Another fall.

I was just settling in for a comfy evening in front of the telly on Friday night when I got a phone call from the relieving manager of the retirement village where my parents live.  Mum had fallen and sustained a significant injury to her left bicep area.

I met her at the hospital just as the ambulance arrived with her.  The ambos had her injury listed as a skin tear so she was not treated with any urgency.  When we finally got admitted and seen by a nurse who took the dressing down we found out that it wasn't just the skin that was torn, it was full thickness flesh down to the muscle.  Ew.  She was admitted to a ward and went to theatre on Saturday afternoon and I took her home yesterday.  Her behaviour was pretty good considering what she has been like in the past. 

Other Brother was driving down from Canberra for the weekend.  I rang him to let him know what had happened and he went straight to the parents' place.  He was a huge help this weekend as Dr Teacher was moving and also overseeing the auction of his partner's place cos she's driving round Australia with her son - a long planned adventure.  I was exhausted on Saturday having been at the hospital til 3.15 am and then going back at 10.30am.  Other Brother looked after Dad and I looked after Mum.

This morning Other Brother went to say goodbye on his way home to find that Mum had had an 'accident' and there was faeces from the kitchen to the bathroom and back as she walked over it with her wheely frame.  Dr Teacher and I have dealt with this in the past but it was the first time for Other Brother.  When I went up there this afternoon Mum dismissed it as the antibiotics disagreeing with her.  There's always a reason but we're going to have to deal with this somehow.  On top of everything else she is showing early signs of dementia.

On a brighter note, Two moved out over the weekend (like we needed more to do!).  He decided a couple of weeks ago that he needed to move in somewhere by himself and was lucky that the first place he looked at was the one.  It's old and a bit damp but large and inexpensive and in a really good area.  Unfortunately when GGF and he split she took just about everything.  In fact the only stuff she didn't take he dug his heel in over.  But lets not get started on that!

Three started a new job this evening.  He will be working two jobs for 4 days this week until his old job's notice has been worked out.  As the new job is evening work I'm hoping he will either get a second job or study or something other than sleep and play xbox.

DH and I have had a nasty bug.  It's left me with an infuriating cough that won't go away and is driving me batty.

Less than 4 weeks before we get Bonnie.  Can't wait.

Once I can work out how to get photos off email I'll post them here.

Time to veg in front of the telly.

She's HERE!!

Angus has a new baby half sister.

She was born on Monday (ANZAC day). 

We can see her when she's 5 weeks old and collect her when she's 8 weeks old.

I can't wait to see photos of the litter.

Getting better

Dad seemed to enjoy his time in respite and Mum certainly enjoyed having a break.  Sadly, she doesn't seem particularly happy to have him home.

We had a quiet Easter.  With the extra long weekend thanks to ANZAC day it was really nice to just spuddle around doing whatever we fancied.  Dr Teacher came down today and we went for a lovely long walk along the beach with Angus and had some really good catch up chats.

Apparantly I had something akin to a fit last night.  Scared the bejeezus out of Himself.  He, naturally, wants me to get it checked out.  I, on the other hand, think I'll wait and see if it happens again.  I will, though, mention it to my psychiatrist when I see her next.

Three is still going out with the Girlfriend From Hell.  She is a nasty, manipulative piece of work and stalks any female he has contact with.  He can't explain why he's still with her but does admit to being scared of her.

Two is still living with us.  He is gradually getting his life back on track.

One and Ebs are going great guns.

And that, folks, is about it chez merlot at the moment.

Meltdown

• Mum isn't coping
• Dad is booked into respite care - tomorrow
• He doesn't want to go
• Both my brothers are away or about to be away
• I thought working some occasional immunsiation shifts would be a good idea
• My dog loves digging
• It's been raining
• My courtyard is a mud puddle
• I'm fat
• I drink too much
• I love my dog
• My husband is amazing
• I love him, too!!!!  More than the dog, even
• I am not going to renew my nursing registration. 
• My 'job' has to be my parents

Mea culpa

I know.  I'm a lousy updater.

The parental issues get quietly worse.  Mum is now wanting dad to go into respite again.  I can organise it but I'm damned sure that when the time comes and he refuses she will say she can manage.  Drinking is becoming a huge issue ( it's a wake up call when you go to different grog shops when buying your PARENTS' booze!!)

