J MacQueen
@jomacmouse.bsky.social
A squeaky reader in the mouse house. Novacastrian Australian. Currently owned by two cavoodles, one old, one young. My home is in Barahineban of the Pambalong Awabakal people.
There was some fun out of the day. Mum had been seeing vehicles where there was no known road on another part of the hillside the hospital was built on. Turns out it’s an access road for construction workers & materials.
January 30, 2026 at 9:45 AM
There was some fun out of the day. Mum had been seeing vehicles where there was no known road on another part of the hillside the hospital was built on. Turns out it’s an access road for construction workers & materials.
Madness. Just madness. Brother rang me to say Mum was supposed to be going home today, & could I go up to the hospital asap (I’m closer at home than he is). People were signing off on things left, right & centre. Then I had a phone call from Mum’s care at home nurses.
January 30, 2026 at 5:10 AM
Madness. Just madness. Brother rang me to say Mum was supposed to be going home today, & could I go up to the hospital asap (I’m closer at home than he is). People were signing off on things left, right & centre. Then I had a phone call from Mum’s care at home nurses.
Mum hasn’t heard anything more this morning, at least up to the point where I called her, so that might mean the earliest she can come home is Monday. According to my brother, who rang me 30 seconds after after I spoke to Mum, she’s being reassessed by the medical staff today.
January 29, 2026 at 11:52 PM
Mum hasn’t heard anything more this morning, at least up to the point where I called her, so that might mean the earliest she can come home is Monday. According to my brother, who rang me 30 seconds after after I spoke to Mum, she’s being reassessed by the medical staff today.
Have booked an appointment for Jasper on Wednesday afternoon, so the vets can see him again & assess his condition. I fear that it will at least be the penultimate vet visit.
January 29, 2026 at 6:43 AM
Have booked an appointment for Jasper on Wednesday afternoon, so the vets can see him again & assess his condition. I fear that it will at least be the penultimate vet visit.
Mum has been moved to another ward, and there’s more talk of her going home. I really think she should stay until Monday, at the very least, because her care provider doesn’t do nursing care on weekends. And she may need reassessment to a higher level of needs.
January 29, 2026 at 6:03 AM
Mum has been moved to another ward, and there’s more talk of her going home. I really think she should stay until Monday, at the very least, because her care provider doesn’t do nursing care on weekends. And she may need reassessment to a higher level of needs.
Have just uttered the words, “It’s only Thursday, isn’t it?”, and checked the calendar to be sure. There’s a bill to be paid before tomorrow, so it’s a good thing it is Thursday, but between too late a night last night & a to do list with some repeating jobs, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed.
January 28, 2026 at 10:49 PM
Have just uttered the words, “It’s only Thursday, isn’t it?”, and checked the calendar to be sure. There’s a bill to be paid before tomorrow, so it’s a good thing it is Thursday, but between too late a night last night & a to do list with some repeating jobs, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed.
Mum wants to go home very badly. But she isn’t ready yet. Or, at least, no one has been around to say if she really is or not. There’s no word on how her bowel infection is going, & that pressure sore isn’t nearly as healed up as could be wished for. She should stay for a bit longer.
January 28, 2026 at 5:09 AM
Mum wants to go home very badly. But she isn’t ready yet. Or, at least, no one has been around to say if she really is or not. There’s no word on how her bowel infection is going, & that pressure sore isn’t nearly as healed up as could be wished for. She should stay for a bit longer.
Mum’s not going home yet, & she’s been assigned a consultant. He says it’s going to be Thursday before he’s up to speed & can review her progress properly. This is good. The not fun bit is that she may need to be reassessed to another level of care. We’ll see what happens.
January 27, 2026 at 2:50 AM
Mum’s not going home yet, & she’s been assigned a consultant. He says it’s going to be Thursday before he’s up to speed & can review her progress properly. This is good. The not fun bit is that she may need to be reassessed to another level of care. We’ll see what happens.
@thisnicola.bsky.social may be amused to know I’ve just learnt the French phrase for “chickens are popular”. It appears that there’s an egg shortage in France, and people are trying some diy in the backyard.
January 24, 2026 at 11:06 PM
@thisnicola.bsky.social may be amused to know I’ve just learnt the French phrase for “chickens are popular”. It appears that there’s an egg shortage in France, and people are trying some diy in the backyard.
