I guess I've been obvious by my prolonged absence which has little to do with being in Australia and more to do with my body trying its hardest to kill me.
Last winter it was double pneumonia, 6 days on life support, another 6 days in ICU, 12 in total there, and 2 months in hospital.
I'd just about got back on my feet (March this year) and found out what life was for when I ended up having emergency surgery on my elbow of all things to save my life. It had gone septic and I was hours off being back in ICU. Another stay in hospital.
Then just over a month later, I woke up with my right arm partially paralysed and all the strength gone from both arms. It took 2 hands to hold 1/2 a plastic glass of water to be able to drink anything. Investigations followed and I was told I would be dead by the end of the year without surgery. C5-C6 & C6-C7 had collapsed and were not only badly compressing all and every nerve root that left at those levels on both sides, but also my spinal cord. It was compressed by "more than 50%". Surgery followed within 3 weeks also finding that C6 vertebra needed removing and reconstructing, so basically my head was taken off and put back on again 5mm higher than it was before surgery (3mm on one disk and 2mm on the other). Another (short) stay in ICU. That was June. There have been complications and I'm still in inpatient rehab. I've now officially lived in this hospital longer than our new home. I have to live with those complications sadly, but I do get to live.
I get out of hospital on Thursday.
I said enough was enough. I can just about walk with the crutches and have decided I'm going home. I have a lot of outpatient rehab to follow before I'm back on my feet again and the closest I will come to cycling for a while yet will be my recumbent exercise bike.
I can't complain - we've had a full life up until now, OK I'm only 45 years old but its been fit, active and we've taken all the opportunities that have come our way. Now my health is catching up with me.
Oh well - big sigh. At least I am getting to go home.