The patient woke up feeling poorly - now there's a surprise! After having two difficult extractions and two easier ones, one half of her face looks like a hamster with a winter's supply of food in the cheek and the other side is quite normal. Although the post-op instruction sheet mentions eating soft foods and rinsing your mouth with salt and bicarb after eating, there's no mention of what to do if you just vomit it all up again. The antibiotics and painkillers are supposed to be taken after meals. So far there have been no meals, not much to drink and no watching TV due to nausea. Why did no one mention that aspect? Luckily I'm here to wait on her hand and foot if needed, so it's no problem to be bedridden and especially in view of the absolutely foul weather we are experiencing on this last day of October. Still in winter clothes!
The garden is benefiting from the extra-long rainy season, so I'm not complaining about that aspect (sorry, Robin, if I'm still worrying about the weather!) and it seems as though we are living in England, with everyone's obsession with discussing the weather every time they meet. With the other subjects available to talk about being related to politics and crime, you can't blame us for choosing the weather!
While I'm sitting here typing this blog, I'm watching All Time Hits on VH1. Playing at the moment is Take My Breath Away (Top Gun sountrack). I bet there's no one out there who doesn't get taken back in time by that one - a young Tom Cruise before the media stripped away any romantic illusions we all used to have about movie stars. Simple days of yore.
Now it's The Byrds singing Turn, Turn, Turn. This song from the 60s represents a great deal of my philosophy on life - to every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under Heaven. If we can accept everything that comes into our lives as being the thing that we need at that moment, even if it is not apparent at the time, we are able to deal with the bad times so much better, knowing that without bad times we cannot appreciate good times. A very basic tenet that can contribute to great peace of mind.
Thursday, 31 October 2013
Wednesday, 30 October 2013
On the go all day
It's been an interesting, if somewhat exhausting day! I started with a breakfast meeting at Kirstenbosch with an eminent chemistry professor for a discussion on genetic modification in general and food in particular (a subject dear to my heart) and then a most enjoyable bit of general chit-chat. We were at school together, so this was not a formal meeting, just in case you were wondering - it was good to be able to have a discussion with an expert in the field. I don't often come across people who are experts on what interests me, so if I meet up with a geologist or archeologist or chemical engineer (hi, Michael) or doctor (hi, Lynelle) or any other kind of expert, I like to ask questions and this always takes up time. So I was pleased that he found time in his schedule for answering my questions and I was also able to answer some of his.
After that, it was a drive back to Kommetjie to fetch K, who was having her impacted wisdom teeth taken out today - had to stop at the chemist on the way to get a tablet which apparently gives you amnesia so you don't resent the dentist after he has hacked your teeth out. That involved queuing for 20 minutes. Then back to Claremont and a two-hour wait while she was in the dentist's chair. I hobbled around Cavendish Square in a pair of closed shoes that catch my toe most painfully, but I was instructed to go to Woolies and buy chicken noodle soup - only to find that, despite the rainy weather today, it is summer and they don't stock it. Then it was back in the car, K still numb from the local anaesthetic and so still fairly cheerful, but we had to stop again at the chemist to get the antibiotics and painkillers - another 20 minute wait, during which the feeling came back with a vengeance. Anyway, it is all under control and the patient will just have to wait it out. The main thing is that years of pain and associated infections will be a thing of the past.
I almost omitted a very exciting incident! While driving over Ou Kaapse Weg on the way to the dentist, a bee flew in the window and landed on the seat between my legs and got wedged under my thigh. When you see that kind of thing happen in the movies, they are not exaggerating the panic that ensues as you try to keep driving straight in heavy traffic while desperately swatting at a bee that you really don't want to be stung by! We managed to grab it in a tissue and stuff it into the glove compartment - it wouldn't do to have thrown the tissue and the bee out of the window - can you imagine all the hooting that would have gone on?!
So I've travelled about 100 kilometres today, spent hours waiting in various queues, and am ready to flop into bed, but I've been invited out for my favourite Kerula Prawn Curry (yes, that one!), so bed will have to wait a bit longer.
