27 September 2008

What are the odds???

Blind item:

What Australian blogger recently had back surgery and then had to have a second surgery to fix a complication as a result of the first surgery? What same blogger is now looking at the possibility of having a third surgery to fix the same complication once again.

Who is the blogger and what are the odds?

22 September 2008

Am I man enough or how to be a man in 25 easy steps...

One of my blogger friends, Ur -spo, came up with a list of what he believes to be the 25 things that a gentleman should be able to do, accomplish and/or perform. I thought I would see just how much of a man/gentleman that I am. It's a simple list and all you do is bold the items that you can do, accomplish and/or perform. So here are my results:
  1. Change a flat tire
  2. Tie a bow tie - I don't own one and when I did it was a clip on. (I was five and it was part of my new Easter outfit)
  3. Carve a turkey - Let me at that bird. I love carving me some turkey.
  4. Open a bottle of champagne
  5. Change the oil in a car - No that's why God created auto mechanics (As you continue to read my list you will see that this will not be the only thing that I'm grateful to God for creating. Read on and see for your self)
  6. If asked, you know the name of a good barber - Hubby and I cut each others hair. (There's only so much you can do with a pair of clippers)
  7. Have a tailor who knows your measurements - I don't buy that many suits and as for the rest of the clothes they're strictly off the rack. I know that shocks some of you and I apologies but it's just the kind of man I am.
  8. Tie a bowline, clove hitch, and a square knot - Yes and no, I used to know how when I was a Boy Scout but that was a long, long, long time ago. (Don't pretend you don't know how old I am)
  9. Chop wood - This is a yes and no. Yes I can but no I don't have to because that's why God built gas fireplaces
  10. Shoot a rifle - Another yes and no I know how but choose not too as I don't like guns of any kind.
  11. Make a dry martini - Yes and this knowledge was not good for my health during a certain low period in my life.
  12. Keep a checkbook balanced - Once again yes and no, yes I can but no by virtue that I don't have a checking account. (Once again thanking God for creating credit cards)
  13. BBQ - Isn't this one a genetics thing? You know all those X and Y chromosomes. If not I'm almost sure that it was chapter 11 or 12 in my "How to Become a Man Handbook" given to me around the 5-6 year old range or as soon as I could read. If I remember correctly there was a picture book version for preschoolers "Baby's First BBQ Handbook"
  14. Lay a fire - No you say but I thought you were a boy scout. I was but I never said I was good at it.
  15. Change a fuse
  16. Polish shoes
  17. The ability to read stock quotes in the business section - It should be noted that although I do know this I've never had enough money to invest so while I do know how to do this I'm not sure what ever possessed to me to learn how to do it in the first place Maybe I was bored. Also, I'm just thinking out-loud here, aren't the quotes always in the business section? I mean do they ever put them sometimes next to say the comics? Hmm, maybe that's not such a bad idea. I mean considering recent events. I'm just sayin'...
  18. Keep score at a baseball game
  19. Jump-start a car
  20. Know how to throw a punch - Only if I have to but I'm not generally a violent person
  21. Own a tuxedo
  22. Know how to judge a new wine - I've never been asked to judge a wine but I know a good one when I taste one.
  23. Do your own taxes at least once in your life - Yes and never again (Thanking God once again this time for creating H & R Block)
  24. Know how to play poker
  25. Carry a handkerchief - Another yes and no, yes I have once and after the experience of carrying a wet, snot laden rage around in my pocket all day pretty well helped me make up my mind that it was not something I would ever be doing again. To be honest I can not for the life of me understand why anyone would carry a handkerchief. I know that it's more environmentally friendly because a tree has to die to make my tissues but I'll take shorter showers to compensate. (Thanking God once more for Kleenex)
I've just read my answers and it sure is good that God is around. I mean look at all the things we wouldn't have without him/her and that's just based on the items I mentioned in the list. I know there's like tons of other stuff he/she has created that we would be lost without. Think about it, microwaves, dishwashers, television. The list could go on and on but I'll leave it there.

