#2041 Sunday 19th December

Yay!  She's had the jab!  What a huge relief to have achieved this. We had been very worried about how the next year would turn out if she couldn't accept the needle.  The local pharmacist did it..... he had an interesting technique and succeeded first try.

It's now two days till we head down to Busselton..... and today Naomi slipped over and took the impact on her right knee.  It's very painful.  There's no serious damage but she's going to be hobbling around for a while. 

#2040 Sunday 12th December 2021

We're still struggling with the problem of how to give Kaylia the COVID-19 vaccination...... We've found a new possibility..... a centre that knows the problem. Next Friday is V-Day.  Without the vaccination her options for 2022 are bleak.

We're also struggling with medication levels.... her looping is very hard to cope with.... and the possibility of her harming other people with her strength is very worrying. 

#2039 Sunday 5th December

CWBC Christmas party!  Group photo and Kaylia invited herself.....  it says a lot about her development that such a thing should occur to her.

and a few of the other staff.... the psychs.... 

There's a lot that has happened since the last post.... for me the biggie has been my acquisition of a 60 year old landrover for restoration.

#2038 Saturday 13th November

She's had three op shop visits..... 15 dvds and she's very happy!  

#2037 Friday 12th November

The dreaded sleepless nights are with us.... Kaylia is waking up repeatedly during the night and coming upstairs trying to hop into bed with us.  We then have to wake up to insist that she goes back to her own bed..... so we're getting sleep in hour long bits.  Sometimes we wake in the morning to find that she has come upstairs during the night without waking us.

The great wall of the garden is progressing well. All the 'freebie' blocks have now been placed in the wall.... about 30 of them.  The project will now slow down till I can find some more blocks.

I've been making use of some other 'freebies'..... lengths of steel that I've assembled into an elevated ramp that can be used either as a parking area or as a vehicle servicing ramp. 

#2036 Friday 5th November

Kaylia has been much more settled and happy this week.  Her periods really mess her about.  We're seeing the GP next week to see if anything can be done to reduce the impact she goes through.

My current project is progressing well.... 

This is the area below the balcony. The wall is built with 1000x350x350mm blocks.... very heavy! I'm currently filling in behind the wall and the a further 2 rows of blocks will be laid and filled. The flat area at the base (where the sand can be seen) will be paved.... and a new sitting area will result.  All this is done with "freebies". 

Naomi has taken possession of her new car today.....  a brand new Kia Stonic. It's very nice and she's rapt. 

#2035 Friday 29th October

Happy birthday Dad.... my dad that is.  It's such a shame that Dad died before Kaylia was born. I think he would have really enjoyed being her grandfather.  Next year will be Dad's 100th birthday.

Dad on my Harley in 1972...  he was 50 then. 

#2034 Wednesday 27th October

We took Kaylia in for the third time of trying to have the covid vaccination yesterday ......  and failed again. We're not sure what can be done now.

Today she said that she didn't want to go to school tomorrow!  I think that's the first time she's ever said that.  She has a bad time with her periods and it started yesterday. Tonight she's complaining about her tummy.  It raises her anxiety levels and makes life difficult for all of us. 

#2033 Saturday 23rd October

Minor disaster..... the car that is used for school trips has a serious problem.  Occasionally the transmission just fails to do anything. It's ok for me but not ok for inexperienced drivers...... so our plan is to buy a new car for Naomi and use the Honda for school runs.   The advice on the Terracan is that it is too expensive to repair and I should just keep using it till it finally dies.  It's a shame as I really like the terracan. 

#2032 Wednesday 20th October

In between the dry spots.... when it's too wet to work.... I've been sitting in the coop with chickens.  Getting the the hens accustomed to me.

#2031 Tuesday 19th October

It's wild weather today.... and the magpies are sheltering round the house

Naomi received a very pleasant surprise today.....  her staff had bought her some new chickens!  They're isa brown breed which are reputed to be very friendly.  These ones have no defects so they will be able to roost on rails in the usual chicken fashion.

