Theodore-Emerald

Today didn't exactly go to plan... I had a lazy breakfast with Bill and Kathy, and went and took a photo of the one of the mini Brahmans for you.

Mini Brahman

I left their place about 10.30 and headed into Theodore for a shower. When I took my socks off I wasn't happy with how my feet were looking, so I went straight over to the doctors to see if someone could have a look at my right foot. Because we put a waterproof dressing on yesterday, there wasn't anywhere for the liquid to go. So when I took my sock off, there was a big bubble of liquid and an awful colour (due to the silver stuff we also put on). It was also already irritating my skin. The doctors were running behind so I had a bit of a wait to get in, but since I didn't have an appointment I wasn't too worried- just glad they could fit me in! Bruce (Dr) was a bit busy, so I had a good chat with Simon and Anna, the two med students who are working there at the moment (I met them yesterday). They pretty much know everything about me now, and a bit more about paraplegics in general. So anyway, after the drainage problem, we have gone back to meloin and tape.
By the time I left Theodore, it was about 3, so I headed off towards Emerald. It's amazing the things you remember when you go back to odd places. Like how the first corner out of Theodore heading north is called Fruit Salad Corner by the locals, because of all the fruit trucks that used to take the corner too fast and tip over, spilling their loads throughout the paddock.
I really enjoyed driving the road through to Moura. It was one of those narrow country roads that make you want to wind down the windows and play your music too loud. So I did.
I recognised Moura as soon as I got to it. I have these scattered memories of all these towns, so it was good to glue them all together again. It's funny, whenever Dad tells me about his day at work when he's driving, and it involves cattle yards, I always picture the Moura stockyards. Not sure why!
Once I got past Moura the big cattle properties started. And the properties with no boundary fences. I have passed some huge roos dead on the road-don't fancy seeing any live ones! I did come across three smaller ones about Rollstone, but I saw them in plenty of time. I passed over the ranges coming into Rollstone. I remember the first time we came over the range in 2006, and Scotty telling us about these mountains coming up... We were half way over the range before we realised they were the 'mountains'. I noticed a sign coming through today, for  Expedition Hill, the highest point. All 445m of it! I remember coming back from emerald one day with Ellie and Scotty, and playing a prank on Ellie. We were coming back down off the range and a truck was going past us. I closed my eye closest to Ellie and kind of nodded my head. She looked over and thought I was asleep. She didn't find it near as funny as I did!
I stopped for fuel at Rollstone, next to what used to be Corrugated Cuisine. It was a cafe in a shed pretty much, but they made an awesome Iced Chocolate. There were a couple of blokes filling up next to me, who were impressed with my ability to get my chair in my car. I'm always bemused when people are impressed by something that is so trivial and ordinary for me.
Between Rollstone and Springsure, there was a crop on my right hand side, for about 5km. Turned out it was sunflowers, but they had lost their petals, so it was just the heads left. Millions of them!

Virgin Rock, Springsure

Springsure's main attraction is the virgin rock, a rock formation that looks like the virgin Mary. It looked pretty impressive with the sun setting behind it.
I got into Emerald right on sunset. I went past the service station where I handed over the eastern grey joey, Sammy, that I had been hand raising when we were at Bills. He was as big at six weeks as our wallabies in Tassie are full grown!
Coming into Emerald I passed a massive train. I slowed down and counted the carriages, 2 engines, 93 carriages! A big train in Tassie is maybe 12 carriages!
I made it to Dad's brothers in Emerald, Terry and his wife, Lyn. I'll spend a night or two here. I seem to like houses with stairs lately! This house is upstairs, then split level! Good thing they have two strong boys, Jarrod and Brendan to carry me up and down....

Distance travelled: 340km
Time driving: 4 hours
Total distance travelled: 3150

Theodore (Monday)

Lots going on today! I headed into Theodore early this morning, for a shower, and to see the doctor. I haven't been 100% happy with the colour of my right heel the last day or two, so I wanted to get it checked out. It turns out the slightly yellow cover over the wound on my right foot was from it scaring over the wound.
Ever heard of 'debriding'? Me neither before today. Its where foreign tissue, in this case the scar tissue, is removed to allow the healthy tissue to repair. So basically, Adele(the doctor) took to my foot with a scalpel and forceps! Now I consider myself to have a pretty strong stomach (when I almost ripped my finger off in 2007 I was the one digging round in the wound to get the remaining bits of chaff out) but I was struggling this morning. I can't really explain it, but I have this kind of relationship with my legs now. They are kind of like my babies, I'm kind of detached from them, but I still feel very protective of them. So to watch someone sticking a scalpel blade into them actually made me feel, not queasy, but really uncomfortable.
The other thing I found really difficult to deal with is that I could feel it! It didn't hurt, but I could feel where she was doing it. The pins and needles in my feet were going so crazy! And when she got into the deep bit, it sent spasms all the way up into my stomach. (So if nothing else, my abs will benefit.) It was a rather strange experience... Adele was happy with my left foot and the hole in my breast, but she was concerned (as was I) with the lack of blood flow when she finished debriding my foot. When you cut away that much tissue, there should be a fair bit of blood flow. My foot was hardly bleeding at all. The only bit that has reasonable blood flow was around the back of my foot, which is where it has started healing.
Adele has also changed the dressings from twice daily to some silver stuff underneath to stop infection, with a waterproof dressing over top, not to be changed for seven days. I don't mind not having to change it every day, but I will admit leaving it that long does make me nervous. I am still on antibiotics (cut back to one a day as of tomorrow) so I'm not really too worried about infection, but to go a week without monitoring it is a bit scary, since that's the only way for me to know how its going with this whole lack of feeling thing. Leap of faith. She has also put that silver stuff on my boob, which is still healing well, with good circulation.
I asked about pain relief, if there was any benefit if I couldn't really feel it, and Adele didn't think so. I am wondering though, since my body's reaction to the pain is confusing my normal signals. I keep thinking I need to go to the toilet, but its just my body reacting to the pain in my feet. So if it doesn't settle down in the next day or two I may have to revisit the issue.

