Too Loud to Blog

I am staying with my octogenarian parents in the sleepy town of Victor Harbor. 

Yes, I made the nine-hour drive yesterday with few problems. It seems that Ritalin is excellent for keeping your focus. I loved that bit. What's not so great is keeping hydrated and managing a middle-aged woman's bladder issues. The two things appear to be mutually exclusive. You see, I have a set route and set stops. From Melbourne, I stop at Beaufort, then Horsham, after than I make a petrol stop at Bordertown, then another quick stop at Tailem Bend, then I wend my way over to Victor Harbor through towns like Strathalbyn, Currency Creek, Goolwa then the straight run to Mum's place in Encounter Bay. 

At each and every stop, for the fifteen minutes before each stop, I was busting to the point of huge discomfort. 

But what can you do? More frequent stops? There aren't that many stops between Melbourne and Adelaide. Use truck stops? Only if there are open, functioning toilets, which are normally rank and infested with huntsman spiders. Go squat down a side road - I was brought up better than that. Get a catheter. Nope.  Use bladder leakage pads. Umm, yes. For these trips, they're a good idea. But it's not fun being that desperate for a wee. Talking to my step-sister, I'm told it's a common thing. When you gotta go, you gotta go. Joys of getting older and all that. 

On the good side of things, despite being rather hot, as I was approaching the border, I saw what looked like an angel in the sky. It was only a cloud / smoke formation, but I see this as a good omen. 

This is a stock image, but it was similar to this - very striking. 

Anyway, Lucifer and I made it to Victor, and now we're staying with Mum and my step-dad. 

I try to be a good houseguest. Lucifer is incarcerated in my room - which is fine as he and Mum's cat, Bart, don't get on at all. Mum and I also run things differently. I'm messy - aways have been. It's me. Nothing I can do about it. Mum, on the other hand, is a bit OCD. You ought to see her cutlery drawer. Far, far, far too neat - spoons all stacked nicely on their sides. Yeah. We don't do things the same at all. 

I went for a swim in the Encounter Lakes lagoon this morning. That was really lovely. If I was with somebody I would have gone for a longer swim around the lagoon, but being on my own, I felt safer swimming out a bit and coming back again. It was nice, regardless. If I was with somebody I'd consider going for a longer freestyle swim. At least the water is cool and calm. And there are no sharks. 

And now I'm sitting here watching Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom with my folks. I have my loop earplugs in. They have the telly on waaaaaaaay too loud. The earplugs are helping tone things down a bit. I can't hear myself think at last.

I believe this is what we have in store in later life. Or maybe, hopefully, I've looked after my hearing a little better than my folks. 

At least my folks are doing well. They've slowed down a lot, but that's what happens in your eighties. Mum loves her Arnott's cookbook - we're making a Scotch Finger Macaroon cake to take along to a New Year's Eve event. Odds on I'll be the designated driver.

Home, eh!

Today's song: