Keeping Close to Home

Our two week  Covid lockdown has come to an end.   We've stayed home, riding out the symptoms, preparing easy meals and taking things easy.  During the first week we were both very tired, took ourselves off to bed at 8.00pm, we were so weary.  And with all my coughing, I felt like my ribs had been broken, or at least, battered and bruised.  You know you are not well when the highlight of the day is your after lunch nap!  The symptoms slowly eased in week two, and after several RAT tests, we finally achieved a negative test.  Thank goodness for that.  

Robin takes part in the weekly Crown Research Institute Flu Tracking report, so we are officially reported as having contacted Covid.  This is our first time getting Covid, after all this time, and we cannot have a Covid vaccination for another 6 months.  Hopefully that means that we now have natural protection for a while.

But according to Healthline, having had Covid does not restrict you from getting the annual flu vaccination.  So we fronted up on Saturday morning with a whole bunch of others, standing in a queue for an hour, before finally reaching the front of the line and getting ushered into the cubicle.  A few questions, a quick jab, and we were on our way.  We appreciate this free service, but feel the process could have been handled better for the clients.  If two staff members were on duty, one could have been taking details, and perhaps handing out numbers, while the other was delivering the vaccinations.  With the queue made of of elderly people, standing for that length of time was very difficult.

I'm pleased we are recovered now, and can get back to our weekly routines.  We have a very busy week full of appointments, a lunch out, and an exciting day trip riding the rails in Sunday.  It would have been such a shame  to have missed that.

Final Days in Napier

 The Easter weather in Napier was a mixed bag, reasonably fine but with cold winds, making sitting outside a rather chilly experience.  Luckily it had warmed up on Sunday morning and we took ourselves off to the Hastings Market.  Geoff and Eileen had been experiencing battery troubles so decided to head home a day early.  We waved them goodbye with a few Easter Eggs from the Easter Bunny.

What a crowd there was, families with kids, people with dogs and plenty of golden oldies like us.  My aim was to purchase some fresh seasons apples, found them easily enough.  Then we did some cheese tasting, and three lots of cheese jumped into our bag.  A couple of nice fresh bread rolls for our lunch, and some beef from the meat stall, and that was our lot.  We came away feeling quite pleased with our purchases.

After lunch back at the van we took a trip with Owen and Helen out to Esk Valley to see how the Hawkes Bay Caravan and Camping Club was faring after the disastrous Esk Valley floods.

As we had been told, the club had lost their small apple orchard in front of the camp.  The club rooms had been gutted and the club members were waiting to be told what could be done.  Obviously, there had been a lot of work done clearing silt and debris from the grounds, but now everything is at a standstill.  Power and sewerage will need to be reconnected.  So sad to see.

HB Clubrooms will need a lot of work

To cheer ourselves up we stopped for a fruit ice-cream on the way home.  And I just needed to purchase a pumpkin, it will be soup time before I know it.

Helen, Owen and Robin enjoying their ice-creams in the sun shine

We enjoyed  4zees  back in camp with some Easter Eggs the Easter Bunny had dropped off for us to enjoy.

 Oh yummy, Easter Eggs

John and Flo departed the next morning, so then we were down to two vans.    Our anticipated  family lunch didn't go ahead as my niece was not well, so we took ourselves off to check out the delights of Napier.  The Six Sisters row of houses were worth a photo shoot.  Apparently they were built by an architect who wanted a two storey house for each of his daughters.  They are among the few survivors of the massive 1931 Napier earthquake.  Some of the  houses are now owned by commercial businesses, with a few  reverting back into family homes.

The Six Sisters

We then drove around the port to check out Perfume Point freedom camping area.  There was plenty to see, ships and tugs off the coast, families playing on the beach, even a couple of brave people taking a dip.

Whose is this we spotted?  It was Doug and Desma, our friends from the ICA group, who had also arrived for a breath of salty sea air.  We joined them at the picnic table and had a nice long chat.  We couldn't make it to the previous ICA rally so it was great to catch up with them again.

