And on and on. August is the cruellest month, they say, I say. In this location, it’s the back end of winter and the coldest, wettest month. I always wish it was at an end, so that we can move on to September and Spring, that glorious time of the year. When the days become noticeably longer, the light comes earlier and lingers longer. The rain lessens, the temperatures rise a little each day. I love Spring and Summer.

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I’m still trying to regain my strength after my sojourn in hospital in mid-June to early July. I still feel weak and with poor balance. I’m worried about falling all the time (wrong: I’m worried all the time about falling.)

The physiotherapist was here last Wednesday and she remarked that I seem brighter than a couple of weeks ago. I agree, I do feel brighter and less depressed. But I seem to have lost a lot compared with a year ago. Lethargic, tired all the time, lacking motivation.

In addition, I’m noticing a new problem: nausea. I actually vomited last week, which is very unusual for me. It’s about the first time in more than 40 years since I’ve done that. I wish I knew why because it’s a very unpleasant feeling. All I can think of is that I ate a hard-boiled egg which smelled slightly off at the time I ate it. It was new stock, fresh from Coles. I hard boiled half a dozen at a time and only ate this one. I’m a bit reluctant to try another. But I will.

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My brother’s been here today, doing odd jobs for me while I feel unwell. We’re doing each other favours, quid pro quos. We each have our strengths and weaknesses.

It looks like he’ll take the Verada off my hands. As I’ve said, it’s a lovely car and if I could hold onto it, I would. But he’s owned one before and knows what he’s getting into, so it’s a good deal for both of us. He’s capable of doing more repairs than I am.

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We had a go at connecting up the Sony ES Series amp (see below, gold colour) this morning, but there are a few problems. It’s a beautiful amp but it’s dated and doesn’t handle video very well. I just got confused this morning and gave up, meaning I need to draw a diagram and try again later.

This ES amp lacks HDMI inputs and outputs (High Definition Multimedai Interface) and although I’ve got adapters, they are only 1024×768 standard.

I’ve realised that there’s a Sony amplifier in the lot I bought last summer (black, shown above), which although slightly lower in power (100W pc vs 150W pc), has a full set of HDMI ins and outs. It’s probably ten years younger than the ES series amp. What a pity to not use the ES amp.

So now I’ve got yet another piece of “broken” hi-fi gear to fix. Kerrrumbs, will I never learn? Still, the newer amp only cost me less than $10, so it’s a genuine bargain. That’s if it works. I haven’t tried it yet!

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I’ve been bleeding. I had a nap on top of my quilt last week and awoke to find a large (15cm diameter) patch of blood. Trouble is, I don’t know where it came from. Obviously my leg, or toes, but I can’t see where. The Silver Chain nurse was here this morning and couldn’t see either, so it looks like it’s a mystery. Too bad.