Singapore - The final chapter..

With our unexpected journey to Singapore coming to an end I just thought that I would bring you up to date on Bill's time 'in hospital' as well. As you can imagine, especially in the early days, he spent most of the time waiting beside the bed for me to wake up. As I improved he was able to venture out a bit mainly to try to find something to eat and to find coffee. Something I didn't taste for about 12 days. I only managed to drink a half cup the first time but my goodness it was wonderful. So with me on the mend there was no need for Bill to stay indoors and go stir crazy so I sent him off on missions to photograph bits of Singapore and come back to entertain me each night.

The first day he spent the afternoon at the Botanical Gardens. Lots of tropical plants, very colourful tropical birds, lizards & little squirrel things. The pictures were great and it was so good to see them. The day after next he went off to the Bird Park. We had been there last time so he had an idea of the bits he wanted to see. Another very productive day with the most amazing birds you can find. Some are so colourful you think they can't be real. Two days later he went to Fort Canning. An historic park dating back 700 years it is a green oasis in the middle of one of the busiest shopping areas. Lots of old buildings and once the home of the first botanical gardens, it now managed to keep Bill entertained for the afternoon.

Sunday morning dawned and after being free of tubes for over 24 hours now, the Dr said that as I was going home the next day that I could be given home leave and go out with Bill for the afternoon. Yippee, freedom! I signed my temporary release and headed off downstairs to catch a taxi to see Singapore's newest attraction. We went to the Sky park. When we were here last time a huge complex was being built. Now finished the Marina Bay Sands Hotel is a 3 tower hotel 56 stories high and joined across the top by what looks like a huge skateboard. This rooftop is a Sky park with the most amazing views of Singapore you will ever see. It was raining when we arrived but we just sat inside for a while and waited and finally we were rewarded with some fine weather. As it is only new it is not all finished yet but still it was well worth the cost of admission to go up and see the view from the top of the world. I'm not sure whether I should be insulted or not but once we arrived at the counter to buy our tickets the lady took one look at me and offered Bill the Seniors price for me. How rude! As it turned out we were both Seniors, over 55, so it was a good thing really. Our first Seniors Discount.

Once back down on the ground we took a walk through the arcade that is full of shops and restaurants and finally settled on a nice little bar/coffee shop for the hot chocolate. Wow, so big and very nice. Such an amazing venue and just so many people there the whole time. On the other side of the road is the new Casino and Exhibition Centre. And as we discovered as it was being built last time it is all on reclaimed land as a lot of Singapore is. It truly is a amazing city. Still I was quite happy to head home to my little ward after an afternoon of excitement.

Monday morning gave us the news we were waiting for. Flights were booked and we could go at 3.00pm. Got my final instructions from the Dr who was very happy with my progress, said goodbye to all the nurses, signed my final release and we left for the long ride home. At the airport we were able to check in early and spend the next couple of hours in the lounge. We left on time and had a comfortable trip home. I can recommend Premium Economy as the way to travel. Being used to disturbed nights in hospital I was able to get a few hours sleeps between toilet stops. Bill not so lucky spending most of the night awake.

We had a bit of a wait for our luggage in Melbourne but it wasn't long before we had cleared customs, such a cute little beagle, and were on our way home again. It was so good to see our little apartment after so long. A quick unpack and then we both crawled into bed for a few hours. Over the next couple of days we have got everything washed, dried and put away again. I have a followup with my Dr tomorrow so will have a better idea of when I will be sent back to work. Probably 2 or 3 weeks.

So once again my tale comes to an end. A slightly different holiday adventure to what we were hoping for but we are both home again, safe & well once more. I will talk to most of you over the next few weeks and just now want to thank you all for your kind thoughts and prayers over the last couple of weeks. We both appreciate how kind you all are to us.

Nothing left to say now except until next time.............

Surgery in Singapore...The gory details....

Yes, I'm still here. Survived the night and the extra transfusion had my blood count high enough for them to take me down for an Endoscopy and a Colonoscopy to try and work out what was happening to me. They discovered a thing called Diverticulitis and as I was still bleeding internally it was decided that most of my large intestine needed to be removed. The Dr explained that if they only took out the affected bits there was the risk that it would just move and the next bleed would be fatal. Sort of makes up your mind for you, doesn't it. So Bill took his 2nd walk of the day to Theatre with me that afternoon.

