Blue Mountain Pics

A year already and photo's for Jack.

Well my lovely one's today is going to be I don't know, is self indulgent the right word?  I don't think so, but somehow allowing myself to feel a bit down is a self indulgent thing  to be doing.

I can't believe it, but it's been a year since my friend Jack died.  It's funny that today is his anniversary because as I was making my juice yesterday he popped into my head.  Was he someone trying to prepare me for today?  I don't know.  I also don't know why he death affected me so much, and continues to do so.  Not in the same way as before, but it still hurts, and it's strange because I really didn't know him that well.  It may have been because of our link of the TCT, or because he was so young compared to the other people who I have known and died in the past few years.  Since my diagnosis I have know more people to die than in the rest of my life - or maybe it just seems that way.  Maybe the diagnosis has made me more aware of life and how precious it is, and that not all of us are here for the same amount of time.

Today my true Marathon training began and I managed to run just under 4 miles in 34 minutes, and with the running comes thinking.  Thinking about keeping running, the next song, the next hill, university, money worries and of course the reason I am running.  Cancer.  Those I have met, the things I have done and the hope that I can help.  So before I head off to my Healing Journey (aka cancer course) meet tonight, I am going to put a few of the photographs from my travels of beauty and dedicate them to Jack.  And the hope that everything will make sense one day.

Recent check up and a few pics

Well my little bloglets,

Had my first 3 month check up (woop woop) on Thursday and the Leukaemic rate it still the same....good but I'm a bit bored now, want it to stop plateauing and go down... and my platelets have dropped a little bit to 104, but overall it's fine, and my consultant is happy.  Met her son which was funny - he has been doing some work experience, don't know if he wants to be a medic, or just needs to money after travelling in the hospital and was doing customer, or rather patient,  satisfaction  surveys.  We had a bit of banter about my being a student.  When I found out he was her son I told her I would have been much less complimentary and far ruder about both the clinic and her.  She thought that was very funny!

So anyways, I've jut done another film for jimmyteens so thought I would put some pics up like I said I would, and have been meaning to do.  Have only put a few of the places on this one as otherwise it will be a HUGE blog posting, and I'm about to go out, so will put more up in another one, probably tomorrow.

                                                                         My cake:

                                                                     
                                                                        Singapore:

Bali:

                                                                       
                                                                    Brisbane:

Back in Brixton

Well my lovelys,

I can't believe it, but I've actually been back for nearly a week because of bloody Irene and all flights to New York being grounded.  I was only meant to be landing today at Heathrow, but arrived last Tuesday morning at the lovely time of 07.30.  Thank you to my little Mummy for picking me up.

So New Zealand.  Well it was mind blowingly stunning.  I have never enjoyed coach journeys as much as I did there, until you have been there you can not begin to imagine how beautiful it is.  I do of course have a few (hundred) photo's, but as we all know, a photograph will never do whatever is being photographed true justice.  Sitting on the sofa whilst typing this and occasionally looking at the prison it's hard to believe that I was on the other side of the world this time last week!! 

Christchurch was absoutely fucking FREEZING!!  I think I mentioned this in my email about Melbourne.  Well it was, and I can still remember how bitterly cold it was.  To be fair it was probably as cold as it gets here in the winter, but it was a shock from Australia!!  I'm glad I went to Christchurch, mainly because I hadn't realised the true affect of the earthquake.  I know you are all probably thinking, how the hell can that be possible?!?!  But I don't really watch the news or read the paper as it's so fucking depressing, and the thought of sitting down and choosing to watch the devastation something like that causes makes me want to kill myself.  So seeing the ruined buildings and closed off streets - there were only a few roads you could actually walk down as all the others were barricaded off either because they are unsafe to walk down, or because re-building has begun and it's not safe to walk down - made it very, very real. I did however find an amazing cafe/restuarant place and had amazing food, so every cloud.....

I was only there for a day and a half, so wondered around the first day and found the botanical gardens so took lots of pictures of flowers in the snow, because it's so different when it happens there compared to here!!!!  The second day I thought about going outside and then thought better of it, so had a lie in, and caught up writing my diary and read etc.  I then got the coach to Kaikoura.

The bus to Kaikoura took about 3 hours and I had assumed that the coach would have a loo on it as all the the coaches in Australia did. I was wrong.  So about an hour in I needed to pee and was in fucking agony for an hour and a half!!  I actually thought I was going to wet myself.  Just as I thought I was about to explode I asked the driver how long until we would stop for a break, and luckily the answer was '5 mins'.  I have never been so happy in my life!!  And I didn't wet myself, woop woop!!!!  I think watching the scenery on the way helped my take my mind off it a bit.  It was all fields, mountains, hills, sheep and a surprisingly large amount of cows, and the sea and amazing sunset etc etc etc.

