EASTER AND MY FAMILY

Here's a brief recount of my Easter weekend. I hope my story makes you realise that all families have their stories to tell...

Good Friday and off to Perth. Ashton has gone to Melbourne but Ciara still home. I intend to go to church at 3 pm. Arrive at 1 pm and sleep for 3 hours...oops not a good start for the holiest day of the year.

On Easter Saturday, I had a lovely time shopping with my younger daughter Ciara. She scored! She had her mother's undivided attention and we got some great stuff. Then she had a few little jobs to do so I thought I'd treat myself to a manicure and pedicure.

The salon is staffed by people of Asian origin. They do a fantastic job and when I'm in Perth I often go there. First thing I noticed however was the music playing was Christmas carols. Obviously someone knows Easter is a religious celebration ; they just got the wrong one.

Me - it's Easter not Christmas
Lady - ( limited English) - ha??? ( insert I have no idea what you're saying)
Me - those are Christmas carols...wrong song for Easter
Lady - ha??? ( insert I still have no idea what you're saying and I wish you'd shut up so I can do your nails).
Me- ( pretending I'm in Bali) - this festival not this song.                       
Lady - this song make me sleepy. You want shellac?
Me - jingle bells, jingle bells...( give up!)

After admiring my nails, I decided I needed a new dress to match them. I had been admiring a particular dress for a while and decided as the credit card was already in shock, a bit more wouldn't hurt. Ciara thought it looked lovely so I bought it and a top and new shoes. I'm blaming the spend up on those carols making me feel it was post Christmas sales.

Easter Sunday and apparently I'm buying ice for everyone's drinks as my sister ( new mother) can't manage both a child and buying ice.It's just toooooo hard.

After some jokes about whether she wanted the water type or the drug type, which she didn't laugh at, I gave up. Sense of humour in my family on gathering days is limited.

I felt bad that I again slept through mass but promised myself I'd go in the evening. Headed off to my sister and greeted family. Mother asks me why I've not taken my apron off. I think she's off her rocker as I'm not wearing one, till I realise she thinks the geometric pattern on my new dress looks like I'm wearing an apron. Excellent. I've just invented kitchen couture,

Brother in law takes orders for BBQ. He had one job. Cook the flaming BBQ. He did it with style. Suddenly massive flames erupted from the BBQ and enough smoke to clear the immediate area. Mother and niece ( both asthmatic disappear inside), sister ( allergic to red meat) is inside pumping antihistamine. I'm annoyed my apron dress now smells of smoke but manage to evacuate with food in my hand, so I'm happy.

Husband and brother in law play Fireman Sam. Father and brother "useless as tits on a bull" ( look it up non Australians). Father kept eating meal throughout imminent burning of house. Not worth missing out on his chargrilled meal.

Safety restored and family reseated. All starving so quiet for a while, except for the baby who is trying to drink her Dads beer and getting cross because the can is taken off her.

A commercial figolla

Full bellies and its dessert time. In Malta we have an a Easter cake called figolla. I have made it this year while Mum has made a gluten free one for my coeliac, meat allergic, lactose intolerant sister. We crack the usual joke that it's from no taste.com but only my nephew and I laugh. After tasting mine, Mum then proceeds to tell me that she needs to give me her recipe for her figolla. I assume it means mine tastes bad. She says it tastes fine so I wonder out loud why I therefore need her recipe. Dangerous ground. We are having a figolla face off.

My pavlova

My other job was to make pavlova. Strict instructions from niece with nut allergy to ensure no contact with nuts. I promised and the result is spectacular. Mother oblivious to this, leans over and figolla crumbs from her shirt fall on pavlova. Figolla has almonds in it. Sister in law quickly grabs unaffected piece and we all watch niece eat each morsel.

Brother in law, recovered from almost burning down his new house eats one quarter of the pavlova plus trifle plus figolla plus stores food for coming winter. He then realises he never cooked the steak for the BBQ. NOBODY wants him anywhere near the BBQ again.

With a few drinks, general chitchat begins and brother is in full swing. Dad sits quietly wondering about the strange family he has created. Kids eat Easter eggs and second youngest niece has a swim. Only the young are immune to cold water.

Leave to go to mass. Time for quick nap. Sleep through mass for third time. First time in 48 years have not been to a Easter mass. Am mortified.

