I can go out if I want to without having to worry about Jinx. I might just go for a wander around town and have a bite of lunch all by myself. 

Bliss! 

My patients.

The discharge instruction sheet for Himself's eye op suggested ice to be applied for the 2 or 3 days post op. It also suggested sleeping on a couple of pillows to elevate the head to reduce swelling.

Needless to say neither suggestions were followed and he is now experiencing some significant swelling which is most unsightly and rather uncomfortable. 

I am keeping my lips firmly buttoned.

Jinx, on the other hand, is doing very well. I have ceased all her pain meds and she hasn't had the cone on all day. No licking and no flinching when I inspect the area. In fact, when I ask her to show me her nethers she lies on her side and lifts her back leg. She has to have a hefty dose of gabapentin before she goes back for her stitch removal so she is relaxed enough for them to perform the ECG they couldn't do last week. As the vet put it, they want her awaaaaaay with the fairies.

It is currently wet and grey.

Matches my mood. 

But that's OK. 

Who says a wet, grey mood can't be a good thing?

Granny for the win!!

You may remember that Alice will be having surgery early in the new year for insertion of grommets and removal of adenoids. 

Over the weekend Sally was facetiming with me and Alice wanted in on the act. She kept touching her ear. I asked her why. "Ear sore, granny". Three had a look (they get a bit of eczema behind them now and again) and couldn't see anything. He tried for another look later and had his hand pushed away with a definite SORE and NO!

A doctor's visit this evening showed infection in both ears. Hopefully they will have resolved before surgery date. And also that the surgery will fix these infections.

This Granny is a bit chuffed she was able to identify a problem nearly 300 miles away! Gotta love the interwebs.

Himself and Jinx are healing well. The cone of shame is being used less which is good because I need it for Himself as he keeps touching his eye.

Himself was driving back from the block and found a surfboard in the middle of the road. It seems to have fallen off or out of a car. The cop shop was closed so he brought it home and I have posted on one of the local facebook groups to see if anyone claims it. They will have to describe it to me first. If no one reaches out we will take it to the cop shop when they are open. He was considering taking it down and leaving it on the side of the road but that is no guarantee the rightful owner will take possession. 

Apparently the prawn season has started early as a result of the recent floods so I will send Himself down to the fishing co-op to see if they have some.

I am counting down the days til Christmas is over.

Seriously, there are some really gross photos in this post so be warned or scroll by.

Jinx's nether regions pre treatment for her resistant bug and then the op.That red area is ulcerated and a vet thought it a good idea to press sticky tape onto that.

This was a couple of days post op (viewed under her tail)

This was this morning. You can see how everything is much cleaner and neater and not red and angry. 

I have dropped one of her pain meds and she is allowed a bit more time out of the cone of shame as long as she doesn't try to lick or nibble. Himself noticed a huge change after not seeing her for two days.

Speaking of Himself. This was him this morning. Apparently it isn't sore. If you can bear to look closely you will see that his eye is closed. The line you can see is the incision.

Remember our bloody magic to and fro with Three? Amy and the girls made this for Himself. He wore it with pride when we went out for coffee and doughnuts this afternoon. He wore sunglasses so as not to scare the children of which there are more and more now that the holidays have started.

One more week and then the silliness of this time of year will be over. I can't bloody wait.

 

Life is good

I might not have explained why Himself is in Melbourne for surgery. 

When he was about 10 he was with a group of older kids who put a firecracker down a metal fence post. It didn't go off so they told Himself to have a look ... at which point it exploded blowing up his face. Long story short they saved his eye but he has always had a droopy eyelid. It is now impacting his vision so today he had it rectified. He is staying with The Mermaid and all went well. He will be home tomorrow.

In the meantime I have had a lovely day. First of all I woke up to this.

Jinx was lying on Himself's pillow (you can see her cone of shame) and Murphy was resting his head on her rump. 

I then did my usual morning routine of late which involves stuffing meat with tablets for Jinx followed by icecream with her liquid meds. 

(Unfortunately she has twigged and the evening regime resulted in more stuffing down a throat than stuffing meat). 