I arrived in Kaikoura in the dark and found my way to the Lazy Shag.  Please queue lots of laughing!!!  Apparently it's a bird, I'm a bit dubious.  And unfortunately it was all promises and nothing came to fruition.... anyways I had 2 nights there, and there were a couple of brits that I hung out with - fuck knows what they were called - and had a chilled out time.  I got up the next morning to go Whale Watching and fuck me, the town was next to an amazing range of mountains, and I had no idea there were there!!!  So that was a nice surprise, and yes, lots of photos were taken.  So I wondered down to the Whale Watching place only to be told that the 9am, yes that's right peeps, I was up at 8am, tour had been cancelled due to bad weather. As far as I could see it was a beautiful, ok a bit chilly, but a bright blue winters day with no clouds etc etc etc but apparently it wasn't like that at sea. Thank you, bloody arctic storm that had caused all the snow in Christchurch.  But at least my flight there wasn't grounded, so should be happy about that. They told me to go back at 1 pm which I did after a walk along the beach, taking more pics etc.  At 1pm I was told that the tours had been cancelled for the rest of the day.  Good.  But thank fuck the person behind the counter had more than 2 brain cells because she asked me how long I was in Kaikoura for and I said a day and a bit, so she asked me if I would like to go up in a plane instead?  It's only half an hour compared to 4 on a boat, but you get to see the whole whale from the air, rather than just bits from the boat.  So off I went to the plane place.

The plane trip was amazing!!  The plane was tiny, only carried, I think 8 people, and was quite possibly made out of tin cans, but the view were unbelievable AND we saw a whale - it's not guarenteed.  It looked pretty tiny, but then again it would do from the sky!!  It was a sperm whale and they hang out in the Kaikoura bay for 30 years eating and sleeping whilst they mature before heading out into the ocean never to go back to the coast.  So thank you person who worked at the boat bit!  The next morning I was up to get on yet another coach to Ohakune where a friend from school is.  I had also learnt my lesson from 2 days before and had nothing to drink before getting on that coach!!

Once again breath taking views on the way and arrived very excited and a bit thristy!  I spent I think 3 days there, but can't really remember now.  Isn't that awful?!?!  We didn't do much, went up the mountain (in Chris's van - I was astounded it made it up!) where I think the intention was to get me on a pair of skis.  I however had different ideas and sat and watched others with planks of plastic (or whatever skis and snowboards are made out of) strapped to their feet and hurled themselves down the mountain side whilst drinking a hot chocolate.  It was very pretty up there though.....  If any of you are interested to google where it was, the mountain is called Mount Ruapehu.  I also found out my favourite place name whilst I was there.  It's Whakapappa...but in Maori you pronounce wh as f, so it's Fakapappa (fuckapappa) so I basically spent my whole time there laughing.  Yes, I know, I'm a child.

So it was quite a sad little me waiting for the final coach to Auckland on the Thursday, as at school and yes I know it was a bloody long time ago, I spent 90% of my time with Chris and I think we have seen each other 4 times since we were 16.  But it was great to see him and to revert to being 16 year old me again.

Auckland was without my knowing it, my last proper stop (I don't count the 24 hours in LA really as I basically didn't leave the hotel I stayed in for the night).  I saw my lovely Cousin who is out there for 6 months.  I arrived on the Thurs night and one of her flattys very kindly leant her their car so I was picked up from the coach terminal.  We went out for sups and then headed back to her house.  On the Friday Tave had work so I pootled into Auckland and spend the afternoon walking around.  As I didn't really know what to do, or where to go, I followed the city walking tour that's in the Lonely Planet and it was actually really good.  I also headed out to a park whose name I have forgotten.  I have now discovered the park is a volcano.  I also didn't realise how volcanic Auckland is and all the little islands/volcano's that make it up.  On the Saturday we were up REALLY early and got a ferry to Rangitoto which is only a baby at 600 years old and walked up it.  We then got the ferry back, went to Mission Bay and had really yummy sea food lunch followed by a fucking massive ice-cream!  Sat on the beach for a while and then headed up the Sky Tower - the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere and had a drink in the bar and watch the sun set.  Sunday morning and it was time to get my flight to New York, or pray that I got there.  When I got to the airport I was told that at that moment in time the connecting flight to New York that I was meant to be getting was grounded, but I could fly to LA as planned, so I did that hoping by the time I got to New York it might be ok.  Auckland is 16 hours ahead of LA and 13 ahead of New York, so was hoping that by the time I got to LA the weather in New York would be ok.  Apparently not.

I landed in LA at 6am on the Sunday and had left Auckland at 1pm the same day.  Major head fuck!!  I was told that I could fly anywhere else in the states for free and then get the first available flight to New York which was on the 3rd Sept, but as I was due to leave New York on the 4th I decided to change my flight to come home the next day as I was going to New York to see a friend and I couldn't really think straight and think of somewhere else to go.

