I spent the day at Truck and Bus Towbars in Cleveland. The new tow bar is a joy to behold. Not only is it designed for all the loads but it is also braced to prevent any undue deflections. It probably weighs 100 kg (220 lbs) but knowing that it will do everything asked of it with miles of safety factor is comforting.
I left Cleveland at about 3.30 and, as the traffic through the city was going to be frightful, I went back to Aspley via the Gateway Bridge. Jean wanted to finish some scrapbooking so she stayed at Patricks Road.
I made an appointment to see the doctor because the cough has still not cleared up. She prescribed vibramycin (at my suggestion) and also ordered blood tests and a chest x-ray.
Jean had been to Brookside to pick up her travellers cheques. Having been messed about before by American Express, it was no surprise that it had happened again. Apparently they had had the travellers cheques delivered but had sent them back and, in response to our previous visit, had ordered sterling cash instead of travellers cheques. Jean, sensing that she had got as close as she ever was going to get with American Express accepted the cash.
I got to Patricks Road in time for lunch. I picked Ross up from kindergarten in the Little Motley and, while Jean went to Mitchelton in to the hairdresser, I picked up Kelly from school in the Big Motley.
Jean had decided to re-organise what she is taking with her to England so we spent the last part of the afternoon repacking. Its all done now and ready to go.
We had dinner with the Marretts before retiring to the caravan park.
I was supposed to pick up the trailer today but it is still at Beerwah. I arranged to pick it up on Tuesday, that being the first day they can do the necessary modifications to it to take care of the Barina.
We went to Mitchelton for coffee and to pick up the new voucher for Jean's car hire in England which had been express posted from Sydney on Thursday.
We had takeaway Thai at the caravan park before retiring to bed reasonably early.
Up at sparrowfart to get to the airport by 8 o'clock.
Jean looked a seasoned business class traveller in her new outfit.
We bought some presents for Helene's kids and some other Australian souvenirs. We walked about for half an hour before Jean went off to the business class lounge to await boarding. I returned to the caravan park to veg out for the rest of the day.
I took Sarah and the children to Dohles Rocks on the north bank of the Pine River estuary for a picnic lunch.
At happy hour time, I had a phone call from Hazel Beneke. She and Graham are staying overnight in the caravan park between a grandchild's christening this afternoon and a dentist's appointment tomorrow morning. We had tea in the Motley and they went off, at my recommendation, to the Tum Nuk Thai Restaurant just up the road for dinner.
Having not got a phone call from Jean, I rang Thetford at about midnight. Jean had arrived safely about an hour earlier to find that Ruth was back in hospital.
The flight from Bandar was delayed a couple of hours so the Royal Brunei Airline had taken the business class passengers to dinner and had upgraded them to first class for the flight to London.
She had had some dramas with the hire car, it wasn't in the car park where they said it would be so she had to go back, in the rain, to the desk. They sent a lad to get it for her. but he left it parked in the bus pickup area and Jean had to work out where all the controls were, it being a Fiat Ponto rather than an Opel Corsa.
She made it safely to Thetford only to discover that she couldn't find reverse gear! I remember doing much the same on a visit to London with Don Urquhart only in my case I was jammed across the street while Jean was neatly parked. I told her to find the manual which should be in the glove box of the car.
I went back to the doctor to get the results of the tests. The chest x-ray was perfectly normal as were all but one of the blood tests. No prosate cancer and no hidden infection or anemia. The BSL (blood sugal level) was 11.6 mmol/Lwhich is quite high though it was taken after I had eaten. She ordered a HBIAC blood test to determine the 3 months history of BSL.
Jean rang to tell me that Ruth had died this morning. She had gone to the hospital to see Ruth on Sunday evening and they had had a conversation. The family were called to the hospital on Monday morning as Ruth had collapsed and was in a coma. the were all with her when she died.
I spent the day with Sarah and the kids. Kelly had a cross country run and we went to watch and cheer her on. She did very well for such a little person and finished in the points ahead of lots of bigger children.
I did the laundry early and went to Patricks Rd to take Kelly to a birthday party.
I spent the morning at the trailer shop planning the mods to restrain the Little Motley. He plans to have them finished early next week. I went to Patricks Rd to finish the wiring for the new telephone position and retired early to the caravan park.