The Claremont Quarter is refurbishing its apartment public areas and for the next three weeks it is the painting of our front doors. Mine was supposed to be painted today but by some strange Kiwi logic the painter promoted the idea that I asked for two days hence but since it was now the next day that today was when it was going to be done. So I missed knitting on account of the door had to stay open until the paint dried (7 - 8 hours) and I didn't want to leave my front door unlocked or leave the cats unsupervised with the door unlocked; not that they went anywhere while the door was wide open.
Anyway, when I tried to close the door after the paint was dry I found that when the lock was replaced it was somehow skewed so that neither key nor handles nor the little snib thingy worked and I realised that if I pushed it shut no-one would have been able to rescue me without removing the lock again. So I tied a sash around the handles so that it could not accidentally slam and first thing this morning went down a level to where the painters were and asked to have the lock properly inserted again.
During my search I found the new carpet laid out on Level 5 and it is the most dreadful smudgy leopard spots and it looks a bit fluffy which will mean that shopping trolleys will not wheel over them easily. I have suggested that the wallpaper should have giraffes and elephants to emphasise the theme.
I have been having problems with my eyes and accompanying vertigo but that seems to have cleared up and five weeks after I started trying for an appointment with my ophthalmologist I am finally going to see him next week.
On a lighter note I have acquired a whole heap of knitting yarn and have made an early start on knitting for the homeless. I have finished three pairs of wrist warmers but have not sewn them up yet (why do knitters hate sewing up?). There is no hurry - yesterday and the day before were over 40 degrees and today was 39. Sydney with its bushfires and high humidity was much worse and at least I have air conditioning.
The Limerick:-
I bought a new Hoover today,
Turned it on in the usual way,
And it made a great din
And sucked everything in.
Now I'm homeless with no place to stay.
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Monday, January 13, 2020
And the lights all went out in . . .
Last Friday night, after dark, the lights went out in the Claremont Quarter shopping centre and both blocks of apartments. Luckily it was not the night before - Thursday is late shopping. Bad enough that the two supermarkets lost all their power and lighting but it would have been a disaster if the power had gone off on Thursday evening. The boom gates in the parking area were set to let people out but the residents of the 75 apartment could not get in. The lifts were not working and no-one except a handful of long-term residents realised that their apartment keys opened the fire escape doors to their apartment level - only their level and that did not mean the secure parking which is protected by electrified gates.
I had a small torch and a heap of candles but nothing to light them with but was rescued by a Level 6 resident with a cigarette lighter. The gas cooktops were no help - they work off electro-magnets. I gave Mrs 703 a couple of candles as all she had were four tea lights and a couple of candles for the person with the cigarette lighter, after showing her how to stick a candle onto a plate - shades of the 1940s when my family lived here in Perth for a number of years during limited power and hourly blackouts.
The generator which supplied power to Perth was a second-hand purchase from Imperial Russia and was not designed for a growing city. For the three or four years we lived here power was rationed to every alternate hour - one hour south of the river and one hour to the north. Everyone had gas stoves, lanterns and candles and as the supply changed on the hour we all knew when to light the candles.
My grandparents lived in the Adelaide Hills and were almost completely self-sufficient: dairy, orchards, sheep and horses. Darky, Bluey and Bloss were the draughthorses, Duchy pulled the trap to go into the town to collect the mail and Gay was my grandfathers thoroughbred riding horse. Lighting was gas and the gas was generated using carbide rock and water. It must have been difficult to read at night but as children we thought that it was fun. In the city we had 25-watt globes and blackout curtains.
And to cut a long story short - I now have multiple boxes of matches but less candles.
The Limerick:-
There was a young fellow named Willy
Who acted remarkably silly.
At an all-nations ball
Dressed in nothing at all
He claimed that his costume was Chile.
I had a small torch and a heap of candles but nothing to light them with but was rescued by a Level 6 resident with a cigarette lighter. The gas cooktops were no help - they work off electro-magnets. I gave Mrs 703 a couple of candles as all she had were four tea lights and a couple of candles for the person with the cigarette lighter, after showing her how to stick a candle onto a plate - shades of the 1940s when my family lived here in Perth for a number of years during limited power and hourly blackouts.
