No inhibitions

Words fail me...

New Year Resolution broken already

Some days ago I decided NOT to buy any more stuff for me or the kids in 2014, as we are really bursting at the seams in this house and I'm very much against the current religion of consumerism.  But, this morning when I was having coffee with friends at the local shopping centre, they they told me a new bookshop has opened.  Of course, I had to check it out, and found an electronic dictionary bookmark which I just had to buy for Emma.  Since Santa brought her a Harry Potter book with lots of new words, I thought it would be ideal.  We've already had a go of it and she loves it.  I'm very proud of her reading ability - no prizes for guessing who taught her! - as she's only in kinder this year and can read like an adult.

So, please tell all your friends to buy the Oz Phonics apps available on the AppStore.  So far we've got Australian, New Zealand and US accents, with Canadian ready to go in the New Year.

Next big event is New Year - I wish you all a very happy and healthy one.

A perfect Christmas yesterday

It's fortunate this house has a chimney, so Santa had no trouble bringing the presents in. Emma passed a big one to Hugo, who was so thrilled with the contents - a Lego pirate ship and treasure island - that he said, 'No thanks,' to all the others she offered him.  He played with it for hours before showing any interest in the others - water balls, clothes, bubble stuff, a Lego train set and an Aquanaught set for the bath.  Emma got a new scooter and lots of things for a good reader and writer - a calender, a diary, a journal, some chapter books, including her first 'Harry Potter' and some jewellery and clothes.

Santa even remembered Nanny, with a digital clock radio.  It only works if you hold your breath and hang the antenna about 90 cm straight up in the air onto an invisible hook!  And even then, it keeps cutting out. It even has words going across the screen telling you what you are listening to (in case you are deaf, I suppose) and what the weather is (to save you looking out the window.)  Oh dear, modern technology! 

The meal was absolutely scrumptious - wafers and cheese; a huge sushi (sticky rice, salmon, a sliced omelette and mysterious strips of stuff from a packet on top); ham, prawns, two chickens with different stuffing; purple cabbage salad, green and tomato salad; the trifle pictured above and a huge fruit salad made by me (apricots, nectarines, grapes, watermelon, rock melon, passionfruit, oranges, bananas, mango and separate cherries); chocolate cake; red wine and champagne.

After lunch I slipped downstairs and slept for a few hours, with Muffy curled up beside me.

Have seen pics of the dreadful storm in UK.  I hope you have not been affected, Winifred and Frank.

5 minutes later: Philip just came and took the new radio away - he's very cross and is going to return it.  

Santa is getting ready...

My friend Scott, who lives in Finland, took this photo of two of Santa's reindeer resting in his backyard, getting ready for the big night!

Today I promise myself that, before I have a swim and play the piano, I will catch up on my emails.  If I miss out on sending Christmas Greetings to any of you, please accept this:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
and Be Safe and Healthy

Tonight's dinner

Oh, how I wish I didn't eat meat!!!!!!  It really breaks my heart, yet I continue to do so because I'm too silly to work out a proper vegetarian diet.  I hope one day the entire world will stop behaving as though we have the right to eat other creatures.

Ticks

That is a good question, Olga - how did the vet know it was the larva of a paralysis tick?

I can only trust to her honesty.  Under the microscope the creature was VERY clear, so I assume this made it easy to identify.  As you can see by this (enlarged) ruler comparison, the larval stage is very small to the naked eye.  All the little dots on Muffy appeared to be black, but in reality they are a light brownish colour.

Yesterday Muffy had trouble opening her right eye and I thought she must have got some shampoo in it.  I rang the vet surgery and was told to take her up, but I wasn't well - sleepless nights lately - so decided to leave it till this morning.  Fortunately the problem has gone, so I'm glad I waited.

Have been frequently washing bedclothes and sofa throws and vacuuming since 'the discovery'.  Muffy seems OK, but her neck area has dozens of lumps from the bites.  How such tiny creatures can cause so much damage is hard to understand. 

Oh dear

This morning I gave Muffy her usual going over with a fine-tooth comb while we were sitting outside.  So much hair comes out it's a wonder she's not bald.  This evening she hopped onto my lap while I was sitting inside on the sofa, and, as I'd left the comb outside, I stroked her with my fingers, getting handfuls of hair.  I started on her back, going down towards her tail, then went to her head and neck.  Oh my god, I felt dozens of tiny black balls, smaller than a pinhead, and when I pulled one out and squeezed it with a tissue, an amazing amount of blood for such a tiny creature came out.

Panic stations.  It was 10 to 7.  I rang the vet surgery and was told if I could be there by 7 we could see a vet.  I threw Muffy into her cage and tore up the road and just as well. The vet said they were paralysis tick lavae and she let me have a look through the microscope at one.  I actually let out a wild scream of horror, the magnification was so large, and the little black dot was now a very large creature with legs!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The vet bathed Muffy in tick shampoo and I bought some to bring home for a mere $50. (The visit cost $100.15 on top of the shampoo, but I'd pay anything to save her life!)  I have to bath her every three days and check her out carefully every day.

I adore animals (in case you hadn't figured that out already!)

I've been a bit slack with entries lately, mainly because of my inability to use my own photos now that my camera is broken.  This one came from my 'Worth Keeping' email folder and is just gorgeous, isn't it!

I got a reminder from Muffy's vet a few weeks back to take her for her annual checkup and vaccinations and I was a nervous wreck until the job was done.  She HATES being put in her cage to travel there and that really upsets me.  I'm such a softie, as I know it does no harm and she should just put up with it, but I almost come out in a sweat and get palpitations!!!  The vet did her treatments in another room so as not to upset me!!!!!!! Oh, how embarrassing.  Mind you, it's the bill that should be making me break out in a sweat and get palpitations!!!!!!!

Today I've promised myself I'll have a good tidy up.  It's long overdue.

Sunny and calm today

Yes, it is indeed a scary world!  This pic shows what a narrow passage the tornado took on Monday afternoon.  How unlucky were the owners of these cars in the station carpark!

My camera has worn out and I can't figure out how to use a new one Philip gave me, so I'll cheat and put in an old photo of the backyard, taken at this time last year.

The hydrangea is flourishing and looks just like this today.  Muffy, as usual, is lapping up the sunshine.

Severe storm in my suburb earlier this afternoon

Witnesses likened the storm to a mini-tornado, that lasted only 15-20 seconds.  It hit the main shopping centre, about 5 km from here, while I was safely tucked up at home.  But at about the same time we had a tremendous downpour of rain and I had to dash out in my rain poncho to pump the pool out; Philip has had to do it three times over the last couple of days.