BIG news!

So yet again, I have to start with apologising for the very long delay between posts (my last was in November!) So much has happened since then... and so much more is about to happen.  

We're moving! 

 After months of uncertainty and frustrating job applications, Jonathan has a new job... in Sydney! He finished his previous role mid February and has been doing various bits and pieces since but got accepted for a 12 month contract with ongoing potential for a big hospital in South Sydney. We're now ploughing through the endless amounts of paperwork to get a visa so don't have a start date yet. We're anticipating it will happen in about 2 months but are unsure at this point. Depending on how it works out, we may end up coming back to NZ after 12 months as we can then get permanent residency. However, we might stay in Australia if it works out and it's feasible. We're keeping an open mind. Thus, I'm sorting out removals etc in the meantime. I don't have a job there yet but it should be relatively straight forward. 

 

 I'm now a bionic woman!  

As you'll know from my last post, my right knee finally gave up trying to be useful and thus I had to have a total knee replacement in the end. This didn't happen in December as hoped, but it did get done in January under the public health system. I was "outsourced" which meant that they did the public list in a private hospital. I still ended up having 50% of the nurses having been taught by me (it would have been even higher in the local public hospital!) The treatment and care was fantastic and I escaped after 2 nights (despite fainting and having a low BP for the first night thanks to the spinal anaesthetic!) 

Having escaped the hospital a day ahead of schedule meant that I could abide by the rules and be "looked after" for 24 hours. Jonathan picked me up and did the first shift but then had to go to be residential at the hospital for his 24 hour shift on the Saturday morning. My truly wonderful friend Sylvia came over to take on the challenge of the day shift and not only cooked my lunch but provided pet therapy with the gorgeous Stella! 

Adorable Stella

Vicky (kayaking mate from the UK and also lives locally) then came over for the afternoon stint and we had a great catch up!

I had lots of great family zooms and even a care package! My brother Andy and his wife Janet sent this amazing parcel inspired by Janet's mum's knee replacement last year. The mindful colouring book is genious and my percy pig socks were much admired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After months of pre-hab exercise, I have truly bounced back from the operation. Within 3 days, it felt so much better than pre-op even though the surgeon I saw at 6 weeks said most people regret ever having met an orthopaedic surgeon at the 2 month stage! I have been a very diligent patient and have done all of my exercises and pushed myself - even though during this time we've had floods, a cyclone and horrendous weather (see below.) After attending my first "knee class" I had to wade through water up to my shins to get to the bus stop!

 Prehab

So prehab involved lots of physio exercises, reformer and mat pilates every day, static cycling, walking (with 2 sticks by this stage) and the occasional ebike ride when able.

Christmas day Ebike prehab

Rehabilitation

So everyone warns you that rehab after knee replacements are hard work. In all honesty, it's not been as bad as I'd expected and my progress to date (7.5 weeks) has been so good that I would have thought I'd be at this stage 4-6 months on. I have been off any crutches since week 3 (I had to beg to keep them for the 3rd week as we live in such a hilly area!) I now need no walking sticks (as opposed to 2 pre-op) and I am back swimming 1k at a time, walking for an hour (with the obligatory hills that are involved if you live in Auckland) and have just started back at pilates and yoga. I can't really kneel (unless it's on a cushion) and I have to move a fair bit rather than stand or sit still. The surgeon and physios have signed me off and I'm back at work!

Ice therapy in the hammock

Game Ready Ice & Compression machine - incredibly good for post op recovery (you can rent the machines.)

 

Doing physio on my massage couch at home.

Coffee post Knee Physio class

Enjoying the local cafes on my daily walks

I've tried to get out walking as much as possible so here are a couple of places I've been. Turn the sound on for the video if you'd need to relax!

 

Coastal walk from Glen Innes to St Heliers

 

The weather

The north island of NZ has certainly had it's fair share of "weather events" in 2023. I remember with irony, the physio who encouraged me to have the knee replacement in summer as "rehab in summer is so much easier". Well, the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods happened 2 weeks post op making life "interesting". 

