2011
Paradise Regained – Almost!
18 October 2011
It was almost going to be good news this morning - Cathy back in Oz, me back in Ubud, and I was going to write this morning about the rice crop beginning to show the yellowing of its ripening grains, but it was not to be. After all day at the hospital yesterday and the tests showing Cathy was fit to fly and would not need oxygen on the flight, the hospital did not get the clearance to the Insurance company in time for them to book her on last night's flight - so she has another 24 hours to endure before being back with her family. I went back down to BIMC in Kuta with her yesterday and waited with her while they did the blood tests and she had a consultation with the doctor after- then was called back to do the tests again as they showed too positive a result - too much oxygen in her blood this time!!! So they did a second test and another consultation - then we went across the road to the mall for lunch (not as simple as it sounds - had to drive a couple of kilometres to cross the road!!) When we got back Cathy was totally exhausted so we asked a nurse to find her a quiet pace to lie down and rest until the night flight while the Admin staff did the paper work to arrange the flight. When Cathy was settled I said my goodbyes and left to come back to Ubud as I had been offered a lift. It was about 4 pm and I'd been there with her since 9 am - sitting in the waiting area. It all seemed set for her to leave later that night, so I was OK about leaving her to rest. Then I got a very unhappy sms from Cathy about 8.30 pm that she was not getting flown home after all. A huge disappointment - especially as she had been let down on Friday night too. She went to a Kuta hotel and will rest up there all day today and be on tonight's flight - the one good thing about this is Alex's mother Fleur is flying home on tonight's direct Garuda flight too so she will have someone with her. It has all gone on too long for Cathy. I offered to go back down today to keep her company but she just wants to rest up at the hotel and await the news re tonight's flight - and generously thinks I need to sit quiet myself, back here in Ubud.
However we did have quite a pleasant weekend up at Josh's and then Sunday night at Alex's. Cathy was able to rest a lot and become a bit more independent, learning to unhitch her brace, take showers and in general move again with the support the brace provided. On Saturday we had a lovely lunch with Fleur and Yoga just near Josh's at the pretty West End cafe where I had had my birthday brunch last year (Alex was called away to a meeting just as we sat down). Then we had Jasmin with us Sunday morning and later in the day took her with us to Alex's where Cathy could sit back on one of the rattan chairs by the pool and hold court with the various family members as they arrived home. Fleur and Alex cooked a gourmet Neil Perry fish curry and home- grown mulberry crumble and the table was set in Bali-style splendour for a grand dinner to welcome Cathy back from the week's ordeal. I supervised Alby and Jazz cooking cupcakes which were a great success at afternoon tea time - even if we all ended up chocolate-smeared. Siobhan and Jumaadi came too - they're now back from Siobhan's PhD research in Holland and are living near Alex and Yoga's while Siobhan writes up her thesis on Balinese classical art. It was a lovely evening! That night we slept with the frog chorus from the rice fields only metres away and left early to drive to the hospital an hour away down south.
One amazing story of the way we all link up in this world. Before I left Australia my San Francisco friend, Gretchen had said a friend of hers was going to be in Bali with her husband and mother-in-law on a holiday and could she give them my contact details. Well, Mindy and I exchanged a few emails and agreed to meet up when they were in Ubud after the writers festival - we were only going to coincide in Ubud a few days this week. I got a call from her while I was at Alex's on Sunday night. I quickly explained I could not see her until at least Tuesday as I would be down at BIMC all day Monday. And it turns out their holiday plans have been drastically changed by her husband having an acute appendicitis attack the day they arrived - last Thursday down in the Kuta area. And he is in BIMC having been taken there and operated on. Mindy was going to be there visiting him yesterday too as I was waiting with Cathy. So we met in the waiting room! Her husband has been very ill indeed, his appendix having burst, but once again thank god for the excellent professional services of BIMC. Mindy and I got on really well - Cathy too. We all went together to lunch while Mindy's husband - with the rather dangerous name of Jinx- was sleeping. When we got back she and Jinx's mother had another visit with him and when they came down I got a lift back to Ubud with them. Hope to see them again tonight.
PS. Cathy is safely home! She had an excellent restful Business Class flight. Very relieved to be home, and is already launching back into her Sydney life - not too fast I hope! Sees her GP tomorrow to find out what else she needs to do to get fully well again.
However we did have quite a pleasant weekend up at Josh's and then Sunday night at Alex's. Cathy was able to rest a lot and become a bit more independent, learning to unhitch her brace, take showers and in general move again with the support the brace provided. On Saturday we had a lovely lunch with Fleur and Yoga just near Josh's at the pretty West End cafe where I had had my birthday brunch last year (Alex was called away to a meeting just as we sat down). Then we had Jasmin with us Sunday morning and later in the day took her with us to Alex's where Cathy could sit back on one of the rattan chairs by the pool and hold court with the various family members as they arrived home. Fleur and Alex cooked a gourmet Neil Perry fish curry and home- grown mulberry crumble and the table was set in Bali-style splendour for a grand dinner to welcome Cathy back from the week's ordeal. I supervised Alby and Jazz cooking cupcakes which were a great success at afternoon tea time - even if we all ended up chocolate-smeared. Siobhan and Jumaadi came too - they're now back from Siobhan's PhD research in Holland and are living near Alex and Yoga's while Siobhan writes up her thesis on Balinese classical art. It was a lovely evening! That night we slept with the frog chorus from the rice fields only metres away and left early to drive to the hospital an hour away down south.
One amazing story of the way we all link up in this world. Before I left Australia my San Francisco friend, Gretchen had said a friend of hers was going to be in Bali with her husband and mother-in-law on a holiday and could she give them my contact details. Well, Mindy and I exchanged a few emails and agreed to meet up when they were in Ubud after the writers festival - we were only going to coincide in Ubud a few days this week. I got a call from her while I was at Alex's on Sunday night. I quickly explained I could not see her until at least Tuesday as I would be down at BIMC all day Monday. And it turns out their holiday plans have been drastically changed by her husband having an acute appendicitis attack the day they arrived - last Thursday down in the Kuta area. And he is in BIMC having been taken there and operated on. Mindy was going to be there visiting him yesterday too as I was waiting with Cathy. So we met in the waiting room! Her husband has been very ill indeed, his appendix having burst, but once again thank god for the excellent professional services of BIMC. Mindy and I got on really well - Cathy too. We all went together to lunch while Mindy's husband - with the rather dangerous name of Jinx- was sleeping. When we got back she and Jinx's mother had another visit with him and when they came down I got a lift back to Ubud with them. Hope to see them again tonight.
PS. Cathy is safely home! She had an excellent restful Business Class flight. Very relieved to be home, and is already launching back into her Sydney life - not too fast I hope! Sees her GP tomorrow to find out what else she needs to do to get fully well again.