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Great Ocean Road – Day 4

by steve, on November 13th, 2012 (Australia)

We started our last day ‘on the road’ very slowly. It felt nice lying in bed and relaxing. All four of our legs ached which I found pleasing as it meant it wasn’t just me. The motel manager was gracious enough to allow us an extra half hour to check out.

Our first stop was Erskine Falls not far from Lorne. We have seen more dramatic falls in our lives but these were still pleasant.

Our next stop was the light house at Aireys Inlet. The light house was very similar to the one the previous day so we passed on paying to climb up it.

We had a walk down to one of the beaches. The cliffs had a very similar geology to those we’d visited further west. Again, I had no trouble with the steps going up.

The weather had lost its perfection having gone quite a bit colder and very much windier. This leads me to the following question and possible answers…

Q. What Happened to the Hair?

The answer my friend, Is Blowing In The Wind	Or is it, Gone With The Wind

We ate our lunch in the car where we stopped for another (and our last) lookout. We then headed back to Moorabbin for my next round of chemo. There I learned some more about my hand from the X-Ray taken last week. They had found evidence of a broken bone but it was a years old injury. Apart from that, nothing to worry about.

Then it was back to Wheelers Hill to spend the evening with Sarah and Russ entertained with each other’s company, a bit of jigsawing and an episode of Coupling. Helen finished off my last few head hairs with the moustache trimmer on my electric shaver. It doesn’t look too bad, does it.

This morning I’ve had my 14^th round of RT and a meeting with my haematology consultant. He’s very pleased with how I look and feel and even commented on my new ‘hair’ style.

We now have rough dates for my final two rounds of chemo, the second being between Xmas and New Year. Final MRI and visit with the consultants will be first half of January. Then we will be done. It’s hard to imagine after all we’ve been through but there is light at the end of the tunnel. A bright one.

Great Ocean Road – Day 3

by steve, on November 12th, 2012 (Australia)

The word that springs immediately to mind when thinking about Sunday’s weather is ‘perfect’. Saturday wasn’t too far off but Sunday couldn’t have been better.

Our first destination was the Cape Otway Lightstation. We’d heard that the road down to the Lightstation offered the best opportunity to see koalas in the area. We mentioned this to our host before leaving and he told us to just look out for where other cars had stopped and there we would find them. And find them we did. In fact, we found so many and managed to get so close to a couple that we’re now quite koalad out.

The lighthouse and its surrounds were quite interesting. I feared I might have difficulties climbing the spiral stairs inside the lighthouse but reached the top feeling quite ok. From the top we had wonderful views of the coast made all the better by the perfect weather.

From the lighthouse we pressed on a little further east stopping off at Mait’s Rest Rainforest Walk. It wasn’t a long walk but it did descend a way at first before becoming quite easy. At the end of the trail was a tree one could climb through. An obvious photo opportunity.

Throughout the day I had been thinking a bit about my illness and my own attitude towards it, particularly in light of my fall last week. It had shaken both of us and left us feeling quite low for a while and still feeling fragile later. I was wondering how much of my current difficulties walking was real and how much was in my head. I suddenly realized how important it was to see oneself as a survivor rather than victim. It’s not as though I’ve not been thinking positively. I definitely have. But in a lot of ways I have still thought of myself as being ill and beating it. The reality is that I am already past my first sell by date and with more than a little help from those around me I have survived. And continued to survive. And will continue. So each day I am winning. I felt very positive about this. I then turned my mind to my walking and told myself to get going and not be limited like I have felt for so long. For the first time in 6 months I then overtook Helen, on the uphill section going back no less, feeling quite comfortable.

I’ve often said that our cruising life was as much a journey through our own minds as it was across the oceans. This is more than ever the case right now.

After this walk it was time for a late lunch which we took in Apollo Bay, a very nice and relaxed seaside town. From there we decided to head on to Lorne where we had accommodation booked for the night. The road between these two towns was the highlight being a winding cliff hugging route with fantastic views.

At Lorne we checked into our accommodation, spent a while sorting out photos and uploading them before going out for a walk through town. At the other end of town we stopped for a beer at the hotel overlooking the town and beach and chatted about the day. We then stopped off for noodles for dinner sitting outside having an interesting conversation with a young nanny who has recently moved into the area.

