An unexpected twist!

On our way to visit Dulcie last night, as I was walking into the hospital, I could taste blood in my mouth.I thought it was, perhaps, from my gums and did not think any more of it.This morning, even before I opened my eyes, I could tell the room was spinning. I closed my eyes and lay on my stomach and opened my eyes again and focussed upon one spot and the dizziness stopped.I have had labyrinthitis before and it was awful and hoped that it was not recurring. I just do not have time to be ill at the moment.It was only after I got up that I discovered the blood clot in my mouth.I had no idea what it meant but was quite worried.I was no longer feeling dizzy but my head felt heavy and a bit woozy.Will went off to visit his mum and I rang the nearest doctor and made an appointment for 3.30pm.Will's niece Shelley arrived before he came home. She was going to visit Dulcie but was leaving her son, Phoenix here with us while she went.Will arrived home not long after she arrived. Dulcie was much better and was due to be moved back up to rehab that morning. It was good news.Will had not met Phoenix before but it was the third time I had seen him.He cried for a few minutes when he discovered his mum had slipped out unseen but was soon playing with us. He was really good and when Shelley came back he was asleep on the sofa.At 3.15 Will drove me down to Acacia Ridge Shopping Centre and I went to the surgery while he nipped into Woolies.The surgery here seemed nowhere near as interesting or amusing as the one Dulcie goes to but perhaps that was because this time the visit was coloured by the fact that I was the patient...and with some fairly worrying symptoms.There seemed to be a few people before me but I got in a little bit sooner than I should have because the patient before me had gone to the toilet.The doctor was Dr Wang!...(I am not making it up.)I told him what had happened this morning. He looked in my mouth and up my nose and said it all looked good. He took my blood pressure......It was high..... 180 over 100.He was struggling to decide what to do....he did not know me....he had no records on me...he had never seen me before.He said, "I am going to write you a letter. I want you to go to the Emergency Department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Do you know where it is?"Despite my shock at this unexpected turn of events, I found that question funny."Know where it is? I have only been visiting it twice a day for the last 2 weeks!"Will was waiting in the waiting room when I came out."What did he say?""I have to go to Emergency at Queen Elizabeth."We had to go home first to drop off the shopping and then drove to the hospital. We were both in a bit of a daze.It has rained here all day....in fact it has been the wettest day here since we arrived and actually the wettest day of any other visit  of ours to Australia.It was strange arriving at the hospital. I was now the patient....how could this be happening?The nurse who I handed Dr Wang's letter to and who took my details was one of the lovely nurses who had looked after Dulcie when she had been taken in nearly two weeks ago...I reminded her and she remembered."Oh yes! Nick."I took  seat in the waiting room but had only been sat down about a minute before the 'lovely' nurse called me in.Will said " Do you want me to come?""Yes," I said...but he didn't hear me and stayed seated in the waiting room.The Emergency Department is very new and state of the art. I was lead to a cubicle and lay on the bed. I told her what I had told Dr Wang and she took  my blood pressure again. It was high.She went away and after awhile came back and asked me to follow her. As we passed the waiting room door I asked if Will could come with us. Of course he could so I pressed the green button to open the door between the waiting room and the Emergency Department and he came with us. I was lead to another curtained cubicle, and introduced to another nurse."He is Super Nurse," said the 'lovely' nurse, "you are in good hands," and she left us.Super Nurse asked me to put on a gown and I got on the bed. Again I explained what had happened that morning, the dizziness, the blood clot etc.He took my blood pressure....it was 209 over something. I could see Super Nurse was shocked.He put in a cannula and drew some blood to be tested. I was expecting it to explode out of me but it didn't. He took the samples away.I told Will to go up and visit his Mum as it was nearly tea time. He said he would be back later.Super Nurse came back and fitted me with an ECG, he watched the trace for awhile then hit a print button and left again.I noticed my heart rate was 82 bpm....I