Far and Away

@Zoe7 so good to read your good news. You’ve worked hard to achieve what you have done.

Take care of yourself over the holidays, ready for a new year ahead. 💙💙💙💙

Hi @Zoe7

That sounds like really good news - I am glad you got to meet up with everyone after the dinner and the whole evening sounds great and how wonderful to have your favourite person at the school give you the farewell speech - well done with teaching for the whole year too - that gives you an emotional head start for working full time next year and I wish you the best with that

And you have done well too - and Cat and Toby as well - our furkids are so important to our well-being and yours seems to be happy and a great comfort

Having Christmas at your place will be a lot but your family knows you are financially tight and don't expect much so that's good and your Mum and Dad are helping out too - I am sure it will go well - you are so much better than you were last year and feel able to cope with more so this will be a positive

What you have written sounds very positive and the extra medication has been hellpful so you will be busy through Christmas - it all sounds very encouraging

I am seeing my son-in-laws kids and grand-kids tomorrow at my daughter's house - the youngest kids are 4 now and the eldest is 16 - I haven't seen them for over a year so it will be excellent to see them again and then I will be having lunch with my daugher and son-in-law on Christmas Day - my grand-daughter isn't coming down for Christmas but she is hoping to come down in the New Year - I bet my daughter misses her

I sent my grand-daughter a cheque but also I like to send parcels as well - little things - and I didn't think that the parcel mail would be so busy - I've never sent parcels for Christmas before - but the parcel possible/probably won't get there until after Christmas - which is a pity.

She has a great little flat on the Sunshine Coast and the weather seems to suit her health - she has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - I was up there in July and the weather was perfect - I could live there myself but I have services in Melbourne I couldn't access if I moved so I am staying in Melbourne but the Sunshine Coast seems like a good place to live

I am planning to visit Cradle Mountain in March - a lot depends on the Fires of course but I want to see Cradle Mountain - I went there in the winter of 1993 but the weather was so foggy and snowy I couldn't see it - so I really hope I can see it this time -

All the best Zoe - I enjoyed your newsy post

Dec

Thank you @outlander @Maggie @Bimby2 @Owlunar All my best wishes to you all at this time of year

@Owlunar It will be great to see some of your family over this Christmas period - especially the grandkids. I haven't been to Cradle Mountain myself - we were going to go as kids with our parents but didn't make it. They picked me up from a camp up the North West and went the wrong way so we came home. I am not much of a walker either so it isn't on my list of places to visit - heard it is beautiful both in Summer and in the snow in Winter though.

@Faith-and-Hope I got paid early so I have been to the market and purchased gifts for most of my family. Only my Dad to go but I have no idea what to get him - he is so hard to buy for. I am going to put some photos together in a frame for my sister of her little girl - found a really nice multiple photo frame that I can put the photos in. I will organise that today and then go and print them out at Kmart tomorrow.

I have also started to clean up a little but there is so much more to go. I was looking for something to wear to the picnic the other day and unfortunately most of my clothes don't fit so I am going to have a big clean out there too over the holidays.

For now I am going to store everything in the spare room just so I have a nice clean space in the loungeroom, dining room and kitchen for Christmas day. I can then tackle the 'mess' after Christmas - I will also need to begin sorting my school stuff and decide what I can take into the classroom and what I need to continue storing here. There is not a lot of space in the classroom and I don't want to take much in as I will only be in the class for 2 terms - seems silly taking everything in and then will have to move it all again mid-year.

Planning on finishing the giraffe and repainting him over the holidays as well. Mum 'appropriated' some white paint for me before she left work so I can begin as soon as I get that off her. I also intend to do the peacock painting this Summer also - it has been sitting in my loungeroom untouched for nearly a year now so I would love to have that done and put up also.

I hope you are doing somme painting yourself while you are away and finding that time for yourself in amongst all the family stuff. Missing you so much Hon but you are always in my heart

I had a mild stroke 1 1/2 weeks ago that affected my left arm and hand and my face @Zoe7 . Luckily for me it's already improving dramatically. I can straighten my fingers again and open the door or a bottle top with my left hand now.

My facial droop has almost gone. And when I talk now I no longer sound drunk. So I've been very lucky.

So it's my 2nd stroke and I've also had 2 dvt's. So they have run heaps of tests and I still have more tests to go. They say I'm too young to have strokes and blood clots.

So Monday I get a heart halter monitor on, for a 24 hour reading of my heart. The other tests won't be until after the New Year.

But I'm fine. Feel good. No sign of depression.

Where my skin cancer was cut out, it's healing really fast. Doctor and I am impressed.

Dogs are good and healthy. It's a cooler day today. So they are enjoying themselves. Yesterday was 44 degrees. Was awful. Couldn't get comfortable. Today only 31 degrees.

My son finished his year 11. All N'Djamena and 1 C. Very happy about the results.

He and his girlfriend are still together and happy as.

