Woe Is Me

Hello, sorry to have been away for so long!  I went to Perth in early September for a visit, and came home with the worst virus I have ever had, I don't remember ever being so sick before.  Two and a half weeks of illness later and I'm still not right, the choking cough, body pain, fever and sweats have gone and I'm left with incredible fatigue and weakness, and one of those annoying, irritated throat coughs that just piss you off.  Slowly I am improving thank goodness, but I really have been a waste of space.  On the positive, having eaten hardly anything, I am 2 1/2 kilos lighter, yay :-)

Steve has been a legend, doing absolutely everything and tending my every need.  We can laugh now about the first time he took me to the doctor... I was too sick to go for a week, but even after that I only had the strength of an ancient old lady, and it took a looooooong time to cross the crosswalk in front of the doctor's surgery, with all the drivers in their cars patiently waiting while I shuffled along, hanging onto Steve, rugged up in my woollen shawl, it must have looked pitiful!  Thank you my darling for the wonderful care you gave me, and I'm so glad you didn't catch it! xxxx
And this other boy, the gorgeous Neo, did not leave my side at all.  He abandoned his favourite spot on top of the bookcase, and snuggled up beside me the whole time I was bedridden.  I did fleetingly think to myself that my fever-filled body may have been the attraction, like a giant hot water bottle ha ha, but he really did seem concerned, he's a lovely boy.

We had a couple of sunny mornings so I did a bit of convalescing outside on the outdoor lounge, bundled up with warm blankies and pillows.  It was lovely dozing out there, in the fresh air with the sun warming the blankets.

I got to see some beautiful sights from my convalescent bed.  This beautiful Yellow Admiral butterfly (Vanessa itea) spent ages drinking nectar from the Grey Honey Myrtle (Melaleuca incana) which is covered with flowers at the moment.

And I delighted to watch the antics of this beautiful Splendid wren who sang his heart out for ages, trying to impress his girlfriend.  He also spent a lot of time in the Grey Honey Myrtle.

 And he also spent a lot of time flitting about the Diosma that is also dripping with flowers.

Last weekend we had the pleasure of Michelle's company for a few days.  Luckily she was exhausted and was happy to relax and read, but we did manage one morning outing into town on Tuesday, Michelle shopped while I had a blood test, then we checked out some of the art on display in the Town Hall, then we had lunch at a newish cafe, called The Alkaline Cafe. 

It is a vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free/raw food cafe that focuses on alkaline foods.  Anyway, I had stir fried greens, photo above, and my goodness it was good.  I am craving vegetables at the moment so it went down a treat.  Below is Michelle's open sandwich that she declared delicious.

And this is Steve's vegetarian coconut curry with quinoa and salad on the side.  Isn't it beautifully displayed and Steve said it was really good to eat.  So, we were very happy with that meal out and will certainly be back.

As I said, I have been useless and have only been able to listen to audiobooks or watch a little tv, but this week I finally got back to a bit of sock knitting.  The blue one, that I made pre-illness, is the start of another pair for me, and the pink ones are for Michelle.  I am enjoying making them and I like that it is a small project that is very easy to pick up for a short time.

At the end of August, Steve got busy in his shed.  We admired a lovely wooden rolling pin that our friend Cori owns, so Steve had a go at making me one.  This is the sequence from an old grotty piece of jarrah, then showing that piece cut down...you can see the lovely red jarrah coming through, then the gorgeous shape after Steve has worked it on the lathe.

 Jarrah is such a beautiful, rich coloured wood.

 And here is in action, helping me make pumpkin scones.  Thank you clever husband :-) xx

The weather is thinking about changing, the freezing cold wind is still hanging about, but we are getting a few days of stiller conditions, and when the sun comes out, it feels a teeny bit like spring.  I saw my first blowfly yesterday so that is sign the weather is warming up.  There are a lot of kookaburras about, sitting motionless waiting for a hapless insect or lizard to wander past.

And the great big male roos have turned up in the last few days.  Look at this fellow, lying around like he owns the place.  Behind him is Patience and her child Elf who was last year's joey.  Sadly Patience lost her current season's joey recently, one day her bulging pouch was not bulging any more, we have no idea what happened, but we presume something must have been wrong with it and it died in-pouch.  So, because of that she has come into season again, hence the male visitors.  We take great care when the big lads arrive, they deserve respect!

So, I think that's everything since I last wrote.  I was thinking I'd have nothing to blog about seeing as how I spent boring weeks in bed doing nothing, but I have prattled on rather a lot hey :-)