Interesting?....not really...

An interesting week I guess with not a great deal happening...maybe not really all that interesting actually! If you read last weeks entry, you would know that the childrens school was closed due to having 1 positive swine flu case...well we all got messages Monday afternoon saying that the school had now been cleared and the children could all go back the following day...do you think they were impressed? Not at all...although in saying that, with the holidays only have just begun, Yaz was complaining today that she would rather be at school than not do much in the holidays! The children bought home their reports on Friday and I must say, both Ian and I are very impressed indeed with both of them. Their remarks and grades were excellent. I never do doubt that at report time though. I know they are both fantastic kids who are well behaved and do as they're told...at school!
So with them being back at school, the week went back to it's normal self, with normal day-to-day things happening. Ramses had his stitches out on Tuesday and all was good there.
Ian had another week not playing soccer due to his knee...did I mention last week that he had injured it again, this time it flared up quite significantly? I think it did. Anyway I think he is taking it for what it is and being sensible about not playing on it...still can't get him to the Dr.s about it but I will. It's unfortunately only a matter of time before it becomes a permanent pain in the bottom for him. His ear infection seems to have also settled right down which is good. So apart from the knee, no real complaints with Ian and no other news really. He's still just doing his same job and being the wonderful man that he is.
Yesterday I went to the Mind, Body and Spirit Festival with Nicky and we had a great time. I could have spent soooo much money but all I bought was a mood ring for Yaz and I and some heat packs for work. I also got Bailey an Earth ball and unfortunately couldn't find anything for Ian...not his type of thing! We enjoyed wondering around looking at all the different stalls with crystals, jewellery, body products, books, courses, candles etc...with some very unique characters. I got spiritually blessed in the way of healing and we went into a couple of seminars where we meditated and had some kind of medium-ship done...nothing too extra-ordinary though. It was great though but the whole time all I could think about was if Ian had gone and how much he would have laughed at what and who was there with his wise cracks etc...Unfortunately I had this in mind when I was meditating and had to control myself so that I wouldn't laugh out loud!
Yaz had a soccer match yesterday afternoon which they unfortunatley lost in. It was quite chilly at the ground and since I had come straight from the festival I was only dressed in a 3/4 length dress and boots and wasn't warm enough at all so I took Bailey home just before half time where the hot chocolates and marshmallows came in very handy!
Today has been a mega chill-out day and we have done nothing, apart from some housework...but I am still in my pj's and it is 5.30pm...bliss! I was supposed to go grocery shopping but I will do it tomorrow instead. Mum arrives tomorrow morning so we all can't wait for that. Have to be up at 5.00am though! That will be interesting as I never see that time of day! I will hopefully have some photos to put up next week of our time with Mum.
On a final note, we would just like to wish the beautiful Jade a very Happy Birthday and hope you spent the day doing everything you wanted to do. Love ya xxxx

SWINE FLU HITS!

