Val’s Comments (group member since Aug 28, 2019)

Val’s comments from the Beyond Zon group.

Isabella wrote: "Val, how do you grow your asparagus peas? This summer’s heatwave really killed mine off. They were in sun in the morning but shade in the afternoon and I kept them well watered. You probably have m..."

I've never grown them before Isabella! In fact, I'd never heard of them before you wrote about them. I'm intending planting them out in the bed where I had tomatoes last year (what a disaster that was - mice or rats ate all the fruit). The bed faces west so will get afternoon sun. Our soil is very sandy and not rich at all. I will just keep my fingers crossed and see if I get any peas at all.

While talking about gardening, my asparagus peas I planted in an egg carton are about 2" tall so it won't be too long before I can plant them out - and see if I can keep them safe from snails. But a few months ago, I was caring for 3 year old grand-daughter and one of our activities was to fill some empty cardboard toilet rolls with potting mix and plant some seeds. She took them home and set them in the garden window in their kitchen (I think Mum re-potted them) and today I got a photograph of her eating her first harvest of sugar snap peas! Pity I didn't think to plant some for myself at the same time.

We had a lovely day here today - about 21 degrees I think. We haven't had the heating on tonight or last night but it was touch and go. Although we're halfway through spring I haven't felt it was warm enough (especially overnight) to plant seeds, plus we've had very heavy rain. But today I was more energised so I opened up a kit I was given as a gift some time ago - 5 peat(?) pots with peat inserts and packets of seeds - parsley, sage, thyme, basil and chives. So I've got those done, but still indoors. There were too many seeds in the packets for the small pots so I chucked the remainder into a jar, together with another packet of mixed annual seeds, added some seed raising mixture, shook them all about and then scattered them over a small bed that has rosemary, parsley and oregano, peppermint geranium, freesias, bluebells, nasturtiums, a white flowering geranium. two purple ivy geraniums, snapdragons and dwarf salvia and we'll see if any of them take. In among the trellis that we put up a few weeks ago for the ivy geraniums to climb up (hopefully), we've got one of those bee/insect homes so if the annuals come up, maybe they'll attract bees. I don't know how those insect homes attract the "good" insects and reject the others. Strict border controls? I don't have great expectations as the bed doesn't get a lot of sun but I didn't want the seeds to go to waste. Then, while I was still feeling productive, I made some bran scones. When I lived in Scotland in the 70s, there was a bakery on the ground floor and I always started the day with a bran scone - quite big and triangular in shape. I have trawled the internet for recipes and I was quite satisfied with the ones I made today. I only got 8 triangles and they were a bit small but they tasted good. Next time I might try adding half again to the ingredients to see if I can get them a bit bigger. Out for lunch tomorrow with the Mothers' Club and again on Friday with my theatre going pals. I'm hoping to offload some books onto them! I read a lot but I rarely want to hang on to most of them - there's books a-plenty already in this house.

Isabella wrote: "The moon's just risen, it's a very yellow waning half, very striking. A bit of transplanting done this morning, the fruit compôte and the coffee and pecan cake made, so looking forward to seeing our friends tomorrow. G is making a fish pie and I'm doing a leek and egg veggie version. Forecast's good, as well...."

Your meal sounds wonderful Isabella. I hope you have a wonderful catch-up with your friends.

P wrote: "Afternoon folks, met the Consultant and was left in no doubt the Gall Bladder needs removing (no other options) and so I have signed the consent forms and await a date. They hope to do it keyhole b..."

Here's hoping the op can be scheduled sooner rather than later and that everything gets resolved. Mr H had gallstones and I know how painful that must be.

Good luck with the appointment P.

I tried to ring the dentist this morning to get an appointment for my 6 monthly check-up but only got a recorded message. I think he was away last week and hasn't taken the message down yet. Will try again tomorrow. I did get an appointment with the podiatrist for next week but it turns out the business has been sold and the lovely woman who treated me all last year has left. I'm too old for change!! I dropped off the car with my "new" mechanic (my three children have been going to him for 17 years) at 5 o'clock and he says it should be ready after lunch on Tuesday. He was lovely so I have high hopes of a good job at good prices. I'm feeling rather smug because I have wrapped all the birthday presents for the three grandchildren who have November birthdays AND I've wrapped Christmas presents for two of them. I'll hopefully tick another one off tomorrow evening. AND I've organised my Secret Santa present for the family - we've given up giving presents to the adults as it became superfluous as well as expensive. AND I baked two 6" Christmas cakes for my neighbours. They've been liberally doused with port and wrapped up ready to bring out nearer the big day. This coming weekend I'm planning to bake the family Christmas cake. I feel I need to get ahead as I'm always panicking as Christmas approaches. In the next two months I have 2 plays, 4 shows, 4 lunches, at least 6 medical appointments and hopefully the dentist - and grandchild No. 6 is due any tick of the clock. Panic stations already!