wondered if I could slow it down with my mind.I stared at the numbers and breathed slowly and the numbers dropped gradually.....I got it to 72! I was pleased with myself and looked around but no one was there to see. I glanced back at the numbers and they were back in the 80's.My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was Danny."How are you?" I asked. He was good but tired and busy still working. He had tried to phone Will to see how his Mum was but could not get through. I told him that Will had said she was much better and that she had been moved back up to rehab."But you'll never guess where I am?" I said....who would have?A doctor came....his handshake was not firm....he was called Frank....I told my story again and all the way through he kept on saying"yes.....right.......yes........right.........right.......yes........yes.......right........"but in that way when people are not really listening to you. He came and went popping back quite a lot to re ask questions about things I had already told him.After awhile he came to say that I was going to have an x ray then left me again. I was lying there about an hour and eventually Will came back."Watch this," I said, " I will lower my heart beat by the power of thought,"I did it again. Will was amazed!Frank came back. They were going to do a brain scan too. Hmmmm, I did not like the sound of that.He was worried about my blood pressure so gave me a tablet to lower it.Super Nurse came back.The porter who took Dulcie up to her ward also arrived with a wheel chair."Can I take Nick for his x-ray?"Super Nurse said something I did not understand."Pardon?" I asked."You are being taken to Shortish Stay."I was unhooked from the ECG."Goodbye machine" I said as I slipped my shoes on.I didn't need the wheel chair. I didn't need the porter. The man who was going to do the scans came for me himself and lead me a back way."You are getting a behind the scenes view," he said.He did a chest x-ray first. He let Will watch."Good news! You have a heart," he said. "now let's see if you have a brain."The CT scanner is like a big metallic doughnut. I had been in one a few years ago when they were looking for stones in my gall bladder but I had never been in one head first.I lay down and they strapped my head down and left the room. The machine whirred and I could see something moving round slowly then fast. I was wondering what it would find and again could not believe that this was happening.The whirring stopped and the door opened."I saw your brain," said the man. Will had seen it too. He said that they had taken 800 photographs of it.I was taken back to the Short Stay ward and lay in bay 8.Daniel the nurse assigned to me said the results of the scan may take an hour or so.Wendi rang Will. She had been to see her Mum and wondered if she could come to see me. Will went to show her the way in."Can you believe this is happening?" I said when she arrived.She did not stay long but it was nice to see her.After waiting a bit longer. Daniel turned from where he was sat at his desk and said,"The results are back. I have seen your scans and they are normal. The doctor will be along soon to see you."I didn't know how worried I had been until he said that. It was such a relief and I nearly cried again. I seem to have been doing a lot of that recently.Frank came. He confirmed what Daniel had told me. He was sending me home with a letter for Dr Wang, who I had to see tomorrow, and a prescription for some blood pressure tablets.I thanked him and shook his limp hand and we walked out into the rain.It was murder getting the ECG tags off my chest....it was the worst part of the day!Don't worry.....I am ok....but it just goes to show.....you just never know what is going to happen next.

'Welcome to the Barr Harmers!"

My day started with the phone ringing. It was Shirley ringing to say that Dulcie had been moved down to a ward on level three. Shirley was worried because they had said when she rang that it was a palliative care ward. I didn’t know what that meant but told Shirley I would go up to the hospital and find out what was going on.I went back downstairs but the phone rang again so dashed back up the steps. The phone went off before I got to it. I had a sudden thought that whoever it was might then try my mobile, which was downstairs, so dashed back down there to get it....but it wasn’t ringing.I went back up and put my mobile on the table and started to wash up....and my mobile started ringing. It was Wendi. She had heard from Shirley. I said I was going to go up and find out what was going on.I quickly finished the washing up and then went down to get ready. The house phone rang again so I dashed back up to answer it. Heaven knows what poor Joanne next door must have thought if she saw me running up and down like a thing demented. It was Danny. He was going to the hospital too. I said I would see him there.I drove over and went to Ward 3b. A nurse looked down a list in front of her and then got on her computer.