Cate's Diary

[Cate]

Your present summer sounds like the summer we had here last year. Cold and wet throughout and the heat-loving veggies did not do well at all. I too enjoy a cooler summer and way prefer that over those horrendous heat waves we've had in previous years, but yeah it threw me off to have such a cold summer and i was saddened by the lack of beans and tomatoes.

We have had one solitary red (not really) cherry tomato that we shared. It was very underwhelming.

oh nice work! I am not at all handy either so I can imagine that extra sense of accomplishment!

I took a video of it working & sent it to my friend, S, who had said she could get her husband to come to fix it for us.
It's only 11oC again this morning. This is not Summer.
Being grateful:
We may get to make green tomato pickles this year

 

[Emilyrose]

Well done on the DIY. Hope it warms up a bit for you.

 

[liza3]

Being grateful:
We may get to make green tomato pickles this year

Good for you looking at the bright side! And actually, although i didn't get any tomatoes because it seemed way too late a start by the time things warmed up, those who did put them in didn't do too badly in the end as our summer continued longer than usual...it was all such an odd year...but yes, hopefully you can get some sort of tomatoes any which way!

 

[Llama]

Green tomato pickles sound lovely. I think you gave me the recipe once but I haven't had a chance to try them. I'm 100% ready for spring but it'll be at least 6 weeks.

 

[Cate]

Well done on the DIY. Hope it warms up a bit for you.

Thanks, Em. We had a lovely warm day yesterday.

Good for you looking at the bright side! And actually, although i didn't get any tomatoes because it seemed way too late a start by the time things warmed up, those who did put them in didn't do too badly in the end as our summer continued longer than usual...it was all such an odd year...but yes, hopefully you can get some sort of tomatoes any which way!

Hopefully, it will happen here too. I'm not quite ready for winter yet. I do

Green tomato pickles sound lovely. I think you gave me the recipe once but I haven't had a chance to try them. I'm 100% ready for spring but it'll be at least 6 weeks.

It's my Mum's recipe. I am not ready for Autumn. The colder weather has me aching all over!

I had been worried about R again as he has been feeling very overwhelmed & struggling to make decisions about how to pare back his life & possessions to make ends meet. I'm glad I rang him as we had a good talk & I felt I helped him through this rough patch. He is in a very good position really & just needs to decide which way to go with what he sells. I felt so much better after the call. He needs to up his income a bit & cut down his expenses & will need to sell something to do that.

I have a doctor's ap't this morning & don't have much to talk about which is good. I make them regularly just in case as they're booked out well ahead & I had postponed this one twice so thought I should go.
Edited at 3.30 pm.
My doctor was keen to talk about what I want from my health care plan & was very thorough, even more than usual. When I was leaving I tried making an appointment with her about 2 months away only to find out she won't be there.
I had a reaction to fragrance while I was there. Most people were not wearing masks in the waiting room & I took mine off briefly, only to realise that the waiting room had a very strong chemical smell. When I left the practice I was absolutely hit for six & came home utterly exhausted & with brain fog & very shaky. I have had a brief sleep & am currently sipping on peppermint tea.
I had rung my dentist as the filling I had in December fell out last week. I have felt too upset (& annoyed) to do anything about it but decided I had to. Unfortunately, there was a cancellation for tomorrow at 11.30 am as I will have to drive myself there as G has his vets' golf. I'm not sure I'll feel up to it.

 

[Llama]

That sucks about the scent reaction but at least it shows that the mask makes a difference.
Ouch on the dental filling: I hope you can get it fixed soon.

 

[Cate]

Thanks Llama. I hope I’m up to driving there tomorrow. Any other day would have been better but it’s best dealt with asap.
I decided to take Arch for a short walk at 5 pm, but kept going & then rang for G to pick me up. That was more than I thought I was capable of, so that’s a good sign.

 

[liza3]

I'm glad I rang him as we had a good talk & I felt I helped him through this rough patch. He is in a very good position really & just needs to decide which way to go with what he sells

That's good you were able to talk it through and come up with a good plan.

sorry to hear you had such a bad reaction to the smell at the doctor's. Must be so hard having that sensitivity.
I hope the dentist visit goes well

 

[Cate]

Thanks, Liza.
I am struggling a fair bit this morning with my Asthma & am so itchy & sneezy. I'll still go to the dentist's as I want it done. I may go a bit early & perhaps just go to the library down there as it's a much bigger one.

