Coronavirus update.

We are allowed to have 2 Adults and their children visit..

My grand-daughter, Mila is turning 10 years old on Sunday

 it means we can go and celebrate her double-digit Birthday.

My daughter, Natalie and I have been discussing what I can get Mila for her birthday so now I can be there when she opens her presents. 

PUP enjoying his rest.

Nicholas' Graduation

https://youtu.be/H5F-K8l0eeg

My new kitchen loving it too bits.

Will be adding a new bathroom later in the year as have too much 

on at the moment to concentrate on choosing new fittings. 

The end of one year and the beginning of another.

May this year be less stressful and sorrowful.

On the 23 December last year, I went to the dentist as I had broken a molar. The dentist took a xray and found it had root canal work done on it. So after 15 minutes of trying to remove molar he decides he will need to drill the securing pin out of the molar. wtf. 10 minutes of using nearly every gadget in the surgery he finally removes the tooth. What a mess 3 stitches later I am told I also have a small hole going into my nasal cavity, no blowing my nose for at least 2 weeks.

My Christmas lunch comprised of yogurt, noodles and milk. Actually my entire diet for the next 2 weeks until the stitches finally came out was made up of dairy products and any other 'soft' food.

Despite that I had a lovely Christmas and New Year with my family.

On Boxing Day I supposed to head up north to Emerald Beach to visit my sister, Cathy and her family but as I was on super pain killing drugs that wasn't going to happen. I rang my sister on Christmas Day to tell her I wouldn't be coming and was informed my brother heard I was going up and he booked a flight on Christmas Eve so he could spend some time with his sisters also my elder sister, Tricia and her family holidaying at Port Macquarie decided to spend the day with us, to say I was a little pissed off is an understatement.

Meanwhile, I am back at work feeling refreshed after my 3 weeks 'holiday'.  My youngest son, Michael moved back home early December and is now painting the ceilings in my home.

Mike painting with Fred the cat supervising.

My grandson, Max turned one the other day

 and we also celebrated his Christening.

He loves water and kept trying to turn around
 and play in the font.

He is a bit of a handful and the total opposite 
of his sister in temperment.

Had a lovely Yum Cha lunch with my daughter and her family today.

Cheeky Mila

Family History.

My daughter, Natalie wanted to know why my grandfather, a Ryan changed his surname to Ryall and then 40 years later it was changed back to Ryan.

Name was originally Ryan. There was a tragedy when Ted's brother Hugh and 2 others were swept away in a flooded river when they tried to cross it. The people on the bank held Ted back from following to save his brother. The year was 1908. (Ted's father, Thomas died a year later). Ted's mother, Charlotte had trouble with understanding that Ted was there but hadn't gone into the river to save his brother. I would say Charlotte (Tot) was suffering from post traumatic stress (had 7 of her children die up to this time) rejected Ted's excuses and he left for Queensland after his father's death. Next heard of in Gordonvale, Queensland about 1910 with a name change (never legally). 

Trying now to map his journey from Orange, NSW to Gordonvale, Qld. It is funny that without this tragedy I would not have been born and related to the wonderful Thumm family. 

Easter Saturday was spent up the coast at Catherine Hill Bay beach

 with my daughter and her family.

It was a perfect Autumn day.

I have Max 4 months and Mila nearly 3. her mum. Natalie.

(Photo: Natalie E.)

I bought myself a new camera a few week ago and am having fun trying it out. A Canon Rebel SLR. I spent a little more than I am used to paying for a camera but as a field worker I get to go to some lovely towns here on the Central Coast and the beaches aren't too bad either.

(Photo: Natalie E.)

My laptop's DVD player has died. so to install the software for my camera I had to install on my netbook. Ha! That was a fun exercise trying to see on a 7" screen but I was able to upload photos to photob*ck*t and then download to my laptop. What a pain.

My three sisters and I
 September 2011

I have had a major hair style change since this was taken.
It is now cut quite short and more grey is showing.

Here is another one,

Mighty Max

 taken yesterday, showing off his Biceps.

My youngest son, Uncle Mike, a painter

getting into the act.

My new Grandson, Max James

He was born yesterday, 1st December.

 Weight 4.1kg. (9 pounds). 51cms (20") long.

Both mum and son doing well. 

His big sister Mila

wasn't happy to see her Grandma holding him. 

My sad news with my pets just keeps going on and on.

Yesterday, I came home from work to find my little female dog, Kahlua, dragging her leg as she tried to walk towards me, her sight in one eye had been deteriorating lately, but now she was having trouble walking. I stayed up all night with her but she was only getting worse and became distressed if I moved from her side.

This morning I took her along to the vet and the news was not good, old age, missing her companion Bailey, failing eyesight and leg injury (probably caused by trying to jump up on her favourite seat). The vet said I would be just delaying the inevitable by keeping her alive. So once again I had to return home alone.

I'm sitting here now without words. Lost.

I have been rather quiet of late because I have had to deal with some things that have given me a shake-up.