After the doctors, I went down to the shops to get a postcard for my brother Hayden. He is staying in town while mum are dad are away, so I'm trying to keep him in the loop.
This afternoon Anne, Jon, Peter and I (Bill and Kathy's kids) headed out to the main property, Cattle Creek with Bill. Dad, Ellie and I spent a lot of time at Cattle Creek in 2006, mustering, watering cattle and doing general maintenance. It was like going back in time going back there. Very little has changed. It was amazing the memories that came flooding back! Driving down the lane we went past the spot I first shot a rifle, doing target practise with Dad, Scotty and Ellie beside the lane. And just for the record, I shot with amazing accuracy!
Driving into the yards, I saw the hold em yards, made up of old cars on their sides, as it has ben since Dad worked there before long before he was a dad.
While I was working for Bill one of the many things I learnt to do was trap pigs. His eldest son Scotty used to build and set traps for the feral pigs, then sell them for meat. He taught me how to build them (I built one at another one of their properties, Quakit) and I would go round checking the traps every day or two with him. We caught quite a few on Cattle Creek while I was up here.
Bill was off to clear the suckers (young trees) off the grazing paddocks this afternoon on a Styger, a tractor so big the wheels are taller than the average man. Even watching him fill the tractor up with diesel reminded me of things I'd long forgotten, like pumping diesel from 44 gallon drums with a crank handle when I was sewing paddocks as big as my parents entire farm.
Here's a funny story for you. Another skill I have. I can drive a bull dozer. Ok, so I probably can't anymore, even if I could get on one, but I did know how to once! anyway, Dad and I, and maybe Scotty, were out at Quakit one day and I had to move dozer from the back of the property to the cattle yards. Before I could do this, I had to fill it up with fuel and water. Now, before I admit this, I just want it noted that someone else put the 'water' cap on the wrong hole! As you can probably guess, I put water into the fuel tank. Fortunately, we realised my mistake before I turned it on and blew it up. Dad was rather unimpressed! Although not as unimpressed as Bill would have been had I blown up the dozer... That put our day back a good couple of hours by the time we found more water. All in a days work!
Dad used to always tell us these stories about Bill When we were growing up. I remember him telling us how Bill lost a saddle once. He couldn't find it anywhere! Then, three days later, it turned up. When the horse he'd been riding came back to the house, still wearing it! Looking round the yard today I was thinking I could write a book on the man!

My sticky wheels

The 'track' to the mud hole

Anne had to go fix a busted pipe (that Bill ran over) this afternoon. It was only a few hundred meters from the car, so I decided to just push over. Now, on the track, this was a good plan. But the broken pipe was off the track. Me being me, I kept going, very slowly... We got to a bit of a damp spot and I kept going, forgetting just how sticky that black soil is. What made me think that my chair could handle what trucks, four wheel drive vehicles and bikes couldn't, I don't know! I didn't get bogged, just cover in mud. Sticky, claggy mud. At this point, I sent Jon for the land cruiser. I may have been a little overambitious....  At least, as Anne said, I didn't just give up. Although, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I did in some situations...

Well, I'm off to the Theodore pub tonight to catch up with my friend Steve, who lives down the road from here. I saw my first state of origin game in that pub, looking forward to going back. 

Theodore (Sunday)

My morning view

What a gorgeous start to the day!! I woke up at sunrise (these qld houses don't always have curtains) to about twenty cows outside my window. Since the sun was up, I got up to go have a look at it... It is surprisingly cold up here for QLD. Bill, who's birthday it was today, cooked us all a fry up for breakfast, eggs, bacon and potato chips. In fairness, he had forgotten it was his birthday too! After breakfast, I headed into Theodore to see Scotty, who has been crook. I also hit up the hospital (ok, I asked nicely) for the use of their shower, since Bill and Kathy's shower isn't very accessible. And due to my overestimation of Theodores facilities (a pharmacy) they gave me some dressings for my feet since I was onto my last lot.

Sunrise

Scotty and I went for a walk through town, (still looks the same) down to the caravan park. My mums cousin Audrey and her husband Eddie come up here most years for a few months, and I knew they were up now, so we went to see them. (When we did our 2006 trip, mum used to wander the caravan park looking for Tassie number plates. One day she went to introduce herself to this Tasmanian couple only to find not only did she know them, they were related! For those of you who think all Tasmanians are related. We are not!) So we all had a lovely day chatting and catching up on family gossip. I reckon we ate almost a whole loaf of fruit loaf, with real butter, for lunch. The caravan park is right beside the river, so it was a lovely place to spend a few hours in the sun.

Some of Bills cows

I got Bill some chocolate for his birthday, which I gave him just before tea. I didn't realise he would crack it open than and there! Don't worry, I still ate my tea. I even got most of the way through the chocolate pudding afterwards... 
Mum and Dad headed off on their Canada trip today, a holiday 25 years in the making! So they had better make the most of it... I'm so excited for them! 
Well I'm not used to being up quite as early as today, so I'm going to hit the hay!

