Well, I haven’t posted much lately and for that I’m very sorry. Let’s see – I was sick with the flu for 5.5 weeks and last Tuesday morning I was woken up at 4.30am with a neck spasm. It hasn’t gone away yet and I’m quite uncomfortable and in pain. It’s made sitting for any length of time quite impossible, which is making work impossible as well.
I’ve been to see an Osteopath but apart from stretching the muscles and providing a massage, there’s not a lot she could do. I’ve been instructed to take anti-inflammatories, pain relief as needed and apply heat packs regularly – all of which I’m doing. Although, I have to say that by about 3pm in my work day, the neck muscles are fatigued and that’s when they really start to grumble.
Anyway, that’s not all that happened over the weekend. I was taking it easy because of my neck. Phoenix and I were originally going to see a movie but school holidays just started here in Melbourne. Because of that, we decided to stay home and watch a movie instead. We’d just finished the movie and I’d just gone into my bedroom to check on my laptop, which incidentally appears to have died, when I returned to sit down on the couch. Not ten minutes later, I hear running water. I said to Phoenix, “Can you hear that? What is that?” She stands up and looks behind the chair – no water. She opens the bedroom door and her whole face drops.
“Your ceiling is leaking water!”
Sure enough, there were two large cracks in my bedroom and water is just pouring down on to my bed. We both start moving furniture and bedding and possessions, all the while, wondering who we should call. Finally we settle on my uncle before continuing to clear the room of all possessions.
We were both seriously concerned that the whole ceiling was going to cave in. By this time it’s really starting to bulge with water. It’s even affecting the far corner of the room and appears to be spreading outward.
Anyway, my uncle arrives at 5pm and asks for a ladder – note to self, buy a ladder! – but after asking a few neighbours, we are still ladder-less. He backs his truck up and is able look over the roof end. He thinks a couple of the roof tiles moved, which in and of itself is not the biggest problem, except we have had non-stop rain for the last five days and the drain pipe for the second storey’s roof empties directly on to the now-exposed area above my bedroom. Hence, a big watery problem that is quickly becoming the swimming pool we always wanted – only kidding! The room got wet but it wasn’t under water, praise God!
So anyway, by about 5.30pm, my neck was screaming at me and I’d become quite useless. My sisters and my brother-in-law managed to get my stuff squared away so that I’m now sleeping in the lounge room until the bedroom is sorted out. I did make dinner and fed my niece so that I wasn’t completely useless.
Anyway, what a weekend! I wanted to conclude with two things that I am so thankful for:
1. The leak occurred while Phoenix and I were at home so my bedding and clothes etc were not damaged;
2. The leak did not occur during the night before while Phoenix (who crashed in my bed) and I were fast asleep;
Anyway, it will remain to be seen how quickly the damage can be repaired. I don’t want to know how wet it must be up there! I will no doubt keep you posted.
Prose & Cons 