Sunday 28 April 2013

Prayer to God

Before I go to bed I felt it necessary to write my thoughts.  My friend Kay is going into hospital tomorrow to have a hip replacement.  Kay is 9 months younger than me but has suffered with arthritis for most of her adult life since her late 20's.  She still works in a retirement home and is as active a person as one who is quite crippled in the ankles, hands and her fingers can be.

I am just so concerned for her.  Not so much the actual operation but her recovery after the op and if she will have the strength for a speedy recovery and really, just everything.

Kay and I went to high school together and we have been "mates" since we were 13 years of age.  Kay probably knows me better than any other person and she has proven to be a great friend and non judgmental and very supportive.  We have shared a lot of our pain together and she has an inner strength that one might pray for but seldom achieve.  She had lost a baby when he was about 7 weeks of age, having never come home from the maternity hospital.  Her beloved husband died of a heart attack sailing his yacht to the UK with 3 of his mates.  Patrick was only 47 years of age.  Her elder son committed suicide aged 31.  Shaun was my Godson and such a special young man to us all.

Kay has stood by me through several failed marriages and family problems.  She has made me laugh and cry.  But mostly Kay makes me laugh and we enjoy so many silly moments and whenever we see each other we hug and kiss and have no hesitation to say "love you" when departing.  

Please God, take care of Kaysie as she is so very much needed and loved by so many. 

Thank you God.


Thursday 25 April 2013

ANZAC Day - An Open Letter

An open letter to all those who plan to attend ANZAC Day services in Gallipoli in 2015:

2015 will mark 100 years of the landing of Australian and New Zealand troops in Gallipoli and you are very fortunate to be able to attend this event.  I do have a few things to ask of you and also to please remember you are attending a Memorial Service.  It is not a party where you stay up the whole night and "grog on" and wave the flag and generally act like some Yobbo.  It is a Memorial Service.

During the ANZAC Day eve, sit there quietly with your friends.  Sit and try not to make a sound, remembering how scary it would have been for the young men lying on the beach waiting for dawn, to attack.  Think how they would hide the flame from a match prior to lighting their cigarette and also think what some of the thoughts might be going through their head.  Yes, on ANZAC Eve, sit very very quietly and think of the terror these young men would unknowingly run into.

And remember, you are in another country.  

This is the flag of Turkey.  This is the flag of the country we invaded and where we lost so many young men.  8,700 Australians, 2,700 New Zealanders (Wikipedia) lost their lives in the ANZAC landing and we didn't progress a mile inland.

So when you are at ANZAC Cove for the Memorial Service remember we are being permitted to enter another Country for this Memorial, even though we were the enemy.  Keep your Australian flag waving for ANZAC Day parades back home here in Australia.  And please, show respect to the Country who is permitting us to attend Memorial Services there.

Also, in showing respect, leave the Anzac Cove as clean as it was when you arrived.  If you had room to bring in cans and food, then take the empty cans and wrapping paper with you.  You are at a Memorial site and not the local tip.  Be a good traveller and remember to "only take photos, and leave your footprints".

And finally, remember also the young men who lost their lives and pay respect.  My Great-Uncle was killed there aged 21 and is buried on Turkish soil.  And because of that I would also like us to remember the monument put up by the Turks to honour those who invaded their county.

Engraved forever at ANZAC Cove are these words from Kemal Ataturk, the Commander of the Turkish 19th Division during the Gallipoli Campaign and the first President of the Turkish Republic from 1924-1938:

"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives. 

You are now living in the soil of a friendly country therefore rest in peace. 
There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us 
where they lie side by side here in this country of ours. 
You, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. 
After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well."

 *************************************************************************************************

 They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

 

Darcy Pasess First Test

Ever so chuffed as last night Darcy (The Dapper Dog) passed his Obedience test and graduated from Puppy 2 into Beginners 1.  So next week we may see different doggies in our class, it depends who else graduated also.