Toowoomba-Theodore

More driving! I woke up this morning to horses galloping down along the track, only a hundred meters from the bedroom window. It was such a nice way to start my morning! I headed off about 9.30 going west to Miles, then north to Theodore. Before I had even left Oakey I realised I was in cotton country, they have obviously just finished the harvest and it is everywhere. You could be forgiven for mistaking it for snow in some places....

A road train carrying, well, road trains!

 I came up through Chinchilla, where apparently the best thing they have to offer is the annual Melon Festival. I've noticed driving along these roads that you can tell when the towns are coming up way before the signs start. They each have a huge silo or three next to the train tracks, and you can see them for miles. There are also random cattle grids out in the middle of no where too. I'm guessing where a new property starts, but it's still a bit strange to have a cattle grid on a main highway. It seams odd to me, but even in winter, the flowers are starting to bloom- I saw peach blossoms and wattle blossom today on my drive.
There are so many trucks and caravans on the roads up here. I guess the grey nomads have the same idea as me and are going north for winter.
I said a few days ago that some of this trip will overlap with my family's previous trip. I found one of those overlaps today. I was driving through Wandoan and realised it looked very familiar. There is a historical building back off the road a bit. We sat there for about an hour on our way to Theodore in 2006 while day fixed the suspension in the van. Mum sat in the front and painted (or maybe drew, I can't quite remember) this historic building. I think I sat there fuming because I was sick of being stuck in the van. But mums painting, turned out gorgeous. That's why I remember it. I stopped and took a photo
Driving through Taroom I recognised it immediately. There were a few horses at the rodeo grounds and for a minute I thought I might catch Taroom rodeo as well, but it was last weekend. Never mind.

Wandoan historic homestead

I almost overshot the turnoff to Bill and Kathy's place. It's a bit further out of Theodore than I had remembered. The place looks a bit different now. There is a lot more cattle now, when we were here it was just used for fattening steers. Now there are a lot more here. The dam which I remember being huge is almost twice as big. And there was never this much grass when I was here. They have Brahmans, and a small heard of miniature Brahmans as well. There is a poddy miniature next to the house- very cute!
After six years, there has been plenty of catching up to do! And lots of 'wheelchair' questions. And after a long day, I need a good nights sleep!

Distance travelled:400km
Driving time: 5 hours
Total distance travelled: 2800km

Toowoomba (Friday)

Air force museum

Today started off with no plans, but became busy quite quickly. I woke up after an amazing nights sleep to a message from my god friend Peta. Her parents live at Crows Nest, not far from Toowoomba, and she said they would love a visit. So I got myself up and organised and headed off to visit them. It was a nice drive through the back roads, past the air force base in Oakey, and the museum. I didn't go in, but I did stop and take some photos of the planes they had on display outside the museum.I also went past some interesting mailboxes, and a horse and cart driving down the road.

Air force museum

I found my way to Crows nest without any dramas, and had a lovely lunch with Janet and Keith. Home made pumpkin soup is always a winner! After lunch I headed back to Oakey for a while, then I into Toowoomba to meet up with some extended family, which was a lovely couple of hours, trading family stories and photos. Kristy, her sister Renee and I went out for dinner and a movie. We went to see Magic Mike; I had no idea what the movie was about, so I didn't really have any expectations, but I enjoyed it.

Mailbox

Mailbox

Because he can!

Brisbane-Toowoomba

Back on the road... I didn't have very far to travel today, so it was a slow start to the day. A final lazy deck breakfast/morning tea. I headed west a bit before lunch, weaving through back roads, avoiding the tolls. I went through lots of little towns on my drive through. There were a few things that made me giggle... Like Wilcot. It has about 5 shops, and one of them was and adult shop,out in the middle of no where!
I saw my first sign to Darwin today-only 3409 km to go!
I crossed the Great Dividing Range this afternoon. There was a break down on the west bound side, slowing us down a little, but the east bound lane had an over sized truck, going down a hill, with the traffic backed up about two kilometres. Again, in the middle of nowhere. I also crossed the Bridle Trail, not sure what that was exactly though...
I accidentally took myself through Ipswich, but I was in no rush, so it didn't matter. I thought I was heading out the other side, then I found the town centre! Whoops.
I stopped in Toowoomba to stock up on supplies. Mainly nuts, dried fruit and chewing gum, so I'm not so tempted to snack on lollies. It has a really nice feel to it, quiet with big trees along the streets.
I'm staying with some friends Kristy and Dale, in Oakey. Kristy also ride racehorses until she broke her back last year. My friend Des put us in touch when she had her accident, so I could help her out if she had any questions for someone who had already been through it. We had a few phone hook ups, but it's been great to finally meet her, and Dale, and spend some time with them. I love the name of their local saddlery, the Nag Shack!
I realised something interesting today. I'm not getting bored. I used to get bored driving in Melbourne all the time. I'd go for a twenty minute drive and want to call someone because I was sick of the traffic. Out here, I can go for hours, just happy to listen to my music, sing too loud and watch the countryside go by. It's starting to really look like Queensland now.
I noticed some Prickly Pear plants today. I've seen a few small ones coming up through NSW. Here's a handy tip for you boys and girls. If you are going to eat the fruit off a prickly pear, make sure you take off ALL the prickles! I had an experience in 2006 when I first tried it. The fruit itself tastes ok, its kind of nice. But Dad and I neglected to rub off all the prickles, which are really fine needles. I got some in my tongue and lips. I had this itchy, numb feeling for a few days til they worked their way out.
In a way, that trip in 2006 is the reason I;m here today. Mum and Dad had decided to take the family to QLD for a few months, so we could experience a different lifestyle. Also I think Dad thought it was time for us to meet Bill and Kathy, who he used to stay with, along with mums brother Ian, when they were rodeoing up north in Tasmania's off season. When they were young and carefree.
As a result of this trip, I decided to take a year off school, since the study load to get into veterinary science was too large to keep up while travelling for 5 months. And since I wasn't studying, I needed to start working.
I found an ad in the local paper for a stable hands job. I had never worked in the racing industry before, and to be honest, I had no interest in the industry at this stage. I think I recall thinking they were a snobby bunch too. Needless to say, since I fit in so well, they are not. I was pretty useless to start with, as Graeme has reminded me every now and then (don't worry, I always I remind him how good I turned out). I quickly lost the extra two or three kilos I was carrying, And quickly fell in love with the industry.
 I left after a few months to travel with my family, but suddenly I was looking for racing where ever I could find it. I started going to the races (Thangool near Biloela was my first), and talking to trainers whenever I found them.
Over the next two years I worked in a couple of different stables, and did some time back at TAFE, but I always gravitated back to Graeme's stables. And I kept putting off college. I still had (and have) and interest in veterinary science, but I prefer the work. The physical work instead of the study.
I decided I wanted to ride, and set about doing that. The trainer I was working for when I first decided this let me ride for three days, til I had a horse bolt on me. I quit by the end of the week. Graeme let me ride, and if I could get myself up to scratch, I could have my apprenticeship. I (literally) worked my butt off. I worked six and a half days a week, taking advantage of every opportunity to learn.
I gradually hit milestones. My first jump out on States Cat was amazing. I remember that feeling like it was yesterday. The anticipation, then BOOM, all that raw power, exploding. That feeling itself was enough to get me hooked. Then I got to ride work at Mowbray on Pin of Hope. To see the track from that perspective, again, I was hooked. I wanted to see that again and again. A few weeks before my accident, I participated in an unofficial jump out at Longford. I was pretty useless- I missed the jump, but it was just one more taste of what I had to come.

