Back in the Northern Territory.

In a literary sense; after all I am a Lit/Eng teacher, this past week should be called ‘the hounds of hell nipping at our feet while we bravely laugh in their faces’.

Friday 25^th October Nick and I along with George left Adelaide for Darwin at 8.40am; well we attempted to do so and finally succeeded. I dropped Nick off at The Memorial Hospital and drove to Adelaide airport, booked in our bags, picked up seat tickets etc. and waited for a wheel chair assisted taxi, a son and husband. None turned up with my loved ones; I paced the airport car park in 9 C weather with wind chill factor way below my comfort zone. I wore jeans, walking shoes, a cotton long sleeved shirt and light weight jerkin – I was going to Darwin heat 35C no breeze humidity 100%!!!!!. A missed phone call from the hospital alerted me to catastrophe, to be told they had left already, more pacing inside and out, it kept me warm, another missed call – stupid phone sound were on mute – what idiot did that, highest call sound phone in jeans pocket. Phone call from Nick – taxi did not come Dad back in hospital stay there hospital trying to get us on next flight at 12.30pm. Drank a very large hot chocolate and ate some gluten free thingy and waited after getting baggage off earlier flight and cancelling tickets explaining the problems. Wait, all travel done through Department of veterans Affairs in Brisbane QLD, they are on normal summer time, SA is on daylight savings time, NT on Central Australian time and we had to wait till officers were opened, all a difference of 90 minutes to QLD and 30 mins to the NT.

Pacing now with a luggage trolley loaded with 3 peoples bags in my left hand, a wheel chair loaded with my computer bag and handbag in  y left and now pacing at 11.30 at the taxi rank, just ready to morph into a monster and start ripping heads off taxi drivers. The men arrive, dad in his wool jumper, beany and jeans, yes warm, me now covered up in my purple hoody that I extricated from one of our bags son Nick took one look and laughed out loud. Got to new airline counter to be told we did not have wheel chair access, Nick lost the plot, counter man took pity on us and we were given up front second row seats with wheel chair access. Quite impressive performance when Nick gets frustrated in public. Toileting and lunch 10 minutes to go to our early boarding and they tell me Dad has had a fall to the floor that morning. I sat stunned then segued into an interrogator of M16 standard. In retrospect I should have cancelled the flight and returned to the hospital but I didn’t and we boarded and performed contortions to get us into the second row seats, one unable to move without aid from 2 people, but with some kind airline people we made it. I then had Nick tell me everything that had happened in sequence as I prepared a report in my head to DVA and the hospital.

Darwin, heat, humidity, taxi, family and hospital, home; I logged in George’s fall and asked for a doctor who came and examined him, got Panadol and helped him settle in, he looked dreadful and I think my heart was about to stop from fear. I still cannot write about it within crying. Back in early Saturday morning to find he had woken in the night screaming in pain from leg cramps and had to be held in a shower and then sedated to help him relax. More doctor talk from all of us, the two sons stayed guard all day and I took over that night. Sunday I took first visit and met the physiotherapist who I had taught at Katherine High School years ago, made me feel very old, and spoke very firmly to staff about reading his medical reports before asking him to get out of his wheel chair which he cannot currently do. I used a tone of voice I learned in the Army and it worked, with a semi smile but with tone. Family came, tablets worked, church members came and we all laughed a lot recounting silly things such as the Monty Python team act George put on after we woke from his operation. All feeling better, exhausted but calmer, me only crying on occasions when no one is around or talking on the phone to sympathetic DVA staff members

Monday what rolled out and the subsequent 4 days was something that Patton’s 5^th Armoured Corp could have emulated. Physio, medical help for pneumonia that we didn’t know he had, support from DVA and other organisations, visits to chemo and radiation, daughter Thea and granddaughters Holly (10) and Tahlia (8) flew in on Thursday. A car crash on Friday after a storm as another car slide into the back of my car, the washing machine finally dying and me steaming into a shop to buy a new one, Goy (daughter in law) and I ripped apart the boxing and installed it and love using it. Family all talking at once, phone calls from others joining the debate(s); just seeing George respond to physio and now able to move with the aid of a walker to bath and toilet and care for himself as he wants to do-  Heaven !!!

George home – by the end of the month all going well with a 12 week intensive support system in place, chemo and radiation treatment for 6 of those weeks.

Today is Sunday and after church I make a load of hot scones, with jam and cream and we all troop into the hospital to eat them with father. Activities that are part of our memories of 43 years, comfort, safety and lots of laughter, in other words -Family history.