February

We got Jared into the Christian Academy. Little did we know what would eventuate from this.

We knew they had a strange way of teaching but we didn't expect to have Bible scriptures in every book he used. Didn't matter if it was Maths or Wordbuilding, every page had scriptures!
Now, I believe in God and Jesus and the Bible but I don't think it necessary to have it rammed down your throat to be a good Christian.

I also suspected that they were giving Jared Grade 7 work instead of Grade 8. This was confirmed later in the year when it was too late to do anything about it. We were forever at the school trying to work out how they grade the students and to find out how we could help Jared at home. We could tell he was changing... becoming withdrawn and forgetful... just plain bored I guess. Their spelling was incorrect... not Australian...American!!! The kids were getting American history, not Australian history....

Being the bitch that I am I went through all his school books and corrected the spelling!!!! *S*
The further into the year we went I became more and more irritated with them then the cruncher came in the last term! Jared was bouncing a tennis ball on his way back to class, was told to put it away. As soon as the teacher disappeared he took it out and started bouncing it again but got caught!

OK... this deserves a detention.... not what he did get... a 'paddling' with a wooden paddle by a man who used full force and left welts on his backside. Yes, we signed a "Corporal Correction Release" (otherwise Jared wouldn't have been admitted to the school.) BUT we were under the assumption this would only be used for willful destruction of property, fighting or bullying. This is what was explained to us because.... believe me we cross questioned this every which way during the interview. We figured Jared would never be guilty of any of these acts so it would never be an issue. WRONG!!!!! He wasn't guilty of any of those acts BUT it did become an issue!

I was furious ... rang the Principal.. got nowhere with him. I aked if there was no such thing as forgiveness in his religion... I might as well have been talking to my feet!!!! So I rang one of the Members of the School Board.... all I got from him was scripture quotes in response to everything I said. Apparently, children have to have 'goodness' beaten into them.... how else are they going to learn right from wrong????!!!! Twenty minutes of his preaching was enough for me .. we're all going to HELL!!!! Only the goodies will be saved come the Resurrection!!!
Jesus says that we should not spare the ROD with children!!!! I hung up in exasperatiion.

Then I hit the Internet looking for Child Welfare or Child Protection places. I found one finally who were appalled with what happened to Jared. They rang back a few days later and said it seems that the Private schools have their own rules and are within their rights to hit children to discipline them! However this would be passed on to the local police to take the matter further.

I heard no more from anyone on the matter this year....What we did do was apply to another High School for 2006 but were notified after the schools closed for the holidays that Jared had been placed on a waiting list. So Jared said he'd rather go back to this school while he's waiting.... God help him....

Then during the holidays we were talking about the school and Jared told us he spent the first term cleaning TOILETS, 2nd term vaccuuming classrooms, 3rd term nothing, 4th term cleaning the classroom. This wasn't punishment.... this was normal!!!!! My blood was boiling!!!! We are paying money for them to have the kids do the work cleaners should be doing!!!!!

We left things as they were, praying for a miracle before the start of the school year....

MARCH & APRIL

We had roadworks for weeks right beside our driveway. Dust!!!! The house was continuously full of dust!!!! I had a hard time getting out of my driveway at the best of times... now it was nearly impossible! The truck below is parked right in front of where we drive out.

Then when they were about to leave I commented on how they had ripped the grass to shreds. So they kindly laid new turf.... BUT only half way between the kerb and the fence. Now, we have half a section rife with weeds and the other half with turf that was only thrown down any old way, full of dips and holes which plays hell with my feet when I'm mowing. It wipes me out for a couple of days.

I wrote to the Mayor a month ago.... telling him I had tended their property for 23 years at my expense and labour. Now I am disabled and they have made it even more difficult for me to mow. I don't expect an answer *S*

Then sometime this year Jason landed a job with the local coffin shoppe *S* (Crematorium)

Of course with that came other IT jobs and also Gamefishing again.... For the first time in his life he has more work than he needs *S* The Crematorium is a full time job and they are happy with him... thank the Lord!!!