I seem to have got distracted.  The point was that I will be retracing some of my steps over the next few weeks. That was how it started.

Well, that's enough rambling for tonight.

Distance travelled: 170km
Time driving: 3 hours
Total distance travelled:2400km

Brisbane (Wednesday)

I'm starting to see a pattern... Pretty cruisy day today! So, last day in Brisbane. It has been a great week catching up with friends and shared family. I have had a chance to rest and recover, with my body settling down and being much more cooperative. I ran out of Baclofen (antispasmodic for my legs) a few days ago, and could not for the life of me find the new bottle! After searching my 'overnight bag', pulling apart my handbag and going through my main bag in the car, twice, I finally found them, so hopefully they will settle down a bit more over the next day or two.
I had been planning on going down to the Gold Coast tomorrow, but the people I was going to go visit are away for a few days. Points to me for my organisational skills! Or perhaps not...

Scooby Dobby Doo!!

Old man munching on carrots...

There was one thing that I'd been hoping to do before I left Brisbane, and I got to do that today! Scooby Doo was my sister Becca's ony for a few years, but has since retired to Brisbane to live with Charlie and Max. It was great to go see him, and Steves other horse (and Shamrock, Becca and my horse) Betty, who I also used to ride before my accident. So it was great to go see them for an hour or so, and to pass on hugs for Scooby from Becca. Fortunately the yard has dried out from last week so I could get out without scuba gear!
I also got through the first of the books I'm carrying around. I've never read so slow in my life!

Now time for Australias Got Talent. Dylan Yeandle just got sent home. Shattered!! Lets go Wolfe Brothers!!

Brisbane (Tuesday)

The main event of today was a check up with the doctor. I went to see Dr Jacky, who was very cool. She went a little of track asking me all sorts of random questions, but I didn't mind. I love it when people are so interested and just ask, instead of worrying about offending. We decided that, even though the procedure is to leave the skin on to protect blisters, that after two weeks, maybe it was time to give it a hand. Since I'm not walking, they aren't exactly getting the helping hand they would normally get. She has put me back on antibiotics again too, since we took the covers off. Again, we are just going with the flemazine cream, melolin(protective cover) and hyperfix tape, twice a day. I was really disappointed when we took the skin off. They are a lot worse than I thought. Turns out it isn't going to be my boob that stops me swimming in Darwin. That is healing beautifully!!

Julie and I also had Max, Charlies little brother with us today. The three of us took a drive around Redland Bay and Victoria Point. Both areas were right on the water with Cafes and lawns. They would be so popular in summer! Even on a winter Tuesday there were heaps of people around. After my early start and our drive around town, I had a lazy afternoon. I have climbed the stairs twice today though. Julie and I sat down and watched The Vow after the kids went home. Great movie. One day left in Brisbane...

I had such an amazing start to my day today! I will admit that I was a bit disappointed when I went to bed last night. There was no sign anyone had read my blog, and for me, last nights post was very personal. I woke up bright at early at 6.30 this morning to find two amazing messages on my facebook in response. I love receiving feedback, either good or bad, on my writing, so please, if you think it, say it. And if you take something away from what I have to say, share it. Maybe someone else you know will take something from it. So thank you to everyone who is reading, and thank you for all your wonderful messages.

Brisbane (Monday)

Again, today was a little crazy. We had lunch planned, but then found out at the last minute it was grandparents day at Charlies school, so we had a bit of a rushed shower then headed off. It was a lovely service, with an enjoyable talk from one of the teachers. After morning tea, where we met Maria, an Austrian survivor of WWII and a remarkably tough old cookie, it was time for a quick stop at home. We headed off to lunch two shops down from the restaurant we ate at Saturday- Hoggs Breath Cafe today. Today we were celebrating Julies niece, Lisa's, birthday. Again, it had been a long time since I had seen Lisa, so it was lovely to see her again. She was a little embarrassed when the Hoggs Breath staff, including our waiter, Dicky Knees, brought out her cake singing Happy Birthday. Loudly! All in all, it was a lovely lunch. Its a good thing my time in Brisbane is almost over, all this lunching would quickly go to my tummy I think. I don't think my wallet would like it either...

