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Suzy McHale’s Diary: 2014

Events of note this year: 4-day heatwave over 40°C, new car for Michele & Chris on 15/1; Dad had sinus cleanout surgery at Cabrini Hospital on 19/3; Joan Clifton died on 6/10; Michele had her gallbladder out on 25/10; new glasses for me and I managed to lose some weight for the first time in years.

January

Wednesday 15/1

Today is the second of a 4-day heatwave with Melbourne temperatures over 40°C. Everyone is miserable and semi-comatose from the heat, as one might imagine. I don’t have air conditioning in my bedroom and electricity is too expensive for AC to be used all day.

Michele and Chris bought a new family car, a Honda Odyssey, as their previous one has done over 200,000 km. Price is $37,990 according to that website, so I wonder where they got that amount of money, not being wealthy – perhaps took out a loan? Cars depreciate in value over time, unfortunately.

Another goldfish in the backyard pond died on Monday, a red-and-white one; there are only 3 or 4 left now, all light gold in color (two previously died, one in November just before Sasha was put to sleep). These are the last from the eggs laid by a previous group before those were eaten by a White-Faced Heron in the early 2000s or thereabouts – I saw it standing near the pond one day when looking out the back door. The first fish we had in the pond were two goldfish who lived many years and grew to a big size.

~ Ended 3:37 p.m.

July

Wednesday 2/7

Half the year gone already! Winter weather finally set in around June.

I had a heavy cold 2 weeks ago, and 1 week ago my right upper premolars began aching – mainly the 1st one; they have previously been trouble-free. I hope it is related to my cold (maybe sinuses?) as I really don’t want to go to the dentist again for a while or get any more fillings.

Mum and Dad went to Kyneton Bushland Resort again from Friday 30/5 to Friday 6/6, so I had an isolated week at home. No Joan Clifton to visit, so I am pretty much friendless.

Pastor Geoff Ryall is leaving Bentleigh-Korean Baptist Church later this year (retiring); he has been there for a few years. My parents only go sporadically, and are otherwise little involved; they seem to have mostly withdrawn from it. Perhaps the travesty with Pastor Mitch Achetraritei (who borrowed money from various Church members and lost it in gambling) back in 2004 disheartened them. The English part is dwindling as long-term members have left or died; it really hasn’t been the same since Pastor Peter Rutledge left (he died prematurely of skin cancer in the 2000s). BBC had its 120th anniversary back in 2004, so it would be a pity for it to fold – it’s been a part of my life since the 1980s, when we went to Church and the Youth Group, though my only involvement now is putting together the newsletter each week since 2004 (!).

In Australian news, the Liberal Government under Tony Abbott is the most mean-spirited and vicious yet, with a harsh Budget aimed at cutting much funding to nearly everything that makes Australia bearable to live in – welfare, public services, socialized health care and so on. Welfare recipients are in for a brutal time and are being unfairly demonized. A high immigration rate and population growth also means fierce competition for jobs, and thousands of jobs have been lost due to various industries closing.

I really should be on welfare myself – as I am very long-term unemployed (13 years this coming October – I left Safeway 26/10/2001) and probably unemployable as I have no skills and am in certainly no mental condition to cope with trying to get a job. I can’t tolerate retail again, especially not after my rectal prolapse surgeries. However I would not qualify under the current system, certainly not under this government, and trying to get it would be another ordeal.

I would really like to see the implementation of a Basic Income, but again not likely in the current climate. As far as I am concerned, a government’s first duty is to look after its citizens, and the current one is well and truly failing. I would not be unhappy if Tony Abbott and his minions met the same fate as Nicolae Ceaușescu or Muammar Gaddafi – namely, dragged away and shot.

August

Sunday 3/8

I went with Mum and Dad to a farewell lunch for Pastor Geoff at the RSL Bentleigh club; most others from Bentleigh Church were there. It was fairly enjoyable if rather late – I didn’t get lunch until 1:30 p.m. or so! The meals were the usual enormous servings (I had Chicken Parmagiana). (Dad also joined the RSL; he is eligible as he was in the RAF.)

I finally got another dental nightguard two Fridays ago; $400 (discounted from $450)! It is a full-coverage one; I hope it lasts a few years.