OB and FSIL came here which was just as well as birds had decided to shit all over their car and OB needed a hose to remove it! He then went off with his camera and she and I went and had doughnuts and coffee (Lakes Entrance ... mandatory) and a wander and a chat and then it was time to pop back home to let the dogs out for wees. 

We then went to the Metung pub for lunch. I went there with The Mermaid when we came down in June and have been hankering to go back for the seafood plate. They obliged!

OB had a very interesting career which I can't talk about but it lends itself to some good conversations within boundaries. Today was one of those conversations. The best bit. however, was spending time with two people I am so fond of.  

FSIL made a comment that I seem to be very much at home here. That meant a lot to me as I didn't realise it was obvious and it reinforced my conviction we have made the right move.

I promised you last night's sunset.

This, though, was a photo OB took as we were leaving the restaurant.

I am now convinced I need the new Google Pixel 8pro phone. OB took this with an iPhone but he says they are equal (in fact the google might be a bit better). From a serious photographer  this is good enough for me.

Right now I am watching the sunset over Lakes, enjoying a nice oaky chardonnay and listening to good music.

 

A good day.

Other Brother and Fave Sis in Law came down to Lakes for a visit.

Himself had to go to Melbourne for surgery. I was actually quite pleased to have OB and FSIL to myself. OB and Himself have some history and although I am sure they would behave I still get anxious. 

We had a cup of tea and a salted caramel tart (from Aldi - they are to die for and I intend to buy every box I can find) and then went for a drive. I showed them the block and we went for a wander across the footbridge. We were heading to the pub to book for dinner when I asked if they liked seafood. I thought they didn't. It is Dr Teacher who isn't fond. So I said we should go to Soda Fish. 

I booked for 7 and we came back here for a G&T and a natter. 

Dinner was great. They aren't cheap but their food is so good. OB started with chargrilled octopus (which I will have next time after having a taste of his) and FSIL and I shared a plate of greens and goats cheese. We all had fish and chip as a main. Today's was flathead and they were so fresh and beautifully cooked. We were too full for desserts and they had to get back to Metung where they are staying and I didn't want them driving unknown roads in the pitch dark.

Tomorrow they will come here around 10am. OB will take himself and his camera off for a good look around and FSIL and I will have doughnuts and coffee and walk around Lakes. We will then meet up at the Metung pub for lunch. 

Jinx is on the mend. We did wake up to a bit of blood around the place. She lies on the tiles and I am guessing the wound has been oozing. Not unexpected.

She is weeing and her tail has been wagging so they are both really good signs. I gave them stewing steak for dinner and they ate the lot. I need to explain to Himself that what he is giving them is not what they like. 

I gave her time out of the cone of shame but she had a sneaky lick so back on it went. 

A glorious sunset tonight. I might share a photo OB took tomorrow if I remember. 

Getting better.

We were unable to get an ECG on Jinx as she wasn't in the mood to cooperate. The vet is happy with her though and will do one when she goes in to get her stitches out.

I have extra pain medication which will also help relax her. Her bladder wasn't distended or overfull so we assume she has been having a sneaky wee when she sits on the grass.

I know I have shared the following before but it is my favourite Christmas video of all time and about as Christmassy as will get this year.

Enjoy.  Volume up.

Jinx

I'd show you a photo of Jinx's surgical site but you might be eating.

She finally had a wee around midnight last night but hasn't since. I rang the vet this afternoon and she wasn't too worried as Jinx isn't drinking much so her bladder won't be overfull. She (the dog, not the vet) is happy to have her meds in cold meat slices and ice cream (spoon fed) so is still interested in food.

I think she is very sore and still recovering from a long procedure under a general anaesthetic. 

I have done very little today other than supervise the dogs.

Himself drove up to Melbourne for his pre-op appointment for his eyelid surgery on Friday. He then caught up with an old friend for coffee and got home around 6pm.

I have chosen to do nothing relating to Christmas this year. To the point that I am developing an understanding of how those who don't celebrate anything this time of year must feel.

Jinx update

Himself took Jinx to the vet this morning. I stayed home with Murphy. 

Around midday I got a call from the vet. Jinx was suffering from a potentially severe (ie fatal) cardiac arrhythmia. She assured me they were doing everything they could and were consulting with a canine cardiologist from Melbourne.

Many tears were shed.