It is only now that I realise how terrible it all was for him. Even though I understood to a degree what was happening I was drifting in & out of reality for the better part of 4 days. Bill however was having to cope with seeing me attached to all sorts of machines, having me coming & going as they did their tests, subsequent surgery & X-rays. He was there for me every time I opened my eyes to let me now that I was going to be OK. I knew there was a reason I love that man!

Once I returned from surgery I drifted in & out for the next 24 hours. The Dr was pleased with how it had all gone and by the second morning I should have been a bit better than I was. I was feeling sick and during the day this got worse. After gaining a few more tubes to remove the waste I finally remembered that Pethidine after surgery makes me very sick. Once I spoke to the Dr we lost the drug and almost immediately I started to come good. I did try to tell them on my way to the theatre that I couldn't tolerate it but I think I got the name mixed up. Never mind, we got there in the end.

It was a much happier Rhossie that greeted Bill & the Dr the next morning and while I still had tubes coming out of every orifice, except my ears, I was starting to feel better. Now if only they would feed me.

Two days later I finally got to taste my first liquid other than sips of water. It had been 9 days since my last lunch with the kids. You have no idea how good a glass of apple juice can taste and just how great the broth was I had for dinner that night. It was the best thing I ever tasted. From there on it was all good. More broth for breakfast and then I was allowed a veritable feast for lunch. Cream of Mushroom soup and Lycee jelly. Yum!

Day by day we lost the various tubes that were attached as we increased the amount and type of food I ate. Then on Friday the last tube came out of my arm. No more veins to find so I was told as long as I could keep the fluids up it could stay out. Needless to say I drank like a fish (only water) and it never had to go back. At this point the Dr had declared me fit to travel and let the insurance company know that I could be discharged and flown home. It took them a day to work this out and I was finally discharged at 3.00pm on Monday afternoon. We were on a flight home that night. Direct to Melbourne arriving around 6.00am on Tuesday morning.

At this point I can only say how wonderful all the staff at the Raffles Hospital were. The Dr was a wonderful young man who never seemed to be stressed by whatever I threw at him. He was happy to explain everything to both Bill & I everyday in a way that we could understand and relate too. The nursing staff were just an amazing group of people. I was a lot of work for them in the early days and never once did they make me feel like I was an inconvenience or a bother to them. My name kept them all amused for the entire time and I really don't know if they ever figured it out. I was know as Harris, Harrie, Rose, Lynette and very occasionally I did get Rhoswen. I just answered to everything so it really didn't matter. I think the crazy Aussie lady kept them all amused and of course they just loved Bill. Especially as my heart rate & temp kept going up when he was around. He took the credit and they always laughed out loud at him.

Bill was accommodated in the hospital also. On the 8th floor they have a number of rooms which are suites for the families to stay. Just like a basic motel room with a queen size bed, tea & coffee making and daily cleaning. It sure made life much easier for him just to be able to pop up and down to see me without having to find his way to and from the hospital each day. As you can see from the picture at least I had a colourful view to look at each day. Once I could sit by the window I watched all the people as they came and went throughout the day. It was always busy, Singapore never seems to stop.

So now you have all the gory details I'll leave you here. Back tomorrow for a quick finale of our time in Singapore...........

Misadventures In Bali...

We finished our first day in Bali having Dinner with Taegan, Gareth, Jack & Gina. (Taegan's Dad and wife). It was lovely to meet them and we headed out for dinner at a Restaurant near their hotel. Dinner was good and with lots of people coming and going through the night and 3 roaming musicians it was a happy cheerful night. During the evening full of fun and frivolity my 'misadventures' began. I had a bit of a dizzy spell but once we had applied ice and I filled up on the water I came good again and was able to continue to enjoy the night.

