Sudokuaholics Anonymous 9A

So much rain, and now the sun has come out and everything is steaming! I can practically see my garden growing ... especially the weeds! ;)

Thanks Judy, we needed some sun for a new page!

I got up long enough to make supper, now am going back to bed.

Nighty night, everybody.

Heidi, hope the back is feeling better soon.
Don't remember anything else I have read. I will be back tomorrow. Hope it is a great day/night for everyone.

{{HUGS}} to all who need or want them.

I'll take one of those Tami, nice to get a hug even when everything is coming up roses

Afternoon everyone.

Just home, went out to dins last night for C, and stayed overnight at MIL's.
About to go and do the grocery shop...

The fire was contained last night. I too had message from Brenda's niece that she and hers were ok. She lives sorta north west of the fire on the coast, and the fire was more inland heading north east.. so she was quite safe where she was.
I think I had more smoke than what she did.

Sending (((HUGS))) and ♥ to All and Sundry, especially to those in real need !!

Ahhh - you know it's Christmas in Australia when the stonefruit starts appearing in stores. Just bought a big container of plums (about 20 of them) for $5.99 at Aldi. I won't be able to stop myself from eating. Can't wait for cherries to get cheaper - or peaches to get juicier. Yummmmm!

mmm yellow flesh nectarines mmm

Got some stuff for the cupboards and now only have a few $ left until payday. Well, the electricity bill is the main reason that happened. But at least it is paid!!

Nectarines, peaches and plums... maybe next week.. I forgot them this week.

Yes, Suzy, I paid both Mobile and landline/internet/Foxtel bills today and was shocked when I looked at the bank balance. Need fuel before I drive much further too!

Good afternoon all!
Aah Bills, don't you just hate them. My last electricity bill had risen $80 from the previous one and we hadn't used any extra electricity. I've been able to spread my rates, electricity and water so that I have one being paid every month of the year.
I think I work half of each month just to pay one of them plus the phone/mobile/internet and private health cover. No wonder it feels like we're going backwards.

I don't even want to mention the groceries - they probably take the other half of my pay.
I haven't looked at stone fruit or grapes yet. They are all too expensive. Mangos are a necessity though as James won't eat salad unless there is one diced up amongst the lettuce leaves, etc.

Actually I'm going to get my eyes tested tonight and get some new specs made. It's been a couple of years and I need to spend my health fund extras before the year expires.
Then I'll get a new pair of prescription sunglasses next year on my extras.
Between my eyes and the dentist appointment next Friday I should be all good to go for another few months.

Lol - Vicki!!
I buy a mango every week (when they're in season) and Emily and Chloe share it for dessert on Monday nights when they are here. I might add they go outside to eat it and their faces hands and arms are cleaned before they come back inside!! They fight over who gets the seed!

Hello, Everyone!

It's past midnight here. What a long day. Apparently an electrical transformer in our area "blew up" about the time I left for water aerobics, about 5:00. Most of the traffic lights on the way and electricity in homes in the area was off. Luckily the health club still had power, so I had class, though I was a few minutes late. On my way home, I got within about a mile of home, and the street I needed to turn on was closed due to a downed power line. I couldn't turn north onto the street, drove a couple of miles until I could get to another street that would get me to the access from the north going south. That street was also closed. There are no streets providing access from the east or west. I normally would have been home by 7:00, and it was about 9:30 when I finally got home, then had to fix dinner, etc.

Julie, how frustrating! And exhausting!

Vicki, we replaced every single light with low wattage bulbs, and the bill went up, got solar hot water and it went up again! And they keep saying it is going to go up even more. It doesnt' matter how much we reduce our usage, the bill goes up anyway!

My mother called me this afternoon and said 'you'll never guess, your brother is in hospital with chest pains'. He's 6 years younger than me, but 4 years older than Dad was when he died of a heart attack. They did every imaginable test, except an xray, and sent him home. I hope they're right!!

Just back from Grocery Shopping..
Yep the Stone Fruits, Grapes are on the shelves.. The price will need to come down somewhat before I will buy...

Hi, Gail, Vicki, Rolanda, Judy, Suzy, Brenda, June, Theresa, Tami, CynB, Heidi, Nola, Broni and MizTricia!

I don't mean to sound like a "copy-cat," but I had also thought of Sweetie-Petie for Theresa's cat.

Judy, it's nice to have you hear posting again!

Suzy, with the bad weather, I'm glad the Carols rehearsal was inside! I hope Ally's throat is feeling much better now! Also hope Nomnom is better after his "procedure."

Brenda, all the best to Richard as he embarks on his new job! Thinking of your niece and hoping the fire stays far enough away!

June, it sounds like you have a couple of busy days, including Physical Culture party, dentist and hairdresser, all accompanied by Laura! I hope the rain subsides so you can enjoy your time together!