Well done Darcy.... another notch in the card!!

It would be nice if we had some success with Jackie (The Princess Dog) and her attending Obedience Class.  Though I notice since she is now so much better with the medication, she now cries when I leave her in the car to take Darcy to the oval for training.  So who knows, maybe she might be ready to try to introduce to other dogs again.  She sure didn't like it before and would snarl and snap at any dog who put its nose anywhere near her.

Wednesday 24 April 2013

Adelaide's Own St Francis

I do Facebook and there is a site I visit often called Lost Dogs of Adelaide.  I visit this site each day to see if any dogs are lost or found in the area I live and if so, I share those posts on my own wall in the hope someone else knows of the owners of these dogs.  Recently Lost Dogs of Adelaide invited "likers" to apply for a position of being an Admin of the site and after much thought and rethinking, I applied and was accepted.   Actually 6 new Admins were chosen from the applications and we are all settling in learning the rules and also how to repost the messages that come in of the lost and found pets.  Even though it is called Lost Dogs of Adelaide, it is open to all pets and we had quite a rush on lost and found pet birds the other day.  Prior to Easter and during Easter there were many lost pet rabbits which caused a little mirth with other "likers" of the site, but they were all genuine requests for people to help find their lost rabbit or others wishing to find the owners of the pet rabbit they just found.

I have assisted a little on the site since being accepted as a new Admin (in training) and I am very pleased to be able to help in some small way to reunite these lost and found pets with their owners.

But one story is very special.  On Sunday a lady found 2 male dogs very close to midnight.  After phoning so many rescue centres she got fobbed off and referred to another and she posted photos of the dogs on the site asking for help.  She took the dogs home and the following day took them to a local vet (where I take Jackie and Darcy) and they assisted her no end.  One of the dogs had been injured and had a broken leg and abrasions on his nose and the Vets assisted but didn't do anything about the broken leg other than pain killers and monitoring the dog.  Anyway, late last night this lady posted on Lost Dogs of Adelaide that finally the owners had been found and this is what she wrote:

"It is with great happiness that I wish to advise you all, that after many hours, many facebook inboxes and soo many phone calls, the 2 dogs (White Female Bull Terrier & Brindle Male Staffy) I found on the side of the road in Gawler in the early hours of Tuesday morning have finally been reunited with their owner!!! ♥

The Staffy is already home, un-injured, safe and sound, and the Bull Terrier, whos name I found out is "Cadbury", is in the vet receiving treatment for her lacerations and broken hind leg.

To the beautiful and caring lady, Nikki I believe, at "vets4pets Golden Grove" thank you for taking the dogs in, ensuring Cadbury was comfortable and given some pain relief, and caring for them both, knowing I didnt have the funds to pay for any treatment ♥
To all the pages who shared my picture and asked for help, I thank you ♥
And to everyone who inboxed, commented, shared my post and offered assistance, I thank you also!! ♥

Despite Cadbury's injuries, this is the best possible outcome we all could have hoped for, and it certainly made my efforts all the more worth while!!

-If the owners, or someone who knows them, do happen to see this post, please contact me, because once Cadbury is all healed I would love to give her one more cuddle, she was such a brave girl, and her little Staffy mate did a good job looking after her too!-

From the bottom of my heart, Thank you ALL again!!

~ xXx ♥ xXx ~ "







I really do think Adelaide has its own St Francis and I hope there are many people who would do the same as this wonderful woman did. 

Thursday 18 April 2013

Jackie so Changed now on Medication

Little Jackie (The Princess Dog) is so very changed since we have started her on the medication full time and also reducing the dosage she is now getting.  Previously at bedtime, Darcy would bound onto the bed and Jackie would go hide under the bed.  I would settle down to either read or watch Telly and it was then that Jackie would creep out and sit by the bed.  I would start to get out of bed to lift her in and off she would go to hide under the bed again.  This could be so frustrating, particularly when I was very tired and ready for sleep.

