Australian Trip and Thanksgiving 2010

The week through 14 November 2010 I spent as usual with the added tasks of getting everything arranged for my trip to Australia for a sibling reunion with my older sister, Maureen and younger brother, Warren coming from New Zealand, to meet me at my older brother, Des'ss home, an hour out of Melbourne in Australia.

Just before leaving I got the disturbing news that Maureen was rushed into hospital, very ill with a life threatening infection from a knee implant done 5 years earlier. I determined to catch my intended flight to Australia and arrange to go to New Zealand from there so I got a shuttle to the airport on Sunday 14th November for an 11:40 pm flight. We were supposed to go in one of Qantas's big new Airbuses but Qantas was having uncertainties concerning the Rolls Royce engines and we were switched to the usual 747 - to my relief! Our flight was delayed as one of the passengers got ill after boarding and medics determined it was unsafe for him to fly so he and his luggage had to be taken off the plane - allowing us to finally get away at midnight.

I sat next to a young dad from Melbourne who was a security person at Melbourne University and who had been to the USA for seminars on University security. He was pleasant and we chatted from time to time between movies (the New Zealand film "Boy", "Centurion" and "Dinner for Idiots")

We touched down at Melbourne airport after a 15 hour (a bit bumpy) flight at 10:00 am Tuesday 16th November, having skipped Monday 15th altogether due to the international date line, and I was met by older brother, Des's youngest child - daughter, Fleur, and her two-year old daughter, Hope who I was meeting for the very first time - she is a real little darling (five-year old son, Finn, was at school). It was so great to see Fleur again. Fleur's husband, Martyne was away on business so I was still not going to get to meet him but Fleur drove me to their home in Melbourne for a meal and rest and to determine if I'd stay two days with them before going to Des's place - at Clifton Springs, an hour away on the huge (about 100 mile around) Port Phillip Bay that Port Phillip and Melbourne city are on the inland coast of. We decided that due to Maureen's condition I should go directly to Des and June's place. (It meant that I would not get to meet Finn until Sunday when Fleur came back to Clifton Springs.) Fleur drove me there - a bit over an hour's drive. All the way, Hope sang and talked happily to the little stuffed animal that I had brought from Los Angeles for her. We arrived there about 2:30 pm local time.

It was so great to see Des and June again - it had been far too long. They settled me in and Junie gave me a tour of their wonderful house and large grounds and gardens with a great view of the huge bay - we caught up on things a bit and had a late, 9:00 pm dinner, got the latest update from younger brother, Warren in New Zealand on Maureen's condition and I asked advice on whether I should fly there as soon as a flight was available. Warren said that Maureen was in a medically induced coma and that she wouldn't know that I was there so there was no point in going. I considered the idea of going to just give her the unconscious person assists but realized that she was supposed to stay in the coma to heal and it would be counter-productive to pull her out of it as is done for an accident-injury coma where the person can't wake up. Warren and Lyn were definitely staying in New Zealand to be near Maureen. We all determined I should stay in Australia and monitor the situation from there. Unfortunately this meant that I would not be seeing Warren and Lyn and Maureen's family at all this trip but of all the family members I had seen them most recently so I had to be satisfied with that. After getting the news from New Zealand I got some long delayed sleep.

Wednesday, 17th November after a wonderful comfortable sleep I was up and showered and out for breakfast and further chatting and catching up with my big brother and my wonderful sister-in-law. We had a pleasant lunch and then set out on a drive to show me round the parameter of the large peninsula called "The Bellarine", that Clifton Springs is part of and that juts obliquely into huge Port Phillip Bay (creating its own smaller St Leonard's Bay - a bay within a bay). We saw Portarlington, Indented Head and went all the way to Point Londsdale where we could look out to the open sea of Bass Straight and see the opposite peninsular that helped create the huge bay. Then we were off home again. It was a very pleasant drive and a great look around a very lovely area. We watched the news on TV and had dinner and then updated the news on Maureen's progress in intensive care at the hospital in New Zealand. Things were still a bit uncertain - the doctors originally had not expected her to survive but she is tough and was busily proving them wrong so that things looked more positive now. So off we went to bed.

