It’s been a hard week on the Homestead; nothing cataclysmic or heartbreaking – just hard.
Farm Girl learnt a big lesson on the world wide web when her social media accounts were hacked, The Resident Engineer would much rather spend time engineererising (what do you mean, that’s not a word?!) than in meetings about everything but, The Farmer is battling a bug that isn’t Covid and, along with The Bean Counter, has been working huge hours to cover roster gaps due to staff sickness and shortages…and me? I’m just fed up.
It seems our family is blessed when it comes to not catching Covid in any of its variety of forms but everything comes at a price and as a group we’re tired. Really tired. Tired to the point that a forced 7 day isolation period looks quite appealing – providing that it’s a mild dose, of course. Yes, I know, it’s a textbook case of Be Careful What You Wish For.
I may have gone to a little bit of a dark place with it all; not black but kind of a greyish purple. I spent way too much time raging at the injustice of a Facebook account still being run under Farm Girl’s name because the platform feels it has no proof it’s been hacked, at sitting down to yet another meal that has more servings lined up for the microwave than around the table as someone else was unable to turn up for a shift, at injustice and meanness, petty blame-gaming…and on opening yet another cancellation letter for a routine hospital appointment because there’s no one qualified to take it. I can only imagine the UK is Lands End to John O’Groats packed with health professionals speaking with a kiwi twang because that’s apparently where they’ve all headed. Oh, don’t mind me…*deep breath; in through the nose, out through the mouth…
So, I took the dog for a walk.
Actually, it’s something Colin and I do most days, ambling down our road
from country to town
to meet Farm Girl after a long day at the Darfield High coalface.
And guess what?
Union Homestead 
Eric; a philosophy we should keep in mind these days.
I’m sorry things aren’t great right now. Walks with Colin can help, I’m sure.
Im already feeling a great deal better about the state of the world in general and my world in particular. Thanks for taking the time to comment😁
Sorry you fell into a darkish mood and glad to read that it didn’t last. Pleased that a gentle walk with Colin helped.
Those moods are generally fleeting. I tend to get to a point where Im boring even myself with my ranting. Colin doesn’t care how much I whinge as long as we keep moving 😊
Hear ya on the medical front. It was two years of phone appts with my lead neurologist before she actually saw me in person and watched me walk. I am 3 months behind on a monthly blood test because the labs are swamped. I know a few NZers experiencing one non covid bug after another. Seems to be a bit demoralizing for them too. Isn’t it amazing what fresh air and a dog can do?
I hate phone appointments; they depend on me analysing, identifying and reporting on the stuff I have been outsourcing to them forever. I dont feel qualified.
We are certainly battling the bugs here. Its weirdly comforting that we’re all in a similar situation. Yay for fresh air and Colin.
Your doctors may be here but not enough of them to make the queues shorter. Our health service is in a mess caused by chronic underfunding. I am told that if you present with a knee needing replacing, it might take five years before you get the op. Ironically, we are told that part of the problem is that our newly qualified doctors prefer to go and work in Australia or New Zealand than here. It all seems odd.
Getting your account hacked is intolerable. Governments in general seem incapable of taking the problems of the internet seriously.
I am glad that Colin is earning his keep.
To be fair, my GP surgery is pretty much kept afloat by Doctors who began their journey on the otherside of the globe and it is a bit mean of me to berate them for doing their obligatory OE (overseas experience) but if our lot arent with you, where are they?! Any Australians care to comment …😁
The hacking was, at base, nasty and that they continue to operate the account having changed all the photos (my “Happy Birthday to one of my favourites xxx” comment now sits under a photo of someone else on a beach somewhere) while retaining her name is unfair. Still, it is a very real lesson for her…you need to be watchful in cyberspace.
It is sad that you have to be so watchful but it is necessary. Even then it is easy to be caught out however careful you are.
Hi, I hear your pain about the unfairness of the world right now. My local GP clinic has had trouble recruiting qualified doctors who want to work in a country town. For a while, half the doctors were GPs in training on 12 month placements. I am a very happy woman that my doctor did her GP training at my clinic and as a local, has stayed on now that she is fully trained and registered. Like you, I am not a fan of telehealth appointments.
Skiing tends to lure Drs to our clinic – again on 12 month contracts. There seems to be staff shortages across the board. Lucky you, re your GP!