A sample text widget
Etiam pulvinar consectetur dolor sed malesuada. Ut convallis
euismod dolor nec pretium. Nunc ut tristique massa.
Nam sodales mi vitae dolor ullamcorper et vulputate enim accumsan.
Morbi orci magna, tincidunt vitae molestie nec, molestie at mi. Nulla nulla lorem,
suscipit in posuere in, interdum non magna.
|
About 2 hours after my last blog entry I finally managed some sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking of things to now do both for moving forward with selling Dignity and the rest of our lives. I didn’t sleep long and was soon back at it. One of the big frustrations I am having is getting the gas certification done for the appliances we have. I’ve been told so many things by so many people my head sometimes feels like it’s going to explode. If it did, I might make a radioactive mess.
 Shortly before 6pm our friends, who’d beat the weather window down here, all arrived to join us aboard. Suddenly it was just like the old times. We blasted through cruisers’ midnight with ease with most folks heading home around 10:30pm. It was nice to have the usual boating chat (sea stories and whatnot) and of course share our experiences with my health, the dismasting and with selling the boat. A great had by all. With us were Jack and Jan from Anthem, Gary and Jackie from Inspiration Lady, Ed and Cornelia from A Cappella, Steve & Vickie from True Companions and Rob from Bristol Rose. Take a look at the category links to see some, but probably not all, of our interactions with these good friends of ours.
This morning we both got down to work. We’ve now rescheduled our trip up to the Sunshine Coast to spend Tuesday and Wednesday night with Ella and Granddaughter Bau. And the whole of Wednesday. We’re really looking forward to their company.
Helen did her detailed cleaning of the boat. I pulled apart all the gas fittings and took a load of photos so I could be better positioned to understand the ragged bunch of gas fitters, inspectors and government officials that circle around us. The admin continues. We’ve sold off a few more items from the boat which will allow us to buy a few more packets of crisps.
This afternoon I suddenly came over immensely fatigued. I’ve been running so high on anticipation, excitement, challenge and drugs for the last few days I think I basically got run over by the truck of tiredness. A couple of hours of interrupted rest and I was back going again. Sam’s arriving soon and we’ll be having quality time together this evening. In the morning it’s off to see most of the same friends again for a delayed turkey dinner at Trish and Rob’s home.
We’ve had time to reflect on the first offer good enough for us to accept on the boat and what subsequently transpired. Our thoughts haven’t changed much since yesterday. Although we have our opinions I don’t think it fair to comment on the other parties as, if nothing else, we still like them. For our part we now feel we got too wrapped up in the ‘story’ of our finishing our life aboard Dignity and handing her over to a couple starting their own. We became too emotionally attached which brought a few tears to Helen’s eyes when it was clear the deal was off. Not for the loss of the sale, but for the failure of the story to emerge. When we sold our home in New Jersey back in 2008 to start our adventure we took the emotion off the table. It worked very well. We’ve taken the lesson.
by steve, on November 22nd, 2012 ( Australia, True Companions) First the health update. Phase two is complete. 20/20. No more RT. Got a chance to give a few more of the techs a hug and thank them for their fine work. After the penultimate session I had my weekly visit with the oncology doctor. We discussed how I was progressing and how I was feeling. The pain in my esophagus and trachea was again discussed. He prescribed some numbing gel, just in case I needed it, and some steroids (at a much lower dose than before) to reduce the swelling. We had some of the same steroid left over from before so we didn’t have to buy any more. I took one tablet late morning. By evening I was going hyper, talking way too much (totally unlike me), and overnight my mind ran up to 1,000 km/h. I slept little more than an hour. We checked with the doctor after the final session. He said the best thing was to stop the steroid treatment. I can take a few extra days of throat ache if I can sleep. A simple trade.
Wednesday evening we flew to Brisbane, picked up our hire car and drove to Manly picking up some essential provisions (somewhere more than 1 bottle) and having a bite to eat. Steve and Vickie from True Companions met us at the gate to let us in as we had left our electronic pass behind. We had hugs and a brief chat as we walked back to Dignity where they left us alone knowing we have a lot of time together this evening.
