tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post2037266398797977809..comments2023-08-17T17:34:11.644+10:00Comments on An Aussie in the World: FRIENDS WHO FIRE OUR INNER FLAMERunning on empty http://www.blogger.com/profile/05668554083864151638noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-89031075221114775242017-04-22T18:40:59.531+10:002017-04-22T18:40:59.531+10:00
Hehe, I have a craft/sewing cupboard full of thin...<br />Hehe, I have a craft/sewing cupboard full of things that were shelved for the duration. Running on empty https://www.blogger.com/profile/05668554083864151638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-30592692522163391952017-04-22T15:06:44.123+10:002017-04-22T15:06:44.123+10:00Autocorrupt at it again. That strange phrase (?) ...Autocorrupt at it again. That strange phrase (?) Is supposed to be anonymous!Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18096766875124392942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-30017114760381185542017-04-22T15:05:42.064+10:002017-04-22T15:05:42.064+10:00I don't know how I got to be s bp no nymphs! ...I don't know how I got to be s bp no nymphs! Blame the tablet!Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18096766875124392942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-63241856595783450962017-04-22T15:04:43.688+10:002017-04-22T15:04:43.688+10:00To those who give up good jobs and hobbies to care...To those who give up good jobs and hobbies to care for the family, I admire you. But don't put away your hobbies forever. Somehow, somewhere, you can keep them ticking over, til, the day you have more time to spare. <br />Also, try to get me-time, ask a family member or a friend to take over for a little while. It makes a lot of difference. Stress levels go down! <br />Rushing off for a doctor appointment to see what can be done about the pain. That might be due to stress too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-46355083764480972862017-04-22T12:41:26.771+10:002017-04-22T12:41:26.771+10:00I'm so sorry to hear here and on Crossroads ab...<br />I'm so sorry to hear here and on Crossroads about your pain, Jane. I so hope you can get on top of it promptly. Love, RunningRunning on empty https://www.blogger.com/profile/05668554083864151638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-19998659479926802342017-04-22T01:14:28.839+10:002017-04-22T01:14:28.839+10:00I have been busy and not able to post in more than...I have been busy and not able to post in more than one place. Also suffering from the heat and various aches and pains. <br />We are still trying to get our tenant out. Nor is he paying. So we have finally found a lawyer who says he can get him out, though not guaranteeing any money.<br /><br />Still battling a bank for closure of Arun's salary account. ..The trouble was after he died I found he had been doing some investing, and dividends were coming in to that account, but we didn't know from where. So until where had located all the investments we couldn't close the account. As soon as we said we were done, the bank froze the account! <br />Since then, they have come up with cations demands for various documents, and after 0 years not all of them are available. At some point my lawyer will come into play. Again. Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18096766875124392942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-41611181160232151232017-04-11T10:12:56.577+10:002017-04-11T10:12:56.577+10:00Welcome back, Jane. I'm glad the memorial was ...<br />Welcome back, Jane. I'm glad the memorial was so successful. <br />I worked in a Nun's nursing home for a year when I finished school. It was a good grounding in many skills. Saw my first dead body, I had lost grandparents before that, but not seen them afterwards. The nuns were so respectful and loving toward their deceased sister. She was a gentle soul who had been blind. I remember I took white gardenias from Mums garden for the room.<br /><br />I had to give up my music teaching business because of my ADHD son, screaming during the lessons. If the student held him he stopped crying, but then I felt I couldn't charge them. my then hubby continued to work Saturday overtime when he said he'd help. I also gave up my oil painting lessons when I was pregnant. Running on empty https://www.blogger.com/profile/05668554083864151638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-87282464771670713832017-04-11T01:23:53.718+10:002017-04-11T01:23:53.718+10:00Well, here we are in April and it is HOT! We are i...Well, here we are in April and it is HOT! We are in Pune, where I read my two poems and said my little piece about my old friend. I think maybe 50 people were there, and our collective ages would have taken us back a couple of thousand years....However, the choir made up for our grey heads, being mostly young, in their twenties. All in white but with coloured scarves. They sang a capella, with only a few stumbles, and the whole program was done and dusted in 45 minutes. It was held in the little chapel of the Nuns' old age home. I never knew they had old age homes!<br />I learned something new about my old friend. It seems she was an accomplished violinist and played with the Bombay orchestra for several years. But maybe raising a family made it hard to keep it up.... she started a school (which is still going strong) and was a trustee till she turned ninety. So I can see where she would not have had time to play. I know I dreamed of a career in painting that came to nothing because I spent so much time raising a family. Writing came much later.