Since the medication she now heads to under the bed and by the time I am ready to hop in, she has come out and is sitting by the side of the bed for me to lift her in.

Since getting Darcy from the Shelter he has always been a "cuddle me" dog and loves to sit on my lap whilst I am watching TV.  I would have to lift Jackie up and stroke and pet her to get her to settle a bit.  Then the second I moved she would be off like a flash!  Since the medication she now jumps up and I end up with 2 doggies on my chair with me whilst I am watching TV.

All in all very happy with the results.  Also she doesn't seem to be as shy around my son and his wife now and I realize it is 12 mths in June since I got her but I really have noticed more of a positive change in her with the meds.

Darcy is enjoying his Obedience classes no end and hopefully at the end of this month we will graduate to Beginner's One class.  

Our badge for Obedience Class

Monday 15 April 2013

RAT!!!!

This morning I could hear a bit of growling and Jackie barking at Darcy so I popped outside to see what was happening.  And there was Darcy with a rat in his mouth!!  Even though I am not a great fan at all of rats, I was upset to see the poor creature was still alive and Darcy and Jackie having a great time chasing each other and throwing the rat into the air and catching it again.

Stand back, Jackie!  It's MINE!!



Eventually the poor thing died and I tried to get it from Darcy and Jackie but it was no luck.  So I left them outside and prayed the rat hadn't eaten poison or I would have 2 sick doggies on my hands.  They have since come in and goodness knows where they buried the rat but I am keeping the back door shut until I can find the darn thing and put it in the compost bin.

Matthew's Birthday

Last Tuesday was my younger son's Birthday and I invited Matthew and Aida for dinner to celebrate the event.  Aida and I had decided to go "halves" in a birthday gift for him and we chose an Olympus camera and accessories.  He was thrilled with the gift as their other camera had sort of had it and Aida is a mad photographer, recording just about everything they do and everywhere they go.

For dinner I cooked a Cajun spiced roasted chicken and made fried rice.  Any dish with rice in it suits Aida as that is her favourite food.  I was a bit disappointed that the chicken wasn't more spicy and shall just prepare my own seasoning next time as perhaps the one I got from the USA is past the "use by" date and lost its zing.

For dessert I made Mulled Wine Poached Pears and served them with fresh cream.  They were ever so delicious however I could probably have cooked the pears a little longer as they were very solid when I bought them.  However they worked OK with a knife and fork and the syrup was ever so good.

Matthew on his 42nd Birthday




The box was EMPTY! as I had charged the camera


Mulled Red Wine Pears

The recipe for the pears came from the Coles monthly cookbook by Curtis Stone. 
    
http://www.coles.com.au/

Tuesday 9 April 2013

On the UP!

I am pretty chuffed with myself as today I washed and vacuumed out my car.  It was very grubby after the 800 + kilometre trip home and also the doggies tend to leave lots of white hair everywhere, but now it is pristine and looks fab.  Mind you, I can barely walk today as my back is killing me after the work yesterday and cleaning the car today.

Popped into Coles Supermarket to pick up some cinnamon sticks and an orange.  First time buying an orange for years as I have an orange tree however they wont be ready until July or so.  I am going to cook Cajun roast chicken and make some friend rice for Matthew and Aida for his Birthday dinner.  I have a container of Zatarains Creole Seasoning that I picked up on a visit to the USA and jealously guard it.   Other times I have made my own Creole seasoning which is pretty good also. 

For dessert I am making Poached pears in Red wine and whipped spiced cream.  Yummo!

Off to have a wee Nana Nap as nackered.  I might post the recipe for my Poached Pears...  

Monday 8 April 2013

Feeling More Up Today

Today I put on my Big Girl Panties and decided to get on with the rest of my life!!    I have to do this every so often as I am prone to suffer depression and the blues from time to time.  

