VERY, VERY, VERY grumpy old woman

I started this page a few days ago, and just about threw the computer out the window when everything I'd written simply flew away. That's been happening to my emails, too. It drives me crazy!

The original whinge I had was people who use iPhones in cinemas and theatres, as in the photo. I have stopped going to movies as a consequence (much prefer NETFLIX in the comfort of my own home). 

I took Emma to The Wizard of Oz on Saturday. Being gouged by Viagogo - NEVER again - for $450 for two $100 tickets brought on a serious bout of grumpiness, I can assure you. Even getting there was frustrating enough. Emma has two Opal cards, one at her mother's flat and the other here, this latter needing topping up. These days, I cannot even cope with a topping up machine - almost no real live staff at railway stations any longer - so Philip gave her one of his two Opal cards. Would you believe, we discovered when she could not get through the ticket barrier at the station, that this one needed topping up, too. We were able to find a lonely staff member on duty that day and he kindly walked us over the road to a machine near Woolworths, and did the topping up for us, as I was on the point of a nervous breakdown. 

In the theatre, we climbed to the gods, to the very last row, where I sat directly behind the head of the woman in front and was blinded by several people using iPhones. I had to lean sideways throughout the whole performance to get a glimpse of the stage. On the way up, a woman had said to me: 'Well, this is your cardiac exercise for the day.'

Many more whinges to come next time.

Life after Muffy

  

Muffy's grave in back garden

New plants in pots nearby

I'm putting all my energy into the garden now that Muffy's gone. I won't get another kitten.

I have beautiful shots of her on both my monitors, and of course I think about her all the time. 

Early rising

I'm awake early - 4 am - so got up to make a coffee and do this blog. This pic was taken a few months back, when I got my new glasses after cataract operations.

My eyes are swollen after crying for Muffy since she died. Bruce and Wendy popped in yesterday with flowers for me. That was nice.

I plan to go to an Australian Natives nursery this morning, as beginning Muffy's Memorial Garden has inspired me to beautify the whole place. Both front- and back-yards have been neglected for a long time, making me ashamed. Emma is having a pool party here tomorrow, so I want to at least have the surrounds a bit decent. Extremely hot weather of late has killed most of the potplants, so it's time I made a fresh start. I've moved most of the pots into a shadier area.

School goes back next Tuesday. The kids have had a six-week summer holiday, and Philip three, so we will need to get organised. Their mother left home some months ago, making things extremely difficult. Emma never wants to go to her flat, preferring to stay in her own home with Daddy, naturally. Hugo doesn't seem to understand there has been a tearing-apart of his family, and goes to his mother every now and then. But fortunately for us, they're here most of the time. Philip is being magnificent, as always. 

At 6 am I'll listen to The Archers, as I've been doing for years. Right now we're into surrogacy! There's no doubt about it, we get a bit of absolutely everything in this BBC radio program. It's been running since the war!

I, and most of my friends, have just about given up totally on TV. I've got NETFLIX and binged on The Crown recently. In my opinion, this is the best program ever made. Last night I discovered Hidden Houses in Wales. I adore things like this. You folk who live in England and Europe are so lucky to have such beautiful old buildings. Nothing older than 200 years here.

Goodbye Muffy

Muffy drew her last breath yesterday, Monday 22 Jan 2018, aged 17. A kind and respectful vet and nurse euthanased her, and she died in my arms. Philip, Emma and Hugo were there, too, to say goodbye.

She is buried in our backyard and I've already begun to plant flowers and shrubs so it can be Muffy's Memorial Garden.

I've never cried so much in all my life. For all these years, except when I was away, she slept with me every night and kept me company every day.

This photo was taken on 5 Jan, just a few weeks ago. The vet had examined her and taken blood samples in Dec and said she'd be gone by mid-Jan, and he wasn't far out. For years she'd had kidney and heart disease and was on medication and a special diet. 

I loved her dearly. She had a happy and long life and I have wonderful memories of her, and thousands of photos.

Family get-together

Oh no, it appears I've done it again - forgot to press a button and have lost everything I'd written here. No, it's worse. I've apparently deleted the previous blog, headed Me and my new glasses. I give up.

Before I become completely frazzled, I'll tell you who's who in the pic. Standing: Sister Kay, Philip, me; Seated: Lisa (Kay's daughter-in-law from US), Jenni (Kay's daughter).

Where have I been???

I can hardly believe my last entry was in January. Each day is so filled with things to do, I never seemed to have time to make an entry. But Frank asked this morning if I had stopped doing the blog, so I decided to make an effort.