Desma and Doug from ICA group

Back in camp again I started to feel unwell so decided to drive back home in one day, instead of stopping somewhere overnight as we had planned.  Up and over the Saddle Road we went, dropping down into Manawatu, and we were nearly home.  Thank goodness, I was feeling quite peaky.

Wind turbines on top of Saddle Road

My Covid test came back positive - oh dear.  After several years of feeling smug because I had never contacted Covid, my time has arrived.  Guess I wont be going anywhere for the next week or so.

Happy New Year and looking back

Wishing all our friends, readers and fellow bloggers a Happy New Year!

We spent a very wet New Years Eve celebration our nephew Shane turning 60 at his home in in Te Awamutu. .  It is a tradition in this family to prepare and cook a hangi for special occasions, and this Shane did with a little help.  Not a “hole in the ground” traditional hangi, but rather one cooked in a stainless steel container, heated with gas, but still using the wet sacks as usual.

Cooked food is under the sacking

The birthday dinner was served, chicken, pork, lamb, potatoes, pumpkin and kumara from the hangi, with salads and bread rolls.  Very nice indeed.  Shane really wanted a birthday cake with 60 candles, which would take a bit of lighting them all.  So out came the trusty blowtorch, which soon got the job done.  Perhaps not really recommended though, there was concern that all those 60 wax candles would be melting into the top of the cake.

Let’s get those candles lit!

Shane is the eldest grandchild on the maternal side, the first child of my late sister Kathleen and hubby Dennis.  It was a lovely evening, catching up with Shane’s friends and close family.

Robin, Jenny, Shane and Kirstie

Looking back on the last year 2023 we had quite a few adventures.  We spent 10 weeks in the beginning of the year traveling around the South Island.  In fact this time last year we spent New Year’s Eve 2023 at Star Tavern, Cape Foulwind, with fellow bloggers Irene and Ian  who write Free Spirit blog..

New Years Eve 2023 with Irene and Ian

We had a marvellous trip, exploring new places, revisiting old favourites, catching up with family and friends.  We got caught up with the Cook Strait ferry cancelation problems on both our trips there and back, these problems seemed to go on and on for months and put the holiday plans of so many people into disarray.  Transport of freight between the two islands was quite disrupted too.

Returning home in early March, we got back into the swing of things with attending caravan rallies with our club, Heretaunga, and also met up with the ICA group for two rallies.  We also enjoyed attending meetings with the Probus Club, and lunches out with our Super Leisure Group friends.  Robin continued with his Menz Shed days and driving the Health Shuttle.

A family highlight was the wedding of Robin’s niece Hannah to David in March, and all meeting up again the following day for a casual lunch, with a host of wonderful crayfish supplied by the brides father.  Honestly, I thought I was in heaven, even more so when I was encouraged to take some of this delicacy home with me!

 

Robin’s second knee replacement in August kept us close to home and away from caravanning for a couple of months as he slowly recovered and got on with his rehab.  Luckily he was able to drive and tow the caravan again in time for our 40th Wedding Anniversary trip to Rotorua in November.  Highlights of this trip was High Tea at a posh hotel, a marvellous anniversary dinner at the restaurant at the top of the cable car and the Redwoods Tree Walk.

High Tea for two

All in all it’s been a good year.  Robin has recovered well from both his knee replacement operations, and the pair of us are doing well, with just a few minor niggles, not unexpected as we are all getting older.  We are looking forward to more fun and adventures in 2024.

Celebration Lunch

We had an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon later this week to check on Robin’s knee replacement. 

Arriving for the appointment

As expected we were in and out of the busy surgeon’s rooms in no time at all.  There were x-rays on the monitor showing the replacement pieces, and everything looked nice and straight.  The wound has healed nicely and Robin’s knee movement is excellent.  We were told that slow improvement will happen over the next year or so, but everything looks fine, and he can do away with the sticks.  Yes, he is cleared to drive, so a caravan trip will be happening in the near future.  Yippee to that! 

There was time to pick up a few things on our list, and then it was lunch time.  We had decided to lunch at Speight’s Ale House.

