Heavenly Beverley : We Are The Champions...

I have just re-read my post that I wrote the other day. Whilst venting my spleen was a very useful exercise, I have decided that I must have been in touch with my Scottish roots, hence the dirgeful sentiment that ran through the majority of that piece. Whinging about the unfairness of systems will be an ongoing saga, as the health, banking, communications and disability sectors have grown to such leviathan proportions that they actually don't give a fat rat's clacker about us lowly consumers.

Last night, Michael and I were comfortably seated at home in Station House after a very pleasant day in the East End Gallery. The weather was intermittently wet, and cold, which was most unseemly... Lighting a fire in the Gallery at the tail end of October was not on our agenda, but certainly was appreciated by our guests. I am sending a polite request to the universe for a return to spring for the next month before the brutal heat of a Wheatbelt summer inevitably arrives..

This post was inspired by my music choices - mainly the extraordinary and larger-than-life Queen. Santana, David Bowie and Alan Parsons were also thrown into the mix. Do I also love Yacht Rock, championed by the marvellous Russell Woolf on ABC radio? Absolutely, but as a hyperactive round woman (more about that in my next post), I tend to be more motivated by the frenetic and the edgy.

There have been updates in my tales involving Horrible Hospitals and Terrible Telstra. I have actually received a letter of apology from the Mount Hospital's current Director of Nursing, Ms. Rebecca Siebenhausen. This is promising in the sense that we have booked Michael's second hip replacement for 23 November and I am hopeful the staff will be more attentive and proactive and less "laissez-faire" than they were on our previous stay. Needless to say, I doubt that a blanket warmer on the ward or a microwave in the Patients' Pantry will have both magically appeared, but I live in hope.

Telstra, amusingly, has reaffirmed their status as woeful telecommunications providers. I received a text with much fanfare from this mighty company the other day that my refund had been processed and they would place the monies in my account, using the card that was cancelled back in August. The axing of that card, due to its disappearance, caused a direct debit disaster which led to Telstra using some rather over-the-top language.. Obviously the Refunds department doesn't communicate with the Direct Debits department, otherwise they would have realised another card has been activated in my continuing dealings with Telstra. When will these massive organisations learn to effectively communicate with their internal entities?

Most recent news from the NDIS involved a mentally ill bloke dying because the organisation cancelled a follow-up phone call. So, I expect the worst whilst praying for the best when dealing with this crowd. Wonder Woman Shannon (Captain) Kirk, Alex's exceptional Support Coordinator is currently organising Occupational Therapy services for him through Alinea, the organisation that oversees Paraquad Industries, where Alex works as a Café Attendant. I suppose Alinea could go the same way as Activ and cut their supported employment services, but I hope Alinea will keep supporting its workforce. We tried open employment options for Alex in the past; the only business that hired him, the Swan Friendship Café in Midland, was torpedoed by lack of political will.

Valued Lives, another provider promoting microenterprises for people with disabilities, is supposed to be assisting Alex, through his NDIS funding, achieve his goal of his own café. So far, I have heard diddly-squat from Valued Lives as Alex's latest NDIS plan has been operational for almost three months...*sigh*

Enough of the topsy-turvy machinations of our everyday lives. We should be celebrating our ongoing abundance and enjoyment. Michael and I have both made sixty - an age denied to so many in other regions of the world. We eat and drink well, we have a house, a vehicle and a camper trailer. We have the asset of the Forbes Building and have run the East End Gallery for almost eight years. We go to our local pub at least once an week. We have friends and family and a grandchild we adore, as do her other four grandparents. We continue to love fossicking for rusty metal in obscure locations, usually during the winter months.

We still have passion, wonder and excitement in our lives. As an artist and a writer, I reckon we are a great team. We are the Beverley Hillbillies. We are the champions.