An hour or so later she rang again. Jinx was more stable and the cardiologist was hopeful it was related to the anaesthetic and surgery but we need to keep an eye on her.

We were able to bring her home (she is better here with us as they don't have overnight staff at the vet clinic) and I have to take her back on Wednesday.

She is very sore and very dopey. 

We are hoping it was just a transient event. Wednesday's ECG (EKG in the states) will tell us.

In the mean time I have a very sad and sorry pup.

It started to get drizzly as the day wore on.

Then the sea mist started to come up.

I reckon in an hour or so I won't be able to see the balcony railings. 

Still a bit grumpy*

I know I have shown you this song before. This version was released for the 40th anniversary of the original in September this year. It features The Waifs along with Redgum and  they add a unique twist to an already poignant piece. The accompanying video clips contain new content as well. 

It just continues to bring home how bloody stupid war is. Sadly, we will never learn.

I have wasted spent the day faffing around on the computer. It is damp and cold and I cannot say enough how much I hate this time of year. It could be warm and sunny and I would still hate this time of year. 

Humanity sucks.

* very grumpy

I am angry.

We are struggling as a nation with the constant rise in the cost of living. Rents are going up and properties are scarce. In Victoria it is getting worse as the government has imposed a tax on landlords which has resulted in a lot of potential rentals properties being sold. It is very obvious here.

Christmas is around the corner and the telly is full of ads and "news" content encouraging people to spend money to "show them you love them". All this while we are being told to rein in our spending or face further interest hikes in the new year.

The last few days have seen a resurgence of pay day loan ads and I am beyond furious.

This one was just on ...

... let's throw health into the mix as well. 

These ads are meant to be funny.

Yeah, right. Tell that to the desperate people who get sucked in by them.

Things are happening!

Yesterday was the end of year lunch for the coffee group. My anxiety ramped up as it was at a different venue but I went and it was lovely. There will be some catch ups over Summer but we will start again in Feb, I believe. I will probably go to the cafe with a book even if nobody else goes. It's nice to get out of the house.

We went up to the block this morning and things were happening.

This dude was drilling pylons into the fill part to stabilise the ground prior to the slab going in. Or something like that.

The tops are levelled off 

And this shows the machine waiting for another pylon to be attached. 

It was really interesting to watch.

While we were there the plumbers arrived to do their stuff. I came home but Himself spent most of the day watching it all happen. I am not sure if the plumbers will have to go back tomorrow but once they are done nothing will happen until the second week of January when the retaining sleepers will become available - all going well.

I had a lovely day by myself! I did a load of washing, vacuumed the floors, made dinner and did some puzzles all while listening to music up rather loud.

Dinner was rather nice. It was a recipe that popped up on Facebook. Chicken done in the slow cooker with a sauce of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, chilli flakes and ketchup. It was very easy and made enough for three meals.

Fresh fruit and yoghurt for dessert. I am making the most of the brief mango season.

And this was the view just after sunset.
 

Good dog.

This is Jinx being a brave girl at the vet.

She is going in for surgery next Monday. It will cost a lot less than we anticipated and will hopefully fix her tendency to contract this antibiotic resistant bug. The couple of weeks post surgery will be a challenge but we will get through it. If you are interested she is having an episioplasty.

After the vet we took them for a walk along the Kalimna Jetty path. It was a glorious day.

This is taken from the carpark at the jetty. You can see the discolouration of the water from the floods.

Nothing happening on the block, much to Himself's disappointment. Maybe tomorrow!

Speaking of tomorrow, we are having our coffee group break up lunch at the Kalimna pub. It has recently changed hands so it will be interesting to see what it is like.

And that, folks, was my day. Nice and quiet.

An unexpected win.

I have mentioned before about the block behind us which discharges a huge amount of water when it rains.

We went up to our block today to see if anything was happening (it wasn't). The owners of the block behind us were digging a trench to install agi pipe and connect it into the storm water pit on our block. In the course of the conversation we found out that the developer of the estate had installed considerable drainage and the storm water pit. (This would have been dictated by council and water authorities).

Himself came home and rang the company. They were very helpful and he went back and met with someone who is working on the new subdivision. Long story short, they will fix the drainage issues as best they can and we won't have to pay.

Win win!

