Chilly winter greetings

Saturday 30 November 13 Good day to all, family & friends, far away and near! The Sun shines – there is no wind and it is the last day of November – tomorrow is officially WINTER! Blue skies and birds singing! Odd to hear them sing! In my life it is not only the sun that shines but I count my blessings one for one with every step I take! In fact it is winter already for a few weeks but you must not confuse the issue and nights are very cold and days very pleasant! May be you know, maybe not, but I am now BIONIC. The new knee works well –I comply with all regulations and have just been outside for my walk which takes place 4x every day. These are followed by exercise regime and little rests in between- I became very desperate the first few days – the antibiotic made me so nauseous and being allergic to every possible thing on earth the Paracetamol was not giving me enough cover- In hospital I received at Night a Morphine injection with anti-emetic which were great but the last night I refused it and that was the night I had them all on their toes. I will write this in sections as I cannot sit that long without a stretch!! The operation went well, to avoid breathing problems I received a spinal anaesthesia which was excellent I went into theatre at 10 am , everything state of the art. I was back in the ward awake and compus mentus 2 ½ hrs later. You get up with the physio the same afternoon and take your first walk. Pain control was tricky with only Paracetamol and Morphine as a choice –Eventually It was agreed I am good enough with all my exercises to go home on Tuesday. The last night, and as your whole body go into state of confusion with change of diet and strange surroundings, I had to visit the toilet @ about 2am ( By now I would be getting up all by myself but at night they hook you to Cryocuff and AVPulses to you feet–I had to call the nurse! I had no Morphine so you cannot blame the drugs. When I got back to the bed, I parked the crutches neatly against the wall I stood one step away from the bed and turned to take the step .When I eventually came round a few seconds later I sat on my bum 2meters away from the bed! The lovely lady in the bed beside me had the fright of her life and so the rest of the staff, 2 Doctors, and about 3 nurses one a male ,otherwise I would still have been on the floor, standing over me! When you fall in hospital it becomes a big thing, observations are done every few minutes until all has settled but with this flying backwards I must have hit my head somewhere and my Blood pressure which was perfect throughout the stay in hospital went through the roof. I fell asleep and woke ½ hr later with all these people around me again as I experienced a bad broncho spasm –with nebulizer and oxygen pumping from everywhere –all I wanted to do was to lift my arms above my head because that is the only way that I can breathe and all of them telling me to drop my arms! I asked for my Ventolin and another ½ hr later I am breathing again normally. 2 reports for the house doctor to write. The nurse in tears because they are all so scared of the consultant because he is so particular. I re-assured them that I was fine and that he knows me and will not be cross with them which turned out to be the case but he wanted x-rays etc, I thought I caught my right big toe , in the fall on the corner of the bed –very swollen and extremely painful, he ordered Xrays! The Lord carried me through the fall as my knee was fine – a miracle I did not fall forward because that might really have been a disaster. Finbarr came to fetch me and I am now home since Tuesday afternoon I groaned and made noises and poor Barry was a wreck after the first few hours –I explained that these noises are normal and he does not have to jump when he hear any of them I will call HELP if it is serious. During the first night I nearly succumbed to the pain in my toe – It must have dislocated in the fall? Just wake up the next morning after about 2 hours sleep and Barry exhausted, realizing I had GOU! Dead scared that Constipation will set in with all the tablets I ate only prunes for every breakfast and they problem solved! Started with anti-inflammatory ointment and felt better eventually also knowing what it was, causing the pain was a great relief! I have improved tremendously and every hour I make an effort to do something more than the previous hour. The only exercise I cannot perform is my cycling but I have to improvise. From Monday I will be visit the physio 3x a week until I am well. Have to see the Consultant on Thursday after an x-ray and hope to get the ok! I am very thankful that the Dr decide to rather do the operation in Dublin, it meant better facilities although Barry was far away- he came on Sunday by train which was brilliant- I travel to Dublin also by train and Finbarr picked me up at the station and all worked out well! In the end the Medical Insurance covered every cent! All wonderful blessings! The cats are gorgeous, fat, big and so cute! They are fascinated by the crutches and I have to fight my way between the 2 of them when taking my walk which I take outside – The car park is the least slippery and The safest! The church minister has been visiting which is highly appreciated! I will not be in church tomorrow as , 10-15 minutes is the limit for sitting in that pew position and I can hardly get up every 10 minutes and take a walk!!! Well every-one that has had an operation in last few months you all have my sympathies and hope you have recovered as well as I did! To all who had birthdays and will have a birthday in the next week –Just the very best wishes for the year ahead- I do not have my birthday calendar nearby! Congratulations to all the new babies, their parents and grandparents and great grandparents. I met 3 more SA in the hospital x-ray dept. It was lovely! I also saw my dear friend Rachelle, the first friend since the day I arrived in Ireland with her Mom who was visiting! That was a most wonderful experience sick and all! I think that is enough for the time being! Thank you for all the sms’e and well wishes, emails and calls and visits. Please look after your selves, be careful on the roads and lock your doors! It is just after 3pm and dusk is setting in! The fire is burning and my knee is frozen from my ice pack! May the Lord be with you all! Winter darkness and chilly greetings Barry & Christina

