I wrote a small jobs list for today and it grew and grew. I think there are about 10 items. I’ve done the first two and items keep getting added.

First was to make an appointment for an ultrasound scan of my right shoulder. For the last six months it’s been progressively becoming more painful when I lift it up or back. At first it was just annoying but now it’s a problem, including when I’m driving. I also can’t put my right arm around someone in bed. That’s important!

The doctor reckons it’s bursitis, so I’ve made an appointment for an ultrasound scan and potential steroid injection. Unfortunately, the earliest I can get is tomorrow week, the day before I go to Bali. Booger. Can’t be helped.

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Second was to ring Wanneroo City to enquire about TV reception. For the past two weeks I’ve had no signal on the ABC channels, which are the ones I want most, of course. (Why is it that it’s always the ABC channels that go kaput? This is VHF channel 12, right next to the commercial channels, yet they are strong and clear. It’s a conspiracy, I reckon. Same for DAB+ digital radio. I’ve got a beautiful Sony digital radio receiver, and it picks up about 30 radio stations, but not the ABC or SBS stations! What?? Why?? Grrrr.)

Anyway, I phoned the number that Wanneroo council gave me for Communications Australia Pty Ltd. Well, after being dumped off three times, I finally got through and the bloke didn’t know what I was talking about. It turned out he was in Melbourne!

I explained that as far as I know, TV is distributed in this area underground from a community antenna, and his company is the one that installed and maintains it. “Oh”, he said, “er, can I get back to you? This is the first time we’ve had an enquiry like this.”

So now I’m waiting for them to call back. This’ll be interesting.

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Next was to make another appointment with my GP. She gave me scripts for a couple of items last Friday, but they are marked no repeats. I’m going to be in Bali for 6 weeks or more, so I need more repeats. I also need a flu vaccination. It probably wouldn’t protect against a Bali strain of flu, but when you’re cooped up in a plane full of Perth passengers, you could easily catch something. Better safe than sorry.

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Next is to make an appointment with the gastric band surgeon. I’m having problems which may be related to how easily the stomach passes food, or not. Therefore the band will have to come out before we can make any diagnosis. I’ve been thinking about it for the past two years and I think it’s time.

This affects how long I can stay in Bali this time, of course.

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Next is to tell Centrelink that I’ll possibly be out of the country for more than the six weeks they allow without notification. This means I’ll have to negotiate their infamous phone sustem, with waiting times of 45 mins or more. I’ll have to do that later today, although it operates 24/7 so you can actually ring at 3am if you want to. Might do that.

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Next is to go out. I need to go to Chemist Warehouse for some things for a friend, and to buy a cheap, smaller suitcase. I want to leave my big suitcase up in Bali this trip, and bring a smaller case back when I return at the end of June.

Then to my local pharmacy to stock up on all my medications for the next two months. I’ll be away for more than six weeks, so I need two months’ supply. This bulky! I’ve paid for 30kg baggage in two checked bags this trip. I’ll need it.

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Another topic: I freely admit I’m a bagaholic. Especially camera bags – I’m a camera bag freak. I bought another one on Saturday. Yeah.

This is the one I bought in Kuta in March:

It’s an excellent bag, light and well designed, especially since it includes a zip opening in the “lid”. Also especially since it only cost $45. Good value! I like it, but it only holds one camera. It’s not quite big enough for me.

On Saturday I bought this:

It’s a genuine camera bag, designed to take two cameras and a couple of lenses.

This was a little more expensive, um, $382, but I had to have it.

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 In my last posting, I said that Air Asia’s fares are very low, $181 return, and I said there’s gotta be a catch.

Well, there is, of course. To cut a long story short, I’m paying $185 one way. That’s still pretty good, but the other fare didn’t include luggage, or seat selection, or a meal, or compulsory flight insurance, or an extra $16 for an extra 10kg of luggage, and so on … I’ve actually only booked a flight up, because I don’t know when I’ll need to come back. I’ll be going in on a 30 day tourist visa and that can be extended for another 30 days (for a fee, of course), so that makes the latest I can stay 9 July. I hope to be having the gastric surgeon appointment for a band removal operation about then, so I have to come back.

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