Sunday 9 September 2012

Brrrr

It's been cold and wet this winter here in Adelaide.  I'm really kinda over it.  We managed to have a few days in the low twenties last week, which would have been nice, had I not been inside the entire bloody day!  It was cool again by the time I left work so I didn't get to enjoy it at all.

This weekend looked like it was going to be lovely, and indeed here in Adelaide it was.  Pity we were in Nuriootpa!  The newly named Family and Friends Caravan and Camping Club had our first rally up there, and it was lovely and warm when Dobby and I left Saturday morning for the drive, but periodically overcast with light misty rain thrown in for good measure, all weekend up there (an hour's drive away).  Here I am sitting in the office at home, and it's bloody cold.

Anyway I'm getting ahead of myself.

So I've been quite this last few weeks.  Really, nothing at all has been happening.  Until last week.  I have been having health issues.  As you 3 who read this know.  One of the tests I had to do, as an elimination thing really, was an endoscopy and a colonoscopy.  For those who don't know, that's a camera up each end... I seriously hope they washed the blasted thing!

The preparation is very hard on the body.  When you're tired and vauge at the best of times, being food deprived does absolutely nothing to help that!  I started by stopping my usual medications on Monday evening.  Tuesday I could only eat bland white meats (microwaved or grilled chicken or fish - I cooked up some chicken breast Monday night and salted and peppered it), as well as a plain boiled potato or very well cooked pumpkin, white bread (plain or lightly toasted), plain biscuits, cottage cheese.  That's all.  I also had to drink plenty of clear fluids, such as apple juice, coke (Chris, you'd be happy there), water, lemonade, yellow jelly. tea or coffee (no milk) or, oddly enough, beer.

I drank plenty of apple juice and Zero on Tuesday, plus a slice of toast with cottage cheese for breakfast, and some thinly sliced chicken for lunch.  Dinner was more of the chicken.

Wednesday I could eat breakfast (two slices of plain toast, no butter or toppings) with black tea, and that was all.  I had to drink plenty of fluids, then I finished work at 12.  After running a few last minute errands I headed home.  At one I had to drink a preparation drink that tasted something like the Staminade we used to have a skids.  It was fizzy but not too unpleasant.  Than drink a litre of water or juice.  Then at two I had to take another concoction that tasted like Salvital.  Not so nice, (even prepared and refrigerated earlier).  I had to drink it one cup at a time, followed by other fluid in between, over the course of an hour.

It was a wonderful laxative.  Hence coming home from work early.  Then I had to drink another two litres of fluid through the afternoon.  My poor little botty was raw.  I also started to develop a headache.  By the time Fluffy came home from his meeting Wednesday evening and I could go to bed, I felt terrible.  And I couldn't take any medication.

Thursday Dobby was going for a sleepover, and then to the Show the next day, so she packed a bag Wed night.  Thursday morning I had to wake her then take some more of the Staminade-like preparation.  This time, because I was physically so hungry and probably dehytrated, my headache was making me feel physically sick.  I ended up having to ask Dobby's friend, who I usually took to school, to ask if her dad would mind taking the girls today.  He is so lovely and agreed.

Eventually I felt well enough to venture out to buy some last minute necessities for the others before my friend Marg came to pick me up for my hospital visit.  I still felt so terribly, with the headache and nausea, but a little better.

At the hospital I was way early but they didn't mind.  I didn't have to wait long until they brought me in to undress and don one of those wonderful backless gowns.  This place gives you a blanket to wrap around yourself for modesty sake.  As there were several doctors doing the procedures in-house there were a few of us waiting.  I made friends with another lass from the country.  We chatted a bit to waste some time.

She was called and not long after I was also summonsed.  I had to lose the knicker then, and got to make myself comfortable (as much as I could with my stinky headache) on the trolley with the blanket over me.  I met my anaesthetist.  A very lovely chap named Andrew.  Quite dishy he was.  Oh to be 40kg lighter and 25 years younger!  They ended up wheeling me into the room the wrong way and as they were turning my bed I quipped "Ooh, procedure and a circus ride".  Heh.  So, they lay me on my side, put the drip in my arm, and next thing I was out to it.

I woke up before they had finished and my first vision was Andrew.  Aah.  He let the doc know I was awake and he finished up (thankfully).  I had been spun around again while asleep so I know they started with my throat (thank goodness! lol!).

In recovery I still had my headache but i lay there for a few minutes.  Probably about fifteen.  Then they walked me over to a lovely recliner and fed me a cup of tea and an egg and lettuce sandwich.  Although the headache lingered I felt much better.  They phoned Fluffy to get him to pick me up but it was an hour before he came - he had missed the call and didn't get the message.

Anyway, on the way home we had to stop and buy him dinner and I was still hungry.  So I also bought myself a piece of battered fish.  Yummy.  Later we had cheesecake.  Geez, I'm not doing a very good job of taking it easy and eating healthy am I!

After sitting watching TV for a while I took a headache tablet and we went to bed.  As Dobby was at her friends it was lovely and quiet and I got quite a good rest.

Friday, Fluffy went to work till lunch time and I pottered about.  I was eating normally although being careful just in case.  I managed to pop out to do some grocery shopping and get some last minute things done in the caravan.