 

Lots of big hearty meals on the menu so we would only need a much lighter evening meal.  A Speights beer for Robin and a bubbly for me while we checked out the menu.  What to choose, that always takes a bit of thought.  I had belly pork, so surprises there, and Robin chose a big juicy lamb shank.  We hadn't planned on dessert, but a cinnamon oyster each with coffee afterwards was just a mouthful and so light and  tasty.

Beer, wine, coffee and cake!

A good result deserves a celebration lunch

The last few days

What have we been up to over the last few days?  Asparagus season has started so I needed to take a trip to Lewis Farms to get a big bunch of this delicacy.  The grading machines were busy, clatter clatter, keeping the workers on their toes as they sorted the different grades.  Many of the seasonal workers come and stay in their motor homes and caravans and park up on the grounds for a small cost - no travel time to work when you are staying on site.

Grading the asparagus

The farm shops stocks other locally made goods as well, honey, pesto, free range pork products, bread and crackers.  As well as an interesting display of items from earlier times.

Lewis Farms also grow strawberries and raspberries, and real fruit ice-cream is also available, as well as freshly ground coffee.  The shop was bustling with customers so I had a little wait for my coffee fix.

Coffee time

Saturday was Election Day, time for everyone to have their say and go and vote.  We had voted early, but many people like to cast their vote on the actual day.  We watched the TV coverage in the evening, and it was obvious people thought it was time for a change.  Labour was trounced and National will be the new government.  The Special Votes still need to be counted, those from Kiwis overseas, in hospitals, and those who voted outside  of their electorates.  There may well be changes to a few seats, but it seems that overall National will form a government with one or two coalition parties.

Democracy in action

Robin was up bright and early on Sunday morning to watch the All Blacks and Ireland quarter final game in the Rugby World Cup.  The All Blacks won, which takes them to the the semi finals.  There was no time for him to cook Sunday breakfast, he was much too involved in the rugby game!

Sunday morning rugby

His Monday morning physio classes are going well, and Robin is noticing improvements to his knee each week.  As I'm still the nominated driver, its coffee time for me while I sit and wait for him to do his exercise circuit.

We are looking forward to seeing the orthopedic surgeon on Thursday who will hopefully clear Robin to drive again. 

This and That

The General Election is coming up fast, and we decided to vote early.  There were several options of where to go, and after a meeting up town, we popped into the local library. Joined the short queue, handed over our Easy Vote card, received the voting papers, and we were good to go.  Nice and simple, and over in five minutes.  And with voting early, we wont have to join the crowds next week.  Rather, we can sit back and watch the results roll in.

After doing our civic duty we had a rather mundane job to do – take our recycling to the Transfer Centre.  This is generally Robin’s job, but as he has been out of action for a while, I was the driver and we both helped with putting the bottles, cans, plastic and papers into their various slots.

Getting rid of the recycling

After a break for a while while Robin while recuperating after his knee replacement, he finally felt well and steady enough on his feet to cook the Sunday breakfast.  So tasty – we breakfasted on pork sausages, bacon, egg and tomatoes.  Well worth the wait, thanks Robin.

Sunday breakfast

We have an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon next week, and Robin is hoping his knee has improved enough to enable him to start driving again.  That will certainly make him feel better, and maybe we can go caravanning again soon too.

Back to Physio

At last, Robin is attending weekly physio, funded by the Health Department as part of his knee replacement surgery.  And getting to these classes has been a mission, as for whatever reason, his name was not on the list of attendees.  But it all worked out in the end, the paper work was sent to the Physio Department, we had an assessment meeting, and now he is attending on Monday mornings with the other recent knee replacement patients.

Week by week, he is getting more movement in the knee.  The Physio lady has some sort of protractor which measures the angle that the knee can bend, and there is a definite improvement there.  So after a set back or two, the pain on movement is slowly improving, and he is starting to feel a lot better in himself.

My job is to drive down to the Health Centre, walk with him to the Physio Department then leave him to it.  There is no need for me to be in there with him as he does the exercise circuit, and I don't think the other patients would like me there invading their privacy while they are also working out.  So I take myself to the café, and relax with a coffee and my book, making sure I’m back in time to collect him and drive back home.

