Recovery

I am still taking it very carefully but have gradually become more able to get about without pain.  I mostly walk about the house using one crutch and with the boot on.  The boot is a bit uncomfortable but appears to have had a big role in healing. I can and do walk short distances without it now with no pain.  I take it off at night so I can sleep in some comfort so I do some very short walks at that time.  I can now actually get into my shower cubicle with neither crutch nor boot and no pain -- so that is a blessing.

My life has not been greatly disrupted by my fall.  I usually spend most of my day at my computer and I can still do that.  And last Sunday I made it to my usual Sunday breakfast at the pie-shop with Joe.  Joe has been enormously helpful in dealing with my temporary disability.

Zoe initially was upset by the change to our relationship caused by my fall but we have in fact continued our usual routine of Wednesday, Friday and Sunday dinners.  As usual, we had the dinners at my place with both of us contributing in various ways.  

Last night was a particularly pleasant night, with Zoe telling me about her past encounters with Serbian politics.  She strongly supported opposition to former President Boris Tadić (2004 to 2012) and felt unsafe in Serbia because  of that.  Living in Australia allays such concerns.

A pesky episode

I have been having some arthritic pain in my right knee.  It comes and goes and is generally no great problem.  It became a problem last Saturday morning (19th), however.  As I was going down my front stairs, my knee suddenly "went" on me.  So I fell over abruptly and hurt my ankle. Falling on hardwood stairs is not a good thing to do so I had at least a sprained ankle and could only walk painfully from that point on.

So next day I arrived with Joe at the emergency department of the Wesley hospital seeking an x-ray to check for any broken bones.  One gets first class treatment at the Wesley with no waiting.  It costs rather a lot but I always go there if I can because I like the friendly and polite way I am treated there.  I saw an emergency physician who was very communicative and attentive and the x-rays were promptly ordered and carried  out. 

It turned out that I had broken a small bone in my foot. The doctor bandaged it up firmly and referred me to get a surgical "boot", which I did the next day.  So I am  hobbling along on crutches, greatly limiting what I can do. Rather disrupting things I had planned

Beside the seaside

Z asked me to take her to the beach.  Such a request in Brisbane would normally elicit a trip "down the coast" to Surfers Paradise, Greenmount, Currumbin etc.  And in the days of my youth, I often pointed my sky-blue VW beetle in that direction.

It is now many years since I have been there however and in my declining years I have a considerable aversion to sitting in traffic for the hour or so that such a trip entails.

So I took Z to the beach at Manly, which is only half an hour's drive from where I live.  It's not much of a beach but it is a reasonable venue for a picnic lunch, which is how I approached it.  Z was not too disappointed by it and we managed to have one of the raw food lunches that Z insists on.

After lunch was the big test however.  Z wanted me to join her sunbaking on the beach.  Given what the sun has given me in the form of skin cancer,  however it is many years since I have exposed my lily-white skin to the sun.  

But I am a reformed man these days.  Instead of frequently saying No to outing requests from a female partner, I am these days doing what I can to oblige.  So I agreed to join Z in the sun but added a warning that I doubted my ability to get up from lying on the beach.

And so it was.  In my elderly State I was unable to get up even if Z lent me a hand.  There was a fit young man nearby however so Z asked him for help.  He obliged and I was able to stand up in a rather wobbly state.

So Z did get a bit of time sunbaking but not much. With her trim and tanned little body she looked a real surfer chick.

On the way home my driving scared the wits out of Z a few times but no harm befell us.

A rogues gallery

Some pictures of me in the last few years: Most recent last. My blotches have receded a lot in recent years

A small but amusing episode

It was rather warm this afternoon so Zoe and I were lying together in bed with an airconditioner above us putting out a pretty good icy blast.  

At one point I leant over to give Z a kiss, which was of course welcomed.  When I pulled  away from the kiss, Z said, "You are cold like a snake"  -- which cracked me up.  She was referring to my face being cold from the airconditioner blowing on it.  I said, "That's a strange thing to say to a man who has just given you a kiss."

She saw the point and said.  "It's my autism"  -- which it was.  Being autistic myself I am well used to autistic bluntness. I often sabotage myself that way. I once lost a lover because of it

Anyway, a picture of the guilty party below.  Like a lot of ladies she is into clothes and, fortunately, I like her taste.  I thought the blouse below was particularly pretty.

To Nandos with Zoe

I have eaten out a lot in my life but with Z we mostly eat at home.  She likes uncooked food so that limits restaurant options.  But Nandos do offer a couple of salads and that suits Z well enough.  So we decided to go there tonight.  

I was under strict orders from Z that I must have some salad. So Z had the Continental salad and I had the same plus chicken.  I have had rather a lot of chicken lately so friends should not be surprised if I start going cock-a-doodle-do occasionally

Z dressed for going out and as usual got a good result.  I thought she looked quite pretty in her outfit.  The yellows and browns went with her tanned skin,  She has a good figure so she wears clothes well.

The pic below was taken in night light so is a bit dark 

I supppose it must seem a bit soppy of me to put up pix of Z so often. Truth be told, I am really pleased to have a presentable girlfriend when we are both in our '70s. It's partly due to the fact that she works on her health and fitness. She RUNS several miles most days for exercise

Living with Zoe

By the skin of her teeth Zoe managed to bypass the floods on Sunday and got over to  my place via Ipswich Rd.  But she could not get back. So here she stayed until around 5pm today, Wednesday.  And even then it took her 2 hours to get home via various detours.

So we were suddenly living together for 4 days, something unforeseen by us both.  We did have some frictions but we also had a lot of laughs so it all went reasonably well. She went home in a high mood. 

While she was here, she had a field day bullying me into eating raw food (fruit and salads) for my meals.  I didn't give in entirely however.  I had sausage rolls from time to time to meet my need for junk food.

Being confined by the floods she didn't have much to do  for a lot of the time here so she unleashed a cleaning blitz on my place. Some places got cleaned that had not been cleaned for years, given my bachelor habits. She even cleaned my assortment of power boards

This afternoon we undertook a short outing to Kangaroo Pt. to look at the flooded river.  It was indeed wide but still well below where we were standing.  See below

ADDENDUM

While Zoe was "housekeeping" at my place she showed a rare talent for Ikebana. Below are two lettuces in one of my vases