So I got to the hotel in LA about 10 am, yes, it took nearly 3 hours to get my flights sorted etc.  LAX airport is a fucking nightmare, and you would think that there would be at least one staff member from Qantas to meet people coming off my flight who where going on to New York to advise/direct them where to go etc.  Nope, that was obviously far to difficult to arrange, so spent about half an hour being told to go from a to b to c then back to a etc.  A fucking joke.  Anyways, my one aim of the day was to stay awake as I'd only slept for about an hour on the flight, I did however watch 4 films which I enjoyed! Fuck knows what they were though.....so luckily the hotel was opposite a supermarket so went and bought enough sugar to keep me awake for a week.  Went to bed at 5.30pm as was up at 2.30am to make sure I was at the airport early as I was told that check in in could be a nightmare.  Got there at 3.30am, and none of the desks were open, but when they did at 4.15, I was first in line, and then the second person through security.  It did mean that I had a 2 hour wait in the departure lounge, but I would rather that then be 4 seconds late for the flight to Houston.

I then had about an 4 hour wait in Houston airport which was thrilling.  Had a Wendys burger and fries for lunch, and felt so sick afterwards - am not doing that again!!  Also walked past a cookie stall thing which instead of having water, coke etc to go with them, they sold little cartons of milk!!

Then I got on my 3rd flight in 2 days, only one of which was short - the one from LA to Houston was only 3 hours, and landed back in the UK at 7am last Tuesday.

I can't believe I'm back.  Am a bit gutted about New York, but at least it was the last stop, and the closest and the cheapest to get back to, so can go another time.

Uni starts in a couple of weeks, got a new flatty moving in today I think, and really need to tidy my room, so things are back to normal very quickly.  

So I hope you have enjoyed my emails, their randomness and apologies for their length!!  I will do an email with what I think are the best photo/couple of photos from each place so you can see what I saw.

Lots of love to you all,

XXX

Ooh new blogspot layout

WHich you guys can't see, but it's quite exciting for me!

Anyways, that was not the point of this.  The point is to put the missing text from the last one, which I didn't realise had been cut off.  So for those of you who have been wondering about what I was babbling on about, here it is:


Which you guys can't see, but it's quite exciting for me!

Anyways, that was not the point of this.  The point is to put the missing text from the last one, which I didn't realise had been cut off.  So for those of you who have been wondering about what I was babbling on about, here it is:

> Sooo Melbourne has been and gone in a flash. Especially as I thought I was
> going to be there a day longer than I was.  Thank fuck I checked my flight
> details a few days before I was due to leave or I would have turned up at
> the airport a day late!!  Also, it's a bloody good thing my flight was when
> it was and not earlier as Christchurch has had shite loads of snow
> (unfortunately hardly any is left now) and they closed the airport for I
> think 3 days.  In classic me styleee of not paying attention to the news
> either on tv, radio or newspapers I had NO idea that this had happened until
> I started talking to the guy on the plane next to me and he told me what had
> been happening.
>
> So no more about Christchurch or the flight as that will be in he next one.
> Although I do feel that I need to say this about Christchurch now.  Because
> I do not pay much attention to the news because I like the naive little
> bubble I live in with as little bad news as possible, I was not truly aware
> of the damage done to this city.  I just went for a walk into the town
> centre, or rather tried to.  All the roads are shut off with barriers and
> the buildings are all empty and the shops are all shut.  Its like being in a
> ghost town.  I am so gad that I am here for the 2 nights simply to make
> myself aware of what has happened and what the people of Christchurch were
> faced with and have been dealing with since the earthquakes hit.
>
> Anyways, I can feel myself getting upset, so I will move onto happier things
> like miniature (33cm fully grown) penguins and more koalas and kangaroos
> etc.  And of course food!!
>
> I arrived in Melbourne after about 9 hours of travel.  2 and a half hours on
> a coach from Canberra to Cootamundra and that coach journey was the longest
> in my life.  The reason for this was the hideous woman I was sitting next to
> and the fucking awful way in which she treated her 2 sons. Brooklyn was 3
> and Trey (Tray?!) was about 11 months.  She expected Brooklyn to sit in his
> seat for 2 and a half hours and sleep after she had given him sweets and
> chocolate milk.  She had no books or anything for him to look at and every
> time he moved or started singing to himself she told him to 'shut the fuck
> up and go to sleep or I'm going to fucking belt you round the face' and then
> smacked his legs about 3 times.  Nice.  When Trey woke up after being asleep
> she also gave him chocolate milk and he started grumbling because he was
> bored of sitting on her lap she smacked him to stop him from moving,and when
> he started to cry she smacked him until he stopped.  I have never been so
> happy to get off a bus in my life!!!!  I then got on a very comfy train and
> read/slept/looked at the scenery for 7 hours until the train got to
> Melbourne.