Someone at lunch made a comment about wanting a 'real man', resulting in a discussion of what exactly makes a real man. Of course, the subject of crying came up. Now personally, I think a man should be able to talk, not bottle things up inside. He should be able to cry when something real happens, like if his mum was dying, but able to understand crying over a broken nail is a waste of water. And of course in talking about when it is reasonable for a man to cry, the question was asked, when is it reasonable for a woman to cry. Why is it that it is acceptable for a woman to cry over a broken nail? (For me anyone crying over a broken nail is a waste of water. Except maybe, maybe on your wedding day). Anyway, the point of this train of thought... I was asked if I cried when I broke my back. Thinking back, I'm certain I didn't shed a tear until the ambos got there. And even there it was as much from frustration at the repeated questions, than from the lack of pain killers.

I'm going to let you all in on a secret. My mum is one of very few people who knows this. I do actually cry. But I'm a closet crier. Even before I had my accident, I very rarely showed emotion to others. I was always a strong independent child (otherwise known as a horrible little shit), but working for my first boss, Graeme, in a very male dominated environment (racing stables), taught me to toughen up more than ever. There were many skills I learnt working for Graeme, and I have many happy memories from working in his team, but the months leading up to my accident were very hard work. I was fighting for the respect of my boss and coworkers, we were understaffed, and I was trying to prove that I had what it takes to be a jockey. That was what I wanted.( If I'm completely honest it's still what I want, but since that is no longer an option, I have to move my focus elsewhere.) So, as a female trying to make my way in a 'mans world', obviously bursting out crying whenever anything didn't go my way, would quickly dissolve any respect I had earned. So I became very good at turning my emotions on and off. I would get on a horse of a morning, leave the stripping sheds, and by the time I hit the track, my face would be covered in tears. I would bawl the entire way around the track, puffing and panting  not from the horse underneath me, but from the effort of crying. But when that horse had finished its work, I took a deep breath, two if I needed, wiped my eyes, and no one ever knew.
This is how i dealt with breaking my back. I didn't actually cry, until about 3 weeks in. I remember it clearly. By this stage I knew my situation was much more permanent than I had first thought, but I was by no means ready to give up on the racing industry. (I fought to keep my strappers licence, restricted of course, for months after my accident. Unfortunately it was not a battle I was able to win, and I have had to tackle the problem from a different angle-as an owner). Mum had asked me if I had any thoughts on other career possibilities. I guess it was that moment that I realised things really were different. That my life had drastically changed, and that I never could go back. It was the straw that broke this camels back. There, locked away in room 13 of the Royal Talbot spinal ward, the dam broke. I don't know how long I cried for, but when I was finished, I wiped my eyes, took a deep breath, and it was over.
This has been how I have coped over the past four and a half years. Again, mum is really the only person who understands this. Occasionally others have seen it. A few weeks ago it was my dad after a series of fights with my sisters. Needless to say, pointless and started by a tired and cranky me.
One of the things that really gets to me is watching other riders achieving milestones in their riding careers. Jason Maskiell is a very good young rider from tassie. We both started riding track work about the same time, and would have started our apprenticeships around the same time had it not been for my accident. I was at Launceston the day he rode his first race. I had to leave my family to watch it. That race was one of the toughest things I ever had to watch. To keep it together in public was such a huge battle. I was so happy for him, so excited, but at the same time I could feel my heart tearing in two. That should have been me!
Driving past Longford racetrack in the truck with Graeme heading to Elwick was another moment that tore me in two. I rode one jump out before my fall. At longford. That is a memory that will stay with me for ever. The thought that I won't ever do that again is physically painful. I don't tell you all this because I want you to feel sorry for me, I'm telling you so you know that despite appearances, I do continue to hurt sometimes. I tell people that being in a chair is ok, that walking is overrated. That my shoes never wear out, that I get the best parking. I chose to focus on the future, to take the good from this experience, not the bad. But I still feel.
I should be finishing my apprenticeship about now. Instead, I'm preparing to start a diploma in horse business management. I'm excited for next year. I am so happy to find an institution that is not only happy to take me on, even with my complications, but that wants me to participate to the best of my ability. I am the first student to ever be taken on by this college in a chair. I am taking this opportunity on with both hands. Hopefully my experiences with allow someone else to take a 'step' forward they might not have otherwise been able to take.

Before the sky fell

Brisbane (Saturday/Sunday)

What a busy couple of days!! Yesterday Julie, Don and I went out for dinner with the family (well part of it) in Cleveland. It was a lovely lunch, and a great chance to catch up with differnt people who I hadn't seen in several years. I came away with several new facebook friends, several new blog followers and a place to stay in Echuca! I also had a loved piece of baked salmon on king prawn risotto which was lovely, and kept me going through the business seminar Julie and I went to at Hillsong church in the evening. It was an interesting evening and though I'm still undecided as to weather it is something I may be interested in, I did take away a few handy hnts and ideas. I got cornered by a rather good looking young man afterwards wanting my opinion on the evening. By this time it was rather late and my brain was pretty much scrambled, so if it wasn't his charm and wit, I probably would have made an escape to the bathroom...
This morning I had a bit of a sleep in after my late night, before heading off to collect my dear friend Kara. Kara were best friendsthroughout high school and though we did drift apart due to some of my... indiscresions after school, we have beome quite close again. We pretty much just got in the car this morning and headed off to get lunch. We took a bit of a detour to start with, heading up Mt Cootha to the look out over looking the city.

