50 and All Clear

Thursday:

I turned 50 a couple of weeks ago. Chronological age doesn't really bother me, I like to think of it as an achievement, going up levels. +2 Wisdom, -2 Dexterity. Tim and the kids took the day off and we went to a lovely "High Tea" in North Sydney with gorgeous views of the harbour. It was lunch for us, rather than afternoon tea, with plenty of food; they gave us (each) eleven different dainty foods - a tiny quiche, macaron, cheesecake, arancini ball, little sandwiches, scones with jam and cream etc. And pots of tea, of course. We chose the kids' version for Jasmine and Aiden even though they are teenagers - more sugar, less 'fancy'. None of us got through everything!

Afterwards we went for a short walk down (then back up) a very steep path, not far because the day before I had slipped on our steep mossy driveway, hurting my hip and jarring my hand and shoulder, and I was still a bit sore; also the view was heavily obscured by thick foliage and everything was a bit damp. That night I felt a sudden stinging burning pain in my neck, and investigation revealed a tick! I've never had one before. I assume it got into my hair on the walk. Tim got it out with no lasting ill effects, but I still have a small lump there two weeks later. Maybe the universe didn't want me to get past 49.

Obviously no big party, we just had some family over on Sunday for dinner and board games.

Yesterday I had my colonoscopy. I'd noticed some bleeding months ago, but Covid-19 delayed hospital stuff for non-urgent cases until now. Luckily I got the all-clear straight away, no cancer, although they want to check again in a year. It wasn't the most fun I've ever had - I was unconscious for the actual procedure but you have to fast for a couple of days beforehand; liquids only for 24 hours then nothing for about 6 hours, and you have to drink a weird liquid that prompts your body to eliminate everything in a hurry. It made me feel both nauseated and bloated so I certainly didn't feel any of the magical purity some people get with fasting. And I was headachy because I don't like tea without milk and had some caffeine withdrawal. Oh well, it was an important test to have and well worth doing.

I haven't heard from work yet about term 3. We had almost got back to normal here but are starting to have a second wave of Covid so everything is still uncertain. It is the second week of the winter school holidays now, kids back to school next week. Tim took a week off but we didn't go anywhere or do anything much. Weather is cold and mostly bleak.