#1998 Tuesday 31st December

We're  now sitting on the balcony in the early morning light..... watching the shadows creep down the valleys far below as the sun rises on the other side of the mountain. From here we can see all the way to the coast in the northwest...... and the sounds of the world coming to life drift over to us.   This is truly a magnificent place. 

The massage last night was incredible..... traditional, intuitive..... and hands of steel.

Here is a map showing where we are.... the Atres Siri is south of Munduk and on a high ridge.  It's a beautifully built place and I think we will be back here next year. 

It's now1pm and we're back in Sanur in the villa.  The trip back was another amazing adventure down from Atres Sari... then back up again through Munduk to the edge of Lake Batur. 

Then it was down the mountain to the city. 

               =====). SEE YOU NEXT YEAR. (======

#1997 Monday 30th December

After a night in Sanur we're off again.... We're going to spend one night.... or maybe two.... in Munduk. I haven't been there for years so it will be interesting to so if it has changed.

Kaylia is sleeping very soundly..... it makes her a "happy chappy" in the daytime so it's good.

For Christmas she got a good quality 10" tablet..... she loves it.  It has a huge battery so it's great that we don't have to charge it all the time.

1pm.... We've stopped at a warung on a high point on the road....

After a pleasant meal in the almost new place.... it only opened one month ago..... we resumed our trek up the mountain.  Both Made and I had opted to travel a back way to the place we are to stay..... and it turned into quite an adventure!  We drove up into the clouds and the rain poured down!  The road got worse and worse.  The car was sliding in mud and just when we thought we'd have to turn back.... the road became beautiful.  It was 2 km to the Atres Sari Resort. 

As we arrived the sky was bucketing down and we were soaked. 

#1996 Sunday 29 December

We're are leaving this delightful little spot this morning..... returning to Sanur.  Then tomorrow morning we will drive up the mountain to Munduck and stay there overnight.

We're quite impressed with the Sri Ratih and we've resolved that we would like to come here again next year.

On the drive from Ubud to Sanur, we stopped off at a couple of silverwork factories..... the first didn't interest us but we were very taken by the second.... Adipana in Celuk.  Both of us splashed out on jewelery that we liked..... it was expensive but memories can be at times.

(photos) 

#1995 Friday 27th December

Yesterday was very quiet..... a drive to Nusa Dua for lunch..... the drive along the toll road across the bay is always an experience.

Today we all slept in really late before packing for our drive from Sanur to Ubud. We're now at the Sri Ratih cottages.... a bit to the west of Ubud central....  near the Campuhan ridge walk.  It's a gorgeous spot with beautiful gardens and we will be here for 2 nights.

The drive up was torturous.... for a lot of the drive the traffic was less than walking pace.

#1994 Wednesday 25th December

Christmas Day!  Kaylia focuses on the unwrapping of presents. She doesn't get fussed about the actual gift itself.... it's the unwrapping process.....  although the packet of bath bombs was a big hit and she had to use them all at once in a Big bath.

For lunch we will go to one of the catered meals at a resort.

Later.... this was not very pleasant..... it was very noisy and hot.  But Kaylia thought it was fantastic! She was very excited to be able to help herself at the buffet.  I had thought that the food was un impressive..... then as we were leaving I spotted several tables of much more interesting foods.... too late. 

#1993 Tuesday 24th December

It's been a routine day..... drive in the morning and then a bath time and rest in the afternoon.  We drove across to Denpasar and then south down Jn Sunset..... looking for DVD shops! It's strange that these have almost disappeared. I'm not sure why.  It may be the effect of Netflix?

It's still very quiet..... few tourists..... but the traffic is just as bad as ever. 

#1992 Monday 23 December

Day 2.  One of Kaylia's favorite things is to go looking for Dvds...... and suddenly the supply has almost completely dried up!  We literally could only find one shop in Sanur where it used to be that there was a DVD shop every kilometer.  Today we drove into Denpasar to find one with the kids dvds that she likes. 

We're finding that many of the places we knew have closed up......  no tourists!  The place is very quiet. 

In the afternoon we introduced Kaylia to the delights of massage.  She doesn't say much but the fact that she didn't wriggle or try to escape.... it tells us that she liked it. 

