Katie's Birthday in the 'Rat and Walking Kiddies

Melissa and I headed back to Ballarat yesterday afternoon, a trip home neither of us has done for a couple of months. It was Katrina's birthday on Tuesday, and so we were making the trip to go out to mark the occasion.

Being the designated driver, given my forced sobriety, I got to drive Mum's brand new car to dinner, at Tandoori Oven in the Bridge Mall. We arrived and joined the group, as they settled in to their BYO bottles of wine. Unfortunately, the service was overwhelmed by our table of more than 20, and despite taking names for each order to help with delivery - the delivery was the crucial steps that seemed to be missing for over an hour! Our table grew very noisy and restless, and hungry!

The menu, albeit a few anomolies with the page numbers, and the food was quite good. With my meds for DVT, I actually have an assorted list of foods to avoid overloading on, and fenugreek is one of the things listed as high in Vitamin K, and thus blood coagulating properties - and the menu had this herb listed in just about every dish! I bearly knew what it was, and certainly didn't expect to have it as a choice

At the end of our meal, and the end of the tables drinks, we were asked to move on as it was closing time, and so we moved on to Haida Bar. Fairly empty, but of the few places I have heard Heart It Races played, Melissa and I carried on for a bit with Katie's posse, before calling it a night.

Today, after a roast for lunch, Andrea and Dean called around to catch up, and I got to see little Charli and Cooper...who have grown so much! Walking around on sure feet, the two little treasures are interacting with their world and each other. Very compliant and easily directed, the kids played around our feet as we caught up. A blown kiss from each of them when it was time to go, so cute!

The Game of the Year

Last night I attended the much anticipated match between top of the ladder and reigning Premiers Geelong, and Hawthorn...with 86,000 other people, at the MCG, for a cracking game!

Having disappeared after half time last week against the Saints, and getting a pasting, and after Geelong thrashing the second placed Bulldogs with a 10 goal display in the last half, last week, there was potential for a horror story for the Hawks in the big Round 17 clash. Add to that a nervous wait to see if Hodge would play, given the imminent arrival of his first child, plus rumours that Mitchell was out floating around, it was a nervous wait.

Coming off a full on, crazy work week, and feeling the nerves of a big game, I met Rick and Melissa at Transport, to watch them have a few settling beers - this DVT sobriety is already very, very mean! Walking down to the 'G, the buzz was about the crowd.

Accounting for Hodge and Mitchell as the brown and yellow ran out onto the ground, we sat in our allocated seats, where Mum was, having arrived on one of an 8 bus convoy from Ballarat. Looking around the awesome stadium, all areas but a section of MCC looked full - impressive.

The first quarter was a wrestle, with good signs and bad from our Hawks, but a three goal deficit as the siren went not so good. Brown placed in the forward line seemed such a waste, and there was a point where he returned to this unfamiliar position for him from a bench rotation, longing looking towards the line of defence he usually owns.

Inaccurate kicking, our disposals were hit and miss too often....but we rattled the Premiers, and I think, showed ourselves what we were capable of. The Cats made errors under Hawk pressure that they were unaccustomed to, despite our sticking tackle rate still too low for liking. After half time, the Hawks came out and played the Geelong game, with lightening handpasses and speed all over the ground. Distinctly different game plans of the two teams, with the Hawks dominating the corridor, and the Cats seemingly everywhere else. The tactic of the timed running man off the bench of Geelong was a sneaky, but very effective one - I don't think there was a man off their bench who didn't come on in the middle of a passage of play, seemingly out of nowhere!

Hawks hit the front in the first goal of the last quarter, and the intensity was electric. But several errors under pressure, and Cats got back and away to a lead just out of reach in the end for the Hawks. 11 points when the siren went, but such a valiant display of the Hawk potential. The crowd walked away relieved, or very very proud of the challenge to the top side.

Tragedy and Madness

Wednesday was Opening Night for The Dark Knight, much anticipated as the final finished Heath Ledger movie. I had organised tickets for a group of us, and we headed to Melbourne Central after work for the viewing.

Heath's death in January this year was much like hearing of Princess Diana's - I know exactly where I was, and was stunned! Received calls all day with people debriefing, and sharing the shock.

Admittedly, I would not have seen the newst Batman movie if it wasn't for Heath playing The Joker, and the rave reviews he was getting for his dark and disturbing portrayal. Melissa and I even viewed Batman Begins, the first of this series of Batman movies, last weekend, for research!

Mairead, Jo, Mary and I left the office, and met Melissa and Nicole at the crowded ticket area to find our allocated seats for the packed out viewing, loaded with popcorn and other treats.