#2030 Saturday 16th October

It's "op shop day" again.... Kaylia can be quite cunning in her DVD selection.  She's allowed 5 dvds and today she had 5 boxes..... but one was a 3 DVD set and another was a 5 DVD set.... total 11 dvds!..... and the check out person let her have them for $1 total!

Recycling madness! Apart from the vice on top and the castors below, this is totally recycled materials. 

#2029 Wednesday 13th October

Kaylia's in the middle of a therapy session while I write.  A lot of the therapy is to do with everyday speech and daily living activities......  washing her clothes, helping around the house. Many common speech items are things which she avoids using.... she would rather that we interpret her needs but must teach to use words.

I've spoken before about my fun with Gumtree "freebies"..... the latest is 13 limestone blocks.  They're 1000x350x350.... and weigh around 140kg.... so I'm collecting them 4 at a time.  The kanga is perfect for loading and unloading.  The blocks will be used to build a new retaining wall.

#2028 Tuesday 12th October

Yesterday was the first day of the school term.....  it was a delight to see Kaylia's eagerness to be back at school!  When I dropped her off at the gate she ran at top speed to get to her classroom....

Today her class had an excursion to Joondalup shopping center..... she always enjoys these and she was singing all the way home afterwards. 

I've completed the grader project.... yesterday I took it down the back lane to try it out.  It works really well.... so it's a satisfying conclusion.  The blade controls ended up being very simple.... lengths of chain with a turnbuckle as a tensioner.   I had two tools which were originally part of the bomb lifting mechanism on a bomber..... they do the job perfectly.

#2027 Saturday 9th October 2021

It's a sad daySomething has killed our beautiful hens

#2026 Wednesday 6th October

Yesterday we went to the "blowholes"......  

It's quite a walk from the car park and I'm still recovering from plantar fasciitis..... so by the time we got back I was struggling.  We also found that the walk was about the limit for Kaylia but she kept pushing through. 

Breakfast at Dome..... it's amazing how excited she is about going to the next op shop.... it's because there are so many that we haven't been to the same one twice!  Last night she was so excited that she kept on ranting about "different op shop".

After the op shop trips, she spends time in the spa bath...... 

..... and under all those bubbles is Kaylia!

In the afternoon we had time for another op shop....

Kaylia is very pleased with her collection of dvds! 

#2025 Monday 4th October

We're in Albany.... we traveled down through Brookston, Pingelly and so on..... roads that I last traveled 35 years ago in my red MGB.  There was no traffic at all so it was a good trip.  As we got closer to Albany the views of the Stirling Ranges were very rewarding.

We arrived in Albany at 4.30pm and settled in at.....  It's a very pleasant spot..... no views but modern, clean and well maintained.  I discovered that we needed a short extension cord....  so a trip to Bunnings was essential. 

This morning we headed round the harbor to the Gap.... Awesome. 

Kaylia was clearly impressed and enjoyed looking over the edge into the depths of the Gap.

Then it was op shop time...... and 10 dvds later we headed back to base for dvds and bubble bath time while I went to visit Trevor and Margaret Forrest who I last saw about 10 years ago. 

Now we're at the Aquatic Centre...... Kaylia is doing her floating zen time. 

#2024 Friday 1st October 2021

The second attempt to give Kaylia her first covid jab has failed.....  despite a strong dose of Valium, she couldn't overcome her needle phobia.  Once again she really wanted to have it..... but she cannot remain still and so it's just too dangerous to do any more.  The doctor's advice is to double the dose of sedative when we make the next attempt on Tuesday 12th.

On Sunday we will drive down to Albany fo a few days holiday.  We will be able to catch up with friends and relies.  It's the first time that Kaylia has been there. 

#2023 Tuesday 28th September

Today was supposed to be the first "jab day" for Kaylia..... but she failed.  Despite really wanting to have the jab..... and despite some huge "carrots" being dangled, she still couldn't accept the needle and we had to abort the attempt.  I'll try again on Thursday morning and this time we have some"happy drug" (Valium) to try. Hopefully this will reduce her distress and allow her to take the needle. 

#2022 Sunday 26th September

It's an "Ooopps" day today...... Kaylia loves her dvds and she makes huge stacks if them..... and sometimes the stack comes crashing down!