 

  

Mt Cootha lookout

Our deliciously disgusting lunch

We were going to have lunch up there, but there were so many people up there we headed off for a drive through to the city, via Paddington which is a very cute little suburb. After Paddington, we headed into the city to Southbank, where we went to the Chocolateria San Churro. I am a lover of chilli chocolate, so they gave me a sample of their 'Azteca'. It was a bit hot for me though-you should have seen Kara's face when I made her try it! So I ended up with the Spanish hot chocolate, which is basically just melted chocolate with a bit of milk. And then Kara and I shared a fondue plate for lunch.
This was an amazing lunch, the only problem was that there was a food festival across the road!! Kara and I went across the road and took a wander through the vendors, but we were both way to full to even think about eating again! I found the disabld toilets without any problems, but I was unimpressed with the 'locked' door being pushed open by an impatient mum with a young kid. I was getting myself dressed again, otherwise I don't think I would have been so understanding...
After our walk I was feeling a bit ordinary, with my blood preasure dropping (probably due to an overdose of chocolate), so we just headed off grab some groceries for Kara, so she didn't have to do her big shop and take it on the bus. I also got a new car charger after smashing my last one in the car at Inverell, and yet more dressings for my feet. I was very excited yesterday when I changed the dressing on my breast, to see it has shrunk substantially again. I'm even daring to hope I might actually be able to swim again by the time I get to darwin...
Well, I need sleep, so that will have to do you all for tonight. I hope everyone is enjoying my stories! 

Kara and I on Mt Cootha

Brisbane (Friday)

Well today has been nice and quiet. I had an excellent nights sleep-the first night I've slept through in weeks! I had a nice lazy breakfast before taking a drive to Stones Corner with Julie and Don. Don and I got me up the stairs again; alot smoother today.
We had a yummy lunch of salmon, avacado and tomato on toast overlooking the bay and I settled in to continue reading Gai Waterhouse's autobiography in the sun. It was so lovely and quiet, I could hear runners and cyclists coming before I could see them. My reading lasted about three pages until Charlie, Julies Grand-daughter arrived. We spent the next few hours going through my photos of my babies on my computer, playing hide and seek and connect four. I got in trouble when I accidently flicked one of the tiles over the back of the sofa and Charlie had to go chase it... Whoops!
Charlies mum Katreena and brother Max came by for a bit, then Julie and I sat down and watched a movie, Mad about Harry, sparking an interesting conversation on sexuality.
We had an amazing stir fry for tea-I'm so greaatful for the healthy meals I'm getting here! Julie and Don are watching the Titans play the broncos (more rugby!) while I catch up on my emails and plug my blog to my entire phonebook-even my vet got a text message! One of my friends is currently messaging me, telling me about Florance Falls in NT, which has 126 steps to bum down, resulting in me counting the steps here. 19 steps up and down. Good thing Don and I are getting in our grove... Besides, if I'm going there, I'll have my cowboy companions with me. I'll make them earn their dinner hehe.
Well, I'm going to make another attempt at an early night! Last night was a total fail with me turning off my phone at 11.50. And call my mum, I haven't been fulfilling my daughterly duties this week.... Until tomorrow! 

Our gorgeous lunch setting

Inverell-Brisbane

Thats an expensive bunny!

It was nice today to get a complaint about the lack of yesterdays post. At least I know someone is reading! Yesterday was a very quiet day, hence the lack of a post. I had a quiet morning, dyed my hair, then spent the afternoon resting, since my body is struggling with fatigue. We had tea together and watched Australia's Got Talent. I'm very excited to see if either the Wolfe Brothers or Dylan Yeandle can win... How cool would it be to see a Tassie act take it out?
Today I had an early start heading up to Brisbane. I had a few stops along the way, but I didn't get to look around anywhere much. I did see sign that made me do a double take, a $30,000 rabbit! Or to be more specific, a sign threatening a fine of up to $30,000 for keeping rabbits. I think it was related to mixomitosis, but I don't know for sure. 



 

Fishermans Island

I made it to Brisbane without any huge troubles, I even managed to avoid the toll roads. I am staying with my friends Steves Mum Julie, and her partner Don. They have a lovely big house, with a gorgeous view across Waterloo Bay. You can see stright across to the shipping yards at Fishermans Island. That in itself is not very impressive, but from their deck the cranes look like giraffes. Its a bit hard to see them, but they are in the picture above... Julie and Don live in a two story house which wasn't a problem when Steve was here with me and could just just carry me up the stairs, but is a little more interesting now. I bummed up the stairs while Don, who has a bad back, carried my legs. I did almost miss a step and tumble back down, but I saved it. This will be an interesting few days. Time for dinner and an early night!

