Hibernation of The Health Exchange - Week Five

Now I feel like I am settling into hibernation! The first day of this week was a rainy Autumn/Winters day that proved the absence of ‘lists to do’ fruitful. I dressed in my track suit pants and pink ugboots … I added to the jigsaw puzzle, I started cleaning up stairs in order to rearrange the bedroom … but need some floor space to be able to do so … I made a packet cake slash double chocolate fudge brownie and started a 24-hour chicken hot pot! Of course, after completing them, I listed these on the blank page noted as Thursday 30 April and ticked them as though they were what I planned to do! That works for my mental health!

After my early dinner, I was upstairs at 6pm with the wall furnace gas fireplace warming my body but especially warming 16-year-old Feline Queen Olivia who was at the vet this morning diagnosed with flu symptoms. She was discharged with tablets and cream for her eye. By the time this COVID-19 Hibernation is over, I should be able to successfully sit a Veterinarian Nurses examination: another feather in my hat. The Veterinarian, Natasha, who spoke to me by phone after examining Olivia {because I must wait outside while the Nurse convoys between the inside and outside world of the Animal Hospital} askingly stated that I was a Nurse?!  “Too hard to explain” I thought so I responded “No, but close enough”. If my first aid and home nursing training of 41 years combined with all my personal care attendant employment plus being my mother’s carer (all) my life and especially her last 4 years in my house … was not evidence for that response, then my mate Taya should be able to write me a reference given the support I have provided her for 2 years in a Diploma of Nursing (Division 2).

Anyway, as I was saying, I was upstairs by 6pm with a view to making an indent to reveal carpet. It was snug and warm and back breaking to go through all the paperwork/books/magazines etcetera that once lived in several bookcases that have absconded to the storage container precisely for the purpose of rearranging the bedroom.  When I thought I had worked as hard as I could I snuggled into bed … at 8.15pm. As I said, the cold weather was incredibly supportive of this and my 3 cats were not upset at all.  Well, Angel probably was because he seems to think that if he looks outside and it is cold, check again in 5 minutes and it will be better! In some ways that has been known to describe Melbourne’s weather but unfortunately for him, each time he looks it is just as cold and rainy (the last 24 hours anyway). He remains hopeful.

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​I woke as I usually do, several times a night.  Olivia has her sleeping post on my chest and under the doona.  Since her age has thinned out her body and her spine is more prominent, I insisted she needed to be under the doona for warmth. She is not one for disagreement! Willow has her post on the right-side pillow and Angel knows this, thus he likes to sneak over to the right side of the bed and torment her. I have told them both that the bed is like Switzerland and Willow had to assert herself with her tennis arm to ensure Angel understood.  I was proud of my little girl! Angel did the boy thing after losing a battle and came back five minutes later as if nothing had happened!! Except he took the left side of the bed this time! The moments of waking are when Olivia returns to her post; I need to lift the doona. She has me well trained and I can do this without full consciousness. However, that also means I can turn off the alarm clock without knowing it rung. Given the early night I was not surprised that 6am could have been the start of my day. “But why do that?” I thought to myself. "I am in hibernation – so hibernate!" It was 9am before I decided that I had had enough rest and should start the first day of May.

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​So, I feel that I can now display behaviours of laziness and own an unplanned day. Just trotter around the house and go “I might do some jigsaw puzzle … I might sit in the massage chair … I might have a bowl of 24-hour chicken hot pot ... I think I will hang that tray up on the cupboard out of the way … I think that tray needs to be painted and a smiley face put on to greet me in the morning … I might turn on the computer and type some Hibernation Diary!" It is such a different way to exist that I think I might dabble in it for a few more days.​

Having said that, tomorrow I am “unofficially” on reception for Loretta who is massaging at the Tennis Centre. It is unofficial as I am not being paid and I offered because I felt that since the Tennis Centre is closed, it would be difficult as a Massage Therapist to welcome clients and be alone. Really it is no problem for me as that is what I do but my 20-years’ experience makes it a point of difference. Loretta is new to this game and I do recall how that felt in my early days, so I offered to sit at the desk and read a book or work from my laptop. It worked well last week and as her husband is such a good sandwich maker, I said I would return tomorrow. And I have some packet cake slash double chocolate fudge brownie to share!

