Tuesday, April 20, 2010

a 'vision-ary' tale...


there are some things i really don't look forward to, especially if it  involves an 'implement of torture'... and i definitely dislike someone i'm not intimate with invading any part of my 'person'...




least favourite are doctors, pap smears and the vaginal speculum (ooooh, think i'm way overdue for one of those!!!) - breast checks - internal ultrasounds - hey, let's face it, medical 'procedures' in general...






dental technicians - being fitted for new dentures is no fun at all - they fill these moulds with dental 'putty', shove 'em in your mouth to obtain gum impressions but yuk - the putty squishes out and down the throat and there i go, dry-retching!!! (luckily visits to them are years apart these days - but ohhh so expensive and uncomfortable!!)




i have to add hairdressers to my list - some people just shouldn't be allowed near scissors, 'product' or hot water  - i actually love the scalp massage when done well though... but there's also the brightness of the 'salon' (hurts the eyes), the sometimes very loud, intrusive, not-my-idea-of-music 'noise' (scrambles the brain and hurts the ears), the fact they ask what you want done but then don't listen - they keep saying 'yeah' they know what you mean, while doing something totally different (exposure to too much 'product' perhaps!!! - i've had a number of bad experiences over the years - and very bad hairstyles!!!)


needless to say optometrists fit into the category too - unfortunately it's been getting harder and harder to read - so i had to stop procrastinating and psych myself up for the inevitable... i hate things being done to my eyes - i can't even handle eye drops... watching anything coming towards my pupils turns my eyelids into steel clamps - anything touching my eyeball - nuh, no way - that's never going to happen - nothin' is gettin' passed the defenses of these 'lids - they clamp shut of their own volition!!!! that external contraption is bad enough!!!

my eyes have deteriorated (umm, that's why i made the appointment in the first place!!) so it's new glasses for me... i had thoughts of rimless frames (also cutting down on styles and designs to be overwhelmed by!) alas that proved to be "champagne taste on a beer budget"!!!! the frames alone were nearly $600 - with the lenses i need (they're $550 by themselves!) my glasses would have cost over $1100 - for 1 pair!!!!! i settled on semi-rimless, at less than half the price of the rimless frames - $758 all up... not exactly cheap, and i have to wait up to 10 days for them!!  it's an expense i could do without so there's a frugal few weeks coming up!!! sigh, sigh... there goes my 'splurge' on a nice piece of art for the lounge!!!!


i did treat myself (on a far less grand scale) on the way home though - hey, it's me birthday... i needed a new oil burner so i called into ishka where i  found some soy wax melts, "...a fantastic alternative to oils in oil burners. The soy wax allows for sensational scent throw and is an economical way to enjoy elume's beautiful selection of fragrances." i'm melting a frangipani scented one at the moment and it's delightful, and you can  notice it throughout the flat... i bought a couple of other fragrances to try out too - but i called in to see me mum and she 'snaffled' the lemon-myrtle one...



she was having a bit of a 'bad day' today - exhausted without doing anything - and, unlike her, was still in her dressing-gown and couldn't be bothered getting up when i left... she's sick and tired of not being able to do anything - so i'm cooking lunch for her and my aunt on thursday and shouting them a taxi around to my place - she wanted to take me out for lunch or cook for me for my birthday, but she finds both an effort - and let's face it, with her very limited 'cuisine likings' and dietary requirements, my veganism (which she's trying to get her head around!!) i can make something delicious that we can both eat - and she gets a few hours outside of her daily routine while feeling comfortable in the knowledge that she can lie down should she have to!!!!
 
 
i'm going to leave you with a photo of her on her wedding day (minus my father - no pics of them together seem to have survived their separation!!!!) 
 
and, coincidentally, they were married on 21 april 1950 - 
5 years to the day before i was born on 21 april 1955... hmm, that could explain some things about our relationship!!
 
with my grandmother (centre) and great-grandmother (known to all as 'nanny great' - a very stern and scary womon!!!)
 
 
 
with her brother kevin (and i just don't recall his ears being that 'noticeable' before!!) ... sadly her younger brother graham has just been diagnosed with early stage altzheimer's - he's only 66...

2 comments:

Curvy Kitty said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Curvy Kitty said...

Too many typos to let that comment stand! I think your mother looks lovely. I do so enjoy you sharing your family photos with us! Look forward to seeing the new specs!