It's been snowing…! Well, it's laying on the high ground surrounding Bathurst, certainly. Beautiful views from my front door, of the hills to the east white and glistening with a lovely dump of white powder… looks like sugar frosting in the trees along the ridges! It didn't fall here in town (just either slushy rain or sleet!), but the howling wind blowing off that lovely-looking snow made it feel like… brrr! BUT it's delightfully warm here inside my little home, for which I am thankful and grateful… this is currently good weather to enjoy a nice hot Earl Grey tea – white with no sugar, thanks [grins]. As I laughed with my neighbor yesterday, it won't be long until we'll be complaining about the heat… that's life in the Central West of NSW.
24-hours later, you could not believe the wholly-opposite change…. clear blue skies and nil wind – almost Spring-like conditions! Jaw-droppingly beautiful, just as yesterday's weather was. There is still snow laying on the high ground off to the east, mid-afternoon, that I can plainly see from my front door… it must have really fallen heavily yesterday! Today all the doors and windows are open, letting re-energizing fresh air into my lovely little place – what a crazy 24-hours.
Only in Australia… while a lot of south-eastern Australia is currently freezing under a blanket of snow and freezing winds, the same mid-winter howling gales are fanning over thirty bushfires up north… not a good portent for our coming summer fire season.
One of the mixed 'joys' of being house-bound some weeks, is that I'm able to get my medical prescriptions home-delivered, which happened for the first time for me on Monday. As I mentioned in an earlier post, all that loose change that I bagged-up the other week will pay for that [grins]. I get my groceries home-delivered as well, but it's catch-22… without I'net access at home (STILL!), I have to go into town to order them! Bad craziness somedays, for sure.
It's bizarre not having the I'net on at home for now… the TV news was banging-on about the Louth Bush Races… and I had to stop and think, "Where is Louth, again?" Normally I'd just normally jump online, but instead I pulled out our old family Australian Atlas (albeit a 1968 version! lol)… I'd forgotten how far out west Louth was, beyond Bourke and Wilcannia, on a totally-dry Darling River (that's way out west, for sure)! Crikies! The poor buggers out there had to deal with dust storms in this howling wind, because the ongoing drought is SO bad out that way. It's not much better here, either… these few drops of rain will only tease us around here, I'm afraid.
Even as I write this, I can hear the screech of the black and white cockatoos, and the noise of massed Currawongs (nb. Native Australian birds), complaining bitterly that more cold rain is in-bound, poor things. And bam… here comes the rain pinging off my roof. I'm not complaining, mind you.
An hour after writing the above, a view from my front door sees *plenty* of white ground below the cloud line out to the east! Must have been a really good snowfall out that way… none here, tho. I'd say the main highway over the mountains is currently closed as a result. I know my Canadian friends would not call that 'snow' – but it's the real deal for us [laffs]… upto 40 cms/14 inches, apparently!
I accidently dropped my first raw egg onto the kitchen floor the other day (easily cleaned-up, thankfully)… one of the joys of my numb MS fingers and hands - I was able to laugh about it afterwards, tho. Thankfully, it's been a while since I've dropped anything else… no sharp knives impaling my foot or anything like that, thankfully. I have to really stop, think and concentrate to do a lot of things, that I normally just take for granted, as a result of not being able to feel a lot of things with my hands… have you ever tried to tie a shoelace, when you can't feel it? It's a bizarre experience, I assure you. My pre-proof-read typos can be hilarious. Like I've said before, sometimes I simply forget about my disability, and I get frustrated with it (like getting out of bed, and almost falling over sideways… stoopid loss off sense-of balance!) – silly moi [laffs].
Then there's the surprise moment just then, when I got a cramp in my hand, pouring the jug [no harm done]… this MS 'b@stard' keeps you on your toes, for sure.
Even writing this… I have to write in fits-and-spurts, as sometimes my attention/memory-span is almost non-existent. As I love to write, it's very frustrating, as a good idea or turn-of-phrase can literally fade-out just like *that*, if I don't write it down straight away. But I adapt… "Some days feel harder than others…"
The 2nd Ashes Test starts on Wednesday… more late nights enjoying watching the cricket ahead. Something fascinating my brother remembered the other week, after I mentioned about memories I have of watching cricket on TV with dad as a kid… he has no memories of ever doing that with dad! Maybe it's because he's 10-years-older than I or something… we both appreciate that we have different experiences and memories of our parents (who have now both passed on), from different viewpoints of our different ages – growing up, he knew them as younger people, and I knew them as older people! Fascinating.