Fluffy came home at lunch time, hooked up the van, and headed up to Nuri.  I checked the Show website and found out that the fireworks Dobby and her friends were checking out weren't going to be on until 9pm.  That gave me the whole afternoon and evening to relax.  I did just that.  I didn't get up off the couch except to top up my drink and nibbles or go to the loo, as well as soak in the bath.  Total bliss!

She got home about 9.30 and the friend's father had bought them Hungry Jacks for dinner.  That man is so good to the girls. She then proceeded to open all her showbags and put the stuff out on the couch for me to admire.

After a while I insisted she clean up and head off to bed.  She did.  Saturday morning we got up early and were on the road by 7.45 am.  We stopped for fuel and got to Nuri at 9.00 pretty much on the nose.  We found the rest of the group, and wandered around to see who was there.  Fluffy was happy to see us, and Dobby was happy to see him (as, of course, was I!).

We had morning tea with the group, then Club Game.  After that we were sitting around our van magging when one of the other members asked if I would like to go for a drive with them.  I figured they were going to the lookout and wanted to know did I want to take photos so I grabbed my camera and left Dobby and Fluffy to hang out together (Dobby had just been complaining that she didn't spend any time with her dad so that was the perfect opportunity).

We drove up to the looking and I took some pics.  It was so bloody cold and overcast, but still interesting.  The looking is a park area with chunks of lovely marble and other rock carved into interesting shapes.

After we left there, we travelled to Kaiser Stuhl conservation park for a short walk.  We got to see a family of kangaroos beside the road.  One of the other folks (there were about 4 or 5 cars in our group) had a japanese student with her as well as her kids.  She was very happy (the student) to see the roos.

After another member got dumped in a small creek (her boyfriend had picked her up to step over the creek and overbalanced!) we all headed back to camp.  It was a lovely afternoon.  Kids Club followed and the kids had a blast.  The lass with the japanese student did Kids Club and she always has plenty of physical activities to keep them amused.

The club put on a sausage dinner (those cheese kranskies are to die for!) and we all chipped in with salad.  Some of the more adventurous made theirs, the rest of us bought ours from the supermarket.

At dinner Fluffy said he wasn't feeling well, and indeed went to the bathroom.  He had a bad pain in the belly and went to bed.  The teens Dobby had been hanging with went home (just visiting for the day) and she came inside too.  The three of us were just sitting inside.  Fluffy went to sleep and Dobby was asleep b 7.30 too.  Boy, talk about boring.  And the party was right outside our van, around the fire too.  I watched a bit of telly, then went up and put my jammies on.  Eventually I decided it was too early to go to bed so I joined the fireside again for a bit.  I checked on Fluffy again, and he was awake. Whatever it was, had passed and he felt better.  The fellow who, with his wife, took me for the drive, popped in to see Fluffy and eventually they both joined us at the fireside.

Rather later we all went to bed, early by club standards though.

This morning we all packed up (nothing for us to pack up, just roll up the awning and wash some cups up!) and Dobby and I left about 11.15.  We were home by 12.30.  Fluffy stopped at the office to talk to the park owners about hosting the 2022 National Rally there.  It's a huge event, with a budget of $8m.  He got home around one.  The van was tucked away back in the yard, and we were all veging out bu 2.  I've uploaded some photos to Facebook and done this.  it's now 4pm and I'm buggered.  Oh crap.  Just remembered I totally forgot to hang out the washing, and the weather was lovely here this afternoon!  Sigh...


Fluffy mucking around on the kids ride on the camp kitchen



Because the park fire pit was behind our van, Fluffy was Firestarter this time.  No one was allowed to touch his fire except while he was in bed convalescing.


This tree was behind one of the vans in our row.  Rather interesting it was, all hollowed out and showing signs of having been burned.


The view from Menglers Hill Lookout Sculpture Park.  Note some of the sculptures adorning the grounds.


Wattles always remind me of my mother, because she once told me one of the few happy memories she has of her childhood was stopping to eat her lunch under the huge wattle trees.


I rather liked this huge eagle.


Max through the eyes of the eagle.  Rather clever I thought.


Wildflowers on the hill.


Some of us milling about in the cold, waiting for the boys to plan where we were stopping next.


I'll take a picture of you taking a picture of me!


This is at the back of the parking lot on Menglers Hill lookout.  I didn't have time to read it, as we left just after I snapped this shot.


A little creek flowing across the path at Kaiser Stuhl conservation park.


I found this bit if fungus growing on a tree rather interesting.


This bloke and his family were sitting quietly beside the road.  They didn't seem to mind us stopping for a look.


Oh, for the record, my tests were all negative.  So, next week I make a time with the doc for a 3 hour intravenous treatment and then take supplements.  They made some money from our health insurance for nothing!

4 comments:

SOL's view said...

Lovely photos. Glad that procedure is over and hopefully you won't have to have it done again. :)

Chris H said...

Yikes to all the camera stuff... colonoscopy's are awful I'm told.
My Mum had bowel cancer... so she's had her fair share of them!
So glad all your results came back negative.

Do you go caravaning for the trip/new places or for the company you meet? Or both!

I envy you being able to do it.. Stew would never like it unless we had a flash camper! Come to think of it... I would like the flash camper too!

And internet.
And microwave.
And flushing loo... hell might as well stay at home! lol

JoeinVegas said...

They made money off the health insurance to tell you that you are OK inside. That is nice to know. Hope you are all feeling better, sounds like a nice short trip.

Anonymous said...

hugs and kisses love wally xx