Heidi, I'm glad the trip to and from your epidural appointment was not as difficult as you anticipated. I'm glad your epidural was! Sleep well!

It's amazing how wide-spread the rain is today. Luckily, we only had sprinkles.

MizT, I hope Al is doing well and am so glad you are feeling somewhat better. Remember to take care of yourself!

I'm just dragging here - too many nights when sleep was intermittent or almost nonexistent. Sending {{{{HUGS}}}}, positive thoughts and prayers to everyone! Night-Night!

Hope your brother is ok Suzy.

I hope so too Rolanda, he'd been having chest pains all night so something is wrong yet they are sending him home because the heart tests were all clear. Why not look to see what actually caused the pains - like pleurasy or pneumonia. (I don't know how to spell pleuresy as you can tell..)

oh...
so where does he go from there to find out what is happening...
his GP?

Best wishes for your brother, Suzy. Keep us informed.

Suzy, hope your brother finds out what the problem is, and that it is a minor problem.
Snowing here, but in Stevenage we seem to have been let off lightly, still just a light covering of snow whereas around the country it is chaotic. Blocked roads, trains not able to run and airports closed.

Brenda, I have been getting photos from Friend up in Scotland.. it is awfully thick up there, the snow!!!!

Suzy - I hope they find what's wrong with your brother. Big cyber-hugs!

Brenda, I've been reading about it in the news, more than half of schools closed, ridiculously low temps etc etc. The number of people who have died seems very low when you consider the number of homeless people there must be in Europe.

Morning all,

Suzy, thinking of you and hoping your brother is OK.

Off to grab a coffee!

Morning everyone.
Glad to hear that all is well in the world.
Suzy, I hope your brother is OK. Did he mention to the doctor the age at which your dad died and also about your recent stroke? There could be something they are missing but I really hope it is nothing serious. I will be keeping him in my thoughts. Please keep us posted. I also hope that Ally is feeling better. I hope you can post a video or two this year.

Julie, sorry you had a bad trip home after your class. It is amazing how a power failure can really mess up traffic.
It is cooling off down here. It was 54 (12 c) this morning. I love this time of year. I can shut off the AC and open the windows. My electric bill goes down, at least for a few months.

Off to get the grandies up and off to school. TTFN.

Suzy..... How scary! I just don't understand doctors. They get one diagnosis in mind, and if they don't find it immediately, they give up and say it's nothing. They make no effort to find what is causing the symptoms. I suspect it's because they spend more time learning the technology, and less time learning to diagnose or to care about the patient. I will echo Tami's intelligent question.... Did your brother tell them about your father's history or your stroke? That's very important information, and makes the hospital less likely to dismiss it as "nothing serious".

Doing better today. I'm not shaky on my legs (a sign of a REALLY good epidural) but am still sore. At least it doesn't hurt as much as it did before the epidural. I'll have to take it easy for a few more days, tho'. Drat. (dripping sarcasm )

Good morning. Quiet here today. Thinking of your brother Suzy. Hope they soon find out what is wrong.
Pleased you are going to feel better Heidi.

I did my good deed for the day, and had fun doing it. IH's cousin Don bought my little tractor last about 9 months ago. A few days ago, IH told me that the tractor wasn't running. He'd turn the key, and nothing. It wouldn't even click. I told him that meant that the PTO (power take off) had been left in the on position. No tractor will start with it on. He told me that he checked it, and the PTO was in neutral. He was certain that it was something serious, and told Don that. Don asked IH to have a mechanic come out and work on it. So, a little while ago, I went over to Don's farm to check out the tractor. IH had left the PTO on. I flipped the lever into neutral and she fired right up. Not only did I save him money, but I had a great gloat over it!

It's snowing here AGAIN!!!!

This large yellow ball was up in the sky this morning. I'm not sure what it was, but it's gone now. Expecting more snow/rain later today. I just went outside and boy, is it cold. It's actually 2C right now, but it just feels soooo cold. It will be soon time for me to hibernate.

Glad you're feeling better, or soon will be, Heidi. Sometimes a good old fashioned "I told you so" can feel so good.

I used to suffer from really bad panic attacks that were mis-diagnosed for decades. I can remember having them when I was younger, but the doctor said it was claustrophobia. Which made sense because I did not and still do not like enclosed spaces or crowded places. Then when I was in my 30's the doctor sent me for all kinds of heart tests, which I would go through once a year. Each time it came back with the possibility of angina.

Then one night I couldn't sleep and was watching an infomercial for the Mid West Centre in the States. The people in that were describing my life!!! I went back to the doctor and went through a series of other tests and sure enough, I suffer from panic attacks. So I was self-diagnosed. The panic attacks were hard to diagnose because they are not caused by stress. My brain sends out a "flight or fight" signal at inappropriate times. I haven't had a serious one since 2005 I believe. So I went for decades thinking I had heart disease, and then ended up diagnosing myself! Even gods ... I mean doctors ... don't know everything!!