Hopefully!

To say that I am frustrated by the restrictions I am under is an understatement, if I am hobbling around the house I can use my walking stick, likewise when we go shopping, we park across the road from the Supermarket, I tried using my zimmer, but then, all I could do was watch whilst Marcela did all the work, I need at least one hand, so I use my stick.

Walk any further, I have to use the zimmer which slows me down, I can go faster, as I take all the weight on my arms, but once or twice, I entwined my feet in the zimmer, and if Marcela wasn’t there, I would have been flat on my face, I just have to take my time.

The Meetings to decide who will go forward for hip surgery, started today, hopefully I will know by the end of the month.

The nerve block on my right knee has all but worn off, so it has been a case of trying to decide which is causing more pain, the problem is that my hip wants to go in one direction, my knee in another. I bought a new knee support yesterday, it has metal in the sides, today was the first trial, I think I had it too tight, as I was cutting off the circulation to my leg! I’ll get there in the end.

Last week was Remembrance Day, I might be the other side of the World, but I haven’t forgotten and never will

Whilst putting up the Flags, a Woman passed with her son, who asked her why the man was putting up Flags, “I don’t know, it’s probably something in America”… I put her right on all counts, nicely of course!

I decided to go ahead and apply for an updated Resident Visa, to go in my new passport, but they don’t do physical Visas at the moment, which saves me a trip to Bogota, you receive a Digital Visa.

I had to go to Medellin to collect a document, a copy of a form from Migración, proving how many times, and for how long I had left the Country since my last Visa was issued, I had applied for it online, paid for it online, arrived to fight with a crowd of maskless Venezuelans seeking their free Visas, fortunately there were a number of other Foreigners waiting saw me on my zimmer, and pushed me to the front, as a result the Security Guy let me straight in. A couple of minutes later I was called through checked my ID, and told they would email the form to me… What a waste of time, an hour and twenty minutes in each direction, for five minutes at the Office, I wasn’t impressed!

Anyway the form arrived, I submitted my Visa application, and yesterday heard that it had been approved, so I have paid online, and wait for them to send me a link to the Visa, and then I will find out how long they have given me. Then it will be back to Medellin to update my ID Card.

Maybe something to do with wishful thinking, but I decided to make a footstool, to assist with getting in and out of the car after hip surgery.

five pieces of surplus plywood, and Kreg joinery, it’s done.

A couple of hours work, a quick coat of stain, no varnish, I don’t want to slip. It will only be needed for a couple of months, if it lasts it can then be put away until I have my knee surgery, it is doesn’t, I can soon knock up another!

Marcela’s business Associate, Joaquin kindly said he would cut our grass, he wasn’t going to take any money, but since I want it doing every three weeks, I insisted.

We have also employed a Gardener to come and maintain the floral ´plants growing up the perimeter fencing, weed the borders, and also lovingly tend my borders on the road, he thinks that once every three months should be enough, he is a bit pricey, but as there is a fair bit of ladder work, he says there will have to be two of them, so as long as he does a good job. Hopefully he will, it is Jaime’s Uncle, the same man who laid turf for us last year.

Hopefully by my next post, I will know if I have been accepted for surgery, keep your fingers crossed!