Saturday 31st August

I woke up early and just lay there in bed thinking about life, making plans and formulating dreams. It was wonderful to feel alert and full of life again. I was so highly relieved. I had doubted whether I would ever feel OK again but here I was much more positive and looking forward to life again. I opened the curtains and watched some tiny honeyeating birds getting pollen out of a grevillea. It was nice seeing birds freely enjoying themselves. In Indonesia we only saw birds in cages.

It took some time before I was discharged so I immersed myself in my Jane Smiley book for a while. On walking out of the hospital I was greeted by a balmy warm burst of air. It was delicious. Yana was walking around the corner just as I was half way along the street. I waved my arms outrageously, I was so happy to see him. Gosh life was looking good. We walked off slowly home together, without a care in the world.

Yana and I went up to the lighthouse in the evening. It was still surprisingly balmy and was well worth the trip. The lighthouse beam swooped around the cape and over Byron. It was almost eerie but most exhilerating. We returned home via the beach and paused to enjoy the crash of the waves and the smell of the sea. It was so magnificent to be out there in the beautiful night. We returned home and then talked for hours.

He was waxing lyrical about cooking and I was quite enthralled to hear his philosophy on the topic. He takes his cooking quite seriously and is incredibly professional in his approach. I was quite surprised. He actually adjusts his cooking to the individual customer. If they are Japanese he makes the ingredients more Asian, if they are American he tones down the spiciness, Dutch people like things hot so he adds chilis. I wonder whether his bosses really appreciate his flexibility. One boss actually thinks that there is just the one way to cook something. He has no understanding that each cook will show some differences and will never produce food that tastes identically to that cooked by another.

Friday 30th August

The fluid was building up and with a weekend looming I realised that I had better make a bit of fuss about it. Otherwise I would be in a real pickle. I didn't feel like thinking about another draining as I wasn't up to it but nonetheless I persevevered. It was quickly organised and I was highly relieved to find that one of the best radiologists was on duty. I wanted the procedure to take place as quickly and painlessly as possible. I was in luck. Hooray. It all went forward faultlessly.

By late afternoon the new anti-nausea tablets seemed to kick in because I started to feel a little more lively. Losing some fluid could have helped also. I felt like talking, smiling and communicating again. Prior to this I had been almost antisocial, talking was too difficult. I now understood how all those virtually comatose patients that I had shared a ward with at the Mater Hospital in Brisbane must have been feeling.

I watched the movie 'As good as it gets' with Jack Nicholson on my little television in the evening and really enjoyed seeing it again. It would have to be one of my favourites. I couldn't help smiling and laughing all through. I was feeling so much more normal again. I could even drink a cup of tea and had a fair appetite. We were on a roll!

Thursday 29th August

Things were definitely much worse so I called the doctor and was told to come to the surgery immediately. I wasn't up to driving myself so a taxi was organised. I was sent straight to the local hospital in Byron and basically I kept on sleeping. Not much happened and there was little change. They were simply observing me. Apparently there were no major warning signals and I wondered whether I was being a bit of a hypochondriac. Still there was no denying it I had never felt so grim before in my life. There was no quality of life here. I simply wanted to crawl in a hole and sleep for ever. very scary.

Wednesday 28th August

I felt no better. To be honest I was probably getting worse. I was so out of it that I couldn't think clearly or even try to do anything about it. Sam suggested I go to the doctor the next day. I hadn't even the wherewithall to realise that I should have done this earlier.

Tuesday 27th August

I was still no better. I was absolutely and utterly exhaustted. I couldn't even fight it. Feeling so tired is really starting to get me down. I hate it. I may becoming a little depressed. I didn't even have sufficient energy to go to my writing class.

Monday 26th August

I continued sleeping while it continued raining.

Sunday 25th August

Wet, wet and wet. I was so exhausted that I simply slept and slept. I tried to watch a movie from beginning to end but simply couldn't keep my eyes open. I gave up.

Saturday 24th August

The rain continued intermittently so Yana and I were still able to visit a few garage sales. They weren't all that inspiring but we looked around nonetheless. We are getting quite clever at finding our way around the streets of Byron Bay. Mind you we do have a very good map.

Yana is rather taken with videos at present and we spent quite some time watching films. He then went off to work while I just relaxed with the weekend papers. Sam and Tess went out at night while Yana visited Hendri. I wasn't up to going out. I have a very boring existence at present.