The generator which supplied power to Perth was a second-hand purchase from Imperial Russia and was not designed for a growing city. For the three or four years we lived here power was rationed to every alternate hour - one hour south of the river and one hour to the north. Everyone had gas stoves, lanterns and candles and as the supply changed on the hour we all knew when to light the candles.
My grandparents lived in the Adelaide Hills and were almost completely self-sufficient: dairy, orchards, sheep and horses. Darky, Bluey and Bloss were the draughthorses, Duchy pulled the trap to go into the town to collect the mail and Gay was my grandfathers thoroughbred riding horse. Lighting was gas and the gas was generated using carbide rock and water. It must have been difficult to read at night but as children we thought that it was fun. In the city we had 25-watt globes and blackout curtains.
And to cut a long story short - I now have multiple boxes of matches but less candles.
The Limerick:-
There was a young fellow named Willy
Who acted remarkably silly.
At an all-nations ball
Dressed in nothing at all
He claimed that his costume was Chile.
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Oh, my paws and whiskers
Last Thursday I woke up with a very sore eye which was not working all that well and since it was the eye with the intraocular lens I was a bit concerned so I phoned my optometrist. He felt that I should have the eye properly checked out so he tried phoning the Eye Institute. They were not answering their phone. He tried a couple of ophthalmologists and got recorded messages telling people that if they had a problem with their eyes they should to go SCGH emergency. I prefer RPH where D2 is an emergency physician so I phoned her. She said that SCGH had a waiting list of five and RPH had a waiting list of 17 so I took myself off to SCGH.
The registrar there said that she had never seen so many people with eye problems and, according to D2, the registrar at RPH was exhausted by the end of her shift. Did all the ophthalmologists go off on Christmas breaks at the same time? It would seem so.
I am starting back to regular yoga and it is so hard; I have really stiffened up over my involuntary break so it is going to be a struggle to get back to flexibility. However, I shall persevere.
I spent yesterday morning at the dentist - a two-hour appointment. The stump holding my bling in place had decayed and my dentist wanted to remove the bling, drill out the decay, fill the stump and replace the bling. Unfortunately the decay was more extensive than he had realised so he is not holding out great hopes that the new bling will last an great length of time and then the roots will have to be cut out. Been there, done that and it is no great hassle and it is a back tooth which is why I elected to have a gold crown in the first place.
I have started knitting wrist warmers and beanies for Out-reach to get ahead of winter as D3 has given me a whole big bag of top quality woollen yarn. I have donated the white balls to my knitting group as white is not suitable for homeless people but I have a lot of green, some grey and a small amount of black. I am not sure how much will be needed for a pair of wrist warmers but when I have finished the first pair I will weight them and do some sums.
I am sorry that this post is such a tale of woe but it serves as a diary for me.
And now the Limerick:-
Said an envious erudite ermine,
"There's one thing I cannot determine:
When a girl wears my coat
She's a person of note.
When I wear it I'm only called vermin."
The registrar there said that she had never seen so many people with eye problems and, according to D2, the registrar at RPH was exhausted by the end of her shift. Did all the ophthalmologists go off on Christmas breaks at the same time? It would seem so.
I am starting back to regular yoga and it is so hard; I have really stiffened up over my involuntary break so it is going to be a struggle to get back to flexibility. However, I shall persevere.
I spent yesterday morning at the dentist - a two-hour appointment. The stump holding my bling in place had decayed and my dentist wanted to remove the bling, drill out the decay, fill the stump and replace the bling. Unfortunately the decay was more extensive than he had realised so he is not holding out great hopes that the new bling will last an great length of time and then the roots will have to be cut out. Been there, done that and it is no great hassle and it is a back tooth which is why I elected to have a gold crown in the first place.
I have started knitting wrist warmers and beanies for Out-reach to get ahead of winter as D3 has given me a whole big bag of top quality woollen yarn. I have donated the white balls to my knitting group as white is not suitable for homeless people but I have a lot of green, some grey and a small amount of black. I am not sure how much will be needed for a pair of wrist warmers but when I have finished the first pair I will weight them and do some sums.
I am sorry that this post is such a tale of woe but it serves as a diary for me.
And now the Limerick:-
Said an envious erudite ermine,
"There's one thing I cannot determine:
When a girl wears my coat
She's a person of note.
When I wear it I'm only called vermin."