After that, it was a drive back to Kommetjie to fetch K, who was having her impacted wisdom teeth taken out today - had to stop at the chemist on the way to get a tablet which apparently gives you amnesia so you don't resent the dentist after he has hacked your teeth out. That involved queuing for 20 minutes. Then back to Claremont and a two-hour wait while she was in the dentist's chair. I hobbled around Cavendish Square in a pair of closed shoes that catch my toe most painfully, but I was instructed to go to Woolies and buy chicken noodle soup - only to find that, despite the rainy weather today, it is summer and they don't stock it. Then it was back in the car, K still numb from the local anaesthetic and so still fairly cheerful, but we had to stop again at the chemist to get the antibiotics and painkillers - another 20 minute wait, during which the feeling came back with a vengeance. Anyway, it is all under control and the patient will just have to wait it out. The main thing is that years of pain and associated infections will be a thing of the past.
I almost omitted a very exciting incident! While driving over Ou Kaapse Weg on the way to the dentist, a bee flew in the window and landed on the seat between my legs and got wedged under my thigh. When you see that kind of thing happen in the movies, they are not exaggerating the panic that ensues as you try to keep driving straight in heavy traffic while desperately swatting at a bee that you really don't want to be stung by! We managed to grab it in a tissue and stuff it into the glove compartment - it wouldn't do to have thrown the tissue and the bee out of the window - can you imagine all the hooting that would have gone on?!
So I've travelled about 100 kilometres today, spent hours waiting in various queues, and am ready to flop into bed, but I've been invited out for my favourite Kerula Prawn Curry (yes, that one!), so bed will have to wait a bit longer.
Tuesday, 29 October 2013
My little rescue dog, Susie
I was reminded today of the procedure that was followed when we found our little dog, Susie, at an animal rescue organisation eleven years ago. We had got a puppy from a neighbour a few years before and decided to get a companion for him. I happened to ride past ...... and executed a sharp left turn on a whim as I saw the sign. It was as though something had swung the wheel on my behalf as I barely slowed down due to the impulsiveness of the decision to go in. I wandered past the cages and came to a large enclosure filled with every kind of mongrel - sounds better in Afrikaans - brak you could imagine. They rushed to greet me at the fence, barking excitedly, and I have to say it was not a nice experience. I can't bear animals in any kind of cage.
And then I noticed a little dog with the dirtiest matted coat - a kind of brown colour - just staring up at me, totally quiet, not joining in the hullabaloo. She just looked, almost as though she had given up being noticed. I immediately phoned HWCFA and told him I had found a companion for Monty and he rushed around from work to have a look. I think he was a bit taken aback at the state of her, but agreed that we should take her.
I went to the office to give them the good news and was surprised to hear that she had been in that cage for three months already. I couldn't believe that she had been left in that condition. I was even more surprised to hear that they wanted to inspect my home and garden for suitability before letting me take her, and nearly fell on my back when they wanted R200 for her. Obviously I had no idea how these things worked! Anyway, I arranged an appointment for them to inspect and said I would take her once she had been to the parlour and been completely shaved and cleaned up. They told me that she had been spayed when they first got her, as is their modus operandi.
Once I had been approved as a suitable owner (by viewing my fence and observing no unprotected water hazards), I went back to collect her. What a shock! She looked like a skinny rat, shaved bald but fortunately now a shiny white. She really did not look pretty. The matted hair had covered a multitude of sins, not the least of which was the fact that they had never taken her back to the vet to have the spaying stitches removed. Poor little dog. She was a bundle of nerves, cowering if you made the slightest sudden movement and sitting on the spot at a moderately raised voice. She had apparently been kept outside in a not very salubrious area and must have been starved (she still gobbles everything in sight after 11 years with us) and is so frightened by thunder that she can squeeze herself under our bed which is only a 4-inch gap and has to be given Rescue Remedy.
The most remarkable thing, though, was that she had never made one sound since I first saw her and I thought she was mute, but after two weeks in her new home, where she was allowed to sleep on the bed and the couch and any other warm and cosy place she fancied, she suddenly gave a little bark and we realised that it was trauma that had kept her silent. How sad that people can be so cruel.
I'm very happy that we have been able to give her a life of doggie luxury and security, and she has rewarded us by being the best possible watchdog and a good hot water bottle in winter.
The point of all this is to say that, if you are considering getting a pet, rescue doggies should be top of the list and given extra special treatment, by way of compensating the canine world for all the people who should never have been allowed to own an animal. They will reward you with companionship, security and undying gratitude.
.