Thursday, 18th November - up, showered and breakfast and we set off before lunch for a day trip. This time we went directly across The Bellarine peninsular through Drysdale and Wallington to the beautiful open ocean coast and Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads (where we stopped for a very enjoyable lunch) There was a beautiful surf beach and it was quite windy, with wind-surfers and kite-surfers and a short walk to a lookout and a little further on was the lighthouse. Then we drove on as far as Torquay still on the coast before we made our way home across the peninsula with several stops to look for garden things that Des and June were wanting. It was a wonderful day of new discoveries for me. We watched the TV news and had a super dinner again thanks to June's great cooking skills. After getting the update on Maureen's very slow improvement Des went off to bed to read and June and I watched the movie "Moe's Last Dancer" and then I checked my email and off to bed.

Friday, 19th November, 2010 - up and showered and breakfast. I helped hang out the washing to dry and went shopping with June. I tried to get some US dollars changed at the small local bank and they wouldn't change them as none of my notes were "perfect enough"!!! After lunch we set off on another outing to Queenscliff on a small peninsula at the end of the large peninsula we had been exploring each day. It is a wonderful place with great old hotel buildings, old homes, a fort and ferry berth for the large vehicular ferry that goes across the bay to the peninsula on the other side of the bay opening. I changes US dollars there without them giving it a second thought. We stopped for garden things for their amazing garden again on the way home and had another delicious dinner after watching the news on TV. We caught up on the family news from New Zealand and Maureen's slowly improving condition and then June and I set about watching another movie - about the history of a Hungarian family from the late 1800's through to current times. It was a bit of a slog and June went to sleep part way through and then went off to bed. I checked my email and hit the bed myself.

Saturday 20th, November - up showered and breakfast. I washed June's car for her and then I sat out in the garden and did a pastel drawing of one of the garden areas. As we were sitting down to lunch, Des and June's oldest child, Dean arrived with his wife, Vicki and their 15 year old twins, Phoebe and Liam - who I had not seen since I held them in my arms when they were a few months old! It was so great to see them all again! We all had a great catch up and a pleasant afternoon. Phoebe helped me downloading my eBooks onto Des's computer so June could have a read of them and Des and Dean with Liam's help, cooked a great BBQ dinner with chops, sausages, chicken-skewers and seafood. Vicki had brought some very nice Italian starter-snacks before dinner and after dinner June presented a fabulous pavlova desert - the favorite for both me and Liam. June said it was for my birthday, which had been a couple of weeks earlier and for Liam. It was a really big meal and I got away with a glass of wine without any adverse effects. We got an update on Maureen's slowly improving condition in New Zealand and then we had fun until midnight with Dean being the life of the party due to having just a little more wine that the others present. Great fun! They all stayed over-night.

Sunday 21st November 2010 - up and showered and breakfast before most of the others were up - except for Des who is always up first. Soon we were all up and about sitting in the sun in the garden where I totally neglected a hat an started a pretty good sunburn on my face. We had a chatty morning tea and Fleur arrived from Melbourne with young Finn and Hope. I finally got to know Finn, a very in-communication and bright little lad who made friends very fast. We all had a pleasant lunch and then a pleasant afternoon tea - still out on the lawn in the sun - and finally I had to say goodbye to Dean, Vicki and the twins as they went off on their faily long drive home. This was going to be my last day at Des and June's place as I was going to go back and spend my last full day in Australia exploring Melbourne city from Fleur and Martyn's place where I would spend two nights and then catch my plane back to the USA. I got packed up and after Fleur bathed and fed the kids I gave my appreciation for a wonderful stay and said goodbye for now to my big brother, Des and his wife, June - then Fleur, me and the kids set off for Melbourne city. When we arrived the kids went off to bed and Fleur made a great dinner for the two of us and then while she prepared for an important interview with an architect the next day I watched the movie "Moulin Rouge" and then we were off to bed.

