Just Catching Up! in Majimaze Musing!

                          Hi there everybody!I promised myself I would take the time this morning to catch u so am dong so!Not too much has been going on.My biggest problem at the moment is getting on top of bills on a limited budget!And deciding which bill deserves priority!I know we all haqve these problems except the wealthy of course, however, the Moday before pension day or in our case,Superannuation day every 2 weeks,my mind is on my juggling act!Hi ho!You don't want to READ anything more about THAT!And I don't want to WRITE anymore about THAT!BORING!!!
                                            There have been one or two things that I could comment on tho'. One was my trip Friday before last to the city where I had to go to a very industrialised area about half an hour by bus!No problem, I love public transport.Planning was pretty essential, as I wanted to get off a t the nearest stop to my destination.Got that sorted.

                                          So, off I went!First two parts went well,then I saw the name of the place I wanted to be out the bus window,so got off and walked back, crossing the most terrifying road imaginable.Walked in,announced myself ,then was told it was about a kilometer up the road further.Another branch of my requirements.So,off I went! Do you know,it was the most dreadful road to be a pedestrian on.Sure it had a footpath, lumpy and broken,still a footpath tho' and a set of lights with pedestrian instructions at each side street intersecting the main road,however,the traffic was a nightmare!!Huge trucks roaring all around me,at me,past me, wihin inches,speeding cars,vans etc.It was a nightmare!As Polz said when I told he,'They probably don't see pedestrians there.Everything is vehicular!'
                                  Eventually,footsore and weary and petrified,I found where I needed to be.Uh huh!Need to use a toilet!Busting!!!I asked at the counter.No toilets there for public use!Nearest,pub next door or cafe along the road!Couldn't see the cafe,however,found the pub!
                                    Now,I have haven't been in a pub,(bar) for nearly 30 yrs,I am a recovered alcoholic of 34 yrs however, need was VERY urgent!So,stepped over the dimly lit threshold,didn't see a step and fell over!!CLASSIC!!I started to laugh! How ironic can life get.A startled barman looked at me suspiciously and as I struggled to get up and regain my composure,he came over to help me.There were no patrons thank God!I said to him,'You won't beleive me,however,I don't drink alcohol and haven't been in a pub for 30 years and I must be the only patron who falls over walking INTO your pub!I just need a toilet VERY badly!!!'

He smailed and said Over there Ma'am!' Very relieved I said as I left,"I can't even afford a lemonade and want to thankyou so very much.'He asked if I was hurt,and I wasn't so left,trying not to trip again!Oh dear!!!!I'll bet that was the subject of a few jokes!The rest of the day was easy!I completed my business and there was a bus back to the city right outside the door and I caught the next boat home.Ye Gods!I won't try THAT trick again.The pub wasn't at all posh, a bit of a dive really,however, it was 'any port in a storm' and had a very polite barman.Sigh!

                                 Last Monday night,I had to deliver my last speech or project in my last manual towards my Toastmasters Gold Award.It was one that was called 'Speaking to Inform'. I had put it off for a while.It required 'using visual aids' and the project was called 'Resources for Informing'.Now,I don't do techie visual aids, not computer savvy enough,and after seeing a few others using 'Power Point' and getting all tangled up, I decided a flip chart was the go!

                        Now the subject.I searched the brain-box for weeks, and finally had a lightbulb moment!!Da-Da--aa-aaa!!  Seeing as It was reading about finding resources for Informing, I decided to do before Google and after Google.As I am over 70 yrs old,it was easy.Most of my life was 'before Google', and I based it around that!Encyclopaedias,dictionaries,books of all descriptions, the great outdoors,great schoolteachers, my parents,.Eventually I had a flip chart of six pages on 'pre-Google and one page   showing a computer screen with the Google logo!I was delighted!I could easily speak without notes,just the pages and it was MY life!
                    Of course ,there has to be a 'Murphy Moment!' W. was late picking me up for the meeting,so I didn't have enough time to set up the flip-chart so had to show each page individually and got to the stage of talking to the page.However, all in all it was wonderfully successful and I got a great evaluation! so am well pleased.Now there are a few more requirements for my Gold,and hopefully by years end, I will be a Toastmasters Gold!Yeeha!Nothing like small achievements like that to boost morale.I worked out that since I have joined Toastmasters,I have done 40 speeches!EEEE---K!!

                                     Jimmy ,grandson aged 9, has had a full diagnosis of Crohns.Part of the management plan is to rest his bowel for 6 weeks,so he has been given a liquids only diet.Phew.I'm not sure I'd like that at all.And he is just a young lad who loves his food.Has rebelled a bit,however, Janet and Bill are working very hard with him.
                                           To add to Janet and Bills weeks of hospitals etc, Jimmy's big sister Samantha,(17), fell out of a 10 metre tree the weekend before last!Now,Sammy is an inverterate tree climber .BTW.!0 metres is approx 30 feet high.She is very physically fit,in her last year at High School and has climbed most of the Norfolk pines on the Island. Tall,5 ft 10" and beautiful and she chose the wrong tree.It was a pohutukawa, and at 10 mtres very old ,approx 300-400 years.They are a native tree and at that grand age,very prone to breaking.

                                      Yes, it broke and Janet was standing beneath it.She heard a scream and crack and her daughter landed at her feet unconcious and bleeding!Janet said she didn't panic.She is a highly qualified nurse and brought her round and checked for spinal injuries,none, found the bleeding was a tooth through a li wound and got Sam to her feet.She took her to the car,on the way Sam blacked out again, and once at the car,found a torch and checked for concussion.Yes, she was concussed.Not too surprising!And a sore arm.Janet monitored her all night then took her to Docs in morning and onto Accident  and Emergency  in the city.They MRI'd her.No head or spinal injury,ultimately just a fractured elbow and soft tissue damage..Phew!She is soo--oo lucky to be alive.Says a lot for youth and fitness the doctors reckon!I hate heights so my worst nightmare.Thank God!
                                             I'd better finish now and get on with my day>I am well and touch wood have managed to avoid flu and colds so far!Good old 'flu vaccination!Weather was awful last week!Blew seven bells and rain!!Ugh!Small flooding inside and Penny has got pieces of her roof missing otherwise great!Another storm due tonight!I HATE winter!On the whole warm tho'.

                                          Lots of love to you all and will endeavour to note you,
                                                             God Bless,
                                                                     Majimazexxxxxxxxx