Friday 23rd August

I was a little shaky on my legs but decided not to mention it to anyone in case they made me stay longer. I just wanted to go home and as quickly as possible. It was dry when I walked to the station and I was pleased to be out and about. I don't know whether I would be able to cope with a long stay in hospital. The days must drag past. Then again if one isn't feeling well I suppose it wouldn't be so dire.

We returned to the familiar streets of Byron Bay and I felt highly relieved. Tess met me at the bus station and I will say that I was pleased that the trip was behind me. In another three weeks I will have to go again. Those three weeks do pass so very quickly. I must just enjoy the next few weeks as best I can.

Thursday 22nd August

The wet weather continued which would have been great for the farmers although I gather it is only falling on the coastal strip and not inland where it is really needed. I had chemotherapy in the morning and then spent the night in the hospital. The food was still no better although I was a little more assertive this time. I was eventually given something that I felt I could eat. I shared a ward with Joan who was quite a talker and an elderly woman called Eva who was not at all well. Time passed slowly but I did have a good book.

Wednesday 21st August

I waited for the bus for Brisbane at the bus shelter. I was a little early and just bided my time. Beside me sat a fellow of much my age dressed in a multicolour turban and threadbare trousers. He was chuckling aloud to himself, so much so that another person asked him what was so funny. He simply responded by saying what wasn't? The enquirer walked off shaking his head. I tended to agree, it was all a bit early.

Brisbane was wet and on arrival I headed off on my wig buying expedition. I had already decided that I didn't feel like wearing scarves all the time. I feel that it marks one as a cancer patient and I just want to be normal. The social worker at the hospital had organised everything for me and it was just a matter of turning up. Unfortunately I hadn't planned ahead well and had forgotten my raingear. I got quite wet.

An hour later I walked out of Hollywood Wigs sporting a totally new look. I was now a redhead. The woman was right it did look much better than my brown curly locks. I was pleasantly surprised. Why not have short red hair? There are no rules. I don't have to look the way I looked before.

I was expecting a very negative prognosis from the doctor because I had been feeling so sick but was again in for a bit of a reprieve. The cancer had halved again. Who would have believed it? I was simply amazed.

Tuesday 20th August

A wet miserable day but a good one for draining. I headed off to the radiology department and was attended by a friendly doctor. His skills were somewhat rough and it was a messy procedure. I tried not to look and didn't want to know about it. I was transferred to the Byron Hospital and spent a few hours reading my book. Yana surprised me by coming and visiting during his breaktime. I was very pleased to see his face.

The nurses didn't seem to know what they were doing so I took control of the tap. It was a nice feeling to be in control. I wanted to be out by five so I didn't feel the least bit guilty. I

I attended the first writing class of the latest semester. It was held way out on the industrial estate and somehow I never became overly inspired. I don't know why. My head seemed to be in a fog. We didn't have a break and it meant that we didn't get to really meet our fellow students. I arrived home feeling a bit disappointed.

Monday 19th August

Yana felt that he was ready to have a go at the knowledge component of his learner's license so we headed off to Ballina. The noodle bar was to be closed for some maintenance work and this was a last minute bonus. At the RTA we were told that Yana could not do his test because he didn't have sufficient identification with him. This was despite the fact that he has registered a car in his name and has already tried the test once before. He is on their books and has shown them all his papers more than once. We would have had his passport with us, but the Taxation people wanted original documents so we had to send his passport to them. I was most unimpressed. We had gone all that way for nothing and it could well be another week before we can go again. I am not sure how my health is going to hold up and I really would like to help Yana with his driving while I still can. Yana was more civil than I. Stupid bureaucracy.

While in Ballina we walked around the shops a little. Yana is keen to buy an electric guitar and amplifier so we visited a few pawn shops and music outlets. He feels that he shouldn't always be borrowing Hendri's equipment and should have some of his own. Besides they don't have a lead guitar and so that would be a real bonus. We also checked a few camping stores. If I am OK in summer I would love to do some camping. It would be great fun.

We raced back to Byron because I had promised to take a friend out for lunch. Needless to say she cancelled at the last minute. Shame really because had we known we could have stayed on in Ballina for longer. Yana did find his guitar and amp, not to forget a microphone too and hopefully that will mark the end of his spending splurge. Still it is not hard to understand. He has never had his own money before and it must be such an incredible feeling for him.