Our weekend is nearly at an end. We still have today left as my next RT session is after 4pm. We both feel we’ve experienced a ‘normal’ weekend together in the midst of this abnormal period of our lives. A real upper. My hair is now well on its way to disappearing completely not without a lot of help from me. It was beginning to come out so easily it became quite irresistible pulling out the tufts that wanted to come away. I now look quite a mess and will almost certainly shave it all off tonight as long as the oncology staff suggest otherwise. I don’t care how it looks really. It’s not a mark of my illness. It’s a badge of my survival which I wear with pride. And, of course, Dignity.

Great Ocean Road – Day 2

by steve, on November 11th, 2012 (Australia)

We spent Saturday out and about visiting the scenery near Port Campbell and self indulging with some of the nearby producers.

Our first stop was Lord Ard Gorge named after a clipper ship that ran aground there in 1878 with only 2 survivors. The skies had cleared from the previous day and the early morning sunshine was in the perfect place to view and take pictures of the scenery. At this spot there were stairs down to the beach where we could see some stalactite formations and see the gorge from a different angle. The steps were good exercise for me.

Our next stop was the famous 12 Apostles of which only 8 currently remain. The sites popularity was evident from the number of tourists present. Fortunately this is still the off season and the numbers weren’t too heavy. We could imagine what it might be like in the holiday season.

We then began our tour of self indulgence. Our first stop was Gorge Chocolates where we were able to sample some of the chocolate products make on site.

Our next stop was Apostle Whey Cheese where we also had sampling session led very well by the owner. Here they make their cheeses from first principals, ie. they breed the cattle, raise them, obtain the milk and turn it into cheese.

It didn’t stop there. Our next delight was wine tasting at the Newtons Ridge Vineyard. Here we sampled a selection of white wines, a rose and a couple of reds.

We then drove to Timboon where we had lunch. On the way we spotted a Koala on the road. By the time I retrieved my camera from my jeans pocket another vehicle had passed by and we lost the best picture. It was still interesting to see one ambling around rather than stuck up a tree.

After stopping off at the supermarket for some provisions we headed over to the Timboon Distillery for some more tastings – whiskey, spirits and their delicious ice cream. I really liked their whiskey but baulked at the bottle price. AU$120 for a ½ liter bottle was a bit pricey. Their homemade ice cream was delicious.

We had planned on visiting the nearby strawberry picking fields but the prospect of grubbing around on the ground with my now very tired legs and both our full stomachs left this potential stop less desirable. We didn’t go but did pick up a punnet of strawberries at the distillery.

We headed back to our motel room quite exhausted where we both had a brief sleep. Around 5pm we felt we had some energy left (ie, Helen suggested this and I agreed) to go out for a walk around (along) Port Campbell. It was not a long walk as it’s not a big place. We went as far as the dock which had a few fishermen and a boat crane that reminded both of us of Niue.

Back at our room we ate our dinner. Can you guess what we had?

Yup. It was cheese, wine, strawberries, ice cream and chocolates.

One final note. We knew this was going to happen but I secretly hoped I’d be different from everyone else. My hair has begun to fall out. Not very fast yet but I’ve been in the habit of giving it a gentle pull each day. Yesterday I started to see bits coming out. Oh well. I’ve been bald before. It’s not so bad and it’s supposed to come back.

Great Ocean Road – Day 1

by steve, on November 10th, 2012 (Australia)

Last week we’d managed to get ourselves on an early appointment for my Friday RT session – 8:45am in fact. We arrived just in time owing to work and school traffic. Being first thing in the morning I whizzed through and we were out by 9:30. I even had time to take a picture of my bust used during the making of my mask.

As the forecast for the weekend predicted better weather later on we decided to go west as far as possible first and make our way back over the next few days.

We reached Camperdown by midday where we ate lunch hoping for a break in the weather as it was wet and windy with occasional breaks of sunshine. After lunch we drove up to the car park on nearby Mount Leura. We managed a few moments of sunshine but had to hightail it back to the car when the heavens reopened. We did get good views of nearby Mount Sugarloaf (part of the same eroded crater rim) and the surrounding lava plains and craters.

Our next stop was the nearby Camperdown Botanic Gardens. They were pretty but not large. It made a nice stop though with lovely views of the surrounding lake.

We then pressed on to Tower Hill State Game Reserve. This was the highlight of the day. We first stopped to climb to the top of the central peak where we had great views of the surrounding geology.

As ever, this would have been any easy climb in the past but a bit of a challenge today. Totally worthwhile though.

