All change again

When I left home yesterday morning I expected to be here until Friday and possibly to get a weekend in New Plymouth but, as seems to be common at the moment, things have changed today and we go back to Palmy tomorrow. Still, since the last time I posted I have had someone interested in buying my car so I should be able to finalise that now. I guess I will have to look at where else I might go for the weekend! Still a few places I would really like to visit so I guess it is back on the internet to see where the buses go to on Friday night!

Sunday

Not much to report this weekend. Treated myself to a pedicure yesterday and went to step class this morning. Only managed half the class before my hand sewlled up and made the cast tight. My hands always swell when I exercise but I hadn't taken account of that. Still half the class is better than none! Took a bit of a walk this afternoon around the town - but that's just temptation to spend! Oh yes, and I put the car up for sale on TradeMe - the NZ Ebay! Now I have to pack for a week away!

Purple plaster

After 3 weeks I have finally lost the dirty, heavy plaster of paris cast! It was changed for a pretty purple fibre glass one this morning. X-ray is still OK so the plan now is 3 more weeks in plaster and then they take it off, x-ray again and it should be OK. That will give me 2 weeks to get some strength back before I have to carry bags for the journey home.

Work is getting very busy now and will stay that way until the end of the secondment. I spent this week at Dannevirke - last minute change of plans to deal with the workload presenting at the time. Next week I am back to Hawera again. Hopefully we will finish that one this week. I think after that the plan is all local councils but like all good plans they are not set in stone!

I have booked my flight down to Christchurch for 30th April to start our tour of the South Island. I have also booked the Overlander train to Auckland for the Easter weekend. Guess that will be the extent of my travels before I finish work.

Visit to the South

Friday evening saw me on the coach to Wellington and then the flight to Christchurch. Internal flights in NZ are really easy and the airline staff made it as easy as possible for me, with a stewardess producing a pillow for me to rest my arm on within seconds of me taking my seat. I arrived in Christchurch to be met by Claire at 9pm. Where I live in a serviced apartment (cross between hotel and flat, a furnished flat. Very nice but cleaning etc are down to her. Fortunately she has a second bedroom so she was able to accommodate me - albeit sleeping on the sofa cushions on the floor. Unfortunately I did not sleep well - I think flying had upset my arm a bit so I was in pain again.

Saturday we set off with Sarah, who lives in an adjacent flat, to meet Amy off the plane at 9am. The weather was a bit grim but still dry when we set off for Kaikoura for the whale watching. A little over 2 1/2 later we arrived in time for the start of the rain. We went into the whale watch office to find that weather at sea was deteriorating and that there was some doubt that trips would run - and they were all carrying sea sickness warnings! We were offered an earlier trip than the one we had booked - which we accepted as the earlier ones stood better chance of funning. Anyway, we departed at 12:45 without Sarah as she had decided that the seasick potential was too great for her - they give full refund. The trip out to the whale watch area was choppy but no problem. When we arrived in the general area the earlier trip was watching a whale on the surface, however, we arrived just in time to see it dive. They make everyone sit in the cabin until the boat has a whale in sight and then it is a mad dash to get outside where they can be seen. It was very windy and raining so not that pleasant to be on deck anyway but it meant that actually seeing the whale was much harder. During our time at sea we had the same whale on the surface 3 times and each time for only about 5 minutes max each time - not long when you have to get from airline type seats (about 80 people) to a position on deck where you can see. This meant that I didn't get much chance to take photos although I did video a couple of times - very wobbly though as I was doing it left handed in choppy seas! We did betterethan the last trip of the day though as they got an 80% refund because they didn't spot a whale at all! By the time we got back though it was pouring with rain so we had a warming drink and set off back to Christchurch. After a meal and a few drinks it was back to Claire's for my second night on the floor.

Bettter night's sleep though and we went for breakfast at the Arts Centre and a bit of a look at Christchurch before back to the airport to fly homeat midday. All in all a lot of travelling - I didn't actually get home until 6pm, for what turned out to be a disappointing whale watch trip but overall a good weekend. It was nice to be with others this weekend - and I even managed to do my own bra up for the first time in 2 weeks! Sorry, only picture I took was the trams in the city centre this morning.

healing OK

I went to the hospital today for another x-ray and the news is good - the bone is healing in the right position. Unfortunately my hand is still a bit swollen so they haven't changed the plaster yet - I have to go back next Friday for another x-ray and to get the plaster changed. I was a bit disappointed about that as there are a few places where the cast presses on my arm but I guess all the time it is healing properly I am grateful. I was a bit worried because I did some veg preparation last night and made my arm hurt again - not that it has ever stopped hurting but it has been getting less. Feels like I've gone back a week but at least I haven't made things worse.

Last night I went out with one of the other women from work and her friend to the cinema. We saw Confessions of a Shopaholic - good chic flick although having read the book I was prepared to be disappointed. I often feel let down if I see the film after I have read a book but not this time. Only sot NZ$8 too. Should make time to go more often.

Sunday

I've been told a few times now that people trying to comment on the blog are unable to. I can't find out what is wrong so if that happens to you please email me. I have changed a few settings although I don't think they are things which will make a difference. Claire has posted a test comment yesterday with no problem. Please feel free to add your comments - it tells me that someone is reading my ramblings.