Distance travelled:450km
Time travelled: 5.5 hours
Total distance travelled: 2,050km

Inverell (Tuesday)

I headed of to the doctors first thing this morning to get all my wounds checked out. He didn't have much to say about my feet, but when I showed him the older one on my breast, he told me I needed a skin graft! That freaked me out a bit- my stomach was churning. After further discussion with the nurse, whom I understood much better, she explained that it will still heal, but it will be much slower, which I would expect. They are able to give me a referral to speak with a surgeon while I'm in Brisbane if I want, but honestly I'm not keen to have any more holes cut in me! It is healing slowly, but it is defiantly improving every week. Especially since my gp in tassie treated it with silver nitrate the week I left, getting rid of the hyper granulation. I have been seeing Toby for four years now and I trust his opinion. He was happy with my progress, so I tend to think surgery is not necessary.
I went and got a haircut from a nice girl with very colorful hair- she would give my Aunty Carol a run for her money, for half of what it would cost me in Melbourne! Got to love small towns!
Phil and I went for a push along the river, which was nice- it was a gorgeous day, I even took my thermals off. I have been looking for a pharmacy that stocks my dressings for my breast ever since I left Melbourne, going to at least a dozen stores with no luck. I finally found some today, in a tiny little chemist I was sure wouldn't have any. I was down to one dressing, so I was relieved to finally get some more.
I have been trying to catch up on my sleep the past few days, but it finally caught up with me this afternoon. I curled up on the sofa about 2 and didn't wake up until 5.30. I'm not feeling like I will struggle to go back to sleep either. Until tomorrow!

Inverell (Monday)

I am so tired. Seven pm and I'm falling asleep at the table!
Went for a drive with Phil today. Stopped of in town to book a doctors appointment, and to get my hair cut but all the hair dressers were closed, no idea why! We had lunch at The Bridge Cafe. I had a chicken schnitzel burger which was huge, delicious and had REAL chicken!!! So good!
After lunch we headed out to Copeton Dam. The dam was completed in 1976 and holds 1,361,600 megaliters of water, almost THREE TIMES the size of Sydney harbor! I tired to take some photos but they really don't do it justice. We also saw some really cool mail boxes along the road, so I've included some photos of them too.
We also went for afternoon tea with Phil's aunt and uncle and filled up on pumpkin scones, one of my favorites. It did make it difficult to eat all my steak that Phil cooked us...
Now battling to stay awake to watch revenge, don't like my chances!

Inverell (Sunday)

I have had a quiet day today. Slept poorly, so I have been battling to stay awake most of the afternoon. Murray, Phil and I went for a drive into town this afternoon and up to Maklyveen Park Lookout. There is a great view from up there of Inverell. Saw a fox on the side of the road too, the first live one I've seen. After a quick stop off at the shops (I stayed in the sun in the car) we came back to oranges and milo. We are now watching the Drangons play the Sharks. This is the third rugby game I have seen in as many days. Oh well, when in NSW.... Pizza for tea, and an early night!

Newcastle-Tamworth-Inverell

Today was a driving day. I left Newcastle about 9.30 and headed towards Tamworth. There were lots of little towns for the first hundred kilometers so it was a slow start. One of those towns was Branxton, who had an interesting approach to slowing down drivers. At the start of the town there is a big sign, "Please slow down. We have two cemeteries and no hospital."
Traveling trough the Hunter Valley I was amazing by the mines everywhere. I knew from my visit earlier in the year they were all over the place, but it still blows me away. You will just be driving along and suddenly there is a big crater there! And the trains! I drove past six or seven trains so long I couldn't count them. Not because I I can't count that high, we were going past each other too fast. I wish I could have got a picture for Hayden... I arrived in Tamworth about 2 I think. I had a quick look around, including the golden guitar. I got back on the road pretty quickly though, I didn't want to get caught in the dark. I passed emirates park around Manilla, which looked amazing! I really hope that's part of our hunter tour at Marcus next year...
I tell you what, I'm a bit concerned I'm going to get fat on this trip. I'm finding I'm hungry all the time. And since I'm not really doing any physical exercise, I'm not actually working anything off. I can see this is something I'm going to have to be very careful of.
I arrived at Inverell just before dark, in time for a delicious roast with Steve's (a very good friend of mine, also my ex bf) dad, Murray and brother Phil. I did have a bit of trouble finding the house, since apparently they don't believe in house numbers in Inverell, but I made it eventually.
The guitar photo is for Mandy's friend Lauren, who is from Tamworth and just loves seeing people in photos with her towns guitar.
The other is for Hayden, who loves bikes.
Well I think that's all for tonight. Until tomorrow...

Distance travelled: 500km
Time driving: 6.5 hours
Total distance travelled:1600km

Newcastle

Today has been pretty cruisy. I had a bit of a sleep in, minded Janelles kids for a bit, then headed in to see the doctor. I was showing the doctor photos of my breast blister off my phone, but there were photos from a dinner I had with my cousin Anthony and his girlfriend Erin at the Terrace Restaurant, right in the middle of my gorey wound photos. Fortunately he saw the funny side of it! The nurse told me I was doing a good job with my blisters and the older one especially is looking very good. The others show no sigh of infection, but I've been put on a second course of antibiotics in case. Manageable, but a drama I didn't need on this trip. I have also found my dressings of my feet aren't laking so bad since I read the packet and put the dressings on the right way!

Love this room!

One of the first thing I noticed about this house when I arrived yesterday was the bathroom. I love it! It's kind of rustic, but with the blue paint it looks really fresh and modern. I really want a free standing bath, but I think it would be a bit of a logistical nightmare....


I forgot to mention Craig (I hope I've remembered that correctly)  yesterday. I stopped off at Young to get my subway, and there was a man there fixing trailers. He offered to help me, but when I said I was ok, he went back to what he was doing. When I went to leave, he came over again and we had a nice chat. I was thinking as I left how some people might find it an inconvenience or waste of time, but I find it is these experiences that make for an interesting trip. Its not just the places you go. The people you meet are such a big part of the experience. I gave his the address for my blog, so hopefully he gets to read this.

Diesel

I was in the kitchen today, being watched by the dogs Diesel and Lexie (english masstif cross neopolitian). I turned around are moved towards the door and Diesel started back peddling! It was so funny, this massive dog was so scared of my chair!



