Ready to roam

Took delivery of my new (second hand) campervan yesterday. It was quite a morning, beginning with a 4am wakeup because I was excited. After the flight, the paperwork, the loooong wait at QT (RTA equivalent) and forking out some more $$$$$, I needed to stop for a rest before I hit

the road back to the Gold Coast. So, I relaxed awhile on my bed, by the river at Mooloolaba before joining the peak hour traffic through Brisbane and back to my son, who inspected almost every inch of the vehicle and declared it OK.

I'm ready to roam, if only this dreaded disease would desist from its attacks.

Moving on to happier things

It's Monday evening, and in the morning I'm boarding a plane to fly to the Sunshine Coast to collect my campervan. I'm very excited. Tomorrow afternoon I'll be driving the van back to the Gold Coast to stay with Tim and Oscar for a few days.

Then..... on Monday 6 December, I'll be setting off to drive the van back home. My friend, Lesley, is flying up to the GC to meet me and share the trip back. We'll arrive back in Sydney on Friday 10th in time for my next consultation with my Chinese herbal doctor, then go to the airport to await the arrival (from South Africa) of Nikki and her two littlies (Zeke and Willow). They will stay in Wollongong for a week before flying to Adelaide for Christmas with her husband, Sam, and his family. Then back to this side of the country for another week before heading back to Durban.

Then on 22 Dec I'm flying back to the GC to spend a week with Tim and Oscar over Christmas.

Sounds like lots of flying and lots of driving - time for fun and family before the next health-related round begins.

Will post some pics along the way.

Ding, ding. Ready for the next fight?

It's on again. This insidious disease just will not cower! New, fast growing, tumours in my peritoneum, close to where the most recent one was.

1. Oncologist says palliative chemotherapy only solution. (Don't really like that 'p' word or even the 'c' word)

2. Surgeon says he's the only one in Australia who does a 'peritonectomy' and infuses special chemotherapy directly into the abdomen while he's in there. More 'p' and 'c' words.

It involves - 12 hour op. 5 days in ICU/HDU, 30 days in hospital, 3-6 months to recover (if I make it that far).... AND...... this will give me a 30% chance of long term survival. Pre- and post-operative chemotherapy also required.

More tests to be had to determine my eligibility. What good fun!!

On a lighter note:

See the blog "following the fragrance of shooting stars" to see the next amazing adventure my friend, Wilna, is about to embark on. Hospital bed or that truck??? Hmmmmm

Feeling OK physically. Emotionally...well.....................

there will be more when

1. I have more news and
2. I feel up to it

Please get the towels and water and buckets ready for the next round. Ding. Ding

November 9

Oh dear! It's November 9, and I haven't been back here to keep in touch. Well, life has been busy.

I've had a fun 3 day weekend in Sydney with girlfriends. The highlight was seeing the production of Namatjira at the Belvoir Theatre. I highly recommend it, if you get the chance to see it.

Another recommendation is for the movie "The Social Network". The story of the invention of Facebook.

After the girls' weekend I went to the Hunter Valley for an overnight stay and a reunion with my Teachers' College mates. Great fun catching up with the girls and boys. We're going back again in two years' time :)

And then the big move. My father moved from his house into a unit just around the corner from the house. A big move, a big day - exhausting but satisfying. Dad is very happy in his new environment. And we still have 6 weeks before the house is settled, so plenty of time for the garage sale and the final clean up.

And then a week on the Gold Coast. I went up to spend some time with my son and little grandson, Oscar. He turned 3 on 3 November and we had a sausage sizzle party to celebrate.

Here is Oscar practicing his candle-blowing in preparation. Isn't he just gorgeous??:)

It was an icecream cake which melts very quickly in warm weather and the birthday boy loved digging his fingers in

While I was on the Gold Coast I also visited my dear friends, Judith and Morton, who have a beautiful garden on their 30 acre property at Rosebank, in the hills behind Byron Bay.
Here's a pic of them last Sunday - for those of you who know them :)


And the last piece of news is that................ I have made a deal to buy a used campervan. It's time to start seeing my own country.
I finalise and collect the van from its owner in Coolum, on the Sunshine Coast, at the end of this month.

No wonder I haven't had time to write. Glad to catch up now.