The weather has been very cold since Thursday, when a windy and mild 19°C day turned to 9°C as a violent cold front swept up from the south. Friday was very cold with snow outside Melbourne in towns such as Ballarat. A short but violent storm cell passed over the south-east around 7:15 p.m. Friday evening, leaving the ground almost ankle-deep in hail.

~ Ended 3:52 p.m.

September

Saturday 20/9

Mum and Dad spent last week (Friday 12-Friday 19) at Kyneton Bushland Resort again so I had another rather lonely week at home. I went to Southland Shopping Centre on Saturday and Tuesday (walked there and took the 822 bus home), to the City on Monday to see an exhibition of Samurai armor at the National Gallery of Victoria, and to Chadstone Shopping Centre on Thursday (took the 822 bus there and back) – I saw Uncle Brian at Chadstone; he goes there frequently. I also had a migraine on Monday morning – headache overnight in my left temple and behind my eye, then nausea and vomiting and felt better afterward; the same pattern I have had previously: 16/9/2008 (during preparation for surgery) and on 21/5/2009, also during fasting for surgery, and the first recorded one in August 2002.

My upper right incisor has been mysteriously sore since Thursday; it is visually fine and I have not knocked and injured it so I don’t know what triggered it. Perhaps my mouthguard was squeezing it a bit, though I have been wearing it for 2 months without problems. Or perhaps some sort of nerve reaction again; I seem to have facial and tooth soreness quite often (though I am not grinding at night that I know of). Last week I opened my mouth awkwardly when half-asleep in bed and my misaligned left jaw joint was sore for a day or so.

~ Ended 6:18 p.m.

Tuesday 30/9

Very windy today, with gale-force winds, so more trees down, unfortunately :-(.

I am getting another replacement nightguard as my new one developed cracks at the ends! I have only had it for less than 2 months, so there is no replacement fee. The replacement will be slightly different and harder, with thicker ends. I had to get new molds done at the dentist today in Southland, and I won’t get the new one until next week.

~ Ended 3:31 p.m.

October

Monday 6/10

Tanya rang Dad this morning to say that Joan Clifton had died earlier this morning, in her sleep :-(. She had not even been in the nursing home in Perth for even a year. The last time I saw her in person was in 2013 on October, Friday 11; I visited her with Mum and Dad at Kingston Rehabilitation Centre before she was flown to Perth with her niece Tania on the 14th, initially to stay in the Edgewater Mercy Hostel, then possibly to Kimberly Residential Aged Care (I don’t know the exact address). I had not contacted her since as her deterioration was rapid. She was 82, to turn 83 on 26 January 2015.

~ Ended 6:38 p.m.

Wednesday 8/10

I had to go for another bite impression at the dentist yesterday, so my mouthguard is to be picked up next Tuesday.

Joan’s obituary appeared in today’s Herald-Sun:

Obituary of Joan Clifton
CLIFTON

– Dorothy Joan.
Passed away peacefully
Oct. 6, 2014
Aged 82

In Perth, formerly of Moorabbin. Sister to Maitland and Betty (both dec.).

Special friend to Joyce (dec.).

I have so many special memories of all the times we spent together in Melbourne and Perth.

Resting with her Lord

– Your loving niece, Tanya.

Tuesday 14/10

I collected my new mouthguard today at the dentist; it needed a bit of adjusting. It is a hard one, rather than the softer one of the original. The mouthguard is under warranty for 1 year. I seem to be clenching my teeth at night again as I have caught myself doing this when half-awake, and my jaw is sore. It is frustrating as there seems to be little that can be done to stop this.

~ Ended 3:49 p.m.

Friday 17/10

Joan Clifton’s obituary as printed in this coming Sunday’s (19/10) newsletter:

From Janine Rutledge

I went to Joan’s funeral yesterday. It was at Karrakatta in Nedlands and the service was held in the same chapel where we had Peter’s funeral (I realised it looked familiar when I walked in). That day back in March 2003 was so challenging for me that I only have very fragmented memories of it. Yesterday was different. It was 35C in the shade and a very peaceful farewell. There were family and a number of lades who had either trained as nurses with Joan back in the day or were with her in Malawi. The minister knew her 65 years ago in South Perth ( which was lovely). Tanya read an edited eulogy ( previously prepared by Joan) and also the Bentleigh tribute. There was a chance for guests to speak and so I did – I recalled my memories beginning way back in 1985 at Bentleigh. The themes evident throughout the service were saving grace and Joan’s faith. It was a special time.

