Family

Val Stays in St Vincents Hospital Toowoomba

October 15, 2009 // by Wanda// Leave a Comment

My husband Val (Valentine) was diagnosed with a hernia some time ago and we finally got around to seeing the specialist in Toowoomba who scheduled an operation.

This meant a few days stay in Toowoomba, so I booked myself into the White Oaks Motel and we headed off to Toowoomba where we met up the grandkids, Ayla and Sebastian and hung out until it was time for Val to be admitted.

He is given a single room in the Saint Damien ward, complete with TV and phone – thank god for health insurance. The op is scheduled for the morning. Val is nervous, having never been in hospital before. He is also needle shy which is a problem for him as he has to have a number of blood tests.

The staff are friendly and his nurse, David, quickly helps to settle him in. This young man is the epitome of what I consider to be a great nurse, showing just the right amounts of empathy and humour, he is also excellent at giving needles and Val has nothing but praise for David’s needle skills.

Of course the kids have to play on the electronic bed and finally I get them off it before it breaks. By the way these ‘kids’ are 24 and 20 years of age.

We wait until Val is settled and then we head off into Toowoomba where Sebastian buys an iPhone. Ayla has one and Sebb has gotten hooked on the games she has on her iphone.

Back to the motel, the scene is surreal with all three of us gaming while I am talking on the phone to Paula who is playing with her iPod touchand Sebb is on another phone to his mother, telling her all about the game he is playing. She, unlike the rest of us, doesn’t play computer or electronic games.

All to soon the kids have to leave to get back to Brisbane. Sebb is heading back to Airlie Beach where he lives, in the morning. He is just passing through on his way back for two weeks in Western Australia.

The next day I am up early and head off to the hospital at 9am. After having a bite to eat in the cafeteria I go up to the ward to see if Val has had his op. I am in luck as I run into David, Val’s nurse, who tells me he has just come back from theatre and everything has gone well.

Fortunately, at this stage he is not in any pain mind you he is probably on pain killers. There is a student nurse that is learning how to take stats and mark everything off the patients sheet and David is patiently showing him what to do. Another nurse brings Val some ice and iced water and they go throught the exercise procedures that he must do to get the blood flowing through the major arteries.

After a while I can see that Val is drowsy so I leave him to rest and will go back in the afternoon.

I spend my day being frustrated by not being able to get any reasonable internet connection. I have purchased a pre paid wireless usb but the connection is sooooo slow and keeps dropping out. Later I find out the the Motel has free wifi but it turns out to be equally as slow. I have so much work to catch up on and frustration is setting in.

Suddenly a blustery wind comes up followed by heavy rain and hailstones. I am at a loss as to what to do. Trying to decide whether or not to move the car so the hail doesn’t damage it. Finall figure these hailstones aren’t big enough to cause any damage. I am hoping it is raining out in Tara – but I find out later that ‘No’ we didn’t get any of the much needed rain.

Val is released the next morning, and he’s not quite so chipper now. The bruising is coming out and he is in a deal of pain. Fortunately the pharmacy is just at the back of the motel so I get him some pain killers so that he can rest.

I ring the Baillie Henderson Hospital to see if Anjasa can be released for a few hours to come and see her father and they agree. We have Macca’s for lunch and then I take her back to the hospital, on the way I pick up an iPod touchas Woolworths have them on special. Now I can join in the fun with the other kids.

I decided to stay the night in Toowoomba and head off home this morning. Thought it might be better to give Val a day of rest before facing the ruts in the dirt road that leads to our home in Tara.

We are so grateful to the staff in St Vincents, Toowoomba and cannot thank them enough for the care and attention they gave Val. His surgeon and anaethetist were brilliant and we have high praise for these wonderful people.

Whats Been Happening in My World – Car Breaks Down

October 9, 2009 // by Wanda// Leave a Comment

This has been a very eventful week for me.

Firstly, my grandaughter’s car broke down. As she was in Texas, some 4 and 1/2 hours away from Tara, she arranged to have it picked up by friends. Well one thing led to another and before you know it, not only are the wheel bearings shot but the front bumper gets broken off as they try to load the car onto the trailer.

The first thing she had done was contact RACQ, only to find that her membership had expired, so she renews the membership and the guy then tells her he can’t do anything as it will need towing to a Ford Dealership to be fixed. Being a relatively new car it is still under warranty.

Problem – Ford only man their phones from 8am until 5pm and their after hours are from 5pm until 6pm, Monday to Friday. Of course this incident happened on Sunday.

Okay there is nothing else for it but for grandad and I to head off to the rescue. We load on the car trailer and set off for Texas.

Next we get a call from Aylz. She has borrowed her boyfriends car to come from Brisbane to Texas (another drive in excess of 4 hours) and it has broken down on the highway. She is distraught as cars and trucks whizz around her. Finally a tow truck arrives and takes the car to Redbank Plains to be fixed. But she is now going to be much later as she arranges another ride to Texas.

Val and I go and have a very nice lunch at the local Texas Caltex Shop and wait for Ayla to arrive.

And arrive she does in a rather dodgy ute that appears to have a mind of its own as to where it wants to drive.

Knowing she will be crawling around under the car to help tie it on means that she is dressed for the occasion in work shorts.

It doesn’t take long and we have the car up on the trailer, and we are all set to go.

