Saturday 17 January 2015

October to January wrap up

The time from mid-October was as busy as it usually is, if not more so.

There were extra rehearsals as it was leading up to RAD exam time. There were also competitions over Labour weekend so rehearsals for the comp.

Brains also had rehearsals for Pump Dance, plus Maureen Ax School of Dance in Palmerston North.

A good friend of Miss Lisa's died suddenly on 28th of October. We knew her as well so it was a shock for all of us.

Our exams were held on 31st October. The day went well, and I was there for the whole time as Miss Lisa needed some extra support, plus someone to pick up and return the examiner, and do a few other jobs during the day.

The Maureen Ax show was the weekend of the 15-16 November and the Pump show the following weekend. So there was a fair amount of juggling schedules and extra travel involved.

Oh, and Pa's car blew it's head gasket. We were without it for almost 5 weeks!  :-w

I was busy with costumes for the Pump show, and then our show. I was also going to be making some costumes for Rachel Compton Dance Studio which a friend's daughter attends.

The weeks flew by but everything got done. Our show was on the 14th December which was the same day as the WSBN Christmas meet. I wasn't able to get to the meet but I did get the Secret Santa gift made that I needed to. You can see it and read about it here if you would like to.

In the week after our show I finished the costumes for Rachel Compton Dance Studio. They were very happy with them and I'm hoping to get some photos from the show soon.

I went with a friend to see a show the week before Christmas which we both really enjoyed.

The following week, on the 21st Dec, my younger brother, Perry, came to stay for a couple of weeks over Christmas and New Year.

I managed to get all the shopping done a few days before Christmas so it wasn't too frantic in the days leading up to the 25th.

On 24th we had lunch at Ab-Prof and Moneypenny's along with Moneypenny's family. Even though we were happy to help out Moneypenny wanted to do it all herself. She did, and a fantastic meal too!

Then it was the big day, Christmas Day. It started out really well with Smurfette arriving early to open presents with us. A lot were going to be taken over the hill to Featherston where Butcher and Chuckles were hosting the Christmas dinner.

Boar, Pa and Perry headed into the service at CTCC. We went to the Christmas Day service at NBC and then headed to Johnsonvale to see Ma. She was very sleepy and not really able to be woken so we only stayed a few minutes.

Then it was home to gather up all the things we needed to take to Featherston. We'd just driven down Earp Street when Locket suddenly complained that her neck was really sore. And a few seconds later that her chest was hurting. A bit strange. We were home in two minutes and I asked a few more questions once we'd got inside and I'd sat her down. I also gave her a glass of water to sip as she was feeling nauseous. Yes, both neck and chest were still sore, and her arm and left side "felt funny, tingly." She also looked pale and just not quite right.

Decision time - I wasn't happy to travel over the hill with Locket displaying the symptoms she was. So we packed all the things needed in Smurfette's car, plus Brains, and they headed to Featherston. We headed to Kenepuru After Hours clinic. Among other things Locket commented that her head felt really "spacey".

We were seen quite quickly. The doctor at Kenepuru decided it was best we go through to Wellington Emergency Department so he gave us a referral letter. I knew we could probably kiss good-bye any chance of going over the hill, but health is more important. Her symptoms were some of the ones that are displayed with a stroke or TIA, but I was sure hoping it wasn't anything like that!!

We were seen fairly quickly at ED. Locket was given a thorough examination with all the neurological observations, plus a chest X-ray and an ECG. The strange feelings in her arm slowly disappeared too. All the tests were o.k. so she was discharged with the instructions that we come back if the symptoms returned. Thankfully they didn't  :)


During this time Boar had dropped Pa at Johnsonvale to have Christmas Day lunch with Ma at the home, and he - Boar - and Perry had gone to join everyone else over the hill for dinner.

We were out by around 2:45pm  . . . too late to go over the hill. We'd kept in contact with the rest of the family who were understandably worried about their daughter/little sis. They were all glad to hear that nothing serious had been found.

Although we were both gutted that we had to miss the family dinner we were just glad she was o.k. We briefly considered heading to Charles and Lynne's, Boar's side of the family, in Miramar, but when Locket asked what we'd do for the hour we had to wait and could we wait at home, we made the decision to just go home. I really didn't think she should be out, and she was pretty wiped. Poor girl almost fell asleep on the way home from the hospital because she was so tired.

We curled up on the bed and watched a movie  :D 

Pa arrived home and sometime soon after Jester, Frosty and Mr Magoo came to see Locket and deliver some food to us that they'd all saved.  :)  Ab-Prof and Moneypenny had been going to visit as well but the girls were cranky so they headed home. 

Boar & Brains called in briefly as they were dropping Perry back here before going on to Miramar. They had Butcher with them as the family needed transporting over. So Butcher popped up to see Locket as well. And I handed over the Pamol that had been requested by Chuckles as Half-pint wasn't too flash! Chuckles and the boys were travelling in Smurfette's car to Chuckles' dad's home. 

Thankfully Locket hasn't had any more of the same symptoms. At least the episode is all documented should anything like it happen again. Which I sincerely hope doesn't!

The next day, Boxing Day, my older brother, Vidor, arrived to stay. He lives in Opotiki and came down to be here when we went away. He's pretty cruisey and was happy to sleep on a couple of mattresses on the floor in the lounge.  

30th December I spent most of the day with my friend from college days. I blogged about it here so won't again! 

On New Year's Eve Brains and Locket went out with a few friends, Estelle included, into the central city and then after the fireworks at midnight headed home to Estelle's for the night.

All of us at our place just had "A quiet night in"  :D 

The next few days went by quickly as we organised things to go away. Stocking up on food and supplies, checking the lanterns, batteries. I also tidied out my chest of drawers so I could put the one from Pa's place in my room. Especially since we needed the space in the van for packing  ;)

Saturday 3rd January we started sorting and packing the van. We planned to leave on the Sunday after Boar got home from church.

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