Oh the moaning...

Pollyanna tendencies aside, this has been a bit of a stressful week so far.

Friday my eye was full of a big red lump that had been insidiously growing since the surgery and was now too large to ignore. One quick visit to the lovely (seriously, he's a lovely man) optometrist and Jon, the boys and I were in the car on the way to East London, where the equally lovely opthalmologist agreed it wasn't much cop and, after dropping two drops of local into my eye, proceeded to cut the lump out. While I sat there, keeping my eye open totally without help. No strapping it open or anything. Luckily he moved so fast (and I only felt twinges of pain on the last two cuts) that I only got a bit shaky about it afterwards. Hopefully this has solved the problem. If, however, the granulated lump recurs, I'll have to have further full-on surgery. Holding thumbs it doesn't bloody come to that...!

Jon was a star, driving for around 6 hours, and the boys were stars too, sitting in their seats in the back for all that time. We had a quick look at my old school, and I showed Jon the two houses where I lived as a child.

The other exhausting thing about this week so far has been the migraines. The auras started on Thursday, and there's one most days. The bloody things build up, so that yesterday's one left a really nasty, sick headache in its wake. Thank heavens for Mici, who came round with anti-nausea pills and company to take my mind off the pain. And how wonderful that she thought to check with a pharmacist first, to make sure the anti-nausea medication could be taken with the codeine based pills I had already had!

Then last night we were fast asleep at 0130 when Nicky came in, climbed onto me and wee'd, hugely. The ensuing clean up and change took ages, was loud and woke up James into the bargain. So we ended up again with Nicky (a terribly restless sleeper) next to me and Jon in the little bed with Jamie. The upshot is that sleep since about 0200 has been a little fractured, and Jon and I have snapped at each other at least once this morning, and I've yelled at the boys at least twice, and it's only just 0700. We've all got colds and chesty coughs too. Oh, the joy of spring!

Now it's time to make dippy eggs and soldiers and fight off James, who wants me to read Richard Scarry just as the breakfast and school run kicks off. I need a clone, really.

make that two clones - one a mere vegetable growing me a replacement eye, just in case. Yuck. I know.

Update

I'm not very good with this journalling lark, I've realised. I have LJ, a blogspot diary, a mailing list of friends and family and a Facebook account, and I seem congenitally unable to keep it all updated! Perhaps bullet points is the way to go...


1. Returned from a good but very busy week back in Durban. Managed to get Nicky's 18 month booster shots done. Rather relieved at this as he is, in fact, 25 months old and I had no idea he hadn't been boosted months ago. Thank heavens for the good records kept by his primary care nurse.

2. Managed to see my gynae. 'Nuff said. Except that he was very vocal on how Zuma's NHS plans are going to completely finish any semblance of decent healthcare in this country, which was scary. He reckons we have five to eight years before the collapse is final, however, which is a Good Thing, as we just bought a house and all and all. I am still not thrilled by the prospect of returning to the UK (our other home country) in the midst of a recession. Not to mention that they appear to have decided to introduce Big Brother style government on a scale which no doubt has Orwell rotating in his grave. What is up with that anyway??

3. Saw Kerryn, which was lovely, and ate Sprigs baked cheesecake on a chocolate brownie base, which was damn near orgasmic.

4. Got flu. Lovely Dr Pretorius couldn't be sure it it was swine flu or not, but recommended I not play rugby while suffering. I agreed to hold off on any urge to pick up a ball and run with it. Not hard, as I've never knowingly exercised voluntarily in my life. Left doctors surgery with a warm feeling - it's nice to be told your practice misses you :)

5. Worried about James and Jonathan getting tonsilitis. Due to family issues with strep, we now have to watch Jon like a hawk for possible signs of rheumatic fever recurrence. Praying no such signs are spotted in the next week or so, as we should then be out of the woods.

6. Shopped for clothes!! Bought lots and lots of lovely new things, and decided that, regardless of the fact that am now on a diet, needed to look good while dieting, so bought in the size most comfortable. After all, what else are belts for?

7. Indulged in huge bunches of jasmine everywhere. I love love love jasmine season.

8. Drove home (as a passenger) for 11.5 hours through Kwazulu-Natal, the old Transkei and the Eastern Cape, with two small boys in the back. Who were remarkably well behaved. And, we found, if you break the journey into two hour stages, you find the "are we in XXX yet?" questions far easier to deal with, as the name changes regularly.

9. Arrived back in Grahamstown and was gratified to find that we all felt strongly as though we were Home. After only five months of living here, we are really all settled and happy. It's a good feeling :D

10. Had three days of battering out some freelance assignments while flailing my arms wildly at assorted small boys yelling fruitlessly "I'm WORKING! I'll get you a hot chocolate/play Lego/put Mary Poppins on/find you the sticky tape LATER!"

11. Had eye surgery, just yesterday. Pterygium in right eye excised. leading to many family jokes about pterodactyls in my eye, and much excitement for the small boys have a "pirate!" for a mommy! I've already taken the patch off, however, and am alternating between opening and closing my eye while wearing my Good Sunglasses.

Whew... pretty much updated! And as soon as I get a moment I need to reboot this blog (after all, I don't think we're in Assagay anymore, Toto) and start posting more regularly. As soon as my eye is back to normal - see you then :)