Merv raised his voice and demanded he needed to have more pyjamas. He knew he only had one pair left, the others no longer wearable. A few days previously his cotton long pants ended their life after developing a large unfixable hole. We were in Big W the next day and I bought him a pair of fleecy pyjamas. I took them home, washed, dried and folded them to wear the same night. They were warm and comfy.
The next morning he complained they had a hole in them and he was quite right. There was that hole again and they had only been worn once! They went in the bin and once again Merv only had one pair of pyjamas.
He asked for four pairs of pyjamas and I thought his request a little excessive. It played on my mind whether he was getting irritable because of his lack of sleepwear or was it the beginning of dementia which 30% of HD patients develop. His father had HD with dementia. Maybe it was just me being paranoid about how many pairs of pyjamas anyone should have!
Merv celebrates his 59th birthday this Wednesday and pyjamas was once again on the shopping list. In K-Mart I found pyjamas, not the cotton button through type, but the T-shirt and matching long pants type. They were going out for $7 a pack and I rummaged through the packs until I found two in his size. Target had his size but at $35 a pack I bought one only.
My next dilemma was how to have them sewn, washed and name tagged before his 2 day respite which begins this Friday. On went my thinking cap and I used his current pyjamas pants to measure the legs and hem them to prevent any chance of tripping. I washed and dried them and after he went to bed sewed on name tags. Today I re-packaged them in their original packs!
I am hoping he will be delighted and his irritability will soon be a distant memory.
Monday, 12 August 2013
Sunday, 11 August 2013
Celebration
I sat on the edge of my seat and with every goal kicked I jumped up clapping and applauding, our favourite AFL team; The West Coast Eagles. Today they won against Essendon by 53 points. I had, like many other Eagle fans given up and resigned to the fact our game for the year was over. Today it was all sparks and victory; our hope was rejuvenated. It doesn't have to be sensational for us to celebrate in our house. Life is an ongoing celebration in itself. Yes, it was just a footy game, but Merv watches every game from beginning to end, an average of three hours, while I am not so good at sitting for so long.
I had cooked a home baked chocolate cake during the match and it was just out of the oven and still warm. I covered it with chocolate icing and sprinkled it hap-hazardly with chocolate chips. We celebrated the Eagles win with
a glass of Moscato and a slice of my warm moist chocolate cake. Merv's only word; 'YUMMY!'
After I left work this year I promised myself I would start my own cake baking journey. No selling or gifting in mind, just baking for Merv and the family. In five months I have perfected a homemade banana loaf cake and today we were thrilled how good the chocolate cake tasted. I no longer spend hours reading recipe books I simply Google what I want and check out the recipes. I usually use the words; 'easy' or 'quick' or 'simple' plus I add, 'moist.' It is a wonderland of inspiration which awaits me. I print and laminate the recipe and add it to my own-style recipe folder. Most of my 'family favourites,' were birthed the same way. The chocolate cake recipe will receive the same honour.
I had cooked a home baked chocolate cake during the match and it was just out of the oven and still warm. I covered it with chocolate icing and sprinkled it hap-hazardly with chocolate chips. We celebrated the Eagles win witha glass of Moscato and a slice of my warm moist chocolate cake. Merv's only word; 'YUMMY!'
After I left work this year I promised myself I would start my own cake baking journey. No selling or gifting in mind, just baking for Merv and the family. In five months I have perfected a homemade banana loaf cake and today we were thrilled how good the chocolate cake tasted. I no longer spend hours reading recipe books I simply Google what I want and check out the recipes. I usually use the words; 'easy' or 'quick' or 'simple' plus I add, 'moist.' It is a wonderland of inspiration which awaits me. I print and laminate the recipe and add it to my own-style recipe folder. Most of my 'family favourites,' were birthed the same way. The chocolate cake recipe will receive the same honour.
Saturday, 10 August 2013
Case Solved
I rang the post office yesterday with further information about my postal conspiracy detective scenario. The nice lady on the end of the phone said a reply had been forwarded and the postal delivery person (postie) had been questioned and their answer recorded. My ears listened intently wondering if I had uncovered a rogue ring leader in the postal service. Without further prompting I was simply told the registered-post sticker had come off in transit. Hmmm I replied. I was pleased my complaint had been addressed and an answer had been recorded. I suppose it was the least incriminating answer. To be honest I wouldn't have been happy to hear the person had confessed to ripping off the sticker because they were having a bad day or it was almost time to knock off and pick up their kids from school. The answer to my question reflects the fact I should continue to have faith in my fellow man (oops postie).
Life is full of bumps, some are bigger than others, some hardly register on the richter scale. In our ongoing journey Merv and I depend on many people in our everyday lives and we need to trust them and work together with them.
Just like our helpers, I am glad our postie is on our side and continues to serve the community with honour and integrity.
Life is full of bumps, some are bigger than others, some hardly register on the richter scale. In our ongoing journey Merv and I depend on many people in our everyday lives and we need to trust them and work together with them.
Just like our helpers, I am glad our postie is on our side and continues to serve the community with honour and integrity.
