Parting of the ways – but only for a while

My husband Jonathan and I had parted ways – only for a few weeks thankfully – while I flew to Australia for some medical tests and he went back to our boat in Montenegro.

I arrived in Brisbane on Easter Sunday at the usual ungodly hour that flights from the northern hemisphere seem to favour.

It was lovely to be met by our son Ben and his wife Sarah who came to meet me despite the earliness of the hour.

Although a little jet lagged it was wonderful to enjoy a long and delicious Easter lunch with Sarah and Ben and Sarah’s parents.

The following day we enjoyed more celebrations with a picnic and Easter Egg hunt with Ben and Sarah’s friends in what has been dubbed “Picnic Paddock”.

This beautiful area has all the ingredients for the best of times – lush grass, plenty of room for dogs and children to roam safely, a sparkling creek and lots of great hiding places for the Easter egg hunt!

Later that day we drove up to our favourite spot on Ben and Sarah’s property – the lookout – to watch the sun go down.

In the next few days I had blood tests, was assessed for a hip replacement and had a pre admission appointment for a cardiac catheterisation investigation at the end of the week.

In between times I went for great walks around the property, caught up with friends and family and watched the developments happening on Ben and Sarah’s property.

One day a contractor came with all sorts of machinery to cut a pad for the tiny house that Ben and Sarah have bought with a view to renting it out as a rural get away.

As well as the pad for the house, room was made for a car port and a possible horse yard (so guests can bring a horse or two). A new driveway was also cut which will lead to the tiny house and join the track that leads to the creek and on to Picnic Paddock.

Another new development is a bridge that Ben and Sarah are building with the help of their friends. There’s no sitting around at this place – especially with 13 ducks and three dogs to look after.!

The cardiac investigation went well and very fortunately it turned out that I didn’t need any treatment which was a great relief!

I wasn’t allowed to move my right arm after the investigation and I went home with a sling to remind me of this fact! Fortunately Ben and Sarah generously looked after me while I recovered.

Meanwhile Jonathan was flat out getting our catamaran ready to leave the marina. Fortunately Sue and John were in the marina to keep him company!

Before leaving Australia I went with friends Peter and Cathy to the Brisbane art gallery to see an interesting exhibition of works by Aboriginal artist Judy Watson.

Afterwards we went for a very pleasant lunch in nearby Fish Lane.

The three weeks in Brisbane had flown by and before I knew it I was flying off to the Netherlands to spend a week with Hannah and Peter before joining Jonathan aboard Sunday again.

The Netherlands looked absolutely stunning when I arrived as Spring had really arrived. The trees were almost in full bloom and everywhere looked green and luscious. What a great time of year to be in the Netherlands!