head cold

It is now two weeks since I realised my son had passed on his head cold to me.  Two weeks fairly well blanked out in a fog of stuffed head. I am finally beginning to think that there is light at the end of the tunnel.  Son was affected as badly as I was and he had a couple of days off work.

During that time, my camera has stayed on the shelf.  However, today seems better and the rain has also gone at least for the moment, so I went out onto the balcony at lunch.  The controls seemed strange at  first on the camera, and there was a chilly wind, so I tried a couple of shots and came back inside.

This is one of the exits from the carpark under the building.  It is accessible only from the inside as the fire escapes lead to the car park.  I took this mainly to see if I could remember what the dials meant on my Fuji camera.

I have done no knitting.  It would have been useless and would have needed ripping out.  I had planned this year on the craft show in town but could not face the effort to get there.  I heard from the president of the NSW Knitters' Guild that there was almost nothing for knitters.  I was glad I did not go.  My hip aches and hates stairs and I  had enough germs of my own without sharing them  or those of others in the crowd.

Here is a picture from my phone.  The old saying goes along the lines of "red sky at night, shepherds' delight.  Red sky in the morning, shepherds take warning."  After a day's rain, there were just a few moments of sunshine right on sunset.  As you can see, lots of red sky.  The saying did not work.  The next day was very wet.

This was taken from inside, looking out to the north west.  Lots of red there.The thing hanging is a crystal mum gave me years ago.  It is in the sun in the morning, that's if there is any, and the crystal splits the light into flashes of its component colours.

This is  another photo taken just a couple of minutes later.  As can be seen, lots of heavy cloud and the heaviness won out over the sun.  The following day was wet.

One of these days, I will return to knitting.  Two hats in as many months is not a good record.

This time a year ago we were planning Big Sister's twelfth birthday party.  Her mum had refused a party for any of them for several years and we had a big one at a park.  She turns thirteen in a week, but this weekend is son's turn to have them.  Because of the uncertain weather, they are doing something different.  A much small number of girls is  going indoor rock climbing this weekend.  She is looking forward to it and will be good.  She is athletic in build but her mind sees pathways and ways to go.

She is halfway through her first year of High School and loves it, especially Science.  A lovely girl, usually bright and cheerful and very helpful.  I have  several SMS messages  sent from son's phone by her.  Each ends LOVE, T.

cooking in the sun

I have just come inside from topping up my Vitamin D intake.  It was very warm on the balcony and I could easily have gone to sleep out there.  I should have had some knitting but I have been lax about that for a while.  My fingers are still sore and twisted and I have not done much.  Two or three warm hats is about all I have done lately.

Another knitter was in touch with me about arthritis and I am going to speak to my GP.  She said a link has been discovered between arthritis and psoriasis which I have.  She now sees a rheumatologist, has a regimen of treatment and generally feels better than she has done for a while.  It took a while to get an appointment  so I need to visit my GP.

My left hip is very sore from the arthritis and sore from ligament damage  to pelvis.  I have even bought a walking stick as a support, pretty well a psychological support as well as physical.

My last piece of woe has been a cold.  A really truly head cold.  I have not had one for years but son caught one from the daughter of a friend and brought it home.  I caught it from him.  I have had it a week, think it is going, but it was terrible.  Yesterday morning I tidied up after breakfast and sat on the lounge with my feet in the sun.  To my surprise I woke nearly three hours later to find it was almost lunch time.  I guess I needed the sleep.

I was glad it was not the weekend for grandchildren.  They would have had to find things to do out of the place.  Miss M is doing reasonably well and doctors are happy with her.  More than I can say for her mother who is cutting herself off from friends and who is totally vitriolic in anything to do with their dad.   Sad really, she is poisoning herself.

Son had a property hearing two weeks ago and thinks they both received reasonable treatment from it.  The place will need to be sold, but I see today that the suburb is one of fourteen in Sydney which has a 100% clearance rate in auctions for months.  Custody hearing is about three months away yet.

A few months ago we had lunch at a pub in Mt Victoria in the upper Blue Mountains.  I had a blue cheese and mushroom tart  which was very good.  Yesterday I tried to replicate it.  The pastry cracked in my oven, but the filling was good.  Baby spinach, mushrooms, gorgonzola cheese chopped.  I mixed up two eggs with some cooking cream and poured that over the top and added  some grated  cheese.  My oven is savage, so I cooked it at 160° C.  Filling was moist but pastry fell apart.  Very nice and there is some leftover for a lunch.

I have a couple of shawls which need blocking.  The weather is good for that sort of thing and now the cold is beginning to go, I will try to get around to it.

I see it is a month since the previous post.  Perhaps the next time will not be as long.