Anyway, I got 15 out of a possible 25 which isn't to bad. So I guess I'm a pretty good man when it comes down to it. I definitely know I'm a gentlemen. I mean after all, I did grow up in New Orleans. You learn all about being a gentlemen in the "How to Become a Man Handbook" I mentioned earlier It was in chapters one through five, or was it seven, hang on maybe it was a separate book altogether. Now I'm confused but I know I read it in a book somewhere. All I know for sure is that "Yes Ma'am or No Ma'am" and "Yes Sir or No Sir" are as good as scripture growing up in the south and there can be serious consequences for not using those words. Maybe it's from the "Mind Your Manners Handbook" Southern Edition.

20 September 2008

Memories...

Two years ago today my dad passed away and even though the pain has eased, I will never forget. My mum is alone now and I worry about her so very much but I know that my dad will watch her and for the hard things I know that she will find the strength to move forward because he wants her to keeping moving.

I love you dad
and
I miss you very much

18 September 2008

We're not friends any more...

...and no I'm not talking about you, my dear blog friends and readers. I'm talking about friends that hubby and I made recently since we moved here to Tasmania. We knew members of our new friends family when we lived up in Sydney and we where happy to meet the new members of this extended family down here in Tasmania. Recently due to behaviour and habits exhibited by our friends in public that hubby and I find objectionable we can no longer be friends with our new acquaintances. In fact we will be going through extreme measures to cut these friends completely out of our lives. I'm sorry to do this but it has to be done. They made their bed and now they're going to lie in it.

Hubby and I are not hateful or vindictive people but our new friends have pushed us to the limits. We have been open and genuine with them and they have turned around and used our friendship for their own good. They have tricked us and now they are actually starting to abuse us. Granted it's not physical but it might as well be. The abuse is more mental and emotional and they are tearing us up inside because we truly thought that we could be friends and share some part of our lives but apparently they just wanted to use us.

I have actually told you about these friends a few months back. I told you how happy we were to meet them and how excited we were to have them in our lives. Well that's all changed and now it's time for them to go Just to jog your memory here's a picture of our friends.






Yes, that's right our cute little fiends the possums. They are visiting us now on a nightly basis. I say they because there are at least four of them that come to visit. There are two males and female with a baby on her back. They are still cute to look at and even though they look adorable and cuddly we know that they are not and we never tried to get that close. The thing that has strained our relationship to the breaking point is that during their nightly visit to our backyard they have decided that it is their mission to destroy our 15 year old Japanese Maple which I've shown you before here. They are eating all of the new leaves that are coming out due to the fact that it is spring here. The tender little leaves of the Maple tree are apparently a delicacy to hard to resit for our past friends.

We don't hate them so much as to hurt them. We would and never could do such a thing but I tell you what I'm getting pretty damn close to hurting something if they don't get out of my tree! We bought a product from the local nursery called Poss-off (get it Poss-off Piss-off cute huh?) which is supposed to make the leaves that have been sprayed taste bitter to the possum and as such they will move on to better tasting trees. We used the product a couple of nights and it seemed to work but the possums realised that we could only reach so far from the ground while spraying the leaves of the tree and that the leaves up higher had not been sprayed leaving them sweet and tender just they way they like them.

We have spent the past two nights out in our back yard spraying the intruders with the hose using an attachment that has a high pressure mode. The possums just sit there while we soak them with the hose and continue to eat and I suppose they just think it's raining really hard. We have thrown things at them and even used a long pole to poke at them trying to get them out of the tree. All the time while we're spraying and poking these sweet, darling demons we're stand there in the middle of the night yelling "Get out of our tree!!!" Can you imagine what our neighbours think? To be honest with you I don't give a rats behind what they think I want these little vermin to stop eating my tree and to get they hell out of my garden, end of story!

We are going down to the local hardware store to see what we can find to rid ourselves of these creatures. I'm buying everything they have in stock to combat the furry little woodland animals that find invading our garden a bit of fun. I'm dead set to rid myself of these cute, furry, cuddly animals once and for all. I have no intention of hurting them especially the mother with the baby. I just want them to stop eating MY Tree! They are protected in as much that we can't purposefully hurt them and we wouldn't any way, but whatever else is available to me to send them on their way will be purchased and put to use this evening. If this doesn't work I hate to think what will happen to the tree and hate even worse the prospect of replacing the tree as it will take forever for it to get back to the tree that is is now. Anyway, I'll keep you up to date as how we are going with our possum removal and if anyone has any suggestion we're listening!

15 September 2008

It's all about the food...

