Good Friday Return

We left last Sunday after midday after I picked some flowers round the traps and took them to the farm, which I'd normally do on the Monday. Lib is on holidays and I felt I owed it to her to go with her to Lakes if I could, and besides I don't really want to get into bad habits like not doing things together and living separate lives.

Being Sunday we had a roast lamb for dinner cooked in the little old oven in the Lakes house which for some reason always cooks a superb roast. It was good to lie in bed listening to the ocean breaking in the distance. I didn't sleep well, my painful shoulders have been bad lately and are worse at night, particularly my right arm which aches in the bicep and at the back of the arm as well as the the shoulder and it goes down to the forearm and wrist. I take variations of ibuprofen and panadeine at different times of the day and night but frankly the pain remains.

The main purpose for me to go to Lakes with Lib besides not being a party pooper was to do some work on the house. The house is 45 years old or more and is owned by Lib and her two sisters. It was gifted to them a long time ago by Bill and Molly well before they died but when their advancing age and the long distance from Wangaratta made the house on a steep hill with lots of stairs no longer practical as a holiday venue for them. Recently one of Lib's sisters has indicated she wants out and Lib and the other sis have decided to buy out her share and keep the house.

Over the last five years or so we have done some replacement and repair work to rotting timber and painting and there was major expense with the collapse of the big retaining wall behind the house which basically was paid for out of Molly's estate after she died.There's a lot of work necessary in the future including more timber replacement and inevitably a new roof as well as new windows and plumbing repairs, hot water service, new side fence which is falling down. I'm happy to go along with Lib and keep the house as she has been involved with it since she was about 15 years old and loves going down there... there's an emotional attachment to the house that links to her parents. Lib has worked hard all our married life and deserves my support to keep the house.

Monday was a bit of a write off as it rained but I managed to buy some things at the hardware store in preparation. Monday night was cold, my arms gave me buggery but Tuesday was good for working. Wednesday I was on the roof lying on my belly round the edges sanding the timber below the roof and then painting soft and bare patches with wood hardener and then a coat of paint. Gord was with us to help me thank goodness. We were due to come home on Thursday but because we missed a day with the rain we decided to stay an extra day after establishing that my friend Pat could water my pots  and cuttings at home for another day.

Wednesday night I had my third weekly injection of Abatacept and I don't know whether it was that or the red wine I dosed up on, but I had my best nights sleep in ages. I don't normally participate in alcohol Monday to including Thursday (as I have explained before alcohol and methotrextate do not sit well together and I take the MT on Monday nights) but I did this night as I was so exasperated that with all this medication and experimentation over two years I had actually been in more pain this last two weeks that I could recall over the period, the worst part being that it's now in my right arm which is the main factor in just about all the work I do, or even getting dressed.

Thursday I spent filling rotted timber holes with builders bog, these treated with wood restorer the day before and needed time to cure, and painting the rust spots on the roof and capping with rust converter. A coat of paint over the bog, then a second coat this morning. All this work is stop gap maintenance but it buys us time to do the major works down the track, bit by bit as we can. And I feel good having done it. I didn't get to walk on the beach or read my book but I could see the ocean and the fishing boats from the roof and it was as good as a holiday, not withstanding the pain factor which is there anyway what ever you do, be it trying to scratch your back or feed the dog or anything at all.

We drove back today with the heavy Easter traffic going the other way. It was a good drive back. My arm is pretty good even though I haven't had any pain tablets since two ibuprofen at 8am. I'm hopeful I'm only a few more injections and massages away from remission.

I had no wine yesterday or tonight so I look forward to a nice wine tomorrow night, with or without a Demon victory to celebrate.