“She’s in ward 3a bed 19.” She said.I walked to ward 3a and found Dulcie sat in bed. She was fiddling with a straw.“How are you?”“Not too bad, Nick.” She said.She had one of those protein milkshakes by her bed so I took the top off took the straw off her, stuck it in and handed her the drink.“I like the vanilla ones better,” she said, “this is strawberry and it is too sweet.”“Well, drink it down anyway because they make you stronger,” I said.There was a nurse by the door talking to another nurse and when they finished talking I asked her why Dulcie had been moved from rehab.She said she had just been told that a confused patient was being sent down. She said that this ward was a ‘special ward’ and that it had a nurse in it the whole time to keep an eye on the four patients. There were 2 men and Dulcie and another woman. The nurse said that she had not been too bad though and I thought Dulcie seemed much better than yesterday.“Will she be able to go back to rehab when the confusion gets better?” I asked.The nurse did not know. I needed to find someone else to ask but went back to chat with Dulcie for a bit. The nurse pushed Dulcie’s chair a bit nearer for me to sit in.“I had another of the blackout’s last night, Nick,” she said.“What do you mean a ‘blackout’?” I asked.“Well, one of them things where I see things,” she said.“Right.......and what did you see?”“Well, I saw two men by the chair next to me. One was in a dark blue shirt and one was in a light blue shirt. I spoke to them but then I realised I was on my own with them so I pressed my button...and I kept on pressing my button.”It was probably something to do with that that prompted them to bring her down here. I had got the impression from the nurse that she had been down there for most of the night.“Do you fancy a game of cards, Nick?”Yay! I was delighted! This was our girl!We played euchre...one game is the first one to get to 15 but we played just up to whoever got 11 points first.She beat me! I was winning by miles but she steadily crept up and won!“The little children in here are very quiet,” she said. A bit later she pointed to a girl that she could see. There wasn’t one there.In the bed opposite her was a large gentleman in vest and boxer shorts, sat in his chair with his white rimmed sunglasses on. He looked as if he was enjoying a lovely beach holiday. He never moved and looked as if he was staring at us but he might have been asleep under his dark glasses. I looked up at his name on the wall.It said ‘Nikolai Minkov.’ I think he is KGB.In the bed next to Dulcie was Maguerita. She kept walking out of the ward using her walker and after a few moments a nurse would bring her back in. She was fully dressed and looked like a bossy librarian but it turned out she used to be a teacher.She was brought back in while we were playing cards and sat back on her bed but a few moments later I heard;“Excuse me, could you move your chair a little?” She could not get past with her walker. “I am looking for a small grey handbag.”“I think there is a grey handbag on that seat over there.” I said point ing to the bag on the chair on the other side of her bed.“That’s not grey, it is blue!” She shot me down. “I am looking for a set of keys. I need some possessions.” She sat on the bed. “Winter is coming!” she proclaimed. “I need socks!”Dulcie raised her eyebrows and we carried on playing cards.Marguerita wandered out again and was brought back by a little Scottish nurse. The nurse was asking if she had been in management.“No, I was never in management. I was just a teacher. It would have been good if I was in management though. I would have loved spending all night planning what to do next.”It all became clear. Of course anyone who loved work as much as that deserved to be on a special ward.I glanced at Nikolai....he was still staring.Dulcie said she wanted to go to the loo. The nurse was sat on Nikolai’s walker writing in his folder or communist dossier.She put it down and went off to fetch something. Dulcie was already shuffling down the bed.“Just wait until the nurse gets here,” I said. “She’s coming.”I went off to the nurse station to find out more information while she was with the nurse.I spoke to the little Scottish nurse. She said she had been brought down because she was confused and in this ward there was a nurse with them all the time. Danny arrived and she had had a long chat to him on the phone.