Possum Galore
A life ‘Down Under’!
Mother's Day (Down Under, America and much of the rest of the World)
(Front row L-R: Dulcie and Danny, Middle row L-R: Wendi, Fiona, Xiaoling, Lesley, Back row L-R: Will, Geoff, Terry, Me.)
Tok and 'Our Telly.'
So......because Samsung's customer service is so bad we have had to go in search of  local TV repairers.Will found one first who charged $80 just to give a quote. What?!We said "Hmmmm, we'll shop around."He got back to us to say it was only $50 for a quote if the TV was 40 inches or more.We said "Hmmmm, we'll still shop around."He got back to us again saying the $50 comes off the final cost if we take up the quote.It didn't leave me feeling very confident or trusting of him.Will found some more numbers online and the first one I rang was 'Tok'.I think he is called Tok...it sounded like Tok......he is Korean I think.Tok did not charge anything for a quote. I took 'Our Telly' to him.I could tell he was a decent guy when the previous customer asked if he had a spare auxiliary cable and he gave him one free of charge.I left 'Our Telly' with him and he rang the next day to say that it needed a new power board which would have to be ordered from overseas.......he said it could take up to a month.....but his total quote was $100 cheaper than we were prepared to pay.After all the hassle of the last few days we have hope again that 'Our Telly' will once more be returned unto us in all its glory.
Voting Up Over, Canasta Down Under.
Con came over today and we had two games of Canasta. She only called me Jim once.Dulcie and I wiped the floor with them in both games.I kept checking on the news Up Over.....I don't know why because whatever the outcome of the Election is it just spells DOOM!Tonight Terry and Fiona arrived from Tasmania. We had offered to pick them up from the Airport but Terry insisted on catching the train."It's only $5 with a concession card," he said.Will went to meet them at Cooper's Plains.He was waiting for a while. They had got on the Gold Coast train and then discovered that it did not stop at Cooper's Plains so had to change for the Beenleigh line.The ticket cost $40 not $5.It snowed in Tasmania this morning. It was 23 degrees here today.Welcome to Queensland!
Lone Pine.
Return to the P.A.
So......today I was back at the Princess Alexandra Hospital for my follow up CT Scan.My appointment was at 9.40 am.I don't know what it was but there was just an atmosphere of inefficiency today and the few staff there were seemed run off their feet.I was taken through to Radiology and led into a curtained cubicle to await the nurse to come and put a cannula in my arm.I had quite a while to wait before I heard the words,"You may feel a bit of a prick."I did.I then had to wait again in another seating area, listening to two elderly women, one who by all accounts was riddled with cancer and the other who had emphysema, discussing their funeral insurance. They tried to bring me in on their convesation with glances in my direction but I just stared at the TV.Thank goodness it was not Daytime TV...it was the Australian version of Question Time and a woman asked the panel what they thought seeing that so much had been made of the obscenely rich Floyd Mayweather after his recent boxing match, attended by the rich and famous, when he has, in the past been found guilty of a number of instances of domestic abuse. Good question!I was just beginning to think I was never going to be called when someone crept up behind me and said "Nicholas Allen?"I was expecting to have to change into a gown as mentioned in my letter but I was directed to lie, dressed as I was, on the scanner bed.I was left lying there quite a long time staring at the ceiling before I heard shuffling and someone appeared at my side."Hi, I'm Nicky, What's your name?""Nick," I said."And where do you live Nick?"I told her."And when is your birthday?""28th April 1962......is when I was born", realising that is what she was really asking."What is your surname?" Asked an Asian nurse who also popped into view."Allen," I said.The Asian nurse pulled over a large mechanical arm from the ceiling."Have you had a CT scan before?" She asked."I have.""Were you injected with the dye before?""I was.""And how did it feel?""Oh, is that the stuff that makes you feel like you are peeing your pants?""That's right," she said.I had to put my arms over my head."So we just fix the tube to the cannula.""Right," I said."Oh, I was talking to Nicky," said the Asian nurse, " she is just learning......Did you notice that I made sure all the air bubbles were out of the tube by holding it upright so that any trapped air floats to the top?""That is very important Nicky," I chipped in, "We don't want air in the tube."Nicky laughed."If you only learn one thing today Nicky, remember no air in the tube..........ever." I reiterated.The Asian nurse said that she would tell me when they were going to inject the dye and they left me.I waited ages....in that bright room with just the hum of the big donut machine. Nothing happened for so long that I began to think the outside world had been annihilated by zombies and I was the only one left....then I slid in the donut."Take a breath and hold it" said the machine in a man's voice......I slid out."And breath normally.""I'm going to inject you now.......let me know if it is excruciating."That last bit wasn't helpful, even 'Elaine' who's dead rough, had butterflies at hearing that.There was no pain, thank goodness, just the warm feeling that I'd wet myself.And that was that.Nicky took me back to the waiting area where I had to wait another 10 minutes to make sure I didn't react to the dye then my cannula was removed and I was free to go.I wondered what happened next.....but by the time I got home Will had had a phone call to say that I had an appointment with Dr Fanning on Monday morning to discuss the results.Phew, they were back to being efficient again.