My ongoing saga with a seemingly-hopeless internet provider here at home (I won't name them here – they don't deserve the promotion!), even after I made an official complaint with the Govt. Ombudsman – the provider haven't contacted me in a week, after they admitted they don't know what the problem is. All I want is for them to disconnect me/cancel my account with them, so I can change to another provider, that will deliver what they say they will… doesn't seem that hard, does it? But they just don't seem to want to do that… alas, since mid-June (yes, this is the THIRD month!), I have been without a home phone line and internet access – it's bloody frustrating, let's me honest. And yes, I have continued my official complaint with the Govt. "Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman", hoping to get some resolution with all this $#it. I've even said I feel discriminated against, as a disabled pensioner living in rural Australia!
That I can only get out to the local library (to use their internet access) infrequently, due to my chronic health and disability issues (some days I'm fine, the next, na-dah!)… that's why it's better to get in touch with me via my mobile (SMS) at the moment. Email and Social Media etc is fine too, but there'll be no immediacy with my reply at this stage, due to this.
I am really missing my online Twitter "MS Family", with our ongoing common understanding and support of one another, during both our good days and not-so-good days… having no home I'net access at the moment is robbing me of the connectivity and immediacy of that world-wide online community, which is really important to me to help continually feel 'connected' to the outside world.
"NBN: If it aint broke, why fix it", FFS?!
I know, I know… First-World Problems!
I am very thankful for that small handful of people who stay in touch, or take me out for a cuppa or simple meal, or call first to drop-in for a cuppa, just to hang out – never any hidden agendas here. I feel very forgotten otherwise, to be honest.
On a much-lighter note, I watched my first game of Rugby on TV for ages last night… a good win by the Wallabies against the All-Blacks… but I still think Rugby is such a 'messy/sloppy-looking' game! While I prefer watching football (nb. 'soccer') to other ball sports, I'm not ashamed to say that when Manly looses in the Rugby League, it's a bit of a bummer (but not earth-shattering… I'm a vaguely-interested fan, rather than a die-hard supporter! lol)… at least we're coming 5th on the Ladder, after coming second-last, last year – a much better improvement! Don't hassle me about following Manly ('tis a team people love to hate! lol)… I grew-up within a bulls roar of Fortress Brookvale Oval growing up, and cut my teeth watching many games there during their mid-to-late 70's classic era.
But still… bring on the cricket [laffs]!
Totally random thought (it's how my brain works! lol)… I finally bought a replacement little battery for my weighing scales… thankfully, though all my bloating and up'n'down episodes of ill-health over the last six-ish months, I'm still sitting on a consistent 91 kgs / 200 lbs, which I'm very happy with. At least something still works [laffs].
I've been loving re-reading possibly the ultimate book about The Beatles (I'm an unabashed Beatleholic! lol). "The Beatles – All These Years: Tune In" by Mark Lewisohn (2013) is the first of three projected volumes. This one covers from the era 'pre-history' until the end of 1962, when fame was just around the corner for them. It's brilliantly researched and really well written, making for an easy, fascinating and not-put-downable read. This book treats people as people, a band as people, not as 'future-stars' or whatever rose-coloured glasses we may filter for ourselves, when it comes to Beatle-people-story – warts, faults and all, good times and the horrid! And yes – there were some wretched experiences they went through together! Just makes it more amazing that they became the future great songwriters that they did, from such bare-bone basics.
Musically, today I'm enjoying a lost late-60's classic rock album – the self-titled debut from San Francisco's 'Moby Grape' (1967). The poor buggers were totally &^%$'d by their record company, by those faceless "Men-in Suits" who decided to release five singles from the record at the same time (obviously without the band's OK!), meaning it never did anything on the charts, despite the great songs. The band never recovered, sadly. Loving the classic stereo 'panning' they explore, tho… makes some of the background vocals sound like they are coming from behind you [laffs].
I'm loving that some good friends still write and post snail-mail (yeah to old skool!) a regular "Newsletter", about their lives and goings-on. That's what people used to do all the time… back in the day, we used to post-out a regular "Bush Telegraph" newsletter! When was the last time you wrote and posted a letter? I think that's what these post are like for me… just a regular update, albeit electronically-delivered.
My old car still sits in my carport… I think the reason I haven't got rid of it yet, after all these long months (it's not worth the cost of repairing/registering/insuring it etc), is the simple subconscious fact – it's my last vestige of my lost self-independence. While I am still able to drive, I simply cannot afford to run nor maintain a vehicle. Catch-22. Thankfully, I have access to a good bus and taxi service here, if I'm unable to walk into town. Tho I miss being able to travel to easily visit my sons, see music gigs, or just get out of town for a day etc. Once again – First-World Problem.
I awoke peacefully.
I have a roof over my head.
I have clean running water.
I have clean clothes to wear.
I have food to eat.
I AM THANKFUL.
Peas bee with ewe
Mal
I guess what I'm thinking of is that - what if they 
