IT'S BEEN WAY TOO LONG! OVER A MONTH IN FACT!

Friday 11 January 2020 Time flys when you're having fun - so they say - however, time just seems to fly for me. I can't believe it has been over a month since I last blogged ... yet here we are almost midway through January. Our three-day city break with Leeanne & Caiti was much needed .... we visited the Gingerbread Exhibition, Melbourne and surrounds all made with gingerbread so you can imagine the aroma, yes it was a little hard not to eat some! We enjoyed some great food ... dinner at Maccaroni (Italian) in Manchester Lane, which is next door to Breakfree on Collins where we stayed - if you're looking for accommodation in Melbourne CBD this is a comfortable, clean and reasonably priced hotel also recommend Cafe Issus 8 Centre Place (just down from Breakfree on Collins) the food and service were first class - I'm a little fussy, odd, weird call it what you like but I only eat eggs at home and then only scrambled or in an omelette and am often made to feel 'different' when ordering breakfast/brunch, but not here my tomatoes and bacon on toast was scrumptious with the tomatoes cooked not just warmed - perfection! and the raspberry hot chocolate was heaven. Cafe Issus also has a 'pay it forward' where you can donate a meal for someone homeless. Bill had his half-yearly check-up at Peter Mac, I shudder every time the camera is put down his nose and throat, brings back memories of a traumatic time for me back in 1972, once again he got the all-clear from his surgeon Jessica. Next visit in June. Dylan landed a contract working during his Uni break checking and packing IT systems for the Queensland Electoral Commission and told us he wouldn't be able to make it home for Christmas - I was worried about him having Christmas on his own, no Christmas dinner but he assured me he could go to his mates family if he wished .. so can you imagine the delight, the screams, the tears, the laughter and joy when he walked in unannounced on Christmas day .. he flew into Melbourne at 1.20 am and Jack had driven down to pick him up (a three hour trip from here - six hours driving now that is brotherly love) ... certainly made it a Christmas to remember ... he later told me he felt bad lying to me! New Year's Eve came and went with little fanfare - too old now to party and no fireworks locally due to the bushfire situation. Sale has had several days where we have been shrouded in a blanket of smoke from the bushfires, which have been devastating with Mallacoota holidaymakers and residents sheltering on the beach and needing to be rescued by the defence force boats and helicopters ... fires like this have never been experienced in Australia before, some firefighters saying the air was on fire, not just here in Victoria, but NSW, SA and King Island ... yet our Prime Minister still denies climate change. Millions upon millions of dollars have been donated to relief funds, our sports stars, overseas celebrities have donated millions, I'd like to see some of it go towards the purchase of new, better equipment, water bombers and firetrucks and name them after them .. I can just see a bright red shiny firetruck named Demon (Alex DeMinaur) a water bomber named Thor (Chris Hemsworth) maybe even a Pink fire truck ... just my thoughts. We marked Heathers' 53rd birthday with a couple of family dinners ... Wednesday marked 11 years since Mum left us. Wondered why one of my indoor plants was looking very ill .. didn't feel like it was over or under watered ... then I discovered the reason - one Grandson and one Granddaughter decided it would be fun to hide some of the salt rocks off my lamp (yes I did think there were some missing but wasn't sure) in the pot plant - would have been OK if they hadn't put one on the soil ... mostly the pranks they pull don't have a serious consequence - I've found my cutlery drawer rearranged, the labels on the four-panel light switch changed around, sweet bowl in the Christmas tree just to name a few ... just don't let on how much it amuses me! So I've done a month on Femara now ... side effects ... not sure ... hot flushes and night sweats are they medication or weather or sinus infection (from the smoke) only time will tell I guess, am I just lucky I get a second go at menopause!! Cannot speak highly enough of the work of the McGrath Foundation Breast Cancer Nurses, mine rang on Tuesday to check on how I was progressing and honestly I'm just so so lucky that nothing has really changed in my life, I'm back using the treadmill and once the hydro pool is back in operation (asbestos discovered so undergoing major works at Aqua Energy) I'll be up there exercising. Life is for living ... and that's what I intend to do.