And then I noticed a little dog with the dirtiest matted coat - a kind of brown colour - just staring up at me, totally quiet, not joining in the hullabaloo. She just looked, almost as though she had given up being noticed. I immediately phoned HWCFA and told him I had found a companion for Monty and he rushed around from work to have a look. I think he was a bit taken aback at the state of her, but agreed that we should take her.
I went to the office to give them the good news and was surprised to hear that she had been in that cage for three months already. I couldn't believe that she had been left in that condition. I was even more surprised to hear that they wanted to inspect my home and garden for suitability before letting me take her, and nearly fell on my back when they wanted R200 for her. Obviously I had no idea how these things worked! Anyway, I arranged an appointment for them to inspect and said I would take her once she had been to the parlour and been completely shaved and cleaned up. They told me that she had been spayed when they first got her, as is their modus operandi.
Once I had been approved as a suitable owner (by viewing my fence and observing no unprotected water hazards), I went back to collect her. What a shock! She looked like a skinny rat, shaved bald but fortunately now a shiny white. She really did not look pretty. The matted hair had covered a multitude of sins, not the least of which was the fact that they had never taken her back to the vet to have the spaying stitches removed. Poor little dog. She was a bundle of nerves, cowering if you made the slightest sudden movement and sitting on the spot at a moderately raised voice. She had apparently been kept outside in a not very salubrious area and must have been starved (she still gobbles everything in sight after 11 years with us) and is so frightened by thunder that she can squeeze herself under our bed which is only a 4-inch gap and has to be given Rescue Remedy.
The most remarkable thing, though, was that she had never made one sound since I first saw her and I thought she was mute, but after two weeks in her new home, where she was allowed to sleep on the bed and the couch and any other warm and cosy place she fancied, she suddenly gave a little bark and we realised that it was trauma that had kept her silent. How sad that people can be so cruel.
I'm very happy that we have been able to give her a life of doggie luxury and security, and she has rewarded us by being the best possible watchdog and a good hot water bottle in winter.
The point of all this is to say that, if you are considering getting a pet, rescue doggies should be top of the list and given extra special treatment, by way of compensating the canine world for all the people who should never have been allowed to own an animal. They will reward you with companionship, security and undying gratitude..
Monday, 28 October 2013
Tree tales
The big gum tree at the top of the garden is dying. I've never known a gum tree to die. None of the others in the road have died. In fact they are so old they have been cut down numerous times and the regrowth has been more vigorous than the original trees. Some have three trunks growing from the initial bole. My initial thought was that someone has poisoned it. So I investigated as well as I could, examining the trunk for drill holes (felt rather like Dr G from Crime and Investigation!), but found nothing. This doesn't mean that an ecoplug hasn't been put into a root - a large wild banana plant was removed from underneath the tree a few months ago.
I have considered that it might be the neighbour, but his house is the one that I have calculated will take the direct hit when it comes down and I would have just asked the council to take it down if it were me. I then took a walk up the road to see what kind of sea view the new houses have a little way up the mountain, and saw that they were more than adequate without having to resort to desperate measures. None of this solves the actual problem, which is - when is it going to fall and will I be driving down my driveway when it does?
A friend stopped to chat as I was pondering these important matters at the foot of the tree and reminded me of an incident some years ago. A house up the road had a large Norfolk pine growing in a back corner of the garden and out of the blue, it drooped and died. Interested parties took a look and discovered three drilled holes with a distinct diesel smell. They also followed the line of sight between the tree and possible obstructions to sea views and blow me down if they didn't catch out the dominee! He eventually confessed (how appropriate) to perhaps having had something to do with it, but it says nothing for his sermons or even his vocation that he couldn't practice what he preached!
I have considered that it might be the neighbour, but his house is the one that I have calculated will take the direct hit when it comes down and I would have just asked the council to take it down if it were me. I then took a walk up the road to see what kind of sea view the new houses have a little way up the mountain, and saw that they were more than adequate without having to resort to desperate measures. None of this solves the actual problem, which is - when is it going to fall and will I be driving down my driveway when it does?
A friend stopped to chat as I was pondering these important matters at the foot of the tree and reminded me of an incident some years ago. A house up the road had a large Norfolk pine growing in a back corner of the garden and out of the blue, it drooped and died. Interested parties took a look and discovered three drilled holes with a distinct diesel smell. They also followed the line of sight between the tree and possible obstructions to sea views and blow me down if they didn't catch out the dominee! He eventually confessed (how appropriate) to perhaps having had something to do with it, but it says nothing for his sermons or even his vocation that he couldn't practice what he preached!
