Well, you read the first post – perhaps – and now we have to tell you that things haven’t quite gone according to plan. Having spent 7 months or more planning this trip, making bookings, and looking forward to a different-for-us adventure with friends, we are now a smaller, sadder, contingent having left Sylvia and Brian behind. Sylvia, unfortunately, ended up in hospital yesterday undergoing surgery for a broken hip. So sad for them, and so sad for us.
To compound matters, at the very time Sylvia was under the surgeon’s knife, so was our son, Evan – in South Korea, for a badly broken arm. He’s there on a short teacher exchange program and broke his arm during a school water sports excursion. That’s what happens, I suppose, when you participate wholeheartedly in an adventure!
Yesterday was therefore spent communicating with education department and Korean contacts re Evan, and Brian and NT tourist operators re holiday plan rejigging. Thank goodness for the Internet and mobile phones!
Consequently, it’s not with the cheeriest of hearts that we set off from home at 5.15 this morning to fly to Adelaide … But, hopefully, as we start the journey proper, enjoyment can’t help but come.
Meanwhile, please, everyone, watch out for tricksy obstacles and risky water sports.
So sad to hear. Indeed us sandwich generation are often coping with illnesses and dramas from both parents and children but now from friends too!
Best wishes to both Sylvia and Evan for their respective recoveries and hope you two have a fun but carefuL journey (was going to write “trip”)!
Haha Marie … Just as well you’re a word person! As for being careful, with these two and Janet M in mind, I notice I’m being very careful! I’m preferring stairs to escalators BUT I have my hand hovering over the railings?
How soon earth did six foot Evan qualify for a short teacher exchange program?
Probably because he’s just under 6 feet!!
Grandma, you’re the best in the world. xx
OMG Sue!! What a shock to read all that. Hope you have a really good time, despite this. Will be thinking of you
TAKE CARE!
Shock to us too Celeste … Still not sure about Evan and whether we’ll need to finish our trip early. It’s a very bad break which will have a long recovery. And poor Sylvia. All that work we all did planning, prebooking tours etc. Thanks, though, we will be as careful as we can.
Hi Sue and Len,
Oh dear, what a shame! So sorry to hear of Sylvia’s and Evan’s misadventures. Poor things! I do hope that they heal up and recover as soon as possible! Thinking of you both, and thinking too of Evan, and of Sylvia and Brian. Take care and enjoy your time away.
It sure is Mary … Our hearts are heavy. It’s sad not feeling light and happy as we set off today on the train but life, as a story I read last week said, has detours! You just have to make the best of them, don’t you.
Glad you guys got away. I hope Evan is OK.
It is good we can still keep in touch when travelling. Enjoy Adelaide and the Centre.
Thanks Kate. Yes, we are lucky in that. Though communicating with Evan is tricky because of where he is and what’s happened. We can’t phone him it seems, or with ease anyhow, but he did manage to punch out a brief email using his left hand last night so that was wonderful. I reckon he needs to get into the voice recognition software but not easy to do that when you are in a shared hospital room.
I’m making plans to FaceTime/Skype with him this week xx
Great Hannah. I hope we’ll be able to do so too. Just arriving in Alice right now.
Len and Sue,
I too want to join in my disappointment for you and concern for your good friends and of course for Evan! WHAT A BUMMER! No way to have to start an anticipated journey without the good friends that you had looked so forward to having be a part of your adventure, I must say. Talk about dampening the spirit!! Then to have Evan out of pocket in South Korea with a badly broken arm….. I know you are both worried. But I expect he will do well and I certainly hope so! Concern for Sylvia and your Evan will certainly color your enthusiasm BUT I hope you have wonderful adventures and enjoy each others company in spite of the inauspicious beginning of the travel.
Still, travel is an opportunity for enlightenment…. so I am still hoping for the best for this adventure for the two of you. Perhaps you would worry even more about Evan if you were still home and had no distractions to curb your worry and how much can you do for him when he is so far away. I wish both Evan and Sylvia speedy and STRONG recoveries. Thank you again for sharing your travel with those of us who cannot get away and long to do so. Keep us posted as we will worry some with you and I’ll send prayers and good vibes for Evan and Sylvia for quick recoveries with the idea that all good thoughts bring better healing. I know it has been working for me!
Trudy for Trudy and Carter
Thanks Trudy. It has certainly put a dampener on it all, but people on the train have been friendly and the warmth of the Centre is s positive thing.
Hope your next round of treatment has got off to a good start. Thinking of you.