So Much For That

Wednesday:

I've been reading a book called So Much For That by Lionel Shriver, who also wrote We Need to Talk About Kevin about the mother of a mass shooter and Big Brother about a morbidly obese sibling. All really compelling books. I'd been reading this one for a few days but got sucked into it at lunchtime and couldn't put it down, finishing it just before Jasmine got home from school! It's about a man who has planned for years to escape the rat race and go and live cheaply and simply in Africa or somewhere, and finally delivers an ultimatum to his wife that he is going with or without her. And she tells him she's just found out she has a very serious form of cancer. She needs his emotional and financial support, and his health insurance. It's about caring for someone through a terminal illness, the US medical insurance system, giving up your dreams for those you love, how family and friends don't always react the way you expect to crises. As always, Shriver is insightful and heartrending.

My husband just rang after yet another conversation with the furniture store we've been chasing for about eight months now about Aiden's chest-of-drawers, which originally arrived (last Christmas) with a piece missing. Twice we have gone through the whole rigmarole of them ordering the part and after months of waiting finding out they got the wrong part. And they never call us back, we have to keep calling them. Well today they told him they have the piece (for the third time) and their tradesman will contact me to arrange a time to come and fix it. Crossed fingers! I just think it's funny, now.

I've been continuing with the vinegar treatment on my wart, and last night the whole top came off so the rest is now level with my foot, which makes walking a bit more comfortable. More vinegar! I'm at war with this horrid thing.

Saturday

Saturday:

I got up early this morning to let in the handyman who was to finally fix Aiden's chest of drawers. He came in with the missing piece. Looked at the furniture. Looked at the piece. Wrong piece. Again. Unbelievable. How many months now? I think this was the hanyman's fault, he was the one who ordered it. He apologised, a couple of hours later the furniture store called and apologised. They have ordered the (hopefully) correct part. I haven't made any decision yet about what to do. At least, as Tim says, we have a story to tell!

We didn't know what time to expect Darren, he came at 11:00am and stayed until I announced I was going to bed. We talked during meals and he played with the kids a bit, the rest of the time he played computer games. He doesn't have internet or a decent computer at home (just an old one of ours) so that's what he does when he is here. I don't mind that, it means I don't have to entertain him, except he uses my computer so I didn't get to play this evening!

I was very proud of myself that even though we had a "guest" here I didn't use that as an excuse for serving and eating unhealthy food. As well as normal lunch and dinner, we had cheese and fruit for afternoon tea, and yoghurt with fruit for dessert. Darren brought us belated Easter eggs, the kids had some but I won't. The first ingredient is sugar!

Ultrasound

Thursday:

Another ordeal over. Pelvic ultrasound. I drank the required water but then in the hour I was supposed to be holding it I went to the toilet twice, then at the clinic when my appointment was 40 minutes late I went twice more (trying not to empty completely). Seemed fine, the radiologist (??) didn't comment.

I've had two other pelvic ultrasounds over the past three years, the other two reports suggested adenomyosis (the uterine lining growing where it shouldn't), this time the technician told me there was a fibroid which is a different sort of growth that looks very similar. I haven't seen an official report yet. Obviously I need to know which it is before progressing with any treatment, I might need an MRI. I see my doctor tomorrow and I think she will refer me to a gynaecologist.

I'm back on my healthy eating today. I know from repeated experience that day three of strict low carbs is when I have my cravings, I have to brace myself for that and not just say "I feel terrible so I'm going to eat whatever I want". If I can get through a few days I'll be fine. Today for the first time in ages I'm going to achieve my water goals. Only two cups to go!

My brother had been trying to contact me for a couple of days. His phone is ancient broken rubbish but since he has no landline or email/internet it's the only way to talk to him. And if I call him it goes straight to voicemail, which I don't know if he ever checks, so I have to wait for him to call me. After lots of calls dropping out without us being able to hear each other, he walked up the hill today to get better reception and I shouted at him over the noise of the trucks on the main road. Probably quite funny, in a way. Anyway, he's coming over on Saturday. He couldn't hear any of my queries as to what time, so I eventually gave up on getting any details. Based on past visits, it will be "for lunch" but arriving long after we've eaten because he is late for everything, and staying through until the kids have gone to bed.

Hmm now there is a Christmas present idea. A phone that actually works. Maybe one he could use internet on if he's somewhere they have free Wi-Fi? But that might be a bit complicated for him. A phone that works would do.

That ongoing saga of Aiden's furniture may finally be resolved, the handyman guy called yesterday to say he'll be here on Saturday, with the correct part, to finish putting together the unfinished chest of drawers we've had since Christmas! I can always hope.

Housework day

Wednesday:

I was home all day today, dealing with this and that. Ever since we got our new internet set up here, we've been able to receive emails but not send them except by an inconvenient roundabout method from the provider's website. I spent two hours on the phone with them this morning and finally got that fixed. Then there was the tree out the front, at the end of last week a big branch split from the trunk but wasn't quite separated, it was draped across the sidewalk and blocking our mailbox and people walking past. Today someone came out and gave me a quote to get that dealt with, and they are coming back tomorrow. Even if I knew where our gardening tools were, we don't have a chainsaw or anything hefty enough to deal with issue.

I also had to wait most of the day for a delivery. As well as the dining table (which I called about today and we expect to get a couple of days before Christmas!!! I hope!!!) we bought a couple of other items of furniture, like a wardrobe for Aiden as his room doesn't have one. I ordered a bright red flat-packed kid's wardrobe from the local hardware store, hopefully that will come soon. He doesn't have anywhere to hang the few items that need hanging, like his school shirts. But anyway, today was a "lamp table" for the lounge. It is going to be our recharging port, at night all recharging technology sits on that table, plugged in nearby. I wanted to make sure everything was out of the bedrooms, and also kept where it wouldn't get lost. Now it all has a specific place to live. And a drawer to put spare bits in. But that didn't come until mid-afternoon so I couldn't leave the house most of the day.

Aside from that it was housework day. Urg. What fun. I don't have a specific day of the week for housework, and of course some things need to be done every day, but sometimes when I don't have anything scheduled outside the house and I can see the laundry piling up or whatever, I just say to myself "today is housework day" and get it done. Well, some of it anyway.

Despite any grumbling I do here, I am actually very happy at the moment and content with my new house. Especially on a lovely cooler day like today.