“Will she be able to go back to rehab once she is no longer confused?” I asked.“I don’t see why not.” She said. I was happy with that.Danny and I went to see Dulcie. She was coming back to her bed.“She’s a bit all over the place,” said the nurse.“Well, she has been in bed for 10 days now,” we said.“Look,” I said to Danny, “she’s not on oxygen,”“Yes, but she needs it,” said the nurse.She handed her the nebuliser.I left her with Danny and brought home some of her nighties to wash.Will and I went back again this evening. Darren had taken over duty in the ward. Dulcie was sat in a chair next to her bed. She was back on oxygen. Nikolai was still in his beach wear with sunglasses on. Terry, the other man on the ward, was sat on his chair and Marguerita was nowhere to be seen.Tea arrived and Dulcie tucked in.A doctor arrived. She said that they were pleased with how things were going. She had been impressed with Dulcie’s answers to questions she had posed earlier about where she was and the day and month etc.  All in all they didn’t think she needed to stay in that ward much longer and were hoping to get her back up to rehab before she lost her bed up there. It was good news. She will perhaps be moved tomorrow.Nikolai had his TV on very loud.Marguerita came back. “Here we are again!” She said.It appeared that she had been out with what I assumed was her daughter. She got on the bed to have the tea that was waiting for her. Her daughter left.“What is your Christian name?” she asked Darren. He told her.She ate her macaroni cheese. A few moments later.....“Evan! Evan!”“It’s Darren,” he said.“I’ve no milk for my tea.”He went and brought her a cup of milk.“Oh you beauty!” she said. “Oh,oh! No butter!”Darren had the patience of a Saint.“It’s there hiding under your spoon.” He said.“Naughty thing,” said Marguerita.We began a game of cards.“Could you switch the wireless off, Nick?” said Dulcie. We explained it was Nikolai’s TV.It was hard to concentrate on the cards with all that was going on around us.Terry wanted to go for a walk but couldn’t because they did not have the staff to cover the ward. He would not let go of his walker.“Don’t touch it!” he said to the nurse who was trying to take it off him.“Why not?” she asked.“The bosses have said it needs to be vented.”Darren had helped Marguerita to the shower.A few moments later the door swung open and she was stood there in just her bra and nothing else...“No soap!” she said.I concentrated on the cards in my hand.Terry started singing.While Marguerita was cleaning her teeth a man and a woman arrived.“Is this your son?” asked one of the nurses assistants.“No, he is far too big to be my son.”I think it was her son. She came out and sat in the chair by her bed. She told them she had been out.“Who with?” They asked.“Monika!” she said. They didn’t seem to know who Monika was. Darren was dragged in and another nurse who said that Marguerita knew Monika and had been allowed to take her out.“We went to the city,” said Marguerita, “and she took me to the bank.”This put the cat among the pigeons. To cut a lot of eavesdropping short....it turns out this chap/ ‘son?’ was trying to get control of Marguerita’s financial affairs. She was in a lot of debt and he was trying to sort it out.“And when I am dead you will keep everything for yourself!” said Marguerita dramatically.It was so difficult to concentrate on the card game.Dulcie won the game....again!Will commented on how nice the curtains were in this ward. When opened they depicted a tropical beach scene.“Yes,” said Dulcie, “The captain of the Brisbane Broncos (football team) brought them this morning!” She was still not quite right but was nowhere near as bad as yesterday.On the toilet door was a whiteboard and someone had written:“Welcome to the Barr Harmers!”She wanted the loo and Darren having just wrestled Nikolai in and out set about helping her.Will and I went out into the corridor to wait.I was staring at the floor. Something moved. It was an ant.“ Can you see that ant?” I asked Will, worried that I was catching ‘Delirium.’He could...in fact there was a whole line of them parading down the corridor.Darren came out of the ward and went into a room opposite.“She’s nearly ready. Should I put her into bed?”We said yes because she was tired.He sighed. “They are keeping me on my toes tonight.”When she was tucked in bed she held both our hands.“Well my darlings,” she said, “ you’d best be off.”We had taken some mince out to defrost for tea but called and got a Chinese on the way home.The first Chinese take away we have had since we arrived in October.We deserved it.

Delirium!