 

[Emilyrose]

Sorry to hear you are suffering a bit Cate. I really hope the dentist visit goes okay.

 

[liza3]

I hope that asthma and the allergies settle down Cate. Sounds rough.

 

[Llama]

Fingers crossed the dentist visit didn't further aggravate your asthma.

 

[Cate]

Thanks, Em, Liza & Llama
Apparently, it was a different filling in another tooth. It cost another $275. Hopefully, that will be it for dental work for at least a year.
I did do some shopping beforehand but wore a mask. I bought some more plant pots & did a quick supermarket shop & visited the library.
I had a terrible night's sleep, one of the worst I have had in ages. My GP has prescribed me a nasal steroid & wants me to reduce my anti-histamines as she thinks I am overdosing on them. I'll get the script made up today. Then I'll stop taking the morning AH & the AH nasal spray I also use in the morning. Hopefully, that will help. I am struggling for breath again this morning & was throughout the night. I just couldn't get comfortable either. I had been going to play nine holes today, but am not up to it. Depending on how I feel, we might go out & play tomorrow or Friday.

 

[Llama]

That sounds awful but at least the dentist's office doesn't seem to have been too smelly. Steroids suck, of course, but they also work wonders, so I hope they help quickly.

 

[liza3]

oh big hugs cate
That all sounds very rough. I hope you are breathing easier soon. I can't imagine what that must feel like.

 

[Cate]

That sounds awful but at least the dentist's office doesn't seem to have been too smelly. Steroids suck, of course, but they also work wonders, so I hope they help quickly.

I have just started using the spray this morning. I hope it helps. Unfortunately, it's not subsidised & is $53 (a month) so I'm not sure that I'll continue to take it. I'll work out the cost comparison sometime. The morning AH & nasal spray I use are not cheap either.

oh big hugs cate
That all sounds very rough. I hope you are breathing easier soon. I can't imagine what that must feel like.

Thanks, Liza. I made up for it last night. I managed to stay awake for the afternoon & evening & crashed last night into a very deep sleep. I am breathing much better today & have decided G & I will go out & play nine holes of golf.

 

[Cate]

I had a good day today. G & I went out & played nine holes of golf & while I struggled to walk around pushing my cart I still did it & got a pretty decent score. One of the locals asked if he could have a hit with us & while that made me a little self-conscious I'm glad we said yes. I beat G again Playing golf makes me feel really good.
This afternoon we picked laurel berries, We beat the parrots this year. There's plenty left for them though. I'll have to keep an eye out for our mountain pepper berries as something ate them all last year. They're not quite ready. We go away in 3 weeks from Friday. That is coming around way too fast.
I hate the thought of leaving Arch in the kennels for 10 days, even though I know he will be well looked after.
I think we're going into town again tomorrow as my prescription glasses are there already. I have missed having them. I'll take better care of these ones.

 

[Llama]

I managed to stay awake for the afternoon & evening & crashed last night into a very deep sleep. I am breathing much better today & have decided G & I will go out & play nine holes of golf.

That's great to hear. It sucks that you have to pay for the spray out of pocket though; how is that a thing when your specialist says you can't take the alternatives?

G & I went out & played nine holes of golf & while I struggled to walk around pushing my cart I still did it & got a pretty decent score.

Oh, well done Cate!

 

[Cate]

That's great to hear. It sucks that you have to pay for the spray out of pocket though; how is that a thing when your specialist says you can't take the alternatives?

My usual anti-histamines aren't subsidised either. Not every medication is on the PBS list. I didn't know it wasn't until G went to collect it for me at the chemist. I will ask my next doctor whoever that may be. I can't remember if I said my current one is leaving. I really like her.

Oh, well done Cate!

Thanks, Llama. I'm so glad I played golf yesterday. I slept well again last night. Nine holes of golf twice a week I think would be really good for me. It's a really hilly course.
We'll be heading into town soon I think. The sooner we get in, the sooner we'll get out.

 

[liza3]

G & I went out & played nine holes of golf & while I struggled to walk around pushing my cart I still did it & got a pretty decent score.

So good to hear!

This afternoon we picked laurel berries, We beat the parrots this year. There's plenty left for them though. I'll have to keep an eye out for our mountain pepper berries as something ate them all last year

Nice that you got your share of berries before the birds got them all!

I'm glad you're sleeping and breathing easier again