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Huge info dump
I know I said I'd post more often but I've been putting it off because of Things. Lots of Things. These ones.
The house
We're moving to Oamaru this year (sometime after April) and are finally doing all the things to the house I wanted done for years. YEARS. We have a new kitchen benchtop and have painted our old grey tongue-and-groove cupboards and put new handles on so they look almost new and very smart. Next up is replacing the tiles (the previous owners never even bothered to tile behind their oven and we have a smaller one). We now have new carpet in two rooms and on the landings to replace the crappy old dark brown stuff. Still to do are the bathrooms (new basins and taps, reline one shower). A lot of this I've had to do look after myself because Greg's been away for a funeral, a wedding, a conference in Seattle, and this week another funeral; more on that below.
And oh joy, it'll start all over again in Oamaru as I plan to rip up all the carpet and oil the lovely wooden floors under them, completely replace the ancient kitchen, and add a small en suite. Plus paint various walls at some point.
The visitor
When we went down to look at houses (and buy one) we stayed at a B&B and got to know the owner well. He's a retired guy who does painting and other handyman stuff so Greg got him up to paint our house because even paying for flights, he's a lot cheaper than Auckland tradespeople. The only thing is, he only eats the plainest food and all the meals I'd planned I couldn't serve. Oy. He didn't even like the wholegrain bread we use. He also has plain taste in TV so he and Greg are watching a doco about trains right now and I'm in here biting the posting bullet. So there you go.
Through no fault of Doug's, Sebastian the wimp cat is scared of him (and the plumber and carpet layers etc etc) but at least he's starting to venture inside so that's a relief.
Greg's family
Greg's mother has dementia and the family get rung several times a week because she's: 1) wandering; 2) reporting her car stolen (she doesn't have one); 3) trying to get her house, now demolished after the Christchurch earthquakes, moved to a new area; 4) complaining that she has to live in someone else's house (it's hers); 5) telling the police "the boys haven't come home"; 6) telling the police her daughters have been in and wrecked the house (nothing has ever happened, it's always tidy); and so on. And now she has been diagnosed with cancer, having smoked for most of her life. This week she's been put into respite care. Not that Greg's brother, the one with power of attorney, bothered to tell anyone so everyone else was frantic last night thinking she'd wandered off and got lost or injured.
Greg's aunt, who has had cancer for years, died today, a couple of months after an old family friend went. It just goes on.
My job
I resigned effective the end of this month and am training a replacement who seems to take ages grasping the various processes and paying proper attention to detail. I am happy to Skype and share screens with her which has been a good way to teach the marketing person how to do website updates, but her home connection is so crap and slow, I have to go into the office every morning to train her in person. We're both meant to be working from home and I was enjoying being able to do that. Seriously, having to get properly dressed and show up every morning is NOT FUN. Plus it's really hot in the office with no aircon or fan. Blecch.
My health
The biggie. Remember when I tripped and cut my head open last August? I had to go to hospital to get stitches and they kept me in overnight for observation, an MRI, and X-ray, all of which were fine. However the blood tests showed I was anaemic so they had a look to see why a couple of months later and took two bits out. One was fine; the other wasn't. So I have to have a larger bit out next week, and if that's fine, ll's all good; if it's not, then it will be "mild" chemo. What scares me though is the long list of potential complications of the surgery which are only 5% likely, but still. I have to keep telling myself that there's a 95% probability they'll do a keyhole and I'll be home in a couple of days.
Actually, tripping over, the doctor tells me, very likely saved my life. So that's good.
So yeah, lots of stress.
I did plan to write my trope bingo stories while Doug's here but yeah, I'm just reading and knitting, both of which help me relax and forget about next week.
What am I knitting, you ask? (Or probably not.) My very first baby blanket for 2-month-old Quinn, the latest addition to my own extended family. My blanket (this pattern) is charcoal and white - no pastels for me or Quinn who was wearing black-and-white striped cotton overalls when I met him.
I think that covers pretty much everything.
The house
We're moving to Oamaru this year (sometime after April) and are finally doing all the things to the house I wanted done for years. YEARS. We have a new kitchen benchtop and have painted our old grey tongue-and-groove cupboards and put new handles on so they look almost new and very smart. Next up is replacing the tiles (the previous owners never even bothered to tile behind their oven and we have a smaller one). We now have new carpet in two rooms and on the landings to replace the crappy old dark brown stuff. Still to do are the bathrooms (new basins and taps, reline one shower). A lot of this I've had to do look after myself because Greg's been away for a funeral, a wedding, a conference in Seattle, and this week another funeral; more on that below.
And oh joy, it'll start all over again in Oamaru as I plan to rip up all the carpet and oil the lovely wooden floors under them, completely replace the ancient kitchen, and add a small en suite. Plus paint various walls at some point.
The visitor
When we went down to look at houses (and buy one) we stayed at a B&B and got to know the owner well. He's a retired guy who does painting and other handyman stuff so Greg got him up to paint our house because even paying for flights, he's a lot cheaper than Auckland tradespeople. The only thing is, he only eats the plainest food and all the meals I'd planned I couldn't serve. Oy. He didn't even like the wholegrain bread we use. He also has plain taste in TV so he and Greg are watching a doco about trains right now and I'm in here biting the posting bullet. So there you go.
Through no fault of Doug's, Sebastian the wimp cat is scared of him (and the plumber and carpet layers etc etc) but at least he's starting to venture inside so that's a relief.