I have had better days and so has Dulcie.As soon as I arrived at the hospital today I could tell something was not right. She was in her chair but still in her nighty and she completely blanked me and did not acknowledge my arrival."Why are you not dressed?""I just didn't have time, Nick. " She was idly  fiddling with the tube going into her arm which was administering the antibiotic."It's rained a lot in the night. We had 36 mm!" I said."Yes, I saw the ants running across my bed," she said."It's starting to rain now.""Yes," she said, "I can see it running down that hill," pointing out of the ward.She turned to the empty chair next to her and said,"Why don't you go make yourself a cup of coffee Dan? Mum can't at the moment but you know where everything is."My heart started to break.She thought she was at home which explained a little why she had not been surprised to see me."What happened to the big TV?" She asked me. "It was Danny's.""It's still at home," I said.She smiled, "Oh yes, I keep thinking I am at home."Her lunch came. She ate all of it. I sat on her bed."Is that a rat?" She asked."Where?" I said."There next to you on the end of the bed.""No, it's just the machine that regulates the air in your mattress," I said.She finished her lunch and pushed the table away and prepared to stand up."No," I said, "You have got to stay sat down. You are not to get up without the nurse."Joanne from next door arrived. I knew she was coming and had intended to go home when she arrived but I just did not like leaving her like this.I warned Joanne out of the side of my mouth, quietly,  that she was  a little confused today, but Dulcie and Joanne chatted away happily and she seemed ok again until she asked where Wendi went."She came yesterday," I said."Oh, yes," she said. She told Joanne that she had got confused and thought she was at home and told her about asking me about the TV. She shook her head smiling at her own mistake.She prepared to get up again saying "Move up Joanne, I'll sit next to you on the bed."She actually stood right up and I had to sit her back down.I took the opportunity while Joanne was there to go and chat to the nurse.Nina was sat behind the desk. I asked her about Dulcie's confusion. She was unsure and looked for the doctor but he was not in his office. I had spoken to him yesterday and he was as useful as Nina was turning out to be today. She passed me onto another nurse...the one who had been running around like a loony doing everything since I had arrived, as she was the one who was dealing most with Dulcie but she had no answers either and was very busy and dashed off somewhere else.I went back in to the ward."Is that Shirley, playing outside with those children Nick?" she asked."No, it's a bit noisy out there but there are no children and it is not Shirley. She went home yesterday remember.""Oh, yes," she said," it just sounded like Shirley though.""Is Danny coming back?" She asked."He might be in later," I said.Joanne had to go. I told her I was going to stay until Dulcie was safely back in bed or the Physios came.She was down on the board for Physiotherapy at 1.00 pm. At 2.00 I told her not to move from the chair."I promise," she said, "and I don't break my promises."I went to find a nurse. I got to the door and the little nurse who had been running around since I got there was just sitting down. She sank into the chair exhausted and stared blankly into the distance."I'm sorry, " I said as I approached, "but could you put Dulcie back in bed. I have to go and she keeps on trying to get out of her chair.""Oh!" she said, jumping up, finding some energy from somewhere.She put Dulcie back in bed and tucked her in.I lent over to give her a kiss on the fore head."What's that dear? " she said, looking into the distance ".....yes, I am tired."My heart broke some more.I drove home worn out and very worried. I wanted Will to come home from work.There were more flies waiting to be swatted, and the washing I had hung out had been soaked by a few heavy showers.I went down to bring it in and Joanne came out from next door."They are so lucky to have you," she said, "You are marvellous with her." It was all I could do not to burst into tears there and then.I held it in until I was hanging the wet clothes up under the house.When Will came home we went back just before tea-time."How did you track me down?" She asked.She was just the same."Look at that cat there...it's like the one Danny had."Her tea arrived."No, dear," she said " to the porter, "I've had my tea."He looked hesitant. I took the tray off him.She ate most of it but left the soup and the banana."I'll take that banana home and have it for breakfast." She said.I nipped to the loo just at the moment that the doctor I had spoken to yesterday came to ask how things were.When I got back he and Will were chatting outside the ward.Will went off to make phone calls after speaking to the doctor. Dulcie wanted to go to the loo. Two nurses came to help her. They pulled the curtains round. Another nurse arrived with the phone...a call for Dulcie. She took it behind the curtain.It was Liam her grandson."Hello? Yes dear, They are just getting ready to take me home, dear. They are taking me home in the truck."I heard the nurse say,"Can I have the phone Dulcie?" Then I heard her say, "I am sorry,Dulcie is a little confused at the moment. We are just taking her to the toilet. Can you call back in 10 minutes?"Poor Liam!Will finally told me what the doctor had said on our way out.He must have gone away and done some research since I asked him about her hallucinations. He told Will that it was "Delirium" brought on probably by body stress and also because of the cortisone she was being given. We learned she also had a urinary tract infection and this also could be a cause. He said that we were not to stress about it and that eventually when she comes off the antibiotics it should improve.I suddenly had a thought and we went back in to see the doctor again and tell him about her attempts to stand up earlier in the day and ask that she not be left in her chair unattended until her confusion ends.It has been a difficult and worrying day but we are relieved to hear what the doctor has said.We want 'our' Dulcie back.