Dammit. I just remembered Mum telling me that she thought she’d never win a big lottery prize because she’d been lucky in so many other ways, & now I want to cry because I couldn’t help thinking that her luck might be running out.
January 24, 2026 at 12:04 AM
Dammit. I just remembered Mum telling me that she thought she’d never win a big lottery prize because she’d been lucky in so many other ways, & now I want to cry because I couldn’t help thinking that her luck might be running out.
Some partner drivers doing deliveries for supermarkets need to read their instructions more closely, so they don’t deliver to the neighbours instead of you. Or have their knuckles rapped when it’s reported. Hate having to bother customer service, but sometimes it’s inevitable.
January 23, 2026 at 9:13 AM
Some partner drivers doing deliveries for supermarkets need to read their instructions more closely, so they don’t deliver to the neighbours instead of you. Or have their knuckles rapped when it’s reported. Hate having to bother customer service, but sometimes it’s inevitable.
@sallymn.bsky.social, things having been rather a lot recently, it completely left my brain that you sent me a Christmas card. Thank you for that, despite my failure to acknowledge it before. I did & do appreciate it very much.
January 23, 2026 at 6:20 AM
@sallymn.bsky.social, things having been rather a lot recently, it completely left my brain that you sent me a Christmas card. Thank you for that, despite my failure to acknowledge it before. I did & do appreciate it very much.
Brother is back from being away for work, so we all went up to see Mum, But she was asleep, and we were reluctant to wake her. Anyway, she’s not going home today. She’s probably not going home Monday, quite apart from it being the Australia Day holiday.
January 23, 2026 at 3:39 AM
Brother is back from being away for work, so we all went up to see Mum, But she was asleep, and we were reluctant to wake her. Anyway, she’s not going home today. She’s probably not going home Monday, quite apart from it being the Australia Day holiday.
Some tablets were missing from the bunch I collected from the vet yesterday, so I’m going to have to try to get up much earlier than usual on a Saturday to collect the missing ones. I’d forgotten Monday is a public holiday, so they’d be closed then. So, note: go to bed early.
January 22, 2026 at 10:16 PM
Some tablets were missing from the bunch I collected from the vet yesterday, so I’m going to have to try to get up much earlier than usual on a Saturday to collect the missing ones. I’d forgotten Monday is a public holiday, so they’d be closed then. So, note: go to bed early.
Sister-in-law visited Mum, & found that medication is bringing the blood pressure down, but they’re not yet happy with the state of Mum’s pressure sores. Also, there doesn’t seem to have been any indication of how the infection is going, has it subsided due to antibiotic treatment yet.
January 22, 2026 at 8:55 AM
Sister-in-law visited Mum, & found that medication is bringing the blood pressure down, but they’re not yet happy with the state of Mum’s pressure sores. Also, there doesn’t seem to have been any indication of how the infection is going, has it subsided due to antibiotic treatment yet.
Current status: some talk about Mum going home soon. I don’t think she’s ready. As my sister-in-law said, what’s going on with the infection? Has the high blood pressure been brought back into line? She’s going to visit after she leaves work this evening & see if she can get more info.
January 22, 2026 at 6:07 AM
Current status: some talk about Mum going home soon. I don’t think she’s ready. As my sister-in-law said, what’s going on with the infection? Has the high blood pressure been brought back into line? She’s going to visit after she leaves work this evening & see if she can get more info.
Marguerite thought, So much for skipping over the awkward bit.
T Kingfisher, Paladin’s Faith.
T Kingfisher, Paladin’s Faith.
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42 and post the second sentence.
"A fishing village near Pondicherry."
"A fishing village near Pondicherry."
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, post the second sentence
And he had grete despite at Balyne for the enchevynge of the swerde, that ony should be accompted more hardy or more of prouesse, and he asked kynge Arthure licence to ryde afftir Balyne and to revenge the despite that he had done.
And he had grete despite at Balyne for the enchevynge of the swerde, that ony should be accompted more hardy or more of prouesse, and he asked kynge Arthure licence to ryde afftir Balyne and to revenge the despite that he had done.