#1991 Sunday 22nd December

First day!   Pedicure at Deanti.  This is the first time Kaylia has had a pedicure and she is finding it very ticklish. Earlier we had to obligatory DVD shopping trip so Kaylia can spend time in her room watching her favorites.

The villa that many of you remember is very very different.  The new owner has gutted the villa and remodeled it with many changes.  It was hard for us to walk in with no warning of it being so different. 

#1990 Saturday 21st December

The adventure begins again!  Each trip with Kaylia seems to get a little easier...... she strides out ahead of us now and we have to get her to slow down.  This trip is much more relaxed as we don't have endure her anxiety attacks.

We still used her medical certificate to gain priority treatment and bypass the queues waiting for passport processing. 

#1989 Wednesday 18 December

One week to Christmas!  We're heading north to Bali for the break..... everyone is full of anticipation.  Kaylia loves to talk about it..... we tell her about going to the airport, hopping on the plane, the flight.... then the arrival in Bali and getting to the villa. 

#1988. Friday 6 December 2019

Pink pillow...... or "pih piwoo"

If you know Kaylia you will know pink pillow!  It has been her essential companion since she was about 4 years old.  It has worn out many times and been renewed..., 

.... and now it has been resurrected again!  She's very pleased with it..... but she still carts around the shredded remains of the old pillow.

Me?  I'm "pink chin" instead. 🤣I'm in hospital recovering from bout 2 of thyroid removal.

#1987 Sunday 1 December 2019

It's now December..... and Kaylia is very happy because we will now allow her to talk about Bali!  She becomes fixated on Bali and so we ban the topic till the final countdown.  It's now 3 weeks till we head to the airport and away!

The 2 weeks in Bali will probably be mostly resting for me...... I'll still be recovering from the next lot of surgery.  When I had the left side of the thyroid removed on 21st Nov, it was found to be cancerous..... so on next Thursday 5th I will have the rest of the thyroid removed and although I should be pretty good by the time we get to travel time, I will still be needing a lot of rest.

I have to explain to Kaylia about me going to hospital..... and ask her permission! 

For Chris and all my past assistants....  the current project is to build a walkway from the house out to the driveway. 

The project is nearing completion.... since it is being built while I'm dealing with the surgery and recovery, I'm pretty pleased.  The main structure is made from some steel "freebies" so it's cool! 

oh..... remember the Kanga Kid mini bobcat that I had from 2002 till about 2013?  (it was sold to provide $$$ for the villa in Bali.)..... I'm now about to purchase another Kanga loader!  I'm pretty excited I can tell you! 

#1986 Friday 22nd November

The operation is over and I'm in ICU

I'm going to have a slashed throat scar!

I've had half my thyroid removed as it was hugely enlarged..... 4 times normal.  Not cancerous. 

Kaylia was carefully managed in the lead up to my hospital stay.  Last time she became quite upset..... so this time I explained what was to happen.... and got her permission. 

#1985 Monday 11 November

Kaylia has been on an school excursion to Fremantle today...... fish and chips at Cicerellos!  Gee they have a good time at school.  They have an excursion every Monday...... teaching them how to manage public transport and how to handle money.

I'm struggling and looking forward to the operation next week.  I'm good for a couple of hours in the morning..... and then the energy is gone. 

#1984 Friday 8th November

What about Kaylia? ....(I hear you ask!).......

She is going really well.... she's now 2 months away from being 16 .... and in some ways she is becoming a typical teenager!  She is having periods of being moody .... and grumpy.... just what you expect at her age.  At other times she is still the same delightful girl we are accustomed to.

She now has a DVD player with a 15" screen beside her bed ..... and she loves it.  When we do our weekend "Op Shop" visits, she collects DVDs!  She has a huge collection now and it has become part of her routines that she asks us to help her choose the DVD that she will watch .... then we help her get it playing.  She's is quite able to do it all herself .... but she likes the company.  Sometimes she wants us to stay with  her  .... Naomi does her wonderful stories ..... and I must give Kaylia some "tickle time" ...... tickle ears..... tickle knees .... and so on.

The weekend routines are still the same ..... Saturday afternoon shopping and op shops ..... then Sunday morning drive to somewhere .... usually Fremantle or Bindoon.  Then its an afternoon relax.

