We arrived home -
to a bicycle which had developed a lot of
pedal slippage, because it had worn out its
drive train. After only 7 years and a little
under 11,000km. I took it down to the bike
shop; the mechanic came out with his tool
for measuring the amount of chain stretch,
but didn't bother to use it. To him, it was
obviously stuffed.
So it spent a couple of days there,
and now it is much better.
But the other thing worn out was - me!
I realised that I had developed a hernia. A
right inguinal hernia. (I used to have a
left inguinal hernia, but it was repaired
when I was five.) So in a few weeks I'll be
getting it repaired - the first operation
the right side of my body will have had. My
left side has had, I think, nine operations.
Fortunately I knew of an appropriate
surgeon to see about it, because our GP has
taken extended leave and is presently (we
think) in Spain. By the time she's back it
should all be done and dusted.
And it's just as well that we are
home, because it's now springtime and our
large garden has sprung back into life. And
U3A (University of the Third Age) has put
the hard word on us to do another session of
our course on "Advanced Medical Directives
and Medical Decision Makers". We've done two
of these this year, and there has been big
demand for them.
But apart from my hernia (which is
giving me no trouble at all) we are well.
We arrived home from Indonesia with no
more travel plans. But then we made some -
we
are doing a hard three or four day walk,
with full backpacks, to Frenchman's Cap in
Tasmania in March; and in May driving the
motorhome to Darwin, leaving it there and
doing a tour across the remote northern
coastline to Cairns, and flying back home.
For a month or so, before flying back to
Darwin, picking up the motorhome, and
driving back home through inland Western
Australia.
But all that's six months away, so
until then we're just living our usual lives
at home.
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