P wrote: "Evening folks, the concert was…a disaster! Seeing a band who we have enjoyed at least three times before but this time they had three understudies performing and the acoustics or mixing desk was so..."

That's no good - but was it the venue's fault or the person at the mixer desk? Some artists/bands don't seem to take the time to do a proper sound check before a gig. And then there are venues where your seats can be affected by poor acoustics but other rows are fine. It's tough when you waste your money on a bad experience.

Last Thursday night's sold out show by Danish singer-songwriter Agnes Obel was terrific. She plays keyboards and piano and was accompanied by two cellists (one German, one Australian) and a German percussionist - all women. One review described the gig as "ethereal and exquisitely elegant" and I think that just about encapsulates it. She was the first overseas touring artist I've seen in well over two years. The rain was bucketing down but at least trams and trains were unaffected.

We've had more rain than ever here in Victoria - some of the worst flooding in nearly 50 years - and it's not over yet. There's been one death in Rochester (about 100 miles from Melbourne) and many other towns along the Campaspe River have also been affected. It's hoped the river will peak sometime this evening at 40 feet.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia...

And here in Melbourne, a number of inner suburban areas are underwater as the Marybyrnong River burst its banks.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-1...

My younger daughter lives in that direction and she sent me a video of her garden with water over her ankles. Luckily the house is not affected.

So sorry, Duke, to read of your ongoing battle with tinnitus. I wish there was a magic wand that would reveal some strategies to alleviate it. I can well understand how it could send you into a downward spiral. I can only suggest you try lots of different things - you're already doing TV and Youtube, perhaps reading, jigsaws, crosswords or other puzzles, some small house or garden projects (i.e. something that can be completed in half a day), walking, keeping a diary, baking, cleaning out your sock drawer - anything to try and trick your brain. We're all here for you if you need to vent.

I babysat Miss 3 this afternoon while Mum was busy. She's a delight so it was fun - even if I did have to read The Sleeping Beauty twice. Not terribly practical these days - waiting for the handsome prince to come and solve all your problems. It rained all day and the forecast for tomorrow is storm and flood warning. Just what I need seeing as I have a concert in town - Danish singer-songwriter Agnes Obel. I hope I don't get too drenched and that the house is still proving waterproof when I get home.

Where's Duke got to the last few days? Hope all is well with him. I had my appointment with the haematologist yesterday. I was hoping that would be the end of it but she says the CT scan was inconclusive and though they did find enlarged lympocytes, there was nothing to say whether they were abnormal or not. So now I have to have a core biopsy on November 29th. I have to fast from 7.30am (not even water), be at the hospital at 10.30am to be admitted as a patient and then the biopsy will be at 11.30am. I don't know how long it will take but recovery can be anything from 1 to 4 hours and I can't drive. Why do these things always happen at the tail end of the year when so much else is going on (in my life anyway). In November we have 4 family birthdays (5 if our impending 6th grandchild runs late), I have three shows booked (a play, a musical and an evening with Richard E. Grant), plus I have appointment for the breast cancer specialist and the eye specialist every November. Not forgetting two lots of blood tests. One blessing, the former has said I can cancel the mammogram I had booked as she already has the results of the one the GP sent me for in August, plus the results of the fine needle aspiration and the CT scan. Some days I just want to stay in bed!!!

P wrote: "Evening all, concert was ok, quite a few disturbances where we was sitting as a lady had a fall on the stairway and needed taking to hospital…couldn’t be helped and we feel terrible for her but aft..."

Accidents like that certainly take the atmosphere away. I've been in those circumstances - not the faller, but the aisle was blocked because the poor woman couldn't move so we couldn't get to our seats and were taken right up the back to some free seats. It's hard to concentrate after that. How did Mrs P go? Will she ever go to another live show?

So much rain here! I made it to the hospital for my CT scan yesterday. I've never had one before and it was very quick (about 2 minutes) and painless (apart from having to raise my arms above my head; the rheumatoid arthritis doesn't like that). It's amazing: the operator says you will feel hot, have a metallic taste in your mouth and feel like you're about to wee, but don't worry you won't. And sure enough, that's exactly what happens when the die hits your bloodstream - but it only lasts about 30 seconds (thank heavens!). Getting home was busy because of school knock-off time but I had time for a quick bite to eat before going over to my daughter's house to babysit Miss L (nearly 4) and Master T (14 months) while A & S went to see The Kooks. Thankfully the children were perfect and I was able to read swathes of my book (Horse by Geraldine Brooks) before they got home about 11.30pm. That's when the fun began. It had been raining all evening but it's a long time since I have driven in anything that heavy. It was fair stotting off the road and the bonnet. Luckily there was almost no traffic because I couldn't make out the road markings at all. Anyway, made it home safely, that's the main thing. And the car ran perfectly after battery dramas earlier in the week. I wound up getting a new battery (£150 supplied and fitted). My receipts show me the last one was bought in 2010 so I've had a good run with it. The car is booked in for service on the 18th (after more than 30 years and 4 cars together, my local mechanic has retired) so I'm now using the bloke my three children use who operates from his home but has a great reputation and has most reasonable charges. Next I really need to service myself - overdue for dental check-up, hairdresser and podiatrist (again it's the rheumatoid arthritis in my hands that prevents me attacking my toenails). Back to the haematologist on Monday for results of the CT scan but until then it's a quiet weekend with hopefully some alleviation in the rainfall.