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Happy New Year and Happy New Decade
My main emotion regarding Christmas is "Thank goodness it's over". But I have spat the dummy and next Christmas will be held Chez D3. I have been doing Christmas for about 50 years and had a bit of a meltdown this last Christmas so all the kids got together and provided everything except the potato salad which I organised along with a promise to show everyone how to make the mayonnaise and thinking back - just having to do the potato salad would not be too onerous so maybe . . .
After a week of high temperatures the weather is coolish with a strong sea breeze, unlike the eastern States where the fires are out of control and lives have been lost in several States. I feel devastated for the animals which could not be saved. They were not even given the option of running to safety. I can remember my father having to shoot sheep which were caught on a fire which swept through the Adelaide hills.
Christmas was actually very relaxed with the Ds and the GBs all contributing. We had the usual sausage sizzle and salads followed by Christmas Pudding with very alcoholic brandy sauce. D1 arrived two days before Christmas with, as usual, her ironing ("why bother to iron things which will get creased in transit") and the makings of a silk blouse ("Your sewing machine is much better than mine"). She is doing a serious Wine Course and provided most of the champagne. D2 wanted pink so she also brought along a bottle, as well as truffle sausages and Christmas pudding. D3 brought salad and brandy sauce. The GBs chopped the stuff which goes into the potato salad to give colour and variety.
My leg is better than it was but is still swollen despite D3's expertise but I am back to doing yoga and, hopefully after my toe is shortened I will be able to start walking around Lake Claremont again.
Blogger has a new format. I had a bit of a problem finding my way to this site; I will have to study the new format before I dive in. I wish . . .
And the Limerick:-
Said my friend Albert Fiddle to me,
"I'm a student of divinity.
When I graduate
'Twill be my sad fate
To be known as A.Fiddle D.D."
After a week of high temperatures the weather is coolish with a strong sea breeze, unlike the eastern States where the fires are out of control and lives have been lost in several States. I feel devastated for the animals which could not be saved. They were not even given the option of running to safety. I can remember my father having to shoot sheep which were caught on a fire which swept through the Adelaide hills.
Christmas was actually very relaxed with the Ds and the GBs all contributing. We had the usual sausage sizzle and salads followed by Christmas Pudding with very alcoholic brandy sauce. D1 arrived two days before Christmas with, as usual, her ironing ("why bother to iron things which will get creased in transit") and the makings of a silk blouse ("Your sewing machine is much better than mine"). She is doing a serious Wine Course and provided most of the champagne. D2 wanted pink so she also brought along a bottle, as well as truffle sausages and Christmas pudding. D3 brought salad and brandy sauce. The GBs chopped the stuff which goes into the potato salad to give colour and variety.
My leg is better than it was but is still swollen despite D3's expertise but I am back to doing yoga and, hopefully after my toe is shortened I will be able to start walking around Lake Claremont again.
Blogger has a new format. I had a bit of a problem finding my way to this site; I will have to study the new format before I dive in. I wish . . .
And the Limerick:-
Said my friend Albert Fiddle to me,
"I'm a student of divinity.
When I graduate
'Twill be my sad fate
To be known as A.Fiddle D.D."
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
"Where's the bread?"
We have two supermarkets down under and both seem to be going through upgrades. Yesterday I was at the Independent Grocers' place and the staff there were actively moving stuff around. I mostly visit that supermarket because they do not have "brand" produce and I get tired of crawling around the floor of Coles to find a "not a Coles product" which is invariably at the back of the bottom shelf.
Anyway as I searched the other one for their unbranded and unsweetened dried cranberries I met at least three people asking me if I knew where the bread was and as I finally left with my cranberries, found with the help of an assistant, I was followed out by the plaintive cry of "Where is the bread?"
Yesterday I had the first of my two shower recesses sealed (the second will be done next week when I am again able to use the one in the main bathroom). There seems to be a big drive on to get all the shower recesses sealed; there has obviously been some trouble, probably in Block A which is four years older than Block B where I have my apartment. But the Strata management expects us to pay for the new grouting. Life here is not cheap . . .
We are undergoing an unprecedented heatwave even before summer properly gets started and have three over 40 degree days to look forward to. I have been slopping around in thin cotton caftans and with the air conditioning running. Yesterday we didn't even get a sea breeze to cool us down and no sign of any cooling breeze as yet today.