Sam appeared shortly after we did. We were up into the early hours chatting all over the place. He’s got some exciting things going with Greenpeace. I don’t think we’ve seen him looking happier as an adult. I went to bed some time after 1am and woke around 5:3am. The blasted steroid is still going.
This morning we had a date with our buyers. The long and the short of it is the deal is off. Probably every party involved will have their own idea why. At the end of the day I think it fair to say that all of us will benefit, each to our own degree, from being able to take the pressure off and take the lessons learned. We parted amicably.
Pressure off? We’ve already opened the doors to other interested parties. We know of one buyer who is specifically interested in our boat. Some may call us a mug for not letting others onto the boat while the current deal was in play. We actually wanted this deal with this couple to go through.
Would you be surprised to know that we think there could be something positive to be found out of this. Already, we know we’re going to get more time with our grand daughter and may get out for a sail on our own. Already priceless. We have a lot of thinking to do over the 24 hours. We’ve got as far as making a list of things to think about and kicking along a few balls already in play.
Back to the health side of things. Communications with the UK have really opened up over the last few days. We’re now in contact with the UK Lymphoma Society who have already given us some good information on hospitals / specialists and we’re getting into more detail. This will all become significant when we get into making decisions about where and how to live back in the UK.
For now. As a friend once said to me many times. Life is good.
Steroid has now just about run its course. It’s just gone 11am and I need, I really need, to sleep.
by steve, on November 20th, 2012 ( Australia) Today was a tough one. But for now, yesterday.
Yesterday Helen and I went back into Melbourne to meet up with Sarah, Russ, Jack and Roz at 2:30pm. They’d been on a river boat trip that ended up fully booked before we tried to get on. Helen and I explored more of the South Bank before meeting up with them. We all went up to level 88 of the Eureka Tower billed as the highest observation deck in the southern hemisphere. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for the experience. While chilly, it meant the air was clear and we could see for miles / kilometers. It was really nice sharing the experience with the family.
From there we headed over to the Crowne Plaza Hotel to meet up with Lew and Tracey and to introduce them to the family. It turned out that some introductions weren’t necessary as Lew used to be Sarah’s GP for 18 months when she lived in Auckland. He even diagnosed Sarah’s pregnancy with Jack. What a nice coincidence.
The family later left us alone with Lew and Tracey and later we were joined by Lew’s practice partner Paul and his wife Annie. We chatted for a while in the hotel bar before heading out to eat at a rather more expensive than we normally go to restaurant.
There are so many photos and so much to do that I haven’t had time to sort through them yet. They will appear when ready.
PICS
Today has been pretty emotional for me. We’re getting down to the wire on the boat sale and I’ve been reaching out to our friends regarding our farewell get together later this week. I’ve had a few moments where I’ve had to stop what I’m doing and recover. The feelings are so mixed, as ever, but today they have been pretty intense. Helen has been really supportive. I love her to bits.
A real highlight of the day was Sarah asking to come to the hospital with us to experience today’s session. I had never thought to suggest this but was so happy to have her accompany us. This expression of interest was, at the very least, yet another very meaningful boost to morale. It actually meant a lot more than that but I lack the words to express this.
The hospital were so fantastic that they allowed her (and Helen for a second time) to come through to the inner sanctum, wait with me in the more private pre-RT waiting room and come through and see the prep stage in action in the RT machine room.
by steve, on November 17th, 2012 ( Australia, Bees Knees, Lone Star) Our days continue to be buried in things to do but we’re making progress.
On the insurance front we have ‘over-progressed’. No funds were received on Thursday so I let the insurer know asking them at the same time how much they’d sent. Being in Europe they came back that night saying they’d sent an amount over twice what I was expecting. This was a surprise. At some point this would have to be corrected but I thought it would be better to receive the money then figure out how much to send back. On Friday we received an amount somewhere between what we were expecting and what they said they’d sent. With cash in the bank I let the insurance company know I was now confused and put it back in their hands to explain. I have since started to make the final payments to the suppliers who’ve finished their work.
