Tuesday, February 9th

My cold wasn't getting any better and the info from the hospital warned me that they didn't like operating on anyone who was less than fit so I rang them last week to get their advice. Come in anyway,' they said, 'And we'll assess you then.'

Before they would let me in to the hospital, I had to fill out a form so they could assess my covid status.  I said No to every question except Do you have a sore throat?  The guard at the door seemed very excited that I had ticked that box and called to her mate. "I've got a tick!". The mate ran over and I had to explain that I had been summoned by the surgeon, so they gave me a mask and let me through.

While I was waiting for the surgeon to finish with his previous patient, I went through the whole checking-in process, and started to get changed in to the backless gown and  knickers they expect all their patients to wear.

But, it was all to no avail.  They finally decided I was too much of a risk and sent me home. Apparently, I'll be back on the list in three to four weeks.  Something to look forward to.

We've been busy the last few days acting as baby-sitters for Archie, Jamie and Nera's Chihuahua.  It seems he doesn't like to be left alone  when they're both at work but we're not unhappy about having him around; he certainly adds some spark to our day.

Friday, January 29th

I had to pop in to the hospital today to get some blood tests in preparation for next week's op.   My throat was still a little scratchy so, being a good and thoughtful citizen, I asked the woman behind the desk for a mask.  She drew back and went into panic mode. "You shouldn 't be in the hospital if you have a sore throat," she said. " I'll have to tell the nurse and he might not do the test."

I retreated, sheepishly, to my seat until the nurse called me in.  She was very blase and told me the admin staff often over-reacted like that.  She didn't wear any PPE, not even a mask, so she clearly wasn't worried.  Marilyn was bemused by the statement, you shouldn 't be in the hospital if you have a sore throat.  Surely, there would be no better place.  Anyway, I know I am covid-free, so there wouldn't have been a problem.

Thursday, 28th January, 2021

Jamie had a bit of a sore-throat and his company told him he needed to have a Covid test. Because Marilyn and I had been with him for the weekend, and I had a bit of a cough, we decided we should be tested too.  There's a mobile station on the way in to town so we drove in.  The place was deserted, with half a dozen health professionals  standing around trying to look busy.  It says something about how lucky we have been in Tassie not to have the problems of other places.  The nurses said they had about 60 people in during that day, nothing like the crowds that other places have seen.

We had our swabs and the results came back this afternoon: both negative.  Jamie was negative too.

I've had several phone calls today from various people at the Launceston Hospital, collecting details and giving me preliminary information about my forthcoming trip to have an operation.  During my last colonoscopy, they noticed an anomaly and I'm going in to have it remedied.  Today, I had the Admissions Secretary, the surgeon, the Pharmacist, the Anaesthetist, and the Physiotherapist, all ticking off their various lists.  Tomorrow, I go in for blood tests, and to collect the necessary pre-op mixture, and I'm due to check in for the op at 7am on the 8th, two days before my birthday.  Probably not my preferred way to spend that week.

Monday, 25th January, 2021

 Monday, January 25th

It's Australia Day tomorrow and we find ourselves in Hobart with Jamie and Nera.  They invited us to join them on this excursion while Jamie tried his new car: a Nissan Murano AWD, not unlike the Ford Territory I used to pull our van.

We're staying in Cedar Cottage, a very nice little place in Blackman's Bay and spent today on Bruny Island.  The last time we were here was Easter, 2011and nothing much has changed.  The car ferry has been updated but the roads are still third -world.  Still, it was a great day and made me think of a book I read recently.  It's called Bruny and is by Heather Rose, a local author.

It's a good read about a plan to build a bridge to Bruny using Chinese money.  There's a twist, of course and some locals turn the tide on the  baddies and win the day.  I don't know why Bruny Island is so popular with tourists.  There are very few places to stay and to eat but there were 100 cars lined up to get  the ferry this morning and that 's not unusual. Maybe it 's the mystique of the lonely island that draws people in.

Just after we left Bruny back in 2011 we signed the papers to buy the property at Dilston.  Well, that chapter's closed and we have all moved on.

Tuesday, December 1st

 Marilyn slaved in the kitchen all morning and, as a result, we each enjoyed a slice of Apple and Rhubarb Crumble Cake for afternoon tea.  If you did a time and motion study on the effort which went into the production of the cake you would come to the conclusion that it wasn't worth it.  And that would be a sensible thing to say.  Time would certainly be better spent in doing something else.  There are any number of bakeries out there who do a wonderful job of creating delicacies and who depend on our custom to stay viable. Surely, it's our patriotic duty to buy our cakes rather than bake them ourselves.

And yet, where can you buy an Apple and Rhubarb Crumble Cake?  I'm a great fan of rhubarb even though it seems to have fallen out of fashion.  I think I first enjoyed it back in Scotland where my grandfather grew it in his back yard.  I remember he used to use a wheelbarrow to cover it in bad weather.  I also remember the joke he used to tell, which is just as funny today as it was in 1950.  The man next door looked over the fence and said, "Your rhubarb's looking fine this year, Sandy.  Is it true that you put horse manure on it?"  

"Aye!" said Sandy.

"That's funny," said the neighbour. "We prefer ours with custard."

We've always been lucky that we have known people who grow rhubarb so I haven't had to buy the $5 bunches from Woolworths, but the other week I was given a couple of crowns by a fellow I met while working at the exams so,  as a new adventure I might start growing my own.  I fancy the new above-ground gardens to save the serious bending over and Jamie found a local teenager who is making suitable boxes from recycled pallets.  $40 seems reasonable for a 1m square box.

