RITH 3

On Sunday I managed to get out with the bush walkers for the first time in many weeks. It was our regular walk starting at Point Walter, going towards Fremantle and back (11 kms in total). It’s ages since I did that much and I’m pleased to say my gammy knee survived. My surgeon was suggesting last year that a knee replacement might be on the horizon, but I seem to have successfully put that off!

A couple of pics from our morning tea stop at Bicton Baths:

There was a diving lesson in progress where the students had to rescue another diver, divest themselves and him of their tanks and get the three of them back to shore whilst the instructor timed them. What a way to spend Sunday morning!

In other news, JL is progressing slowly.  I read a few words in another blog, which hit the nail on the head when describing her own experience:

"So glad he's home. The most tiring thing next to being a patient is being the partner of one. Visiting, worrying, getting all kinds of medical information, it's exhausting. And the patient is naturally the focus, but the family tends to be expected to be superhuman! "

Support services come and go every day. There is always somebody here and it's difficult to get everything done in between times. The Occupational Therapist is trying to get him to do a few more things and asked him to make a cup of tea. He said: "Oh if you want some tea, Margaret will make us some!"  She wanted to know what else he did in the kitchen before the accident - not a lot!  The Nutritionist was here advising on diet to help put on weight and rebuild muscle mass. Actually, I already knew most of what she advised, but JL needed to hear it come from an expert before he believed it. She did say to buy some skimmed milk powder and to sprinkle this on other foods and we are already drinking Sustagen. I was shocked to discover he only weighed 65.5 kilos (a lot less than I do!) He ate very little in hospital; one day I saw him toy with a hot dinner and only eat the peas! I am now determined to see his weight increase.

We are still virtually free from the virus here in W.A., but any day now there could be another outbreak popping up. The hard border is being challenged in court by the too-rich businessman Clive Palmer, who was annoyed at being denied entry to the State. A letter to the paper expressed the feelings of many West Australians about this issue:  

This case demonstrates the sickness of our society. The current Federal government and the oligarchs they serve value profits over people. As a result, they are willing to support actions such as this, which, if successful, could put the lives of people at risk. The current crisis in Victoria has demonstrated how quickly this virus can spiral out of control, unleashing devastation to people’s health and livelihoods. If the border is opened we will undoubtedly see more cases and potentially a return of community transmission. This in turn will likely bring about the necessary return of the recently rescinded COVID restrictions that will likely bludgeon our recovering economy. Currently our state is a veritable Eden, one of the few places in the world where life is relatively normal. People move about freely and do not live in fear of the unseen menace. Children safely attend school, workers, if they still have employment, can continue to earn their crust, and the local economy can continue to heal. This is what is at risk if the border is opened later this year.
We were lucky with how this State handled the pandemic. By acting quickly and decisively on the border and implementing rigorous restrictions on the interactions in society we have avoided a future where we see full intensive care units, the isolation and deaths of our elders, being unable to attend our loved ones final hours, whilst also facing economic ruin. With this case, which we will likely lose, despite the State government’s best efforts, this darker future is once again looming before us. If and when this happens we must remember who was responsible for it: Billionaires who control the nation’s natural wealth and the politicians whom they help put into power to serve their interests.

At least, I've been able to get my hair done today.