Sunday 18th August

Hendri hired the hall at Broken Head for a few hours so that he and his mates could settle down to some proper music making, amplifiers and all. They were supposed to be there at nine but in typical Indonesian fashion nothing really stirred till after ten. There was quite a lot of gear to take and that took forever to organise. Then once we were at the hall everything had to be unloaded, set up and then of course the necessary tuning and warming up. Time was almost up before they got started.

Then the music started. I just love listening to the boys play. As well as Hendri and Yana, there was Zuki and Romboko. They all can play the drums, base guitar and acoustic guitar so there is always a lot of swapping around. Darren, Joe the aborigine and his girlfriend Hannah, played the bongos while I just watched enthusiastically because I have a terrible sense of rhythm. They play some superb Indonesian songs and I feel that they should concentrate on these as this is their area of speciality. It is time for Yana to move on from his cover versions of seventy music, the Moritz songs that served him so well in the past.

Watching and enjoying the music quite exhausted me so while Yana went off to man the Noodle bar on his own, I rested for the remainder of the day. I really enjoy just lying on the couch and have got quite lazy. I haven't done any work on my story for quite some time. Hopefully I will feel the urge to do so again soon.

Saturday 17th August

A few days ago I was watching the floods in eastern Europe on television and had started to wonder if it would ever rain here again. The weather forecasters were even saying that it wouldn't rain till Easter next year. Water rationing has already started in the Byron area and sprinklers are no longer allowed in gardens. Only hand held hoses are to be used. Similarly one may only water between four and six in the afternoon. Things were starting to look quite serious.

You can imagine our delight when the posturing grey clouds finally yielded rain and we were in for a wet Saturday. There was no heavy tropical downpour but it was a start. The grass and trees started to smell fresh and aromatic. Now we have a car, rain has no impact on our plans so we went off to a few garage sales. We still need a table and chairs but the ones on sale at the first house were horrifically expensive. Some people don't understand the concept of garage sale. We came back with only a few small things. Yana had bought a car radio, not because he needed it, because he has one but because it was so cheap at five dollars that he couldn't walk past it.

I had a quiet day afterwards and settled to read the papers and enjoy some videos. I am a secret Edith Piaff fan so when I was completely alone I watched a dramatised version of her life. Brilliant it was too. Such a sad life and such a magnificent voice. Yana has not quite taken to her style of music!!!

Friday 16th August

Yana opened a bank account and will now endeavour to put some of his pay away each week. It would be a shame if he let his newly found affluence slip through his fingers. For a while we thought that he wouldn't be able to open an account, but a few visits to a number of different banks finally resulted in success. You would think that Australia would welcome someone's savings no matter where they come from. Generally however the only accounts open to foreigners are the ones with all the high running charges. Does that surprise you.

Hendri has an infected finger after having been stabbed by a fishbone while making fish patties a few days ago. His finger has blown up in size and the pain is excrutiating. He obviously can't work so the bulk of the work has fallen into Yana's lap. It makes for very long days but Yana has headed off enthusiastically. He really enjoys having something definite to do. Years of sitting around in Indonesia doing very little have totally killed his desire for leisure.

I discovered with some horror that the fluid was building up in my abdomen even though I had just had it drained a few days ago. I was also experiencing a few other fairly major problems so had a talk with my doctor. It is all rather scary and it would seem that I may not be responding to the drugs anymore although next week's visit to Brisbane will confirm or dispel this.

Thursday 15th August

Yana knows so many people in Byron. Whenever we walk around together he is forever being greeted by passers by. The noodle shop must have a lot of faithful and regular customers. It also shows that if you work in a community you start to really become part of it. I live on the fringe of things, because I can't work and so I don't meet with half as many people. It does disappoint me and I tend to live through Yana and benefit from his contacts.

One of Yana's friends is a young Frenchman who wanders about the streets of Byron with a flute. He is a dishevelled fellow who apparently sleeps out. Not a pleasant prospect because I find it quite cold inside a house at night. He was carrying a didgeridoo when we last saw him and seemed to be well on the way to mastering this difficult instrument. I imagine that after a year of living in such a fashion he will have many stories to tell.

During Yana's mid afternoon break we went looking for Tess who was working at the Beach hotel near the waterfront. This hotel is huge and is always full of people. The owners must be sitting on a goldmine, as its turnover would have to be phenomenal. If you look out the front, through the cars in the carpark you can see the sea. It struck me as being a nice place to work and Tess is enjoying it so far.