A 1m x 1m x 60cm box will need 24 Bunnings bags of top soil to fill it; at $4 each bag, that's $96.  But Jamie tells me the local nursery will sell me that volume of soil for $60 and lend me a trailer to bring it home.  That's at least $100 I've spent already, equivalent to at least 20 bunches of Woolies rhubarb which is always fresh and doesn't need any more manual labour that carrying it home.  Have I bitten off more than I can chew?

Saturday, November 29, 2020

 Although I always have one or two fiction books, usually crime novels, on the go, I am always on the lookout for an interesting non-fiction book for a change.  I've enjoyed some of the tell-all books about the disastrous Trump presidency and I like biographies of interesting people.  Sometimes a title will grab my attention as did 'A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived' I stumbled across in one of the classrooms where I was supervising exams the other week.  We're not allowed to read in the exams but I absorbed enough from the cover to know that it was about genes and how they impact on our history.

The clincher was a recommendation on the cover from Brian Cox: 'You will be spellbound', and I was.

Beautifully written by Adam Rutherford, it is over 400 pages long and explores how the human animal has grown and developed and how the study of our genes throws light on our history.  I read it over three days and, genuinely, couldn't put it down.

This is Day 74 since my knee operation and it's fair to say that I am fed up with limping, walking with a stick and dealing with a stiff joint.  I've finished with my group Physio class though I have one more individual session next week.  I may never be able to dance the jitterbug again but I'd just like to have my mobility back as it was.  I'm told that I must be patient; it will be all right in the end.

We've watched some interesting TV recently, including Season 4 of The Crown and Joanna Lumley's latest spectacular, The Silk Road.  Once we moved past Venice and Turkey, which wer a bit ho-hum, we travelled into a part of the world we know very little about, and it is awe-inspiring - the history of Samarkand and the extraordinary modernity of Azerbaijan really opened our eyes.  We thoroughly recommend the show.

November 13, 2020

 Somehow this story has been overlooked so it will end up out of order.  It is an attempt at writing in the Travel Article genre.

BACK ON DRY LAND                                                                              13^th NOVEMBER, 2020

 

Now that we can see that the influence of the Covid Pandemic is starting to wane, many of us are looking at the possibility of overseas travel and are starting to wonder whether there may be bargains to be found as operators desperately  attempt to attract paying customers.  Favourite venues like Bali, Thailand, and New Zealand will no doubt recover well but there is a serious question mark hanging over the Seniors’ Favourite: Cruising.  Pre-Covid, cruise operators could pretty well guarantee filling their enormous ships with elderly passengers who were not too demanding, didn’t insist on entertainment 24 hours a day, went to bed early and didn’t eat much.  It was a relatively easy way to make money and if the crews had the inconvenience of dealing with the body of an occasional ninety-year old who had passed away, so be it.

However, when Covid has, in its turn, passed away, I want to suggest that the thoughts of would-be holiday-makers will not be on the high seas but will come back to dry land, and the more adventurous will be looking beyond the old favourites to see what else might be available. 

We don’t have to fly to the other side of the world to find an enjoyable holiday.  Right on our doorstep is a vast, almost untapped tourist mecca, whose people, mostly, speak English, where a pretty good hotel bed might cost $AU50 and a decent meal can be had for $20.  I’m talking about the Philippines.  Don’t be concerned about the newspaper reports regarding the crime rate and the murderous policies of the President.  If normal care is taken and you take advantage of local guides, your holiday will be one to remember.

First-time travellers will want to see the capital city.  Manila is a sprawling hotch-potch of a city, with enormous slum areas but also some of the world’s best shopping precincts.  Choose a hotel in Makati and employ a local company to show you the sights.  There is plenty to see around Manila Bay, and don’t miss the town of Tagaytay and shopping at the Mall of Asia.

Better still, though, avoid Manila entirely and take a connecting flight from the airport to one of the thousands of islands.  Cebu, with its perfect white sand beaches is always popular with international tourists  but has always been particularly attractive to younger people who enjoy showing off their tanned bodies so, for older people, I recommend Palawan as a much better option for an unforgettable tourist experience.  It’s only a ninety-minute flight from Manila in a modern aircraft but be aware that locals flying home from Manila always take the chance to stock up on Krispy Kreme donuts which take up too much room in the overhead lockers.  You’ll be asked to check in even your cabin baggage for storage in the plane’s hold and it’s a good idea to comply.

Make sure you’ve arranged to be collected at the airport by your guide.  Whole families turn out to welcome back people who’ve been away, and the crowds at the airport can be quite daunting.  You might find yourself booked into an excellent hotel in the capital, Puerta Princesa, or one of the many, cheaper, resorts along the highway leading out of town.  Either is OK.  The resorts are of a lower standard but clean and comfortable for a couple of nights.

There is lots to do but don’t miss the famous Underground River tour. The river flows through limestone so, over the centuries has carved a huge cave which enters the sea not far from the capital city.  You’ll be taken in a traditional outrigger canoe into the cave and navigate a couple of kilometres along its length.  There are bats and other creatures, and the usual features of limestone caves.

Life in these out-of-the-way places in the Philippines hasn’t changed much in hundreds of years and the people haven’t been tainted by the excesses of modern life.  You’ll feel refreshed after your time here and astounded by the beautiful places you have seen.  You can be satisfied, too, that your Australian dollars have made a difference to the lives of people who normally survive on very little.