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​My warm half length pink ugboots greet me again. It certainly is the right weather for hibernation. I had a cat-free night with each of them finding their own bed after upstairs was warmed by the wall furnace. None of them seemed eager to go outside after breakfast either and returned to their snug spot as I left for “work” and left them the heater on low.

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​By the next day the room had been rearranged. Olivia took note something was afoot and requested to be lifted to the top of the walk-in wardrobe so she could sleep without interruption. Angel took bed in the East Window Box and Willow absconded to outside when the roar of the vacuum cleaner came alive. When all was done and dusted (literally) Willow was first to inspect with her one eye. She took her time {probably twice as long as if she had 2 eyes} and seemed to be saying over and over “what have you done, why have you done this?”. Once she found the bed, she was confused as to which pillow she should take rest on and chose the opposite to last night. Angel was also a bit miffed and inspected all corners of the room before jumping up on the bed. Then to find Willow on his side of the bed was like sacrilege. Once Olivia was ready to leave the comforts of the top of the wardrobe her inspection was short and sweet with more like a comment of “back to moving the furniture around, are we?”. Yes, it has been a while since I have given myself the pleasure of a Spring Clean. And I am incredibly pleased with the outcome. Still loose ends to tie up (like all the stuff in the bathtub in transition to the storage container) but now I have a bed head facing East which theoretically is good for sleeping (not that I need any help) and some floor to dance, or at least, move around on. It probably would not have happened without COVID-19. It has been on the books since January last year!!

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When the Gas Plumber visited to service the “Real Flame Gas Log Fire” I noticed how deprived of a visitor I had been. I tried to keep my 1.5m distance but I was so keen for a chat I noticed my encroaching on his space! He spoke of envy of all of us on “holiday” as business is as usual for him. In that same breath he said his wife, who works in his business, has had to take a step back so she can home tutor the kids {and all the extra mothering that goes on in a Pandemic such as this}, is having a "holiday"! I held myself back from correcting him. He just would not understand really!
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While my payment for Job Keeper theoretically begins at the end of this week, the cats are not the only ones spending my money. After this $200 service {at least it is working} the heater has scored 3 on the Carbon Monoxide scale and while 10 is Government Safety Standard, my service man sets his preference to 7. “It might not take much to go from 3 to 7”, he explained as he described the mechanics of the breakdown in the heating system that leaks Carbon Monoxide. So now I am shopping for a new heater! I am not surprised. I had been told last service several years ago that the heater looks 1990’s style. So, it has had a good run! I am looking in the up to $5000 range however!

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​As Week 5 comes to a close and I roll into Week 6, I hear the Government talking about getting us all back to work. My first thought is that I have only just stopped and with all the energy required to apply the brakes, I have not rejuvenated sufficiently to crank the wheels up again. My Elder clients on home visits are bitting at the door calling to check I have not restarted and left them hanging. My eldest client of 90 years is very sore and anxious for my return. My ladies in their late 70’s and early 80’s who are blessed with my skills twice and once weekly, respectively, are also waiting with bated breath. But I am afraid I am not so eager. I am not clear what the business is I will be returning to, but I have a good feeling it will not be the same. A Spring Clean on the business is where I am at. So, let the money roll in, help me to pay my debts and give me just a few more weeks {or maybe months} at least to put the structures in place to get going again. The final 23 years of my career is calling but I want to make sure it is mapped out correctly with minimal hurdles and lots of fun!
 
Miss Sophia Cull                                                                                                                                                                       Ayurvedic Traditional Medicine Woman | Doula | Pregnancy Massage Practitioner | Massage Therapist        Writer | Poet | Film Maker