But the saga doesnt’ end here. Next stop is Stanthorpe – around 2 hours away to drop the dodgy ute off before continuing on to Brisbane.

All goes well and a few, quite a few hours later we arrive at my sons place on the Redcliffe Peninsular. The trailer is removed from the back of the car and Ayla heads off home in the Pajero, to return the next day to pick up the car and trailer to take it to the Ford Dealership. She is becoming quite used to driving our car, not sure that’s a good thing.

I am more than happy to let her drive through the narrow, winding and very hilly streets of Indooroopilly, the next day to drop off the car. All goes well and she even has a go at backing the car trailer out into a busy intersection. Our son wants to borrow the trailer so we drive all the way across town to deliver it and then we can finally head back to Ayla’s to relax a little before heading back the 5 hour journey to Tara.

I feel as if my tailbone is broken from all the sitting and driving.

Both cars get fixed without a hitch and although the wheel bearings are covered under warranty the bumper isn’t, however, Ford give Ayla a nice discount which she certainly appreciates.

We have half a day at home before heading off to Toowoomba to see the specialist before Val goes into hospital next week. And of course Toowoomba is a good 2 1/2 hour journey as well.

Ahhh, the joys of country living.

Looking for a Change in Lifestyle – Things to Consider When Going Rural

September 18, 2009 // by Wanda// 1 Comment

We moved out to Tara, a rural town 5 hours from Brisbane. I’m not sure how we came to live here, it all happened so quickly but somehow ended up out here.

We started doing the house up and put in a new kitchen but its not finished and now that Val is no longer able to climb up ladders, it doesn’t look like it will ever get finished. It’s all a tad depressing really.

Tara is in the middle of a drought so we need to be careful with water, try explaining that to a man who has never experienced a water shortage. I at least have lived on an island where tank water is the norm and you learn to be careful. Val still runs the water down the sink while he rinses his teacup or is wiping down the bench.

We have just spent the last two days attempting to get Val in to see the local doctor. Yesterday the doctor was called away to the local hospital to attend an emergency and finally we decided to reschedule to today. Guess what, just as we arrived the doctor was leaving again to attend an emergency at the local hospital. I am glad that he is on hand for emergencies but we have now spent two days hanging around Tara, which has a very few shops, a library and a lagoon. We had a cup of tea at the cafe and then walked up the street and back down, the whole exercise, including the coffee break, taking approximately 35 mins, so then we went and sat at the lagoon which is about as exciting as watching paint dry.

After one o’clock we returned to the surgery and Val finally got into see the doctor. He has to go to a neurologist in Toowoomba. I tried to make the appointment but he has gone for the afternoon. Will ring in the morning again. Hopefully I can get him in on Tuesday as we already have an appointment on that day with another specialist, but we all know that won’t happen and I will end up doing the 5 hour drive twice.

I so miss Canberra where everything is only a few minutes away.

Today is our 45th wedding anniversary and I was thinking of going into the Tara hotel for dinner, but I’m not sure I can be bothered now after having driven in there already once today.

We have lots of Kangaroos hanging around at the moment, I’m not sure why there has been a sudden increase in numbers, maybe its the drought bringing them into be near the dam.

I notice that the council is doing up the footpath in Tara. They would be better off spending the money on doing up the roads. We have to drive along dirt roads once we turn off the highway into the Miegunyah estate. When the grader hasn’t been over the roads, you drive over ruts that are very challenging, your teeth rattle all the way home.

My daughter always says ” Die a slow death in the country”, I am beginning to know what she means.

Don’t get me wrong, for some people this would be an amazing lifestyle but it doesn’t suit me or at least I don’t suit it. I like to travel at a moments notice but with the closest airport 5 hours away, I suddenly have to take all sorts of things into consideration, such as how am I going to get to the airport. If I drive, where do I leave the car, usually I get my gorgeous grandaughter to pick me up, but I hate hassling her to drive out here from Brisbane to pick me up. Not that she ever complains.

I am just venting because I have had a lousy couple of days and I am sure things will be better tomorrow, but all I can really say is roll on early October as I am off to Canberra again. And then another trip to the US in March.

Okay so what have I found are the pros for rural living:

Peace and quiet – the nearest neighbour is 60 acres away
The birds – we get an assortment of beautiful parrots flying in
The Kangaroos – although there are getting to be way too many of them
The large Goanna that lives in a log by the dam
The cute rabbits that provide an excellent meal on occasion
Plenty of room to ride motorbikes
Cypress pines grow beautifully
You can have a dogs, a cow, chickens and pigs. I won’t have any animals as they are a tie. Val brought a couple of pigs when I was in Canberra, and they bred and had 8 piglets. They went to the butcher as soon as they were big enough, they are now in the freezer.

And what are the cons:

Miles from anywhere – so you can’t pop out to the movies on a whim. Our local theatre is 80 klms away.
Food and commodoties tend to be more expensive.
Medical services are not as readily available
You can’t grow stuff in this soil here. I have been trying to build up a patch of soil but because it is so hot and dry the plants don’t survive.
Water doesn’t penetrate through the top layer of sand.
We are in drought conditions and there is no rain in sight.

When we first brought this place we considered doing aquaculture and hydroponics and brought everything to get this going. But it has never eventuated.

The back dam has dried up in this drought. There were some kangaroos standing in the middle of the dam but they hopped away before I could photograph them.