This is a write up from a fishing newspaper about the boat he's with, he's the author of course *S*

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

These were the worst months this year....

On Nov 9 Mum had heart failure and was admitted to hospital.... I thought we were going to lose her. The angina attacks had been increasing over the prior weeks... and on the 9th she just wanted to die, the pain was so bad. The Ambulance arrived within minutes, but for a moment while we were waiting I thought she had gone....

The paramedics were wonderful! So kind, patient, and quick to assist. I went with them to the hospital. Had to be assisted out of the ambulance... so embarrassing...
We were hours in Emergency before being taken to ICU. Her heart rate was up around the 200 mark!! They had to get it stabilised before sending her to ICU. The Emergency staff were kind and caring.

She was released 6 days later and still kept having angina attacks. I called her GP who turned up after she had been home 7 days. I told him she'd gone through more than 100 angenine tabs in a week... he said to just keep taking them. I asked if we could get home oxygen... since that seemed to help in the hopital, he said using oxygen was "psychological"!!!

She was back in the hospital the next day!!!! They put her in the Medical Ward... thinking they could help her just with Meds. I asked the nurse why she was locking the Angenine tablets away when Mum would need to get to them quickly. She said "because patients can overdose on them!" I told her what Mum's GP said... she just rolled her eyes. Then I told her his opinion of the oxygen use..... she was horrified. I decided there and then she wouldn't be having him as her GP again.

They were too busy in the Medical Ward to give Mum proper attention so they transferred her to ICU once more. This time they had a couple of bitches on for a couple of nights. They wanted to put a catheter on Mum to save themselves hassles during the night. Fortunately Mum had her wits about her... she led them on up to the point when they were going to insert it, then told them to GET LOST!!!

These two were better suited to be prison wardens, they were nasty! Mum was in the bathroom ringing the buzzer for help for what must have seemed like 10 minutes. She had an angina attack and no-one came to help!

She was there for almost 2 weeks and one day I was making her a cup of tea and a coffee for myself when one of these 'wardens' swooped in on me in the kitchen demanding to know what I was doing ... this is the conversation....

She: "What DO YOU think you are doing!!!"
Me: "Pardon??"
She: "What do you think you are doing!!!"
Me: "Well.. this is tea for my Mother and Coffee for me" pointing to the tea bag in one cup and instant coffee in the other.
She: "YOU CAN'T use THESE china cups!"
Me: "Pardon??"
She: "YOU can't use THESE cups... they're for the ICU patients !!!!!! "
Me: "Well, my mother is a patient!"
She: "YOU'RE NOT! YOU have to use paper cups!"
Me: "What PAPER cups?????"
At this point she was poking around in the cupboards trying to find them. After much searching she finally found the 'polystyrene' cups and said "THESE ONES!"
Me: "No-one told me these were available! BUT since I have already got the CHINA cups set up for the tea and coffee CAN I USE THEM?????"
She: " This time... but not again!"
Me: I can't see what the problem is... I use the same cup all day..."
She: "I told you THESE cups are for the ICU patients!!!!!"
Me: "FINE!"

I took the tea and coffee back to Mum's bedside and told her what had happened... we laughed!! Then when I thought about it.... in all the time I had been in ICU (hours every day) keeping Mum company... I had never seen an ICU patient well enough to get up and make their own coffee or tea!! The next day I brought in a mug from home! LOL!!!

Mum was once again released but wasn't home 24 hours when I had to call the ambulance again. The humidity was oppressive and I think that's what made things really bad for her. Our house was like an oven. They took her to emergency again. I had to shower and get dressed so I followed later. They kept me waiting almost an hour before I could be with her and I got the shock of my life... she looked like a corpse!

The doctor she had had during her other admittances took me off to the visitors room, he could see I was upset... I told him she was petrified at the thought of ending up in ICU with those 2 'wardens'... he said he'd check if they were on ... they weren't... so she was transferred to ICU again. Of course they were on some nights.... they had my mothers arms black and blue from inserting canulas (I think that's what they're called). They kept falling out!!!