Back at the car park Helen spotted a koala up a tree. We stopped to take pictures and watch it eat. Even though this is a game reserve, it’s certainly not a zoo so it’s a thrill to spot animals in the wild.

We then stopped at the visitors center, immediately spotting an emu. There I bought a boomerang (how could I not). They also had some great information on the area’s geology. I always find it fascinating how the planet shapes itself over millions of years.

We then went on the ‘Journey to Last Volcano Hike’ during which we saw more geology and wildlife. We saw many rabbits, a couple of turtles, an echidna and many birds.

Feeling quite exhausted we left the park, spotting more emus and another koala, and headed to Port Campbell and our accommodation for the next two nights, the Portside Motel. Along the way we couldn’t resist one more side trip to see London Bridge, one of the many coastal features in this area. It was very cold and windy so we didn’t stay too long. We saw enough to enjoy the place.

Port Campbell was just a few minutes away and we were soon settled into our room having had a very informative guide to the area by the owner?/receptionist.

We ate out at 12 Rocks Café. While there we learned that the boat inspection by Dignity’s prospective owners had gone pretty well. No howling issues had been found which would have been a surprise to us but there was always the possibility I suppose. There was a ding on one of the keels. Now there’s a phrase that says there are two types of sailors, those that have hit the bottom and those that lie. We’re definitely the former but nothing more than minor and usually mud or sand. We thought we’d had our previous scratches repaired so we await the report with curiosity as we hadn’t expected this.

Back at the motel we learned that our final insurance claim has been approved. We included a request for one of our trips from Melbourne to Brisbane to be included arguing that our efforts during such a hard time in our lives to get good workmanship at good prices saved them a lot of money. We’ll only know if this was included when the cash arrives. We’ll see.

Incidentally, whenever I do blog entries in this format (which takes a lot longer to do) all the embedded pictures are enlargeable simply by clicking on them. From any enlarged picture you can scroll through the rest using your left and right keys. These and more pics can be found in the slideshow below.

Half Way

by steve, on November 8th, 2012 (Australia)

Wednesday saw us reaching the half way mark in my radiotherapy. 10 sessions down, 10 more to go. Another milestone passed.

We were both pretty down yesterday. I think my fall the previous day reminded us how fragile our existence is on many levels. While we feel so welcome where we are we do miss something we can call our home. I myself spent a while feeling quite melancholy and dwelling on the ‘why me?’ question. It’s a natural question to ask but there’s no meaningful answer and certainly not a good place to be.

While at the hospital yesterday and knowing Helen was not feeling too good I gave her a hug and kiss in the elevator not caring that there may be a camera. For me this marked my end of the bottom of this emotional swing. On the way back down in the elevator I did the same. It felt a bit naughty the second time – the dancing has started again.

We also had a wonderful and emotional Skype chat with Helen’s sister in the morning. As painful as these moments are they are also moments of joy and not to be missed. Family and friends are so important.

Under the hospital’s encouragement I’ve seen a doctor and had an Xray regarding my hand. Nothing more than stressed ligaments and tendons are suspected. My hand is still sore today but feeling better than before. All good.

We are making plans for the near future. This coming weekend (Friday to Monday) we’re visiting the Great Ocean Road staying out for three nights. It’s one of the area’s highlights.

In two weeks time we expect to be back in Brisbane and getting busy. First we’ll go back to Dignity and have one final get together with the cruisers we know in the area. We also have some last minute things to do aboard. We’ll be spending the weekend with Trish and Rob from Bristol Rose and some more friends in common. On Monday we’re planning on meeting the prospective new owners of Dignity for a few days to hand her over in the best way possible.

We’re now expecting to spend Xmas and New Year here in Melbourne. Some exciting things are planned.

Lots to look forward to.

Back to Dignity. The electrical work finished yesterday. The electrician called and told us Dignity had her dignity back. Tonight Sam will be testing things out for us. Having talked to Sam about this, this morning we learned the boom has yet to be put on. To say I’m pissed off is an understatement for many reasons. The riggers have been pressing us for final payment having told us the work was complete. We’ve even given them a significant amount of our own money to help close the gap before the insurance pays up. The last half is not yet in which is another frustration we can do without.

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Great Ocean Road – Day 4

Great Ocean Road – Day 3

Great Ocean Road – Day 2

Great Ocean Road – Day 1

Half Way