Whatever doesn't kill you...

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

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...gives you gastro?

When I last left you, we had conquered Sydney and were celebrating our victory in Gosford. We got an early start the next morning, hoping to clock up about 500km or so. We had a great run in the morning and decided to push through to our friends place in Kempsey. The cars were running beautifully and we were all in great spirits!

We bid our friends farewell around 3pm, and things went downhill from there. The falcon made it about 2km before it stopped. We tried again, but after the third time, and only a few km down the road, we reviewed our options and decided to ditch the falcon and trailer at our friends place and just keep on going. I jumped in the kombi with Hubs and Mum and Dad went ahead with Chanbe.

This man can drive a van.


We met up for Maccas and fuel in Grafton at around 7pm, and decided to just push on to Brisbane. Mum and Dad took Chanbe ahead and we followed behind.

So we covered 800km in the first 2 and a half days, and then 900km on the last day. It was a long one, and we arrived home at midnight Queensland time (1am "our time") about an hour after Mum and Dad. Chanbe was not ready to go to sleep after such an exciting day and it took another hour or so to settle him, so by 1am Queensland time, everyone was in bed, mostly asleep. Saturday was spent preparing for Chanbe's birthday party on Sunday, while Hubs had some much needed man-time with his man-friends, and I headed out for a hens party which turned out to be just what I needed!

Chanbe's birthday party was a great success and it was lovely to be surrounded by family again. Here's the robot cake I whipped up for him: (actually, I bought a slab of cake and just cut it out and decorated it :-) )


I haven't downloaded any of my photos from my camera as yet, so you'll have to make do with the phone photos for the time being. Monday was a lazy old day, and we caught up briefly with our nieces and nephew and Hubs' sister. I came home feeling a little off colour, and within an hour, I had lost my lunch and was in bed. It came out of nowhere, but wasn't going anywhere! After hourly "attacks" (for want of a better word), by midnight we thought it best I go to hospital, as I was a little worried about Baloo with me getting so dehydrated. So my mother in law took me to the local hospital and I was given some anti-nausea tablets and given 2L of fluid. They took some bloods and did a few other tests, but I was told it was "just" gastro and that I could go home at 4:30am.

So the good news is, we have family and friends around to help out in this tricky time, and hopefully this bad run is over. Hubs has gone down to Kempsey with his BFF today to pick up the car and trailer and I'm expecting him home in the next few hours. Chanbe is having a little grizzle to himself in bed, but will nod off soon, and I'm trying to decide what I actually want to eat, now that I'm feeling a bit better.

Yest it's been a rough week, but whatever doesn't kill you... well, you know the rest :-)

Posted by Renae at 8:19 PM Comments

Ha ha ha. You gotta laugh, right?

Thursday, November 22, 2012

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We did it! We moved out of our house in Wang, had the cleaning etc done, and got outta there in time. We had our last Bead Shop coffee in the morning, and handed over our clown bike to the dear owners.


We'll miss you guys!!


We then handed in our keys and had a farewell lunch at Espresso on Ovens - one of the first places we ever had coffee in Wang. We farewelled Juan and he wished us well in our next adventure.

 
The last thing we had to do was pick the kombi up from the mechanic, who basically said "good bye and good luck!!" We knew it was going to be a rough ride, but we hoped it would get to Brisbane okay, so we left Wang the same way we arrived 2.5 years ago - Hubs at the wheel of the kombi, me by his side and up the duff, and running late. It was bitter sweet.

We headed up the Hume Highway, and after a quick rendezvous north of Albury, we decided to take the coast road (for various reasons.) The Falcon was struggling a bit under the weight of the BIG TRAILER...


though, we can't imagine why! So the next morning, after a night in Gundagai while Chance was with the babysitter...

 
... the boys did a re-pack and evened things out somewhat. Things were looking up! And then we hit the road. And the Falcon stopped. And it just got worse from there. We were going to try and make it to Mittagong for lunch, then north of Sydney for the night. Instead, we made it to Mittagong for lunch okay, but didn't leave that night. The Falcon went to the autoelectrician, and we went to a motel.

But the fun didn't stop there. The kombi started playing up as well, so that went to a different mechanic. So this morning there was a lot of hanging around and praying. And playing!

 
By 3pm, both cars were back on the road, but only slightly fixed - enough to get us to Brisbane (please please please!!!). So there we were. 80km south of Sydney, peak hour approaching, and the desire to get a 3-car-convoy through to the other side, without a) breaking down; b) getting lost or c) going crazy.

So Mum, Chanbe (who fell asleep immediately) and I led the way for the 150km journey. It was a little terrifying, and just after we got off the toll roads (remind me - I need to pay some tolls!!) we lost Hubs. I got a text, assuring me he would be okay, so we just ploughed on. We all met up in Gosford just after 6pm and I have never been so proud and relieved to get through traffic in my LIFE! We did it!!