Waking up a little weary the next morning I just assumed that the humidity was taking it's toll but we were still out and about for Banana Pancakes and Watermelon Juice. Meeting Gareth & Taegan after Breakkie we decided we would go and check out the huge new shopping centre, the Discovery Centre just next door to where they were staying. It is a large complex and seems to take away the need for anyone to venture over to Denpassar to find department stores now. We found a tourist counter and decided that the Bali Hai Sunset Cruise looked to be the thing to do that night. All booked and organised and then we headed upstairs for lunch at a lovely cafe looking right across the beach. Lunch was very tasty and if only I had known it would be my last meal for 2 weeks I might have paid it more attention. We both went back to our own hotels for an afternoon of R & R in readiness for the boat trip that night.

Picked up early for the slow drive over to Benoa Harbour we were all looking forward to our big night out. This unfortunately is where the next and last 'misadventure' took place. After another light headed spell, more cold water and ice on the neck I decided that the little girls room was where I needed to visit. One there I discovered that my dizziness probably had another cause. I was bleeding and lots of it. I tried to get back to Bill and the kids but never made it and passed out for a time in the ladies. I think the poor girl I asked for help was a little shocked to find a old lady on the floor but with no English I couldn't get her to help me anyway. I managed to stand and get out to Bill where they immediately saw there was a problem and came to my aid. It was now I knew that we wouldn't be seeing the sunset that night and we advised the cruise that we would need a taxi to take me to the hospital. They were wonderful and took us back there themselves. Gareth & Taegan, while worried, did as we asked and continued with the cruise. They had a lovely night and Gareth's photo's of the sunset are great.

Bill & I went straight to the BIMC, a very modern international facility. I had actually been given a card in Perth many years ago, from a Dr who had been involved with setting it up. Within an hour of my arrival it had been determined that I was in a little bit of trouble and with the bleeding continuing I saw three specialists. They decided as I had lost so much blood my haemoglobin levels were dangerously low and I needed an immediate transfusion. I was transferred to ICU and spent the next 24 hours with 4 blood transfusions and many bags of saline etc being administered. With drips in each arm and the need to monitor the blood levels they started taking blood from my feet for their counts. I can tell you now that hurts much more than the old blood from the arm routine. Of course while all this had been going on Bill had been in touch with the Travel Insurance people who were wonderful and assured him that all would be looked after and we did not need to worry.

While the BIMC is an excellent facility it only had the ability (in my case) to diagnose but not to operate if that was needed. The Insurance company decided that based on the specialist reports that I needed to be in a full hospital and so began phase 2 of our little 'misadventure'. I had to be evacuated to Singapore for immediate consultation and surgery if necessary. So it was all put in place and we said goodbye to Bali on Tuesday night. Transferred by Ambulance to the aircraft where I was loaded, yes loaded onto a 'little jet' for the trip up to Singapore. All very exciting, scary & amazing at how quickly it all came together. The Dr & staff who transported me were wonderful to us both and Bill was looked after as well. Poor man must have been terrified as this all unfolded around him. The thing I most remember about the flight was how cold it was and without another blanket to add someone put a coat over me. I found out later that it was Bill's and he endured the 2 1/2 hours of freezing to keep me warm. What a man!

Once landed we did the unload and Ambulance trip again and arrived at the Raffles Hospital around 3.00am where the Dr was waiting for me. Further tests revealed that I needed another transfusion before we could do anything else so I spent the rest of the night receiving more blood and liquids so they could decide what I needed in the morning.

Check out tomorrow to see what happened next...................

Reflections of Bali

Yep it was here at last, time to pack and head for the airport for our long anticipated trip to Bali. Last year Gareth & Taegan had suggested we meet them up there and this was it. It had been 6 years since our last visit to Bali and we wondering how much things had changed. Our first big change was that the flight from Melbourne is not the quick little jaunt like Perth was. We left at 2.30pm and after about 5 hours we were arriving just as the sun was going down. No daylight savings in Bali so we had a 3 hour time difference. Change no 2 was we were staying at a different hotel. Poppies Cottages had always intrigued us so we booked online. Very easy, free transfers and on arrival they did not disappoint. There are 23 little cottages all very private and just the most delightful little place we have stayed for a long time. Gareth & Taegan were at Bali Gardens a little further down the beach. That too was just beautiful. They had a great room with an awesome view and the afternoon we spent at their pool with them was lovely! Thanks guys.