<br />This morning we enjoyed our morning cuppa on the little balcony attached to the living room. Birdsong and the delight of watching the swifts swooping across the sky. They will soon be gone, not to be seen till November or so. A flight if egrets, more or less in formation, was another plus this morning. Normally we see them from above, in Mumbai, but here we are much lower down, and could see the long black legs neatly tucked under pure white bellies. <br />More later, we are now out on the balcony again, having an evening whisky! Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18096766875124392942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-86327377199805265032017-04-01T04:28:55.034+11:002017-04-01T04:28:55.034+11:00Jane, our teacher had us do a bit of breathing wit...Jane, our teacher had us do a bit of breathing with some visualization. It really does help...I am one who definitely needs more self discipline....in more than one area...<br />I will look forward to your poems...<br />Later, KathyKathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01226566457374908771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-72814834342701424262017-03-31T21:28:49.011+11:002017-03-31T21:28:49.011+11:00The great thing about Pranayam is that it focuses ...The great thing about Pranayam is that it focuses only on the breath. If you focus only on the breath and what you are doing with it, you have no room in your mind for anything else. This automatically calms the mind and releases energy to the body. I can bring my blood pressure to normal within ten minutes by doing the breathing exercises. <br />I'll post the two poems. They are not the usual praise poems. I wanted just to remember what good times we had.Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18096766875124392942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-20419132093248773722017-03-31T08:10:20.368+11:002017-03-31T08:10:20.368+11:00Fizzfan, The insurance system in US is probably no...Fizzfan, The insurance system in US is probably not as disjointed as my explanation. It is a great system if you can afford it. Too many lower income workers are going without. One way or another the hospitals and other medical suppliers get their profit from the people who have insurance. That unfortunately doesn't give those workers medical care. <br /><br />Jane, I had a great yoga teacher today.....he gave us lots of visuals and mental discipline. I thought of how we are all here on earth in transition. <br />Ii hope your poem goes well. What an honor to have had such good friends and be able to write about them....<br />Later, kKathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01226566457374908771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-83947530310136091742017-03-31T05:31:35.037+11:002017-03-31T05:31:35.037+11:00Thanks for all the medical info Kathy. Good to kno...Thanks for all the medical info Kathy. Good to know that most employers pay for most insurance at least.<br />It sounds like quite a disjointed and complex system and madly expensive but mainly just glad to know you've had your treatments and I hope very much that you're OK now.<br /><br />Good luck with your poem Jane. I guess most people's idea of heaven would be a little different, but yes, it would undoubtedly be a place where all folks just got along.Fizzfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15690612271163437496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-2952047029747130952017-03-30T23:24:37.869+11:002017-03-30T23:24:37.869+11:00Jane...I had to laugh at loud at your experience o...Jane...I had to laugh at loud at your experience of having to drown out the bad soprano....Imwas thatnbad secomd soprano. I never could get the hang of singing different than the person next to me, so it would try to follow one or the other, never quite able to do either. Sometime I just mouthed it rather than fightnthe battle. I don't know how I ever got into choir other than the teacher needed students. It sure wasn't because Incould carry a tune.<br />I like your idea of freezing the soups. I will have to try that. <br />Thank you for the laugh this morning....<br />Later, kKathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01226566457374908771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-90160078592993268912017-03-30T17:25:00.932+11:002017-03-30T17:25:00.932+11:00Yoga is the best solution for bad backs. If you co...Yoga is the best solution for bad backs. If you combine it with Pranayam, a breathing-based meditation, it is also very good for blood pressure.<br />Yes, Queen is a rock band, but the lead singer, Freddie Mercury, actually had a classical training in music. Behind that raw energy you can hear the discipline. I love their music, lush, loud, emotional, so good to work out or dance to.