P wrote: "What a busy life you lead Val! Shame about the Doctors surgery closing…are you able to nominate which doctor you will be able to see, so at least you will have continuity?..."

In Australia you can go to any doctor you like - even more than one if you wish - that's why last year my daughter took me off to her doctors' practice in Sandringham, about a 25 minute drive from home. While they were very good, I still kept going to our local doc where I could walk there in 10 minutes and knew they had all my history on file. The two doctors in our current practice will be moving to the new premises but I've heard unofficially that one will be working Mon - Wed and the other Thurs - Fri so I'll still be able to see them (until they decide to retire) and hopefully there will be one or more doctors in the new practice that I feel comfortable with and have confidence in.

Sorry I've been AWOL of late - just the usual stuff getting in the way. Duke, I hope you feel you're getting into a better rhythm now with your medications and sleep. P, here's hoping Raffe has turned a corner. Dogs can be buggers for eating stuff they shouldn't and it sounds as though he is particularly susceptible to the slightest upset.

All well here although it is still pretty cool. The central heating is on as I type, I'm still having hot showers to warm up and I'm still taking my good old "hottie" to bed each night. We have had some warm days (up to as much as 21 degrees) but they're interspersed with cool ones. The garden is looking colourful - wisteria, jasmine, anemones, ranunculas, bluebells, snapdragons, nasturtiums - all in full bloom. And we have parsley self-seeded everywhere. Last night we made potato soup (with loads of parsley) and cheese and parsley damper. Tomorrow I'll make a wild rice, mushroom and parsley dish that always goes down well. It's lovely having it everywhere but it makes weeding very difficult - I have beds where freesias, native violets and parsley have all self-seeded and it's hard to pull the weeds without rooting out something you'd like to keep. I've planted some seeds (in egg cartons and still indoors) - no sign of the calibrachoa but the phlox and asparagus peas (thanks for the suggestion Isabella) have all sprung up.

The doctors' practice we have gone to for the last 43 years is closing up in two weeks. There's just the two doctors there (used to be three) but they say it is uneconomical so they're joining a big multi-doctor practice. So now from walking to the top of our street for about 10 minutes, we'll have to cross a very busy road where turning traffic pays little heed to pedestrians, navigate our way through "the biggest shopping centre in the southern hemisphere", take the lift to the second floor and hopefully "our" doctors (and our records) will all be there. I've got a screed of medical appointments coming up. The haematologist has order a CT scan on Thursday. I had some more blood tests last week (about seven vials of blood - when I went on the MyGov site to have a look at my health record, it seems the cost of testing them was £380 - glad I wasn't footing that bill! At least I'm getting value for the taxes I paid during my working life.) Hopefully it will all come to nothing when I see her again next week.

I've been out and about a bit lately. I went with my two daughters and three of their offspring to the annual Royal Melbourne Agricultural Show last weekend. Lots of cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, dogs and homecrafts. And I really enjoyed "Do You Hear The People Sing" with Michael Ball and other theatre luminaries singing songs from Le Miserables, Miss Saigon, Martin Guerre, etc. Also a play - Cyrano - a modern retelling of the Edmond Rostand play - great fun, including songs from Kris Kristofferson and Elbow!

Our sixth grandchild is due in the next few weeks, hopefully sooner rather than later as we already have three grandchildren with November birthdays. I'm just starting to get myself organised with their presents, and then it will be Christmas before we know it. We put our clocks forward last weekend and it's lovely having the longer nights. Now if they could just get a wee bit warmer.........

Duke - you commented on my footy thread "that's fine" and I didn't know whether you meant leave it as is, or change to Tinnitus Australia.

Duke - thought I might catch you here rather than on the Footy thread. I'm about to make the charity donations for 2022. You earned AU$65 (about £40) for the Centre For Eye Research Australia. Just a thought, but maybe you'd prefer it to go to Tinnitus Australia

https://www.tinnitusaustralia.org.au/

Let me know either way.

Glad to hear that your anxiety and tinnitus are taking a breather Duke. I do hope it's permanent and you can settle into a comfortable routine with the medication. It's all about what you find works for you. Getting back into a regular pattern of working, eating, sleeping is sure to be a relief! Well done!