Friday, 9 August 2013
Sharing A Chuckle
Staying at home may sound a little boring but I rather like Fridays. Merv goes to the day centre and they alternate their, 'in and out days.' Today was an 'out day,' and they all went to Fasta Pasta eatery for lunch. Merv enjoyed pizza for lunch. He has an appetite for pizza lately.
I ran errands and did things at home. No one to check on, lunch when I wanted, time spent pulling weeds in the garden and just some me time. It was nice.
It's the end of the week and my mind must have been elsewhere when I was dressing Merv after his shower in the late afternoon. I had helped him on with his singlet and forgot his pyjama top. I jokingly suggested he could be a builder's labourer on a building site with his navy blue Bonds singlet and he started to smile. His smile quickened and he started chuckling so hard his body started to sway. I had no choice, but to join in laughing as loud as him. We chuckled and chuckled until we could chuckle no more. It was refreshing to share a laugh together. A chuckle, a joke, a funny saying, a hug, a kiss, all of which cements the bond between us.
I ran errands and did things at home. No one to check on, lunch when I wanted, time spent pulling weeds in the garden and just some me time. It was nice.
It's the end of the week and my mind must have been elsewhere when I was dressing Merv after his shower in the late afternoon. I had helped him on with his singlet and forgot his pyjama top. I jokingly suggested he could be a builder's labourer on a building site with his navy blue Bonds singlet and he started to smile. His smile quickened and he started chuckling so hard his body started to sway. I had no choice, but to join in laughing as loud as him. We chuckled and chuckled until we could chuckle no more. It was refreshing to share a laugh together. A chuckle, a joke, a funny saying, a hug, a kiss, all of which cements the bond between us.
Thursday, 8 August 2013
Escapism
Today was one of Perth's wettest August days in many years. It was also my day with Mel and I thought quick and fast how we could make the most of the day. A little escapism was needed and the local movie cinema was the obvious choice. The rain continued to pour down as we relaxed in our warm and comfortable movie seats. We watched the, 'The Way Way Back,' starring Toni Collett, an Aussie treasure. It was a feel-good movie about a young boy who emerges from his chrysalis into a confident young man and contributor in his working community. It was loaded with family issues, most families have some.
Mel is looking good, she has lost almost seven kgs and she is happy with life. When Mel is happy so am I.
Merv went ten pin bowling with his carer while I was out with Mel. They dodged the heavy showers and kept warm and safe. Merv's love of ten pin bowling goes far back to his teenage years when a group of his mates would regularly visit Fairlanes Bowls in Perth. It was a regular event, even I was asked when we were dating! After we married there were many breaks in his bowling routine due to work commitments, children and their many demands, a lack of time generally and a lack of money. When the children were older Merv joined a Tuesday morning bowling league and enjoyed playing as a team. These days he goes every Thursday with his carer. He is enjoying life.
Mel is looking good, she has lost almost seven kgs and she is happy with life. When Mel is happy so am I.
Merv went ten pin bowling with his carer while I was out with Mel. They dodged the heavy showers and kept warm and safe. Merv's love of ten pin bowling goes far back to his teenage years when a group of his mates would regularly visit Fairlanes Bowls in Perth. It was a regular event, even I was asked when we were dating! After we married there were many breaks in his bowling routine due to work commitments, children and their many demands, a lack of time generally and a lack of money. When the children were older Merv joined a Tuesday morning bowling league and enjoyed playing as a team. These days he goes every Thursday with his carer. He is enjoying life.
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
A Red Bull Moment
I rang Australia Post early this morning and lodged a complaint about the medication parcel being left in my mailbox and then I took Merv to his HD club this morning. As arranged I took our new ipad. I was pleased we were given some advice on which apps to download to assist in Merv's communication. The one question I had was when should Merv start using the communication app? The program allows the user to click on words and picture prompts. There is another app which has a much better and easier program but at over $200 we will use the free one for now! It was suggested we start using the program now.
Thirty minutes later I attended an information presentation at the local library on family history. I have previously started a little history searching myself but I was thrilled when the presenter found my mother's father on the English 1911 census. He was four years old at the time! He lived to over one hundred years.
I thought all my frustrations and annoyance had come to the fore yesterday with the strange case of the parcel but there was more to come today. I came home with a boot load of shopping and the phone rang. It was the optician where Merv had his eyes tested on Monday. We ordered new glasses which were a bargain, designer frames cut down from $350 to $199. They have spring loaded arms which will stop them from falling down his nose all the time. A good choice. The phone call was to say the warehouse no longer have the frames in stock and Merv would have to come down and choose another frame. Well, I thought I had suddenly landed in the bull ring in Spain. Or was I the bull in the ring? All I could see was the colour red! I explained to the nice young lady I could not understand what she was saying. She said, don't worry I will put on my supervisor. The supervisor was in defensive robotic mode and went into her pre-planned spiel. I cut her short explaining Merv has a disability and I could not bring him down to the store until Monday and he would not have his new glasses for his respite next Friday. The line went quiet for a moment or two. The robot lady told me she would email every store of the franchise and find someone who has the frame we had paid for. She did and she rang me fifteen minutes later and told me all was in order. Time to have a rest, it has been a busy day.
