I haven't listened to my ipod yet today. It's about time! I'm just 'standing in' again, so when she's back I'll plug and play.
I'm sure my sentiment is echoed by many, but I'M SO SICK OF HAYFEVER!! Yesterday G and I hacked at the honeysuckle plant in our garden. It was busy growing merrily over the fence, and I rather wanted it hacked back than risk having dumbasses pointing fingers saying 'but look at THEIR plants, growing everywhere'. And I pulled out a strand of grass daring to grow near to the fence, trying to get into the Cancer-Clan's yard. I'm thinking of nicknaming them the Habsburgs, seeing how 'weird' they are and how they look like sisters but maybe living together as not-sisters and there's a guy and another kid and a mother and it's all like some weird scenario but I couldn't really care less etc.... so it's a toss up between "Cancer-Clan" and "The Habsburgs".
But back to hayfever - OH MY WORD did I sneeze while cutting the honeysuckle. And not because of the actual flowers, either. Each time I broke branches, dust would be sprayed up into the air. I'm not sure if it's just dust dust or mold or what, but it made G and me sneeze.
Now that the plant is cut, we can actually see that the chap in the unit in front of ours has a back door+window - we'd forgotten, it's been so long since we saw it last! And now we don't have to worry about the plant and fence blowing over in a storm. I just hope it doesn't decide to be mean and die now!
At one point while we were hacking at the plant, I realised G was still wearing his wedding ring. I suggested he take it off and pop it into my pocket so that there's no risk of it coming off and getting lost. Grand suggestion and all that, except somehow in being taken off, it dropped! My well-intentioned suggestion came to nought as it took an age to find it. We were both on our knees scrabbling around in the garden-debris-littered plant bed, trying to find it. It was taking so long, so I fetched the leaf-blower/vac and vacuumed all around where it was likely to have fallen. I reckoned rather to have a damaged ring than no ring at all... but after vacuuming twice and searching again I found it. I'm not sure what we would have done if we couldn't find it... hire a metal-detector maybe? Thankfully we found it though!!
G's uncle has apparently dug out an old family video from the 80s... he's sent a copy to G's parents, and we're going to get a copy too. Can't wait to see it - footage of G as a kid, all blond haired and tiny! As far as I am aware, there're only 3 videos with me as a child. The first one was taken at a family friend's wedding... the cameraman panned the camera across the hall and voila! There's me and my sis. It'd be nice to have a clip from that, just to see us capsuled in time. Second one was in primary school, when our class was corresponding with a family in the US. We sent a short video of the class, with each of us giving a wave and saying hi. I don't know if she still has it, maybe I'll ask her and if she does, if we can have a copy. I just remember being excrutiatingly shy in it and waving like a dork without saying much. The third video of me is at my aunt's wedding. I wonder if we could have a copy of that too... I'll ask! Such fun - apparently Mom's uncle has a whole box of video reels that Aunt is wanting to get put onto DVD - I'll ask her about it when we see them again. Yay, so exciting - a new mission.
In other news, our visa application's status has progressed from: "processing commenced" to "application being processed further". I've asked on the forum what EXACTLY this means, because rumour has it we now have a CO, but G hasn't received any email yet giving instruction to go for medicals and/or supply other documentation. It's been what, 3 weeks? Our 28 days in which to upload stuff hasn't even lapsed yet! Everything is uploaded alraedy, all that remains is to apply for PCCs and go for medicals/xrays, when asked. If we *do* have a CO already, all we'll be waiting for (before they can click 'approve'!) is for PCCs (because SAPS is a slow govt dept) as medicals won't take long because the results get couriered.
The only OTHER concern is G's newly diagnosed condition. CIDP, a chronic neurological condition, which in essence is confused antibodies attacking the nerve's outer coating and damaging it, much like tooth decay damaging the tooth enamel. The nerve outer coating can, however, recover, if it isn't damaged too much.
G was in hospital for 4 days last week having a drip, which is supposed to flush out the rogue antibodies... but he doesn't feel any improvement yet. And the treatment can last anything from 2 months to 15 years. For visa sake (and for G's quality of life sake, obviously!), we're hoping for 15 years! It hopefully won't cause any hassle with the medical exam, G will just need to get letters etc from the neurologist stating the scenario and hopefully Aus immigration won't go 'HEYYYY you're gonna cost us megabucks' and refuse our application. I did some poking around reading up and found info for the panel doctors to assist them in assessing people, and the criteria for a person with a neurological condition seems easy to reach for us as G isn't incapacitated and unable to look after himself. Apart from pain, there isn't much effect. Hopefully this will all come out in the wash and the application will go smoothly...
Nothing else is news that I can think of right now. I've been busy today and yesterday - helping the typist with a large complicated document. Finally actually doing some word processing, tables and the like, the stuff I learnt at college! It's now lunch time though, so time to go make my toast!
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