Heavenly Beverley : A Myriad Of Storms

Friday 25 May 2018

A Myriad Of Storms

The run of calm warm days and still cold nights slammed to a halt yesterday. From early morning, the northerly wind was rising in power, the classic harbinger of change. The day remained unseasonably warm, but the dust from all the bare paddocks began to lift, to drift, to rise and to swirl upwards into the sky. By two o'clock, we couldn't tell where the horizon was anymore and our whole world had turned a murky grey-brown.

We set out for Northam to see Stephanie the GP in order to have the twenty-four staples in my knee removed. We had been given the staple remover on discharge from the Mount, a device that did not fill me with confidence that the extractions would be painless. My knee was still periodically giving me merry hell, my own private little storm of discomfort and grouchiness.

The day became darker and darker. We arrived in Northam in the mid-afternoon gloom. I was looking forward being to de-stapled less and less. Stephanie was all about easing my fears and just getting on with the job. Overall, better than anticipated but a few of the staples had become quite tight against my skin. Those ones were unforgettable.

A good paint with the red antiseptic that stank, a few dozen steri-strips and a new waterproof bandaid the size of Tasmania and I was feeling much better. We sat and discussed all the realities of my knee replacement that I still needed to know.

I had to do my exercises. No excuses. In order to facilitate compliance, sufficient pain relief was the order of the day. No pain meant more exercise. More pain could equal refusal to carry out exercises and end up with a wonky knee for the rest of my life. So, Stephanie didn't particularly care what I took as long as I was relatively pain-free.

Swelling would also be my best friend for months. Not to worry. And no excuse not to exercise. Luckily my elephant foot will be encased under clothes and in shoes of some sort for the foreseeable future.

The last two weeks have not been fun. My resolve is firm. Falling over is not an option. I intend to sear these memories into my psyche for all eternity. Except I also know I'll need a new knee in about twenty years. However, I will not be hurrying along to that next exciting installment.

Another storm was brewing, neither meteorological nor physical. A Facebook post I had loaded onto my timeline had caused a clash of beliefs and opinions. This created twenty-four hours of angst and agitation raging online across the country. I found the situation bewildering and incomprehensible. My page is a place for me to share what is important to me, to welcome all views, but not to accept a particular person monopolising a discussion. I hope that this behaviour never occurs on my page again.

The dust storm raged into the evening. The air was heavy with flying particles but the change was finally approaching. The rain started in squalls during the night. The wind continued but the dust was settled by the continuing downpour. We woke this morning to a divinely grey day with scurrying showers and a definite chill.

I have weathered these current storms. I am doing my exercises. My knee feels so much better minus the staples. When I woke from this afternoon's sleep, I was actually pain-free. But just to prevent me from becoming too cocky, Flatulent Friday is back with a vengeance. Whoever claimed codeine makes one constipated has never encountered my bottom...