Her health is generally excellent.  In August she had another visit to hospital to have some wisdom teeth removed.

She still must be reminded to drink and if she is low on water, she gets headaches and "stinky times".

#1983 Monday 4 November 2019

Well .... it's been a long while between posts!  Please accept my apologies.
There have been several reasons for this ..... all of the reasons are due to me.

Firstly I was getting so wrapped up in my poetry (Loopy Musings) that it was hard to keep both blogs going.
Secondly .... and more importantly .... I hit a big "roadblock" in my health.  I spent most of August in hospital with a mental breakdown caused by the stresses of claiming under the National Redress scheme ..... then it was found that I had a large mass in my left kidney ...... plus I have a very enlarged thyroid gland.
The kidney was found to be benign (phew!) but the thyroid has to be removed .... only the left half.
The enlarged thyroid is pressing on my trachea and on the carotid artery.  This may well explain the extreme tiredness I have been fighting..... if so I should feel much better once the pressure is removed.
At the same time I have been having in depth testing of heart function to make sure that this is not a cause of the tiredness.  All the heart tests were AOK.

#1982 Wednesday 3rd July

Today was the end of term parent/teacher interviews at school.....    as usual the songs of praise for our wonder child were loud!

We have such a special girl.....  and I am so thankful for the years and years of therapy that has shaped her. 

I recently read an article from a parent of an auty one.... she was bemoaning her feeling that the therapy for her child had not made any difference.   And I'm so glad that we can rejoice in the wonderful changes and development that ABA therapy has made for Kaylia.  Kaylia's had consistent therapy.... formal and generalized.... since she was 3 years old.

What a difference it has made! Wonderful. 

#1981 Saturday 22 June

Some photos..... 

#1980 Friday 21 June

Well .... it's been quite a gap since the last post .... [no pun intended!]

Two reasons .....

a.  I've been madly writing in my poetry blog .... I've now published 159 poems on that blog ... plus more private unpublished work.  So my main attention has been on that writing.

b.  Kaylia has been so chill!   She has been so calm .....  happy ..... consistent.  It's been wonderful.

I wish each of you that have been with Kaylia in the "bad ol days" ..... could be here now and see the girl she has become.

Now .... I'll try to "paint a picture" of Kaylia now.....

Currently bathtime is BIG on her agenda .... she gets home from school at around 3:30pm and it's straight into the bath!  Bubbles every where .... singing her head off.  She stays there for about an hour .... then she gets herself out, dries herself and dresses ..... lays out the towels to dry .... and then it's "chup chup" time in her room where she chills out till it's time for tea.

After the meal she MUST get her calendar and mark off the day that has passed .... and talk about the days to come.

Then it's time for bed time routine ...... into her nightie and then she entertains herself with either a DVD from her enormous collection ... or Youtube on her iPhone.  She has 4 old iPhone version 4's that are all running low on battery stamina .... so she frequently comes out and swaps for a fully charged one.

(If anyone has an old iPhone sitting on the shelf no longer used, Kaylia would really use it well!)

#1979 Tuesday 9 April

This is an amazing photo......

...... compare this with the next ....

The second photo is Kaylia of course .......

..... but the first is Kaylia's grandmother when she was a few years younger than Kaylia is now.  The resemblance is quite remarkable.

#1978 Wednesday 3 April

Wow .... what a great graphic

This morning at the breakfast table Kaylia was in full auty mode ..... she was sitting at the table  .... looking somewhere .... who knows where! .... and humming away .   Eve and Verena were in her line of sight ... but unseen ..... and they were bemused by Kaylia's gaze.

#1977 Sunday 31 March

Bath #3 for the day at 4pm!  Her life revolves around the bath at present.  Sometimes I wonder if that's a good thing?   But when I look at her interaction with the world, things could certainly be much worse!   Her absence of social interaction is almost total.....  for Kaylia, social contact must be in the correct setting for routine  ..... that is .... her friends are at school.  Nowhere else.  So that is where social contact occurs.  She has an almost appropriate social behaviour at school ..... and she is certainly popular with her friends.....  so she is different.  At present it works for her.

In five years time she will be out of the school world .....(horrors!)  ..... and it will be a different ball-game.  She will have to be taught how to navigate the perils of social contact in an adult world.

