Happiness | jmgoyder

Christmas day with my husband, son and mother.

by jmgoyder

Ants, Ming, Meg and me.

Thanks, Ma, for providing the turkey and the massive pavlova, and enabling us all to have a very cruisy day. Thanks, weather, for not being too hot. Thanks, God, for making today’s church service interesting and down-to-earth. Thanks, Anthony, for squeezing my hand on our way back to the nursing home and wiping my unexpected tears. Thanks, Ming, for being almost okay post-op. and for your humour. Thanks, extended family, for our wonderful night at Meg’s at Christmas Eve, my niece and husband’s homecoming, my brother’s homecoming (just last night!) Oh the list is getting too long so … to be continued ha!

Family Friendship Happiness LOVE STORY Parkinson's disease

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Twinkling

by jmgoyder

If I had to choose a single word to describe my first niece, I would use the word “twinkling”. She and her husband arrived last night from Scotland just in time for Christmas. They are going to live here now – yippee!

Late last night she got to see her own first niece for the first time. Do you see what I mean by “twinkling”. Actually in this picture both of them are twinkling!

My first niece is also my god-daughter as well as being Ming’s cousin and god-mother. I have always been in awe of her ability to twinkle no matter what, and her homecoming is the best gift any of us could receive this Christmas. She is a vital cog in the machine of this family and her presence enables us all to twinkle with delight; when she smiles, her whole body smiles; when she enters a room, she exudes beauty, grace and hilarity. She is fun and laughter and I love her so much and can’t wait to see her tonight at my mother’s Christmas Eve party.

I feel very lucky to have this fantastic, twinkling niece – very lucky!

Family Friendship Happiness

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Ming’s reaction to yesterday’s post

by jmgoyder

Ming: You don’t seem to love me as much as I love you!
Me: Yes, I do, it’s just that the pain medications make you all touchy-feely and you STILL want my hand all the time!
Ming: What’s wrong with that?
Me: Nothing really – it’s just that I kind of need my hand back because I have to use both my hands to do the various chores. We’re home now and in a week or so you’ll be much better.
Ming: You don’t love me like you used to.
Me: You’re probably right. I read somewhere that in order for teenagers to leave the nest a certain amount of angst has to happen between parent and child to allow this transition without heartbreak.
Ming: So you’ve gone off me!
Me: Yes – I used to love you at 100%; now it’s around 50%.
Ming: What?
Me: Kidding!

Sigh! And this is only part of the bizarre conversation we had today on the way into town to see Ants.

The photo is from two years ago, before everything went a bit haywire in our lives.

Family Friendship Grief Happiness LOVE STORY Parkinson's disease

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“Mummy!”

by jmgoyder

Ming was allowed to come home today, three days after his surgery which was a fantastic surprise (we were told he’d be in hospital until Christmas Eve). I’d been staying in a hotel for a couple of nights and coming and going to the hospital, but checked out yesterday, planning to visit Ming then go home to the farm to feed and water the dogs, birds and alpacas, only to be told he’d be discharged today! So I quickly rang a friend to see if she could do the animals and checked back into the hotel for another night.

Yesterday Ming was still attached to the pain+antibiotic drip, a catheter, and a blood drain thingy, oxygen, and he could hardly get out of bed and walk a few steps, but today he was free of the various tubes and fighting fit – amazing! It is 8pm here and we got home around an hour ago. Ming is in a lot of pain but has three kinds of painkillers so is now in bed.

One of the painkillers has a strange side-effect – Mummy love! It is so hilarious; on Tuesday evening when he finally came out of surgery, he kept looking at me woozily and saying, “Oh, Mummy, give me your hand, hold my hand, I want to have a cubble (cuddle), you are the best mummy in the whole wide world, oh I love you so much” etc. If I let his hand go for a moment, he would yell, “Mummy, I need your hand! Muuuuuuummmmmmmyyyyyyyyy!”