Well here it is, five days later and I finally have that meme I've promised. This is the food meme that has made the rounds. I would give credit were credit due if I could remember where I found it but I can't but if I could I believe the credit would belong to this lovely man. So without further adieu have a gander at what I have and have not eaten in my lifetime as well as some things I never plan to put in my mouth. You'd be surprised how many things that weren't on this list that have made it into my mouth, or maybe you wouldn't, and get your minds out of the gutter. Anyway, bon apetit...

1) Bold all the items you have eaten.
2) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating. (Since I've never been able to strike through things or figured out how I will have to go with mark to things in italics.)


I have to admit that I had to look a few of these things up to find out what they were. There are a few of the dishes I would love to try and definitely will if I ever get the chance.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari - Yes, and then found out I was allergic ending up in hospital for a week
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart – No, and why would you?
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle – Not by themselves but used in making a sauce if that counts.
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes - Blueberry
19. Steamed pork buns – yes after friends took us out for Yum Cha (aka Dim Sum to some). I have to say never again to Yum Cha but not the pork buns they were great.
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes – Yes, even though I’m not big on tomatoes. We were at a friends house for dinner and I was brought up to not be rude so I ate then and they weren’t half bad.
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras - Yes. and never again
24. Rice and beans – Red beans and rice to be specific and once a week every week growing up in New Orleans. It’s a staple on school lunch menus and it was a staple in our home once a week every week. So I guess that means I actually had it twice a week.
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters – Once and never again
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea – I’ve had clotted cream with Devonshire tea which included warm scones and strawberry preserves
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O – Yes, one to many in my life time, but none lately.
39. Gumbo – Of course, remember I grew up in New Orleans
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal - I like Indian food but this is WAY to hot for me.
44. Goat’s milk – I’ve not actually had a glass of milk but I’ve had plenty of cheese made with it
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala – yes possibly once a week as we get Indian takeaway
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal – A long, long, long time ago
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini – Yes but not my cup of tea or should that be cup of alcohol
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. Smores – Yes, But not for a long time now.
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin – Why would you? When I looked this up all I could find out is that it was some sort of clay.
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake – Beignets from CafĂ© DuMonde
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette – Andoulle sausage is a staple in New Orleans and it sure is good in some gumbo.
71. Gazpacho - Yes, but not again. I never understood cold soup
72. Caviar and blini - Yes, but I think highly over-rated.
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie – Yes, but it was so long ago I’m not even sure what flavour it was. I suppose it would have been apple.
78. Snail – Yes, to rubbery for my taste.
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini – Again, one too many in my lifetime
81. Tom yum – A lovely Thai dish that we don’t have nearly enough
82. Eggs Benedict - Yes, my favourite breakfast to order when we are at a restaurant.
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef – Yes and it was delicious.
86. Hare – Not my favourite but will try over again from time to time depending on the restaurants presentation
87. Goulash
88. Flowers – Yes, in a few things but mainly in salads
89. Horse - Yes, apparently we were eating it when I was a child and my mother was getting meat from the downstairs neighbour whose husband was a butcher. The neighbour showed my mum how to cook this meat by sauteing it for a long time in lots of butter. My mother asked the lady what made the meat so tender and that’s when the lady told here it was horse meat. We stopped getting our meat from the neighbor shortly after that revelation.
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam - Unfortunately
92. Soft shell crab – Yes, and it’s very nice.
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish – We used to eat a lot of this growing up but I haven’t had any since.
95. Mole poblano – Love me some chicken mole enchiladas!
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor – One of my favourite dishes but then again I love lobster period
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee – No and never will since I don’t drink coffee
100. Snake


52 things out of a 100 is not bad and of those things not tried there were many that I would so that number of tried things could eventually get bigger. You never know, you just never know.

10 September 2008

Changes for spring...

I thought since I wasn't doing very well on the new post front I would at least brighten things up with a new colour scheme and banner. So until I do a new post, which at this point looks to be a meme, Enjoy...

6 September 2008

Pictures as promised...

So here are some pictures as promised from the last post. I'll only put a few here and the rest will be on my flickr site here. Enjoy...

Spring is here...





The Rhododendron bush which is at least 50 years old.



A close up...



Some of the hundreds of grape hyacinths in the yard.



