Hi everyone,

We have had an exciting time since my last update.

Thanks to the generosity of Danie & Jo Stammis, Hendy & Steve Moodie and Barb & John we were able to trip up north and escape the freezing cold of winter in Melbourne for just over 2 weeks!

We took the kids to Darwin for 5 days and stayed with our friends Hendy & Steve in the beautiful Fannie Bay. Darwin was sensational - 32 degrees everyday and heaps of super fun activities for us all (from baby croc handling to 10 pin bowling)! Tim coped with the heat well as it did cool down at night which was a relief!

From Darwin we flew to Bali and stayed at the delightful Honeymoon Guest House in Ubud. This is Barb & John’s regular haunt and we were very glad to be met by them both when we arrived in Ubud.

Bali was a cultural shock for me at initially as this was my first visit to an Asian country. My jaw dropped in disbelief on the taxi ride from Denpasar to Ubud as I watched the chaos unfold on the road before me. Motorbikes everywhere darting in and out, most with no helmets, some with a family of 4 squashed on (baby attached by sling!) and all, it seemed, with a lot of patience and consideration of other motorists…so incredibly we arrived at our destination, perfectly safe!

Bali was a real time for healing for Tim. He found space for daily meditation (lucky to have the guru on hand!), had regular massages, was able to swim (hooray! no PICC line) and also enjoyed some relaxation and reading by the pool. It took him some time to adjust and let go (he was concerned about getting sick from the water or picking up something from somewhere) but when he finally embraced his surrounds, he loved every second of an unforgettable family holiday. He even hired a motorbike for two days...much to my horror!! Another wish now ticked off the 'to do' list...(thank goodness!!)

We were very lucky to have the magical experience. Joshua and Benjamin travelled perfectly, loved both Darwin and Bali and were no trouble at all. They were in the pool most days from sun up to sun down and managed to dodge the dreaded Bali belly.....(Tim & I not so lucky....only a mild case though!)

Tim met with Dr. Turner last week and the good news continues. He is making good very good progress on the chemo tablets. He is now on the highest dosage and managing this well. Same old side effects, but they are becoming a way of life. Dr. Turner commented this visit that Tim's liver and kidneys are showing signs of repair, which is amazing considering he is still on treatment daily. This was some very positive news.

Tim has tried to have a beer, but unfortunately his body is completely rejecting alcohol at this stage. One stubbie = massive headache and knocks him for 6, so he has decided that it just isn't worth it.

This week we booked Tim into the Gawler 8 week follow up course which will be run by Seikan the Zen Monk. This time John will go as Tim's support person which is fantastic. The 'Living Well' program, aims to develop, deepen, and share healing methods and experiences through an interactive support group program. It will run once per week on Thursday mornings at the new Gawler Centre in Hawthorn, starting the 2nd of Sept. As you can imagine both Tim and John are looking forward to this and in particular Tim, as he faces new challenges in adjusting to his new life. A friend and cancer survivor shared with Tim the difficulties she had in knowing when her cancer ended and she began again. Tim identifies with this comment well as he deals with a closer to 'normal' life again, on the maintenance phase of the treatment. Tim does have moments when he has flashbacks to his diagnoses and some dark times in the oncology ward, but he is beginning to move on and leave these horrible memories behind. The 'Living Well' program has come up at perfect time for Tim and I know he will gain so much from attending.

As for me, I am enjoying my teaching and finally feel like I am back into the swing of things again. I love my time with the boys and adore watching them thrive. Joshua is doing very well at school, loving Auskick and has just taken up basketball which he takes as seriously as the former.....and that's intense! Ben is a friendly chatterbox who talks to everyone he sees. He is following in the exact footsteps as his big brother and he is very excited about starting kinder next year. How time flys!

Hopefully the blog updates will remain infrequent from now on......as they say, 'No news is good news.'

Love Andi