William Morris - for Sharon

This picture is for Sharon
over at Beyond the Blank Page
She has been dreaming of
William Morris stitchery lately.
published in The English Home December 2005

Avec Amour and the Christmas Angel

Herself has a beautiful shop at Knoxfield
- Avec Amour -
The Christmas Angel lives there

Rose - and the one that got away

We have a masculine feline called Rose.
He's a Russell Crowe sort of cat.
Yesterday he brought in a bird.
It sought shelter behind the sideboard.
I locked Rose in my bedroom until the bird flew away.
I then let him out.
This is the record of his fruitless search for his prey.

Ferntree Gully National Park

Went for a walk this morning in Ferntree Gully National Park

which is only five minutes away from The Trad Pad.

It was a beautiful sunshiney day.
The park is not pristine as can be seen by the invasion of agapanthus and sweet peas

among a host of weed species.

There are native species to admire and enjoy....

...like gumnuts...

-

...and banks of fine maidenhair fern

...and native blossom.

There are mighty eucalypts

...and young saplings.

I walked along Belview Terrace.

I left the path seeking a short cut. I took a tumble.

I hadn't read Sharon's post at that stage in which she said

"May your path continue to get smoother..."

I didn't think that I could do the Lotus Position but found I could

if my feet ended up a few cms below my derriere.

This was the upward view from my tumbling spot.

Along my way, a shy wallaby went deeper into the bush

and a pair of red parrots hid in the tree branches

so that I couldn't photograph them.

It was a beautiful time and took sixty-five minutes.

Based on my recent condition, I felt that was a great effort.

The Journey after Lapbanding - 4

There's a smile on my dial this morning. I have got out of bed this morning feeling really great - how long since I felt like this? The bed's made, the washing is on. Will pop over to the National Park soon for a morning walk. How 'bout that? Thank you for the good wishes. I needed them.

The Journey after Lapbanding - 3

Have been pretty darn ill. Was freezing cold for three and a half days and eventually warmed up on Sunday afternoon! Have been into the surgeon to-day. The cephalin seems to be working and the infected site is shrinking but to be on the safe side he has - to this time - written prescriptions for three courses of cephalin. He also prescribed Dia-Gesic this afternoon and this has made a bit of difference. As I write at 9pm, I am feeling much better and much clearer.

Sean the surgeon seems to think that it is a combination of factors: the inadequate caloric intake (this is what this is all about); the impact of the infection in such a situation; and he says that sometimes people do bounce out of hospital like me only to be struck low some days later. He says they don't understand why this happens. I have another ten days on the liquid phase and then I move on to the pureed phase which I am then on for a month. Then the day before Australia Day on 25/1, I have my first "adjustment" which is adding/withdrawal of liquid to/from the port that is connected to the lapband. This governs how much and what can be eaten. Of course, in all this I am losing weight. 15kg in about the last six weeks.