"I DON'T believe it!"

So......apart from everything else that has been going on I have had a bit of toothache. I need to get it sorted before is worse so today phoned the dental clinic at the Q E II Hospital."Do you have a health care card  or a pensioner's concession card?" Asked the woman on the other end of the phone."No, But I have a Medicare card," I said."No, I'm sorry that doesn't count.""So, how do I get my tooth sorted?" I asked."Go to a private dentist or the School of Denstristry at Queensland University."I wasn't keen for students to experiment on me at all.I googled "How do you get a Health Care Card?" and was taken to the Centrelink website.......on checking it out it looked like I might be eligible.....but I wasn't going to waste time on waiting for them to answer the phone so drove to Inala to the Centrelink Office.Like this morning I was expecting bad news but soon found myself sat in the red chairs with all the nationalities of the World sat around me.I have sat there for hours before but this time was called in 5 minutes by a bald headed guy."I just wondered if I am eligible for a health care card. I have a dodgy tooth that need sorting." I said."We'll just see what we can do," he said, tapping away at his computer and peering at the screen. He got up and walked away and then a few moments later came back with a piece of paper. He sat down scribbled on it stamped it three times and said,"This will last you for two weeks until your real card comes through the post."I was utterly gobsmacked!.......'Perhaps I need to buy a lottery ticket today,' I thought."Fantastic!" I said, "Thank you!"I came home and rang the Dental Hospital again clutching my temporary 'Health Care Card' paper.....but on closer inspection noticed the Health Care Card bit was crossed out and what I had actually been given was a 'Pensioner's Concession Card.'Some mistake surely!!!!!!!.....but then I realised I was getting a Carer's 'Pension.'I got my dental appointment but then realised from the paper that they were going to send my card to Frogknot.I wasn't going to ring them to change it so drove back to Inala and found myself back on the red chairs.I could see the bald headed guy peering at me over his computer screen and felt like a serial benefit cheat and bludger.I waited about 20 minutes before I was called by a woman but here desk meant I would have to walk past the bald headed guy's desk. I took a short cut between some other desks and avoided going past him.The woman looked incredulous."You're not supposed to walk through there!" She said."Oops" I said."Well, luckily no-one was looking," she said.The computer didn't want to change my address to Celtis St but she managed to set it as my postal address but she hit a problem.  She went in search of help,walking through the desks I was not allowed to walk through....but couldn't find anyone to help."Don't worry. I will get it sent to your postal address," she said.I wasn't convinced."Can I just ask a silly question? I see it is a Pensioner's Concession Card but I am far too young to be a pensioner. Is it right? Is it because I get a Carer's pension?""I'm sorry," she said ," Do you want me to ask if we can call it something else?......Yes, it is right."I thanked her. "Should I go this way?" I asked, indicating a path away from the desks I was not supposed to walk through. It was the long way round......and I was a pensioner!"If you don't mind," she said.I had to walk past the bald headed man......I kept my head down and hurried out.I am 52 and in possession of a Pensioner's Concession Card!"I DON'T believe it!"

'C' Day!

So........I did get some sleep but I was awake for ages in the night before I slept.I drove to the P.A and parked over the road in the Woolies car park as I was not paying the extortionate hospital parking fees. It said I could park there for 3 hours.....loads of time.I walked over to the hospital which looked like a big cruise liner, with its three copper funnels on the roof, moored in its dock under the clear but pale blue sky.It was hot and humid outside but so nice to be enveloped by the cool embrace of the air conditioning as the main door slid open, 'Like Death with his arm around my shoulder saying come with me' I thought.I knew where I was going....up the Orange Lifts to the second floor and then down the corridor to 2F.The waiting room wasn't as busy as last time.....and no one was playing a guitar.I handed my appointment slip in at the desk."Thank you", some tapping on a keyboard and a fixed smile, "Take a seat. You will be called shortly."I chose a seat nearer to where I knew Dr Fanning would come out....so I didn't miss hearing him call me.It was 8.30. I was early.I guess I must be a 'glass half empty guy' because I was pretty much prepared for the worst. I hadn't depressed my self or become overly worried but for me it was easier to expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised than to go in all positive and be shattered."Nicholas Allen?"It was a woman.'Oh, no.' I thought 'I want Dr Fanning not this doctor.' I walked over to her."I just need to check your height and weight." Some relief but then.......'Why?' I wondered....'it must mean bad news, they wouldn't do this if they weren't going to see me again.......Oh, no! They are not sizing me up for a coffin are they?'"Take a seat again please."I went back to the waiting room.The woman with the heads on the trolley was there again.....she hadn't sold any.