The two daffodils that have so far popped up. There are more but they are apparently slow to come to the party.


5 September 2008

Send in the clowns...

It's time to lighten things up around here. The last few posts have been a bit of a dippity downer so let's see if we can find little Miss Sunshine somewhere around here and let's see if we can spread a little of that sunshine around. I'm not sure how good I'll do at spreading the happy vibes if I can't find Little Miss S. to help me do such but I'll try. So here we go, something tells me this is going to be a long post full of random, and probably boring items of conversation but try to stay with me and I'll try to make it as painless as possible. Then again maybe I won't and maybe I'm making you suffer on purpose but that of course assumes you're willing to play along and that you will actually read the whole post. We may never know.

So, spring has definitely sprung here in Tassie and I must say this is a good thing. I've been cutting jonquils in all sorts of varieties to bring into the house. We have all different types. We have ones that are all white and then there are the ones that are yellow and yellow, yellow with white, yellow and orange, you get the picture. Now if you aren't getting a visual there will be pictures however they are coming in the next post so check back after this post to get said visuals. We don't have a lot of daffodils yet in fact there are only two so far and I hate to take them out of the garden so there they will stay. The large rhododendron in the back yard is in full swing and it is as beautiful as ever (pictures once again to follow). All of the rose bushes have new growth on them and I can't wait for their first blooms. We have grape hyacinths everywhere. I guess over the years different owners planted different gardens and over time bulbs have been left and not moved so we have these cute little plants showing up in odd places like in the middle of our lawn. It doesn't matter as I said they're cute and anything that wants to bloom will not be stopped by me.

We still have a little snow on the mountain but that's okay as it always looks nice up there. In fact I wouldn't mind if there was a bit of snow up there all year long. It would make the mountain look all that much better. I know the tourist would love it and tourist season is just around the corner. We have something like 50+ cruise ships that stop here each summer. They are usually part of a Australia, New Zealand circuit that runs all summer. The ships cross the Pacific as winter engulfs the northern hemisphere and they stay here until late February, March. It's great for tourism but after a while we start hating all of the extra people that invade the island. By the time March arrives all we want is for everyone that doesn't live here to please remove yourself.

Hubby is doing well. He has started his new semester at school. I'm really proud of him. It takes a lot of determination and drive to stay focused on his studies. It's tough for him because while he is studying he also has to deal with work, handle my emotional breakdowns and also make huge amounts of time for his mum during her time of need. My hubby is a real special person and I am a lucky man to have him.

Speaking of school, it seems that after my little meltdown the other night I have decided to try to focus on something new and different. I have contacted one of the local universities to enquire about enrolling in their distance education programs. I have decide that in light of my mental overload I might as well stretch myself to the max and I should go back to school. On a serious note I really think, that by starting back to school I will have a focus and I will also gain some of the challenge and feedback that I need to feel, as in a sense of accomplishment. I am thinking that I will be starting down the path of an Arts degree, exactly in what vein I'm not sure but one step at a time, one step at a time. Hubby supports me 100%.

Have I told you that the cat is still behaving him/her/it self. She/he/it has been mellow ever since we gave she/he/it the hormone shots. Now just recently she/he/it has been following a new pattern and I think that she/he/it is actually learning by command. She/he/it comes in for dinner each night around 4-5. I don't want she/he/it to go outside after dinner because she might get into a fight with other nighttime cats or even worse she could get meet up with the possum and that would be a disaster. So I don't let she/he/it out. The problem with that is that if I don't let her out she then expects me to allow her to sit in my lap and if I don't let her up on my lap she follows me incessantly and squeals until I finally relent and allow her to get into my lap. I have begun to telling him/her/it no, point to the bedroom and say "Go to bed". Well would you believe it she/he/it is starting to do exactly that. At first I thought it was a fluke but now she/he it is doing it every time. I know that it is probably just a rote behaviour for him/her/it but it's still kind of fun to watch him/her/it as she/he/it toddles down the hall into the bedroom and up onto the bed to curl up and go to sleep for the rest of the night.

My back is healing I suppose as well as to be expected. I can't verify that as I can't actually see it. It feels like all is well and I have to believe that because I/we can't afford nor do I care to spend any more time in hospital. I feel okay so that's good enough. I'm still stiff and there is a bit of swelling but hubby, being the trained professional that he is, has a look at the wound every morning and in his expert opinion he feels that all looks well. I will see my GP next week and I'll see what he has to add to the conversation but overall I think all is well.

