Goodbye 2011

Another Christmas and another year has passed. We had a marvellous Christmas Day with friends and family dropping in over the course of the day and several joining us for lunch. We happily showed our photos from our cruise to New Zealand - stunning scenery ashore and much luxury on board. I didn't sail very well in the first day on the Tasman Sea but after some medication, found my sea legs. Eion had no problem at all. We encountered some rough weather - 5 metre swells and 50 knot winds and for a while were completely fog bound as well. The towns and cities we visited were all interesting in their own way but Napier with its art deco architecture and style was a highlight, and the train or coach trips out into the countryside were excellent. Eion has realised that he prefers to spend a few days in a city so he can absorb its atmosphere, but even so we are looking forward to the cruise around Norway and the Baltic next year.

I failed miserably in continuing at the gym for more than a few months but am now trying a clinical Pilates class run by a physiotherapist. Not sure if I have the self discipline to persevere with this either. Although it was horrid at the time, a bad bout of asthma (after bronchitis caught on the NZ cruise) has at last persuaded me to stop smoking for good! So that is one healthy outcome from 2011. Here's hoping 2012 is healthy and happy for all my friends, family ..... and us, of course.

Update October 2011

Eion has made a good recovery from his prostate surgery and we are looking forward to our cruise to New Zealand next month. Even tho' this was supposed to be a test cruise to see how he felt about holidaying on board a ship, he has already booked the next cruise - to northern Europe next June! We have been seeing family and friends - enjoying lunches and dinners with them and also showing off the new back yard to those who have been around for barbecues. Last night we attended a mini-reunion for my medical year at The Apothecary Wine Bar in Hindley St - lots of fun, and some new faces as well as the usual suspects. Yesterday also saw us celebrating the outcome of Cindy-Lee's court case -a custodial sentence for her abuser.

Joshua has been travelling to Japan and China with his work. He and Jen have bought another house in Sydney and are renovating the previous one before they sell it. He continues to enjoy his track motorcycle and his days at Eastern Creek emulating Casey Stoner. Sadly he and Jen are unable to conceive a child despite many cycles of IVF. But their dogs are doing well now that their illnesses have been diagnosed and controlled with medication.

Our Great Dane has had a health scare - she has cardiomyopathy but at the moment seems to be doing OK on medication to regulate the heart beat. The Boxer is as mad as ever! And Dizzy continues to prove her prowess as a great "ratter".

I am still enjoying my Latin lessons with Andy Katsaros and contract bridge is a weekly pleasure although I seriously need to think about learning more and advancing my skills.

Such sad news.

Sadly, my niece Jenne Leigh died in the RAH on July 13th. Since talking to her brother who was in frequent contact with her during my trip abroad and a medical colleague whose team was her primary medical carers, I have learned how desperately ill she was. Added to that is the awful truth about her very sad life, and so most of the family, including Jenne's mum can now accept her death as a release from great suffering. Despite this she brought much joy to many people and we all believe she is now a free angel who will keep watch over all of us. Cindy and Marcus gave her earthly embodiment a wonderful send off at a memorial service in the garden of her home. The tributes were moving and there was much laughter as well as tears.

Home from my trip.

I am safely home after a wonderful trip to Italy, Greece and Singapore with my sister, Cindy. Sadly her daughter has been ill in hospital ever since we left, although people were careful not to tell us how unwell she was, so we continued with our touring. She is making slow progress but is likely to remain in the RAH for several weeks yet.

Italy was fantastic but Greece was truly magic - so much glorious ancient history in both places. And cruising the Aegean islands was both relaxing and spectacular, although I did pick up a 'flu on board. Singapore is ever changing - such a different sky-line from my last visit but some things are the same and yet better than before, like the zoo.

I have been culling and sorting my photos and hope to have some hard copy albums organised soon. The mementoes, like postcards and entry tickets are already arranged in separate albums.

My next overseas jaunt.