When it finished I walked throughout the fabulous rose gardens to mum’s grave.

~ Ended 6:01 p.m.

Saturday 25/10

Dad just informed me that Michele has to undergo gallbladder surgery to remove a gallstone. From a quick read of the Wikipedia page, I would guess it is a cholesterol stone due to all the fatty food she has been eating for a few years, and consequent weight gain. Hopefully this will be a wake-up call! The surgery seems to be fairly routine, though diet may need to be altered somewhat afterwards to restrict the amount of fat (the gallbladder assists in the digestion of fat). She has been in surgery before – she had a tubal ligation done after the birth of Trinity.

She emailed Dad to tell him, and he told me, but Mum has not been informed as she will worry and fret incessantly (to the exasperation of everyone else).

~ Ended 1:38 p.m.

Tuesday 28/10

Michele came through the surgery OK yesterday; she was discharged from hospital today, even though it was a private one. Mum now knows of her surgery.

~ Ended 4:03 p.m.

November

Sunday 9/11

My 44th birthday today. My main present is a new pair of glasses, though they won’t be ready until later this week. I had a difficult time choosing between two particular frames; whatever I chose, I will wish I had chosen the other (some “buyer’s regret” there, which I tend to experience a lot). The last time I got new frames and lenses was in 2009.

There was a farewell Church lunch today at the RSL for Rob and Jan Bell, who are moving away to 43 Cornfield Grove, Box Hill South 3128 (previously resided for decades at 27 Hillston Road Moorabbin). Rob had been going to Bentleigh Baptist Church since he was 12, so that is more long-term members gone. I went to the lunch as well, so that served as my birthday outing.

~ Ended 2:22 p.m.

Thursday 13/11

I am still ambivalent about my new glasses; I wish there were a money-back or replacement guarantee for a period of time if I were not happy with the frames (the prescription is fine).

Dad is also a member of Bentleigh Baptist Church again – from the Newsletter:

~ Ended 3:38 p.m.

Wednesday 26/11

I ended up getting the glasses replaced for the purple frames I had originally decided upon – unfortunately it cost an extra $90. The lenses’ depth were a little too shallow on the blue frames (25 mm) and cut across my vision when looking down, which was annoying. The purple frames are better (~ 30 mm), though maybe the bridge is a little too narrow (16 mm – see my Glasses page). There wasn’t much other choice in that range though. The place we have been to since my teenage years is Family Eyecare in Bentleigh.

Teeth yet again – I am worried there is decay around or in front of the first filling I got back in 2007 in my lower right 2nd molar (see Teeth page); the fissure in front of it is dark. The filling will be 8 years old next January; the composite fillings don’t usually last as long as the amalgram, though less tooth material is removed in filling the former. Mum has spent too much on me already this year, though. I wish the Denticare scheme as proposed by the Australian Greens were in place; it would save a bit of money.

State Elections happen this coming Saturday. I really hope the Liberals don’t get back in, but the results could go either way. I will put the Liberals last as usual, and either Greens or Labor first.

The old lemon tree in our backyard, which was there when Mum and Dad moved in and is decades old, has an infestation of what looks like Citrus Gall Wasp and is dying back. Dad has cut some branches off already; it is a shadow of what it was last year. There is a chance it could regenerate if cut back – one that used to be in the front yard of Gran’s demolished home was cut right back and eventually regenerated.

~ Ended 3:33 p.m.

Sunday 30/11

I made a dentist appointment last Friday as the molar (lower right 2nd molar) has been aching constantly, a low-level ache. I couldn’t get in until next Friday, though. I have an unpleasant feeling this really is a cavity this time.

Looking back at my life history page, there were large gaps between dentist visits in the early 2000s:

Tuesday 31/12/2002: Visited a dentist for the first time in several years! My teeth needed cleaning, but were otherwise okay (no holes). The dentist was at Southland.