Well, I said this would all be a bit of boring ramble but it's all I've got. I never will be one of these brilliantly, funny, and imaginative bloggers who can make a turd funny and/or beautiful (and there are many of you) because we all know that takes talent of which I am not so gifted. I think I'll leave that witty job to the pros and I'll stick to what I know and can handle which is plain and boring. It works for me so until next time Enjoy...

4 September 2008

Letting it all hang out...

Tuesday night was a bit of an emotional night for me. I'm not even sure what hubby and I were talking about when everything started to disintegrate but I basically ended up having a little meltdown. My feet were hurting super bad. They started hurting while I was in hospital and the specialist neurologist had me increase one of my medications to try to calm my feet down. The specialist believes that the new pain is a result of the nerves in my back that have recently been untangled. He also believes that the pain will subside as the nerves begin to calm down and they get back to performing in a normal manner. I hope he is right. The increase in medication not only brings my pill count for the day up to 41 tablets but the additional medication does a trip on my head and makes me extremely sleepy and zonked out.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah my feet were hurting really bad and they had been hurting all day even though I had taken the extra medication. I had also taken an extra pain reliever that I have in case of emergencies. I was so medicated that I should not have been feeling any pain but I was. I laid down in a dark room with the covers over my head to shut out the world in some attempt to make the pain go away but unfortunately it wasn't the world that was the problem it was my feet and I could not get away from them seeing that they are attached and believe me I was more than willing to have them cut off at that point.

I got up after a few hours. I think I did eventually pass out ay some point becasue even my feet passed out from the pain. They literally oveloaded with pain. I went into the living room and sat in one of the chairs that is most comfortable for my back after the surgery. I tried watching television to distract my thoughts from my feet but this pain would not go away. The pain was a constant ache. It seemed like it would never leave it felt like it was always going to be there. My thoughts and emotions were on overload. Hubby could tell I was not feeling well and somehow the conversation started. I'm not sure what was said but at some point the walls came tumbling down and all of the pain, angst, turmoil and raw emotion that I had been holding in for basically the last three years came pouring out.

Ever since my feet started acting up three years ago I have been struggling to maintain some semblance of my life and who I am. I have given up so many freedoms and I feel completely helpless. I'm unable to drive due to the various medications I have to take to keep the pain at bay and so I have to depend on hubby for whenever I need to go to the store or for what ever errands I need to run. I feel bad having to ask him all the time "Will you take me here or will you pick these things up". There are many things I would like to do around the house but either the pain stops me from either completing a job or from even staring the job. I would love to work in my garden but I can't due to the various positions you have to get in to pull weeds and plant plants. Everything I do some how either affects my feet or is affected by the pain in my feet which keeps me from accomplishing the task. I can't even focus on typing up a post for the blog because I end up falling asleep in front of the computer. I know you see these long post and you're reading this one now but it takes me forever to actually process the post itself before I can even hit the publish button.

So I ended up blubbering all of this to my hubby. I told him how I feel like a non entity. I feel worthless and in many ways ashamed. I used to be someone and now I don't know who I am. I try to keep this calm exterior with the occasional lapse but in most cases I keep all of my fears and troubles to my self. I suppose with the recent back surgeries everything just became to much. The added pain in my feet even if it is temporary it is here now and it just throws up in my face all of the fears and angst I have about my life. I hope beyond hope that this added pain will be just temporary because if it's not it will just be another blow to my inner self, even though I know it's not my fault it just becomes one more thing I can't fix nor do I have any control over and I need to feel I have some control over my life once again.

Hubby is worried about me but I told him I would be okay and that I felt better for finally talking to him. I never talked to him before because he has so much on his plate now with his mum's cancer and all. I know he is my partner and I should be able to tell him things. I was trying to do the right thing. We have talked since Tuesday night and we had a nice quite day out yesterday starting with a lovely breakfast at a local cafe. I know in my heart that things will eventually even out it just sometimes has to be re-evaluated and we all sometimes need to ask for help. I'm lucky that I have a partner that is willing to lend me that help.

2 September 2008

Back to back...