Thirty minutes later I attended an information presentation at the local library on family history. I have previously started a little history searching myself but I was thrilled when the presenter found my mother's father on the English 1911 census. He was four years old at the time! He lived to over one hundred years.
I thought all my frustrations and annoyance had come to the fore yesterday with the strange case of the parcel but there was more to come today. I came home with a boot load of shopping and the phone rang. It was the optician where Merv had his eyes tested on Monday. We ordered new glasses which were a bargain, designer frames cut down from $350 to $199. They have spring loaded arms which will stop them from falling down his nose all the time. A good choice. The phone call was to say the warehouse no longer have the frames in stock and Merv would have to come down and choose another frame. Well, I thought I had suddenly landed in the bull ring in Spain. Or was I the bull in the ring? All I could see was the colour red! I explained to the nice young lady I could not understand what she was saying. She said, don't worry I will put on my supervisor. The supervisor was in defensive robotic mode and went into her pre-planned spiel. I cut her short explaining Merv has a disability and I could not bring him down to the store until Monday and he would not have his new glasses for his respite next Friday. The line went quiet for a moment or two. The robot lady told me she would email every store of the franchise and find someone who has the frame we had paid for. She did and she rang me fifteen minutes later and told me all was in order. Time to have a rest, it has been a busy day.
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
Postal Conspiracy
Today I am a detective. Not a real one, not even a TV, play or movie star pretend one. Today I am hell-bent on solving the mystery of today's parcel.
The door bell rang at 8:30am just as I was serving breakfast; creamy porridge and the wafting smell of sizzling eggs filled the kitchen. My mind was imagining the person on the other side of the door. Was it a floral delivery? An inquisitive neighbour? My Godmother telling me I had won Lotto?
No, it was just the postal delivery bloke, the parcel only man, the one in the van. He held a decent sized box and I simply said, 'Oh thanks, I have been waiting for this.' I signed his electronic hand pad and left the box on the table. It was Mum's herbal tea ordered last week from Victoria. The sticker on the box said, 'Signature required.' No drama there.
Hours later I heard the roar and the hum of the postie's motorbike doing his regular round. The letterbox held a few letters and a small parcel. Strange I thought (the detective in me), this is a registered post item only. It is a small padded bag with two of Merv's prescription medications. The parcel is delivered every month, if we are home we sign for it or else we receive a, 'you have a parcel to collect' reminder card and trudge down to the local post office with ID to collect it.
The detective bit - the parcel always has a registered post sticker on it, which alerts the postman to deliver it personally and get a signature. The sticker had been torn off with only a small part of the corner still adhered to the front of the envelope.
The issue - if the parcel had been stolen the medication could make someone very ill or even cause death if a child got hold of it. Fortunately we have a padlock on our mailbox.
The mystery - my mind once again runs riot, was the postie too busy to knock on the door (postie also delivers small parcels to the door, unlike the parcel bloke this morning). Is he a rogue postie giving Australia Post a bad name? Is he just lazy and thought he could get away with it?
He obviously never reckoned he would be up against the Aussie suburban Miss Marple!
I am going to ask Australia Post to explain this scenario and I expect an answer. It is important to us to keep our community safe.
The door bell rang at 8:30am just as I was serving breakfast; creamy porridge and the wafting smell of sizzling eggs filled the kitchen. My mind was imagining the person on the other side of the door. Was it a floral delivery? An inquisitive neighbour? My Godmother telling me I had won Lotto?
No, it was just the postal delivery bloke, the parcel only man, the one in the van. He held a decent sized box and I simply said, 'Oh thanks, I have been waiting for this.' I signed his electronic hand pad and left the box on the table. It was Mum's herbal tea ordered last week from Victoria. The sticker on the box said, 'Signature required.' No drama there.
Hours later I heard the roar and the hum of the postie's motorbike doing his regular round. The letterbox held a few letters and a small parcel. Strange I thought (the detective in me), this is a registered post item only. It is a small padded bag with two of Merv's prescription medications. The parcel is delivered every month, if we are home we sign for it or else we receive a, 'you have a parcel to collect' reminder card and trudge down to the local post office with ID to collect it.
The detective bit - the parcel always has a registered post sticker on it, which alerts the postman to deliver it personally and get a signature. The sticker had been torn off with only a small part of the corner still adhered to the front of the envelope.
The issue - if the parcel had been stolen the medication could make someone very ill or even cause death if a child got hold of it. Fortunately we have a padlock on our mailbox.
The mystery - my mind once again runs riot, was the postie too busy to knock on the door (postie also delivers small parcels to the door, unlike the parcel bloke this morning). Is he a rogue postie giving Australia Post a bad name? Is he just lazy and thought he could get away with it?
He obviously never reckoned he would be up against the Aussie suburban Miss Marple!
I am going to ask Australia Post to explain this scenario and I expect an answer. It is important to us to keep our community safe.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)