'Here come the flies!'

I woke with a bit of a sore throat and began to wonder what to do about hospital visits today.I went with Will to work and brought Roxy back.It is just over a week since 'Maggot Apocalypse' and I noticed a few flies about the living room and kitchen. I got Dulcie's fly swat and relieved them of their life.I asked Shirley what she thought I should do about my sore throat. We decided I would go but not go too near to Dulcie.Shirley had special dispensation to go in at 10.00 am as she was going back to Maclean today. I took her in and popped in with her to see Dulcie. There were a few other visitors around so they are not really that strict on enforcing visiting times.Dulcie had just finished her shower and was sat finishing getting dressed in the chair by her bed."I had one of your anzacs" she said, "it was beautiful....but take the others because my teeth are a bit sore when I eat them."I left Shirley and Dulcie and went off to a seated area by the lifts.There was a 'Traveller' magazine on the table with the headline..."35 Best Bucket List Destinations."....not really ideal reading material for a hospital really.....or is it?After about 30 minutes Paula, Shirley's daughter in law arrived to see Dulcie and then take Shirley back home. I showed her down to the ward.She showed Dulcie some pictures of her great grandchildren and how they were growing up.She is still seeing things and we are still worried about that. Today before we arrived she had seen lots of animals running around, the smallest children she had ever seen and a little dog sat up on Marcelle's TV. Maybe she is dreaming, maybe it is still the aftermath of the anaesthetic or the painkillers she is on. Shirley was happy with the progress Dulcie had made in the days she had been up to visit and promised to come back soon, but her departure was marred by worry about her mum's visions.I left with them to help hand over Shirley's luggage. Hopefully she will be back in just over a week.I drove home with a list of things to do but as soon as I went in grabbed the fly swat and swung it madly. I must have killed about 50! There was us thinking we had done well last week in picking up all those maggots....how wrong we were.I collected the stuff Dulcie wanted, some three-quarter length pants ironed....(I ironed them, flat no creases as instructed!), found the cream she wanted and another box of tissues then left the house to the flies and headed back to help her with lunch.She was back in bed but still dressed and was looking more like herself.A doctor came to put in a new cannula.'Hmmmm,' I thought, 'how can I ask him about her seeing things with out her knowing?'I failed miserably....."Hallucinations," I said " are they normal a week after an operation?"He was not very helpful really. I wanted him to say emphatically "Oh Yes!" But he didn't.He said it might be her medication, or because of the lung infection but did not think it was the anaesthetic.He was very good at putting a cannula in anyway and did it first time which is more than some others have managed. He said he would take to some people and look at her medication.Her lunch arrived and she did her best."Do you want this soup and just take it and hide behind that curtain, Nick?""What and get thrown out for stealing your food?.....No thanks!" I said.She ate her soup.A nurse came to hook her up to the antibiotics....she just carried on eating while they fiddled with her arm.After lunch Kirrily arrived, the Occupational Therapist for a chat."Are you her son?""No, her son's partner," I said."He's a friend of my son's," said Dulcie."I want a little chat with you Dulcie, do you mind if Nick stays?""Of course not!," she said, "He's family."Kirrily was lovely and wanted to set out some goals for Dulcie. She asked all about life before the fall and what Dulcie used to do...I chipped in a bit too much probably but was trying to give Kirrily the real picture.They decided that Dulcie could go home when she could get up the 13 steps to the house with help from another person, but she was clear she wanted to be able to shower and toilet herself without help. She wanted to go back to doing cooking and so Kirrily said that they would do some cooking activities then as part of her rehab stay. There were 3 things Dulcie had to remember not to do: cross her legs, twist in any way and lift her knee higher than her hip. It all sounded really good. Later Kirrily was going to come to the house, maybe on a visit with Dulcie to have a look and make suggestions for necessary changes. She gave me a list of things to measure the height of  at home and left."She was lovely wasn't she?," I said."Yes," said Dulcie, "but there are a couple of bitches!"We practised remembering the 3 things she could not do. I left at nearly 2.00 pm to go for my own lunch. She waved and blew me a kiss and picked up 'Bill the Bastard'.Back home I swatted more  newly hatched flies before making myself a sandwich. Then I got out the hoover and hoovered up all the carcases before having a shower.I didn't even have time to sit down before Will texted for me to go and pick him up.On the way, Shirley texted to say she was home.We went back over to the hospital about 5.30 pm. She was finishing her tea and was really enjoying it.When she was finished I held up 3 fingers and she said;"Not cross my legs, keep my knee down and don't wiggle." It was a good try.I'd left her on page 45 of 'Bill the Bastard' and now she was on page 91!Danny and Wendi arrived so Will and I came home to the House of Flies.There were none....Phew! We were too tired to swat if there had been.

