I know I’m biased, but our Farm Girl is one special lady.

whether she’s wooing the wildlife, or all fancied up for the school formal

This month, she celebrates another journey around the sun which brings her tally to sixteen orbits. That deserves a celebration montage.

But this year we’re celebrating early because we’re not quite sure whether she’s going to be up to it on the actual day. The crazy genetic malfunction we move through our days consciously shuffling to the back of our attention (Renal Coloboma Syndrome, to bestow it a label) has given our girl eyes that don’t want to play the game. This isn’t a sob story; she rips through life full of big plans, huge morals and many opinions and something as piffling as dodgy sight isn’t going to get in her way. It has caused a bit of a blip recently, though and this blip requires an operation.

It’s timing is a tad annoying as she is in her first year of NCEA, New Zealand’s main secondary school qualification, and we’re heading into exam season. Last week she dealt to the mock exams but, as the school year has been torn asunder by teacher strikes, some of the subjects have not been taught to the level required so weren’t tested leaving her with, if her recovery is slower than expected, a gap in some subject’s knowledge and no easy means of aegrotat.

“Ah well,” we sighed, “not a lot we can do about it!” and set about planning her birthday bash. Wednesday, pre-op day, was earmarked for it; with a large portion given over to lurking at the hospital while more and yet more people peered into her eyes, tutted and hammered the information onto their keyboards we figured she’d need a bit of cheering up. Tired? Pah! She was spending the following day just lying around anyway!

Then we received the news: surgery has been cancelled, they’d work on fitting it in sometime. We took solace in the fact they still required her attendance at the pre-op clinic, said some bad words, and let the anger run its course. Then we went out to Mexicali for dinner as requested by the nearly birthday girl, had coffee in a cafe in town, and finished up by defeating NOVA, a rogue AI system bent on mayhem and destruction.

You’re welcome

Our anger abated slightly when we learnt the surgery had been bumped for an emergency case (because one day and all that) and not because of the Senior Doctor strike and that the powers that be (which appear to be a lady called Pam) are working hard at getting Farm Girl a coveted slot during the upcoming school holidays.

That’s a few days after the actual birthday…hmmm…I think that calls for some more celebrating.