You wouldn't read about it
Now my brother, poor old Garry (or Little Garry, as my mum likes to refer to him, refusing to acknowledge the fact he is 51), has succumbed to post-surgery infection and is in Albany hospital on massive doses of pethidine and antibiotics. Just like my dad was. What's going on down here?
And I'm leaving tomorrow to drive to Perth and meet Dave off the plane from Melbourne and the US. What a worry.
At least my dad is making slow steps towards getting better again. He even had a bit of colour in his cheeks this morning.
Yesterday, I took him and Mum to Emu Point for some sunshine and sea air, which was just great. The city of Albany has a wheelchair permanently parked in a little shed outside the ice-cream shop that you can borrow for no cost. It's an amazing contraption, with giant balloon-like front wheels and two little wandering wheels at the rear that you steer by - like a giant pram. Apparently it is amphibious, and you can wheel your subject into the sea to a depth of 15 cm!
We had a lot of giggles and attracted lots of smiley comments from people as we pushed and heaved Dad about on the edge of the sea, and he thought it was the bee's knees.
:: This arvo, I was looking at my watch and calculating that David's plane must have taken off from Los Angeles. But no!
About an hour later, much to my surprise, he rang me to say his plane was still sitting on the tarmac at LA, and had a problem with the air-conditioning, which engineers had come on board to fix. They must have been idling there a long time, as then the plane had to refuel for the long haul across the Pacific. Dave knew before he'd even left LA that he'd miss his flight to Perth by the time he got to Melbourne. Sigh.
Still, it means I shan't have to rush up to Perth tomorrow. I do so love the drive between Perth and Albany - all that space, and all those sheep! I so appreciate the quiet, and the big empty landscapes after living in Southern California: there are as many people living in LA and San Diego, and in-between, as there are in the whole continent of Australia.
:: Well, this is boring stuff, isn't it?
Wish I could show you some pics ...
6 comments:
No it isn't boring at all, it's just nice to know how things are going for you. I bet that's some wheelchair. I used to be lethal with the hospital ones; Dad and I used to cause chaos as I winged him around from the ward to x-ray and back. If you've got to do those things you have to find the most fun you can out of it.
Yes, not boring. You feel a bit closer, which is nice. With all you have on your hands, it is good to see you have found things to appreciate and smile about.
Across the miles I am sending hugs and hopes for happy outcomes.
I love the sound of this wheelchair contraption. I have never seen one of those at a Sydney beach.
I'll get a pic of this amphibious wheelchair next time I'm here (in a week or so) and post it so you can see how funny it is! Some clever Rotarian, or other community-minded person, must have built it. I forgot to mention that it has a plastic chair with wooden arms, and a strap so you can tie the rider's ankles to the chair so they don't slip off and get caught in the wheels. We were in hysterics!
I have to say, I used to love that drive too. The amount of detours and winery stops I could make.... ahhhh. Homesick!
I tagged you for a book meme, hope you don't mind.
Another friend telling you that this is the stuff of life, that we care about you and your family and want to hear the news, and no, it's not boring. I do hope your brother makes a speedy recovery, although the second one in the family to end up with post-surgery infection is twice as much as any of you should have to bear. I close my eyes after reading your descriptions and try to imagine how things look, and anticipate your being able to fill us up with lots of photos at least on your return. hope you got some great ones of your dad in that chair!
Ken's parents live in an "over 55" community and every time we go down there (they live about 90 minutes away) I swear to Ken that he needs to shoot me, or himself, before even thinking about that option. I'm sure some are lovely, but this particular one was SO built based on the developers' making lots of money that there's no sense, no pattern to the house lots (or to the way the pre-fab houses are sited); they are just shoved in as tightly as the building code allows. That, on top of everything else, gives me the willies. But I digress....
Keep on taking good care, enjoy your leisurely drive to Perth, and keep us posted as you can.
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