Touchdown

I am back home:):):) and surprise, surprise, it is raining, lol.  I had a good trip over with three flights, the best thing - being able to check my suitcase in at Geraldton and picking it of the carousel at Auckland, no lugging it through Perth and Melbourne airports :). 

This time last week I had begun my first week back at work after my hospital visit.  I had a wonderful return with the little lads running and leaping into my arms - Lean, Lean (Lynn in Aussi, lol), chatter, chatter. There was a lot of catching up - the babies have more teeth and are crawling/standing, the little lads are using more and more words and it was only three weeks since I last saw them.  I had got them all a book each for Christmas so took them along and what a huge success that was.  After dinner and the books had been unwrapped, all the couches were filled and stories were being read to all.  I put two of the little lads to bed that night and we had to read through everything again, and then for the rest of the week, they slept with their books in their beds.  The second night, I had to lift books from underneath one of the lads so he could sleep more comfortably. 

I worked three afternoon shifts, then had two days off then the weekend and a morning shift.  We had a great weekend, mostly chilling out of the heat of the day, colouring in, watching movies, and doing some baking,  then having water play in the afternoon, filling up two paddling pools and playing with the hose on spraying each other. On the Thursday I had a very slow day - I had got up  at 6am to do some gardening before the heat came out and started to get some pain - I had been taking my tablets at 7.00am  and then doing some chores so have worked out that no matter what time I get up, I need to take my tablets then, and then begin to get moving regardless of the time.  Went out to dinner on the Thursday night and lunch on Friday to farewell friend Donna for her move to Perth while trying to pack and getting the house ready for inspection the day after I left. 

Did more tidying away and last minute stuff Monday night and Tuesday morning.  Donna, bless her, midst all her moving preparations, called round Monday evening to help me by sweeping and mopping laundry, sunroom, and kitchen floors while I steam cleaned the shower and did the bathroom, porch windows and dishes.  Was up at 5am on Tuesday morning (took tablets) and by 5.30am was outside putting weeds into the rubbish bin to go that morning (again to beat the heat and the rubbish collectors).  I had a chiropractor apt at 8.15am - made it with minutes to spare, then went back home and mowed the lawns, finished packing, emptied out the fridge, mopped the lounge again, finally shutting the door behind me, loading luggage into car just after midday.  Got completely stressed when my printer would not work to print out my tickets, so thought I would be able to do it at Bronwyn and Gerards - wrong, their internet was not up so headed to see Gerard at work to hand over car and keys for them to look after whilst I was away.  Got there to find he was flat tack but fortunately eldest daughter was just coming off shift so it was decided she would drive me to the airport, bringing my car back to theirs.  I had a hair apt at 1.30am and had fixed in my mind that I was leaving at 4.30pm for Perth. 

Managed to get hair done by 2.30am, then after dash back to Gerard's work to drop something off we headed to the airport.  Because my car is a challenge to start (you have to push the clutch in and across tot he left), I left the car running while I got my bags out so Bri could just get in and drive, and off she went.  I had given myself an hour to be at the airport  before my flight was due and was bang on time, only to work in and find the place looking like the Marie Celeste (deserted ship - google, interesting story, lol), in semi darkness and no one about.  I surprised one of the shop staff who had her head in a fridge when I approached her to ask where everyone else was, only to be told that the next flights out were not before 5.40pm.  Brain working a trifle slow due to not eating anything so far for the day, just surviving on coffee and water, I thought, duh, just fire up lap top to look at tickets, which I did, only to find MY flight out was not due until 6.00pm.  Double duh and arrggghhhhh - two and a half hours to go!!!!  Fortunately tennis was on telly so sat back after doing some last minute aussi banking and watched Nadal's game until finally it was time to board.  Not long after I arrived at the airport, the sky had changed to very dark grey and then thunder and lightening started, followed by downpour of rain and the news that one of the airlines was going to be 30 mins late (not mine, thank goodness). 

All was good for the flight down to Perth - we flew down the coast line over the ocean for most of the way.  All flights were ok, slept some, ate the meals provided and slept some more.  Had one interesting moment in Melbourne airport when bells went off as I walked through the machine beside the luggage xray machine.  As it had not happened at Perth, I was initially puzzled until the woman said it was going off around chest height - big ooops and shriek of laughter as I fished out my phone from bra where I had tucked it earlier and then forgotten about it.  I was tested for explosives in Perth and passed/failed which ever way you look at it and had the sniffer dogs crawl over my bag in Auckland where I passed through the final gate with no problems at all, to see sister Kay and friend Viv waiting there for me.  Since then I have been laid low with a flu bug of some sort so will sign off for now and head to bed hopefully feeling MUCH better tomorrow. :)