To be said in defence of Sherman, he never let us down on the road at all. Even starting first crank after standing in the snow for two days. The only problem we had was blowing a couple of radiator tubes, but to be fair, he waited till we were safely in Dunedin before that happened. I rather think that it was probably righteous indignation taking the form of a very mild protest at what he was being asked to do.
I think that if I was to pack again for a trip like this that I would take a lot less in the way of clothing. Some of the stuff we took didnt even come out of the bags. Soft bags are definitely the way to go as they pack a lot easier. Our system of one carry in, one reserve clothing & a combined bag for woolies worked well. Don't forget to include an empty bag to stow your washing in.
One thing we found is that all Motels now have full wet walkin shower facilities in at least one generally two of their units. don't be scared to ask for them. Motel owners by & large will go a very long way out of their way to make sure things are right for you.
Prescription medicines & specialist foods are a big consideration as well. Make sure you take more than enough. I ran out of my blood pressure tablets while away & it was a bit of a hassle getting them. If you have to do it, allow at least two days for hiccups. Find a friendly chemist in the neighborhood & ask if its OK. Then get his fax number to give to your doctor's receptionist to send it through to. Remember too that if it is repeat medicine, to only order a months worth, as repeats half a country away aren't really a lot of use. For Jude's Fortisip, our Chemist filled a 3 month scrip for us in one hit when I told her our plans. I also took anextra carton or two that we already had. Not wanting to run out, I also asked our Dr. for an extra months worth in the form of a scrip. This he was happy to do.
Take care of yourself when you are on the road. The most spine chilling moment for me of the whole trip was when I found out that a cast on my arm rendered my car insurance void. It's a dreadful feeling being stranded away from home especially when you are trying to give your darling the holiday of a lifetime. I opted not to wear the sling they gave me & to get rolling again as soon as we could. I would be lying if I said it was an easy road, especially with dire warnings of possible future need for surgery ringing in my ears. My rationale was that at least by that time, I would be home & have familiar support systems in place to be able to cope with it. Still, loading & unloading bags & wheelchairs with a bent wing isn't an easy call. Still, pain killers are your friend in that situation. It turns out that according to the Orthopaedics guy that I saw today, I did the right thing. Wearing a sling extends rehabilitation by another 2 to 3 months while you build your arm muscles up again & gain back the movement in your shoulder. Its apparently going to take a couple or three months for it to come right anyway, but at least I can care for Jude properly in the meantime.
One of the first things I did when we got home was put Jude on the scales. We were both shocked to find that she had lost another 10kg & subsequently, she has increased her Fortisip intake to 6 bottles a day. Time will tell if this is enough.
So here we are home again. Jude is happy as a sandboy with a heap of fond memories. I'm sore, hurt in places I didn't know I had from pushing a wheelchair round & absolutely exhausted.. Would I do it all again ? Hell yeah.. Well maybe in about 3 months when I have fully recovered & my arm stops hurting, but yes, with no hesitation at all.
Happiness is a warm bear home safe & sound.. Paddington would like to thank everybody for helping to give his Mum a wonderful holiday & lots of lovely memories.. It is time for a little bear to rest happily for a while now Thx, Bai XXXXXXXXXXXX
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