The Boarder Report

So far, so good. He is a nice and polite guy. I don't find him sexually attractive, so that is also good, and lordy, I doubt he would find me so at my age.

I was strongly advised by various people to not let him move in until after my weekend away in Torquay, but he was desperate. I am an old gay man. I've done the lot and been around. I've known so many people from so many countries. My instinct was correct. Nothing bad happened. 

He bought an electric rice cooker and I don't want anything more on the kitchen benches. He found space in the linen press cupboard where rarely used appliances are stored. He cooks and then cleans up. Thrice he has left curries for me to eat, but the third was too hot to enjoy.

We have chats at times but he is away a lot during the day, working, studying and socialising. All care and no responsibility. 

What I did see was a huge spike in electric consumption while I was away. I could tell he had used the oven, and that will crank up the bill but I reckon heating, although he seems to like his room on the cooler side. I can't imagine being away in the near future, so that is a one off. I offered him a low power usage plug in heater for his bedroom, as he likes his door closed and so doesn't receive the normal apartment heat, but he decline and said he like the cool. 

For the first two nights his friend, with my permission, stayed with him. While I offered the spare room to the friend if he could make up the bed, he declined and they slept in the same bad...just as friends. Whatever, the friend was very easy on the eyes and he sent me a message a few days later thanking me for allowing him to stay. 

Yesterday I attended a clinic where my head wound dressing was removed and the skin graft had taken nicely. I just need to apply paraffin to the edges of the skin. What? Kerosene or something like that? A nurse (I trust nurses more than doctors with after care advice) said, 'Don't worry about it. I'll give you a tube of ointment to use', and she did. My thigh from where the skin was taken is still sore, and after the bandaging was ripped off (ouch), it look red raw and nasty, but everyone seemed happy with the progress. I'll be back there next week for more attention, but until then, I still can't shower. 

May I add that all my procedures, two colonoscopies, two melanoma surgeries eighteen months apart,    have been under our national health care system and cost me nothing at the point of use, and were generally done in a timely manner. I do hear stories of horrendous waits for things like hip and knee replacements, but gosh, the system works well for me. Because of various reasons my hernia surgery has been delayed after a scan where something else was discovered. Yesterday I received a pre surgery appointment, and as Deb pointed out today quite eloquently, I will be answering the same old questions, but I will be given a bit more information. 

In the afternoon I went in to town to see a daffodil flower display. I love that the heads of you northern hemisphere types are momentarily confused. I just saw on the tv news there were 26,000 daffodils. They are for sale in a plain vase and will raise 2.6 million dollars for charities. The daffs were selling like hotcakes and must be adorning desks all over Melbourne City.

The Boarder says he says hello to Ray Bear each morning. 

He arranges his muesli bars nicely. I've slowly been advising him about the best way to live here. He takes notice.  

He threw this jar and decorated it with a copy of a similar jar. He gave it to me. How sweet. 

He has a little collection of cars and wanted to display them somewhere. I suggested this shelf near the front door where they will be seen. He fiddles with them and adjusts their positions at times.