Greg's family
Greg's mother has dementia and the family get rung several times a week because she's: 1) wandering; 2) reporting her car stolen (she doesn't have one); 3) trying to get her house, now demolished after the Christchurch earthquakes, moved to a new area; 4) complaining that she has to live in someone else's house (it's hers); 5) telling the police "the boys haven't come home"; 6) telling the police her daughters have been in and wrecked the house (nothing has ever happened, it's always tidy); and so on. And now she has been diagnosed with cancer, having smoked for most of her life. This week she's been put into respite care. Not that Greg's brother, the one with power of attorney, bothered to tell anyone so everyone else was frantic last night thinking she'd wandered off and got lost or injured.
Greg's aunt, who has had cancer for years, died today, a couple of months after an old family friend went. It just goes on.
My job
I resigned effective the end of this month and am training a replacement who seems to take ages grasping the various processes and paying proper attention to detail. I am happy to Skype and share screens with her which has been a good way to teach the marketing person how to do website updates, but her home connection is so crap and slow, I have to go into the office every morning to train her in person. We're both meant to be working from home and I was enjoying being able to do that. Seriously, having to get properly dressed and show up every morning is NOT FUN. Plus it's really hot in the office with no aircon or fan. Blecch.
My health
The biggie. Remember when I tripped and cut my head open last August? I had to go to hospital to get stitches and they kept me in overnight for observation, an MRI, and X-ray, all of which were fine. However the blood tests showed I was anaemic so they had a look to see why a couple of months later and took two bits out. One was fine; the other wasn't. So I have to have a larger bit out next week, and if that's fine, ll's all good; if it's not, then it will be "mild" chemo. What scares me though is the long list of potential complications of the surgery which are only 5% likely, but still. I have to keep telling myself that there's a 95% probability they'll do a keyhole and I'll be home in a couple of days.
Actually, tripping over, the doctor tells me, very likely saved my life. So that's good.
So yeah, lots of stress.
I did plan to write my trope bingo stories while Doug's here but yeah, I'm just reading and knitting, both of which help me relax and forget about next week.
What am I knitting, you ask? (Or probably not.) My very first baby blanket for 2-month-old Quinn, the latest addition to my own extended family. My blanket (this pattern) is charcoal and white - no pastels for me or Quinn who was wearing black-and-white striped cotton overalls when I met him.
I think that covers pretty much everything.
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Health: EEK! (It'll be fine)
Quinn + Knitting: Yay! Put him in striped overalls on that striped blancket, and the illusion will be complete (Bwa-ha-ha)!
Also: Hugs!
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Ha! :-D He's doubtless grown out of those overalls. The blanket is going to be so cool, and apparently babies love the visual contrast.
I couldn't make it to the PO to post your things,m but they're all packed ready to go and will be off shortly. :-)
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\o/
He's doubtless grown out of those overalls.
I'm sure there are other striped clothing -- a zebra onesie, maybe?
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Keep us posted (as much as you can without stressing yourself out more), please?
*hugs*
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Now I've done the Big Post, I feel like I'm over the posting hurdle. Maybe I'll even get to the backlog while I languish guiltless at home afterwards.
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Strangely, my sister in Hamilton cut her head open a couple of weeks before me, but didn't get any tests or check-ups. Maybe because Greg called an ambulance, but she took herself in to get stitches.
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I like your watery koi pond!
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Eeeek! for your health issues. What a good thing they caught it when they did. I am keeping everything crossed for an uneventful treatment and recovery for you.
Good to hear the Oamaru move is progressing. I hope that all goes smoothly. And that blanket is fab. Almost like bub is falling into a time vortex :)
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I'm only a quarter of the way through the blanket and it's already become an unwieldy little monster. I should have started with a jacket, but it is pretty mindless knitting.
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That sounds good, but even better if I don't need any!
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I can see why you're stressed. :( That's the trouble with problems: they never seem to arrive at nicely-spaced intervals but always come all at once. At least you can comfort yourself with the thought that the house, visitor and job difficulties are all only temporary, and are leading up to something that will ultimately be a big positive.
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Firstly, I've got everything crossed for your health, I hope you'll keep us updated (whilst naturally concentrating on recovering).
Do your home improvements make you wish you weren't going now?
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Roll on the move, better weather, and being totally debt-free!
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My best wishes for the surgery. 95% is good odds! In such circumstances, I mostly try to tell myself that there's no point in worrying about the outside chance of something going wrong unless and until you have to, but I know that's far easier to tell yourself than to do.
Take care of yourself, and keep us posted when you can. *hugs*
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It's just that I was given a long list of what could go wrong and how awful I'll feel for the first day or so which makes me bloody nervous. I'm just concentrating on how excellent things will be after we move and neither of us will have to work full time. Yessss! [punches air]
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It'd probably be a little weird if you weren't nervous, really. But having future betterness to focus on is an excellent thing. I hope it all goes even better than you're expecting!
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Now you have been ( and you are and will be!) through lots of things, oh dear, life is never easy and when it decides to give it to you, it does...
The most important one is your health, of course, and I will keep my fingers crossed for you. Still the prognosis sounds very optimistic and I hope it will stay so.
As I am unable to do or say anything useful, I would like to HUG you. And will send you another e-card :-)
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I have some things I want to send you but I must have packed them away somewhere safe. Typical!
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*HUGS*
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Here's hoping you don't have to have chemo as you have enough stress to deal with as it is.
Keep knitting and relaxing. (Which is a much better way of saying Keep Calm and Carry On)
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I looked at the hospital menus and the one I'll get actually looks very nice (on the screen, anyway)! I couldn't eat most of what I was given in the big public hospital; chicken and a potato were the only things I recognised by appearance and taste. What I think was a carrot is best not even mentioned. :-P
Knitting is great. I think I'll take my project in with me.
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I look forward to your upcoming new book - and the Czech one!
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