Fireman Sam and baby

Easter Monday and on road back home eating left over figolla, chatting to husband and avoiding nut case drivers. MY

Myself and siblings (note apron)

figolla tastes exceptionally good.

That's Easter.

Till next time...xxx

Almost all the cousins

AUSTRALIA VS USA

There are times when life gets really lonely. My husband is at work, my children and family live 450km away and everyone I know in this town is at work during the day. So, thank God for my blog because it has allowed me to make new friends all over the world and keep some level of sanity.

One or two of them have become really good mates and today I would like to introduce you to  one of these people from the USA. She is a blogging queen!

She has asked me to take part in ASK AWAY FRIDAY and as she has been a great support for me in my blog, is a wealth of information and (despite her personal circumstances) always has time for a chat and some advice, I agreed. Introducing the lovely Lysa Wilds from  the blog WELCOME TO MY CIRCUS

http://www.welcometomycircus.com/2015/04/ask-away-friday-countries/

So, apparently this " game" takes place on a Friday, and the way this works is I ask her ten questions which she has to answer on her blog, and she gives me ten questions which I have to answer on my blog. I will probably stuff something up (its my first time), but here goes nothing...

We went with a theme of Australia vs USA and these are the questions I sent Lysa. To see her answers you will have to go to the link above.

1.Without thinking too hard or cheating (I'm watching), write down the first ten things that come to mind when you think about Australia

2. From talking to me and other Australian bloggers, what do you think the biggest difference between Americans and Australians is?

3. If I came to visit you in your hometown, where would you take me visiting? What would I need to see or do in your town?

4. What uniquely American food would you have me taste and why?

5. Finish this sentence - if I didn't spend so much time blogging, I would...

6. If you could be an Australian for a day, what would you want to do?

7. What blogging moment has had the biggest impact on you and why?

8. Can you see a time when your life will no longer be a circus?

9. Today an Australian man won $1000000 on a game show. If we assume its the same amount in American dollars, what would you spent the money on in the USA if the winner had been you?

10. Being Italian, I'm sure you have some great family celebrations. How will you be celebrating Easter in the USA?

And now...here is what she asked me! 
 

1. I just had to ask you the same question you asked me… What are the first 10 things that 
come to mind when you think about the United States? And, like you said no cheating.

OK , this is easy because we have been brought up on American shows all our life. So, my ten things in order of popping into my head are Happy Days with Fonzie, school proms, Days of our Lives, hotdogs, Hollywood, The Academy Awards, September 11, Obama and Ellen de Generes. Oops I think I watch too much TV!!! And I forgot Oprah, Judge Judy and Dr Phil.

2.  I have heard the saying “a dingo ate my baby” all of my life… Did a dingo ever really eat a baby? And, what in the world is a dingo anyway?

Uluru ( once called Ayer's Rock)

 This was said by a lady called Lindy Chamberlain back in 1980, when she was on a holiday to Uluru . She claimed a 
dingo ( a type of wild dog) took her baby
from her tent. The body of the baby was never found and Lindy served time for the alleged murder. She was later acquitted and released. Whatever happened to her daughter Azaria has never been resolved.

 

A dingo

3.  What are a few things that Americans do that Australians think are rather weird?

I don't know if I can speak on behalf of all Australians but Americans are very, very patriotic 
to their country, their armed forces, their flag. Its not that Australians don't have respect for 
the same institutions. We just don't appear to be patriotic in the same way.I also find Halloween a bit weird, but its actually getting popular here (probably for all the wrong reasons) so I'll get used to it.

4.  Is eating kangaroo meat really a normal and common thing to do in Australia? If so what does it taste like?

Kangaroo is readily available in all supermarkets. Its quite popular because it is super low fat. I like kangaroo sausages but if kangaroo steak is not cooked properly it tastes like boot leather. Its a gamey taste. I find its better in a casserole with flavourings or cooked like a stew in a slow cooker. Not one of my favourites, but I will eat it if I have to. The kangaroo tail makes beautiful soup apparently and this is one of my husband's all time favourites. I have never eaten the soup.

5.  If I were to come visit you would I randomly see crocodiles, kangaroos, and koala bears roaming around everywhere? Like if we were looking out your window would a 
kangaroo just come hopping by?