This time the head honcho decided she should be transferred to Prince Charles hospital in Brisbane for an angiogram. She was to take as little as possible with her. So I took all her extra things home and she was flown down with the Flying Doctor Service.... arriving at 10pm on the Monday night. I rang the next day and was told she was to have an echocardiogram on the following Thursday and to see the doctor (Professor) on the Friday. The day after she arrived she had X-Rays ... then nothing. I received a phone call from the hospital saying they were sending her home BY TRAIN on Wednesday!

I asked the person who phoned to consider the fact that my mother had no street clothes with her.... how could she go on a train in her nightdress and dressing gown??? She said she'd get back to me. She did.... this time they decided that they would fly her home!!! Again... I told her to picture this situation..... you send a still sick patient to the airport in an airconditioned taxi (in her nightdress and dressing gown), she gets out alone... into the heat and humidity (changes in temperature brings on angina attacks) carrying a bag, into the airconditioned airport to try to find the terminal for Hervey Bay... and she collapses.... you might as well not change her bed because she'll be back!!!!! What about the test she's supposed to have on Thursday that she's booked in for??? She said she'd get back to me....

In the meantime they brought bags of clothes for Mum to choose something (obviously from deceased patients) ... Mum nicely told them there was nothing suitable. *S* Thursday she got the ECG.... because she was still there.... on Friday they flew her back with the Flying Doctor Service just in time to miss her appointment with the Professor! She never got the angiogram that she was sent for in the first place!!!! The ambulance brought her home.... Within 32 hours she was back in hospital!!!!

The same doctor was on in Emergency... he knew what would happen in ICU but had no option but to send her there because of the lack of beds. The 'wardens' were on the second day she was in ICU... one asked her how she went at Prince Charles.... so Mum told her that they were VERY impressed with her handiwork! They had wanted to know what the hell happened to make her arms black! She flew off the handle!!!! Mum told her to go away and leave her alone!

The doctor had her transferred to the Medical Ward where she spent a few days, then was transferred to Paediatrics where there was a 2 bed ward... right next to the childrens ward. I went to visit and ended up with a migraine from the constant crying.... why wouldn't someone pick up that baby and comfort it!!!! A nurse came in to see Mum... I was in pain... I asked how anyone could get bed rest here! She told me if I couln't cope than I should leave! I DID!!! I upset Mum, I know, but I couldn't handle it. I tried to get Jason to pick me up... his phone was turned off... so I sat for an hour outside and cried...

I went back later to see Mum and apologised... I was soooo very tired, but at least the headache had gone.

This ward wasn't without incident either... Mum was in a deep sleep... the first for 3 nights and this stupid bitch of a nurse came in and woke her up insisting that she was to take Mylanta... the doctor had ordered it! My mother told her to go to hell... she wanted to see the doctor and was having an attack so wanted an angenine tablet. The nurse refused to get her the angenine so she suffered a lot of pain. The doctor turned up... he hadn't prescribed the Mylanta.... Mum told him that this bitch had woken her up and then refused to give her an agenine... the second nurse backed Mum up. Don't know what happened to the bitch....

Just prior to Christmas they were releasing as many patients as possible, obviously so that they wouldn't be busy over the holidays.... Mum was released on the 23rd December. By now we had a portable airconditioner and the Head Honcho had organised home oxygen. The oxygen machine arrived before Mum came home... she needed it. She also had 8 different medications... some she needed a double dose so had 11 tablets to take each morning....
This was making her sick. I got an appointment for her early January with my doctor.

At least she was home for Christmas... something I thought wasn't going to happen.

Jason bought air conditioners for everyone for Christmas and we got batts installed in the roof to bring down the temperature inside the house. This I think has been the worst ever summer... not so much the temperatures (low 30's) but the high humidity, which is debilitating. I ended the year totally exhausted.

Let's hope 2006 will be a better year, it couldn't be as bad as this one...

"Life is a sum of all your choices"