World events have been appalling, so best not to say anything about them. There's more than enough on the news.

The family is fine, as is Muffy. Amongst all the things I do, family history takes up a lot of time, and is very rewarding. I've been particularly interested in my paternal grandmother's siblings, and have managed to track down four lots of descendants, (including me and my sister) all 2nd cousins. We recently had a get-together here in Sydney, with the sisters in the pic coming from US, (as did the husband of one, standing at the back). That's me on the left, in case you've forgotten what I look like.

Three others live not far from me, and my sister came up from Canberra. I have to say it was one of the most enjoyable times of my entire life! Just fabulous. We talked for hours and hours.

On my grandmother's line there were 12 siblings, three of whom died as babies or toddlers. Half were born in London, the rest in Brisbane, after the family emigrated in 1887. This is where they lived.

The eldest, Florence, was born in 1870 (we met at her 90-year-old grandson's place); next came Minnie, born in 1876, (I went to her granddaughter's 90th birthday party on Sunday); then Annie Louise (my grandmother), born in 1880; and last of all the youngest, Jessie (grandmother of the women in the top photo), born in1893. She must have been very adventurous, as she sailed to US in her early 20s, married there, had a son, Jerry (aged 90, who spoke to us via Skype while his daughters were here) and never came back.

Mystery of Muffy solved

Years ago, after a cat fight, Muffy was left with a dangling toe, which the vet had to completely remove under anaesthesia. When she came home from the hospital, she sat upright like this all night. This recent sitting upright should have made me realise it was because she was in pain again.

It took more than a week for a narrow strip of fur to come off her leg, then in a few days this strip had grown to the size of a 20 cent piece, and I could see tiny holes like teeth marks in it. In another day or so the bare patch was purple and swollen, so I rushed her to the vet. It was an abscess, which he cut and drained.

Poor, poor darling. She must have been suffering intense pain for about three weeks before I had the sense to take her to the vet. It wasn't simply old age, but an acute problem. What a strange reaction for her to sit bolt upright for hours at a time, even in her litter tray!

When I told the vet I'd stopped her medication and was giving her normal food he sternly told me not to, or she'd die of kidney failure. So back on the unappetising special food she went.

Darling Muffy

I'm inordinately fond of Muffy (now 16) and am very worried as she seems to be going downhill quickly. Her weight has gone from 5.5kg to 3.2. Her habits have changed lately and she's becoming very slow. For some time now she's been on medication for heart and kidney problems, and hates having her morning pill and then waiting 30 minutes before she can eat. She dislikes the special diet she's supposed to be on, so I'm allowing her to eat normal things now, like people chicken and sardines. 

She's taken to sitting right in front of the TV. Of course, I don't have the heart to move her.

The Australian Open tennis is on at the moment, which means I'm spending a lot of time watching. This in turn means I'm behind with everything else, particularly answering emails. But this morning is catchup time. With the total standing at 3 967, it's more than a little daunting!

With temperatures in the high 30s, it's a good idea to stay inside, where it's quite reasonable.

What's not to like?

For some inexplicable reason, I woke up in 2017 with a glass half-full attitude to life. It is the first time in 73 years!!! I won't go into too much detail for fear of jinxing things, other than to say I actually look forward to each day, rather than feeling overwhelmed and finding it hard to get out of bed.

The frangipani flowers, the first of the season, are outside Emma's bedroom. You may remember her second name, Hinano, means frangipani.

Interesting what you write, Frank and Winifred, about your cold weather, while here I'm really enjoying summer, and swimming almost every day. The tennis is on, and I love that.

The book on procrastination is coming along as expected. This means not at all. I did spend a few hours one day on the new address book, but became so nostalgic thinking about my life in former days that I didn't make much progress. I've had to use the ironing board to iron clothes, so the old notebooks have simply been put on a shelf. This is a current pic from Facebook of where I lived in France in 1973/4.

The wonderful thing is I'm still in touch with the family - got a letter from Catherine just the other day. She has moved out of the big house with the white shutters to a smaller one to the right of the church. Her daughter, Virginie, now lives in the big one and runs the property.

New address book....

I'm going to start RIGHT NOW. These old notebooks have been set out on the ironing board beside my bed for a couple of days, waiting to have their entries updated and put into the new address book. This plan is probably two years old! I need somebody behind me with a whip to get me going.

Today's a good day to do it, as the forecast is 37. My place is always lovely and cool, so I'll stay inside. Outside it will be deadly.