I hope you have a lovely Christmas day with your family.

❤❤❤

Dear @Zoe7

Really happy to hear that you got such a lovely sendoff from your last school. Clearly they appreciate you, as they should. I feel sure, given you are such a wonderfully dedicated teacher, that your next school will love and appreciate you every bit as much as this last one did. It would be nice to have the ideal ... ie a class for a full year ... but with the art option, perhaps this is an even better result. I guess you wont really know until you see how things work out. But I must say I am super proud of you on how well you coped with working again, and full time for the latter part of the year. A really good indicator that it is in you to continue to do that in the new year.

I am so pleased that both Toby and Cat are such great company for you. And wow ... who would have ever thought that Cat would respond so well to her health dramas and major operation. Sounds like she is right back to where she should be, ie on your bed. 😊 And Tobes has his sparring partner back again too.

I am wondering if perhaps you are feeling a little bit of 'survivors guilt' when it comes to Cat? What an unlikely (and very sad) coincidence that you and your sisters cats both suffered major health concerns within a couple of weeks of each other. Your sister lent money to pay for a major operation in an effort to save her. Which it did. But then her cat got sick too, and could not be saved. I think it would be normal to feel something there, given those circumstances. I think you said in a later post that you were going to do a collage of photos of your sisters cat to give her for christmas. I think thats a really lovely idea and I am sure she will very much appreciate it.

Hmmm, hosting the family Christmas lunch on Wednesday. Seems like a simple thing doesnt it? But there is so much involved, there really is. Christmas really is a stressful time ... shopping in itself is just awful in the shops right now. Best avoided at all costs .. if possible. 😵 And finances always take a hit. There are many jolly good reasons to cancel Christmas I reckon. 😊 🎅

I'm very relieved to hear that the increased meds have had the desired effect on your MH. Fingers crossed there are no further unexpected drama's to upset the apple cart again. 🍏

Did I say how nice it was to see you around again? 💖

Sherry

Oh wow @utopia So glad you are on the mend and hoping the further tests help find what is happening. It must have been so very scary for you but glad you had help soon enough to reverse any damage. Wonderful news about the skin cancer wound healing so well too.

Great news about your son - both his marks and his girlfriend - they have been together for some time now and it is lovely he has found someone to share things with.

Pleased also the dogs are healthy - y fur babies are both doing well too - so thankful for any extra time I get with Cat but so far so good. More tests next month to see if the cancer has returned but she is putting on weight and looking really healthy for now so very grateful for that. Toby is his usual smiley, happy self - going to give him a haircut and bath before Christmas day so he looks his spectacular best (and maybe a reindeer outfit on the day also) lol

Just did some shopping for Christmas day - won't need to go anywhere now until Monday when I meet my Dad to do shopping for Mum for both Christmas and her birthday. It is an annual thing for Dad and I - pretty much the only time of year we actually spend together just the 2 of us so I always look forward to it (not the shopping but being with Dad). I also have a GP appointment on Monday and will get the last of the things for Christmas lunch then Tuesday I can clean up and get organised.

Hope you have a wonderful day on Christmas day too my beautiful cocky friend.

ps. I was given a mug with Galahs on it from one of the kids this week - I instantly thought of you remembering when you changed your avatar to a galah for a day - fun times and happy memories

Hey @Zoe7 thanks for the update.

Hi @Former-Member @utopia @Owlunar

I'm all out of words atm. So exhausted, but thinking of you friends.

Good to be back @Former-Member and even better having you here also Hon

I think intially there was a bit of that 'survivor's guilt' in regards to Cat and my sister losing hers but I am grateful every day that I still have my baby with me - and even more so now that she has put on weight and is back sleeping on the bed. She is also giving Toby a hard time LOL - he just cowers down and waits for her to pass then proceeds to follow her - so if he gets swiped it is his own fault. He is a funny little fella though - we have had another cat visit our back yard a couple of times this week and he has chased it away ...partly protecting his territory and partly Cat's. He jumps in between Cat and any other cats in the backyard so he is protective of both myself and her ...it is totally adorable.

I have finished most of my Christmas shopping - we got paid early so it meant I could head to the market this morning. I bought several presents and some giftcards for family. Got a Freedom one for my sister so she can buy something nice for the new house, a local Nursery one for Mum - now that she is retired she will be able to get into the garden so it will come in handy for her - a Bunnings one for my sister's partner (that is the usual gift between the 2 of us) but yet to get anything for Dad. I'll have to talk to Mum and see if she has any ideas but he is so hard to buy for so I am not holding out hope there

Going to get an early dinner soon then clean up a bit more. I will spend most of tomorrow cleaning up then shopping with Dad Monday morning, GP Monday afternoon, chemist, supermarket and getting organised Tuesday. Then my Mum's birthday and finally I can relax a little ...busy, busy, busy but do-able. I expect come Thursday I will not move from the couch all day and I am honestly looking forward to that 👍😊