Being driven to our hotel on Sat night we were a little confused as it was now dark and none of the roads looked familiar! We discovered why the next day with roadworks on almost every corner and so many roads now only one way it really is a veritable nightmare to get anywhere. Our first adventure was to negotiate Poppies Lane and find somewhere for breakfast. We were saving Poppies for later! Once we had dined on the Watermelon juice & the Banana Pancake we continued down the lane to check out our local surroundings. On the way back we met an unlikely pair coming to see us. We all went back to our cottage for the reunion catchup. An hour later we were ready to head off and see Bali. Well I guess those of you who still visit regularly know how busy it has become. Legian St needed a marathon effort to negotiate it, between more roadworks and more traffic not an easy street to walk now. Still around the corner into Melasti St and things seemed more as we remembered them. A little quieter & a little cleaner and altogether a much nicer experience. We found our friend Made in the same market shop she has had for over 20 years. We all bought our bits & pieces from her and then headed back to spend the afternoon with Taegan & Gareth at their pool. Once back home at Poppies, I gave our pool a test swim and while much smaller it was a delightful oasis in the midst of the mayhem that is Bali.

So what are my thoughts on a return visit after so long. From our very first visit many years ago I fell in love with the whole Bali experience. Things changed along the way but never to the point that it seemed to change Bali itself. As things turned out we were only in Bali for 2 days but if this was what I had found during our first trip all those years ago I don't think I would have ever gone back. The streets are gridlocked almost 24/7, travelling by taxi takes hours with all the one way streets and on foot is no better dodging building sites, roadworks and just generally dilapidated streets. Perhaps in time we will return again but I think we may look to a quieter side of the island. Maybe we have just grown up.

As to why we only stayed 2 days, read on and see. At least Harris holidays are never dull...............

Finally....

it seems that Spring has sprung. From jumpers, coats & scarves on Friday we woke to blue skies & warm sunshine on Saturday morning. The coat has FINALLY been hung up and stayed there all week. The flannelette sheets have FINALLY been put away and the cotton sheets are back. FINALLY Melbourne's water storage has almost hit 50%. It is so good to see the parks and gardens looking so green again.

FINALLY the AFL Grand Final was played and won. By the time the game kicked off I really didn't mind who won so was quite happy to join in the celebrations (in spirit) with Bianca, our friendly Collingwood supporter, and our nephews Aaron & Jarrod. I know that we all love to hate Collingwood but they have played & won and are worthy winners I think. And with a new coach announced for Essendon we can now FINALLY look forward to next year with some hope. With the footy behind us for the next few months it's time to bring on the Spring Carnival. All the shops are now dressed in Spring fashions & fabulous hats. The feeling of excitement is building and the city will explode with fashions & all things races from now on.

We took advantage of the lovely warm weather and headed off on Saturday morning, (before the game) to check out the Caravan & Camping show. Just looking and checking what is around if we decide to give up the hotel lifestyle and get off the beaten track a little. Lots of great little campers but still a work in progress at the moment.

With an even nicer day forecast for Sunday we got up and out early to spend the day rambling aound the Mornington Peninsula. We had a look at Devilbend Reservior and spent an hour at the reserve chasing some cute but elusive little birdies. From there we went over to Somers where we spent the afternoon at Coolart Homestead and Wetlands. Last time we were there the wetlands were in fact drylands but after all the rain we have had there was lots of water and in turn lots of birdlife. The nesting Swans & Ibis with their little chicks were great to see and seeing the Little Welcome Swallows feeding their three babies in a nest right beside us was amazing. Their nest was in the bird hide and once they got used to us being in there they kept flying in and out to feed the little ones. The Tawny Frogmouth Owl just watching the world go by in the carpark was pretty cool too. He just sat and seemed to pose as everyone took photo's of him. He was quite the attraction.


The beautiful sunshine has stayed for a few more days but is due to change again today. And change it did with two very chilly days to see the week out. We don't mind though as we are about to head north again, this time to Bali for a week in the tropics. We are looking forward to spending the week with Gareth & Taegan who went up today. We are off tomorrow and just finishing off all those last minute things that seem to crop up. Just think of the adventures I can relate next week So on that note I'm off to check the suitcase once more.

Until next time...............