As I left my apartment yesterday to return the shopping trolley - very handy for moving stuff around - a man descended from the roof (the steps up to the roof open just in front of the lift) and he said that he had been looking at the slats which are there to decorate the outside of the building as the window cleaners had obviously spat the dummy about cleaning them. I gave him a rundown, as a resident, on the advantages of recommending that they should be removed, including that they block the view and the time when some kids broke into the building by climbing up them. They didn't get further than the pool area due to the very tight security but the slats which were reachable from the ground were cut back to prevent anyone else using that way into the building.
The Limerick:-
A father was driving a car
Quite slowly, when son said, "Papa,
If you drive at this rate
We're bound to be late,
Drive faster!" . . . He did . . . and they are.
Anyway as I searched the other one for their unbranded and unsweetened dried cranberries I met at least three people asking me if I knew where the bread was and as I finally left with my cranberries, found with the help of an assistant, I was followed out by the plaintive cry of "Where is the bread?"
Yesterday I had the first of my two shower recesses sealed (the second will be done next week when I am again able to use the one in the main bathroom). There seems to be a big drive on to get all the shower recesses sealed; there has obviously been some trouble, probably in Block A which is four years older than Block B where I have my apartment. But the Strata management expects us to pay for the new grouting. Life here is not cheap . . .
We are undergoing an unprecedented heatwave even before summer properly gets started and have three over 40 degree days to look forward to. I have been slopping around in thin cotton caftans and with the air conditioning running. Yesterday we didn't even get a sea breeze to cool us down and no sign of any cooling breeze as yet today.
As I left my apartment yesterday to return the shopping trolley - very handy for moving stuff around - a man descended from the roof (the steps up to the roof open just in front of the lift) and he said that he had been looking at the slats which are there to decorate the outside of the building as the window cleaners had obviously spat the dummy about cleaning them. I gave him a rundown, as a resident, on the advantages of recommending that they should be removed, including that they block the view and the time when some kids broke into the building by climbing up them. They didn't get further than the pool area due to the very tight security but the slats which were reachable from the ground were cut back to prevent anyone else using that way into the building.
The Limerick:-
A father was driving a car
Quite slowly, when son said, "Papa,
If you drive at this rate
We're bound to be late,
Drive faster!" . . . He did . . . and they are.
Monday, December 9, 2019
Still limping around
My leg is getting better; the swelling is almost down although I am still wearing a support stocking and the bruising has almost gone so I am on the mend.
But things seem to be getting busy, what with Christmas and all. This morning I attended an annual Christmas Brunch organised for and with retired physiotherapists. As I didn't train here I really do not know any of them well and stubbornly forget their names from one year to the next - but it is good anyway.
D2 had a birthday over the weekend and the whole family went out to dinner last night at a restaurant which, when I first moved to Western Australia back in the dark ages, was the most comprehensive delicatessen I have ever seen before or since. It gradually morphed into a restaurant and is now very busy and very noisy but serves Brussels sprouts cooked a way which D2 is particularly fond of.
The day after tomorrow my master bathroom is having its shower recess re-grouted and silicone sealed and next Tuesday, when the grout has settled, the guest bathroom will have its shower sealed as well. As the floors have to be dry I am currently using the shower in the guest bathroom and find that it is even more badly designed than the Master bathroom.
Mrs Apt B705 died sometime at the end of last week. Her carer attended to her on Thursday and found her dead yesterday. She wanted to die but it was a dreadful shock for the carer who had to deal with Ambos and police and clean things up as best she could. Mrs B705 was to have a second carer come in on the three off days but that arrangement was not to start until next year.
We have been having very hot weather - over 40 degrees and more to come this week. Thank heaven for air conditioning although the sea breeze (AKA the Fremantle Doctor to out-of-towners) usually arrives in the afternoon and my apartment faces south so I get full advantage of it when it comes in.
The Limerick:-
A society climber from Crewe
Inquired, "What on earth shall I do?
I of course know what's what
But I fear I have not
The faintest idea of who's who."
But things seem to be getting busy, what with Christmas and all. This morning I attended an annual Christmas Brunch organised for and with retired physiotherapists. As I didn't train here I really do not know any of them well and stubbornly forget their names from one year to the next - but it is good anyway.