We settled into our seats, through the previews, and were subjected to monitoring tours of staff in search of anyone recording the first day of screenings.

The movie was great, but Heath's performance as The Joker was chilling, witty and scarily on track as someone consumed with madness. I dare say there were many one liners about the madness that would have been hard for the Ledger family to view, given his passing. The second half of the movie was Heath's shining light, with many scenes with just him filling our screen, having us mesmorised.

Yesterday, I met Michelle for brunch and a long overdue catch up at Journal, before we walked across the Yarra to the Arts Centre. We had tickets to Hamlet, a Bell Shakespeare production, starring Brendan Cowell. Cowell, from Love My Way, and dating Rose Byrne, looked very much like Bernand Fanning to me in the production posters...and upon gracing the stage.

A strong and engaging presence on stage, Cowell was a tortured, grieving, and ranting Hamlet. The additional treat to our Shakespeare on a Saturday afternoon was that the score for this production was put together by Sarah Blasko, who was also one of The Players on stage, added to the play with her voice and distinct music arrangements throughout.

The Basics and SATC

On Saturday night Nicole and Belinda came over for dinner before we headed to The Empress, to see The Basics. The closest pub to home, this was my first going out adventure since DVT, and close enough to hobble home if needed!

Since being discharged as an in-patient, I have returned to work and all things DVT seem to be tracking along. Having all too frequent blood tests, but once my Warfarin levels are fully stable and we have the right dose, these should drop down. Back to work, but taking it easy. The leg has been less achy each day, so things are all good.

The Basics include Gotye, and I first heard them back in February. This gig was the full ensomble, with ghost members of the band and the full elecric set. With Wally on the drums, he was not so visable from our vantage point - but his voice was such a presence during the whole set, just amazing! The band played songs from their currently recording album, as well as numbers from their album - which had me rush out at get it at the very first opportunity. Love The Basics! A new obsession!

Sunday afternoon I met Melissa in town, to see Sex And The City, the movie. Being away during it's release, we both felt like the last girls on the planet not to have seen it - and I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Suspect of the need to do a movie after the end of the TV series, I was pleasantly surprised that the movie just felt like old times with the show. Tears flowed throughout, with the feeling of the end of an era with the four main characters.

The ending didn't work for me, but that end (won't spoil it!) has never floated for me! And Carrie can't call Big 'John'!! Hee hee!

DVT

I returned home to Melbourne after my big 5 week trip on Sunday night, and returned back to work on Monday morning. I had walked to work, thinking that the cramp in my leg needed to be walked out, after all that sitting on planes...hmmmm.

The leg cramp in my left calf, which actually started in London when I was out and about, was consistant on Monday, and the calf was actually quite tight. After chatting with Jo and Stacey at work, I was convinced to go and get it checked, just to be on the safe side.

And lucky I did! The Travel Doctor fit me in, and suggested that the cramping was most likely muscularskeletal, and that walking more would be best. But I insisted on a referral for an ultrasound anyway, based on Jo's earlier assessment. I finally managed to get the ultrasound done yesterday afternoon, and alarmed the Radiologist, who found two segments of clot, one just below my left knee and one just above - which is about 15cm!

Consulted by the Doctor on staff in Radiology, I was urged to go to Accident and Emergency to start treatment. I went off to the Epworth, being told they would see me the fastest, and thinking that my travel insurance would cover all. Not true about the insurance! But the Epworth was great!

Creating quite a flutter in A&E, getting lots of attention from doctors, nurses and students alike for the novelty of a DVT. Diagnosis confirmed, and treatment discussed, I was taken off for a QR scan of my lungs, where a tiny pulmonary embolism (PE) has been spotted. This means that a bit of the clot in my leg has broken off, and travelled to my lungs, which is pretty serious. Doubles the length of treatment now going forward, and also means I am quite lucky to have been checked out when I did.

So treatment is now to thin my blood, with twice daily injections, and the beginning of taking Wafarin - which I will have to take for 6 months. This means I am an in-patient, but luckily am being treated through the 'Hospital in the Home' program, which means I am at home, and have nurses and the doctor come and visit me for treatment and monitoring every day. All good, to be in my own bed, and not on a ward.

Discussions and theories about why this has happened, and why now and not other times I've traveled, and there is not really definative answers. This trip had a couple of days where I flew, waited around in an airport, flew again, waited around in an airport, and flew again, which may have contributed. The long haul flights home were definately a major factor, but it does seem that the clot was there in London. I am just very very lucky!!

So essentially on house arrest until my blood levels, and Warfarin levels are effective, which means no work, and that I cannot go to the gig I have tickets for on Thursday (which I was really looking forward to!), nor to the footy on Friday night (which I was hanging out for!!). Home alone, reading and watching TV I guess!

