3 Phone calls.

The first phone call was at 7.30 am. I dashed up the stairs.

It was Adrian from Blue Care.

"Is it ok to come at 8.45?"

"What is it for?" I asked.

"In-house respite." He said. Phew! I thought it was for the shower we missed yesterday.

"Could it be later in the day?" I asked.

"No, we have a pretty tight schedule," he said.

"Well, I will leave it then," I said.

"You want to let it slide?" He asked a little amazed.

"Yes," I said.

I was in the middle of a 'Skype' to Josh when the phone went again just before 8.00.

It was Tricia from Blue Care.

"Have you had a phone call about respite?"

"Yes," I said "but it was for 8.45 and that is no good. Dulcie did not get up until 10.30 yesterday and I do not want her waking up to find someone strange in the house. I spoke to Wendy last week about sorting out  a regular time. I asked for 10 until 12 on Tuesday and 2 until 4 on a Thursday.I appreciate that it may be difficult to suit everyone's requests but it is very hard for me to plan things when I never know when I am getting respite."

Tricia, like Wendy, was very understanding and said that she would add 'DO NOT CHANGE' to my times on the rota for next week......we shall see.

I forgot to ask about the shower we missed yesterday because of the public holiday. I rang back and was put through to Tracy.

Tracy was having a bad day. I could tell by her tone.

"Would it be ok to rearrange the shower we missed yesterday for today?" I asked.

"I am struggling here to fit in all the showers that we have scheduled for today," said a stressed Tracy, "due to staff illness, I can't see any way it would be possible."

"Hmmmm, that's not good," I said, "and not healthy."

"No," said Tracy..." I could ask the nurses but they are asking us to cover for them too."

"We will leave it until tomorrow, " I said, resigned to the bad situation.

People's Day.

It is a public holiday today all because the 'Ekka' is on in Brisbane.

The 'Ekka' is the Royal Queensland Show and is on from the 8th to the 17th of August. Today is 'People's Day' where everything closes so that people can go to the 'Ekka'....we are not going....if you ask me it would be madness to go today......it is going to be packed.

I have never been before. Wendy is going to come and stay on Friday and give Will and I the chance to go. 

Would you believe it was 10.30 !!!!! when Dulcie got up this morning? Will lay in too....I had been awake for ages waiting to hear her stirring and eventually just went up to check she was still with us.

She was.....but under her quilt.

We are having a quiet day.....Dulcie did not fancy a trip out.

I popped over to Algester to the IGA (supermarket) there. They were selling 48 toilet rolls for $17. I got two lots......and saved over $20.

At the till the 12 year old girl who served me (well, she looked about 12) pressed the wrong thing and her scree froze. She had to call for help. Another girl came......who looked about 14.....and she sorted it, swiping her card and declaring;

"Oh, you've got a discount too!".......and I got another $3 off!

I was a bit self conscious pushing my trolley, with 96 toilet rolls in, to the car. I felt people were looking at me and thinking, he must have an upset stomach!

River walks.

Dulcie has been rising in the morning at about 8.30 ish. She is usually in bed by 7.00 pm but on Sunday she went to bed at 9.00 pm as it was the final of The Voice - Kids and she has loved watching that. I was expecting a bit of a lie in on Monday morning but she was up at 8.00!
Yesterday I was up ready at 8.00, expecting Blue Care at 9.00 for my respite time but Dulcie did not stir.I waited and waited and eventually had to wake her at 8.40 to get her up and ready before they arrived.
The Indian woman from last week did arrive at 8.50 but sat outside in the car until 9.00. I was able to get Dulcie's breakfast ready and give her her medication before the woman came in.
We were all sorted for 9.00 and I was ready to get going when I remembered I had not made Dulcie's piece of fruit toast.

"Would you like a piece of fruit toast?" I asked.

Of course she did.

"I think I'll get you to pay that bill too," said Dulcie. I hadn't really intended on calling in at the Post Office but went and fetched her cheque book. She signed a cheque and I was filling in the rest of it when the smoke alarm went off.

The toast was burned. I wafted a tea towel at the alarm until it went off and put in a new slice and finished off the cheque.

The smoke alarm went off again so I jumped up to waft it with the tea towel and then discovered the second piece of toast was burning too.

"It's ok," said Dulcie, " I like my toast dark."

It was 9.15 by the time I escaped.

I drove to Graceville and parked at Simpson's Playground by the river.

I walked along by the river, down to Faulkner Park and back again. There were some lovely houses along the road there. Simpson's park is right by where Oxley Creek joins the Brisbane River.

I called at Woolies on the way back....but completely forgot about paying the bill at the Post Office.

It will have to keep for another day.

Last night Will and I were back by the river again at Southbank. We went for an evening walk before going to the cinema......to see Guardian's of the Galaxy.

The Block : Man Cave - Blinds Week!

Wikipedia says:The Block is an Australian reality television series broadcast on the Nine Network. The present series follows five couples as they compete against each other to renovate a former office building in Prahran, Victoria into luxury apartments and sell them at auction for the highest price. The series is subtitled as The Block: Glasshouse.We don't watch it.....although bombarded at every ad break this week by teaser trailers for the Bathroom reveals....we succumbed and just had to see 'the best bathroom reveals in The Block ever!' We won't be dragged in again.Meanwhile in The Block: Man Cave ..... we put up the blinds that we bought at Ikea a few weekends ago.Just like professionals we used a saw, a hammer, a screwdriver, some nails and quite a bit of sticky tape.Here is the Blind Reveal!:

This is the best Blind installation in Block history.....ever.

Fatty! and not 'ratty'.

So....yesterday Jess the dietician rang at 8.30......I made it this time to the phone before it rang off.She came at 9.00 and weighed Dulcie.It was great news.....she had put on nearly 4kgs since Jess's last visit. Jess was really pleased."You are my star patient," she said.She is coming back again in a month.Later I rang Blue Care about 'respite'. I was very polite.I spoke to Wendy.....she was very nice and very understanding.I asked for 10 until 12 on a Tuesday (that way I can call and get Dulcie and I a pie for lunch!) and 2 until 4 on a Thursday.She went to look at next weeks roster.......it was already up."Someone is coming at 9.00 this next week on Tuesday," she said "and I am not sure about Thursday, but I will inform them and it will hopefully be sorted for the week after next."We shall see.