Time for a coffee

Little by little his mobility is improving, although there is a way to go yet.  We have another  appointment with the surgeon in a few weeks time, and Robin’s next aim will be cleared to drive, fingers crossed.

It’s been a long week

The week started on Monday with RAT tests for both of us, plus blood tests for Robin.  His second knee replacement was happening on Tuesday, and a clear RAT test was required.  No trouble there, thank goodness.

All clear

The alarm clock was set on Tuesday morning for 5.00am, and we were out the door and driving at 6.00am to Palmy in the dark.  So many people were milling around the admissions desk when we arrived, we did wonder how far down the operating list Robin would be.  What we did find out was that there are four operating theatres in Crest Hospital, and Robin was first on his surgeon’s list that morning. 

Crest Hospital

Crest Hospital has contracts with the DHB to perform surgeries, which is helping to whittle down the public list, a great idea after Covid stopped elective surgery for some time.  Robin was shown to his room, extra forms filled in, the anesthetist came calling, and he was whisked away down the corridor just after 8.00am.  I departed for a coffee fix and to await the call that it was all over.  He was back in his room by midday, bright and perky.  Sadly it was a different story the next day, when he had a reaction to the pain pump, and was feeling rather seedy indeed.  But he still needed to get out of bed, move around a little, and get used to the crutches, once again. 

The menus at Crest are amazing, it was just a shame that he didn't feel well enough to enjoy his Filet Mignon when it was served.  He slowly came right and Friday was discharge day.  He managed to manoeuvre his leg into the small car and home we went.  All patients feel better at home, your own comfy chair and bed, Gemma there to check you out, maid service and home cooked meals, although Filet Mignon is not on the menu!

Home again, that didn't take long

There will be a stint of rehab needed to get that knee flexible again, a clearance to finally drive again, about 6-8 weeks we think, then life can get back to normal again.  In the meantime I will perform my duties as the nominated driver.

Doctors and Nurses

What a busy morning we had with the medical profession.  First, we had a 10.00am appointment at the hospital, and you can imagine the scarcity of parking at that time of day.  The car park was full to bursting with everyone attending a multitude of clinics, so round and round we drove.  Finally we spotted a spare car park, thank goodness for that. 

Found a car park at last

Inside the hospital it was a matter of masks on and follow the orange line on the floor.  This is what we want, Orthopedics.

After a bit of waiting around, Robin was whisked away for a couple of knee x-rays, then we sat and waited once more.  Finally we were ushered in to a consultation room and the surgeon breezed in.  The x-rays are fine, we were told, Robin’s previous knee replacement has healed well, and the surgeon could see the up-to-date state of the other knee.  Mmmm, that needs replacing too, we were told, probably get done in a few months time.  So that was great news all round.  One knee done,  one to go.

Leaving the hospital we went to find the Covid drop-in clinic we had only just found out about.  Giving our details we sat and waited our turn, and before we knew it, a friendly and very informative nurse took us into her room.  There she went over details, answered questions, and delivered the flu jab, followed by the Covid vaccine.  All done quickly and efficiently, and we hardly felt a thing.  Such excellent service indeed.

All done

With the medical business all taken care of, it was time for a late lunch.  Subway for a  change, we decided, as we pondered exactly what to order.  So we sat down at the tables, enjoyed our casual lunch, then headed for home.  After all, we have a caravan rally to go to when we get home.  Its a busy old day, all right.

This Week……..

I’m still the designated driver in the household while Robin is recovering from his knee replacement operation and we have been going on a few small trips around town this last week.  We were pleased that our local strawberries from “Shirley’s” are now available so drove down on Saturday to get some, the first of the season.  Two large punnets, one to eat now, and the other one Robin hulled, halved, and froze.  Shirley’s now has a “real fruit ice-cream” cart, so I’m sure we will buy one of these each next time we come calling.  So far we have enjoyed strawberries for breakfast with our cereal, and strawberries for dessert with jelly and whipped cream, and there are still plenty left in the punnet.