#1976 Monday 25 March

Isn't she growing up!  This was taken during a class excursion today.

Yesterday another car event .... blown head gasket on the Subaru.  The repair cost is more than the car is worth .... so I'm now looking for a replacement car.

#1975 Saturday 23 March

A quiet day.... sticking to routine!  A car drive after bath and breakfast.... then more bath and more drive....  Ho hum....

It seems so.... so.... boring?  Yet she loves it.... and the routine is so important to managing her anxiety and making her into a happy chappy! .... and she is certainly happy. 

7:30pm We've finished the bedtime routine and now she's in bed singing her head off.

#1974 Thursday 20 March

Today school had a thing called "Harmony Day". with everyone wearing orange.  Shades of the orange people!  I wonder if anyone thought of that!!

Kaylia is starting to get Eve trained. Kaylia is such a delight....

#1973 Sunday 17 March

This afternoon we took Casey to the airport to catch her flight back to NZ.
Kaylia was subdued ..... she knew what was going down and she didn't like it.  Kaylia will really miss her friend.

Eve (and Dave) will take over tomorrow.  They're from Leicester in the UK.

#1972 Wednesday 13 March

Tonight Kaylia was in a very talkative mood ..... while Casey was preparing tea, Kaylia was sitting on the couch ..... and decided that since she couldn't get us to give her a tickle session, then she would talk!!  ..... and talk she did!  Casey is really drawing her out of her shell.
Kaylia has a small "megaphone" ..... a toy ..... but when she uses it, she loses her 'tiny voice' and she talks normally.

Interesting things are happening.

#1971 Monday 11 March

School continues to be one of the major joys in her life!  These photos are from  today ..... learning independence.

#1970 Sunday 10 March

Well....  we've found a new aupair!  Just in time too as Casey departs next Sunday 17th.  Eve and Dave are from the UK and have been in WA for a year. 
Amazingly they brought their gorgeous dog with them!  For those who are unaware of the "hugeness" of this, it meant airfare plus large vet bills plus time in quarantine!  I will introduce you to all three new family members in due course.  Teddy is getting on very well with his new playmate.

Kaylia is in the bath as usual. Yesterday Eve was treated to a cooking demonstration by Kaylia!  She is very good at baking cookies now..... even to the point of assessing the mixture for dryness.

#1969 Tuesday 5 March

What a collection of oddities is our Kaylia!
On the one hand she's a 15 year old who seems very aware of the world around her.... despite not letting on!..... she listens to our conversation to filter out anything that applies to her....

..... and on the other hand she clearly has very strong memories of her time as a baby and a toddler.  When we go shopping, she always wants to visit the baby section of the supermarket....  she stands and gazes at the creams and the nappies and the dummies.

#1968 Sunday 3 March

What to write??......  the days roll by .... full of routine
Kaylia's so happy ... a frown is never seen
Her focus is always on the next day at school
... it's like a carrot held out .... for her to drool.

Today .... in routine .... we drove to the E Shed
Every time it's just the same
... chips and lollies ..... then out the door
On to the next place .... Good Sammies for sure
and then some Oportos once again
Then with both beasts calm we headed off home
where bubble bath called
and Kaylia once more was full of glee
.... covered in bubble as high as can be

That's our day once more
We still have no aupair for when Casey goes
What happens then nobody knows!

#1967 Wednesday 27 February

Kaylia is getting quiet adept at cooking!  Casey has prepared a step by step instruction sheet and recipe .... Kaylia works from this and does nearly all of the process unaided!

#1966 Saturday 23 February

Yikes!  Possum in the office! 

Naomi went in to her office this morning and was greeted by a disaster area.  A possum had found his way in and...... in his efforts to escape, he had knocked over just about everything in the room.  What a mess! 

I finally captured the possum and released him outside.  My task for today is to make sure that he cannot get back in!

#1965 Saturday 23 February

Since Monday, big changes have happened!  On Monday I sold the tractor... that's a complex decision that I won't go into here... so I then planned to buy a Harley (to replace my two previous Harleys).... but when I went looking, I realised that I really just wanted my old bikes back.... not just a Harley.