<br /><br />I find with soups you really need to leave out the starchy stuff, it can go in when you reheat. Potatoes in particular don't freeze well anyway. They go very mushy. Mostly I make stock and add stuff to it later, though my leek and potato soup just gets frozen ready to go. It's blended so it freezes ok. <br />You may not hear much from me for a bit. I am busy curating a memorial recital and have to write a eulogy and a poem. Maybe I can make the poem the eulogy. The recitasl is not only for my friend, but her sister-in-law and another lady who also sang in the choir. The four of us would get together for a contributory dinner, talk music and books, sing, discuss art, and the husbands would sit out on the balcony having a drink and a cigar. They were all smokers, and are all long gone. Somewhere in heaven there must be a smoking room for those dear souls. <br />So I am musing on using this idea for my poem, a place in heaven where we can all get together regardless of faith and do what we most enjoy. There will be a bottle of whisky for me, lemonade for Gladys and Paige, both staunch Methodists, and a glass of port for Yasmen, a Parsi lady with a remarkable contralto. <br />At rehearsals Yasmen and Gladys (also an alto) always stood side by side, more or less in the centre of the front row, and growled away full blast. I didn't mind standing next to Gladys because her voice drowned out an off-key soprano just behind me. I was a second soprano, able to sing high notes if I really had to, but more comfortable somewhere in the middle. I could cope with Gladys singng her part, but the off-key soprano was another matter. <br />So now, off I go, to write my little piece on the ladies in heaven, and another reflecting on Lent. I have some ideas about that too. A lot of buildings locally are shrouded in sacking, undergoing extensive repairs. It has a Lenten look....<br />Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18096766875124392942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-28592257826026692972017-03-30T14:19:03.062+11:002017-03-30T14:19:03.062+11:00Sorry for the typos....the print is teeny tiny on ...Sorry for the typos....the print is teeny tiny on my iPad....I can barely read it let alone fix it...lolKathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01226566457374908771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-84424755096690082842017-03-30T14:17:47.179+11:002017-03-30T14:17:47.179+11:00Fizzfan, Our healthcare is Medicare-Primary and Bl...Fizzfan, Our healthcare is Medicare-Primary and Blue Criss Blue Shield of Mi provided fornretirees of the United Auto Workers of Chrysler Corp. When the company went bankrupt in 2008 the union bought outDr insurance plan and we get it from them now. Thatnisna supplement to Medicare. We don't really pay now except for deductibles. We have what is considered the Cadillac of insurance. We still end up paying several hundred a year for the deductible for prescriptions and co-pays. That is not a lot compared to what we get. We also have vision, Hearing, Dental and Lawyers. <br />Now, if you don't have insurance you will be treated but you will be billed. Yes, it can bankrupt someone. My daughter filed Medical Bankruptcy because she had three surgeries and a ton of medical expenses. I think that has been discontinued now. I had cancer and the onlyspecialist was out of my plan so I was penalized 20%. I had to pay him $500 out of pocket but all the rest of my expenses for surgery and 5 days in hospital and 3months chemo were covered. The chemo was very expensive. I had one set of shots for blood every 3wks that cost $1500. It was approx $100,000 for that. It pays for my chiropractor visits every two weeks for the last 2years. <br />My daughter now has Medicaid. The area she lives in has only a one or two doctors that accept Medicaid. It is similar to Medicare....government paid. They pay lower fees to Drs.and hospitals so,they get terrible treatment at some places. They took her appendix out when it was her gallbladder. She had terrible complications with a hysterectomy. <br />I feel terrible that some people don't go to the doctor because they cannot afford it so only go to emergency for dire things. Many rural area hospitals have closed because they do not have enough insured people to stay open. The people have to drive 50 or more miles to a hospital for emergencies. <br />Medical tests and prescriptions in US are very high compared to other countries. A MRI is approx $5000...sometimes theynwill have a sale...if you have back problems or something and you want to pay cash. Mine was covered. <br />Most people in US have employer covered healthcare. Some Really poor or disabled have Medicaid. Thenold have Medicare. There is actually only a small,part of the populace that don't have anything and they are mostlynthe working poor. The people whose jobs pay minimum wage and they cannot afford it. Or the self employed. I don't understand why it is such a big deal to give subsidies for their insurance. <br />Our plan before Medicare was primary was valued at $24,000 a year. My other daughter who is in her 50s and single pays 350.00 a month for a medium plan. Her subsidy from the ACA (Obamacare) pays another 500. It would be 850 if she paid it all herself. <br /><br />I made the chicken soup today but I used gnocchi instead of potatoes. It turned out really good. Thank you. <br /><br />Jane I love yoga. It has helped my posture after my back problems and I can walk without pain. Who knew it was so good? I am only in a basic class for an hour 2x a week. Some ladies go more often and to a more intense workout but I am definitely not flexible or fast enough for that. It seems funny to do yoga to Queen....isn't that a rock band? <br /><br />Later, kKathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01226566457374908771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-88420762391418022012017-03-27T22:58:25.506+11:002017-03-27T22:58:25.506+11:00I'm glad to see everybody chatting, readers i...