no, not fleas

Thursday 30th: i wake up and ask deb to look. do i have fleas running riot on my scalp? no. but i do have sunburn.

i have three cloth hats which look the same but two are cotton and one is polyester. turns out that that last one has SPF rating of zero.

i spend today with burning itching scalp and ears. lucky the weather has been cool.

we pack up and leave our karri hill cottage. we're sorry to leave.

first stop is pemberton bakery for drink and muffin.

there are several doors with signs, this is *not* a toilet. i appreciate clear signs like that.

next stop is Alexandra Bridge, a large camping caravan and picnic area. on the blackwood river. at a large pool, suitable for boating, swimming, fishing etc. we are there for the toilets.

it's a pleasant area though there are some noisy people not us and a generator.

we drive on to Augusta.

we're in riverscape cottages #3.

it's only midday, we go to colourpatch cafe for lunch. beautiful view over the river. delicious, fancy minimalist food, I'll need to fill up with bread for dinner.

we walk along the river beach for 30 or 40 minutes.

it's warm worth a strong cool wind. i embarrass deb by taking off my shirt, not for long, i still itch with sunburn.

back at our cottage. deb walks to the end of the road, it reaches the river. just ten minutes.

now... we do nothing.

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper 
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

northcliffe and pemberton

we start the day with a walk. out the front door of our cottage, across the paddock and we are on the munda bidi. which soon connects with the bibb track.

we walk the track through forest, mostly karri. just a few wildflowers still looking pretty.

we reach Shafers Hut on the bibb. there's a very large pool of water, safe for swimming near the edge, we keep out. it looks tempting but i don't swim.

we follow the track a bit further, to a solid gate. it's easy to pass but we have walked enough, we turn back.

we see a few small birds flitting around. some birds are calling in the bush.one sings a few notes, another just chirps. it's all very pleasant.

look ahead, on the track, i whisper to deb, it's an emu. he jogs away, no rush, legs pacing, body swaying side to side. we love it.

back at our cottage. we've walked about 45 minutes. slowly, still tiring. the day is cool but muggy. now we relax.

we drive to the pemberton pub for lunch, a hearty meal.

we visit The Cascades. there's water flowing but not much. call it the cascade, forget the last s.

we drive on to northcliffe.

there is not much here... lucky we are not looking for lunch, we don't see even a cafe. there's a general store, we buy drinks for now and chocolate for this evening. we buy the daily paper. deb says that i don't want to read the news (the usual misery and stupidity, i guess) so i don't

back at the cottage.

the owner drops by to say hello. doesn't stay too long. after our attempt to follow her directions to find the courage, i let deb do the talking, deb is polite.

i do the crossword from the paper, manage to finish even without having internet for cheating.

another good day, done.

 

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

back to old tech

I think that this is how it used to work: I type a post, press send, the post sits in the outbox until we get back to internet. i hope it still works. i won't know till we're home again.

I tried that on the laptop, the one with a decent keyboard, the post just... disappeared.So, back to the ancient android. fingers crossed.

And then there's the gps navigation tech.Total fall. enough said.

 Tuesday:

we check or of the luxury hotel in Katanning. It's very nice. a great experience.we're glad we stayed there. not glad enough to want another night.

it takes all day to get to our next place.

We start with a visit to Lake Unpronounceable, it ends with martup. What a beautiful spot. an enormous lake, probably quite shallow. good for swimming,boating, bird watching. absolutely peaceful. we enjoy some peace and quiet then head back to town.

we get diesel for the truck, ice for the esky. we even find a few caches. then we drive to Kojonup. where we stop at another favourite cafe, the black cockatoo. we like our holidays to go from cafe to cafe. we snack and buy sandwiches for lunch.

when the GPS tells us to make a U turn we stop for a picnic lunch. Middle of nowhere. perfect weather. not another person in sight. just us and the flies.

The rest of the afternoon is spent finding our cottage.

Bell Cottage, one of karri hill cottages.

The written directions are rubbish.no internet for G Maps. the no-internet gps fails. after a few false turns... we get here.it is worth the effort. a simple cottage.surrounded by paddocks and bush. i first heard of it as a stop for Bibb Track walkers. better than a tent :-)

we had a vague plan of going to a nearby pub for dinner. no way will we drive any further.not with the sun setting.

we settle in, have crackers and cheese for dinner. relax.

some other highlights...

we looked at the kobeelya mansion in Kat, we looked only outside. looks impressive, very nice.

the road to here is through lots of bush with spectacular trees,very pleasant,easy driving but a long day. this location makes it worthwhile.

despite one cache which we failed to find. others were in interesting places. or, at least, found.

now I'll send. and hope that it will actually send when we get internet again.

oh... this cottage does have phone internet -- if we stand outside on the verandah.

