Daily life

Hmmm

Just noticed it’s exactly one month since my last post. It’s not like nothing has been happening in my world either. Haven’t taken time to take note of things, I guess.

So in the last month:

  • I did eventually get my mammogram results back several days after they were supposed to arrive. By that time I had contacted the Breast Screen office and learned my results were normal and there were delays with posting letters.
  • Christmas turned out to be pretty good this year with a nice family gathering for lunch that drifted into early evening. The boys were happy with their gifts and the nieces and nephew were pleased with theirs. It’s been quite a long time but I finally made a couple batches of chickpea and vegetable patties again this time. I hadn’t bothered in a while as it takes a lot time and effort to make them but I’m glad I put in the effort again.
  • Our air conditioner stopped cooling on December 29th, just before a long holiday weekend. Supposedly it required replacement of an expensive electronic part which couldn’t be obtained until the following week. We were fortunate to have the use of the fan during this time so that it was more comfortable to sleep at night. The morning after the new part was installed, we found the air conditioner was not operating at all, not even the fan. That expensive electronic part was sent back to be tested and eventually found to be working fine. Another part was found to be non-functioning and was finally replaced this week. We must also add the additional cost of two more fans to keep family members a bit more comfortable during this time. Fortunately last weekend was quite chilly and we didn’t need to run the fans at night.
  • My driver’s license was up for renewal this week and I was indecisive as to whether to bother about getting a photo done or not. (It was optional this time around.) I eventually chose not to do the photo and to renew online as I don’t usually require photo id all that often and do have my passports should I require one.
  • I made an appointment to give blood for the first time in over twenty years. I gave several times during my college years and once or twice afterwards. But since I’ve been in Australia, I haven’t gotten around to doing it. The big stumbling block is definitely the fact I have to make an appointment here instead of just turning up like I did back home. My appointment is set for Monday morning.
  • I think I’ve had two appointments with my physiotherapist this past month. Despite the exercises, my knee hasn’t improved all that much. I am being referred back to my doctor to see about further medical assessments, which I assume means some sort of imaging. Meanwhile, I get to do 15 rep sets of two different exercises twice daily now. The newest one is a squatting one, which I find quite unpleasant most of the time.
  • I discovered the delights of bubble tea last month and have been buying it two or three times a week for the past several weeks. I will have to start reducing this habit, though, as it’s not terribly compatible with my blood glucose levels…although it doesn’t seem to affect it as much as some other foods.

I’m sure there’s more I could add to the list but will leave it at that. I do have some other posts I want to write soon about Lego Lover becoming a teenager last month and also about life with the puppies.

6 Comments

    • Purple Lorikeet

      Valerie explained it a bit in her reply. Which seems pretty close to what I’ve experienced although it doesn’t seem to be thickened here. Some versions are kind of creamy which might make it seem thicker. You can have black sago added and/or fruit jellies to complete the drink.A t least that’s what I’ve found locally. Needless to say, it can be quite sweet although some I’ve tried haven’t been overly so. Only dedicated shops here are on the other side of town so I have only bought it at the coffee shop in our local markets and at a couple local delis. I’ve been hearing about this for a while now but hadn’t thought of trying it until last month.

  • Valerie

    Di d I ever mention that I heavily adapted your recipe for chickpea and vegetable patties, and then we had them for dinner here a lot of times for a while. The picky kids were great about eating them, much to my surprise. But they weren’t all that filling, so I gradually stopped making them. I should do it again sometime, though, because they did go over well here.

    Suze, bubble tea is a Japanese(?) fad that has spread around the globe. It’s thickened iced tea served with little edible beads in it, and a straw and a spoon. Or, at least, that’s my understanding of it. There are several bubble tea shops here in Ann Arbor, but I’ve never tried it, so probably I have garbled half the details. (Aren’t I useful? :) ) Hopefully if I’ve gotten anything wrong PurpleLorikeet will clarify.

    • Purple Lorikeet

      I don’t remember you mentioning the results you had, Valerie. I’m glad everyone liked them so well. I find them better as a snack than as part of a meal. I used potato, carrot and a bit of beets in the recent batches. Of course everything went purple once the beets were added. :D Tasted really nice though.

      I added some information on local versions of bubble tea to what you wrote in my reply to Suze. I didn’t realized it was so popular there. I only remember hearing about it for the past few years here.

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