Heerliek weer

Saterdag 16 November’13 Goeie dag aan almal, familie en vriende! Die hele wêreld is om vér gegooi- die vreeslike dinge in die Fillipyne , die oorvoed reen en ellendes in die Kaap en instede van koud wees hier , is dit vandag 13° met heerlike sonskyn! Hulle het gewaarsku dat ons volgende week gaan bibber! Ek is nou net deur 72 uur van moedelose woede vir my onkunde met hierdie skoot rekenaar wat ons lewens beheer! Dit is totaal onaanvaarbaar dat ‘n mens in ‘n koue sweet kan uitbreek omdat die ding nie wil doen wat jy vra nie- dit was so hittete of die skootrekenaar was op pad Sligo toe op die vlerke van ‘n groot kraai want ek het genoeg gehad – Finbarr het gehelp maar hy sit vér en ek is dom en nog steeds wou dit nie saam werk nie – uiteindelik na my dreigement doen ek toe alles wat die rooi vlae beveel en nou kan ek darem my brief skryf! Ons harte is seer vir al die ellendes in die Fillipyne – ek ken baie Fillipynse verpleegsters wat saam met my gewerk het en hulle is almal erg ontsteld! Eienaardig dat hulle so lank geneem het om nood kos en water by hulle te kry mens sou dink dat die Fillipynse regering tog lank genoeg geweet het dat ellende op pad is maar hulle het geen voorbereiding getref nie!...maar ons dink mos altyd –ag nee wat dit gaan nie met ons gebeur nie! Vanmôre soek ek die kleiner kat en toe ek hom vind weet ek dadelik waar hy ‘n draai gemaak het gedurende die nag- ‘n kar het hom seker ‘n veeg gegee- geen bene gebreek nie maar tog orals baie seer en hy loop effe mank! Ook nie lus vir sy kos nie en lê maar net in die son- ek troos maar elke nou en dan – wou Calpol koop om vir hom te gee maar Barry wou nie – nou moet hy maar self beter voel! Hy het dus 1 van sy 9 lewens gisternag verloor! Dit was ‘n baie interesante week vol dinge en gebeure! Uiteindelik het die mediese fonds ingestem om my knie vervanging te doen maar ons moet 20% inbetaal intussen is die hospitaal waar ek gewerk het en die operasie sou hê deur die bank oorgeneem en ons weet nie of dit die paal gaan haal nie-! Ek sal dan na ‘n Dublinse kliniek toe moet gaan! Voor enige reelings getref kan word moet ek eers uitvind wat die 20% in die ander kliniek behels! Ons het gister gou die gras vir die laaste keer die jaar gesny en dit lyk pragtig – die wind het die hele week gewaai en daar was geen reen nie dus die gras was droog maar oneindig lank!- Die heining,aan die pad se kant, is ook gesny en ons is nou reg vir die winter! Ek is so siek vir die politici dat ek gedurig sooibrand van hulle het en het effe afgeskakel ten opsigte van hulle toneelopvoerings! Hulle is seker maar soos in elke land, absolute kriminele- steel van hul eie mense om seker te maak dit gaan goed met hulself! Môre is dit die beste dag van my week en ons gaan met dankbare harte kerk toe! Dit is ook my beurt voor die orrel en dit bring groot vreugde in my hart! Ek weet nie hoelank ek dit nog sal kan volhou nie maar intussen gaan ons voort! Buite het ek nog ‘n paar rose en my chrissante wat blom die res het erg deurgeloop met die ryp van vorige week! Ek het my een lemoen boom wat ek oor het (die ander is verruil of weggegee) ingebring vir die winter! Al die druiwe is op en die pere is gepluk en word nou sag in die kas! Die kleure van herfs en winter is hierdie jaar besonder mooi en gryp jou aan die hart! Hildegard se kuier was briljant- ons is so verwen met lekkernye , biltong en tydskrifte – dit was soos 3 Kersfeeste bymekaar! Veels geluk aan die ouerpaar in Melbourne met die koms, enige dag nou van die baba ! Laat ons asb weet! Ek weet nou nog nie wat die kleinding in Kanada se geslag is nie of hoe die baba lyk nie! Is daar niemand wat vir ons ‘n ou fototjies kan stuur nie! Die trek petalje van Arnolda sal ‘n goeie storie uitmaak – skryf alles neer en ons stuur dit dan vir die Rooi Rose ! Hulle soek goeie stories en hierdie een kry ‘n medalje! Verjaardae!Attie (snr) verjaar vandag- ons beste wense Attie en voortdurende beterskap! Hanlie die 19de- ons hoop ook dat jou jaar baie beter gaan wees en geen pyn insluit nie! Paul en Mendel die 21ste – Heerlike verjaardag vir julle twee! Bianca Carstens, klein Renate van Hanlie en Paul, as ook Jeanne Potgieter! Veels geluk aan julle almal! Aan almal wat aansterk na operasies. Hanlie en Karin –alles van die beste! Julle het albei nek operasie gehad? Baie dankie aan almal wat sulke lekker briefies gestuur het en al die fotos! Georg – ons lees lekker aan al jou eskapades! Baie dankie ook an Dr Tertius Venter vir sy nuusbrief! Fluit-fluit my storie is uit! Effe bewolkte lug met son verskuilde strale vergesel ons groete! Wees tog altyd versigtig, wees gereed vir alle onverwagte gebeure en sluit jul deure! Barry & Christina