 

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

picnic

GPS says

do a U turn do we stop for a picnic

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...

===

If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone is not thinking.

Katanning

We set off just after 11am. Have a relaxed drive to Williams. To yet another favourite place, the Woolshed, for lunch. Very pleasant.

But before we even set off I have a thought... I add some geocaches to the old device which is still the simplest way of finding caches. Not that we plan to go caching but now we're prepared.

Speaking of old devices... This post is being typed on the 10 year old tablet. It's slow, it's limited, it works. At least, it works so far :-)

From Williams we drive to Wagin. It's a beautiful drive. Rolling hills, farms either side. Mostly golden brown paddocks of a crop, perhaps wheat, which looks as though it's about ready to harvest. We pass one lake, very large, probably shallow.

We're using the Hema to navigate. No idea how it's meant to work, we convince it to guide us to the Katanning hospital, at least that's in the right town.

But first we visit Wagin. No, the Hema won't guide us to Wagin but it will take us to Wagin Historic Village. We've never heard of it so... worth a visit.

In fact... it's fascinating.

A lot of it is new but built in old style eg some wattle and daub huts. Some are old originals moved and rebuilt. One new building built from bricks from an old building.

All full ofhistoric goods from local farms etc.

An enormous amount of work, mostly by local volunteers.Amazing. I'm glad we found it.

Then on to Katanning.

We're at the Premier Mill Hotel. All very flash and modern. Push button light controls, Deb helps me get them working. There's a boiling water tap for tea, even Deb has trouble. Oh, it doesn't work.

Between us we manage to get a light on in the bathroom.

Ah, technology :-)

The room is very comfortable.

We go downstairs for dinner, to the Dome cafe. Tasty ribs.

I get us some water, manage to knock mine onto the floor... someone comes to mop it up, seems the water is dripping into the bar on the floor below. oops.

We get coffee and a chocolate for dessert in our room.

And it's time to relax. Phew :-)

Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper

Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

Pinnacles fun run.

Friday, we drive to Cervantes. Why? Well, it's a peaceful pleasant spot and...

Saturday we do a fun run through the Pinnacles. 5km through the Nambung national park. The wind is blowing, I think it always blows here. The run organisers lost a marquee or two, blown into the bush.

The sand is blowing. I keep my eyes and mouth closed, still, I'm soon chewing grit.

Deb sets the pace, I push to keep her in sight, Deb looks back occasionally, she expects me to get lost. But no worries, not today.

The run is hard work, through an interesting place. We enjoy it.

Back to the Pinnacles Motel in Cervantes, where we rest and recover.

We eat lunch at The Lobster Shack. Crowded, busy, efficient, pleasant.

We share a $30 crayfish (or, okay, lobster) in a bun. It's nice though not something we long for. But an essential part of the Cervantes experience.

We walk a couple of km at Thirsty Point. Enjoyable despite the howling wind. Then go to Seashells Cafe for icecream (Deb) and iced coffee (me).

There's an art trail round town. I add a couple of murals to a pwMapApp "map".

Now we're back in our motel room. Ready to relax till it's time for dinner.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

===

Whoever said "fighting never solves anything" obviously never won a fight

Dying for you to read my blog :-)

a dream that works

It's quite easy to write about physical symptoms. Especially since mine are quite minor. And most can be blamed on age and sloth :-)

Waiting for the last scan results I am... positive. So positive that I tell myself to stop thinking. I prefer to have no expectations, neither good nor bad.

Less easy, a bit embarrassing, to admit to depression. I have times when I am just miserable. Nothing to do with cancer, either. Cancer is icing on the cake.

How difficult is it to write about depression? It's taken me 2 or 3 weeks just to start. And I only start now that I feel I am in control again.

Yet for the last month I have days on end when I am just miserable. Depressed. Sometimes I snap at Deb and that makes me feel even worse. I am trying to even out my mood. To at least stop worrying Deb.

And now...

Last night I dream. I pull out a dagger and wave it round in a threatening manner. The dagger is inspired by a book I'm reading. The dream adds a clear message...

I have times of miserable thoughts that won't go away. So I do as the dream suggests -- I imagine I'm holding a dagger, wave the dagger at the depressing thoughts... and scare them away.

It works! The depression is still there but in the background. I am able to enjoy the here and now.

I may have to write a book, "Solving problems with ideas from dreams". I'm amazed that it works. I'm even more amazed that the idea comes in a dream.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

===

Whoever said "fighting never solves anything" obviously never won a fight

Dying for you to read my blog :-)