Postcards from Desolation Row

If you've had the patience to keep checking in on my blog, even though I'm easily the slackest blogger in the world, thanks so much.


You might like to check out The Skipper's new blog, Postcards from Desolation Row .  He's a fantastic, funny writer, and he'll tell you all about life on the heart transplant list.  Sounds grim, but man, he can spin a good story.


Please check him out - you won't be sorry.

I've got nothing

So I thought I'd share some older photos of the world's cutest kids.  Nothing like a flashback to make you feel better about your biggest baby starting (gasp) High School yesterday!  

It's not about the weight

For years I've been making excuses about my weight.  I have PCOS; I'm too busy to exercise; my life is stressful, I need this chocolate.  You know the kind of thing.
But now, it's not about the weight.  Not really.
Now, it's about being healthy.  Living a long and happy life.  Watching my children grow up.
Although the Skipper's heart failure was not lifestyle related (he caught a virus which attacked his heart), it has still been a mighty loud wake-up call.  Our lifestyle has not been great.  I do no exercise, apart from chasing Gilligan.  And even that has given me asthma attacks when he's run too far, too fast.  Oh, and should I mention that I can't keep up with him.  Not great when you have a child with autism who is an ingenious escape artist and a sensory seeking runner!
As for diet, well, it could be worse, but it could be an awful lot better.  We eat well, but we eat way too much. Our portion sizes are huge.  We routinely eat chocolate at night.  We have takeaway too often.


Things are changing round here, folks.


The Skipper has had changes enforced upon him by virtue of rehab after seven weeks in a coma, eleven weeks in ICU and (so far) four and a half months in hospital.  He exercises every day.  He has to, they don't call them Physio-terrorists for nothing!  But he has noticed a change.  He feels more alert, more energised, on the days he exercises.  Hearing him say that was the biggest wake-up call I could ever have.  Because this was my partner in crime.  If he could start to feel that way about exercise, then maybe, just maybe, I could too.
So I bought a treadmill.  I've been using it.  I don't hate it.
And on Thursday I will start at Weight Watchers.


But this time it's different.


This time it's not about the weight.

We were lucky

Just over twelve months ago, on January 12th, 2011, Brisbane flooded. 
Right in the middle of this photo, with the white roof, is our house. 
Our two storey house.  


We were lucky.  


The water didn't reach the second floor.  
We were still out of our house for six months.  
All our soft furnishings upstairs had to be replaced because of the mould.


But we were lucky.


We had insurance which covered absolutely everything.
We had a house to repair, and insurance money with which to repair it.


My cousin had to be rescued from the roof of his house after an inland tsunami swept through the Lockyer Valley.
Many others lost their lives.


We know of people, many people, who are still not back in their houses.


We were lucky.

This Little Piggy

Are these not the cutest set of (very slightly grubby) toes you've ever seen?  Believe it or not, he was fast asleep, feet up in the air.   

This kid is so gorgeous it's not true.  And I get to be his Mummy!

Oh No, it's the Cops!!

A few days ago, Gilligan and I went to the park to play with our new Christmas presents.  

He has recently learnt to ride a trike, so I was excited to find a large one at the shops.  Like a lot of children with autism, Gilligan doesn't have great balance.  He's brilliant on his feet - an expert climber and jumper, but not so good on a bike.  So learning to pedal was a huge achievement for him.

As for me?  My Christmas present to myself, courtesy of a voucher my lovely siblings gave me in honour of the rubbish year I've had, was a bright red (yes, the colour is important) Olympus Pen Camera.

Sadly, I have no idea how to use it.

Over the course of the last few months while The Skipper has been so ill, it's been a huge regret that I hardly ever take photos.  So, my only New Year's Resolution is this.  

I will take more photos.

And I might even learn how to use my sexy new camera!

Nee-nah nee-nah

It's thirsty work, this trike-riding business!

A change is as good as a holiday

The Skipper and I went down to the hospital coffee shop this afternoon.  There's nothing like a bit of sun to make you feel relaxed and relatively normal.
I'm not so sure about The Skipper's beard, but hey, if you can't grow a beard when you're waiting for a heart transplant, then when can you?