Now this would have been okay if (a) he had a private room, and (b) he had a quiet voice. But he was in a shared room with three men who were all chuckling every time Ming yelled out, “Mummy, hand – where’s your hand?” After a couple of hours of this I started to get a bit embarrassed and sick of holding his stupid hand! His nurse was laughing hysterically (but quietly) at his antics and, as Ming got sleepier, she helped me remove my hand from his so I could escape to my hotel and have a well-earned wine.

My hand is still aching from his grip – so funny!

And so absolutely wonderful!

Note: Thank you so much to my WordPress and Facebook, and other friends and family (especially my own mother) for all of your prayers, wishes and messages to us. I haven’t had time to reply properly but please know how much your comments, care and love is appreciated by Ming and Muuuuummmmmyyyyy!

Animal blogging Family Friendship Happiness

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What to do if your computer overheats.

by jmgoyder

In the southwest of Western Australia we are experiencing a heat wave and, at 7.30pm the thermometer in the kitchen is nudging 38 degrees C to over 40 and apparently tomorrow will be even hotter. Oh that’s great – the air conditioner in the car stopped working a week ago and I have to take Ming up to Perth tomorrow for his surgery on Tuesday. I am going to be so worried about the animals in this heat (yes I’m just a tad worried for Ming too). Ming suggested he drive himself up for the surgery (that’s how nonchalant about it he is) and I have to admit I was a bit tempted but no, of course not.

So we are booked in to a hotel within walking distance from the hospital so that we can have a ‘night before’ get together with friends, a good sleep, then walk up to the hospital at 6am on Tuesday. Ming spent a couple of hours with Anthony at the nursing home today and we got Ants home yesterday for the afternoon so I am hoping he will remember what is happening and why I am not visiting. I will ring him of course but that is problematic in itself because he is often unable to remember how to answer the phone. But Ants hugged us both and wished Ming luck and said he would understand if I didn’t see him for a few days.

Oh, that’s right – this is about what to do if your computer overheats.

Put a frozen package of something or other under it and it will gasp with relief!

Australia Family Friendship Grief Happiness LOVE STORY Parkinson's disease Wings

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I am changing my name to “Whoops”

by jmgoyder

A couple of days ago I wrote about Anthony’s 1963 stove that has recently died. My first ‘whoops’ was when I described it as being a tiny bit older than me when it is actually a tiny bit younger. I don’t feel the need to apologize to the stove since it’s dead anyway but I did want to correct that minor inaccuracy for blog posterity purposes.

My second ‘whoops’ was when one of my blog friends commented: “1963 a very good year… your stove lasted 50 years and so did our marriage.” I took this to mean that something had suddenly gone amiss with her marriage so I replied, “I’m so sorryxxx.” Then I went about my daily chores a bit sad for her.

Much later in the day, I logged on and saw that my friend had written: “What are you sorry about…… we’re still married… sorry if I confused you…” Oh, I was so relieved that her marriage was in such better shape than my stove that I laughed hysterically for a few moments, then she and I exchanged a few ‘haha’ messages.

I have done a few ‘whoopsies’ lately (I seem to have a talent for it), and some of them have gotten me into trouble, so I am beginning to realize that I need to think more carefully before I speak or write. This particular ‘whoopsie’ though was so funny that I am still laughing and laughing. I have not revealed the identity of the blogger who I ‘whoopsed’ because, well, privacy and all that, but if she is willing to comment you will all know.

I imagine she is still laughing too – argh – whoops!

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Not buying into Christmas

by jmgoyder

Such a relief! Today, Ming and I had planned to go into town, get presents for each other and Anthony, get a Christmas tree, a ham, wrapping paper, sticky tape (which I can never find), send a few last-minute cards, decorate the house, find the Christmas tree lights and ornaments (oh where did I put them?) and generally have a frantic, stressful, expensive, horrible day.