"Would you like a tea or a coffee?" It was an elderly woman in a bright tabard.'My last request?' I thought.........maybe I was overdoing the preparing myself for the worst bit!"Er.....no thank you." I said. I was stunned that they offered people in waiting rooms tea and coffee anyway.....it is what you would expect only in Heaven."Nicholas Allen?"It was Dr Fanning.'Here we go.'His hand was still cold. He seemed very up beat."How are you?""Fine," I said.......but I had been much finer.....quite often."Well, good news! There was no trace of cancer (the first time the 'C' word had been used.) It was just tissue and pulmonary matter. It doesn't mean conclusively it is not there unfortunately but it's still positive."He showed me the CT scan of the needle in my back and sticking in the 'lesion.'"And do you see these gaps? That is where they took the samples so I am pretty sure they got it from the right place.  But , I think we need to keep an eye on it and get you back again in 3 months for another CT scan to check it is not growing. Any questions?"I wasn't going to mention it but perhaps though I should while I had the chance."Well, a couple of times I have felt nauseous, broke out in a cold sweat and felt weak but it passed. I have been thinking, 'Ooh, does it mean I have cancer?' "He pondered it....but didn't say an outright 'no.'"Pretty non specific," he said "but if the symptoms continue or get worse ring here to make an appointment."I shook his cold hand again and left.It was not what I had expected to hear but it was good.I sat in the glass enclosed atrium and texted and messaged the good news back and forth for half an hour before heading home once more to Shirley and Dulcie.

Just what this patient needed.

We had a lovely day today heading down to the Gold Coast to pick up Shirley from Dave and Melissa's, Shirley's' son and daughter in law.They have a fantastic house and the pool looked very inviting but we had forgotten our swimmers.We had a wonderful lunch with them and their family before heading back home to Brisbane again.It certainly took my mind off my appointment with Dr Fanning tomorrow morning.

The Last Day of Summer!

Hurray!Winter is coming!

'They eat donkeys don't they?'

So.....forgive me if I am repeating things that you already know but.....Will's brother Danny got married last year to Xiaoling in Guangzhou in China.After waiting longer than I did for her visa to come through Xiaoling and her daughter Lesley finally arrived here in Australia at the beginning of December last year.Last weekend we celebrated Will's sister Wendi's birthday and the Chinese New Year at Danny and Xiaoling's house where they made a lovely Chinese meal for us all.Xiaoling cannot drive but has begun to learn, Lesley has started high school and with Danny working 6 days a week she felt a bit trapped in the house, though she has been getting out a bit on her bike.At the meal we said that the next time we went out we would go and pick her up and take her with us.....which is what we did today.Will drove over to Springfield while Dulcie and I waited home for Blue Care to come for the shower. He and Xiaoling arrived back just as Debra was leaving.We were going to take Xiaoling to Sunnybank......as it is predominantly Chinese.....but she had already been there so we all went to Southbank instead.We had fish and chips for lunch.....it wasn't ideal as the cafe we used to go to, which  served lovely flathead strips, has since closed...but the kiosk we got lunch from today was not too bad.

Xiaoling thought her fish was tasty and much better than the fish she had had on a meal out with Danny at a Chinese restaurant."Why are there no bones in it?" She asked. "In China we cook the whole fish, it is better that way.""We don't like bones," I said and Will explained how it was filleted."Do you steam the fish or fry it?" Will asked."We steam it," said Xiaoling. "Do you eat donkey?" She asked." No, " I said. "There was a big hoo-ha recently in the UK when it was discovered that some meat products had horse meat in them.""You don't eat horses?""They are seen more as pets" said Will.I pigeon wandered past."Do you eat grilled pigeon?" Asked Xiaoling."Er....no," I said but I tried to get the pigeon to come closer."Come here," I said, beckoning to it.It wouldn't come.....it was a smart pigeon."When we were in Hong Kong Will ate chicken feet," I said."Yes, we like chicken feet," said Xiaoling."But they are all bones," I said."We're going to get some chickens," said Will."I like black chickens," said Xiaoling. She didn't mean the colour of their feathers more their meat."Yes," said Will, " I want to get some of those." They are called Silkies. "We'll grow some chicks for the pot.""Oh, I don't know if after feeding them for a long time I could eat them," I said. "You don't mind killing chickens though do you?" I said to Dulcie. She and Will's Dad used to own  chicken abattoir in Gympie."Yes," she said, "when we first got there we used a block to chop their heads off but we bought a machine that you stuck their heads in.""In the Chicken World you are a Serial Killer, aren't you?" I said. She hardly smiled.....more a smirk.....like a real Serial Killer."I used to wake up at 3 in the morning," said Will "and I would hear the plucking machine going.""In China, we like ducks," said Xiaoling. "Do you know how they get their feathers off?"We didn't........She told us. Apparently they roll them in tar and then peel it off and it pulls the feathers out."You can smell it when you got to the market," She said."And what do they do with the feathery tar?" I asked......Xiaoling didn't know.I sensed an environmental disaster if it was just thrown away."People in China want to come to Australia so they can eat Kangaroo," she said.'Yikes', I thought, 'let's hope they don't get a taste for human flesh or we're all buggered.'

Dulcie, Will, ('Elaine') and I

We walked along Southbank and back to the car. We called in at Chemist Warehouse where Xiaoling bought a bag full of Krill Oil tablets to send back to her family in China.Back home Will helped her fill in an online form to register with the Queensland College of Teachers. In China she used to teach English but here she is perfect for teaching Chinese. She can speak Cantonese and Mandarin.We found out about buses that she can catch from their house that will get her to Garden City, Sunnybank and our house."Can I buy you guys dinner?" She asked, meaning as a 'Thank you.'"No," said Will, "there is no need. We will come to yours again sometime and we will have another lovely meal.""Yes," I said, "You can cook us donkey."It was a lovely day.....they are always better when you help someone.