.....  and it just did. 

 She fills up a few shopping bags with dvds to take back to the op shop..... and the problem is fixed. 

Over the past few days I've been having a "shed fix" and I've begun work on an ambitious project that I've been mentally planning.  It's an attachment for the Kanga loader that allows the loader to operate as a grader. 

 This is the "bought one" version.... it costs over $20,000

My project is much less ambitious and since the material used to construct it will be almost entirely recycled, it will be a very low cost machine. 

First stage has been the basic frame.... that attaches to the Kanga. 

The next stage is the actual blade. 

The blade will mount under the frame with a coupling that allows it to swivel horizontally and vertically. 

The final stage will be fitting the blade to the frame and constructing "control arms" that will set the position of the blade when in use.  It will have no hydraulics at all..... which means that it is very simple. 

#2021 Monday 13th September

...... and we have ducks adopting us!

They've worked out where the chooks are being fed and they come and join in.  They're very welcome.  We just hope that when ducklings arrive that they will come too. 

#2020 Sunday 12th September 2021

Last week I had a follow up scan that would detect any remaining cancer cells after the removal of the thyroid.  Fortunately there was no sign of any cancer.  This scan did not give any information about the abnormal growth in the tongue.  I will see a specialist about this next Tuesday.    

Over the past couple of weeks I've been building a new chook pen to house our 3 chickens. It is built totally from recycled materials.... apart from the concrete foundations, the screws and the sand floor. 

The pen is now complete and we will move the chooks into their new home this week.

Today was DVD day at the op shops ..... Kaylia is still obsessed with her collection and the stack is huge.  Periodically she decides that the collection is too big and she fills a few bags with DVDs to return them to the op shops.

#2019 Wednesday 25th August

The increase in the dose of Lovan is working well.  Kaylia seems much more settled.

I had an ultrasound today in preparation for the CT scan of my thyroid on the 8th Sept.  This is a check on status to see if the cancer is still around.  At the session this morning, there was some serious behaviour from the doctor and sonographers..... I guess that is not a good sign.  I'd better get ready for more hospital time. 

#2018 Wednesday 11th August 2021

 We've been struck by medication issues!   Kaylia has been on the same dose of Lovan (for anxiety control) for 4 years .... and in that time her weight has gone up by 70%.  We have been managing a few anxiety symptoms for a while .... hoping that she could be weaned off the medication.  Yesterday there was a significant issue at school  ....... her old habit of grabbing people when stressed.  The trouble is that she is very strong so this can't be tolerated.  So we are increasing her medication again

What's this?  It's a "splitter" to split kindling wood for the fire.  I made it yesterday.

#2017 Monday 9th August

Last night was very bad.  She seems to have high anxiety atm and it means that she is very unsettled in the evenings and takes a long time to get to sleep......  and the she wakes in the night and can't get back to sleep.  Last night she woke at 2am and then kept me awake till about 4am.  It gets a bit hard to handle. 

#2016 Wednesday 4th August

We've joined the solar crowd..... this week 3 banks of panels have been installed on the roof and 2 inverters down below.  One bank feeds a 9kw battery.

Of course all this has no value for Kaylia.... but Naomi and I will appreciate the reduced power bills and the power supply during outages.

I had the first AZ jab yesterday and today all the side effects hit.  Consequently I have been very quiet all day. 

#2015 Thursday 29th July

It's been an important day..... a milestone in Kayla's life.  She started work experience today.... at av recycling business in Malaga.  She will go there each Thursday in future. 

I think school hopes that an employment opportunity might come from the placement. 

#2014 Monday 19th July

It's the last day of the school holidays..... Yay!  Kaylia's happy cos she loves school..... and I'm happy cos I get more building time again.

It's 10.30am and Kaylia and I are having a last sleep in before the new school term.  When we eventually get up we'll go for a drive.  Going for a drive has been a constant favorite for her all her life.  I think she'd be very happy if we had a motor home and spent our life on the road.

The chateau project is progressing..... the cork tiled floor downstairs is nearly complete and then the skirting can be fitted.