The only thing you would see out of my window are cars and the neighbours. Crocodiles in the wild are in the northern parts of Australia. I live in the Midwest. I've never seen a koala out of captivity and I'm not even sure the west is where they are...more over east. You might see kangaroos on the trip between my town and Perth especially at sunrise or sunset. Emus are also quite likely.

6.  What are five things or places here in the US that you would absolutely HAVE to see/visit if you came here?

New York where my friend Lori lives, Las Vegas to see a show, Hollywood ( of course), Statue of Liberty and ground zero memorial. And I need to go shopping because clothes are so much cheaper there than here. ( I can count - promise)

7.  What five things or places here in the US you would absolutely NOT want to see/visit if you came here?

This is hard because I like all new experiences. I hate seeing poverty because I want to help and can't. So, I would hate to see homelessness or ghettos. Again, this is very much TV influenced. Also I'm not into religious zealots but am interested in different religious based ways of life like the Amish. Not sure what else...hard one! I would hate to see any situation where the law is in full swing. Sometimes, America feels very dangerous, but hey lately Australia is having its fair share of problems.

8.  Here in the US there’s a rather big difference in our culture/way of life depending on which part of the country you are in. Is it the same there in Australia? If so what are the major differences?

Yes, there are differences. Firstly the climate is different. The north is very tropical whereas the south is much colder and greener. Western Australia is sometimes three countries in one just based on landscape and climate alone. 

Things are very expensive in the West. We have very inflated prices for real estate and food. Also our culture is heavily sports based so we all have our state football teams we follow passionately. Country people seem more communicative all over Australia, city people less so. People in the country may live hundreds of thousands of kilometres from each other. This is a very big country.

 Another difference is that each state has a different migrant heritage. For example, there is 
a strong German heritage in South Australia, whereas other states have Italian, Greek and Maltese migrants. All parts of Australia have a strong Asian culture these days.Accents are slightly different in some places, but the slang is very much the same regardless where you live.(If you are interested in the weird Aussie slang, try the following website and let me know what you think!) http://www.goingrank.com.au/glossary.html

Westcoast Eagles - my favourite Australian football team!

9.  From your experience talking to me and other American bloggers what are some of our sayings or words that you find funny/strange? Have you ever had to Google something to find out what the heck we were talking about?

Remember that video I sent you? It cleared up lots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWu3LhfA3fw 

 The main one is that people keep trying to correct my spelling! I can spell thank you Americans, but here its favourite NOT favorite etc. Also apparently we go to the O.R not to theatre. Again, thanks to TV, I basically understand most things. The one thing I don't get, which bores me silly here too, is American politics.

10.  What is one thing in or about Australia that you are most proud of or embarrassed of? 

I am really proud of how supportive Australians are in times of crisis. for example, a young girl in my town needs emergency medical treatment overseas and the town have so far raised over $50 000 towards this. Aussies are always the first to help out. The concept of mateship here is very strong and we've seen it in bushfires, floods, cyclones etc

One thing I am embarrassed about is an element of society which is racist. Australia prides itself on being multicultural and anybody who enters the correct way ( ie no illegal immigrants) is welcome. Anybody who is racist towards another Australian on the basis of their skin colour, their religion, their sexuality to me deserves to be kicked out. Unfortunately, this white supremacy attitude still exists and did actually rear its ugly head in the news yesterday.

WOW! I think I got them all!

Hope you guys enjoyed that. Remember to head to Lysa's blog to find out her answers to my questions.Thanks to Lysa for all her patience with me!

Lots of love and

Till next time...xxx  ST

PS - watch the link below and come visit some time!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohe03Fuy4us

TEN TIPS FOR TACKLING TOUGH THINGS

Haha! Gotcha. You just HAD to know what the tough things were didn't you?

Ten tips for tackling health issues should be the name of this post, but I liked the play on the letter T and the fact that someone would just have to know what " things" I meant.

Anyway, in the last week two people have suggested that I write a post about what I have learned from being a professional/permanent patient. Its not something I ever thought of doing, but I'm going to give it a go.