<br />I'm glad to see everybody chatting, readers if you are new, or maybe just been away for a bit, feel free to jump in. Running on empty https://www.blogger.com/profile/05668554083864151638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-57200139328020757982017-03-27T01:10:32.512+11:002017-03-27T01:10:32.512+11:00Actually if you like noodles, add them to your bow...Actually if you like noodles, add them to your bowl of soup before you heat it up. They microwave ok. I make a pot of soup that will last me a week. Then I line bowls with resealable bags and ladle in the soup. Seal, freeze and remove from bowl. When you want soup, unpack the block, slip it back into the bowl, defrost and heat. Writers can't spend all their time being domestic, so when I lived alone I cooked once a week. Roasted a small chicken, dismembered it and used the meat in different ways. The bones etc became stock...still do it, but of course I have hubby to fed as well! so I cook alternate days. And we eat out a couple of times a week.<br />India is a medical destination, especially for othopaedic procedures. You can have a bit of a holiday too while recovering, even if it is limited by your procedure! Hospital treatment is cheaper, care is good, and the doctors excellent and not outrageously pricey. <br />I do yoga, it is calming and keeps me flexible even though I don't lose any weight. But it seems to keep my weight stable. I do it even when I am not well, though some poses get left out depending how I feel. <br />I put on Queen while I cook....Elgar goes with yoga.Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18096766875124392942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-85965871183409617792017-03-26T19:11:01.640+11:002017-03-26T19:11:01.640+11:00Kathy I'm really interested to know what the a...Kathy I'm really interested to know what the average cost of your health insurance is? Also, what happens to people who have none and then for example develop cancer, or an emergency like appendicitis? Are they treated and then billed and if they don't pay just have any assets taken like their homes for example?<br />I'm assuming your dental care is all private too?<br /><br />It's one of the greatest puzzles about America that on one hand it's so advanced and civilised, yet on the other, such a fundamental need like basic health care isn't seen as an absolute priority and right of all citizens.<br />Fizzfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15690612271163437496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-14459151880060386132017-03-26T06:30:03.948+11:002017-03-26T06:30:03.948+11:00Thank you so much for the recipe...I like the idea...Thank you so much for the recipe...I like the idea of potatoes since it was always the noodles that ruined my soup. It's good to have some in the fridge for those times I don't want to cook a full meal. Hubby and I, neither one wants to cook anymore, so soups or salads onhand help a lot. <br /><br />Jane, I am sure you would be amazed what normal procedures cost in US....a baby delivery and care can be upwards of $10,000-15,000.<br />Anything hospital related is astronomical in cost. We could travel to another country with our family and stay there for surgery for the cost of some procedures here in the US. It may come to that. <br /><br />Thanks ladies....Kathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01226566457374908771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-8113249241726621082017-03-25T20:38:11.246+11:002017-03-25T20:38:11.246+11:00Jane just had to go back to your comment re Freddi...Jane just had to go back to your comment re Freddie Mercury. He was my fist love! Bohemian Rhapsody and First Night At The Opera kept me company for a large chunk of my early teens. What a talent! Sorely missed :(Fizzfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15690612271163437496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-10991393421235978932017-03-25T20:19:47.249+11:002017-03-25T20:19:47.249+11:00So here goes with recipe, although it's very f...So here goes with recipe, although it's very flexible and you can use whatever veg you like really, you just add the hardest veg first as they take the longest to cook through......<br />For a BIG saucepan....<br />3 or 4 medium Onions roughly chopped.<br />1 large pepper chopped fairly small.<br />Fry these in a little oil in your big saucepan while slicing up a large carrot (or couple of smaller ones) Add the carrot.<br />Then add some boiling chicken stock, about a pint but just enough to make it a good veg to liquid consistency really.<br />Add chilli flakes or fresh chilli to taste, but if you don't like it, just leave it out. <br />Peel n chop about 3 potatoes into large bite sized pieces and add to slowly simmering soup.<br />Add 2 to 3 large dessertspoons of Creme Fraiche.<br />I then chop a stick of celery, pak choi, sprinkle of sweetcorn, peas and small pieces of broccoli or whatever you like or have available and throw it all in.<br />Simmer til the potatoes are just cooked through adjusting your seasoning to taste.<br />I usually add COOKED chicken at the end or just add it when I'm reheating it.<br />It's a bit vague but whole thing takes about half an hour including chopping and can be reheated by the bowl full in a microwave in a couple of mins. <br />PS I don't use pasta as I prefer potatoes, but you could substitute them :)<br />I so agree about privatisation. Business has no place in care! My biggest beef with all politics is the huge pot of money left untouched at the top of the tax tree. There should be a global agreement that obscene wealth be diminished through taxation and put to use to ease poverty, assist essential services and create more income for the working so they in turn will spend more and revive economies.