A thought.....

I have often mused about imagination and curiosity...... the absence of it..... and how to stimulate the growth of it.  Kaylia doesn't really interact with people.... me included.  And I think that the absence of curiosity is the cause of this.... she does not ask questions or wonder about stuff.  The classic situation of being asked "Why?" just doesn't occur for us. 

#2103 Wednesday 14th July

We're at the place in Busselton that Kaylia loves.....

We came down on Monday in the middle of a large storm..... and it's hardly stopped raining.  We head home tomorrow and the forecast is for even more rain. 

While in Busselton the op shops have been the main attraction. Kaylia has had a limit of 4 dvds per visit.  I'm very impressed by how quick she is to grasp any possible chance to exceed that limit.... 

#2102 Tuesday 6th July

Cold..... Wet......  winter is certainly here.

Today was a "Friendship Club" day in fremantle.....  I found refuge from the rain in a Bunnings store. 

#2101 Saturday 3rd July

It's 10.30pm and Kaylia is still awake......  she's doing her squealing thing and not sleeping.

I've been collecting freebies again..... more steel.

This will be used in the next project...... which is to excavate the space under the side verandah.... that is the space immediately outside the side door toward the bungalow. 

This photo is the space before work has been started. 

There's enough space here to make another room. My idea is to have a concrete roof and walls so that it could be used as a fire escape bunker. 

#2100 Sunday 27th June 2021

It's a quiet evening after a normal weekend.  We've managed to keep to the routine while still fitting in the things we adults need to do.  Kaylia had her quota of dvds and she had hours of stimming on them.  She usually just keeps hitting the FF button..... droning away all the while.

The day is cold and wet...... and another covid alert is in place.....

I hope your life isn't being messed up with the pandemic. 

#2099 Tuesday 22nd June

Kaylia's class often has cooking lessons..... to teach a whole range of vital skills.  Here she's enjoying the food yesterday.

#2098 Sunday 20th June 2021

Happy birthday Ian Allen!

It's 11am and the traditional sleep-in is good.

Last night at 3 minutes past midnight I dreamt something.... I'm not sure what.... and in my dream I flung my arm around and managed to punch the bedside table.  Woooeeeee!  Pain!  (for those that have forgotten, my right wrist is fused.... see the blog from May 24th 2011) Lately the pain has returned due to further degeneration of the wrist...... and that wack last night has really done a good job!

The wrist is making it hard for physical work at times.  I'm told that I might be able to have morphine patches to help control the pain. 

#2097 Saturday 12th June 2021

 Kaylia's in her room ..... squealing.  These days she has a squealing thing that sounds as if she's in great distress ..... but she tells us that it's a happy noise!  We asked her if the noise was a sad noise or a happy noise ... and she says "Happy"...... so we accept the noise but it gets to be tiring.  We try to keep it as a noise to be made when she's in her room.... 

Today Naomi was away all day at a work thing in the city.  Kaylia and I had a good day together.  

I like following the 'freebies' on Gumtree .... and today I scored a good one .... a set of Brownbuilt steel shelving.  It will be very good in the shed.

The 'chateau' is making good progress....  Yesterday I moved some furniture into the top room. 

 This week I've been tiling the shower recess in the bathroom.  I should finish the tiling next week.  Then I will finish a bit of painting downstairs before starting to lay the cork floor downstairs.  

There's not a lot left to do before the project is complete.  I should finish it before summer.

#2096 Saturday 5th June 2021

It's a long weekend..... and unfortunately the Monday on the calendar has (in very small print) "Queens Birthday NZ).  Of course Kaylia doesn't notice the NZ bit and she latches onto the birthday bit. " PRESENT" says she. .... and it's on.... she obsessed on the possibility of presents for her.  It doesn't matter what the present is..... she just wants a present.

And because it's a public holiday, the op shops are all closed..... so this morning she was happy to have a purchase of dvds that I put aside for Monday.

It's a beautiful afternoon and I'm sitting in my favorite place...... the new balcony.

#2095 Tuesday 1st June 2021

 It's been more than a month since the previous post ..... I was about to write "since the last post" ..... and I thought that statement might be prophetic!   

