Off the bench!

Today is a big day for me…it’s my 2nd anniversary since What The?! Day. *

Two years ago, something went bung in my brain! I stood frozen still, couldn’t move anything, couldn’t speak. But I could hear everything, although from far away, in a fog of time. They thought I’d had a stroke.

I was very, very lucky, all the scans were clear.

After about two hours my speech was normal, though laboured, and I could walk with support. Huh?!

Now repeat many times. Add alternating wheelchair, wheelie-walker, and walking stick.

⊗

Fast forward 2 years…

I’m getting back to normal, only a bit to go. I choose to think of all the gains I’ve made, even the small ones. I’ve learned to adapt and still be me, even if I have to think around obstacles. And I haven’t lost my sense of humour!

But…I’m getting back out there! Yay! You can’t keep a good day tripper down!!

So I’ve put my gumboots near the back door for my goal to bushwalk again. And I have my khaki jacket with pockets for stuff…rocks, camera gear, rubbish, binoculars.

So this afternoon, on the 2nd anniversary, I put on my coat again and we went for a drive as the sun was going down.

Taemas bridge over the Murrumbidgee

We parked at Taemas Bridge on Wee Jasper Road, with a coffee and a sandwich.

The bridge of steel and concrete crosses mostly a sandy bed and exposed tree trunks. Red clay gullies slash the impossible near-vertical hillside. Wire fences straddle the climb in mid-air. (How did they build those fences?)

In the hazy shadows at the water’s edge, we spotted a white crane wading. It jumped up on a rock ledge to join a blue crane.

Yep, it’s beautiful out there guys, that’s what really counts!  *18 May 2016. I wasn’t able to take new photos so I’ve recycled one that shows how it looked.

For more information on neurological symptom disorders like mine, these are great resources and support and have helped me so much:

http://www.neurosymptoms.org    and   http://www.fndhope.org

A weekend of Aussie wonders

Last weekend was a most amazingly diverse kaleidoscope of a few of my very favourite things – from ancient maps and antique ships at two museums…to a light show festival…to the waters of Sydney Harbour…to coffee by a fountain and brunch by a lake!

Ok, they were not all off the beaten track – but sometimes you’ve got to play ‘tourist’ in your own backyard too!

Here is a smattering of the pics I took (although I didn’t take the new camera or tripod, being ‘on the hoof’ and à la backpack).

It was the most wondrous weekend and it looked something like this:

Just our little old picnic spot down the road!

The grand icons of stunning Sydney Harbour

HMAS Vampire (1956) and HMAS Onslow submarine (1968)

Paddleboats, King St wharf, Darling Harbour

Chinese Garden of Friendship, Darling Harbour, Sydney

Friday night: Night session at the ‘Mapping Our World’ exhibition at the National Library of Australia in Canberra

Friday night was one of the special event openings of this exhibition. It was great to be able to wander through after hours.

Many of the maps have never been seen in Australia, some have never been out of their home country. They included:

* the maps made by Captain Cook, who charted the east coast of Australia, paving the way for the penal colony of New South Wales * Matthew Flinders’ instruments and charts * Medieval maps of the ‘known world’ and a few guesses at the unknown * Maps from the 9th to 11th centuries, including a reproduction of the work of Ptolemy from the 2nd century AD.

It was so engrossing, two hours flew by. I was awestruck to see artifacts that are so old and to gain insight into how people viewed the world then.

ENLIGHTEN Festival, Canberra

We then wandered outside in the Parliamentary Triangle to see the national buildings illuminated with intricate slides and patterns. There was a food fair, music and performances in the gardens and parks between the monumental buildings of Canberra. Just magical!

Saturday: Lake Burrinjuck picnic via Good Hope Rd, Yass NSW

Just our little old picnic spot down the road!

After the late night we decided on a lazy picnic at one of our favourite spots. Cue meandering cows, a flock of pelicans soaring and landing on the dwindled lake, a sea eagle overhead, (the only faint hum of) wave jumpers and water skiers, all with a backdrop of an ancient rock wall and a purple, swelling storm front.

Sunday: Drive to Sydney via the Southern Highlands detour, to stay at Ultimo

A great Wotif.com discovery of a large double room with balcony, 2 blocks from the Powerhouse Museum and a nice easy walk past terraced houses and converted historic warehouses to Darling Harbour. All for only AUD $130 per night!

Monday: (Canberra long weekend)

Lunch cruise on Sydney Harbour, wander around Darling Harbour

Stunning Sydney Harbour

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With some time before our harbour cruise we wandered through the beautiful Chinese Garden of Friendship at Darling Harbour.

Chinese Garden of Friendship, Darling Harbour, Sydney

Then after the cruise we strolled around Darling Harbour some more, having coffee at the Lindt Chocolate Cafe by the brolga fountain, browsed the shops at Harbourside, and pottered around the antique ships moored at the National Maritime Museum.

We’ll be back to Darling Harbour some time as I want to explore inside the Onslow submarine and the replica of the ‘Endeavour’, the ship that Captain Cook sailed to Australia and the Pacific in 1770.

HMAS Vampire (1956) and HMAS Onslow submarine (1968)

Paddleboats, King St wharf, Darling Harbour

Oh and we bought the obligatory tacky souvenir magnet for the fridge!  ♦

The next few posts will feature these destinations with more photos.

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Photos taken with my old Canon Powershot A550, 8-10 March 2014