Paddy & Jen Adventures

My health got a bit more complicated whilst we were staying in Scarborough, when I got a bloody DVT (blood clot in my right calf). The long drives and then hospital stay were the cause and certainly something else I did not need. I had to go back to another ED (my 5th in 4 weeks!) and it caused a fair bit of anxiety for me. I just did not have it in me to sit for another 6 hours in a hectic ED. I was really peeved off about the clot, especially as I had bought us tickets to see Paul Kelly in Perth for that same night. I just did not want to miss out on PK. The solution was to go to a private ED and be seen straight away, which was exactly what we did. I made sure I mentioned that we had a concert to get to!! The staff were amazing and after being put on blood thinners we were on our way to PK!! What a concert! 70 years old and he was still singing and story telling like never before. We loved every minute of it and it brought big smiles to our faces. So good to focus on something other than my health.

Perth has been extremely cold and wet, which doesn’t help your mood when you are unwell and away from home. Our spirits were lifted when we managed to see Tom and Sarah twice at Perth Airport. They were headed to Exmouth for a holiday and stopped over in Perth. We saw them again 6 days later on the way home. It was so beautiful to give them big cuddles and spend an hour with them. We got in as much wedding conversation as we could and enjoyed hearing their plans. Super excited for their wedding in March next year.

Paddy’s niece Fionn and her kids (Vaughan, Indi & Eamon) made a special visit to see us in Karrinyup. We had a great afternoon with them and it really lifted us up. The following day we got tickets to see Ursula Carlson, a comedian Paddy and I have been listening to in our travels and always get a great laugh from. She is crude, rude and inappropriate but sometimes you just need to have a big belly laugh and she always gives us that.

We also had dinner with Fr Michael Twigg. He was our boys school Principal. He is now working at Mazenod WA and doing great things there. We have had a long friendship with him and it was another great catch up. The following day we took a beautiful walk around Kings Park, overlooking the city and Swan River. Kings Park is a must for anyone visiting Perth.

We had another awesome catch up in Karrinyup with new friends Steve and Sheryl Donne (from Lorne) who we met way back in Kings Canyon NT. They feel like old friends we have known for a long time and we kicked off where we left off – with drinks, dinner and lots of laughs. They are off to Bali for a week and the plan is to definitely catch up again if we can.

We moved to South Yunderup, just out of Mandurah (a hour south of Perth) where we have picked up a house sit. We are minding 3 old dogs in their home, whilst the owner is away. The weather has been so bad in Perth that we decided to house sit instead of being stuck in the van. Going well so far, just got to keep the old dogs alive for another 10 days!!! We have had one day of sunshine and we spent the morning checking out the giants that Mandurah is famous for, as well as the ocean. Both really keen for the weather to improve so we can visit more of WA’s amazing beaches.

I had my specialist appointment on 4th Sept and was told I do need surgery. They have given me a tentative date of 25th Sept. Surgery is to repair the deteriorating bone behind my left ear and the CSF (brain fluid leak) and they do this by putting in bone cement (or similar!). Should only be in hospital for a night or two then return two weeks later to get the staples out of my head. Recovery should not be too bad. The specialist is an expert in this type of surgery and I feel really comfortable with him doing it. He did mention that I could not travel (fly) or cross the Nullarbor (drive) with this type of condition. So returning home now to Melbourne is not an option. We hadn’t really considered it, but being away from home (even though we don’t have one!!) and our loved ones is what we are really missing.

Our spirits were lifted again these last two days with another catch up with Fionn, her kids and Paddy’s brother Kev and his wife Eve. Fionn’s family have a holiday house on the beach at Shoalwater and we met them all there to have dinner. Disappointing the weather was so bad as the view to the ocean from the house was incredible. It was so lovely to see Kev and Eve as we had missed visiting when passing through Geraldton (prevented by my health issues). Had a few laughs, especially seeing the kids on a high after a birthday party earlier that day. Just reminded Paddy and I of our 3 active boys when they were the same age (no sugar high needed!!!)

The following morning we were invited to our great niece Maeve’s 2nd birthday party in Cottesloe. Maeve’s mum Sophie is Paddy’s niece. It was so lovely to see her, her husband Matt and his gorgeous family. Kev, Eve, Fionn and the kids were also there to celebrate little Maeve. We both left there feeling great after seeing our family. Kev and Eve’s other daughter Matilda lives in Melbourne and we had a wonderful chat with her during the week to congratulate her and Pat on their engagement. All these gatherings/celebrations certainly have left us both feeling more connected to family and happy. No shite weather, health issues or old snoring dogs are going to drag us down!!

Paddy is in the thick of work (online) for the next few weeks. We head off to Busselton next to meet up with our good friends Fiona Walsh (from Melb) and Rosie, Bren and Conor Welsford. We will be with them until I need the surgery and then we will return to Busselton to pick up where we left off – hopefully a quick recovery and back to some fun adventures with them.

Happy Father’s Day to all Dads. I celebrated Paddy Daddy by taking him out to lunch in South Fremantle and then he had a lovely chat with the boys to finish off the day. I am so grateful for how much Paddy values the love and connection he has with each of them xxx

More fun photos on our gallery page…