So, today I decided to get back out there and try to do some of the local geocaches. Mixed success, 2 in the Square - found one didn't find the other. Also went down to Hokowhitu Lagoon for a cache this afternoon. I think I found the location of the cache but couldn't actually carry out a proper search because of my arm so had to miss it. The lagoon and park are very nice and there are some really nice houses round there. The photo is of a couple of them I have been trying to do a bit more and managed to make a VERY rough chopped salad for my lunch. Not easy with one hand! I just hope I am not doing anything to make the break worse.

Saturday

This weekend I planned to visit New Plymouth, following on from my few days in Hawera, and it would have been the perfect weekend as the weather has picked up again. Having to make the best of being at home instead. Not that I have done very much though. Just a few bits of tidying up and sorting things out really. I have booked the campervan ready for our south island tour when the work finishes at the end of next month so that is starting to feel closer. I have also booked a bus to get me down to Wellington for the flight to Christchurch for next week. Really looking forward to that. Hopefully I will be able to work out how to use the camera left handed too or there won't be any more photos to log. Things are improving though and I can do a little more each day without too much pain although I have a huge bruise from my elbow down into the plaster. Still very dependant on the good will of others though. I have been working every day since Tuesday - just not at full capacity. I have to go back to the hospital for another x-ray on Wednesday to make sure that the bone has not displaced again then they will replaster. Can't wait for that as this one presses on my arm and makes it very difficult to get comfortable. Not thinking about the outcome if the bone has moved again! The phot is the view from my window - not nice foreground but the distance view is great!

Getting better slowly

Each day that passes I do feel that things are improving. For the first time today the swelling has gone down and my fingers look almost normal. I still get a lot of pain in my wrist though and am still taking pain killers day and night. I keep trying to do things and then realise that I shouldn't when the pain shoots through my wrist! I am using the sling to try to stop me doing things but it's not working very well! I am working in Hawera for the rest of this week with 2 others so I have some help on hand for a few days anyway. It has been quite cold and miserable today so I haven't been able to see much of the town yet but it doesn't look particularly attractive. May get the chance to find out tomorrow.

Another eventful day

Woke at 2am today with a very swollen hand. Didn't think I should go to A&E in the middle of the night with it so waited until 6am by which time it was even worse. The cast was too tight and they had to split it to relieve the pressure - the nurse said it was a medical emergency and I should have gone in earlier as it can cause permanent damage to the tissue. They x-rayed again to make sure that splitting the cast had not caused the bone to move then let me go - about 4 hours after I arrived! So I didn't actually make it in to work today but plan to go in tomorrow - we will see how well I get on! Could do with a nursemaid now to help me - any takers?

Eventful weekend

My weekend in Napier did not work out as planned! I made an early start and stopped off at a cache en route arriving at the hotel about lunch time. Too early to check in so had my lunch on the seafront then headed off into town. Had a wander about for a couple of hours taking in some of the art deco architecture then headed back to the hotel to check in and have a sit with a cup of tea before heading back into town. After an hour or so I noticed the forecast rain clouds so popped into the supermarket to pick up a bottle of wine to have with my dinner before heading back. When I came out the rain started and very quickly became very heavy. As I was quite wet very quickly I decided to continue on to the hotel rather than shelter not knowing how long it would last. Unfortunately when I got about 500yards from the hotel I slipped and fell breaking my right arm! The hotel owner very kindly took me to the Napier medical centre but they were unable to deal with it and about an hour after I fell I was on my way to Hastings hospital where they had to manipulate my wrist to put the bones back where they should be. I am now back in my apartment learning how to things left handed - but my car is still in Napier! Still pretty painful too!

Attacked by a labrador

Tonight when I left work I was going to go to the gym but, like last night, it was such a lovely evening I decided to go for a walk instead. Last night I went down to Victoria Esplanade and along the river so tonight I thought I would try Rangitane Park and try to pick up a cache that is in that locality at the same time. I had been walking for about 5 minutes and was about to pick up the first clue when a lady walked past calling to her dog. We spoke briefly and the dog came bounding back to her than came back to me and jumped up - to say hello I guess. However, it not only left very muddy paw prints on my top it also knocked my camera bag open and tipped both camera and video onto the pavement and my mobile phone! I have switched all 3 on and so far they are all working although the video has some nasty scratches on it. Poor lady was very apologetic but more concerned about the muddy marks on my top than any potential damage to my equipment. Then to top it all I didn't find the cache either! Still, nice walk in the park on a very warm evening. Unfortunately it is forecast to change by tomorrow night again. I have booked accommodation in Napier for Saturday night though and will go to the Hawkes Bay area for the weekend anyway. They are forecast to clear up first anyway - well on North Island - so that is the best area to be in. The photo is of the Manawatu River taken last night. The river is now twice as big as it was a couple of weeks ago which is the result of all the rain we have had.

White Rabbits

Today is 1st March - and I remembered to say my rabbits! First time since I left home. I have had some lovely emails from family at home this weekend and feel much better now. It has been a very wet weekend and I have done very little - in fact I even spent a couple of hours working this morning after I'd been to the gym. Deadlines are very tight at the moment and I did not achieve all I needed to before I left work on Friday so I caught up a bit today. I did go out this afternoon and take some photos around the city. It's amazing what you see if you just look up above street level. Nothing very exciting at all! The week ahead is looking OK for a few days but Friday is downhill again. I think I will pick somewhere to go next weekend and just do it.