Here are my 10 tips:

1. It is totally and utterly pointless trying to pretend that something is not wrong. No amount of positive thinking will remove that lump. No amount of friendly advice will help you urinate better. No magic cure exists out of fairyland and if you think you're in fairyland, I'm worried. If your brain is telling you something is wrong GO TO THE DOCTOR. A doctor is someone who has the letters M.D after their name and their MD stands for medical doctor. Everybody else is potentially a Major Dodo trying to make a quick buck. I don't have a problem with some alternative therapies but in most cases, conventional medicine is the way to go.
2.  It is OK to do your homework on Google, but I will bet any amount of money that within minutes, you will have diagnosed yourself with a major and/or terminal illness. Google is great on facts, but clinical diagnosis (ie what the doctor sees in front of him/her) PLUS years of experience is what will form their diagnosis. If you march in and announce you have TB for them to fix, rest assured they will probably be remembering everything they know about psychiatric medicine at that point. Let the doctors diagnose you. Do NOT diagnose yourself.
3. If you are worried about news you are going to receive TAKE SOMEBODY WITH YOU. I can not emphasis this highly enough. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer I went into
   
   shock and could not remember anything that was told to me. Ask them to repeat what they have said, if you can talk. Otherwise unless your support person is also in shock, they might be able to help you remember when you leave the surgery.
4. Last year, after a ten hour marathon on my daughter, the doctor rang at 11pm. Apart from the late hour, the first thing I latched onto was the happy tone in his voice. I have no idea what he said after my brain registered something was good and had to wait three more days for details. Put calls like this on speakerphone so between at least two of you, you can work out what he or she just said.
5. Ask for copies of all pathology results and any other results of procedures and keep them in chronological order somewhere safe. This is especially important for insurance purposes and for medical history. If like me your medical history is extensive, you will forget something and your file will help. I have a plastic sleeve in my file for my prescriptions and if I am travelling, I put the whole file in my case and off I go. You may want to have a separate file for bills you have paid.
6. If your GP sends you to a specialist, it is OK to ask for a second or third opinion if you are not overly happy with the first. You may not bond with the doctor. You may not be convinced of their expertise in the area of your problem. It is your call. Remember, in some cases time is urgent - be sensible. Taking months to find a doctor you like for an aggressive tumour removal is NOT a good idea. And remember, specialists often have waiting lists.
7. ASK FOR A QUOTE from a specialist. Find out in advance what this is going to cost you. If you have private health cover (Australia), is there a gap for you to pay? I recently swapped from one specialist to another because the gap I had to pay after medicare and private health cover, was unbelievably high. It amounted to a whole week's rent for my girls. Ask in advance when possible and let them know if you can't afford them. I have heard stories of doctors who take just medicare and private health cover payments, when their patients have told them IN ADVANCE that they can't afford the gap. If they don't wipe the gap, discuss it with your GP and maybe swap to someone else.
8. Many doctors now take bookings online so always check first if you are nervous about ringing up. If you have to ring up, be warned. Most medical receptionists sound like they did their training with the gestapo. In reality they are just barking at you because they are usually trying to organise the doctor's schedule so he can see you and everyone else, pick up his kids and take a family holiday. Be super nice to all medical receptionists because they ALWAYS remember you, when you ring up in tears and need an appointment yesterday.
9. If you are admitted to a public hospital ( again this is for Australia), you will inevitably be asked if you are a private health patient and if you would like to be admitted as one. The answer here is YES. This does not mean you will get a bill. It simply means that the government hospital can claim some money for themselves from your private health fund. You will not get any different treatment in a government hospital, to those who don't have private health cover. You MIGHT however get a single room if available and a bag of toiletries. If you are really, really sick you will probably get these anyway, so no big deal.
   
10. Private health cover does have its advantages. If you can afford it, you must look into it because some specialists do NOT operate in the government system. Oh and if people say you get better food in a private hospital, that's rubbish. In my lengthy experience, both systems are either as good or as bad as each other...it usually depends on the chef who is rostered on. Again from my experience, if you have particularly odd eating requirements, it might be a good idea for someone to bring your food in.  Oh and while we're on the subject of food, I heard a story recently about an elderly patient in a brand spanking new hospital who had no idea that he needed to order food from the ipad near his bed. He didn't even know what an ipad was. You guessed it - no food for 24 hours! Ask lots of questions when you go to hospital if you are the patient or family.