The rain that caused the flooding

Our normal view for comparison

 

We were hardly affected directly although I did miss out on seeing Elton John on his last tour (I was still standing, but if I'd tried to get there, I'd have been swimming!) Our two local swimming pools were taken out though. The Parnell baths (my favourite open air swimming pool) is now inaccessible due to a landslide taking out the road. The posh gym I joined as a treat for doing my exercises had it's swimming pool machinery flooded and is only now just back in action (this is where they play the ASB National Tennis championships every January.) Fortunately I had the Olympic pool in Newmarket to go to for my swimming fix in the meantime. We weren't completely unscathed though. The foundations of our house got so wet that a little puddle escaped under the house into the garage. The only puddle to form was under the kayak (which itself is on a rack). The irony was not lost on us. 

Having a break

 

When my surgery was delayed by a month I decided we both needed a break away from Auckland, knowing that I was going to be stuck at home for quite a while. As Jonathan had already booked the time off, we went north to Pahia in the Bay of Islands. We managed to score a good weather day for kayaking and were welcomed by 3 local paddlers through the Kiwi Association of Sea Kayakers (KASK) who lent Jonathan a boat. We paddled out to the islands around Urupukapuka with these very experienced locals and ended up watching 2 of them play in the "scary stuff" and have epic swims as a result. Neither of them had been torn out of their boats by a freak wave before, but happily they were both fine. We had sheltered a little way off but saw the whole thing (I was ready with my VHF though!)

Heading out with Al, Dallas, Jonathan and Al

We also spent some time at the Treaty grounds where the Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi) was signed. It's an expectation that everyone who lives here understands this and it was really interesting to find out what it includes (and what it doesn't!) The grounds themselves are really nice too. We stayed a little way out of town near this waterfall.

Haruru Falls

We also made it to Russell which is across the bay from Pahia and had a short walk (all I was capable of by this point.)

Not having surgery in December meant I got to go paddling again. This time with "friends of a friend in Sydney". When I met them along with Jenny (from the club) at the club boathouse, Lianne and I recognised each other from the Womens' Seakayak Festival in Devon! It's a small world! It was lovely to show them a little bit local water (Bean rock and Rangitoto) before having an ice cream at Kohi beach on the way home. It's a relatively tame paddle but was within my limits at the time with my knee. Chris and Lianne made the most of it though getting to the top of Rangitoto whilst I had a snooze in the shade!

Liane, me, Jenny & Chris (photo by Liane!)

 

We had a quiet Christmas at home with a short cycle to St Heliers for a drink. I then pretty much isolated pre-op so that I avoided the dreaded lurgy.

 

Sewing

As ever, sewing has kept my sanity over the past few months. I've made so many clothes and even a quilt for a gorgeous daughter of a colleague. Here's just a taster of what I've been up to. I'm still helping out at the repair cafe once a month too. 

Tori's quilt

Silk top

Cotton blouse

Sashiko coasters (hand sewn)

New overnight bag (for the hospital!)

Gigs

As the pandemic stopped so much travel, we've missed out on a lot of touring bands and plays etc. Having missed Come from Away in London as I was on crutches, I bought tickets here to see this musical but it was postponed due to lockdown, then cancelled for later this year. 

 

I almost got to see Elton John again - but the floods caused true havoc on the roads and so many landslips that the gig was cancelled. At least I saw him in his heyday.

 

Last Sunday we got to see Billy Bragg again. He's as brilliant as ever, and his voice is astonishingly good, if not better. It was a shame the venue kept an open bar going as the support act was ignored and so many people seemed more intent on drinking than listening - even to Billy himself.  

 

We have tickets to see Grace Petrie in a couple of weeks though - thanks to Liane and Chris who told us she was touring!

 

So where we're at today...

As of yesterday, Jonathan officially has tested positive for Covid for the first time ever having had symptoms for most of the week (he may have had it in February 2020, but no test existed then.) I have very mild symptoms (which could be just hayfever) and am so far testing negative. Hopefully we'll be over it in a few days and can get back to normal. 

 

I have a couple of weeks left working at the university and then will concentrate on moving although will continue to do some uni work on a casual basis. I might make it back to the UK for a short visit if timing works, but can't promise anything at this stage. Meanwhile, my daily static cycling and exercising continues.