As the title reads, Swine Flu has hit our community. The outbreak over here is spreading like crazy. There is no way it can really be contained and now we are in the midst of all of the hype. The first we knew about it was Friday afternoon. I was at work, just finishing with my last client of the day when I got a message telling me that the kids school was being evacuated as there was 1 reported case of a student, positive to the flu. The school is now closed for this coming week, which leads straight into the school holidays the following week, so all in all, the children now have 3 weeks off school! They're not worried in the slightest, although Yaz is a bit eager to get some exam results back and their school reports were supposed to come home, but apart from that, they're pretty much cheering! In saying all of that though, Bailey wasn't allowed to play Rugby today as the children are now supposed to be in quarantine for the next week. Yaz, however, was allowed to play in her soccer match yesterday, as long as none of the school students showed any signs of the flu. I am not sure what will happen with work this week as I guess Ian and I are considered to be at risk now too, but we are all fine with no symptoms at all but I guess if I make my clients aware that my children MAY have been exposed, then it is up to them to make their own decisions about being at risk. I personally don't see what all the hype is about. I know it is a bad flu but there is only 1 reported case of death over here at the moment and that was because the poor man had other immune deficient problems at the time. Really any flu is risky and this is just another type we now have to try and fight. I will have to phone Bailey's swimming tomorrow to see if he is allowed to go there. There are so many schools closed at the moment due to this and if that many people are at risk, then it's useless trying to contain it because there are too many communities already exposed. Half of the time people that have it don't know they've got it anyway! I know of so many people that have been ill lately with sore throats, bad colds, chills etc...but just stay at home and rest it out. Even the local hospitals are saying it's ridiculous with all of the panic and are telling people not to bother going into them, which is what we've been advised to do by the Government. In saying all of this though, I do pray that there are no more fatalaties and I do hope my personal point of view isn't too blaze about it all, as if it so happened that I got it, I would probably end up in hospital due to having a very low immune system, which of course I don't want to happen. We'll see what the next couple of weeks brings but there's no point in panicking anyway. Mum is coming up next week by train and she said she will be wearing a mask all the way up. I told her that she is coming straight into Swine Flu territory so maybe she will be masking it the whole time she's here?
As you can guess I am sooooo very excited about having Mum come up. She arrives next Monday morning around 6.30am in Brisbane, so it will be a very early start for us. Can't wait!!!!
So apart from the Swine flu news, I just want to congratulate my cousin Matt in England who won the U.K Royal Mail Award last Friday! We are so very proud of you as it is a huge achievement. Well done.
Also I would like to wish Dad Laslett a very Happy Fathers Day for today in England! I hope you had a relaxing day surrounded by your wonderful family getting spoilt!
I would also like to congratulate my beautiful friend Nicky for graduating from college and is now a Massage Therapist! Well done to you and I know you will LOVE this industry! You'll be a guaranteed success!
Ramses went to the vet during the week just for a check-up. Alls good with him and his stitches come out this coming Tuesday. So just 1 more day of struggling with him to get him into his carry cage...I always come off second best!
Ian was at the Dr.s this week too! Now you know Ian's not well when he actually asks to get an appointment with a Dr.! He has been suffering on and off for a few months with terrible ear aches. He got some prescribed drops for it a while back and has been using them occasionally when it flares up but it got to the point where he was in quite a bit of discomfort and pain, so anyway, it's still basically the same infection that keeps on coming back and he has to use the drops constantly, even when he doesn't feel any discomfort for a while until it is completely cleared up! Glad it was nothing else anyway. He seems to be on top of it at the moment.
Apart from that, the only other thing we have done this week is we went to Nicky and Seans for lunch today which was lovely. We ended up playing trivial pursuit, boys against girls...boys won! Didn't they make us know it too! It was fun though. We ended up playing a bit of cards afterwards too until it was time to come home.
So I'm not really sure what this week brings apart from Ramses getting his stitches out. On the weekend though there is a Mind, Body and Spirit festival in Brisbane which Nicky and I are going to. I am really looking forward to that actually. I'm in my element surrounded by all of that type of stuff!
Hope you all have a happy and healthy week anyway xxxx

In stitches...