So today I mowed the back lawns which are now lovely and green after a small amount of rain over the Easter long weekend and I also raked a bit out the front as I have a lovely Illawarra Flame tree and this time of year it tends to drop leaves.  I mowed the dead nature strip out the front but this was more to pick up the leaves than it needing to be mowed.

Showing the back Verandah

I have to put the seats like this to stop Darcy climbing on the table


My little rain gauge - hardly used in Adelaide,. sadly

Even after mowing the lawns, once I went inside I felt the house wasn't so untidy and cluttered.  I had done the dishes but the vacuum cleaner was still sitting in the kitchen eating area.  I guess just having known I had worked outside, I felt better already mentally. I then vacuumed the rest of the house, even the family room and carpet square as we tend to collect lots of doggie hair from Jackie and Darcy.  Next I washed the tiles in the family room and also the kitchen and eating area and put everything away immediately when done!  

Decided to give Jackie a bath as she tends to get grubbier looking than Darcy, however at least now she is on that medication she doesn't pull all her hair out and stink smell like she used to do with the skin allergy.

Jackie is just so funny when it is bath-time.  She hears me running the water in the laundry trough and immediately heads down to the family room.  I will call and call her and she just stands there looking at me.  The second I take a step towards her she heads out the back door and hides.  So my method now is to run the bath and then go and sit at the computer desk in the family room.  She eventually comes to her bed (by the desk) and I grab her and off to the bath we go!

After my shower I had a late lunch and did one load of washing as the Autumn weather is just glorious and there will be no problems getting it dried on the line.  

So all in all this Lady in her Big Girl Panties feels pretty bloody good.  And it is Matthew's birthday tomorrow and he and Aida are coming here for dinner.

Also have to add here.   Doubt if anyone reading but I need to write and talk.  It all means something to me and believe you me.... If I am happy...then the whole World is happy!!!  

Sunday 7 April 2013

When I Feel Low

I had recently posted that Jackie (The Princess Dog), Darcy (The Dapper Dog) and myself were going on holidays.  Well the holiday didn't turn out as good as I had hoped and I returned home after 9 days instead of the expected 4 weeks away.  Since my return I have tried so hard to keep myself on the up and up but I find I am steadily getting lower and lower.

I did attempt to buck up and made a cute little Doggy Quilt for Darcy but that seems to be the limit of my achievements since the Thursday before Easter.  

My younger son and his wife went away for Easter and that was one of the reason I had decided I would go away at the same time.  I really didn't look forward to spending Easter alone as here in Australia Easter is not just a Holy Feast, it is also one of the last good breaks we get prior to the Winter months.  Good Friday is a Public Holiday as is Easter Monday, and most businesses shut for that period.  But I survived Easter by heading out on the Saturday and buying some fabric (for Darcy's quilt) and getting stuck into preparing some photo albums online for my Daughter in Law, Aida.  I had popped up to their house on Good Friday to collect hundreds and hundreds of photos onto my external HD and noticed a large basket of laundry.  Now my little Aida works so very hard and I know Matthew wanted to get away on the Thursday evening so of course she wouldn't have had time to do any washing prior.  So I took the laundry home and did it on the Friday as it was such super weather and no problem getting the washing dry.   Just as well I did as the rest of the weekend was very overcast and light rain on each of the days.

I treated myself to going to the Cinema on the Saturday evening and saw Hyde Park on Hudson which left me feeling confused, to say the least.  I did enjoy Bill Murray's performance as FDR as he seemed to be enjoying his role so much.  However the role of "Daisy" Suckley left me wondering what the hell FDR saw in her to have an affair.  Talk about limpid!!! 