Sunny winter greetings

Saturday 9 November’13 Good day to you all far and near , family and friends! Winter is here , no doubt about it ,the frost has been present many a morning and the temperatures stay about 6-8° during the day! The sun does shine but very feeble and also very low on the horizon , move very quickly from east to west and by 4pm dusk falls and by 5pm it is dark! There is some hope because the 21- 22 of December the whole lot turns around again and the days get longer and the nights shorter! That is not too fat away! The frost burnt my dahlia and the begonias to pulp, the nasturgiums , where protected are still flowering and the Chrisanthenims are quite lovely! Purple and dark red! I picked my last bunch of grapes and 2 pears fell - we still have 7 on the tree and hope that they will grow a bit bigger and stay put! The trees are shedding their leaves now in droves and at places you drive over carpets of brown and rust coloured leaves. The summer is upon you in the southern hemisphere and enjoy the privilege of having good weather- I know there are places where it is very dry and we hope is will rain there but the pleasure of sunshine is surely a wonderful thing! It has been raining here on and off for the last 2-3 weeks everywhere is wet and there is even algae growing on the front of my car! Needs a wash but the water is too cold!! On the political front the TROIKA said good-bye and wished us well, the IMF is a little sceptical about Ende Kenny’s hope to call it a day on the 15th of Dec and has advised that the government should consider postponing the exit from the IMF until next year. The interest rate has dropped and they hope that people will spend more this festive season as borrowing will be a bit easier on the pocket! Those who have savings can just as well draw the money and put it in the ground – it will grow there better than in the bank! The woman found in a distressed state in the streets of Dublin thought to have been 14 yrs of age ( It is still a very strange thing for people to have thought that she was 14 yrs old –when they showed her picture you could immediately see that she was much older) and was under the care of the HSE should be in Australia by now! How she got here and what she was doing here is a bit of a riddle! There is something else that has been in the news and for me and my Christian back ground and present beliefs very difficult to swallow-it the ‘Same sex marriage’ business on which Ireland is now going to have a referendum on, in 2015! If the Lord was distressed about the way the Israelites were living then I do not know how painful all these happening must be to the Lord in this age! We are extremely privileged to have Hildegard from my Br Mendel visiting us tomorrow! It is going to be so exciting! Even more good news is that her sister Anette and husband Michael will be with us in December! Wonderful! What a wonderful happening to look forward to! We Skype with the grandchildren and They are as ever very cute and lovely! Birthdays! It has come to light that there are quite a few people who I do not have on my birthday calender and one of them is Mrs Ingrid Scholtz from Belgium/Holland who had a birthday on the 3rd! Many congratulations and may you have a good and healthy year ahead! Happy Birthday also to: Rob Harding on the 12th, Annalize Verasamy the 14th, Attie (snr) the 16th ! best wishes to you all! Thank you to all who so diligently and with great humour keep the contact alive! It is wonderful , News letters from all over the world! Many thanks, every- one is read with enthusiasm and eagerness! I have not been back to work again since last week and still enjoy being at home- the Manager keeps me busy(Barry) I am forever tidying up and discarding things- fortunately we have our own incinerator which helps a lot- We also brought big bags of clothes and shoes to the charity shop and hope some-one will have joy in wearing it! This brings me to the end of my story and we hope that all who are sick and in recovery mode, Karin after her neck operation on 7th,Attie en Hanlie and all the others that I am not aware of- get better, be patient and enjoy the spoiling! Be careful in all your doings and conduct- drive safely and do not take a chance- lock the doors and be alert! Sunny winter greetings from us in Cranleymore Barry & Christina