May 10th 2018

I tell you time just flies by soooo quickly these days.
We have finished farm-sitting for friends at Groomsville (near Crows Nest Qld) and have moved into Toowoomba and are assisting friends by House-sitting their property whilst they travel.
It was lovely being out on the 40 acre farm and helping our friends Sandra and Tom.  Mr Puss would come to the van every morning about 6am and meow on the step.  He really enjoyed the cuddles every couple of days.  I think he was really missing the company of Miss Pippy (the kelpie) and any human contact.
In town now and looking after this fine property until the end of June.  Whilst here I am helping the indigenous students at Harristown State School and teaching them coiling weave.  We have a great group of 10 students and we talk about aspects of weaving, gathering and community during our 3/4 hour session each week.
Today I had the pleasure of working with some year 8 and 9 students at the high school and showing them how to make a string bag.  The girls grasped the technique and were making good headway within the hour.
I have been doing quite a bit of weaving and have been asked to do an adults class - so this is in plans for the 2nd June.  Fingers crossed I get some participants 😃.  I will have raffia and some grasses for people to weave with.
Beckie and the children have settled into Toowoomba.  Ben is currently over in Thailand with his cousins Julie and Dan and Aurra.  Having a wonderful time.  Once he returns home he is moving stores with Woolies.  He is leaving Victoria Point and moving to Helensvale.
Bradley is into his second year apprenticeship as a baker and still at Helensvale.
Darryl is doing ok.  His hand tremors are worse when handling plates but he ignores it 😦.  His legs are so much better than they were in January 2017.  He wears his compression sock every day and the doctors are very impressed with their current condition.  Hopefully this will keep his cellulitis at bay.  He still loves to play his computer games until midnight when he has access to 240V power.  Otherwise he reads - a lot.  His Kindle has about 700 books on it.
I have been diagnosed with ?polymyalgia rheumatica [PMR].  There is still some query as to whether this diagnosis is true - so have been referred to a rheumatologist - whom I will see in June.  The pain in my upper body muscles and hips have improved by 85% since starting the Prednisolone; and I am now able to change position in bed, pull up the covers; re-position myself in the chairs without feeling like my body is going to explode; get things out of my trouser pockets and I can get up and walk without all those little dolly-steps.  So I am feeling much better in myself and will have to await review at the end of June.
The weather is finally starting to cool down in Toowoomba but it is still so very dry.  Hopefully we will get a wet winter to help during the summer.
That is us for now......