BACK TO ICY COLD CANBERRA

26th and 27th August 2010

I think I have heard a saying that says that home is where the heart is, well even though I had enjoyed being away from the arctic Canberra climate, I was enthusiastic about heading home to my own home and especially my own bed.

We woke to an overcast morning in Redcliffe but there were odd patches of blue peeping through, with a promise of a clearer day than what we had experienced on the previous two days. After playing a game of cards with Nalani and Jarrett while Dad packed the car and Mum cleaned the unit, we headed off to Scarborough to hand in our keys. There was a winding walking path along the waterfront, so we decided to take a walk along it, to fill our lungs with the fresh, salt air. When we were walking we actually saw an unusual sight, it was a lady and she was pushing a pram, that is not so unusual but what was, was that she did not have a baby in it, it was an obviously extremely spoilt little dog, who actually almost appeared to be smiling, enjoying the ride. Jarrett could not help himself and decided to run a little along the beach, ending up with a large amount of sand in his shoes which he had to tip out. The sand at Redcliffe and Scarborough is not delicate and white, it is actually quite a dark colour and it is also rather course. When we turned around to come back we were walking near some trees and out of nowhere a magpie came swooping down and it went straight for Jarrett, its wing roughly brushing the back of his neck, then again it came at him, this time hitting his head near his ear, there was a red mark, fortunately it did not draw blood. Jarrett put his hood of his jacket up and very hesitantly walked towards where we had parked the car. It was strange that the magpie had just decided to have him as a target and was very persistent.

After our walk we decided to have some morning tea back in Redcliffe, where the sun was beginning to push its way through the clouds, typical on the day we were leaving the weather had improved. As we drove towards the airport the skies were becoming clearer and the air was warm and comforting. At the airport we went for a walk after checking our bags in, Jarrett found one of the claw games and declared that he could win something on it, it had lots of little soft toys in it. He had a turn and with skill he managed to win a pink octopus which he gave to Nalani, he then had another turn, he had his eye on a teddy bear for me, again with great skill, he won it, he decided to go for a hat trick and he won himself a tiger. We had some lunch and then it was time to head to our gate for departure. It was then time to board, we had seats near the wings just like when we went there, we had a delay on the runway, finally taking off ten minutes late.

The time on the flight went fairly quickly and before we knew it they were announcing that they were descending into Canberra. I could see the familiar sight of Black Mountain Tower and felt so pleased to be back home even though I had enjoyed our time away. We left the plane last as that is what happens when you have a wheelchair, collected our bags and headed out to the taxi rank. My breath was almost taken away by a blast of icy air and sleet falling gently from the heavy snow clouds in the sky. My bones began to ache immediately and I felt almost like I had icicles forming on my nose. We arrived home and Tinkerbelle was so happy to see me, she could not stop rubbing up against me, then cuddled me and purred loudly. We unpacked, had some dinner and I went to bed exhausted, it had been a long day for me.

I woke several times throughout the night again with pain, stiffness and Cosima licking me on the head. I did not have school today which I was pleased about because I was still quite fatigued from travelling. Mum did housework and then we had to go to sign our tax return. It was absolutely freezing outside today, there were strong gusty winds, rain and sleet, what a welcome home, I hope that the weather improves because I have discovered that as soon as we came home to the colder climate my pain became more intense, I even had a headache, I am not sure whether it was from the day before or the cold weather. Rhiannon came over at 12.30pm to meet the man from Mobility Matters who was going to show us a couple of rollators but he had made an error with appointments and we had to postpone, Rhiannon organised for him to meet us at my physiotherapy appointment later in the afternoon. I was able to play Upwords again today, I had missed playing that while we were away so it was fantastic to play today. The day raced by, it was time to go to physiotherapy, Nalani had an appointment also so she was with us. The man from Mobility Matters met us and I was able to try out two rollators, it was amazing, I was actually able to use it to walk, I still felt very off balanced but was able to use it to support myself. He told us how ones with larger wheels are more stable and that one was lighter weight. They have brakes and even a seat on them so that if you get fatigued when you are walking you can sit down and have a rest. I now have to think about it over the weekend and let Rhiannon know next week which one I preferred using. Rhiannon then loosened my muscles, my hamstrings felt so tight, it was rather painful, instead of crying though I laughed, laughter is the best medicine! Rhiannon is so wonderful, she has helped me so much in my journey, I feel so lucky to have her as my physiotherapist. Nalani then had her appointment, she has worked determinedly on her exercises and is building all her muscles ready for her surgery on 17th September. She has some more difficult exercises to do and has to see Rhiannon again in two weeks that will be the week before her surgery, if Nalani can strengthen all her muscles now it will help her have a quicker recovery after surgery and that is important.

I helped make vegetable slice for dinner tonight, I love making and eating it. Then I decided to do some knitting, I am making little squares to make a blanket for Theodore, the colours I have used are red and green, they are Christmas colours and Theodore is a Myer Christmas Bear, I am hoping to have it all finished to give to Theodore for Christmas. My right hand has become painful and difficult to use again, I think it is from the cold weather.

'I am grateful for all the difficulties I face, they have helped me to become a stronger person and to face my life with a positive attitude'