Well this week has bought poor little Ramses into the all important headlines...He has had to under go a little operation, due to being beaten up...again! Poor little thing. After being cooped up for the long weekend at the cattery, he came home and just wanted some freedom. So after spending an hour or so inside, he then ventured outside, late afternoon...and didn't return home until around 11.00pm! Very late and very naughty!!!! It wasn't until the next day that I noticed that he had a slight limp and a stiff neck, which I tried to massage out. I began my search over his body to try to find out what was going on but he kept flinching when I got to his front leg. As much as I tried I could only very slightly glimpse some pinkness on the inside of this leg, knowing that it was a wound of some sort. The next day he didn't even ask to go outside and was very quiet indeed and still wouldn't let me go near him. I held him down a little just to see again what was going on and this is when I noticed a big flap of skin hanging down and his muscle underneath exposed! I was completely horrified! Anyway, to cut a long story short, he had been in another fight obviously, went to the vet who then scheduled him in for the follwoing morning to get his wound cleaned and stitched up. During the operation they also found a few other scratches etc...over him. All went well though and he now has about 5 stitches in his front leg but obviously feeling alot better for it as he's playful again and back to his usual self. We have now banned him from going outside until mid-morning, and then out no later than 4 or 5pm. He doesn't seem to have an issue with this at the moment...
Bailey is one happy little camper today as he finally got some tickets to see the WWE wrestling when they tour in July. He has been devastated that we never got tickets initially for him and I think has looked on-line every week since to see if any more tickets had been released. Due to his enthusiasm and not wanting to give up, he asked to check again this morning and thinking that there would be no different result, he went on and came rushing in to us a million miles an hour, eyes as wide as anything, saying that there were some tickets available NOW! I double checked and he was right. I don't know if they released some later tickets but we were able to get 2 tickets to the wrestling...in which Ian insisted that I go this time...don't think it was his 'cup of tea' last year. The tickets aren't brilliant but the fact that he is going is enough for Bailey...looks like I'll be going to the wrestling...never in a million years would I have seen this day coming! Although I think at that time, Mum will be up visiting so I could always send her along?.....joke!
As you guessed, Mum is making plans to come up in the next two weeks. This is going to be like Xmas to me as I've really needed her in my life so much lately, more than usual. She will come up for the school holidays, probably for the two weeks hopefully. Although I feel bad as the first weekend, Bailey and I will be at the Wrestling on the Sunday night and then the following weekend Yaz and I are going to French and Sauders on the Saturday night! Ian is left to be the perfect, gentlemanly host...which I have no question that he would be any different anyway. I think Mum also wants to see how I am as she knows I haven't been that well lately so she has been worrying about me, which I know is only natural but I certainly don't want to stress her in any way. She is happy that she will be here when I go to my Haemotologist appointment in July. In the meantime, since I am kind of freaking out about getting a bone marrow test, I am trying to boost my immune system up by obviously eating extremely healthy but also taking some supplements to help me along the way too. I met up with a friend during the week whom I haven't seen a great deal of lately and she basically told me how I have been looking very drawn and pale and tired for a while now, which I am hearing from quite a number of people. I am just over being like this and hope that whatever is causing this will all be over soon, not just for my sake but for everyone around me sakes.I am thinking positive about it and know that it will all be O.K. At least now I have a month of not being prodded or scanned etc...so I think this little medical break will do me the world of good!
Ian has a niggling knee injury...again! Due to playing football Friday night. It's swollen up as usual and is causing him alot of discomfort...again. He really needs to see someone about it as it's not going to get any better any time soon, or at all as we think it's wear and tear cartilage damage. Something not to be taken lightly. We are like an old married couple at the moment with our little medical stories and aches and pains. I'm just hoping that we go through it all now and then live a very happy and healthy life after all of this is sorted out!
Both of the children are fine...touch wood...the way things are going I don't want to jinx them!
Since moving into this house, there are things that I realise that I haven't unpacked yet, like my 'birthday diary'! I know it's all boxed up still in the garage...with about 20 other boxes still piled up...so if I happen to miss anyones birthday or be late in sending anything, I apologise sincerely. I'm hoping that this hasn't happened yet but if it does then it just means that I haven't come across my book yet and I can't remember everyones exact birthdays...I used to but not anymore...it's Ian now reminding me of them and that's very unusual!
Anyway, I think that's all that really happened during the week, apart from the usual work, school, sport etc...One week I will have nothing to write about as everything will be uneventful, no medical worries, no dramas...just a normal week at a normal pace...don't know when that week will be but it will be soon...and then you'll find me raving on about something totally irrelevant just to make a weekly entry...I shall look forward to that week x

Our weekend away

Today is Monday 8th June and we have just got back from a beautiful long weekend away from up the Coast, at a place called Sunshine Beach. It is such a beautiful, wonderful place that none of us wanted to return, well only to pick up Ramses from the cattery but that was all. The weather for the whole weekend was warm and sunny and perfect, hard to believe we are in Winter really! We stayed in a lovely apartment which was just a short stroll to the lovely beach. We were just 5 minutes out of Noosa which I am now thinking that this is my favourite place on the coast...Mooloolaba coming a very close second. We didn't get up to too much, just spent time on the beach, went into Noosa for a whole day, went out to dinner, went on walks and checked out lookouts along the way. The Friday was our wedding anniversary which is the main reason why we went away. Here are some photos like I promised from last week.





































There are loads more so I will add them to the Picassa Album that is linked to this page to your left. Overall our weekend was perfect. Putting Ramses in the cattery was the most stressful part. Ian and I took him down there on Friday morning and as soon as he was put in his little cage, he put his head under the blanket, peeped up, scared with his big eyes bulging, and then his head went straight back under. This really upset me and made me feel soooo guilty leaving him. I was crying and the lady told me I had separation anxiety and not to get upset in front of him as he would feel my emotions. I'm glad Ian was there to comfort me as I was very upset, poor thing. We were so excited about picking him up today and when we got there, the lasy told us that he had his head under the blanket the whole weekend and didn't make a sound! He thankfully ate but just kept to himself. He was very happy to come home, a little bit wary at first but is really settled now and has been back and forth, in and out all afternoon.
The week leading up to our weekend away was very stressful as I had all of those Dr.s appointments and tests etc...I have another specialist appointment this week and am waiting to hear from the hospital as I have to see a haemotologist as my white cells are very, very low and I may have to have a bone marrow test. This is so deja-vu of twelve years ago when I got sick for a few months. Hopefully it will just be another virus and nothing more. So I guess I got a bit overwhelmed with it all and ended up not feeling well enough to work Thursday and Friday, which always makes me feel bad for having to cancel appointments but I do have to look after my health at the moment and be smart about it.
This coming week should go very quickly indeed with it being a short week and will give me some answers with what's going on with me. Will let you know more when I know more. The weekend away was good for all of us for sooo many reasons and gave us all the physical and mental break we all needed. Back to reality I guess now....