An unwanted hiccup………

 We had left Mareeba a week ago and all had gone well until today.  I woke at 4 am with an urgent call of nature and knew immediately something had changed.  This continued for the next few hours and by morning I had deteriorated enough for Bill to suggest we stay for one more day.  By now it seemed that I had picked up a gastro bug though not sure where from.  With temperatures in the high 30’s I needed water but couldn’t keep any in.  I slept the morning away but as I was no better in the afternoon Bill rang Normanton Hospital and they suggested he bring me in.   After seeing the Dr in emergency I was admitted with severe dehydration and here I am again.  Another little NQ town and another outback hospital.

I improved overnight but was still considered dehydrated so I was on a clear fluid diet and a saline drip.  Lots of time to read and doze as I recover.  The next day I was still here with a few issues with BP again so I’m here for another day at least.  Upgraded to real food again to see how I go.  I had a shower in the morning and got a huge shock when I discovered it was cold.  It might be 38 deg outside but a cold shower is not what the Dr ordered I’m sure.  I had to laugh when I saw my feet.  I promise they are clean, just a bit much time spent in thongs in the sun.

The next morning the Dr told me I could go home so I let Bill know he could come and get me.  I was feeling much better and hope this is the last hospital visit I have.  Once I was discharged we drove across to Karumba to pick up some shopping at the supermarket.  Bill had been to both of the stores in Normanton and said there was not much there.  While there we had a quick look at The Barramundi Discovery Centre and though it was interesting we didn’t linger.

We called into the pub and shared a bowl of chips for lunch, admired the view of the Gulf of Carpenteria and then made our way home for our last night at Leichhardt Lagoon.  The next morning we packed up and set off on our way to Cloncurry.   We had a few short stops along the way as I couldn’t sit for too long and had a longer break at Burke and Wills Roadhouse where we had lunch.  We then continued on and arrived at Oasis Caravan Park in Cloncurry later in the afternoon.  

We left the next morning and drove onto Mt Isa where we did some shopping and had coffee at a favorite cafe which we were pleased to see was still there.  The Xtra Mile Cafe has good coffee, good food and quirky decor.  One sign caught my eye and once upon a time I might have agreed with this.  Thankfully life has changed a little.

Once finished it was back on the road again for the drive to Camooweel where we camped beside the billabong and relaxed for the evening.  We have our border passes and it’s time to cross the border in NT tomorrow.

until next time………