Convalescing

Convalescing is hard work.

I'll bet most of us have thought at one time or another something along the lines of "I'd love to have to stay home for a week or two, and not be allowed to do any work." I know there have been many mornings where all I wanted to do was stay home, do things at my own pace, and unwind.

But as those of us who've had "enforced rest" know, it's just not the same when you have to do nothing.

I'm not supposed to be picking things up, driving, doing housework. Sounds like a dream, right? It's driving me crazy. There's all sorts of things that need cleaning, fixing, tidying, gardening to be done, and I just get to look at it. I'm supposed to be sleeping as much as I can - and I can barely stay seated without getting bored.

It has had a major up-side, however. I've gotten to talk to friends, email friends, write friends, have friends over...so that has been a lot of fun. I've gotten a start on sorting out my filing, and the stack of paperwork is next...

It's also given my brain time to switch off and try to reprogram itself to reading, writing (by hand!) and some artsy-craftsy stuff. I've gotten so busy and stressed as I've gotten older that I tasks for pleasure and self-improvement are really difficult.

So, I guess the lesson is: don't lose track of how to relax, unwind, enjoy your friends, and read, or it might take a major surgery to get you back on track!

Surgery in Style

Leading up to my cholecsystectomy (gall bladder removal), I was very reluctant to have it done. It turns out to have been a good thing we went ahead, as there wer a lot of stones (several the size of peanuts), and quite a lot a "gravel." More seriously, there was a stone and some gravel in the bile duct, which could easily have turned quite nasty and needed to be gotten out.

Mitcham Private is a nice little hospital (no emergency room, unfortunately), but clean and nicely laid out (for an instiution, that is). And while of course after such an operation you don't have much of an appetite, I was very impressed by the menu. I don't recall seeing beer or wine on American hospital menus...

They kept me in two days to ensure all was well (which it was), and I was able to head on home. I do have to admit that having to stay in bed in a hospital room really isn't much fun, especially with only 3 or 4 television channels, chilly hospital room temperatures, and even the bed becomes uncomfortable after about a day. In theory, I like the idea of being waited on hand and foot, but there's lots of competition for attention in hospital...but they were still quite good and helfpul overall.

I'm definitely glad to be home among family friends! (FYI, I do have pictures of the stones but didn't want to post them in case someone really didn't want to see them!)

Fine Dining

Andrew & I stopped by a delightful restaurant a week or so before my gall bladder surgery. We hadn't intended to go out, but we are glad we did. Bucatini Restaurant & Bar in Mitcham is really a wonderful place to go. The service was phenomenal and the food was the best we've had in a long time. Andrew had lasagna (we haven't had my Mom's in a few years!) and I had a chicken in avocado sauce over fettucine. The wine was amazing and the desserts were lovely. If you get a chance to go, we highly recommend it.

One thing I love about eating out is the fresh herbs, spices and other ingredients that are used. I'd love to emulate this in my own kitchen, but it is so much easier to used the dried spices and frozen ingredients. There's no denying the difference; kitchen chefs impress me, and their ability to not only cook something delicious but also time everything to come together so well is a real treat.

Right now we are enjoying eating in, as lots of friends have pitched to make sure we have plenty of delicious food for Andrew to prepare for us. It will last a while, because after my surgery my appetite is quite small (although my taste buds seem as happy as ever).