Monday, 22nd November - up and showered and breakfast and prepare for a day in the city. We all got in the car and got the kids started on their day - we dropped Hope off at her "pre-pre-school" and I got to take Finn in to his school while Fleur did a quick trip to the doctor to get her injured toe dressed. Then Fleur made the time to drop me off at the main square down town before going off to her appointment with the rather famous architect. It was 10:00 am and she arranged to pick me up at 4:30 pm so I'd have six and a half hours to wander around and get to know the city. I did just that - going to the tourist center and getting gifts for friends, visiting the art gallery and the arts center, Albert Park, the memorial shrine, the botanical gardens (where I had a pleasant lunch), a river walk, the South Gate area with riverside restaurants and shops, and the main down-tone shopping area. I got souvenirs and some goodies for our dinner and then went to our pre-determined meeting place where Fleur arrived promptly and collected me. We picked up the kids and were off home to their place for play, kids dinner and bath and bed - TV news and salmon and salad dinner with strawberries and cream and chie tea for us adults. Fleur prepared for her trip. She is going to be taking the kids right across the continent to their other grandma's place so she can meet Martyn in New York to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary and she is leaving the day after she gets me off to the USA. I watched the movie "Up In The Air" and then packed for an early departure to the airport in the morning and went to bed.

Tuesday 23, November 2010 - up showered and breakfast. We got the kids and my bags into the car and I took Finn into school and said goodbye to him while Fleur stopped by the library and then we dropped Hope at her play-school. Fleur dropped me at the airport where we said our goodbyes. It was about 9:30 I think and my plane went at 12:00 noon so I had comfortable time to change my Australian money back to US dollars, get through immigration and customs, grab a little snack and get on the flight without a mad rush. I had an isle seat next to a very pleasant your man from Melbourne who is currently living in Vancouver, Canada and was returning there after being home for his sister's wedding. He had a high affinity and great smile and we chatted away for quite a bit of the flight. I watched more movies - "The Other Guys" and an animation one, "Madagascar". Meals were fair and we landed about 6:45 am local LA time after about 14 hours in the air and no real sleep. I got a shuttle home and started unpacking and catching up on communications - e-mail to Suesan in Las Vegas - Sue let me know she was off to her sister's in San Francisco for Thanksgiving - (Jackie having Thanksgiving with her kids) - Joe's girlfriend, Vivian off to her family for Thanksgiving - Joe having Thanksgiving with me per our long tradition. So off I went without any sleep and did all the shopping to cook a Thanksgiving turkey dinner! Finally I got some sleep - I don't know why but it wasn't enough!

Wednesday 24, November I was back to work training staff at the medical center down town Los Angeles and then went to lunch with my boss and the son of the owner of the Texas hotel where my boss is being resident consultant. When I got home I prepared all the turkey and trimmings ready to go in the oven the next day.

Thursday 25th November 2010 - Thanksgiving day. I got the oven going early and by the time Joe arrived at noon everything was cooked and ready to go - turkey and stuffing, sweet potatoes, yams, pumpkin, spinach, broccoli, onion, gravy, cranberry sauce, fruit juices, pumpkin pie, ice cream. cream - the works. We ate until we could eat no more and then watched a couple of movies on TV and chatted to catch up on each others news. We repeated the meal again at dinner time and then Joe went off having to work the following day, which I was not required to do.

Friday 26th November my trip with the stress about Maureen's condition and lack of sleep from the point I left Australia to return home, seemed to catch up on me and I felt a slight cold coming on so I dosed up with vitamins and spent most of the day catching up on sleep.

Saturday 27th, November 2010 was a lazy day watching TV and catching up on things that needed to be done - including writing this blog entry. I continue to get daily news on Maureen's condition in New Zealand and happily she is continuing to improve so we are planning on having our sibling reunion at some future date.

More next time.

Love to all,
Barry