Oh, and the Wafarin means that I cannot drink until Xmas! My trip of a life time that will keep on giving!! Lucky that I had the greatest time!!

Old London Town

A seven hour flight from Bridgetown to London Gatwick had me back in my old home of a couple of years back now, albeit in a jetlagged state. The train from Gatwick into Victoria included a little shudder as it passed East Croydon, I arrived into Victoria with ease. Everything about arriving back to the UK was easy on Wednesday, with my old Oyster card for the tube working, limited crowds at that hour on transport, and my pre-existing knowledge of where to go, led me to meet Charlotte and rest out the morning at her flat in Notting Hill.

I headed across town to Camden to meet up with Charles for lunch at The Prince Albert, for a three course treat, before meeting Miss Charlotte and Alison at the flat once they had finished work, for dinner at Nyonya for old times sake. Laksa....mmmmmm!

Yesterday I met up with Renee in Fulham for lunch at The Chancery and a catch up with her and her Pommy accent in the sunny beer garden, before spending some quality shopping time in old favorites like Primark and then Oxford Street.

Last night I caught up with Chantal, Nat, Jess and Andrew, Dave, Charles, Charlotte and Alison for many many Pimms and Lemonade at The Champion, across the road from Hyde Park.

Today I have finally completed some classic London tourist sights which I did not visit when I lived here! I made my way into town and walked through Westminister Abbey, with the audio of Jeremy Irons taking me past the corination chair, the varios resting points of royals and literary names, and pointing out the grand and breathtaking ceilings in this majestic church.

I then met Jess for lunch at Pret, before we made our way to join a Yeoman Warder tour of the Tower of London. Having had my interest in Henry VIII spiked following the reading of The Other Bolyen Girl, I was keen to see the executioner's block and be taken through the times of treason, torture and scandal. Walking, and then travelling on the slow moving people mover, past the crown jewels, being each set of sparkly bits per monarch, Jess and I also took in the Torture Tower and Beauchamp Tower, with it's graffiti.

An attempt at visiting St Paul's Cathedral upper elements was thwarted by time, and thus, I may never see the much talking about whispering chamber! A Pimm's on the Queen Mary as another token of old times, my big trip is coming to an end - with just the task of packing and getting to the airport in the morning the last bits left!

Barbados

Last one of the Waving The Flag group to arrive into Barbados for the tour dinner, I had made my way to South Gap Hotel just in time. Rejoining Jessie and Heath, and Melissa, Hemant had also arrived for the test from Australia. Dinner and cocktails to introduce the new Flaggers to the group, and to acquiant ourselves with the local rum.

Day 1 saw the Flaggy Green presentation, and Sparrow announcing that actually my Flagger number is 398 rather than the number he had stated before, and rest of the Reid clan were presented with their caps. The West Indies won the toss, however elected to field, and thus the Aussie started the batting.

That night was the trivia night across the road at The Ship Inn, where the team Three Many Reids came last (!!), before I called it a night with the start of a week long bout of Barbados Belly.

Chick Pink Day on Day 2, saw Heath donn a pink dress of Melissa's much to the delight of the bus in the morning, and even captured the attention of the commentators on the broadcast! That night after the days play we had a few drinks at the Legends Bar with former West Indian cricketers. Back to the hotel and a quick change of clothes, we then climbed into a packed taxi and went down to Oistins - for seafood and the market. This area was teaming with people, music, dancing, and seafood smells.

Day 3 was spent in the Party Stand, which was actually the most disappointing party stand of tour, with limited range of alcohol, and a members fee inforced for access to the pool. My stomach bug kicked in big time this day, and the heat did not help, and thus I missed out on getting my moneys worth! A huge time was had by the Reid clan (plus Hemant and Rick), who stumbled back to the hotel as the last group of the day. A mexican dinner at Cafe Sol along The Gap, before the rest of the gang headed out for more drinks.

A solid day of cricket the next day, the Barbados group of Flaggers having a ball, we headed to the Carib Beach Bar for the evenings festivities, before an exciting day of criket of Day 5, with moments when it looked like Australia may well be rattled and certainly challenged for the result. Ricky pulled through in the end, not quite as early as we had hoped, but soon enough to allow for a swim in the ocean around at Dovers Beach, just along The Gap from the hotel.

That night, the Aussies having won the series 2-0, our tour final dinner was rowdy and silly. We later headed out to Harbourlights, for all you can drink, with dancing in the sand under the moonlight. A great, and very long night!

A sad farewell for me to Jessie and Heath the next morning, who start their own world adventures from here, I left to go to the airport for more flying, leaving the Carribean and the trip of a lifetime behind me.