I did not see one again until 2007, again at Southland, where I got my first filling (in the tooth that is troubling me now). My childhood dentist, Dr Hurse, retired in the late 1990s, so I put off finding one until 2002. As I did not have any fillings then, I got complacent – but am paying for it now (or my parents are). The expense is especially unwelcome as I have no income or savings, so it is coming at a bad time.

I am not entirely happy with the purple glasses either; at 16 mm the bridge is a millimeter or two too narrow (my previous ones were 18 mm), but I can’t change them again. It is frustrating as discomforts usually don’t emerge until I have worn an item for a day or two. My right ear is a little higher than my left, so they tilt slightly on my face.

Hot today; around 34°C, to add to my discomfort.

On a happier note, Labor won the Victorian State election, though vote counting has not yet finished; the Liberals conceded defeat. I voted 1. Greens, 2. Labor [insert a whole lot of other parties], and Liberals last. I went with Mum and Dad to the polling station at East Bentleigh Primary School, after our almost-daily visit to Southland.

Some not very happy anniversaries:

I really wish I had kept my old handwritten journals from the 1980s and 1990s, but I destroyed them in the early 2000s. I get into moods where I want to purge things, but I sometimes regret this later, as I now have no record of my thoughts back then. All I have is this computer journal. I suppose I should print it out sometime, but there would be a lot of pages to do.

~ Ended 4:21 p.m.

December

Monday 1/12

I managed to get a dentist appointment this morning (with Dr Gordon Shinewell at Southland Dental, whom I last saw in 2010) as the aching had got rather severe (in lower right jaw). But, after a thorough visual exam and x-ray, he could find nothing specific – no abscess or decay under the fillings there (one in each molar). He looked at my bite and determined the top teeth were not meeting evenly with the lower molars, putting pressure on the latter. The only solutions are orthodontic braces (unaffordable, and an ordeal in themselves) or to grind my upper teeth down a little. I already wear a nightguard, so this prevents me clenching. I decided to leave things be for now, but am frustrated at this awful pain (dull aching and the unpleasant sensation of an exposed nerve) that keeps recurring – it is what ruined Christmas last year (28/12/2013 entry) – but I can’t distinguish between that and an actual cavity toothache. At least no more fillings yet.

Saturday 20/12

Christmas Day is next Thursday. Hopefully it will be better than last year? Though the day is still a bit depressing as most family members who were there when I was young are either dead or live far away.

Dad has a collection of The Bentleigh Baptist Church Diary from 1989 to 1996, which look to be inherited from Joan. The Diaries have some Church history, news and various profiles, including one of Dad in the December 1991 issue. The Church was quite different and more active then, with many more people. But it began to go into decline when the-then Pastor, Peter Rutledge, left in 1996 (and he sadly died of skin cancer in 2005), and many of the long-term older members left or died. Younger people just aren’t as interested.

A curious note is that the BBC was at one time located at 113 Tucker Road, not far northwards of my parents’ home! This was begun in 1884. It later moved to its present-day location of 10 Vickery Street, Bentleigh, and there are some apartments in the previous location.

~ Ended 3:35 p.m.

Thursday 25/12

Christmas Day this year was better than last year’s; I made a conscious effort to stay in a good mood. It was the usual quiet day with Mum & Dad and a roasted lunch. The neighbors on our south side (number 91) are having relatives over and their kids are enjoying themselves, at least – what my family was doing 30 years ago.

I received a Wacom Intuos pen & touch digital tablet, though in the medium size rather than the small size I was expecting, which was a nice surprise! Dad apparently bought the small size initially, but went back and exchanged it (at BCC Computers in Southland). The small size has a drawing area half the size of the Manhattan tablet I had been using since 2009 (it was also a Christmas present), and would be rather cramped. I installed it today and just did some doodling; drawing with the Wacom feels so much better than the cheaper generic brand. The Manhattan was a reasonably good beginner’s tablet, but it skipped and jumped when I tried to do freehand drawing, so it was frustrating to use.

~ Ended 6:23 p.m.

Wednesday 31/12

Another year gone with little to show for it. At least I managed to lose some weight, though this wasn’t initially deliberate.

Parents are showing notable signs of old age in various aspects, and I am noticing physical aging signs in myself: grey hairs, loss of muscle tone, wrinkles a little more pronounced, skin no longer has youthful sheen.

~ Ended 6:21 p.m.