Comes in 3’s or… – Chat

Water and I don’t get along very well, for as long as I can remember I have had an aversion to drinking it. Pop Penguin is the same. Most weeks I would be lucky if I drank a glass.
Due to pop’s blood pressure and various ailments I convinced him to start drinking more. I am a chip of the old block, the only way I will drink more water is through a squeeze bottle (like you have at the gym).
This is what I got Pop to do and now he drinks around 2 a day which is excellent.
I am quite good at giving advice, but rarely listen to my own.

Last Saturday we were heading for a hot day, before it became too hot however, I went for a walk… No water. I came back home, hung out some washing …no water, then went into the study and stood in front of filing cabinet to retrieve something.

I started to get a humming noise in my right ear, which I had never had before, then that light headed feeling (the type you get from standing up too quickly after sitting down)

Then I felt the wobblies come over me, I sort of remember hitting the chair on my way down, but I am pretty sure I blanked out for a while, my body scrunched on the floor, my left arm underneath me holding my right upper arm. I felt warmth and sticky and realised my arm was bleeding.

My first words were ‘what the hell happened’
I lay there for a few moments dazed and confused about how long I had actually been out. I then sat up. Raised both arms above my head (stroke test) when I got up I went to the bathroom to check if there were any changes to my facial muscles. I spoke out loud. I seemed ok.

Mr. S was out for a couple of hours yet so I ..yes grabbed a bottle of water and went and lay on the couch for most of the afternoon. I can only diagnose dehydration.

So I now sport a massive yellow, purple, black bruise covering most of upper right arm, with a scratch in the middle about 2 inches long, a bruised elbow and a sore behind (as I must have hit that first)

Mr.S then arrived telling me he passed out for about 4 seconds whilst doing gardening, though he was doing 4 lawns in the middle of the heat, but at least he drank water (he drinks more than I)

This was the same afternoon that K started her major meltdown.

Oh, on a side note Mr. S went back to play basketball tonight, it was his 2nd match with the ‘veteran players’ = the oldies.
He came in hobbling and heard a pop in his calf whilst playing.

So not three’s but possibly four’s.

6 years ago when we first met, he snapped his archillies in his right leg, this is his left. Off to the doctors in the morning…

K and I are still keeping our distance…

Oh and please DRINK WATER!

How my day was yesterday

It is almost 9pm Friday night. I haven’t posted or written anything for 2 days. To some this could be a blessing, to me just feels strange.  Perhaps the below may explain.

Yesterday I picked up mum and dad and took them out for lunch at a friends of theirs, a man of 89 years of age George (Czech) and his wife Dawn (Australian).  She cooked a typical Czech meal, which with the mere mention of Roast Pork, I could see Pop salivating as this is his favourite meal.

It was a terrible day weather wise, blustery 100km winds, rain, hail and yes we are in Spring, but Melbourne can throw us 4 seasons in one day and as much as we hate it, we are use to it.

We sat down to home made chicken soup, followed by Roast Port and Crackle, Red pickled hot cabbage, sauerkraut with caraway seeds and bacon and bread dumplings and gravy. I tucked the napkin into dads jumper as his hands still shake and he has the tendency to spill, which embarrasses him.  George has bad legs like dad and hobbled around with the help of walker. Dad used his walking stick to stretch his legs half way through lunch.

It brought me joy and equally sadness, listening to the 4 of them relieve the parties and the BBQ’s and speak of all they were able to do when they were young and what they can’t do now.  George and Pop spoke now and then in Czech (I think some of them possibly risque jokes) which was funny in itself as they tried to keep the punch lines from ‘us girls’.

We spent 4 hours there and then we had to leave, as I had to do their shopping for them. They both sat in the car whilst I raced around the supermarket like a mad woman, as I didn’t want to leave them to long.

I drove them home, unloaded all their shopping, made sure they were settled and headed for home.

Placing my shopping bags down in the kitchen, the phone rang.

Mum was on the phone, crying, saying dad was taking the bins out and had fallen.

I raced back into the car with Mr. S who had just walked in the door from work 5 minutes earlier.

As we were driving the 7 minutes it takes to get to their place I could hear an Ambulance, I said I hope that isn’t for Pop. Mr. S could not hear it.

I drove into their driveway like a woman possessed (pretty much the same woman who did the shopping) and saw about 3 or 4 cars pulled up outside on the street and about 8 or so people standing around.

My heart was going 1000 beats per minute. Dad was lying on the nature strip, he had suffered a dizzy spell and passed out, dragging the bins with him. His glasses cut the bridge of his nose.

All I could hear from his neighbour was “Here she is”.

I bent down to Pop and kissed his forehead, saying “Don’t do this to me’ trying to hold my tears followed by “I can’t leave you alone for one second can I”? (smiling).