So after 2 and a half days, we have traveled less than 800km, but all in all, we're really only a day behind our very loose schedule. If all goes to plan (which nothing has so far!) we will make it to Grafton tomorrow for the night, then arrive in Brisbane on Saturday afternoon. If nothing goes to plan, (which seems much more likely!) at least we'll have more travel stories to laugh about in times to come :-)

Posted by Renae at 10:45 PM Comments

I'm never moving house again

Sunday, November 18, 2012

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I'm serious. If I write the words "we're moving" again, slap me across the face, kick me in the shin and put chilli in my eyes. Then tell me that moving is so much worse than that. I'm in a special kind of hell right now. The kind reserved for the real baddies. My back and feet are aching, my sciatica is killing me, the pain in my stomach is back, and my eyes are stinging from staring at this damn phone screen for to long.

My only saving graces are my beloved Hubsband, my little champion Chanbe, and my dear sweet parents. We could not have done this without them.

I just keep thinking "this time tomorrow it will all be over". I know I'm sounding a tad dramatic, but that's because I'm way past exhausted, I'm incredibly hormonal, I'm very very sad that we are leaving lovely Wangaratta, and I'm sitting on a mattress, surrounded by stuff to do, and wondering how we're going to get it all out before the cleaners arrive at 9am. The bottom line is, it has to be done, so it will be done.

1 more day......

Posted by Renae at 11:03 PM Comments

"Rosemary" Lamb

Thursday, November 15, 2012

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I'm not sure how it came about, but when we moved in to this place in April, for some reason I thought we had a whole bush of rosemary growing in our front yard. It didn't look like the rosemary I'm used to, but when I picked some off and smelt it, it smelled familiar and I was convinced it was rosemary. So I started cooking my lamb it in. In the last 6 months, I have perfected a recipe for lamb shanks in my Chasseur and have had people rave about how good they are.

Last week, I was going to make my famous lamb shanks for Mum and Dad and told Dad that there was some rosemary growing in the front yard. He couldn't find any so I went and showed him.

Rosemary it was not. I had, in fact, been cooking with lavender. I couldn't believe it! Dad got some rosemary and I had a smell of the two, side by side, and I swear I could barely tell the difference! What can I say? I make a mean lavender lamb :-)

Posted by Renae at 12:06 PM Comments

Lists

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

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My list of things I don't need right now:
- Chanbe had a temperature last night and was generally miserable, so neither of us got any sleep. Barely keeping my eyes open right now.
- An obstetrician at the hospital has ordered another glucose test to rule out gestational diabetes, even though the first one I had came back clear. The test takes 2.5 hours and you have to drink this disgusting sugar drink and get blood taken 3 times. Cos I have so much time to spare right now.
- I have a rash on my neck that has come out of nowhere and is itchy.
- I'm still getting pains in my guts that stop me in my tracks and force me to lie down.

To do:
- Keep packing boxes. (just keep packing, just keep packing)
- Attend my last mother's group tomorrow (heartbreaking)
- Pick up trailer from Albury
- Buy a sexy dress for the Rural Clinical School graduation dinner on Saturday night in Ballarat
- Plan Chanbe's 2nd birthday party

Up until yesterday I was feeling like I was being productive and really getting stuff done. Today, I'm yet to achieve anything and just want to go back to bed. Maybe I should do just that and try and have a productive afternoon and evening. Hubs get back tomorrow evening after his boys camping trip (he's having a great time) which will take the pressure off somewhat.

This time next week we'll be on the road. So much to do before then...

Random photo for your viewing pleasure.


Posted by Renae at 11:59 AM Comments

Romantic night for 2

Monday, November 12, 2012

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Hubs and I were able to head out to dinner on Saturday night, just the 2 of us, and we both agree that it was one of the nicest meals out we have had in a very long time. We went to the Watermarc restaurant in Wangaratta - we hadn't been there before but had heard good things about it. We arrived around 7pm and sat at a table outside, along the river. We really wanted to take our time and make the evening last, so we ordered some wine and started off with some oysters kilpatrick. They were fantastic - a great start to a delightful culinary experience. We then ordered 2 more entrees - a margarita pizza and soft-shelled crab. Our theory is that if a place can simple things well, they are onto something. The margarita pizza was delicious and the soft-shelled crab, delightful.

We then went for 2 more entrees to share - house made fettuccine with calamari ragu (yes, we love seafood) and the house made gnocchi with pumpkin and shredded boccocini. Scrumptious! We then went for the jugular and ordered dessert. I had the vanilla creme brulee and Hubs had the Affogato with Frangelico which looked something like this:


The presentation of the meals, the service, the flavours, the freshness, the wine and the company were all sensational. We took our time and didn't feel at all rushed. It was one of those nights we will remember for some time, and a great way to celebrate the end of 4 and half tough years of study, moving around, and great times that we have had.

It was just one of those meals that reminds of this scene from one of my favourite movies, What About Bob:


Every mouthful left me wanting more, and I'm so glad we could end our time in Wangaratta with such a lovely memory.