I could probably come up with another 10 tips, but that's all for now! Have a great week and I wish you all good health.

Till next time...xxx

BULLY ME BITCHES

I am 48 and I suffer from a rare genetic disorder that brings with it a fair dose of depression and anxiety. It may be about to get worse because I'm waiting to find out if I've passed the condition on to my daughter.

Some days are better than others. On a bad day I struggle to get out of bed and do basic tasks and I feel miserable that my life has been reduced to a struggle. But...I have trained myself to push through and on most occasions I succeed. I refuse to be beaten by my condition.

Yesterday was one of those days I was pushing through. I had to fill in some forms and decided to go into town, sit in the sunshine at a nice cafe and eat lunch, while filling out the forms. It was a positive thing to do; even though I was getting frustrated with myself because I have a hand tremor and filling out forms is not my forte, even on a good day.

Forms complete and sun shining I decided to walk for a while. Years of steroids, hormone treatments and inactivity from being unwell have not helped my weight. So when I can walk, I do.

It was a pleasant walk. In a country town there is always someone you stop to talk to. It was fun. I was getting some light exercise and my mood was lifting.

Then very suddenly it ended.

I passed two women, older than myself, who took a look at me walking past and said " you've got to be joking" and started laughing. I was gob smacked.

Was it my clothing? (black t- shirt and harem pants in a black geometric). Don't think so.
Was it my shoes? ( black with a bit of bling; doubt it).
Was it my hair? ( just coloured and cut and very normal).

It had to be the sight of an overweight woman walking.

This was blatant bullying and I'm totally and utterly pissed off by it.

Now, I don't give two hoots that they think the sight of a fat woman exercising is hilarious. That's their shit, not mine. What infuriates me is that this is the sort of behaviour you sometimes get from teenage girls. And I can see so clearly it's learned behaviour from older people who should know better.

Bully me bitches if you have to. But when you go and " tell" the story, I hope there are no young kids around who are being given the subtle "go ahead" to bully and take the piss out of someone their age. That " someone" may not have the resilience I've worked so hard to achieve. Consequences of bullying can be disastrous. Youth suicide is at an unacceptable rate in Australia and world wide. The only acceptable rate is 0%

It's time some adults started to set an example and grow up.

THE CONFUSION THAT IS BLOGGING

I have been having  a little break from my blog. Not because there is nothing to write about, but because I have been sick and everything has been too hard. I've actually been ill with normal people stuff - a gastro bug that even a week later is still making me feel a tad unwell.

Taking a break from writing gives you time to think and to reflect on certain issues, especially my blog. What do I see as the purpose of my blog? Where do I see it heading? Am I happy with the way it is at the moment?

I'll be honest. There have been times recently when I thought it was time to shut up shop. " Its run its course" I thought. But given time to think, I've realised quite a few things which I would like to share with you.

My life ( like anyone's) is full of diverse groups of people. Depending on the situation, the classification changes. Here is the classification for my blog. Can you work out which group you belong to?

1. THE FAITHFUL - those who know what you're going through because they've really been through it themselves. These people sometimes write very little if anything on your blog, but may send emoticons or virtual hugs as signs of support and speak to you at all hours of the day and night.
2.  THE CRITICS - these people tell me they used to read my blog but its too full of medical issues and it makes them sad and/or depressed. To these people I need to say " try living the life" and goodbye. I'm sorry I couldn't entertain you.
3. THE MOCKERS - These are the people who roll their eyes when something new is wrong and make me feel I've made it up or I'm on some sort of attention seeking mission. I'm also adding in here, those who say " oh go write a blog about it" in a sarcastic tone, when things are not going their way in an argument.
4.  THE PRIVACY MOB - those who constantly ask why I discuss my life on Facebook. I discuss it, because I have to for my sanity. YOU don't have to read it. You have choices and you can choose not to read my blog...but I will miss you.
5. THE BLOGGERS - those who read my blog because they fell over it in the blogosphere. They read it in hope that I will reciprocate and read their blog and I do. I read as many blogs as I can when I feel well. This last week not so many, but this coming week will see me out there again. Many of these bloggers leave me inspirational comments which makes getting through a hard day often easier.