My brother, Bruce, was diagnosed with neck and head cancer 6 years ago which required a 10 hours operation to remove abscessed soft tissue from his neck and installation of a new voice box and removal of his bottom teeth. He had intensive radiography and also had to learn to speak again. Over the years he has had lumps removed from his head and neck. Last year in March he was told he would not be having any more operations done to remove any more lumps and no more radiography and was given a couple of months to live but they could give him palliative chemotheraphy to give him maybe an extra 12 months and now would be assigned to a palliative doctor.He finished his course of chemo last September, and was able to play golf again.

On 29 June my rescue cat, Darcy, went outside and hasn't been seen since. I had had him for 4 years. 

On 27 July Bruce had a stroke was hospitalized and entered rehab. Last week he returned home and is taking things slowly.  (My dad had a stroke when he was 54 which paralysed him down his left side and he died at 67 years.) For some reason the news my brother having a stroke knocked the stuffing out of me, up until then my travelling down to Sydney to take him to chemo and a palliative doctor appts I was able to cope. Grieving.

On 14 August I came home from work to find my 12yo dog, Bailey, laying down in the backyard, I knew as soon as I saw him he was gone.  I rang the Vet and he said to bring him down and they will look after him. More grieving.

I live on my own, (divorced empty nester), my pets are my little family. Now there is just my 12yo Maltese Terrier, Carly,  and I.  I had bought the two of them from a little old lady who had 7 dogs, council had told her she could only have 3 and to get rid of the others. My children were still living at home and my eldest son Nicholas and I fronted up to the house only expecting to take one home but the lady was worried if we took one it would be too lonely. So we ended up taking home Carly, and Bailey, a West Highland dog. She had brought them from two different dog breeders, they were 6 months old when they joined our family.

 Everyone keeps telling me to buy a new cat/dog but I think Carly is too old to have a young puppy/kitten running around her. We went on a 2km walk the other day which she loved but paid for it with being all achey the next day.

......................

More and more I have been trying to direct this blog into what it originally was supposed to be ... a life journal.

On Friday, I started two weeks annual leave to de-clutter my house, paint some walls, finally get some cocos palms removed and new guttering installed. On Saturday I had gone down to Sydney to visit my daughter and grand-daughter and we had a lovely lunch together. 

I returned home later in the afternoon on Saturday to find a message waiting on my home phone from the sister Tricia to say my brother Bruce had taken a taxi the day before to the local hospital when he had noticed numbness in his left arm and leg. Bruce has head and throat cancer which he has been battling for the last 8 years.

Last year he underwent a course of palliative chemo to try to slow the cancer down which was successful until his last two x-rays showed that the cancer was active again. A decision whether to run with another course of chemo was going to be made in September, now with this stroke I am not sure if they will go ahead with the chemo but wait to see what long term effect the stroke has on his body.

As I was going to be on vacation I had made plans with Bruce to take him to a store as he had decided to buy an ipad, he finds a PC computer difficult to get his head around (not very computer literate) maybe the ipad would be more user-friendly for him 

... Now we wait to see how this #%F% stroke develops. 

... now I am just sitting here feeling like all the stuffing has been knocked out of me.

When my sisterTricia rang, she left me a number so I could call him direct in hospital, so I rang him and we had a chat, first thing he said was I haven't got a pen ... why do you need a pen ... I'm bored I would like to do my crossword ... that is if I had a paper so I could do my crossword ... and I have no book to read ... and I can't get to my mobile (cell) to phone its on the side of the bed I can't reach ... ok so can you reach the button to summon the nurse to get you a pen and paper ... and there's no TV and I pay top hospital care... I think you're having a bit of a whinge now ... (laughter) ... maybe, he said. 

We spoke for 1/2 an hour about the tests he had had on the Saturday and was going to be visited by the doctor Sunday morning. After the phone call I rang one of his friends to let him know about the stroke and he was going to give him a call on Sunday to see if he needed anything. A call to my sister today Monday and we are still waiting to see how he is going.

 I have a feeling that this stroke is connected to his cancer.

Update 3/9/12.

He is home now while he was in rehab, a team from home modifications went to his house and installed rails and a slight ramp over his stairs. He is walking with a small limp but otherwise he has lucky there was not more damaged done.

Mothers Day 2012

My youngest son, Michael was born 28 years ago on Mothers Day.

He remembers getting annoyed one year

 because he had to share one of his birthdays on Mothers Day.

Happy Birthday, Mila

Darling Grand-daughter

Me and my Girls.

Easter Sunday 2012

Last day of 2011.

I haven't blogged as much this year, don't know why, maybe next year I will be more motivated. Its 10pm here and I am watching a repeat of Stephen Fry at the Opera House earlier this year. The main NYE fireworks will be on in 2 hours and I am sitting here thinking in the meantime I will do an overdue tidy up as I have noticed (lol) I still have some scrunched up Christmas wrapping tucked away in a corner and washing I bought in this afternoon waiting to be sorted and put away.

Here are some pics in no particular order from the last year.

A Cockatoo visitor,

Sponsor swag from the Aussie Bloggers Convention.

A visit from local emergency crew - SES.

A visitor from overseas.

Celebrating my sister's 60th with my brother.

Mothers Day

Stormy weather at Avoca Beach

Cadel Evans winning the Tour de France.

Family Get-Together.

Celebrating my 59th birthday at Terrigal.

Visiting family at Christmas.