Dog is gorgeous.  A bit of a problem with barking but we're working on that.  Most of it is when he and Tom tease each other through the cat door.

I'm doing a bit of immunisation work and after my first gig yesterday am loving it.  Shame it's only for a couple of months.

Two is still living with us.  Three is still with his GF - not happy but not my business.  One and Ebs are going strong.

Himself is OK.  He had a major meltdown the other week.  Put a deposit on a dodgy red convertible.  Mid life crisis anyone?  He's since bought a lovely car and is seeing a psychologist.

Me?  I toddle along.  Weight is as high as it's ever been.  Eating is crap.  Mental state is rather porridge like.

But ... hell's bells, I'm alive, I'm loved and I love.

WOW I found my blog!!

I've been struggling to get used to a PC set up after my mac(s).  With my mac my blog was right there in front of my face.  Not that that ensured regular updates!  I'm still working out the best layout of my new machine.  Yeah ... excuses excuses!!!

So, life plods along.

Mum and Dad are not doing well but neither will admit this.  Dad thinks everything's hunky dory and has no idea the stress that Mum is under.  And Mum is struggling.  But it's all because Dad doesn't walk fast enough.  And eats noisily.  Dad thinks Mum is really bright and cheerful.  *sigh*  Mum says she needs help but rebuffs offers if Dad objects.

My boys are good.  Two has settled back into living with his parents and I do enjoy his company. Three is hardly ever home.  One has some issues but we're working on them. 

I am about to do some casual immunisation work.  I doubt I will return to "proper" nursing again and am not even sure if I will work again after this gig.

Angus is getting to be a very big dog.  On the whole he's OK but last Friday I took him to the beach (as I had done every morning that week) and Angus decided to be a disobedient adolescent on a beach of precious small dog owners who wouldn't have been happy even if he was the best behaved dog in the world.  I have decided that there are dog lovers and small dog lovers and the latter aren't necessarily the former!!  He wasn't perfect but he didn't deserve the vitriol that we received.

Dinner ready.

see you all later

I still think he's gorgeous

Rain rain go away

Yes, I'm back.

I had a fabulous week ++ away. 

Unfortunately we (Australia!!) have been hit again with shocking weather.  Cyclone in Far North Queensland, fires in Victoria (although nothing like 2 years ago thank god) and heavy rain and flooding in lots of other parts of Oz thanks to aforementioned cyclone.  And we're a bloody big country.

The Aunt was evacuated from her house in coastal (read: on the beach) FNQ .  She is OK.  Her house is OK although many others were not so lucky.  The clean up will be horrendous as will the cost and the impact on our fruit and vege supply country wide. 

I spent some wondeful days with Other Brother and Mrs Other.  Sooo relaxing and just what I needed.  I then drove up to the Hunter Valley and caught up with 8 other wonderfully wicked wine wise weight watching women.  It was bloody hot (as was Canberra when staying with the Others) which did mean we couldn't do a lot of things but we spent a lot of time nattering and forging really strong friendships.

VR (a fellow WWer with whom I have become very good friends) and I then drove home via a country New South Wales coastal town to catch up with another WW online buddy.  Great fun and beautiful scenery.  Then onto another country town through recently (so recent the road was just opened) burnt bushland.  Then the rain started so the bbq dinner with yet another WW friend and her husband didn't happen so we all decided to adjourn to the local pub.  Great food, good wine and a very easy on the eye singer!

The rain caused so much chaos in suburban Melbourne and we drove home through the results.  The above photo was taken just before I was about to slowly drive through water over the highway.  Note the two cars abandoned on the other side of the road and the water up the side of them.  One of them is a Rolls Royce ... guess noone is immune!  If you look at the cars ahead of me you can see the wave generated from tyres and the depth of the water.  This was the 4th crossing we had to make to get home.  It was the longest and the fastest flowing but not the deepest.  When I was nearly home I found the road flooded near the local sewarage treatment plant (aka poo farm).  That was really scary as I think it had just happened and the water was quite deep ... and smelly!!!

Our river is running swiftly and full. 

Idiots keep putting themselves in danger and tying up emergency services people.  4WD drivers are arseholes when they drive through flood waters at great speed to the detriment of all other drivers.

My dog has grown.  My cats aren't speaking to me.  My sons all came home for dinner ... that my husband cooked.

Life is good and I'm so glad to be home.