Some excerpts from my journal for NOVEMBER 2012
Thursday 1st November
A frustrating day for Ray on several counts. Last night we found we had no hot water. This morning Ray took the fuse up to the
electricians and bought a new one. It
did not work. So Ray phoned and a young
man came down. Meanwhile we had exposed
the tank – no easy task. I cleaned away some of the cobwebs and detritus around
it. I removed the blanket with which I
had covered it to conserve heat. The
blanket stuck, and I tugged. It came
away with a jerk. Then as I was
vacuuming the floor beside the tank, I saw water seeping from somewhere. I feared I had done some damage when I tugged
the blanket loose. Ray went under the
house to see if he could find the intake pipe.
He said there was only a tiny puddle down there, so the leak had not
been going on long. Furthermore, it had
stopped already. I mopped up what I
could reach. Then fortunately I thought
to check the vacuum cleaner, because I thought I had heard something clonk into
it when I used it to get cobwebs from behind the tank. What I found in it was water. So I had to discard the bag and dry the
inside of the vacuum cleaner. Good thing
I opened it. The clonking would have been dry beans or sweet pea seeds that had
fallen behind the tank when I had been drying them out.
The electrician, a young man named Chase Herbert, found why the
tank had stopped heating – and also blown the new fuse – a piece of copper wire
was shorting something inside the 'gear' box.
He replaced that and the fuse.
But we could not test the tank because it was in 'off peak' mode, and so
turned off between 9.30 am and 1 pm.
Chase went on his way. I meantime
had gone out to finish weeding the rose bed, and I clear the raspberry patch of
borage plants.
Then it was time to get ready to go to Hamilton. I had an
appointment at the Meade Clinical Centre at 2.15, to check a blemish on my
leg. Which incidentally was in a dormant
state and looked fine and was not at sore or itching today. We left in good time and got there
early. Ray had the expected problem of
finding a place to park, as he is constitutionally unable to bring himself to
pay to use the carpark building adjacent to the clinic. He found a place on Horne St and we walked
three quarters of the way around the hospital looking for the main
entrance. Before we found it, someone
took us inside by another entrance, and a volunteer guide directed us with the
aid of a map to where I needed to be. Of course Ray was doing his thing about
the inefficiency, poor planning, inconvenience etc., and expressing his opinion
to all and sundry. This adventure was no
fun for Ray! Finally we got there and
sat in the reception area, with which he also found things to criticize. It was roomy and airy. I was given a number and told to watch the TV
screen for my number to come up.
I had to wait a while, as I was in early. In the end my number did not come up, but a
nurse called my name. So I went into the
inner sanctum. Ray meanwhile had gone
back to the car, finding a better way out.
The doctor who saw me was not impressed by the blemish – wart? - growth?
- and asked me why Dr Srinivasagam had not cut it out. I could only give my cautious GP's reason,
that because of my heart murmur he wanted it done in sterile conditions. What was wrong with my heart? I did not
rightly know. This doctor had my records, and so I asked him. He said it there was no clear diagnosis. Dr Srinivasagam had said 'they' did not seem
to know, but he knows I have a definite and loud heart murmur, and I know it
handicaps me on hills, so there must be something wrong. The upshot was, this thing on my leg is not
urgent. My guilt in not going to see
about it a couple of years ago, when I was supposed to, is assuaged! They will probably get around to in
March. He said it was a pity they could
not do it right then. To this I agreed,
and so of course did Ray when I told him.
There will have to be another journey into the wilds of the Waikato
hospital! I had to fill in some paper
work, and while I was doing this, Ray returned.
An amusing incident happened when we first got inside the hospital
and approached the reception desk. The receptionist asked if I needed a
wheelchair to get to the appropriate clinic!
Wednesday 21st November
I wanted to go to Maungatautari.
Ray did not seem to mind, so off we went. We met and talked to the man who takes care
of the maintenance of the 47km enclosure fence. He was
making a new entrance to the house that will be the Visitors Centre when it opens
next week. Then we went into the
Southern Enclosure for our walk. When I get into the enclosure and start
walking down the track, I feel I have come home. Ray can not think why, as it is nothing like
the woods I knew at home. But where is
home? I feel I have come home when I get
onto the Mt Arthur Tablelands, too. I
think actually prefer the southern beech forests, but I find a homecoming on
most forest tracks. We walked the Rata
Track today.
We had just emerged from it, and Ray was having trouble with his
camera, which did not take kindly to the new batteries he had put in. Along the Nikau track come Phil Brown, the
professional photographer whom we had met on the mountain once before. He looked at Ray's camera, reckoned he had
the wrong kind of batteries, and pulled from his pocket a set of four
replacements! As he got them at cost,
that was what Ray paid him, $4, though he would have given them to us. What in amazing coincidence! Ray needs alkaline batteries, or better yet,
lithium.
When we climbed the tower, Ray got talking to an American
lady. He invited her to visit us. When
we came out of the enclosure, we found the temporary information kiosk had been
removed. The fence man told us about 60
children had been through today, plus others.
We saw many of them in the enclosure, on the main track to the aviary,
observation tower and 'the clearing'.
Those are the 'educational' places. Few people seem to walk the outlying
tracks.
Thursday 22nd November
Mt Tongariro has blown again, from the Te Maari crater. I was in Australia when it happened in
August, and did not see much coverage.
It seems 80,000 people do the Tongariro crossing each year. Makes me realize how bad my heart is. I could barely make it. Anyway, much loss of income to the tourist
companies, as the crossing is temporarily closed. Ruapehu is muttering too.
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