Then I was free to think sensibly.... and I looked at Mazda mx5 's.  I found a bewdy on Wednesday and bought it..... but it was in Albany! So on Thursday I went to Albany on the bus and drove it home on Friday.
  

On Thursday night I stayed with Rob and Gwen (cousin) and had a beaut reunion with several family members.

 

The drive home was long.... I'm not used to long trips alone.....  but when I got home and Kaylia saw the car, it was worth it!  She was very enthusiastic.... and clearly loved being in the small car.... specially with the roof down.

#1964 Monday 18 February

The gaps between posts are becoming longer ..... this is partly because my blogging time is being taken up with my writing in the poetry blog HERE ...... and partly because Kaylia is growing up so much!  We notice each day that she is becoming more independent, more observant, more aware ..... it's great.  She is still very much a child with autism ....but she's becoming a real person ... a real character.  Those of you that knew her years ago would really notice the difference.

#1963 Wednesday 13 February

For those readers who don't know of Kaylia's love of tomato sauce,...... tea tonight was a beautiful roast chicken and potatoes.   In her amazing ways, Kaylia ended up with her chicken and potato floating in a sea of sauce!  .....  and on top? ....  a thick layer of pepper and salt.  She's amazing!

It's now 7pm and she is in her room singing at the top of her voice.

#1962 Monday 11 February

Another few days have drifted past .... Kaylia is still entranced with school as usual.  I know we have said it many times before .... but we are so fortunate to have found such a caring and supportive school for Kaylia.  The travel is a small price to pay for such a wonderful experience for her.  (In fact Kaylia will say that the travel is great!  She loves her time in the car on the way to and from school.)

Fortunately Kaylia is going to be able to have an extra year at high school.  She probably won't realise till later in life .... but circumstances have allowed her to stay in school till she is 18.

Kaylia has "adopted" Verena the way she usually does with a new person in the house .....  We know when Kaylia decides to do this because she grabs the 'adoptee' by the hand and drags them into her room for some Kaylee time.

#1961 Thursday 7 February

Excuse me!  The days have slipped past.   Kaylia is very happy indeed to be back at school!  On Monday she was ecstatic as she met her friends and teachers again.  If you didn't know her, you probably couldn't see it.... but she has little signs that tell us what she is feeling.

Yesterday we had a new house member arrive.... Verbena is a psychologist from Germany who is here as an Intern and will be staying with us for a few months.

Casey will be moving on in a month so there will be a new aupair.

#1960 Saturday 2 February

The dust has settled after Kaylia's birthday.....  she is still quietly enjoying the idea that she is 15!  I can see the cogs whirring.   But now her focus is firmly fixed on "School on Monday?"

When Kaylia was first diagnosed I learned that "Autism is not a word.... it's a sentence.".   It's over 12 years since that time..... and I'm learning that the word "sentence" doesn't have to mean a jail sentence...... it can also mean "a set of words that is complete in itself". And the sentence can mean anything I intend.

Kaylia is showing me that she can grow into a beautiful person.

#1959 Wednesday 30 January

Happy birthday to Kaylia!

After all her anticipation and build up, her start this morning was ver quiet.  We had thought that she would be bouncing out of bed and raring to go.....
But she slept in!  When I woke her, she sort of says "happy birthday" and rolled over for some more sleep!

Now she's outside with a sort of water slide.... she's not using it as intended.... she's worked out her own way. .... and she has the bubble machine blowing bubbles over her.  She's very happy.











This is Kaylia at "Hogs Breath"  ..... she is coming down with a cold.  I hope she recovers before school starts next Monday!



















After her 'party' at Hog's Breath we went home for birthday cake.  She is very exact about what birthday cake she wants .... and she was very pleased with this one.

#1958 Tuesday 29 January

One day to go!  She's soopa excited.

Casey has made her a special "sunglasses drawer"  to hold all Kaylia's sunglasses.

Now you might think that this is a bit odd .... but Kaylia currently has a "thing" for sunglasses!  And she likes spend time selecting just which pair she will wear today.

#1957 Monday 28 January

Today began with an unusual start .... she normally wakes around 6 am or so ..... and begins a process of wearing me down ...... "Kaylia's birthday ....... school?? ...... Bubble Bath!!"  [response] "7 o'clock"

.... but today she slept till 7:30am .... then she woke ... and popped up bright as a button "Bubble Bath!!"