In 19 days, Cindy and I leave for Italy, Greece and Singapore. We have a 16 day tour with Insight Travel in Italy, then 12 days with the same tour company in Greece (including a 5 day Aegean cruise) before relaxing for a week in Singapore. It is Cindy's first overseas trip and I hope she has a fantastic time. We have both just completed a conversational Italian course at WEA so we can say a few things politely (hopefully correctly) when we are greeting folk or shopping in Italy. My Greek friends have taught me a few words in that language - some of which I will never use! And of course, Singapore is so safe and friendly that language and security will not be issues at all.
While I am away Eion will be having a prostatectomy for his cancer - another sister Patricia, will look after our dogs (and him) for a few days, but he is determined to be independent and insists he won't miss me at all.
The back yard renovations are still incomplete - the pergola and decking are finished and look wonderful but we are still waiting for the garage to be erected. And the final sections of paving and the lawn cannot be installed until that is up. Oh well, maybe by the time I get home from Italy etc, the work will be completed. We should be able to host some lovely parties in Spring and Summer.

Saturday 26th February 2011

I was just going to chronicle the things that have been happening in the last few months - like renovating the back yard, going to shows in The Fringe this year and news about Eion's prostate cancer, but..... we've just been to lunch with my brother and two of my sisters and a cousin (Joyce Pounsett nee Gibbons, daughter of Dad's older sister Lillian) and she started to talk about Nana Hale and how she wanted to divorce Grandpa Hale because she was in love with another man! It seems another of her daughters, Daisy (who died in 1962 from breast cancer) engaged a man to paint her house and Nana met him and it was "love at first sight" - when I think of how dour and stodgy Nana looks in the few photos I have of her (and my memories) I can't imagine this, but obviously love conquers all. The really sad part is, according to Joyce, that you were only granted a divorce back then ( late 1920's/early 1930's with adultery as the reason, if you had shown an attempt to reconcile, which Nana did by getting pregnant to Grandpa with their youngest child, Robert, and then saying, "so there's your proof - it didn't work and now I want my divorce".) No wonder Uncle Bob developed into such a strange personality.





Anyway I will add this to the family story - must get Joyce to send me all the written material she has collected about the Hale side of the family - it is clearly much more titillating than I had ever thought possible. I had thought all the dramas were in my generation or the next one! I must also see the chronicler of the Tindall side of things - Jenny Tindall, married to my cousin Colin (Mum's nephew), - I really would like more of the history of both sides of the family before it gets too late to hear and appreciate it all.





Back to present time - Eion has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, at this stage confined to the gland and he could choose various methods of treatment, but he has decided to be rid of it (hopefully once and for all) and is on the waiting list for a nerve sparing prostatectomy using the Da Vinci robot at the Royal Adelaide Hospital as a private patient of his urologist, Mr Peter Sutherland. He thought the other options - wait and see with biopsies every 6 months, or external radiotherapy, or implantation of radioactive seeds into the gland, were all a bit dubious and he might still require surgery anyway. So now we wait for the call up to go to hospital!





I know it sounds selfish but I do hope the surgery occurs well before I leave for Italy on May 19th - it will be so much easier for me to go away knowing that Eion is home and recovering. He says there is no way I am delaying the trip if he hasn't had the operation before I go.





We are having fun right now - The Fringe is in full swing and we have already been to a few shows with several more to come over the next few weeks. Last week to celebrate our 22nd wedding anniversary we spent two days in the city, staying in a hotel and eating and drinking well, if not wisely. It rained non stop on the Friday but we still went to the Zoo and saw the pandas - gorgeous - and waited for the Fringe Opening Parade at night - cancelled.

Eion is working on the pergola to prepare it for a new paint job, we
have had workmen in to start the new paving, all the trees and garden are gone to make way for the new double garage, and there are plans for decking under the pergola, and lawn (alas, artificial!!) between the clothesline and the decking. The yard is getting a major makeover - Backyard Blitz eat your heart out!!
As worrying as the news of Eion's cancer is, we have decided to keep enjoying life as much as possible.