Sunday, 27 October 2013
A perfect day
Woke up to a mini summer today. A gentle walk with the dogs down at the rocks set the tone for a day free from any gearbox-changing or related garage activities. A few petunias are now gracing the flowerbeds, the watering has been done, garden neatened up with rubbish disposed of. After a leisurely braai (during which the grand prix passed unnoticed - how times change!), the camping mattress came out and it was snooze time for HWCFA while I passed the time of day with a lunchtime guest who was too polite to also have a nod.
A drift of ozone-laden air is coming in now from the sea and high ice clouds are sweeping in from the west - harbingers of another cold front. But nothing compared to what will be hitting the UK tonight, we hear - a hurricane with forecasts of severe flooding and wind damage during Monday morning rush hour throughout Wales and southern England. With friends and relatives in the area, we can only sympathise and hope they will all keep safe - my feeling is that in such circumstances a day off work should be compulsory purely to keep accidents to a minimum. I try to never go out in heavy rain and will put off any appointment in bad weather.
Happy to be here at the tip of Africa!
Friday, 25 October 2013
The red jacket
A new shop has opened in Kommetjie, buying and selling old and new items, so I took the opportunity to offload 6 Noritake saucers that I have had in a cupboard for 25 years. The cups had chipped or cracked before that, due to the usual bad handling that goes on in kitchens. If we just slowed down a little, I'm sure our dinner services would last forever. Amazingly enough, they were thrilled to have them and we settled on a mutually acceptable monetary exchange. Anything was acceptable to me - I mean, fancy being paid for something you haven't used for 25 years!
As I was leaving the shop, a red jacket/car coat type of garment caught my eye and I took it off the rail as I always do when it's red. I tried it on and it was exactly what I have been looking for over many years. Imagine my excitement to see that it cost less than they had paid me for the saucers! I headed straight back to the counter, paid and put it into the packet recently vacated by the crockery.
I got home and modelled it for my daughter, who immediately told me that it made me look twice the size I already am, and did I really want that? I have to admit the rest of my get-up was not ideal. Flat Crocs, knee-length denims and dishevelled hair pulled back with an Alice band. I don't always look in the mirror too carefully before going out! However, I do think that in high heels and slimline black pants, with a decent hairstyle and a spot of makeup, the Tweedledum effect might well be lessened! And if it isn't, should I care? I'm only 5' 2" so everything makes me look bigger than I had hoped. I've spent my whole life trying not to offend others by wearing inappropriate clothing, but all you have to do is walk down Longbeach Mall to see that not many people care for my ocular sensibilities.
It's said that every dog has his day, and I had mine when I was much younger - it's perhaps time to remember I can't be 18 forever - physically, that is. Mentally is another story for another day.
As I was leaving the shop, a red jacket/car coat type of garment caught my eye and I took it off the rail as I always do when it's red. I tried it on and it was exactly what I have been looking for over many years. Imagine my excitement to see that it cost less than they had paid me for the saucers! I headed straight back to the counter, paid and put it into the packet recently vacated by the crockery.
I got home and modelled it for my daughter, who immediately told me that it made me look twice the size I already am, and did I really want that? I have to admit the rest of my get-up was not ideal. Flat Crocs, knee-length denims and dishevelled hair pulled back with an Alice band. I don't always look in the mirror too carefully before going out! However, I do think that in high heels and slimline black pants, with a decent hairstyle and a spot of makeup, the Tweedledum effect might well be lessened! And if it isn't, should I care? I'm only 5' 2" so everything makes me look bigger than I had hoped. I've spent my whole life trying not to offend others by wearing inappropriate clothing, but all you have to do is walk down Longbeach Mall to see that not many people care for my ocular sensibilities.
It's said that every dog has his day, and I had mine when I was much younger - it's perhaps time to remember I can't be 18 forever - physically, that is. Mentally is another story for another day.
Thursday, 24 October 2013
Cloud contemplation
As this is my second blog today (I was inspired to write very early this morning and have been nose to the grindstone with 'real' work all day), I'm sharing some cloud pictures from this week. The first two and the last two are tonight's clouds. Aren't they pretty?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)