Posted by Renae at 2:14 PM Comments

I told you so!

Sunday, November 11, 2012

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As I knew it would be, the last week has been huge, and today is the first day I've had more than 10 minutes to sit down and play on the computer. Sunday was a glorious day and we had a lovely walk to Paradise Falls, followed by lunch at Dal Zotto winery. It was such a lovely day with lovely friends, though I was having some annoying pains in my stomach that wouldn't go away. I was pretty certain it was ligament pain and it eventually subsided in the evening so I wasn't too concerned. Monday night we had a crowd over for dinner and Revenge and both left us wanting more. Tuesday we dolled up and headed to the races, and, as usual, Chanbe stole the show:


Suspenders were certainly the order of the day for the boys!


I wasn't happy with any of the photos that were taken of me, so you can just tell me how dashing my boys looked instead!! Mum and Dad were running a bit ahead of schedule and ended up on our doorstep at 6:30pm Tuesday night, much to Chanbe's delight! Hubs headed to Shepparton on Wednesday for his final med exams which was very exciting! Thursday was supposed to be spent preparing for the garage sale on Thursday, but the pains in my stomach came back and I thought it was best to get them checked out at the hospital. After 3 hours of monitoring, I finally got to see the doctor who said it didn't seem like anything too serious, and sent me home. Which was good, but frustrating that he couldn't tell me what it might be, other than "probably ligaments" which I wasn't convinced about as it was so isolated to one spot.

I got a fair bit done Thursday night which was good, but at 9am Friday, the pains came back and I couldn't stand or walk, so back to the hospital we went. It was so much worse that day, and I saw the doctor immediately and he said we'd try and get to the bottom of it. He did an examination and assured me that the baby is absolutely fine, then gave me some morphine and let me rest. He said it was most likely either a kidney infection, appendicitis, or an ovarian cyst that was twisting on itself. After bloods and an ultrasound, they could rule out appendicitis and kidney problems, and although he is pretty sure it's an ovarian cyst, they couldn't actually see it on the ultrasound as Baby Baloo was in the way. So he gave me some strong pain killers and said that we'd touch base again the following week, but really there's not much they would  be happy to do until after the baby is born.

So needless to say, not much got done on Friday for the garage sale until I got home at 6pm. Hubs is now officially finished medicine (woooooo hooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and we decided to postpone our dinner til Saturday night. The garage sale was a HUGE success yesterday, and it was so nice to just relax in the afternoon and know that all the hard work over the last few weeks/months of getting all the stuff ready and making pretty signs etc had all paid off.

That's enough from me for now. More on our romantic night out soon....


Posted by Renae at 1:53 PM Comments

A truffling thought

Saturday, November 3, 2012

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I've been a bit absent from regular blogging lately, and I fear this trend will continue for the next few weeks months. We are in the midst of planning and packing and (sadly) counting down the days til we leave Wang (18). We are fitting lots of socialising in which has been lovely. We headed to Melbourne last weekend to farewell our "med friends" - this group of people have really made the last 4 years of our lives somewhat amazing, and they will always hold a VERY special place in our hearts. I know that we will certainly keep in touch over the years to come.

Here are the graduates of 2012. Hard to believe we only met them in 2008!



And here is the "support crew" (missing a wife and twins of one the the graduates!!)



And the graduation cake I made for them:



And as yesterday was Hubs' last day of medicine (he has 2 days of exams next week and then that's really it!!) we have had a few end-of-med dinners and lunches to attend which has been great. The one we went to on Thursday night was a thank you from the students to the Doctors and teaching staff, and I offered to make some baked goods to hand out as a thank you. I decided to make truffles, as I'd never made them before and it's always a great idea to try something new when you are making presents for 20 people. (Ahem.) Thankfully, they turned out beautifully:


And everyone was very thankful which was lovely. I made the little boards out of cardboard wrapped in alfoil, and stuck the patties down with melted chocolate. I was worried about them melting but I believe they stayed intact. I made over 100 of these little friggers!


 This coming week:
- tonight I'm making lamb shanks as an end-of-uni treat for Hubs
- tomorrow we're doing a bit of local sight-seeing and maybe catching a bit of the Wangaratta Jazz Festival (I can hear it from our house)
- Monday night we're having 6 people over for dinner + Revenge episodes (yes I'm hooked. Don't judge.)
- Tuesday we are going to the local races for Melbourne Cup Day (like last year)
- Wednesday Mum and Dad arrive and Hubs heads to Shepparton for his exams til Friday
- Thursday I'm hosting Mums group at my house for the last time (boo)
- Friday Hubs and I will hopefully go out to dinner to celebrate the real end of Hubs' medical degree!!
- Saturday we are having a garage sale

So, you know, enough to keep us busy. I've been having a bit of anxiety lately, most likely centred around getting ready for the big move, and am just trying to be aware of it, acknowledge it, and not let it manifest itself in crazy ways. I know we'll get there. We always do :-)

Posted by Renae at 3:40 PM Comments

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