This week has felt quite surreal. The East Coast of Australia has gone under water. The mop up bill is going to be in the billions. The mud army is out in force to help with the clean up. The armed forces have been called in to help. Some farms and towns are still surrounded by flood water and help hasn’t yet reached them. Floods are devastating. The stench of the rotten water and the slime of the mud gets through everything. All the linings of the house have to be removed leaving just a shell. All belongings that have got wet have to be chucked. Whether it be fire or flood you lose everything but with flood the physical effort in cleaning up is just massive. My heart goes out to them and in comparison we fared well. We are now almost back to normal. We have managed to remove the garden from the pool but it is still a light green – algae from not being able to filter and chlorinate.
This rain has had an unexpected effect on salt. We mine our salt from our dry lake beds and as we have had so much rain this year and last our lakes are no longer dry and as a consequence it is impossible to buy salt. There is not a bag to be had in Noosa. As a result the demand for chlorine has increased and it too is in short demand. Delivery problems due to covid and flooding haven’t helped. There must be so many things like this that you rarely think of that are being affected other than the empty shelves at the supermarket. I had never envisaged a time that in this country we wouldn’t be able to buy fruit and vegetables, meat and bread. It had hit us as a shock when people panic bought due to Covid but this came as a bigger shock. There was no panic buying, there just wasn’t anything on the shelves to buy.
Time to ask how your week was? I hope it was good and you achieved what you wanted to. We managed to install our new pool pump which came in record time which surprised both of us given the transport problems I’ve already spoken about. I have achieved a lot this week as far as getting my paperwork in order. My office is finally looking tidy. I have also done the pantry and a couple of the other kitchen cupboards. Jobs I don’t usually prioritise but i have decided it is time to get my affairs in order and I have made headway. Hopefully to continue this week.
It was confirmed this week that Roger’s blood levels are starting to rise quite quickly. He is feeling good in himself but it is now time to start the next treatment type. We had a consult with the specialist on Friday and we have a couple of choices. Without knowledge it is difficult to know which is the best choice to take. It is difficult getting definitive research studies and nothing tells you about the PBS funding for medications and whether by taking one you are losing the right to take the other later in the piece. We will be doing what research we can this week and will be talking to the specialist again next Friday with a long list of questions.
Of course this puts our holiday in jeopardy to an extent although that is the least of our worries. Still I do think it is good to have something to look forward to. What is the point of living longer if you don’t spend the time living. It is a really fine line.
I am running late with all my posts this week so I’ll end here. My blogging goals have definitely not been met but will try to be better this week. I’m not going to beat myself up about it.
Hope all is well in your world. My thoughts are with those in Ukraine.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
Thank you for the update. I’ve loved the worldwide communication during COVID -in general, really. Will you be able to import salt?
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Yes I’ve loved the communication too. Zoom in particular has opened the world so that we now have the capability of chatting where we never would have thought of this pre covid. As for salt apparently some shops are expecting a delivery in April. Just hope the dwindling supplies of chlorine last til then. At least we are going into winter and the desire to swim is getting less.
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“What is the point of living longer if you don’t spend the time living.”…amen sister!
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👍🏻
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For those of us who’ve never experienced it then seeing images of people clearing out the mud from their homes and the piles of ruined objects in the streets makes us realize just how difficult the cleanup task is. Hope a gentle sun comes out to shine on you.
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Thanks Sue. Yes it is a mammoth task and the stench is unbelievable. We have been spared that this time but I really feel for those further south. We have had sun for a couple of days. Sydney is seeing glimpses today.
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Great thoughts, Irene. Good news about Roger, and I hope the choice you make is the best for him. We have shortages here as well, but not with regard to salt. Can I send you some?
Gas prices are through the roof, as Biden dithers. Ukraine is on everyone’s mind. Have a good week.
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Hi Noelle. Thanks. Thank you for your offer. I hate to think what the cost would be to do that. We are not too worried as we are going into winter and our swimming season (for us anyway) is almost over. I think the world over is going to notice the effects of this war and my heart goes out to the Ukraine people. I just can’t comprehend how total cities and all that history (both country and personal) has been destroyed by this indiscriminate bombing. Let alone how lives have been turned upside down. It makes me want to weep. Have a good week also.
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We should live closer!
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No wonder your blogging goals haven’t been meant. You’ve been through a horrendous week with all the flooding and rain damage and clean up. You’ve definitely been on my mind a lot this week. Take care and hopefully we’ll talk later 😀 😀
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Thanks Cee. We are almost back in order and our damage insignificant to what has happened further south. Yes we’ll definitely talk later. Enjoyed our chat the other day and meeting Teresa. Have a good week.
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Hello Irene, Love getting your blog posts in my emails! Sorry you’ve had those problems with your pool with the torrential rain. We got it lapping at our back door and a bit coming down a wall and in a ceiling but nothing much. Others in our suburb were not so fortunate. And a friend in Corinda had to be evacuated from her flooded house (water reached 3/4 of the way up her walls) and now a team of friends and other fantastic helpers have removed just about all of her sodden belongings and stripped out the walls. A tough time.
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Hi Sue. Glad you didn’t have too many problems. In retrospect when I see what happened in Brisbane, Far North Coast and Sydney nor did we. I feel for them and the long lasting effect this is going to have on everyone. Yes a tough time for many. Hope all is good with you.
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