This was my November

So much happened in it but it went by so quickly.

Toby had a day off from school and accompanied me on a trip into the city to meet Gabby and take her out for a birthday lunch.  Toby insisted we choose some flowers while we waited for Gabby to break for lunch.  So we decided on some lovely Hyacinths and then we went to our usual lunch stop Le Pain Quotidien.

Halloween's over and the pumpkin is getting funky.

Toby's creativity kicks in with lots of laterns.

November brings Jacaranda skies

 

and Jacaranda carpets.

Mango's are in season, they smell so good sitting in the fruit bowl ripening.

My good friend Christine comes to visit for the weekend, a lunch out, a movie and lots of laughs (we went and saw Mental and it agreed with us).

My favourite Cape Chestnut flowers beautiful spindly pink petals and the blue sky with wispy clouds.

Flame trees light up the morning skies with their red bell shaped flowers.

The beginning of a 4 day stay in hospital for Sam and I as Sam undergoes surgery to relieve an obstruction in his PUJ (Pelvic Ureter Junction) where the Kidney joins the ureter.  

We found a wonderful doctor who could perform Sam's surgery laparoscopically (key hole surgery).  Which was a less invasive option and has only left a few small scars on his belly and a double J stent to keep his kidney draining. The stent needs to be removed early in January.

We are so grateful to Dr Thomas for his skills in surgery and his gentle bedside manner (the nurses on the surgical ward just love him).  The photo below was taken the day after Sam's 5hr surgery and then after an 11hr transplant surgery that Dr Thomas performed later that night.  You are amazing Dr Thomas, thank you for squeezing us in for a consultation back in the beginning of November and saying that you could do Sam's surgery.

We are also grateful to friends and family who visited Sam in hospital and who helped out at home.

Westmead Children's Hospital has such beautiful grounds and the Jacaranda trees were in abundance.  They were planted all around the hospital and it was lovely to see them from Sam's room.

My time in hospital with Sam was spent crocheting a new elf hat for Toby's best friend, a nice easy project to keep my hands busy but my mind free to wander.

While Sam was in hospital Ethan was one of 16 candidates presenting a speech to the school vying for a position on the leadership team for 2013.  Sadly I missed seeing his speech, fortunately Donald and Gabby were able to watch and record it for me.  A few days later after Sam came home from hospital we could celebrate, for Ethan was elected on the leadership team.  4 boys and 4 girls were selected but weren't told what position they held, until presentation day.  So we went out for a pizza and pancake dinner.  Ethan was a bit baffled by the dessert menu, too much to choose from.

And the celebrations continued with Sam reaching his 13th Birthday!

I have a teenager in the house now!!

We made another quick trip to the hospital to pick up a doctor's certificate saying that Sam was able to fly in a plane after his surgery, while we were there we got to see the therapy dogs before they made their rounds.  The two dachshund's are Miss Primrose and Miss Dolly, regulars that visit Westmead Children's hospital.  I love that therapy dogs are allowed in the hospital, there is no better therapy than love from a dog.  Sam and I missed Amelia for the 4 days we were in hospital.

Early one morning late November Donald dropped Sam and I off at the airport to fly up to Queensland while Donald drove with Ethan, Toby and Amelia all the way to Laidley to his parents house.  It was only 5 days after Sam came out of hospital and so we didn't want him to be in pain 12 hrs in a car trip to Queensland.

We went to Laidley for Donald's Dad's 70th Birthday and a big family get together and lots and lots of food.

After our long weekend away Sam and I flew back late one night and were greeted by an exploded toilet in our bathroom.  It was an old toilet and the cistern had just fallen off the wall and water was wooshing out onto the bathroom floor and into the hallway carpet.  There were shards of ceramic cistern scattered across the floor.

So the next day I decided to clean up before the plumber came, I though I might pick up some of the broken shards.  As I was reaching into the corner where the cistern had fallen, as there were bits lying there, I scraped my arm on the cistern lid.

It only took a second and I realised that I might just have to go to the emergency room at the local hospital as the cut looked a little deep.  I got Sam to start the car for me, as I'd cut my right wrist, and we drove off to the hospital as the doctors surgeries were closed by now.  We spent a couple of hours there and my cut was glued up not stitched.  I think getting the glue put on was more painful than the cut.  If you're a bit squeamish don't scroll down to the next photo, keep scrolling on to the pretty flowers.  It's actually not that big and luckily I didn't cut any nerves or major blood vessels.

Sam's last week at home recuperating, we spent a little time starting to organise some Christmas things.  We went to Bunnings and bought some new Christmas lights.

November began with Jacaranda flowers and they still continued to flower into December, along with the Flame trees and Cape Chestnuts.  I think it's been the best year for Jacaranda's that I can remember.

This is my favourite photo that is my screen saver on my phone.  I love the mix of clover and Jacaranda flowers.

Here endeth November!