The Veiw from Here.

At the risk of boring anyone stupid, who reads here,  I am posting my sky views again, after rather a long time of not taking any photos of the sky or anything else.

It is Melbourne Cup Day here in Australia, and they call it the Race that Stops a Nation.

In New Zealand it is also very popular, as quite often the horse that won the cup was bred in New Zealand. Not so, these days, as there are horses from other countries now competing- which is not to say that Aussie and Kiwi horses are lacking quality!

Not that I am a fan of horse racing really, but when I was a lot younger we always had sweepstakes at the Hotels, and later, at workplaces. Harmless fun, really, and when I was young and slender, it was fun to dress up, and spend the day with friends.

I love seeing all the fashions and the pretty young girls, and women, in their hats and high heels and pretty frocks.

I am not a Royalist, but I have enjoyed seeing Prince Charles with his Duchess Camilla, and I think they do look so genuinely happy together. A bright light, and who does not deserve Love?

Most of this post will be unrelated to the photos of my view, but they are something a little different. Also take my mind of things at ground level, so to say.

Yesterday was one of those days when I had to race around having an MRI & dealing with several crap urgent matters of everyday boringness.
Later in the afternoon, I decided to look for some ointment I knew I had, somewhere, for a recurrent  itch I get. My stock staple cure for almost everything ~Teatree Oil~ has failed to work it's magic, so time for the big guns.
Big mistake! It was not exactly where I thought it was, but my gosh! what a shock I got at the 'things' I found. And some of them were truly 'things'. Some were so old I could barely read the expiry date, (and when I did, I was horrified!) and others were just a mystery - to say nothing of the old grubby bandages, and dressings, which appeared to have rotted in their very packaging!
Various band aids, which were never there when I needed them. Old soap, old makeup- wtf? who keeps old makeup?
Apparently I do.

Gom used to go on periodic raiding tidying forays in the bathroom cabinet, but he knew it was more than his life was worth, to touch any of my precious rubbish treasures.

So, needless to say, a large bag of old and useless items now rest in peace, in the rubbish bin. However, the awful thing is, there is more to be classified dumped when I get around to sorting it all out.

I have written many bitter letters of complaint about our various woes. Some have elicited no response, and some have given a very satisfactory attention appearance. Today, a very nice man telephoned me in response to a letter I had written to the Federal Minister for Health. I had already received an email reply, with some helpful links to pursue, so I was surprised and gratified when I got this call today. He told me NOT to give up, and to keep trying to get justice. He gave me a couple of tips and was a very sympathetic and comforting person to talk to.
Sometimes a pleasant, patient,  sympathetic ear can help enormously.
One of my son's ongoing problems, concerning a decent prosthesis, which may allow him to walk, is at last being addressed, and tomorrow he is to have a fitting for a prosthesis which has been in standard use in Europe for at least 20 years, but is grudgingly granted here in Australia. It is not even that expensive, and so, for some who have worked hard and paid monstrous taxes, it seems ludicrous that it is not the standard prosthetic provision option, here in this country.

It seems I have to have surgery, and am not looking forward to that. It will not be a major, but I am a huge coward, and do not want to have this surgery, as it will be debilitating for some time. I feel I am not really in a position to have it done. Have yet to have further investigations, so who knows? Maybe I wont have to have the surgery, in spite of the lovely lady Surgeon telling me I will. It is a problem that should have been addressed correctly before Gom died. That GP has a lot to answer for.

I do love these strong and vibrant sunsets, even though I know they are largely due to pollution. They weave a certain magic to me, and remind me of the most beautiful sunset I ever saw. It was on Phuket, on a holiday with Gom, ~for me, a trip of a lifetime. We wished we had stayed there longer, rather than spending time in Singapore. In reality, it was our first real honeymoon, even though we had recently become Grandparents.

This view in the same direction, which is west, is of a very different hue to the others. I rather like the dark and brooding appearance of the trees.

Lastly, this is a pic of my succulent, which flowered rather nicely for me this year. I am rather surprised it is still alive, as my brown/black thumbs are not really successful with plants.

I try to look up as frequently as I can, and though it is not always easy, I do get a sense of peace from the views.
I also very much enjoy my Facebook friends posted views of Up.

Lastly, Happy Anniversary to my beautiful Daughter J  and her Husband P.

Neil Diamond. Canta Libre.