But on waking up this morning to a day that was already promising relentless heat, I changed my mind and a bit later I discussed my idea with Ming:

Me: I think we should postpone Christmas.
Ming: What?
Me: Well, you will be in hospital until Christmas Eve … actually maybe we should just skip Christmas this year.
Ming: What? No presents?
Me: No presents.
Ming: No tree?
Me: No tree.
Ming: No turkey?
Me: No turkey.
Ming: No Christmas crackers?
Me: No Christmas crackers.
Ming: Mum, this is such a relief!
Me: So you agree?
Ming: I think it’s a brilliant idea!
Me: Without all the usual fuss we can celebrate Christmas for what it is.
Ming: Do you mean go to church?
Me: Yes.
Ming: Okay, let’s shake on this.

So we shook hands and grinned at each other.

The sense of relief is huge! I don’t have to fight through the throngs at the shops, spend a small fortune on ‘stuff’, don’t have to worry about how the hell I am going to cook a turkey with no oven, don’t have to search the whole of Australia for cranberry sauce, don’t have to spend hours wrapping presents, don’t have to queue up at the post office – ahhhhh!

A bit later:

Ming: But what will we eat for lunch on Christmas day?
Me: Ham sandwiches? I mean Anthony hardly has any appetite anymore anyway, it’ll be too hot for me to eat and you’re a fussy brat.
Ming: I like ham sandwiches.
Me: Good, then that’s decided.
Ming: But Grandma’s still coming on Christmas day isn’t she?
Me: No.
Ming: WHAT?!
Me: I’m joking, you idiot!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh – now all I have to do today is frolic with the peacocks – yeeha!

Animal Australia Family Friendship Happiness Humour joy Marriage Parkinson's disease Teenagers Western Australia Wings

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Mother goose

by jmgoyder

After weeks of feeding Ola special grain and replenishing her water, and looking forward to her two goslings hatching, I went out this afternoon to find that she had abandoned the nest and there was only one egg there. So I brought the warm egg into the house and put it in my shirt pocket and googled goose hatching whilst stroking the egg and saying little mothery things to the gosling inside it. I found enough information to warrant going outside again and slightly cracking the egg so it could get out.

Well, guess what? There was no gosling; it was just an unfertilized and beautiful egg with a massive yoke – not a chick. And to think I was stroking this stupid egg for two hours when I could have used it to bake a cake! Argh!

Ola is frolicking without those eggs and I am feeling like a goose!

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My great niece

by jmgoyder

Several weeks ago a baby girl was born into our family – my nephew’s first child (with the help of his beautiful wife), my brother’s first grandchild, my mother’s first great grandchild, and my other brother’s and my own first great niece.

Seeing her today was wonderful! She has changed so much already – as babies do. Surrounded by the love of her parents, grandparents from both sides of the family, and great aunts like me, cousins and second cousins galore, this child already has the delighted expression in her navy blue eyes of being Number One!

My mother had a long conversation with her while I sat on the floor, ignored and jealous, until suddenly this fantastic baby turned her head to me, squeezed my finger in her tiny fist and told me a few home truths (I was unable to interpret but hopefully her parents will translate what she said to me later). She fixed her piercing eyes on me and uttered several baby sentences which I tried to answer to the best of my ability but eventually she threw my finger away with a look of ‘omg this auntie is thick!’

Neve – I love you, my first great niece, and your parents are pretty okay too (but you already know that!)

Family Friendship Happiness Humour joy

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My muse is a peachick

by jmgoyder

Gutsy 9 is one year old today (yes I got the date wrong in a previous post – I thought I found her on November 9!) For those who don’t know, G9 is the peachick I found scurrying around outside on 9 December 2012. I knew she wasn’t a duck or a goose but I thought she might be a chook, or a turkey, or even a guinnea fowl, and it took me awhile to realize she was a peachick. Since none of the peahens seemed to want her, I brought her into the house and raised her until she was big enough to go outside. As she grew, I discovered that she was pied (half white and half blue) and recently that she was a she after all (we had thought she was a he). She is a daily delight – she runs to me whenever she hears my voice and still does funny little twirlies, then follows me like a dog. Here are some photos of her a year ago – on my shoulder, Anthony’s lap and in Ming’s hands – and her birthday photo today. She has brought all of us a great deal of joy.