The Drive Down

It is a feeling of satisfaction to leave the house clean and tidy.  I know the chances of it remaining that way is slim after Dustin has lived there all week.  I am happy he is there keeping an eye of everything and watering Merv's patio plants.  We harvested a small crop of capsicums and tomatoes before we left and popped them in our esky bag to enjoy later.


Poor dead frog

Ten minutes later we were picking up Mel from her unit, complete with four more bags.  I had already taken home her small suitcase and shoe bag on Thursday.  That of course is a ploy to prevent her adding extra goodies in her luggage!  We squished everything in and headed for Busselton.  It was a rather uneventful drive.  A sprinkling of rain lasting only seconds.  Merv asked me to make a pit stop but all I could see were areas of trees.  Finally I stopped on the side of the road, walked him down the embankment and behind a group of trees to relieve himself!  We had travelled for 1.5 hours without a rest room in sight.  We finally found one thirty minutes later and us girls were happy to use the facilities and buy coffee.  As we approached Busselton I was filled with serenity and lightness of spirit.  There was nothing amazing to see, just the continuous wildness of the bush but it was most relaxing.
We lunched at a café in the high street before going to our basic but adequate accommodation.  While making up the beds we found a dead frog in one of the bedrooms and brave Mel swept it up and put it outside. Frogs dead or alive are never holiday entertainment!
Before the day had finished we had picked up the hire wheelchair for Merv and did the necessary essential food shopping.  Ice cream may not be an essential but it makes the holiday that bit more enjoyable.  Tomorrow we plan to hit the markets and make plans as we go.

Holiday Number 2

Famous Busselton Jetty

I am having a giggle. After our families 50th anniversary a few weeks ago we are once again packed and ready for our next adventure! I have been running all day, washing, packing, cleaning and sorting out the finances.  Once we are at our destination it will be time to breath in the fresh air and enjoy our seven day adventure. Until then there are lists to cross off and decisions of what to take and what should stay!  We always say we can buy anything which we forget but I'd rather spend the money on having  some fun. Busselton in the south west of Australia is a favourite tourist haven and the gateway to a number of smaller towns, wineries and produce sellers.  Busselton spreads around the Geographe Bay. I have the fold-up chairs already packed. I close my eyes and imagine the cool salty air brushing my skin while I watch the surf lapping lazily on the white sand.  Only one more sleep to go...

Playing Safe

Yesterday I dismissed the handbrake light on my dashboard. I checked the handbrake was off and a few minutes later the light stopped and was quickly forgotten. The light was back on this morning and I made a mental note to tell Mark my mechanic.  With our Busselton getaway this Saturday I wanted to have my oil, coolant and tyre pressure checked. It's just a drop in situation.  I told Mark it was nothing to worry about and briefly told Mark about my hand brake light.  Mel and I busied ourselves reading and chatting as Mark checked the car.
 

What he told me, stunned me!  He said the light came on because I was losing brake fluid due to a hose becoming loose.  Mark tightened the hose and topped up the brake fluid. 
Ten years ago I lost my brakes on my Mitsubishi van.  Just before heading off on the main road I had made a snap decision to drive down a small residential street, with no traffic or pedestrians. The van refused to stop on a slight gradient and took some distance to stop.  Thank goodness I had a change of mind, Mel was with me.  Our lives and others could have been threatened.

I shared my day's story with Dustin tonight adding, " how sad that would be if we lost our brakes while we are  away on holiday!  We could have died and you would be the sole owner of our house!"   I knew his reaction.  He laughed.  So did I.  Thank you Mark for keeping us safe.

Respite Funding

Once bitten twice shy is a well known saying but true. Last year I rang Commonwealth Carer Respite Centre (CCRC) to apply for funding for Merv's two weeks respite. It was like a tug of war and I ended up paying for five days of Merv's fortnight respite.  Every other year I have got away with paying for three days respite.  Some years we have received the full amount paid.
Merv is booked into respite in three weeks.  I take respite twice a year as it helps to keep me sane, recharge my batteries and even for a short time I can remember the life I used to live!

Today I was ready for battle!  Instead of waiting for the paperwork from the respite provider I rang this morning to find out the current daily rate before ringing CCRC. I cut straight to the chase. I was polite, I listened, I answered his questions.  I asked to pay for three days ("as usual" - I added).  I could hear the young man thinking, I could hear the keys on his keyboard and then without hesitation he said a purchase order would be sent to the respite provider in a few weeks. 
Victory!  Taking the bull by the horns brought the result I was looking for!  A great day followed. 

Disabled Trauma

Disability is costly.  It is a contradiction of itself.  Most of us with a disability are either on a government pension or work reduced hours.  Therefore the nightmare begins with penny pinching and creative ways of making do.  The maze of benefits dances like a carrot in front of a donkey.  It's great if you know how to access them, it's hair pulling time if you don't.
My previous employment in community services plus having a well informed social worker helped us from drowning in an otherwise unknown world.  The web of  accessing benefits can be so confusing it can feel like you went to sleep on Earth and woke up on a completely unknown planet.

What did we need now which we had previously lived very well without?

• Shower chair
• Lotions and creams
• Padded dining chair with arms
• Plastic bottles with straws
• Lift chair
• Disability access bathroom ($14,000AUD)
• Wheelchair
• iPad with speech app
• ACROD permit
• Companion Card
• Continuous support and companionship during waking hours
• Government hand outs

Juggling the benefits with the extra costs of products, items and services is daunting.  I have met so many people who just throw up their hands in frustration of their situation.  It is important that at all times we retain our dignity and independence, at home and in our community.

Cultural Challenge

Dustin bit the bullet, made up his mind and flew the coop.  A nice way to say he left his house in the hands of boarders and became a boarder himself elsewhere.   Life is full of challenges and he was not only looking for a change in environment,  his job required him to move further away from his house.
He took the very first opportunity that came his way.  A tiny apartment south of the river only fifteen minutes from his new work.  It sounded good.  He moved out of his house, stored many of his belongings in my shed and moved into the tiny apartment with a young Indian couple.
They had advertised for a non-drinker, non-smoker.  Dustin may have the occasional  glass of wine while having dinner out, but he doesn't drink at home or frequent bars and hotels.  He has never smoked. 
Dustin is a active Christian attending church and involved in a number of church activities.  He was glad to move in with like-minded people. 
Today he found out the unexpected.  The cultural challenge.  The man of the apartment is a Sikh, complete with uncut beard, regulation Sikh underwear and knife of protection.
Dustin isn't the type to seek out others of different cultures and I know that learning about others and living in the midst of it maybe challenging to him.  I imagine it will enlighten him and colour him with a depth of character.

A Wish Fulfilled

A few weeks ago Mel was offered  a couple of hours voluntary work in The ARAFMI office.  I was just as excited as Mel when she rang me the other day and said she had been called in to 'stuff' envelopes with their newsletter and put the sticky address labels on the envelopes.  Not the most exciting job in the world and to many just plain boring!
For Mel it was an opportunity to: help others, learn new skills and add diversity to the pattern of her week.
She is no longer a little girl in school.  I can not ring and find out how well she did.  Of course I asked her if she enjoyed her voluntary work which she replied with a definite 'yes!'
For Mel's benefit I hope her voluntary work is just beginning and her  journey continues to unfold and challenge her. 
I have been involved in numerous voluntary positions, all of them have benefitted my local 
community.  Through volunteering I have been challenged to look outside my own perimeters and take time to experience a bigger picture.