<br />The banks have been allowed to control far too much of what was once decided by politicians, who I think at one time actually listened to the people. Money rules now and most politicians are either just rich or priveleged which for me is a road to ruin. They should know what it's like to live a normal life before they're considered fit for office! Rant over on behalf of the faithless, frustrated and furious fair minded folks :)<br />Its fab that your yoga is helping so much. I did try Pilates once but ended up with a backache?! I'm a bit of a move to music junky and like getting into rhythms so have my favourite toons on as a distraction while I do my exercises. Enjoying it is the key I guess and whatever floats your boat should be the one you set sail in if you want to get anywhere :)<br />Hope everyone has a fab weekend n see u soon!Fizzfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15690612271163437496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-14235795569507673402017-03-25T19:43:21.872+11:002017-03-25T19:43:21.872+11:00Ha ha, I always say that. ..then I submit, and am ...Ha ha, I always say that. ..then I submit, and am aghast at what the autocorrupt has been up to when I wasn't looking. <br />I think the trouble with Obamacare is that it was brought in in a hurry. Seems that several attempts have been made to create something like uk's national health service but there was no consensus on how it should function. I think some health care is better than non, but I also agree that emergency clinics should be properly regulated. <br />If you can insist that everybody has health insurance it should be possible to lay down a minimum requirement. After all you have to have car insurance, it's the law. So why should you not have health insurance? <br />In India all clinics have to offer 10% discount to anyone over 60. This covers pathology and some basic procedures. It's a start. I was surprised to find that I got a discount because I was a senior citizen in California. I had severe asthma and my usual medications didn't work. I expected a huge bill, but it was a lot less than anticipated. Since I was on holiday I wasn't planning on falling sick!<br />There are free clinics and hospitals in India, if you are prepared to wait in a queue. Often they are long, a deterrent to those who can afford to pay. <br />I appreciate Trump wanting to make health care more affordable. But demolishing the existing setup without seeing if it can be improved won't help and could leave many without any cover. Can he guarantee that those with chronic disease or existing conditions won't suffer during the transition? Is there a plan for a transition? Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18096766875124392942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-51524650312936107832017-03-25T11:32:30.427+11:002017-03-25T11:32:30.427+11:00Next time I will proofread...ughNext time I will proofread...ughKathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01226566457374908771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647425979151417363.post-31960076400209096332017-03-25T11:30:50.943+11:002017-03-25T11:30:50.943+11:00Fixxfan, would you share your recipe? I am not goo...Fixxfan, would you share your recipe? I am not good at making chicken soup. Every time the noodles swell up too much. Finally I gave up, but I love homemade soup, it is one of my favorite things to eat. <br /><br />Yoga is so good especially since it is slow and peaceful way to exercise. I never knew I would enjoy it so much. i actually look forward rather than dreading it. It can be done at home but we will never take an hour to devote for that alone. The teachers give instructions on protecting your joints. How to kneel on a rug and sit on one on the edge to make sure you title a certain way. It is good you are doing some form of exercise at least. I have always been active but now that I am older I spent one whole winter reading and doing a lot of sitting. That did a number on me and I woke up one day and my back was extremely painful and I could hardly walk. That lasted 2 years with therapy and shots. The yoga is one of the best things I have done. That and quitting a station medication Imtook for cholesterol.<br /><br />Privatization will kill healthcare. I don't care what they say about competition it never seems to work. All the places just keep within a few dollars of one another so the competition doesn't keep prices low. At least that is how I see it. There are a lot of small emergency clinics opening up here since Obamacare went into effect. They cost more than a hospital emergency room because they are just call themselves emergency clinics but are not billed as an emergency room. It is a crazy thing. BTW the repeal of Obamacare failed. Even though the Republicans have a majority and could have passed it themselves Trump blamed it on the Democrats...lol. Basically it was a tax cut for the rich because it gave them 600M dollars and took away a lot of things covered.<br /><br />I agree with not sensationalizing the people who terrorize. They are looking for notoriety so it really perpetuates a problem. Kathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01226566457374908771noreply@blogger.com