Strawberries from Shirley’s

On the way home we called in to check out a newly opened café for a coffee.  The place was buzzing, which was good to see and the owner was very happy with the support he was getting from the locals.  We tried coffee and a cake each, and looked through the menus for later – they serve breakfasts and lunch, so I’m sure we will be back.

Robin was the BBQ king on Saturday night, and cooked a rolled stuffed lamb shoulder, it was a good size so I’m guessing it was actually a hogget.  All that tasty stuffing was trying to escape!  There's nothing like a roast on the BBQ,  it smelt and tasted delicious. 

Mmm, roast lamb for dinner

The weekly physio sessions are ongoing, and Robin’s knee is continuing to show small gains each time with flexibility.  Then on Tuesday we attended out monthly Probus meeting, it’s been a while since we were last here with all the hospital/medical appointments.  The guest speaker was Simon Manning who talked about his role in managing the Funeral Disaster Response Team for the NZ Funeral Industry.  When natural or man-made disaster strikes, sometimes there are more fatalities than local resources can manage. Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams (DMORTs) support local mortuary services on location, working to quickly and accurately identify victims and reunite victims with their loved ones in a dignified, respectful manner.

Simon Manning

Following the 1979 Erebus air disaster in Antarctica which claimed 257 lives, Simon Manning helped establish a more structured disaster response for future fatal events.  This team was called in to help in disasters such as the Cave Creek disaster, the Christchurch Earthquake, the Mosque attacks, .and the White Island Eruption.

Simon Manning was made a Companion of the Queen's Service Order in the Queen's Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours list this year for services to funeral services and disaster victim identification.  This was such an interesting talk, and I’m sure non of us were aware of this very important group and the services they provide for the country when disaster strikes. 

Off to see Anna

It was a big morning for Robin today, the start of his physio sessions down at the local Health Centre.  He was a little apprehensive, as at the initial meeting last week, Anna the physio told him that he would be getting quite a strong work out on his knee.  This is a weekly class for knee replacement patients.

We were the first ones to arrive at the class, so I took the opportunity to take a photo of some of the equipment.  Instructions were on the wall by each piece of apparatus, reminding the patients of what to do, and how many repeats were needed.  As this was his first day, Robin was guided through each exercise by Anna to make sure he was doing them correctly.

A peek inside

As other men were also attending the class, I made my way to the café and let everyone get on with it.  The coffee was lovely and hot, and I savoured every sip.  Then I made my way back to the Physio waiting room for the session to finish.  One by one the other men completed their exercises and departed.  Robin was the last one there, as I peeked around the corner, walking up and down the wooden steps.  Then he climbed onto the small trampoline and walked on the spot – this was to mimic walking on uneven ground, we were told.

Last exercise of the morning

Anna was pleased with how things went on Robin’s first session, and the advice was to go home, put an ice pack on the knee, have a hot drink and relax.  Do the exercises during the week, he was told, and come back next Monday morning!  Fair enough, he can do that.  It may well be a bit painful, but it’s all for a good cause, to make that knee stronger and more flexible.

How many Staples?

Two weeks after Robin’s knee replacement, we drove to Aorangi Orthopedic Centre to get his stitches removed, or maybe they were staples, we weren't too sure what was hiding away under the bandage. 

Aorangi Orthopedic Centre

We were ushered into a treatment room, and the nurse helped Robin up on the bed.  Then the bandage and tape was peeled away.  It was staples securing the incision, I counted 30 of them.  Everything has healed well, no redness or, heaven forbid, infection, so that’s good to know.

Look at all those staples

The nurse set to with a handy little gadget and snip,snip, each staple was soon removed.  She didn't mind me taking photos, and I assured her she would remain incognito.  Then she sprayed the scar with some sort of artificial skin, which would help keep things clean and aid healing.

Snip, snip, soon done

The surgeon then arrived, confirmed that he was very pleased with how things were going, and we will be back to see him in six weeks time.  In the meantime he will be attending a six week exercise programme set up at the local medical centre and run  by physios.  Hopefully Robin’s mobility will be much improved the next time we return for the follow up appointment.  He certainly will be working hard to get better so that he can drive again, tow the caravan, and continue with our caravan adventures.