I attended Mass on the Sunday morning and it was lovely to witness 2 little baby girls being Baptized during Mass.  So much hope and expectation from the new parents.  So much happiness.  And it really was good to be part of that happiness, even though as an onlooker and member of the congregation.  And it was delightful after Mass when Father Peter asked one of the altar servers to fetch a basket and he then announced the Easter Bunny had visited and for all the children to come up to get a handful of chocolate Easter eggs.  Kids always make me smile and when it is a holiday like Easter and Christmas they certainly do know how to have a good time.  I then did a bit of work outside the house and mowed my back lawns.

Matt and Aida returned on Monday afternoon from their Easter break and called in to say hello as we hadn't spent anytime together since my return early Thursday morning.  They didn't stop as Matt was tired as apparently the traffic was horrendous coming back from the Peninsula and I was just so thankful to see them as that road is notorious as a killer road over a holiday period.

So here we are now the Sunday after Easter and my house is looking very much like a bomb has hit it.  Other than doing dishes and making the bed, nothing else seems to be getting done.  I did vacuum the carpet and the family room and washed the floor tiles there and the vacuum cleaner still sits in my kitchen/eating area along with the mop and the bucket of cleaning water.  

I did a google to try to find some "funny" quotes on depression but they don't tend to have funny quotes on depression.  But gosh, some of the other quotes sure hit the nail on the head for me.

But I know why I am feeling this way.  I know just what has triggered my feeling of hopelessness and loss.  I know and yet I permit this bloody feeling to overtake me??  Grow up, and put ya big girl panties on and take control of your life again.  


 

 

Friday 5 April 2013

Vet visit for Darcy and Jackie

I took young Darcy (the Dapper Dog) to the Vet after he said he would need to seed Darcy prior to quoting on removing dew claws on his 2 hind legs.  After picking myself off the floor with the quote of $595 I decided he would live with the dew claws and I shall just ensure the nails are kept clipped to prevent them growing into the pads and his legs and just pray we never have a problem.

I also asked the Vet to renew a script for Jackie (the Princess Dog) for tablets the Vet in Griffith, NSW had put her on about 2 mths after I got her and she had such a bad skin infection and couldn't stop scratching and tearing her fur out until she bled.  Not only did she do this but she ummmm how do I say it... stank smelled bad.  The Vet in Griffith said she had an allergy and probably from dog food and meat and preservatives in the food.  She would scratch and lick at her skin so much, she didnt even have whiskers anymore.  Just short stubble!!

On my return to Adelaide I googled and came up with a lot of information on her plight and also news about the medication she was on.  After putting her on a BARF diet, she still had the problem however when she was on the medication her itchiness stopped.  However long term use of the medication could prove a problem to her health.

I spoke of all these concerns to the Vet and he agreed.  But he also understood the reasoning I had that in spite of future complications, I had decided that Jackie would have perhaps a shorter life but one that was a lot less painful to her.  I had been finishing off the last of the medication from the Griffith Vet after about 2 months of her tearing herself to pieces and just smelling something awful, in spite of me bathing her each week in special dog shampoo to relieve her pain and get rid of her smell.

So the long shot was, the Vet here prescribed 40 tablets for her.  Half a tablet every morning and then 1/2 tablet every 2nd day.  She has improved no end (using the last of the original script) and also I find since she isn't as uncomfortable now, she appears to be happier and lets me approach her a bit more and she will also now jump up on my armchair for a cuddle some evenings.  Mind you, that is when young Darcy isn't already there.

And I finished making a quilt for Darcy.  Got a real bargain as Spotlight had a sale over Easter and fabric was only $3 a metre.

Blue to Colour co-ordinate with my Lounge room

 

Memories of St Patrick's Day

When I was a kid, I remember Sydney would have a very big Parade on St Patrick's Day.  I am not sure if NSW was the first settlement in Australia and it being a penal settlement, but I guess the Irish (and the Catholics) played a large part in the settlement of NSW.  Having done a little Google, I see Sydney still has a St Patrick's Day Parade which is rather great to hear.