The purpose of my blog has always been therapeutic. I feel some calmness when I can see my words on paper.For this reason alone I can not see me stopping yet. An additional purpose is to advocate for those with Cowden's Syndrome. Latest findings are that the condition may be much more prevalent than recently thought. Much more common than 1 in 200 000. Who knows what my words may spark in your lives? 

Where do I see this heading - well for the time being I am happy documenting my journey and that of my daughter's. At this stage we are still waiting for her Cowden's diagnosis. Mine is confirmed - well and truly.

Last Friday I was back in day surgery to have some strange growths removed from my abdomen and breast. Pretty sure they will be benign but there is always that doubt, once you have had a cancer diagnosis. Remember the nurse in a previous post who insisted on showing me my own tumour? She was back. When the doctor injected local anaesthetic into my breast he said "this one won't hurt". She looked perplexed so I piped up and said " because they're fake". She still looked bewildered so the doctor said " the real ones were trying to kill her". Love my doctor's wit.

And just before I sign off, I want to say that I have found another CS patient who lives in my state. That makes the total in our Australian group 35 and finally company in western australia. I hope the next member is not from much closer to home but if it is, we will deal with that too.

Till next time ...xxx

GERALDTON YOUTH - YES WE CAN

This week I thought I would adopt a project to help keep my feelings of depression at bay. I'm still not in a position to hold down a regular teaching job, but I thought maybe some community service may be helpful for me. It was hard to think of what I could realistically do, while constantly travelling between Geraldton and Perth, because if I could commit to regular hours I would be back in my job.

Then one night I had an idea after reading an outburst on a local social network site. There has been a lot of trouble in my town of late - break ins, car theft, damage of all sorts and assault. It seems to have increased significantly but the police say that there is really only a marginal increase in crime. They say social media reporting is spreading stories more quickly than ever before. Because of this more people are aware and it feels like we are living in a ghetto or a war zone.

I know there are problems in this town but I also feel that the people ( mainly youth) causing them are in the minority not the majority. I think there are so many good young people in this town who are doing great things and because of social media fanning the troubles, the young people doing the right things are being largely forgotten. It concerns me every time I return to Geraldton to hear our youth being spoken about so badly.

I worked as a teacher in this town from 1988-2013 and I raised both my daughters here. I think my teacher colleagues and I have done as good a job as possible with the youth of this town, often with limited resources, staffing, funding etc. I know many teachers who fund supplies for their classrooms from their own pockets to give kids the best.

And I think the kids in this town are the best. A lot of kids I have had the privilege of teaching have come from harsh backgrounds. Most have " come good" later in life. Most couldn't deal with school because of family and societal issues, but are having a go and playing their part in society now.

So, back to my project. It's a new facebook page called Geraldton Youth - yes we can. It's a celebration of the young people in this town who do great things and do them regularly. In the three days since I started this, we've had stories that range from kids with medical conditions who are attending school regardless, to new trainees in new jobs. We've had kids helping in the community and those giving excellent service in their place of work. We've even had two young entrepreneurs and their lemonade stall.

It's a new page. It may last a week, a month, a year. However long it lasts, its obvious from the responses I'm getting that people are worn out by the constant negativity in the local media  and uplifted by the simple, everyday stories of the good kids; the kids having a go and doing good things.

Let the police sort out the crime and by all means let's be involved in neighbourhood watch. But lets stop wallowing in all the bad stories and concentrate on the good for a while. No better place to start than with our kids.

Till next time...xxx

https://www.facebook.com/suzannaht/posts/10153056449505412

PLEASE HELP

This is not the sort of thing I would normally do, but just for this occasion I am making an exception. A young girl, one I got to know quite well when she was a student at the school I taught at, is in dire straits. Her bone cancer which resulted in an amputation last year, has re-appeared as what I presume are secondaries in her lungs.

There seems to be some possibility of treatment if her parents can get her to Germany. This requires $100 000 Australian to be possible. The town I live in is rallying behind young Suzy and her family. So far one fifth of the money needed has been raised in 24 hours, but the family is still a long way from their target.

She is 19 and while she lives, there is hope.

If you are in any way able to help, please consider doing so. Every small amount adds up.

http://www.gofundme.com/olr76whttp://www.gofundme.com/olr76w


\Till next time....xxx