Baby Bonus for Cygnets?

Last year we took this picture of our lovely black swans that inhabit the park behind us with their five beautiful cygnets. We watched these five grow up and eventually move on.

This year though, the same black swans only have one cygnet. I don't know, the cost of living seems to be affecting more than I realise!

Maybe there should be a baby bonus for cygnets?

Needles and icky things

My Hubby does *NOT* like needles and icky things. The problem is that he has a brother, sister and sister-in-law who are medical doctors. His brother practises in the suburb where we live. Hubby also has a wife who has a PhD in biochemistry. What that means is that our local GP is terrified that one day he'll make a misdiagnosis or miss something serious in our family.

The result of this is that our GP is incredibly thorough at checking everything. A few years back a routine blood test showed that Hubby had an oh so slightly lower than average level of platelets in his blood. So of course he was sent off to a haemotologist with a referral. Hubby was not impressed with the litres of blood removed for further testing all of which indicated no problem whatsoever. The complaints flowed about how many needles were involved.

Sometimes the blood tests give him some joy though. One time he came back from the doctor saying that the doctor was concerned that his blood cholesterol level was below average and that the recommendation was more cream and chocolate cake.

This week our GP's thoroughness led to more needles. Hubby rang from work saying that the left side of his face was paralysed and co-workers were asking if he'd had a minor stroke. The boss put him in a taxi home as soon as she saw his face and I promptly took him to our GP. Thankfully the diagnosis was not a stroke but a paralysed facial nerve due to the virus he's just had, but.....just to be sure Hubby was sent off for a CT scan. Another needle. As Hubby puts it, "They sent me for a brain scan and found nothing." Apparently the paralysis wears off in a month or so, but Hubby has to continually focus to blink his left eye so it doesn't dry out. I put drops in 6 times a day and that helps but yesterday I needed to get some more from the pharmacy.

Mike hopped in the car for the trip and brought his Buzz Lightyear toy. At the counter I declined the bag for the eye gel drops and the large vitamin container I also bought. Mike was asked by the assistant if he would like to carry the items but he declined because he was holding Buzz. At the car he informed me that he couldn't have carried the "big blink" and the "little blink" because he was too busy holding Buzz. I think he must have been observing the eye drop routine at home and the huge amount of blinking that follows the drops.

Hubby says he looks like something from a Frankenstein movie. I just find half kisses interesting.

If it ain't broke don't fix it

I'd just like to start this post by saying that I am *not* sensitive about my age - okay?

I know that Australia is on the bottom of the world according to US readers (it's actually on the top of the world from our point of view - and Ferry Boat Fred's) but it's really not a third world country. Some years ago a friend went to the US to do more theological study and came back saying that in the US local news is what's happening in their state and world news is what's happening in Washington. That probably explains why many North Americans were amazed at him telling them that we actually had not only electricity but we even had microwaves and dishwashers. Imagine their shock nowdays to discover we even have the internet!

In Australia we get used to US spelling. The boys do Boys Brigade and their motto is "Sure and Stedfast" but this is because of the US origin. We'd spell it "steadfast" here. At the presentation night at the end of last year I was a bit amused at the Anchor Boys. They were asked the question, "What is the Boys Brigade motto?" One response, "Be prepared." Er, wrong organisation. Last night I was a little amused at one Anchor Boy's prayer at the conclusion, "Lord, please make us safe to go home." After some time running around like mad things I guess that was appropriate. But I digress.

It's not just the spelling that is different. We may speak the same language but the way we say things is just not the same. When a friend from Canada stayed with us she asked if she could help "fix supper". I remember asking whether she thought the "dinner" was broken so that it had to be "fixed".

I was surprised (and pleased) last night to find that my mother's new email is set up so that the date is in Aussie format. i.e. 16/5/2008 not the usual format we seem to have here 5/16/2008 which often trips us up.

I got caught out with this when Anika helped me set up my profile for this blog. I'm not sensitive about my age (okay?) so I was happy to insert my birthday 4/6/1965. Of course I meant June 4, 1965. I was happy with the profile showing I was 42 until April 6th this year when suddenly I was 43 two months ahead of my birthday. Now that's not fair (especially when I didn't get given any chocolate)!

Thankfully now it's fixed (and yes it was broke).

Benefits

We were talking at the dinner table tonight about the book of Ruth. Anika was interested in our opinion of whether Naomi could be considered a "matchmaker". I made the comment that Naomi would have been very pleased to have had Ruth with her to help support her in widowhood. After all, I mentioned, there was no "widow's benefit" in those days.

Hubby disagreed saying, "Well, there was no husband hanging around the place, that was a benefit." He added emphasis to this by talking as if he were me saying, "Well that's put an end to the constant ukulele playing once and for all."

Now that's a benefit!!

Only kidding, married 18 years this month and loving it! Love you lots darling Hubby.
ps I actually like the way you play "Sweet Sue"

Good Advice

Yesterday morning (Saturday) I was reading Wednesday's newspaper while Matt was having his alloted Saturday computer time. Anika was sleeping in after a busy week and Lloyd had already been up and out before 6 am to go on a Boy's Brigade camp. We were waiting for Hubby and Mike to return from the early morning swimming lesson before having breakfast and getting going on a long list of jobs.

I was reading the front page which had a photo of a young man who'd just left court after having his driver's licence suspended for the second or third time for drink driving. He had his car keys in his hand and apparently drove home after the court appearance. The article stated how this appalling behaviour was happening all the time now and that the government had finally decided to get tough with these guys (hmm..I'll believe it when I see it). I've known far too many people who have died in car accidents which were not their fault.

Matt was playing a driving game on the computer and suddenly noticed the morning cup of milk I had placed there for him. He called out, "Mummy, please put this milk in the fridge for later. I can't drink and drive."

Good thinking, I wish everyone thought the same.