January 21, 2026 at 11:03 PM
Marguerite thought, So much for skipping over the awkward bit.
T Kingfisher, Paladin’s Faith.
T Kingfisher, Paladin’s Faith.
Wish they were all that easy to put off.
There’s a charity that got on to Mum sometime last year. She asked them to send something so she could work out if she wanted to support them, as she has other orgs. She decided not to, but they persist in calling.
There’s a charity that got on to Mum sometime last year. She asked them to send something so she could work out if she wanted to support them, as she has other orgs. She decided not to, but they persist in calling.
January 21, 2026 at 10:29 PM
Wish they were all that easy to put off.
There’s a charity that got on to Mum sometime last year. She asked them to send something so she could work out if she wanted to support them, as she has other orgs. She decided not to, but they persist in calling.
There’s a charity that got on to Mum sometime last year. She asked them to send something so she could work out if she wanted to support them, as she has other orgs. She decided not to, but they persist in calling.
Visited Mum this evening. Current status: bowel infection & high blood pressure. She’s going to be stuck for a while at this rate. And they still have to care for the wounds caused by the pressure sores. I don’t like this at all.
January 21, 2026 at 10:15 AM
Visited Mum this evening. Current status: bowel infection & high blood pressure. She’s going to be stuck for a while at this rate. And they still have to care for the wounds caused by the pressure sores. I don’t like this at all.
Tomorrow, I have to get some tablets for Jasper from the vet before I visit Mum. I also need to visit a supermarket to see if I can get something to clean up the mess Jasper walked through his sleeping area.
January 21, 2026 at 3:33 AM
Tomorrow, I have to get some tablets for Jasper from the vet before I visit Mum. I also need to visit a supermarket to see if I can get something to clean up the mess Jasper walked through his sleeping area.
Mum has an appetite today, although some of that may be because she had to give up on lunch - she didn’t have a lunch order for the ward she moved to after coming out of ICU, so she was given a green curry that was too hot for her. (All curries are too hot for her. But I’m the same.)
January 20, 2026 at 8:32 AM
Mum has an appetite today, although some of that may be because she had to give up on lunch - she didn’t have a lunch order for the ward she moved to after coming out of ICU, so she was given a green curry that was too hot for her. (All curries are too hot for her. But I’m the same.)
Well, it’s not only infection that might cause some worries. It’s the possibility that the existing nodule in one of Mum’s lungs might have some friends. And even if they are benign, they’ll be taking up room that she needs for air. So that’s another scan she’s going to as I type.
January 19, 2026 at 5:01 AM
Well, it’s not only infection that might cause some worries. It’s the possibility that the existing nodule in one of Mum’s lungs might have some friends. And even if they are benign, they’ll be taking up room that she needs for air. So that’s another scan she’s going to as I type.
My sister-in-law has been very kind, & called ICU to see how Mum is going this morning. I’m told that her blood pressure is better, crossing fingers that it stays that way. And Bailey, please don’t tap the phone screen like that. I nearly said something I had no intention of saying ever.
January 19, 2026 at 12:20 AM
My sister-in-law has been very kind, & called ICU to see how Mum is going this morning. I’m told that her blood pressure is better, crossing fingers that it stays that way. And Bailey, please don’t tap the phone screen like that. I nearly said something I had no intention of saying ever.
The ICU, having my mobile no., has texted me a link to a pdf file that explains procedures patients may need, as well as noting possible complications. I sincerely hope Mum doesn’t have to go through with some of them. One of them, the PICC line, she’s been through already. But others…
January 18, 2026 at 9:53 PM
The ICU, having my mobile no., has texted me a link to a pdf file that explains procedures patients may need, as well as noting possible complications. I sincerely hope Mum doesn’t have to go through with some of them. One of them, the PICC line, she’s been through already. But others…
Got a phone call from the hospital. They’ve moved Mum from the ward to ICU. I have to remind myself that this will be nothing like when Dad died. He was too far gone. Mum, however, is not in immediate danger, just in need of more care than the ward can provide.
January 18, 2026 at 5:31 AM
Got a phone call from the hospital. They’ve moved Mum from the ward to ICU. I have to remind myself that this will be nothing like when Dad died. He was too far gone. Mum, however, is not in immediate danger, just in need of more care than the ward can provide.