When I say as best as they can, I am not implying that they don't care - it's just that the whole area has a lot of underground springs which bubble up after rain so there is a limit to what they can do. By installing the appropriate drainage it will mean that most of the water will be directed into the right place. Not on our block!

We had managed a quick walk before Himself got a phone call to go back to the block to meet the site supervisor so we took the dogs for a run at the 3 o'clock club. They came home absolutely knackered! 

It has been warm and sunny today. And very humid with all the water evaporating!

Tomorrow we take Jinx back to the vet. Fingers crossed for a good result but I do think we will need to brace ourselves for surgery. I can see December/January being very expensive as Alice will have her surgery at the beginning of January and we are footing that bill.

It's only money!!

Blue Skies!!

For the first time in days I woke to the sounds of birds. Obviously they didn't like all that rain either!

We took the dogs for a walk along the foreshore. The market was cancelled late yesterday. Rain notwithstanding, the ground underfoot was so wet and soggy it would have been a quagmire with all the cars and foot traffic that I doubt it would have recovered any time soon. Such a shame.

Swans!!

I have no idea what this plant is but is has bean like fruits and apple like fruits. Very strange. Looks poisonous to me! Not that I would know. Maybe it is some healthy bush tucker but something in the deep recesses of my brain say that bean like fruits are poisonous. 

These are the swan family that hatched a couple of months ago. There have been conflicting reports that the mate was killed. There was only one today but that is not uncommon. They seem to share the care.

The surf has been pounding the beaches for days and the rivers have been flooding and all that water empties into the lakes and then out through the Entrance. You can see how discoloured the ocean is. I imagine it is mainly sand. I haven't been to the beach yet to see how much, if any, has been washed away. Maybe tomorrow when the threat of rain has well and truly passed.

 

And it's STILL raining.

After yesterday's glimmer of hope the rain has returned. At this stage it is forecast to end around lunch time tomorrow which is a real shame as the monthly foreshore market is on in the morning. It is the last before Christmas so I imagine the stall holders woule be hoping for a good turn out. The wet weather also stops the weekend tourists.

We drove into Bairnsdale as Himself wanted some tshirts from Kmart. For $8 they are really well made of good quality cotton that washes up beautifully. Explain, then, why women's tshirts are $12, lose their shape and are made of flimsy cotton. I bought some men's and will see how they fit.

We then came back to Lakes and went to the supermarket to get some steaks for dinner. We still haven't become used to the specialist shops (butcher, chemist and the like) closing at 1.00 on Saturday for the weekend! We were spoiled in the city where nearly everything is open 7 days a week.

When we came home I worked some more on the intarsia crochet. Yes, every single one of those balls of yarn are in use! This is the wrong side.

When we bought the steaks for dinner it wasn't raining that heavily.

By the time we got home the rain had really set in and the wind had sprung up. 

Needless to say, the steaks were not cooked on the barbie!

Regardless, it was a lovely meal with baby asparagus and potato gems. Later on we will have fresh mango, strawberries and raspberries. Himself will have ice cream and I will have greek yoghurt.

A perfect summer meal. If only it felt like summer!!

First day of Summer.

The weather eased a bit.

If you look closely you can see the steam rising off the bitumen.

We took the dogs for a walk along the jetty path. It was too wet and muddy to take them anywhere else.

The entrance was churning ...

It was still very dull but so nice to get out in the fresh air.

This is usually more swamp than pond.

I could feel the pleasure in the stretch of the wings. He sat like that for ages. He must have been very damp.

I doubt anyone was walking this track today.

In building news we can have the cut battered. We just need Dicky the digger to come and do that and then they can lay the slab. Next week they will be drilling the posts into the fill part of the ground (see yesterday's post) which stabilises things. Then the slab can be poured.

Unfortunately we can't have any framing done until the retaining wall is up so that will have to wait until next year.

Someone stuffed up big time as even if we had gone with the sleepers that were delivered they wouldn't have been able to be installed - it was explained but over my head. Our Site supervisor assures us this won't cost us anything extra - as long as they don't try and bill us for something else to make it up. A good thing Himself is vigilant with this sort of thing.

Rain is forecast for tomorrow but for now it is nice to be able to actually see the town and ocean. Next week should be better.