But my earliest memories of St Patrick's Day was when I was at Boarding School at Katoomba, NSW.  Of course being a Catholic school we had a holiday and we would be up bright and early for our day out.  The nuns must have been great organizers as we would head off to Katoomba railway station loaded with bags and bags of sandwiches and also large caterer's tins to make cups of tea.  There would also be very large bottles of cordial and also more caterer's tins to put the prepared cordial in for distribution.  

After boarding the train we would try to settle down and contain our excitement as we were then headed to Blackheath for our St Patrick Day at the Blackheath swimming pool.  I remember the rhododendrons at the swimming pool as they offered so much shade and such brilliant foliage.

Apparently the rhododendrons were planted to commemorate those who gave their life during WW1 and there are 77 trees to remember their sacrifice. 

We would help the nuns to set up camp, then off we would go to enjoy a full day of fun at the swimming pool.  

The nuns would summon a few girls to gather the rest of us up for lunch and we would all head over and collect our sandwiches and a glass of cordial.  We always called the lemon cordial "desert drink" as it was very thirst quenching on a hot day.  We only ever got this treat when we had excursions and picnics.

We were forbidden to go back into the water until we had an hours rest after our lunch and I just remembered something else.  As we got older we would never tell a nun we were menstruating otherwise we couldn't swim that day!!

After a good afternoon tea about 3pm of cups of brewed tea and fruit cake, we would start to pack up and do a quick look around for towels that may have been left behind.  I am sure many items would be lost on those outings, including bathers as we all had to change back into our "Saturday" clothes.  We only wore Saturday clothes (non uniform) on Saturdays and Church holidays.

A train ride back to Katoomba and we would walk past The Paragon which is still in Katoomba.  http://www.pittwateronlinenews.com/the-paragon-at-katoomba-by-george-repin.php


The Paragon displayed the most magnificent iced cakes and hand made chocolates in their window and we would all drool over those delights before being rounded up to return to our school.  I did last visit the Paragon as when in my 30's with my elder son who was about 16-17 at the time.  Unfortunately now I have heard the food isn't so good but the decor is still superb.

L .... short for Hell

I have often experienced Learner Drivers, and sometime with me being the Teacher aka Victim!!

One of the earliest memories was being a passenger with my Mother when she was still learning to drive and she would not use the L plates and drive around Centennial Park, Paddington, NSW.  Now this wasn't too hair raising as there was a speed limit within the Park but it was once she got her licence panic set in.  I do remember there were sometimes I would keep my eyes closed for a fair part of the drive to my Uncle Harvey's home in Waverly. 

My Grandmother (Mum) learned to drive after she bought this cute little Morris with a dickie seat.  Mum would have been about 60 plus when she learned to drive and like most people in the Eastern suburbs, she used Centennial Park as her testing and learning ground.  I do remember one time after she got her licence and my sister and I accompanied her on her drive to visit her son, Uncle Harvey.  We got to one intersection and she dutifully stopped on the red light.  Good Mum!  The lights then changed and we did a kangaroo hop as it was a hill start.  Again the lights turned red and we all relaxed until the next change to green.  Again a kangaroo hop and the car stalled.  By this time motorists behind her were getting just a little bit annoyed.  It was when one motorist got out of his car and offered to drive the car to the corner across the lights that I then suggested I run and get Uncle Harvey and he could drive then.  She agreed with that idea and off I set down Birrell Street at full pelt.  Puff Puff, but I then got to Waverley College and realized I didn't have far to go to get to Uncle's house.  And lo!!!! there drives past me Mum and Joan in the little Morris.... and they didn't stop for me!!!

I eventually arrived at my Uncle and Aunts home exhausted and my first words were "you didn't stop for me" and Mum's reply? "But we did wave to you, darling."

You know, looking back neither Mum or myself (I was about 12 then) even thought how Uncle Harvey would then get his own car home after driving Mum's.  I guess Mum would have just left her car parked on Birrell Street and he would drive us back there when it was time to go home.