1000 Fields of Roses

Well, public holidays…
There’ve been a lot lately.
This is good for rest and relaxation – not so good for organising appointments!
I have finished my course now, although I haven’t yet got my final transcript (or “testamur”, apparently) Because of all the holidays I’ve found it difficult to find out what I’m supposed to do next. I have an appointment on Wednesday that should sort it out 🙂

I’ve had a request form for some blood tests hanging around. They were due in May (presumably anytime in May) so I got those done yesterday. It was one of a few different errands that had to be accomplished, so it was easier to go to a different place than my normal one.
The phlebotomist was great 🙂 Quick, no pain (apart from the initial scratch – don’t think they can do much about that), and got the vein first time! That’s not always the case – sometimes they have to wiggle the needle around a bit. Then take it out and use the other arm 😆
She was cheerful as well. And there was a hand crocheted drop of blood in the corner to cheer me up.

They were both smiling encouragingly at me.
❤

It’s hard to believe that January’s almost over.
I have been moving into the schedules for the year, but it’s been hard to get a good rhythm going. Some commitments haven’t quite started yet, so when they do, that will help to get the week sorted.

I had decided to get some online study done yesterday (Monday – it was a public holiday here).
I did the washing, sorted the dry things, and then…
creeping pain, and derailment of the day.
I get random bouts of pain, and these days I tend to just breathe through and move on. The last time I mentioned it at the doctors’ surgery, they told me off for not going to the hospital to get checked, so I decided that the “next time” I would.
Yesterday was the “next time”…

No point in anyone else having to sit around with me, and my Babe had a busy day set up, so I got him to drop me off at A&E.
Not as busy as it can be. I was seen fairly quickly, at least for the initial checks. Got a cannula put in, in case it was needed later, and a ECG. I wasn’t expecting anything major to be found, and it wasn’t in the end, but there were various tests to be done just in case 🙂
Spent the next hours sitting in the main waiting room, with the dots from the ECG sticking in various places, and a cannula that hurt when I moved my hand too much.
In some ways, it seemed like all the world paraded past.
Accidents, illnesses. People at their lowest ebb. A few children, who thankfully seemed to be not too sick/hurt (and were, on the whole, quieter and better behaved than some of the adults).
All up, I think I was there for around 8ish hours. Mostly waiting.
There were two calls for security while I was there, and also two police escorts with patients in tow.
Mostly we just sat and snoozed, uncomfortably, in the seats.
Still – when you’re in A&E, it’s pretty much a good thing when you’re deemed low priority! 😀

Eventually I made it back behind the scenes.
Got follow up tests, was finally pronounced “good to go”, and made my way out to the fresh air – yay!

FREEDOM!

Also, there’s a nice little garden-y sort of area down the bottom of the hospital where you can wait to be picked up.

One thing about these episodes is that I can tend to be quite tired for a day or two afterwards, and I was pretty tired by then. I also hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast, and only half a cup of water.
We picked up some food on the way home, from the only place that seemed to be open by then.
So, I didn’t get to do the writing I had planned to do yesterday.
But I did get to have a lovely parmi and chips, and a big cup of strong, milky tea to settle in back home again.
❤

…just to have a walk.
Yes, I know.
A bit weird.

I had somewhere to be around 7ish this morning, so I went with my Babe to a nearby park before that.
He’s been stepping up his exercise regime, so I had a go too.
I got once round the (basketball?) courts!

Then I just enjoyed the view.

Been a bit weird this week. More than normal, anyway.
Still, there’s always room for oddities.
I might even go for a walk again, another day.
Who knows what could happen in this great, wild world?
😀

Hard to believe we’ve been here just under three weeks now…
I’ve been working hard getting boxes unpacked and contents settled. Things have had to be rearranged a bit, as the storage space is different here, so that’s required getting some new bits of furniture. This, in turn, has meant I’ve had to wait to get shelves so that I can fill them 😀
Still, nearly there!

I’m still amazed at how much like home this place feels. I haven’t even missed the last place, and even though every morning I wake up to a room that is at least four times the size of our last bedroom, it doesn’t feel strange to me. I haven’t ventured out too often to the verandah yet (although I’ve got plants out there that need watering…). I also seem to feel a bit better here – not sure why. That has helped me to lug boxes about, but I still end up with days where I can’t do much of anything.
The light here can be a bit strange. All the windows are coloured glass, so the rooms don’t have much natural light (all the more reason to set up space on the verandah!).
The sun still shines in – it’s just in jewel tones and sparkly moments 🙂

Here’s the afternoon light through my “art room to be” windows.

In a lot of ways, moving here has made my life a lot lighter.
❤