Wednesday 14th August

I woke early to a pitifully pathetic hospital breakfast of two weetbix and two slices of cold toast, not to mention a tiny cup of tea. Perhaps I should bring a good sized mug with me next time. I was discharged and walked home in the face of a very cold wind that tackled my jowls ferociously. Had I known it was going to be chilly I would have kept my beanie on but I had been tricked by the beautiful blue skies and was sporting a cotton scarf over my bald scalp. Tess and Yana were still awoke when I arrived but they woke up soon afterwards. I was very happy to be home. It felt just great to walk in the doors.

Yana and I headed off to Main beach later in the morning and wandered around. There was still an icy blast coming in from over the waters but there were people sunbathing and I spotted one bodyboarder in shorts and tshirt. One can only shake one's head in disbelief.

We then treated ourself to a middle-eastern platter of salads and dips from Ka-toush. We sat at the low outside table surrounded by carpetted cushions and watched people go by. It was a lot of fun. We followed up with some more shopping and then Yana was dropped off at his work. It was so much of a relief to be able to sit, to walk and to go about freely again. I would like to enjoy each day as much as I can, for as long as possible.

That evening we watched 'Easy Rider' and I was staggered about how much influence that film had had on my life. A lot of memories were brought back. After watching that film I had yearned to travel the roads of the world, and I had also decided that being different was how I wanted to be. I would try very hard to avoid being a mainstream conformist. I had obviously forgotten my plan for a while but of late had gone right back to my original dreams. Even motorbikes had figured so strongly in my Indonesian lifestyle. Brilliant film it was and Jack Nicholson was simply superb in his role. I intend to watch the whole film again as soon as possible.

Tuesday 13th August

I was in extreme discomfort by this stage and was motivated only by the knowledge that by late afternoon I would finally be experiencing some relief. Normally I hate being drained but everything hurt so much that I looked forward to the procedure with an almost unhealthy air of anticipation.

I discovered that lying in a hammock worked well for a while and while exitting was extremely ungraceful, to say the least, it made the morning bearable. I read an Isabel Allende novel and was transported to the steamy jungles of South America. Her characters are always so exotic and her plots so fantastic that I was able to forget my pain, for a little anyway.

At three Tess took me to Byron and I encountered a very competent radiologist who set everything up without hardly even a millisecond of pain. We started draining so that the edge could be taken off my discomfort and then I was transferred to the Byron Bay hospital. We were starting too late in the day for the procedure to be completed at the Radiology Branch. I warned them that there was a lot of liquid and that I suspected I had never carried so much before. I was right. Some hours later I was relieved of ten and a half litres of fluid. Can you imagine five milk containers in two litre bottles? The skin of my stomach had been stretched to its limit and so the relief for me was virtually indescribable. I slept beautifully that night.

Monday 12th August

We woke up to the sound of traffic idling outside our gate. The roadworks that we had been warned about had started. Traffic was banked up for quite a distance. It was hard to see for how long because it extended out of view. I thought of all those people waiting in their cars. Perhaps they had moved away from the traffic jams of Melbourne and Sydney and were now being reminded of what they were missing.Fortunately it was only going to be for a day or two.

On being asked by a neighbour how he was coping with the noise of the traffic and the disturbances caused by the roadworks Yana replied by saying that he was an Indonesian and hence was used to noise. In fact living on a main road as we do is quite prestigious by Indonesian terms. Generally, only the rich people in the big houses tend to have main street frontage. The rest live in narrow lanes. Mind you, the rich often have high walls and are almost fortified in their massive concrete mausoleum like houses. They probably wouldn't hear too much in the way of noise.

Yana found the road repair work fascinating and commented that in Indonesia they tended to just repair the surface levels whereas here it was apparent that they were doing the job properly. A whole half of the road had been totally removed and a completely new surface was being applied. it certainly was a major task and was being handled very quickly. The workers were going flat out too. They were obviously trying to get the work done as quickly as possible.

I had managed to secure an appointment at radiology for the next day but meanwhile had to contend with the debilitating fluid accumulation. I was only able to lie and watch television. Lots and lots of junk television it was too, culminating in the finale of Celebrity Big Brother which I had actually found quite interesting. My good taste seems to be going the way of my deteriorating body!!

