I gave in. I awoke at about 4 o’clock this morning for a pee, but with shooting pains in my right foot from the tight stocking. The pain was so bad I couldn’t sleep and I had to take a couple of Panadiene Extra. I stuck with it most of the day but gave up about 4.30pm and peeled it off. Only the right leg – and that’s the good leg. The bad leg seems OK, so that’s still compressed. I have the deep vein ultrasound tomorrow so that’ll show something or other.

__________________________________________

I’ve been working out how to get to the Rugby Klub and home again when I live in Kallaroo. Getting there by bus is feasible – two changes of bus and a bit of walking, taking about 45 mins. But getting home again around 7.00 – 7.30pm would be very difficult. It would take an hour and a half and involve changing buses and waiting at train stations. On a Friday night? You’re kidding. No way. Looks like taxis if I wanted to go. Expensive.

_____________________________________

Why am I buying into a retirement village when I could buy a luxury apartment overlooking Geographe Bay? In yesterday’s West it showed a group of villas/apartments in the east end of Busselton that were originally marketed at over $1m each, but couldn’t be sold. They’re now selling for half price, about $500,000. That’s my price range. That’s a long way to drive to the Rugby Klub, but it would be fascinating to see what you get. It’s Westpac’s loss – they’ve put the group into receivership. My heart bleeds.

_______________________________

I found an inflation calculator on the Reserve Bank web site (I visit this web site all the time, don’t you?) My purchase of this house in 1986 for $68,000 is equivalent to $157,000 today, so I’ve more than quadrupled my investment in real terms. I’m happy with that. Surprisingly, the average inflation since 1986 has only been 3.4%. I’m surprised, but they’re the experts.

I’m always a sucker for a dog, and this is nice. It’s a web picture, in Seattle I think. Minnie’s behaviour has changed in the last month or two. She always wanted to be outside before, but now she wants to be inside most of the time, often under the table. She seems happy enough. I’m not sure why she’s become so clingy.

Keith has been here and we’ve been packing up the workshop. The lounge is now stacked with boxes ready to move. It’s not such a huge job – just hot work.

I mentioned my move at the Rugby Club on Friday night and one of the good guys said, “Just let us know when you’re ready and I’ll organise the guys with trailers and we’ll have you moved in no time flat.” That’s fantastic. I’ve been a member there for 12 years now – one of the long-timers. They don’t want to lose members, and this is one of the benefits. Nice.

________________________________

Uuurggggh, I’m having to wear compression stockings now. Deb, the Silver Chain nurse, put them on for me on her last visit (and I mean final visit) on Thursday and she really struggled. They are tight! I hate it. It feels like wearing tourniquets just below the knee. They are meant to stay on, but I don’t think I can bear it. They are so tight I can’t get them off myself unless I took the scissors to them and cut them off. But at $69.95 for the pair … I have to be very careful not to break the skin with fingernails, too.

I’m having a deep vein ultrasound on Monday so I’ll try to bear them until then, but I don’t want them back on if they remove them. I can imagine the feeling – the blood is going to rush to refill the tissues and it will itch and hurt, I reckon.

At last, at last, at last. Another hurdle was jumped today, the termite inspection. No problems were found, as I expected. That means, barring finance failure, I’ve sold my house at last.

Better than that, I know where I’ll be going and it’s vacant now. I have pictures, I’ve seen through the house before, I know what to expect, so unless there’s some last minute hurdle, I can start planning my move straight away. In fact, I start packing tomorrow.

This has been an ordeal! I never thought it would be so hard and so complicated. At the beginning of 2011, WA house prices were at their peak, but no-one had any confidence then, so no buyers. I’ve had to drop my price, but I’m satisfied. It’s OK.

Now, at last, I can buy a new fridge and live in a properly furnished house that I don’t feel I have to apologise for. Walk 100m to a pool that I don’t have to maintain, and a free, use anytime gym that might do me some good. I’ll be 1Km from Mullaloo beach, same as I am from the beach now. The goal will be to walk that. We’ll see. It’s a goal.

One thing on my mind is how to accustom Minnie to a new back yard with no dirt to poo on. I’ll have to immediately arrange a sand pit and I’ll take a couple of bucketloads of dirt from here with her smell in it. We’ll see.

______________________________

I think I mentioned buying a laser printer for $29.95? It’s a Fuji_Xerox, made in Japan, so it should have been good.

Well, slight problem. DOA, dead on arrival. It wouldn’t power up. Amazing. I’ve never had this happen before. I tried everything, but I had to return it for exchange today. Office Works tried it too, with no more success than I had. No problem exchanging it, except that mine was white, which I like, but the only exchange one they had is black. Booger, but for $29.95, that’s it.

___________________________________________

What a relief to be cool again. I was actually a bit too cool early this morning, but sleep is better that way. A web site I respect is discussing the obesity epidemic today, and sleep was mentioned as a possible cause – that we’re not getting as much or as good quality as we did 30 – 40 years ago. I dunno. My weight increased badly during my sleep apnea years ~1995 to 2000, and I gained another 10Kg when I finished full time work at the end of 1999, so it’s a bit hard to separate it out. One thing mentioned was that Weight Watchers is the most reliable weight loss program (USA web site). Never tried it.