By 9am, breakfast was over and it was "Drive?"  .... so we headed down to Fremantle .... then back to Garvey Park in Redcliffe.  Here she is on the playground equipment .... she's turning 15 on Wednesday but she still likes the playground.






It's now 4pm and Kaylia is on the computer ..... exploring the photo archive.  She's really good at navigating all the folders to find the images that she wants.

#1956 Saturday 26 January

Happy Amnesia Day

Fortunately Kaylia will probably never be plagued by the awareness that she loves in a stolen land.... that she lives in a culture built on lies. 

Today Kaylia's routine won!  She asked Casey if she could have a really long drive.  Seriously....  that's what Kaylia said!  So this afternoon I took on a drive for 200 kms.....    down Brookton Hwy, out to Beverly and back home.

#1955 Friday 25 January

Forgive me for the gap in blog posts!  Since I started writing poetry again, I've had two blogs to maintain.

Today something quite remarkable is going on.... in the morning trip, Casey found a bubble machine at K-Mart..... and Kaylia has been entranced by it for over three hours now.  She just stands in the stream of bubbles.... singing and flapping.  She doesn't want to eat....  she doesn't want any interruption. 

 She finally stopped after 3 and a half hours and now she's in the bath again.

#1954 Sunday 20 January

For a while now I've been puzzled by things falling off the shelf above the window facing the spa..... today I discovered the cause!   Mr and Mrs Possum have moved out of the bungalow ceiling..... and taken residence on the shelf!  The photo above is up above the window ..... looking along the shelf

#1953 Friday 18 January

Today Kaylia and Casey went to Kings Park ...... with the latest bubble making apparatus!

#1952 Tuesday 15 January

This morning Kaylia was on the computer searching through the photos..... she was looking for photos about the time we went on the cruise ship.  She reminds herself of that time regularly.... especially the room that was full of balls!   Today she found a small video of herself bouncing on the bed in the cabin on the ship....... and she watched the video over and over.

She's at the movies ..... "Mary Poppins" .... at the moment and when she gets home it will be bubble bath again!   She has two countdowns at present.... birthday and school.

#1951 Saturday 12 January

I made the mistake of reading the news this morning .... some of the news is so horrible that I had to consciously "switch channels" .... Kaylia is very good news of course!  She has come such a long way in recent time and for most of our day, she is a joy to have around.  She still has some very annoying characteristics produced by the anxiety and routine dependence ..... but overall she is an easy child to care for and she is very easy to love.


To get myself further out of the "bad news" rut, I searched for "HAPPY NEWS" ...... and an item came up about the fact that few people are aware that the world is actually getting to be a much better place.  The source is pretty reputable .....

Here are some of the ways....

.....  so there are actually many good news stories! 

#1950 Friday 11 January

Phew.... it's nearly a week since we got home. Kaylia has been very happy..... but she is currently focussed on her birthday!  She is counting the weeks till the event.... and planning where her party is to be!  She's decided on Hogs Breath again.  She really likes that place.  It used to be Nando's..... but not any longer.

#1949 Sunday 6 January

At the airport..... Breakfast

This is Casey being a millennial!  Avo on toast. 

We arrived home around midday day .... and Naomi had a big surprise waiting .... her Christmas present was a completed laundry renovation!

#1948 Saturday 5 January

It's the last day after a successful time in Bali.  Kaylia has managed herself really well and it's made a big difference to us. 

The trip has accomplished good things in terms of villa maintenance..... and reinforced the need for regular maintenance. 

#1947 Friday 4 January

Today was a record breaking day.... Kaylia was in the bath for about 4 hours straight!  I'd crashed and I was woken by her droning...... and a rhythmic thump.  This was Kaylia filling a plastic jug with water.... and then thumping the jug into the bath.  After an age of this I couldn't stand it I retreated out of earshot.

#1946 Thursday 3 January 2019

It's officially a 3 headphone trip..... Kaylia destroyed another pair of headphones today.  We look for cheapie headphones cos they don't last long.

She is very calm and laid back this trip.  Usually she is fixated on the trip home..... not so this time.  She's focused on her birthday on 30 January and school starting next month.  It's a welcome change.