Sunday 11th August

Yana had come home from Hendri's house last night, somewhat distressed, as the police had come in. Apparently the neighbours were not happy with the music and had complained. It was a Saturday night and just after ten. He had never been confronted with anything like this in Indonesia because people rarely complain publically about their neighbours and neither are police used in the capacity of settling domestic noise levels. This is not to say that there aren't noisy neighbours, because there are, but as people and particularly ordinary people live so close together, noise is more or less expected.

I can recall the reaction by Indonesian university students to a chapter of the English textbook that had focussed on noisy neighbours and then moved on to the forming of complaints. The students had found the whole exercise very difficult as they had no procedure in their own language to follow. I had realised then that we had crossed cultural boundaries and were moving onto something most strange and foreign. Welcome to Australia, Yana.

For me most of the day was spent in considerable discomfort. The fluid had accumulated alarming quickly and I could do very little but lie around. I could not sit and so was barely able to check my email. Storywriting was out of the question. Besides, everytime I tried to type even a short letter my fingers were seized by a terribly painful cramp. I hoped that this condition was only temporary as there was still a lot I hoped to do on my computer.

Saturday 10th August

Yana and I had a wonderful talk for hours. It started with us imagining his mother coming to Australia and visualising how she would cope. He then told me that Nunung, his sister had once taken his mother to BIP, the big shopping plaza in Bandung and had invited her to go on a lift. Apparently she was so horrified by the whole experience that she has been no where near there since. She lives her traditional, simple life, going to local markets and shops and basically has chosen to ignore the new technological advances that have taken place. Mind you she does like telvision and videos. It made me realise that there are two sides of life in Indonesia co-existing side by side. Millions of people, generally older people, live almost as they did years and years ago while another portion are well and truly part of the mobile phone, shopping centre and computer world of today.

These same people often have children who have fully embraced most of the new advances. In one generation the gap is bridged. Yana is very comfortable with technology and his brother and sister probably would also if they had the appropriate opportunities. Fascinating.

For the rest the day was a typical Saturday. We checked out a few garage sales, went shopping and I bought the weekend papers. I had misjudged the fluid buildup and started to experience considerable discomfort. I will need to be more attentive in future.

Friday 9th August

I felt no better. At one stage I felt so awful that I contemplated awakening Tess and going to the hospital. I could barely breathe. My hair is virtually all out now and this has caused my self esteem to plummet even further. It was such a lovely head of hair and the thought of having to contend with scarves is far from appealing. Lack of hair makes me feel like a cancer patient. Having a good head of hair made me feel normal. Trivial but ever so important, particularly as the fluid has built up again. I misjudged what was happening and will now have to wait well into next week before something can be done about it.

Thursday 8th August

Yana and I saw Len and Pat off at the bus stop and then I retreated to a very quiet day at home. I was feeling absolutely awful and only wanted to sleep, sleep and then sleep some more. I didn't have an extra drop of energy.

Exactly a year ago today I left Brisbane for Indonesia. That was such a special day for me and I remember it so well. The excitement of leaving the marina early in the morning, the arrival in that magnificent airport at Jakarta and meeting up with Yana after the long absence. To think that a year has passed and that Yana is now living here in Australia. I would never have believed it to be possible. If somebody had told me that I would still be alive and living in Byron Bay, a year on, I would probably not have believed them.

Wednesday 7th August

Together with Sammie we took my father to the Byron Bay lighthouse. I had forgotten what a magnificent spot it is. The view in both directions is of an immensely long sandy beach. The cape itself, is sheer, plunging down to rocks way down below. Simply spectacular. No wonder people like this town, it is unique, the views are second to none. Not only is this the eastern most point of the Australian mainland but it is just extraordinarily beautiful.

We looked for whales while we were up at the cape but didn't spot any. We later heard, around lunchtime, there were some to be seen and they were also very close to land. Apparently they were a wonderful spectacle.

Len and Pat were very keen to sample Yana's cooking again and so we went to the noodle bar for yet another meal. They enjoyed their meal and Yana was most gratified. It got very busy when we were there and Yana had to keep his eyes on his wok. He would have liked to socialise a little.

Tuesday 6th August

Yana, Len, Pat and I drove to Ballina to get Yana's little orange car registered. All the formalities were attended to and then there was a great moment of relief. The car was finally legally allowed on the road. It had taken some time to reach this point. Yana was most excited. Even his number plates start with YCQ, Yana's car q.....?

