See what my new Super-Dooper State of the Art Digital Camera can doo?  Capture a shot of ET!  Well, goll-lee, Sarr-geant.

Ain’t I cute?

Aunt Marion’s (she didn’t like being called Aunty) wedding on 13 September 1952 in Sydney, of course.

L-R:  Darcy Croft, William (Bill) Croft, Ernest (Grandpa) Croft, Doris (Grandma) Croft, Jack (Jonathan) Croft – my father, holding me, Peter Croft, aged 5.  Cute, ay? Thanks Alison!

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No seriously, this Olympus OM-D E-M1 camera is a game changer.  I’ve also bought an Olympus Zuiko 75-300mm (150-600mm equiv.) lens. I already had a Sigma 120-400mm (180-600mm equiv.) for Pentax, but it weighs 1.7Kg (yeah, just the lens, body extra), as much as a laptop, so it doesn’t get used very often, and only on a tripod. This new lens only weighs 450g for the same focal length range. Guess which is going to get the most use.

I hate to abandon Pentax. It’s a lovely system, easy to use and fantastic quality, but it’s heavy. Not as good at carrying as I used to be. I’m not abandoning them, but … time will tell.

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Feeling the effects of diabetes type II and high blood pressure recently. Guess what’s brought it on. Anger, red hot, burning coal anger about what was done to me in September, and prior to that in 2012 and early 2013. Have I got a lightning rod over my head??!!  Dog save me from family members wanting to “help” me. GO AWAY! You have done more harm than good.  The simple reason is that they don’t talk to me before acting.  This is the story of my life. All my troubles from high school onwards stem from lack of communication, acting first, talking with me later. I’m sick to death of it, almost literally.

The prospects are losing feet, then legs, or both, going on to insulin, with all its dangers and rigmarole, heart attack, stroke, blindness and so on.  I’d rather go quickly and painlessly.

I’ve got the gastric band, of course, but I can’t maintain the discipline of following a baby-food diet. I tried, but I got regurgitation and terrible gastric reflux, in fact burning of the oesophagous.

I’ve known about gastric bypass all along, but it’s scary and not reversible. I was thoroughly put off it by stories from the GP I used to see in the city. However, I’ve spoken to someone who’s had it done and she said, “No problems. Lost 30Kg, a handful of food is enough, eat anything, it’s easy.”

I’m scared of it, but which is scarier, losing legs or eyes? Or an irreversible procedure which:

• Stops diabetes type II within days;
• Stops cholesterol (hyperlipidemia) problems  (not that I have any problem with this);
• Stops hypertension (yes, I have a problem);
• Stops sleep apnea (not that I mind — I’d probably continue using my CPAP machine anyway — I like it);
• Stops gastric reflux (an intermittent problem for me);
• Reduces or fixes leg oedema (big problem for me).

I would have no option but to use the baby food diet, i.e. yoghurts, soups, mashed veges, etc etc.  The point is, with the band, there is an option – give up and revert, which is what I’ve done. With the bypass, that option is taken away.

I’m scared of it, but I’m more scared of losing my legs or going blind.

Sorry to be so melancholy.

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PS:  due to my leg problems recently, I brought my Circulation Booster (look it up) out of its box in the garage and fired it up again. Clear cut result – warm feet, less burning skin,  better feel overall.  It’s masochistic to use (Ooooh, I love the pain), but it feels good.