A rather long update for those interested!

[Guest guest]

Hello Everyone.

I am so ashamed of myself for not being able to keep up with my emails and

all of you. It seems the only time I get on lately is when there is bad

weather and I have bad stuff to tell you.

But first ..... Welcome to all the new people to the list. I hastily ran

through the 1200 odd messages that I had and I saw there were a few new

members. Happy Birthday to everyone whose Birthdays I have missed. I

sincerely hope that you all had wonderful and special days. And I am

certain that there would have been more than a few operations in the family,

while I have been so tied up in projects! I mean.... I could hope that

there hasn't... but... <weak smile> I'd wager there has.... I still

pray, in my own way, each evening, that you are all coping with, whatever

life is dishing out to you, at this very moment, and that your pain is

within

the control of medications.

Has it really only been a month, since I emailed last to the list?? It

feels like a

year.

I am still as busy as, though and I still have about 8 or so projects to get

done.

Did I tell everyone that Mike (my hubbie) had another MS episode? Hmmmm.

He had a month off, but did try to go back to work.... His bosses made it so

difficult for him, he has been forced to leave now! The pressure is pretty

much on me

now, to make this place pay for itself. Not that that wasn't going to be

the

case anyway!! There have been a few hiccups though.... With advertising and

money.... So... I am fixing up my website to include the property. That is

when I

am not outside doing something.

The weather down here in downunderland, is still very hot and humid. And

the

rain that we've had is enough, that I now have the Amazon jungle in my

backyard!! (minus the aligators and river..... I think?!?!?) I am sure I

will start

seeing Jaguars anyday now!!! LOL.

Between the weather and the weeds.... it makes some of my work during the

day, impossible. There are still plenty of things for me to do

outside.....like getting

gardens ready for planting or sorting out the craft shed for when I have

time to do

some of those folk art projects I would LIKE to do.....but the bulk of the

work

I HAVE to do is out in the paddock, and I only have a window of opportunity

of about 4 hours per day to get some really big things done.

Of course it doesn't help when you don't have the right equipment or that

equipment blows up, and you end up doing almost everything (including

cutting

weeds and grass) by hand!!!

I have been doing really well in the joint department until the other day.

Now ...

I didn't have any problems, while I was moving 400 odd tyres.... or belting

30

starposts into the ground... or stringing wire through the star posts... Or

sawing

down trees..... NOOoooooo. I dislocated the elbow Swimming at a friends

Birthday party. And I have been having some horrible problems since. I

think I

am heading into one of those nasty down cycles that I have ......where

everything

goes wrong all at once...... only this time..... I can't afford to stop and

rest.....

regardless of whether y inner Divine, is screaming at me to SLOW DOWN!!!!

(Which I think this is what it is all about.)

My ankle is giving me hell, but I can't strap it, as the skin tears. So I

am at a loss. It feels like the archilles heel is being stripped off the

bone, on the outside blade of my foot. My boots seem to have gone missing,

so I have no really supportive shoes either! <frown> Mind you they were

essential

to me being able to ride comfortably too. <Grrrrrrr> I haven't tried riding

without

them yet. That should be interesting!! I can't afford to invest in another

pair

until we have some bills out of the way. (All the bills from the old house

and this

new house all hit at once!!) All the little bones in my feet seem to be

moving around

a lot too. It feels really horrible and scares me.... but so far it doesn't

actually hurt...

except up in the ankle.

I have to be careful how I tie my shoelaces up..... else I pop the elbow.

<frown>

It is really loose. Usually the day after I pop it I can't touch my head or

back of

my neck.... but the very next morning I had full range of movement.... in

fact... too

much range of movement!! I am back in the elbow brace pretty much full

time,

for the time being, (I was doing really well without it for so long, and I

was so

proud of myself!) and in this heat, that means lots of little blisters and

plenty of

pain in the shoulder blade that wings out, because of the braces weight!