'El Nino is coming!'

We were up at 6.30 am.....on a Sunday?......I know! Madness!Will wanted to head across town to the Northey St Organic Market.Shirley was excited to go through the Clem 7 tunnel.The markets were in a small park next to the Northey St City Farm.There were buskers playing amongst the stalls which were mostly selling organic fruit and vegetables.We had hardly started to wander the stalls before some woman accosted Will. He was wearing his "Save the Mullet" tee-shirt.'It's good fish that.....but you can't get it here anymore."Shirley said she could get it where she lived."Oh, you are from Maclean?".....and she told us all about her relatives that lived in the area down there before she wandered off.We looked around the stalls but bought nothing. We wandered around the Edible Landscapes Nursery and Shirley bought Will a Kang Kong plant.We went for a coffee and hot chocolate at the outdoor cafe area surrounded by the bohemian clientele. Will was at the counter when a man came up to ask what the plant was."It's a King Kong or a Kang King or something," I said."Oh," he said, then added ominously "they say El Nino is coming."'Let him come,' I thought, 'but there is no room here at our table for him!'The hot chocolate was ok but Will and Shirley thought the coffee was dreadful....and bitter.Behind us was an Iridologist....she could give you a health check for $25 by just looking at your iris!I didn't see anybody taking her up on that.We wandered back through the market past a stall that was selling milk. A sign above said "For bathing only! "They were selling it in 2 litre bottles!? How many would you have to buy to fill a bath?The markets had a lovely atmosphere as they were spread out under the trees in the park while the sun shone down from the blue sky above. I enjoyed going but don't think I need to go back ever.We came back home and Will took Shirley to the hospital for 11.00 am while I stayed home and made some of 'Dulcie's Famous Anzac Biscuits.'He left her there and came back and started to make biscuits of his own!.....Competition!I picked Shirley up in the early afternoon and popped into see Dulcie. She was looking much better. I took her some of my Anzacs."They look beautiful, Nick," she said."Well, they are a bit chewy, but I like them like that," I said."What's Billy Boy doing? She asked."Well, he's only flippin' making biscuits!" I said. " I thought of it first. I didn't bring you any of his because basically, mine are better."We left her sat up in bed.Shirley was really pleased. She had arranged for her to have a shower tomorrow and get her hair washed. She had been out of bed to the toilet and had sat in her chair for a couple of hours and even read 40 pages of the book Shirley had bought her....'Bill the Bastard!'"That's perfect!" I said....it was about a war horse. Dulcie loves horses and had really enjoyed the film 'War Horse.'We took Shirley back  for tea-time. Dulcie was already half way through her tea when we got there.  We had a quick chat and then left Shirley to spend more time with her and went to pick her up about 7.30 pm.Dulcie is looking much better and Shirley will go home tomorrow happy that things are positively moving forward.But 'Boot Camp' starts tomorrow....Rehab has a gym!And.......don't forget........'El Nino is coming!'