Dan and Pris Gollan

Like it or not, we live in a world of pain.  “Live and suffer.  That’s my motto.” 

Man!  I’m glad I don’t really have that level of “moroseness”!  It has been an interesting couple of weeks since I last wrote here.

We’ve had a number of hospital visits for one much loved mother-in-law of mine.  She had her gall bladder taken out and is doing well. 

The girls are doing wonderfully allergy-wise.  They are staying clear of certain foods and it is sure making a difference.

I am working flat out at the building site trying to get the walls up and roof on before it snows and winter really sets in.  Most mornings we start work with the temperatures below freezing.  It warms up to +1 or +2 by mid-morning and feels great!  Everything is comparative, eh?  Because we are laying blocks, we have to use an accelerator in the cement so that it goes off quicker.  It seems to be working well.  I enjoy working.  I also enjoy the time with the two guys, Igor and Kolya.  This last week, we’ve also had Vitya, Vanya, Sergei, Ivan and Denis working the afternoons after lessons.  It’s all good.  Well... mostly.  This last week, I nearly managed to slice my leg right open with the angle grinder.  As it was, I just gave myself a nice wound and did something to my left wrist.  Still not sure if I'll be ok to work Monday.

  What a 40th!  I am so rich – rich in people who love and accept me.  Last night, about 40 people dressed up in pirate costume and joined the incredible spectacle that was “the ministry centre”, but turned into a corsair flying pirate colours for the evening.  I was blown away at first sight of everyone as I came up the steps.  Everyone was dressed up and looking perfect for a pirate party… except for some guy who wore a skirt and another who wore a suit and said he was a detective.  :) 

Pris orchestrated the efforts of 10 or so people who made the night real special for everyone by decorating and cooking and organizing and looking after kids.  Shane and Jemi bought some great fireworks (and narrowly missed manslaughter charges being laid against them when one of the packages fell on its side and sprayed exploding balls in four different directions).  But it all worked together to make the night something that was perfect.  Negatives:  I only had one stomach available and by desert time it was already at 90% capacity.

I’ll make this a quick one.

The ladies are away on a retreat for two nights.  The men are acting like their throats are cut.  :)  Nah.  We’re fine.  I had to laugh yesterday though.  My four children are pretty independent and so I thought the weekend would be pretty cushy – no dirty diapers or major spews for me to clean up.  We watched a couple of little kids for a friend and had our dirty diaper.  Then at tea, Elle reacted to the shepherds pie Angel had made and held her first puke in her mouth to spurt out through her fingers all over Jesse, the table and the bench when the next puke followed it.  Ahhh…  it was wonderful.

Pris is sharing a couple of times at the retreat today.  She put in too many hours over pen and paper preparing to speak and for the last few days suffered from arm, neck and head aching.  She was completely out of it for about 24 hours!  This afternoon, the ladies are having a sauna and spa treat, (something most of them have probably never in their lives dreamt of), thanks to a group of ladies on Bribie Island who gave towards this.  It will be the highlight of the year for them probably!

I just asked Angie this question.  Answer:  “Fine, thank you.  Thankfully it isn’t itching.”  She has had a torrid two weeks.  Her whole body has come out in a rash that is itchy and unsightly.  Yesterday, we went to a reputable clinic in Kiev again and had her (and Elle) tested for 100 different allergens.  The doctor said that her body is in “an extreme state of stress” and the first priority is to alleviate the symptoms.  She prescribed a few different creams plus a spray to be used in the evenings and some “other stuff”.  I’m pretty skeptical of all these different creams, having been there before with Angie and not seen much of an improvement.  We’ve been rotating her diet for the last couple of years and managing any flare-ups with a cortisone cream.  This time though, her system must have become run-down following a couple of bouts with the flu.  We tried the creams with one of them getting “rave reviews”!  “Miracle cream” actually healed some particularly badly affected skin overnight spreading out from a small 1cm area.  But still, after a week, she is no better generally.