My father is quite enjoying Byron Bay and says that he has noticed something special in the air. A holiday town feeling. I am glad that he picked it up. He also seems to enjoy gadding about independently which was just as well, I have had to take the afternoons easy. I seem to run out of energy after lunch.

Our household is a working one. Yana has been very busy at the noodle bar and Tess has been at a three day training seminar at the Kmart in Ballina. She has also been offered a whole host of other jobs as well. Amazing isn't it. Sometimes it is hard to find one job and then all of a sudden the jobs come in from all sides. It must be good for her self esteem.

Monday 5th August

Sammie had left her car with us and so we took the opportunity to drive to Clunes to pick up Yana's car. It was finally ready, a good ten days after being delivered. Once we got to the pretty little town of Clunes, Tessie suggested that we drive to the Channon where her father lives. It did sound like a good idea. It was a lovely day and it is a very scenic drive. Unfortunately when we got there the house was empty. Nobody was home. Such a shame. They hadn't answered our call but Tess presumed that everyone was out in the spectacular garden.

Tessie drove Yana's car back to Byron while I followed in Sam's car. From what we could see it was going well. It was still not registered so we were arguably not allowed to have it on the road but we thought that we would contend with the legalities of the situation if we were pulled up. I will say that I was relieved when we had the car safely locked up in the garage.

Sunday 4th August

I gave up any thought of visiting the Writer's festival and concentrated on catching up with my father. The program for Sunday was not all that wonderful, so I didn't really mind. Besides, Yana and I were determined to make his stay as pleasant as possible.

We headed off to the Byron Bay Market and had a wonderful time walking amid the great variety of colourful stalls. We didn't buy much but certainly checked out most of the things available. It is a lovely market with lots of interesting people and things to see. Pat and Len left a little earlier than we did and then Yana caught up with a whole host of his Indonesian friends. They are a very closeknit group.

We headed off to Sam's hotel at Suffolk Park for the evening meal. It was nice for Sam, she is very busy at present and wouldn't have had many other opportunities to catch up with her grandfather. We enjoyed the meal, athough their servings are somewhat excessive and were able to watch how skilfully Sam operates.

Saturday 3rd August

I got up early, while Yana and Tessie were still asleep, and headed off to the Writer's Festival. I attended a session on autobiography writing with three guests, Ita Buttrose, Jeff McMullen and Irena Hatfield. It was interesting and thought provoking. I was amazed that almost everyone in the audience was over fifty, I hadn't thought of the festival only appealing to the older members of the community. Later, I read that apparently 17,000 people made it to the festival over the three days and that the organisers were well pleased with the turnout.

I went home to reassure Tess that her car would be available for her later and then somehow didn't manage to get back to visit any other sessions. The day seemed to get very busy. I had a welcome visitor and the phone seemed to be constantly ringing. Mid afternoon my father telephoned to say that he would be arriving in Byron in the late afternoon.

We settled my father and Pat into a nice room at the Byron Central Apartments, a nice convenient location, and then went out to eat at the noodle bar. Yana relished the opportunity to show off his cooking skills although he was a little nervous as well. He is always so keen to impress others.

I finished my book in the morning and will admit to being sad about coming to the end. It was a beautiful story and superbly written as well. After an awful lunch, I headed off to the bus station. I am going to have to do something about the meals, because they were nothing short of revolting. Hospitals should be offering healthy nutritious food, and what I received fell well short of the mark.

I enjoyed the ride back to Byron Bay, I just sat back and watched the scenery, even though I know it so well. I didn't feel like doing anything else. It always feels like a real homecoming and so the whole trip to Brisbane, if nothing else, does confirm that I like living where I live.

Thursday 1st August

I attended day oncology until late in the afternoon. The day went quickly because I sat beside a woman who was diagnosed earlier on this year and still had a lot of issues that she hadn't dealt with. We discussed all manner of things including God and dying. It was exhausting and she was very teary. I hope I manged to help a little. She did say, on parting, that she appreciated the our talk.

I was then placed in a ward with two older women but one was then removed as she was in need of extra supervision. This left me with a delightful but somewhat deaf neighbour. It did make talking very difficult, although I did hear all about her Maori husband and that she used to sing in cabarets.

I read a lot and tried out my lipreading skills on Ngaire's television. Let me assure you that they need working on. It was a bit of a slow night and with all the hydration, not a particularly comfortable one.

marionecp@hotmail.com