There’s still a few things being worked out with Dignity and the things we need to do to complete the sale keeping everyone as happy as possible. It’s a big moment for everyone. I remember back to our own moving aboard Dignity in 2008 and the stresses involved. What really stands out in my memory from those days was the unconditional support we received from folks around us. Our friends Jim and Anne on Bees Knees and Tom and Pat on Lone Star are strong in my memories. There’s a saying within the cruising community (and outside) that you simply pay it forward. I really hope we will have a chance of paying it forward, in a small way, to the buyers and get them started on their own dream.
This concept of paying it forward figures large in my mind at the moment. On such a vastly important matter, my life no less, we have received such unconditional support from those around us. There is no adequate way to ‘pay’ this back. I wonder how, perhaps, I can pay forward this gift.
On Friday I had a comprehensive blood test performed. It had been due on Monday but the hospital had agreed to bring it forward to Friday so we could know before the weekend if I was fit to travel to Brisbane next week. One of the possible complications was a collapse in my blood cell counts which was why I went through the harvest. It was really heartening that the hospital was not only willing to adjust the timetable to meet our needs but even put a  priority on analyzing the blood simply to allow us to book our tickets. In the afternoon, one of the oncology doctors called me up and simply said, “Go and buy your tickets, everything looks good.” Flights are now booked and a car rented.
On Friday evening we went into Melbourne to meet our New Zealand friends, Lew and Tracey, who serious blog readers may recall us meeting early 2011 on the Otago Rail Trail. They’re over here on holiday and for Dr. Lew to attend a medical conference. They’re both very close to our hearts as, among other things, they also offered to help out when I first became ill.
 We drove into Melbourne and walked around the South Bank for a while before heading to their hotel. We shared a couple of bottles of bubbly in their hotel room before going out into the city to eat. We ended up back in their room for tea and more chat and left after 11pm. It was really, really good to see them again and catch up with our lives. Good news is we’re meeting them again tomorrow.
On the way home Helen, being the DD for the night, had a first ever experience. She was breathalyzed.  She also passed her test.
This morning we had the delight of going to see Roz, Sarah and Russ’s daughter, playing netball for her club. She scored three goals herself and, more importantly, really played a solid team game often passing the ball to others than taking more challenging shots herself. Her team won which made it all the better.
It was really special for us to be involved with the family in this way. Even if it was a bit chilly.
by steve, on November 15th, 2012 ( Australia) Really not a lot to say since the weekend. I can’t believe how much time we’re spending on admin. We’re selling a boat, three properties and planning our future. Each have their own challenges and doing anything from the other side of the world has extras complications. It’s a full time job. Each day I go and have another blast of X-Rays. I’ve reached the point where I fall asleep lying down in my mask. It’s oddly comfortable. The only bit that I don’t like is when they blast my head and my optic nerves fire up giving me a blue  flash and afterglow.
Yesterday morning we witnessed a partial solar eclipse. The full eclipse was seen up in Cairns. Our original plans had been to be sailing south around this time and to catch the full eclipse out at sea. In hindsight this would have been too late in the year to be safe and of course this year has worked out a bit different. Helen and I managed to capture a few pictures using sides torn off a cornflake box and making a crude pinhole camera.
I’ve also spent a lot of time recently looking into our future technology needs. I haven’t come to a full conclusion but am close to settling on our first smart phone. I am quite attracted to the new Nexus 4. This means we’ll be committing to the Google/Android open paradigm rather than the controlling, fingers around the throat Apple paradigm, despite their wonderful looks. It seems pretty popular as it sold out in the UK & US within hours of launch.
One final note to nearly celebrate. The insurance company have told me they’ve sent the final payment. They’ve not said how much and it hasn’t appeared yet. When it arrives and if it’s the right amount we may just treat ourselves.
|
Shortly before 6pm our friends, who’d beat the weather window down here, all arrived to join us aboard. Suddenly it was just like the old times. We blasted through cruisers’ midnight with ease with most folks heading home around 10:30pm. It was nice to have the usual boating chat (sea stories and whatnot) and of course share our experiences with my health, the dismasting and with selling the boat. A great had by all. With us were Jack and Jan from Anthem, Gary and Jackie from Inspiration Lady, Ed and Cornelia from A Cappella, Steve & Vickie from True Companions and Rob from Bristol Rose. Take a look at the category links to see some, but probably not all, of our interactions with these good friends of ours.
