Here we go again
Mood: Slightly surreal
Listening to: Silent house
Tuesday, 10.34pm
Tried to write a minute ago but foolishly went to look at 'previous entries' and lost it. So here goes again.
The surreal mood is probably a result of a combination of things: the large amount of chocolate I've just eaten, being tired, pills I'm taking for a crook back, anticipation of Thursday...
Thursday is our biggie, the day husband goes into hospital for the removal of half of his bowel. Nobody had actually said "He's got cancer", we've had phrases like "nasty cells", "pre-cancerous conditions", 'abnormalities" - but we'll know for sure once they remove it and examine the lymph nodes attached to the arteries that feed that portion of intestine. Today he had day one of a special diet - it's not too bad really, just limited to chicken, fish, eggs, dairy products, white rice, bread and pasta. Easy. It's called a low residue diet, and he has to be on it for the two days prior to his operation. No fasting this time, much kinder to diabetics. The down side is that he'll have an enema on admission. The surgeon expects to do most of the procedure laproscopically which will reduce his stay in hospital to 5-7 days - still that's a fair while. Then two weeks recovery at home following that, and see how you go. It's a biggie isn't it, and it's just starting to hit me. I know I'm only an observer, it isn't me that's it's happening to, but in a way that's even worse because I feel so useless and helpless - when the kids are sick or hurt I can fix them up or at least comfort them but this one is outside my powers, there's nothing I can do. Shut the lid on that box.
Open the next box - the house. Ok, we did eventually get to see the offer made a couple of weeks ago (took the land agent a couple of days to get to us). It wasn't a bad offer, but I didn't feel that we could accept the first offer we got, within 2 weeks of it being on the market. I think Brent would have done without too much persuasion, but his wife is stubborn....so we counter-offered, and the prospective purchaser got her nose in a knot and pulled the plug. She didn't want to negotiate. Her choice, I shrugged my shoulders. But wait.....later in the week the agent came back with a request to view the house and who should it be? The same woman. The plot is definitely thickening, she has connections with our house - is looking to buy it for her daughter, who used to be married to the brother of the guy who built the house and owned it before us. Even more complicating factors - the daughter's daughter works after school with me. Now, how much do they all know, what do I say, how do I act - of course the girls at work want to know how did the viewing go, have we had another offer......I feel like the 3 monkeys, saying nothing. The land agent works in tandem with another one, number one works with the sellers (us) and number two with the purchasers. So, agent number 2 took them through on Saturday, and we haven't heard a damned thing since. Don't you think that's a bit rude? I really feel like contacting number one and telling her - she's very professional and we feel comfortable with her, but the other one does not inspire confidence. She was going to take her clients through the place without even having seen it herself! Hmm. I don't want to be a moaner but any feedback would be better than none.
Sunday was gorgeously sunny, so much so that it inspired me to plant out some plants that I'd bought about a fortnight ago (typical of me) - and it was just prior to doing that, that I bent down to pick a weed up and pinged my back. Oh the pain, the agony. Spent quite a lot of time on hands and knees wondering how I was going to get fully vertical again because each time I tried I got a burst of such pain that I sank down to all fours again. Eventually made it, and spent the rest of the day moving slowly and carefully. Bed that night was not a relaxing place, and I felt like absolute shite in the morning, so took myself off to the doctor who diagnosed "mechanical strain" whatever that means. Pulled muscle? that's what I'd diagnosed. He's given me some anti-inflammatories, and I must admit they've done wonders already. What an old crock! Work is ok so long as I'm careful. Actually, lifting doesn't hurt. Bending down to pick things up does. And I can drive now but it was difficult yesterday.
Husband played number one son at squash on Saturday - first time I've seen them up against each other for real. Age and experience won out over youth and energy but it was a close thing. Brent doesn't think he'll be beating Mike much longer but I reckon once he's fit and well again it will give him a boost. We'll see. It may be a long time before he's bashing balls again.
Found out that my soldier (the letters one) died from Tuberculosis - got his records last week. Coincidentally, there has been a kid at PNBHS go down with TB, and something like 30 out of 50 kids in his classes have tested positive too. That's disgusting in this day and age!! There's talk that the whole school might be tested, no mean feat with a roll of 1500 or so. The infected boy is in the third form, far away from Greg.
Got rid of my heap of shit cellphone that had been playing up for the last couple of months. Bought one from one of my workmates who changes hers regularly, for $100. A bargain I reckon, it even has a camera!
ZZZ time. I'm knackered. But I needed to update.
Cheers,
Jaybee
