A sans caffeine day.

Nothing exciting happened today. But I do want to tell you that it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be if you are required to abstain from coffee for 24 hours. I did wake up early on purpose and made a coffee at 6 o’clock. Took it back to bed. Fell asleep and the coffee was cold when I woke up.

By the way – I mentioned a week ago that Anton turned up out of the blue. We’ve talked a bit about things but I think everything is on repeat viewing these days. It’s been one of those “Did I tell you maggie died.” and I’d say yes you did and he’d go “Arh yeah. I suppose I must have.” So nothing much happened. I went to Melbourne and he said he thought he might just stay here on his own. We’ve been good friends forever and there is no need for apologies or entertainment. Yesterday I took my car over to the garage to have a service and when I got back there was a note on the table, “Thanks Mate. See ya next time. Love Ant.”

Now two of you might be wondering about the Myocardial Perfusion Stress Test. I’ve been a bit off colour for the last twelve months and a battery of tests has revealed very little. I’ve no complaint with my doctor but I did wonder if a second opinion was warranted. I lived in Melbourne for five years about five years ago and I was very happy with my doctor, Michael, there. My local doctor wrote out a list of tests and results that I could show Michael.

The problem is, I have been a very fit healthy person all my life but in the last twelve months I have no energy, splitting headaches if I ever dare to sneeze, and a quite serious lack of breath if I exert myself. For example if I do a load of washing and take it outside I get half way through hanging it on the line and I have to come inside and sit down for a half hour.

Michael said he thought I should do a stress test. I had done one and showed him the result. He said it was a waste of time because I had stopped trudging up the moving slope too soon. I said I could not do it for any longer. So tomorrow’s stress test is different – apparently. Half an hour walking on the treadmill and half an hour resting. The an injection of some radioactive stuff and another half an hour and so on. Could take four or five hours.

One good thing is that because I am an old age pensioner it won’t cost me a penny. And another good thing is Bear and Tyabb don’t have the sense to worry about me anyway. All they worried about today was the gentle drizzling rain that stopped them going outside.

“Why can’t we just go out and get wet?” Bear asked. And for the hundredth time I explained about the kapok stuffing that keeps his round chubby belly in such good shape and how if it got too wet it could swell up and he would, as I said, ‘blow up and explode all over the house.’

So they sat like miserable, lonely, unloved Ursidae and looked outside and said rude things about the magpies. Note the flowers and trees reflected in the glass

See you later. I gotta get up early tomorrow.