I realized something this morning talking to my sister Ellie. I have made a big deal the last 4+ years about still being the same person, and that I can still do all these things I used to be able to do. It was recently brought to my attentin that one of my own siblings didnt understand that I use a hot water bottle because my body can't maintain a regular temperature by itself, not that I was soft and couldn't be bothered to dress myself properly. On this track of thought, it occured to me that when I mentioned to Ellie in passing about my having a cold, she probably didn't realize exactly what that meant. For me, a simple cold can be a major pain. Because of my paralysis, I have reduced muscle capacity in my abs and diaphram, making coughing difficult. I often have to physically push my stomache to assist myself to cough properly to clear my lungs. It makes coughing rather awkward while I'm driving....
 I did say something to her about it, but even as I did, I felt like I was making a big deal out of nothing. I've created this problem for myself where my brothers and sister treat me the same as before, which I love them for, but it does mean when I do need help, sometimes they just see me being lazy because , well, I did say I could do it myself!!

I have included a photo of my newcastle family for you all...

Katherine, Beau, Ruby, Janelle, Leon, Stephen, Anika, Demiah.

Wagga Wagga-Newcastle

googles suggested route...

Covered some serious miles today!! Left Wagga about 8.30 this morning, which meant that I was too early for the liquorice factory at Junee. Sad face. Headed through to Young, where I picked up some subway for beakfast/lunch, then through to Bathurst, when it was bucketing down with rain!  I've been to Bathurst three times now, and its been raining every time!! From Bathurst, I went to Lithgow, which wasn't very exciting, but the road out of it was super cool-it zig zaged up the hill over the town and the view was AMAZING! I saw a cop pull a guy over and the cop had a Blues sticker on the cruiser!! Google tried to send me back towards Sydney to get to Newcastle, but I made my own way and went over the Blue Mountains. It kind of felt like tassie, maybe the huon. It was really rainy and foggy though, which was a real shame, because I could see on a clear day you would be able to see for miles. Then I did some more zig zagging throught another national park in Galston, which had some more awesome hills. It was a great road to drive- my left arm was sore from stearing round the corners by the end of it. Saw the most hilarious street sign on the way through- "Abbots place. No through road" haha. Between all my national parks, I spent about two and a half hours on 60 and 80km speed limits. Made awesome time between Wagga and Newcastle. Took two hours less than google predicted, so I got in before it got dark which was good. I saw something really cool in Wagga yesterday I forgot to mention- the Riverina Regional Library. Its in a truck! I've heard of them before, but I've never seen one.

Riverena Regional Library

A cool letter box I drove past

I'm staying with some friends of mine, Janelle and Stephen, who I met on my crazy disorganized impromptu trip to CMC Rocks the Hunter earlier this year. They have a slightly crazy family too, so I feel right at home. We have spent the evening sitting round watching Hamish and Andy and eating Noodle Box.

Distance travelled today: 650km
Time in the car: 8.5 hours.
Total distance covered: 1100km

The Whole Truth

I have a confession to make. I did it again. Mum and I decided that if this blog is to help the widest audience possible, I need to be completely honest, and include all the downs of this trip, as well as the ups. So "it" was falling asleep with the hot water bottle again. (I'm a T4 paraplegic. One of the drawbacks of this level of spinal cord injury is that my temperature gauge is completely shot. Hence, the hot water bottle). My feet this time. A blister on each foot. (I can hear my phone ringing with my sister about to abuse me already....) So I saw the doctor  in Melbourne before I left, and he has put me on antibiotics. Normally I'm not to keen to go on antibiotics unless I know I need to but after my last burn got a staf infection, I'm happy to go prevention rather than cure. (My last burn happened the week after Easter. After three months, its still only half the size it was to start with). So off to the doctor again tomorrow to get my feet looked at, and my other blister. I've been dressing that one myself a while, but because I'm going out outback, I don't want to get out there and get stuck. So I'm getting it checked by a pro at least once a week. Not the best of starts.

Speaking of things that are really hard, have you ever tried putting on skinny jeans sitting on the loo??? I know I can't blame anyone for that- no one is forcing me to wear them, but it still takes alot of work when everything below the chest makes the bit that's left above the chest do all the work.

Anyway, I'm feeling suitable silly, as I have been all week, so this is enough "truth" for tonight!

Melbourne to Wagga Wagga

After a shaky start, I made it to Wagga last night. I had a crazy morning in Melbourne, trying to make it to final appointments on time, almost running out of fuel and then turning up to the wrong place.. Hit the road at lunch time and drove through, stopping at Albury for a quick "rest and revive." After dinner with friends, I made my way out to the uni to stay with my friend Mandy. I was greeted my 'Lionel" who was hanging out on the couch with a empty stubby. Possibly passed out.








This morning I made the most of a lazy day and spent the morning sleeping. I went into Wagga at lunch time and finished off a few jobs I had run out of time to do in Melbourne, mostly chasing down meds and a tyre lever extention.... Took a drive around Wagga trying to find Coles, that killed about half an hour. Mandy and I cooked up a feast of salmon risotto, and smashed through a block of Tasmanian Heritage Brie. Tasmanians make awesome cheese. Time to catch up on Offspring then get to bed. Newcastle tomorrow!!

Distance travelled:500km
Hours travelled: 5

In the beginning...

So today is the beginning of my great adventure. I've just boarded the plane ready to fly of to Melbourne. To be honest I'm quite nervous and just a little bit scared. I know I'll be fine once I get out of Melbourne, but waiting to leave Launceston, I'd be just as happy to get off and go home for tea with the family... But warm weather and adventure is calling- time to 'cowboy up' and enjoy myself! :)