D2 had a birthday over the weekend and the whole family went out to dinner last night at a restaurant which, when I first moved to Western Australia back in the dark ages, was the most comprehensive delicatessen I have ever seen before or since. It gradually morphed into a restaurant and is now very busy and very noisy but serves Brussels sprouts cooked a way which D2 is particularly fond of.
The day after tomorrow my master bathroom is having its shower recess re-grouted and silicone sealed and next Tuesday, when the grout has settled, the guest bathroom will have its shower sealed as well. As the floors have to be dry I am currently using the shower in the guest bathroom and find that it is even more badly designed than the Master bathroom.
Mrs Apt B705 died sometime at the end of last week. Her carer attended to her on Thursday and found her dead yesterday. She wanted to die but it was a dreadful shock for the carer who had to deal with Ambos and police and clean things up as best she could. Mrs B705 was to have a second carer come in on the three off days but that arrangement was not to start until next year.
We have been having very hot weather - over 40 degrees and more to come this week. Thank heaven for air conditioning although the sea breeze (AKA the Fremantle Doctor to out-of-towners) usually arrives in the afternoon and my apartment faces south so I get full advantage of it when it comes in.
The Limerick:-
A society climber from Crewe
Inquired, "What on earth shall I do?
I of course know what's what
But I fear I have not
The faintest idea of who's who."
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Bruised Ego
I have, as a part of my de-cluttering drive, started spinning again. Because my thumbs are getting arthritic I am limiting myself to an hour or the length of one CD. I have two cupboards full of fleece so it is going to take me a while.
But I have cleared out all of my rubber stamps. I used to love making my own cards and spent a lot of time making my own Christmas and birthday cards but I haven't done any cards in the last eight years since I moved into the apartment. I threw out my colouring pens a couple of months ago; they had all dried and would have needed re-hydrating so I am slowly clearing out the dross.
Anyway, a week ago today I stepped down a very low curb and there was a loud crack in my right lower leg. I hobbled home and started ice and compression, having ascertained that everything in my ankle still worked and today I was able for the first time in a week to walk normally without a limp. However, to get back to the title of this piece, my right ankle and all down my right calf are exactly the colour of my current spinning. It makes me wonder a bit just what the supplier of my fibre was doing when she dyed and named the colourway "Bruised Ego".
On account of my very sore toe which I have probably mentioned in a previous post I have been buying a few colour co-ordinating walking sticks which I was storing inside a rolled up Pilates mat until Parsifal started playing with the wrist straps and brought the whole arrangement down with a loud crash so I ordered a fancy stick holder which arrived in Melbourne from USA within about three days and then sat in Melbourne for ten days before it finally arrived here in Western Australia. Made by the same company which makes the sticks it fits nicely into a spare corner and accommodates all my sticks very neatly.
The Limerick:-
Thomas Beecham, his voice like a ratchet,
Cut a poor cellist down like a hatchet.
"You have, twixt your thighs
My dear, a great prize,
And yet you just sit there and scratch it!"
But I have cleared out all of my rubber stamps. I used to love making my own cards and spent a lot of time making my own Christmas and birthday cards but I haven't done any cards in the last eight years since I moved into the apartment. I threw out my colouring pens a couple of months ago; they had all dried and would have needed re-hydrating so I am slowly clearing out the dross.
Anyway, a week ago today I stepped down a very low curb and there was a loud crack in my right lower leg. I hobbled home and started ice and compression, having ascertained that everything in my ankle still worked and today I was able for the first time in a week to walk normally without a limp. However, to get back to the title of this piece, my right ankle and all down my right calf are exactly the colour of my current spinning. It makes me wonder a bit just what the supplier of my fibre was doing when she dyed and named the colourway "Bruised Ego".
On account of my very sore toe which I have probably mentioned in a previous post I have been buying a few colour co-ordinating walking sticks which I was storing inside a rolled up Pilates mat until Parsifal started playing with the wrist straps and brought the whole arrangement down with a loud crash so I ordered a fancy stick holder which arrived in Melbourne from USA within about three days and then sat in Melbourne for ten days before it finally arrived here in Western Australia. Made by the same company which makes the sticks it fits nicely into a spare corner and accommodates all my sticks very neatly.
The Limerick:-
Thomas Beecham, his voice like a ratchet,
Cut a poor cellist down like a hatchet.
"You have, twixt your thighs
My dear, a great prize,
And yet you just sit there and scratch it!"
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