...surgeries that is. It has been a very tough past few weeks here in the land down under. When I had the first back surgery I thought great this will take care of a few problems that I had with my legs and feet and maybe it would even help in a few other areas. However, six weeks later I was sitting in the admissions department of the same hospital waiting to be logged in and taken up to the surgery unit. Just like last time, I had the surgery the same day as the admission and then there were four-five days of recovery. Everything was going along just fine the second time until Sunday.

I had was recovering just fine and had even started getting normal meals, which isn't saying a lot when it comes to hospital food. Anyway, the nurse in charge of taking care of me needed to change the bag that was connected to the drain in my back and did so with out any problems. However, in doing so he noticed that there seemed to be fluid leaking from around the actual site where the drain was, which is technically not right. They staff apparently tested the fluid that was leaking out of my back and apparently they found that the fluid contained CSF (Cerebral spinal fluid), which shouldn't be there. I had not been told they had tested the fluid until later. If I had known that that they had found CSF that would have explained why all of a sudden nurses and doctors that I had never seen were suddenly popping in and checking on me, asking me if I was okay and did I have any headaches. At the same time I also started running temperatures again like I did a few weeks earlier and as I had after the first surgery. I was put on strict bed rest, which meant all peeing and pooping where to be done from a prone position. (Peeing I can handle but until I could get up, go to a normal bathroom, sit down and take care of business, pooping lying down was not and never will happen. I don't care how backed I got it was never going to happen and thankfully it never did)

I saw the doctor on Monday and he told me that if the leaking didn't stop they would have to go back into to the wound, open it back up and fix what ever was the problem. Well I was not very happy about that I can tell you. The doctor also said that not only was I confined to bed from that point but I was also not allowed to sit up more than at a 15 degree angle. It's hard to describe a 15 degree angle but let's just say it does not lend itself to eating in bed and it definitely makes drinking anything a near impossibility. Hot beverages and soups where definitely not on the menu for the time being.

I was seeing the doctor every day both am and pm, which is very unusual because you're lucky if you see your doctor once a day in hospital much less twice. Late on Tuesday the doctor finally thought that the drain could be removed as it seemed to have stopped leaking from around the outside, or it at least had slowed right down. Needless to say the nurse removed the drain and sure enough it looked like we had stopped leaking. I was bandaged up and was told as long as there was no more leaking everything would go as planned and I could go home by Thursday. Seeing that it was Tuesday evening I was already past my first date of exit which was supposed to be Tuesday morning. We even had ticket to fly back home on Wednesday. I told James that everything was going to be just fine now that the leaking had stopped and that the drain was gone so he may as well use the ticket we had to fly home on Wednesday and that I would catch a flight on Friday after they let me out on Thursday.

The nurses kept checking the drain site throughout the night and they had to change the dressing only once because it was overly wet. Around midnight they woke me to have a look at the dressing and found it full of fluid. I was beside myself I knew that if they could not stop the leaking the doctor would need to open me back up again. I sure as hell didn't want to go through that again and besides we would have to pay for the operating room and all that goes with it along with a few more days recovery and to be honest I know it's my health but we didn't have the money. I mean in the course of 6 weeks we had laid out roughly $20,000. Now I know that many of you are thinking, but I thought you live in Australia with paid health care and you are right we do. However, because I chose to have these operations done now instead of waiting to have them done in the public system then we are responsible for the bill. In some ways we couldn't wait but what ever the reason we were bleeding money as fast as I was leaking out of my back and it had to stop. Anyway, they called one of the doctors on night duty and she put three stitches into the opening and we then all crossed are fingers that in the morning I would still be high and dry. Thankfully I woke up the next morning dry as can be. YEAH. My doctor wanted to watch it all day Wednesday and Thursday and if by Thursday evening all was the same I could go home on Friday.

End of story I went home on Friday and I'm here now typing away letting you know how it's going. James took the staples out last night and he says it all looks fine. The stitches will come out tomorrow when I see my doctor here at home. All in all I'm recovering just fine. The only drawback is that I'm right back where I was seven weeks ago, but lets hope this time that after another six weeks of recovery I won't end up back in hospital. I apologise for another long boring post but I promise the next few will be short and sweet. Spring has sprung in my end of the world and I'm taking pictures from around the garden to share with you. There is still snow on the mountain but there are daffodils blooming everywhere else. Things are looking good so let's keep it that way.