Yesterday was the funeral of Ian Moyses .... and as always happens at these family gatherings, people ask "What are you up to?  How about some photos?"  I put a few on Facebook but this is probably a better way to do it.  I can summarise the history of this project.

What has the project been?  When we bought this property in 2002, there was a side room about 7 metres away from the house ..... and this room was only one metre from the property boundary.  This was always a problem as it made access to the rear of the property very difficult.  

In October to December 2017, steel foundations were built to one side of the room (code name "the bungalow") and then in February 2018, the whole bungalow was lifted and slid sideways onto the new steel foundations.  This meant that the room is now about four metres from the boundary and only three metres from the house.

The next step was to  extend the roof of the house so that the bungalow  became part of the house.

Here the  roof extension has begun with a steel truss spanning the gap between the buildings. 

This view is of the main house on the right and the bungalow on the left.

Now the first stage of the roof extension has been completed.

This was completed 3rd May 2020.

Then the steel frame for the upstairs deck  was constructed. This joined the two buildings and allowed the roof extension to be completed.  The roof was finished 14 June 2020.

The upper deck sitting area  can be accessed from both buildings.  The deck was finished July 2020

 Here  the deck can be seen with the roof beams in place.

Further work on extending the roof.

 Here is a view of the building showing the original bungalow in blue below the added room in cream.

This is an aerial view of the house.  The roof part outlined in yellow is the extension.

#2094 Tuesday 27th April 2021

What an age we live in!  For guys like me that use tools, it's amazing.

These strange looking things are self-centring drill bits.  When fitting a door to the door frame, it's useful to be able to accurately drill the hole for the hinge screws...... and these tools allow you to do exactly that.

The invention of the CNC lathe means that such things can be manufactured at a cheap price. 

Marvellous!

..... and the CNC machines themselves are cheap enough that a home workshop can afford them. 

Kaylia's just home from school and she's straight into the bath. 

#2093 Sunday 25th April 2021

 We're in Covid lockdown again ..... and we had to be tricksy to cope with Kaylia's routine of weekend op shops and DVDs.  As soon as I heard at Friday 4pm, that WA was to go into lockdown that night, we hightailed it down to the op shop and bought enough DVDs to see us through the weekend!  The strategy has worked very well.

It's now Sunday evening and at 9:30pm, Kaylia has had the same song playing on her tablet since 6pm!  It's getting hard to take.

The "chateau" project is going well.  Today I undercoated the architraves.  Once their final coat is on, I'll fit the vertical blinds.  Then the new cork floor can be laid.... then the skirting boards.  I still have the stair handrails to make and fit.

This gate is outside a business in Witchcliffe. 

#2092 Thursday 8th April 2021

I'm feeling pleased with myself  at the moment cos I've just finished making a special tool.

It's an adaptor so that I can use modern batteries with old Ozito tools ..... these tools no longer have batteries available so when the batteries die, the tools can't be used.  Some of these old Ozito tools are very good but Ozito no longer sell these tools in the format that uses modern batteries ..... for instance I have a rotary cutter which makes cutting carpet (and such stuff) a breeze.

Tomorrow I take Kaylia down to Fremantle for a day of activities with Spectrum 

- a group for kids with disabilities.  She really likes these days (.....  and while I wait to collect her, 

I get a day in bunnings!).  

#2091 Friday 2nd April 2021

 It's the day after the first of April .... which is my mother's birthday.  Although she died a quarter of a century ago, the first of April is still her birthday .... and it will always be so.

Today being a public holiday, we had to carefully manage Kaylia's need for routine and order.  One part of this is the preparation of a shedule ... where we list all the things that will happen in the day .... and the times that they will happen.  In the "old days" the time of the events on the shedule was not vital as she didn't really understand the concept of time.  Now?  She seems to have an inbuilt clock .... and when the time of a particular event comes around, she's out of her room insisting that that event is due!

  

#2090 Tuesday 30th March

Our chooklins give us a lot of pleasure..... one of their favorite places to have a sand bath is just outside the kitchen window......