One passer by a young man and his girlfriend had rung the Ambulance and asked mum who was in a state of confusion, to bring blankets and a pillow as it was cold and Pop was shaking due to shock setting in.

Within seconds the Ambulance had pulled up – the one I had heard off in the distance.

I sat with him, stroking his forehead in the Ambulance, whilst mum went with Mr. S.

They ran a battery of tests, CT Scan, X Rays, Blood tests, though the poor thing had to have 4 attempts made on him, before they could find a decent vein.   All the tests came back fine.  I want to say thank you to our Ambulance Drivers who work tirelessly, who showed nothing but compassion and care and understanding for a man they did not know.

We were in the Hospital for 5 or so hours, before we could take him home. He couldn’t walk well after lying down for so long, so we had the wheel chair to help him to the car. When we got home, the wheelchair was needed again. Inside cosy and warm and exhausted, I undressed him and put him in his pyjamas, gave him some pain killers and put him into bed.

And this is how he was in the Hospital, without his glasses, with his cheek starting to swell and his cut and swollen nose.  Still managing a smile. My darling Pop, who scared the living daylights out of me.  My darling Pop who will have unfortunately a black and blue face next weekend for his grandsons wedding….  Ah Pop… I love you so very much.

Sorry, I have turned off comments as I wrote this for me – because.. well I needed to.

Sunday in Olinda Melbourne

This afternoon we went for lunch with Pop and mum, some of the family and 20 of their friends.

The restaurant is called the Cuckoo – it is in Olinda.

This German establishment has been in business since 1958, my parents and ‘us kids’ have been there SO many times over the years I have lost count. It is nestled amongst the beauty and nature of Olinda which is about a 20 minute drive from where I live.

A smorgasbord (buffet) with delights as fresh prawns, seafood salads, cheeses, oysters, pates, breads, salads  and soup – that is your choice for entree.

For mains it’s a variety of about 15 different salads, hot meats – ham, chicken, beef, pork. Then you have your snitzels, potatoes, crumbed seafood, chops, continental sausages, pork ribs, cabbage rolls, chips, sauces, gravies, goulash, sauerkraut…in fact the menu is so extensive I cannot list all that is on offer. Open fire places compliment the ambience and also a floor show with a guy who involves the crowd (he is the one holding the microphone when he gets the woman to sing in the clip).

The band I think are pretty much the original band, this place holds true to the ‘If it ain’t broke – don’t fix it rule’.

The occasion was a thank you from my parents to their friends who have supported and helped them of late, as they don’t entertain anymore with lavish dinners or parties,  this is how they repay the kindness of others.

It wasn’t without incident however, because it was very chilly outside, everyone rugged up and though cosy with the open fires and the heating on, the temperature soared more than expected for one of dad’s friends (also in his 80’s).

George was dressed in a jacket, a jumper and a long sleeve T shirt. He got too hot – he passed out. He recovered but the Ambulance was called ‘just in case’ to give him the once over. Not what the other patrons would have expected to see 3 paramedics coming into a restaurant on a Sunday afternoon I am sure. Thankfully George was ok and he sat quietly with his wife until their son came to take them back home.

My Pop LOVES his food, due to his lack of mobility I sat next to him and was up to forage for his first plate of entree, then up for his first plate of mains (hot meat) he is somewhat of a carnivore my pop. Then up for the 2nd plate of hot meats etc, which he couldn’t get half way through by the way. Yes his eyes are bigger than his belly 🙂

I cut his meat, I poured him a glass of beer, I tucked the napkin across his chest so that if he spilt his food it wouldn’t land on his clean shirt for mum to cast the evil eye telling me I should have tucked the napkin around his collar.

He wanted to stretch his legs after he had eaten, so I held his arm, whilst he stood with his cane. This Restaurant is extremely ‘busy’,  the total areas fit 450 people. I think pop was frightened a little by the commotion around him  which had never previously worried him and he stood transfixed once again, as though his brain couldn’t tell his legs to move. I prompted and encouraged and what would have been a 3 minute meander around the tables took us 20 minutes, ducking and weaving children, waiters and patrons, all the while dad apologising for holding people up.

I got him back and settled once more and at 2.30 all the guests were starting to make their way home. They came up to pop and mum and thanked them for treating them to the afternoon. I sat holding pop’s hand. One woman came up and gave me a hug and said “You are doing a marvellous job, you know that don’t you, we can see how much you love him”.  Yes there were tears, as she finished saying to pop “We want you around for a very long time, you are such a good man and you are so lucky to have such a beautiful daughter”. I gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek and tried to smile my goodbyes to her through my soggy eyelashes before helping pop into the car.

I was sad, I will have sad moments, but I know deep down that I am giving it my ‘all’ to make him as comfortable as I possibly can – and that is what being a daughter is all about.

I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend.

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