ARRGGGHHH

Arthur Ritis, has decided to take me by the hands (fingers) and lead me on a

not-so-merry jaunt, around the place. He arrives in the morning and sneaks

out when I am sleeping, only to come back, in the morning again. Anyone

know

how to evict this mongrel!?!? Every joint in every finger hurts most of the

time now.

<Frown>

I have also discovered a problem that I wasn't aware of before. There are

bones in

my wrist that aren't particularly stable (Like anything in my body IS!!!)

When I pick up

weighty objects sometimes... I can feel these bones move, and you know

what!?!?

ITS PAINFUL. They don't stay out of place.... but I am wondering.... how

long before

they start to stay out of place and give me real curry!?!?

Oh .... and I have decided I really don't particularly like Pinecones. I

have to watch where I walk all the time, because there is a constant threat

of stepping on a pinecone and popping the old kneecap. <Smile> This has

happened a few times. Yukko.

I had to find a new home for the Belgian Shepard. He wouldn't stop

attacking the animals. Including and especially the horses. Now.... I

don't consider myself an expert by any means, but I have trained a few dogs

in my time and this fellow was really thick! He just wouldn't be in

learning that horses kick and are not to be messed with. Shadow attacked

Sha'rae, several times. Sha'rae is very quick on her feet, being a Quarter

horse, who has done barrel racing, but an older horse, slow fat pony, a foal

or a goat (which I intend to get) would have been a goner for sure. Sha'rae

kicked Shadow twice in the shoulder and once in the chest and it didn't

phase him. He still continued his attacks after a brief rest to catch his

breath. So I had to keep him on a chain ALL the time. To prevent him from

sailing over the fences and into the paddocks. That is how intent he was!!!

So.... I am back to square one. I have to find a Large breed Puppy and

train it from scratch!! There just isn't anyway to take shortcuts.... is

there???

What else can I tell you. has started High School and has

started her new school. They are both loving their new schools and I am

pleased to have them back at school, so that I can get more work done

outside without interruptions.

Well... Thats it for now. <Smile> You are probably sick of seeing my

cyber-babble.

I Love you all my second family members. And I hope I get all this work

done soon, so that I can spare some more time in here. <Smile> In the

meantime..... please believe me that I am thinking of you all often.

SUPER MEGA NUCLEAR HUGZ Helen

[Guest guest]

Helen, I was wondering can you put your homestead up on the travel market? I

had a friends son who went to aussie a couple of years ago, one of the

places he stayed was an old mansion in terrible shape. The neat thing was he

could stay there for however long he wanted but had to fulfill a certain

amount of labour in fixing the place up. And they had to supply there own

food ect it was just the sleeping quarters that the labour covered. You

sound just the type to go for this arrangement.It was nice to hear from you

again!

Lorraine

[Guest guest]

Welocme back, Helen, I love to hear your news. It is a pity I could not

give you my riding boots. I bought them 4.5 years ago and wore them

once to ride in. I wore them again in January when the snow came all

the way up past my calfs to within 1/2 " of the knee. Since them I have

been unable to get on a horse at all - but one day there may be a

mounting block with a step latter on top to get me on the brute. Why

could horses not lie down like camels? It would be so good to even go

for a walk on a horse again never mind cantering and galloping off into

the sunset.

You sound as though you could do with an Irish Navvy to do all your

heavy work. I am still looking for the one buried in my garden along

with the scaffolding pole, the whole bag of solid cement, the shovel and

other assorted buts of abandoned building material. If I come across

him I will send him down to you, the hard way, through the core of the

earth!!!!!!

I am glad you are loving your new home. It is always hard to settle

into a new place but with perseverance you will get there. Have you

noticed that perseverance is one thing EDS people have plenty of? Is it

inherited or just our bloody mindedness that makes up for the lack of

physical attributes?

Hope your loose bits thighted up again soon, and take care.

Love,

Lilian