Lived Experience Forum

[Oaktree]

Hi @Emelia8 

Are you ok hun? You say you are feeling fragile? How’s your little Hannah doing? I hope she is keeping you company and making you smile occasionally

[Emelia8]

Hi @Oaktree ♥ thanks for asking. I will be okay,  just going thru a rough time right now with a trauma anniv yesterday. Not been sleeping for a few nights. @tonys very kindly kept me company on my personal thread well into the night yesterday 😊.  I will get through it,  as I always do. Its just hard for a while, until things settle once more. Having Hannah helps. She is a beautiful little girl, keeps me company and makes me laugh with her antics. How have you been? 

[Oaktree]

Hi @Emelia8 

So sorry it was a hard time for you yesterday. I am grateful that @tonys was able to be there for you. He loves helping a damsel in distress. He is a good friend to have. 
I am ok. A bit up in the air at the moment. Hubby is trying to decide about retirement and when to do it and I am trying to help him but it’s a big decision. Need to get it right. He is 63 but not working much. He has a casual job and he’s meant to get 15 hours per week but he hasn’t even been getting 10 on average. Things are a bit tricky 

[tonys]

hi @Emelia8    I'm a retired farmer. Mostly greenhouse flowers an veg.  Small operation,  but it fed me and a procession of back packers and some town folk regulars. It just got way to busy and out grew me.    Ive heard  "yarns"  about the fine wool game.   Huge prices some of those bails command from 

specialty buyers..   Would like to hear more on that one day.   I had a few farm animals.  Mostly critters than people would dump over my fence at 2 am.  Goats, pigs, chooks,  geese. Never a sheep though. 

They mostly had the run of the place and fattened up on all the left over fruit n veg. I guess you could call them  my little ecosystem pets.  They all had jobs and the squabbles could all be sorted with a 

garden hose or well aimed tomatoes.   

So . .   how are you holding up Emelia.  I  You know,   we have so many good memories in our lives,

I wonder just how it is that a handful of bad ones can highjack the whole play ground.

Bully memories.   Thats what they are.  We're not going to tolerate bullies . . .  hey mate.

Not in our playgrounds.      I have that bowl ice cream feeling coming over me. . .  smiles to  you mate.

Hey there  @Dimity   The last time I had to say sorry to someone,   I sang sorry songs outside their window,  the whole night.  Generous neighbours sent me old boots,  vegetables, even a few rotten 

eggs and a chamber pot.           Hope you are ok   Dimity and  got the makings of a little smile.                                                                                                                                                                  tonys.

 Hi everyone on this thread..

[tonys]

Hey @Oaktree ..   Big decision hey Sis..   Mate I hear you.   Life when you get to our age seems to be just one after the other.   All I can say is there are more good years behind us than ahead.   Your lover had a big 

op with his knees.   Dare I utter the word,     down size.      I know you have a beaut place with lots of ties

but why struggle without an air con and work away the best years of your life when you could be on the beach in a luxury motor home or van.    

I know . . .  but I'm your friend and I have to offer up some thing.  Lots of people are doing it.

I did it many years ago in a small rig and it was the best years of my life.

Well.   Rain coming.   Mate in Perth, I call that a first division win.  Try not to dwell on things too much my friend.    You have each other,  regardless of what you do,  and Thats  way more than many..

Take care  dear Oaktree.   Majestic be your canopy.                                   tonys..

Goodnite folks on this thread..   But I will check my mail box in an hour if you need company @Emelia8   n Hannah  too..  Pat  scratch pat  pat. 

@Dimity   @Shaz51   @Appleblossom   

[Emelia8]

@tonys Nice! My sister in law in WA grew flowers (mostly proteas) North of Perth, had quite a good business selling direct to florists as well as some export sales. Farming or grazing of any sort is a tricky business, often reliant on fickle weather and typically labour intensive. But living in the country is a great lifestyle, I consider myself lucky growing up in the 'bush', many miles from the nearest village or town. Though once you reached school age, it became a problem, as you typically spent a long time on a bus getting to and from school. Pro's and con's I guess.

Please don't bother checking in on me @tonys , I will be fine. I need you to get proper sleep. Don't want anyone else having sleepless nights because of me. I am hoping I will get some sleep tonight anyway. I have to sooner or later, from sheer exhaustion if for no other reason. Just have to shut the mind down long enough to do so. It WILL happen, eventually!  

@Oaktree  thank you, and yes @tonys  came to my rescue last night, like the typical knight in shining armour 🤣 Glad to hear you are okay. Yes its a tough decision for your hubby, the retirement one. I have a similar one myself that I am currently facing. Though a little different I guess. I haven't worked in a few years, for various reasons. Had to give up my part-time work about 6 years ago when my husband got really unwell and I needed to be his full time carer. Then just before he passed away I was diagnosed with cancer myself and had to undergo surgery and radiation therapy. Just completed that and my husband passed away. A month later I suffered a severe back injury and I have been unable to work since. 3 major spinal surgeries later, I am finally in a position where I am able to start looking for part time work again if I want to. But I will turn 65 in May and my super is such that there are certain benefits in taking it at 65 rather than waiting. If you take it after 65 you can only take it as a lump sum. If you take it at 65 you have the option of a fortnightly pension or lump sum, or a bit of both. So I too am trying to determine whether to retire or starting looking for some part time work. I always liked working, but I think I will find it hard going back after not having worked now for some time. And it will need to be fairly flexible. So at the end of the day I think I will probably just call it quits and officially retire and take my super. But I will get back into my volunteer work. I used to do quite a lot of that before, but had to quit when I got cancer and then COVID struck. I will definitely get back into that though. Hmmm, decisions decisions.

Anyway, good night all. Thinking of you @Appleblossom 🌺

[tonys]

well @Emelia8   Hannah.  I will hit the hay.   But before I go.  Mate ,  you really have gone through

the heavy wash cycle,  and some how you got through.  Shhh don't tell anyone I said this but woman are way tougher than men I think.    

Now . . .  tonys sleep tip.   Don't try to fall asleep.  Try to stay awake.  You need THEE book

War and peace or catch 22.     If you get through a couple of chapters of that without crashing,

then you qualify for Top gun , flight school.       I like those really old black n white movies.

Bogart . . .    well,   here's looking at you kid.                  nite  Emelia. Hannah.              tns

[Oaktree]

Hi @Emelia8 

Did you get to sleep. It’s 4am here and I woke up so just checking what happened on the forums. 

[Emelia8]

Yes,  thank you @Oaktree , I ended up getting a couple of hours sleep. Best in a while. So feeling somewhat refreshed. 

Hope you can drift off to oblivion again,  as there are a couple of hours left before sun-up for you over in the West. 😄

Thanks again @tonys 🌹

[Appleblossom]

@Emelia8 Gently Bentley on anniversaries. 

Course I love having you all drop by and chatting and simply being yourselves.

@Shaz51 @Oaktree @Dimity @Shaz51 

I am venturing on. Walking wounded, but finding some great company in real life as well as on here. Those sporting scars can be real veterans and troopers and make life worth it.

saw my osteo of 20 years yesterday . She really did save my life

cheers apple