Catching up with Lady Bear and Maldon

Last week I successfully ventured to my home country, this week it is back to Maldon where I lived when my own family was young, raised them, and ran a business from there.

Lady Bear still lives there I wanted to catch with her to and make sure she was OK.

Again, this area is severely ravished by drought and it can be quite distressing to go there.

I was also hoping to catch up with old friends and share the excitment of having Eric on board, though I am sure they already knew and were excited already by my good fortune.

No bloods today, having done it yesterday and seen the professor. No need to do them again until Monday though Eric has been struggling a bit and things are not quite as they ought to be.

Sometimes when you get a kidney transplant you get any passengers that come with it. Often it is a virus that the original host's immune system was coping with. Because my immune system is knocked down to a level where it won't reject the new kidney (Eric) the virus can become rampant. This means adjusting the anti-rejection drugs to try to allow my body to overcome the virus or if this fails a heavy duty treatment to kill the virus, but with a risk of damaging the new kidney. So it's steady as we go.

Anyway, I have the weekend off so to Maldon I go.

Anglican Church at the Maldon where Lady Bear was doing the flowers
[Photo: Frans the Fiddler]

I called in and found that Lady Bear was at the church. This one of my favourite places as it has an amazing building with a very unusual roof for an Australia church.

Lady Bear is on the restoration committee as time has taken it's toll and they need the odd $100,000 to replace it as original.

The old tramways bus where I stayed
[Photo: Og Bear]

I load all my stuff into the old tramways bus that serves as a guest quarters in the front garden.

On the way to the church I come across Greg and Leonie at their brack-a-brack shop in Main Street opposite the historic Maldon Bakery.

The beautiful window in Maldon's iconic Church of England
[Photo: Og Bear]

Lady Bear finishing doing the flowers at the Church of England
[Photo: Og Bear]

Lady Bear is finishing the flowers at the church when I arrive and I take the opportunity to take some photos of the church with Lady Bear in it.

Then I go up to see an old friend Duncan with his wife Thanh. They are well and young Sophie and Remy are growing up as young Australians fast.

Cherrys is a must so while eating the huge double served cone of their ice cream I wander down to the black smith's shop which is now owned by the neighbour who lives opposite Lady Bear's house. It was good to see the delapidated building being restored and with a coat of fresh paint.

Dinner at Lady Bear's, watch the Australian Rules Football on the telly, then retiring to the bus for a good nights sleep.

Breakfast the next morning then off for a long morning walk. Central Goldfields Railway/Castlemaine Maldon Railway (CMR) is only several hundred metres from Lady Bear's taking the scenic route.

The beautifully restored CMR Tambo parlor car
[Photo: Og Bear]

The J Class oil burner ready to haul the classic cars to Castlemaine and back
[Photo: Og Bear]

The CMR sunday morning service ready to depart to Castlemaine
[Photo: Og Bear]

There is a restored J Class I haven't seen before and some classic cars including the beautifully restored Tambo parlor car with outdoor observation area immediately behind the loco. It was a joy to behold as she steamed up and pulled out of the station for the return trip to Castlemaine through the Muckleford Forest.

I ran into Greg again opening up the old market shop front around the corner from his other shop.

I spotted my old solicitor and friend, Peter at Mandy's shop. With his fine moustache he looked well for his age.

It was amazing as all those who I had thought of I ran into and this got even more amazing at lunch time.

I was supposed to meet Lady Bear for lunch, but some church business had called her away so I thought I would try fish and chips from the new owners of the chip shop. It didn't look much, but the food was good.

Then to my absolute surprise Denise, who I had gone to university with, and hadn't seen for about 15 years walked down the street. I couldn't believe it as I had flicked over her name in my address book and had seriously thought about going up to Bendigo to catch up with her.

It has been a big walk and day so when I spotted Bernie he gave me a lift home. I was buggered. Thanks Bernie.

After a rest Lady Bear got home so we went back down to Main Street to buy her an early birthday present that I had spotted earlier at Kay's shop. Then we went down to Beatons and tried on a pullover that I had spotted for myself on the morning walk. The risky colour, "chilli" turned out to be the one that looked right so a grabbed it.

With my birthday coming up too, Lady Bear wanted to take me out to dinner. We decided Castlemaine was the go on a sunday night and we ended up at the Simpatico Mexican Restaurant. I have passed by it for many years of it's checkered history including years of renovations then rebuilding after a serious fire, but this was the first time I had been there.

The chef said anyone who had the 4 course meal like we did could come back anytime! Mind you I think we lived to regret it and next time 2 or 3 will be enough.

We decided to stay in Lady Bear's B&B cottage this time, but I didn't feel well and I had a restless night with only about 3 hours sleep before dawn.

Lady Bear's Stuart Mill B&B where we stayed
[Photo: Christina Fitzgerald]

Back to Geelong on Monday morning for bloods and appointment and into the normal routine for the rest of the short week leading up to the Apollo Bay Music Festival the coming long weekend.

[Og Bear]

For more photos go to:

http://picasaweb.google.com/OgBear/CatchingUpWithLadyBearAndMaldon#

For a slideshow go to:
https://picasaweb.google.com/OgBear/CatchingUpWithLadyBearAndMaldon#slideshow/

I felt the need to return to my own country

Well it was my first chance to get away since the transplant.

I felt the need to return to my own country, the place where I was from, and where after nearly 150 years my family still lives.

It was like touching bases again. Reconnecting the strings to things that were important. But also to join with them and celebrate the miracle of modern medicine and the arrival of Eric in my life.

Not before visiting the hospital in Geelong, the inevitable bloods followed by the review with the professor.

Once this was done I headed of, late morning towards Ballarat then on to the Pyrenees Ranges, red gum country, God's own.

Halfway there the mobile rings with a voice mail; bad news, the bloods are right off. Need to repeat, what a dilemna! A quick decision, "Do I abandon and return home?". No, I want this, I can work something out. It's the bloods they want and not necessaily to see me. I can do that in Ballarat in the morning, a quick 45 minute trip from where I would be staying the weekend. That's the compromise, that's what I will make work.

A quick lunch once past Ballarat and continue on my way. Familar territory, but it's skyline rudely interrupted by a huge new wind farm. Wow, that wasn't there before, but I suppose we can't have it both ways.

Ken's house where I grew up
[Photo: Og Bear]

I arrive at my brother's farm, the old house where I grew up and my parents loved and lived out there lives.

Ken looks great, good colour, good muscle, the best in years. His battle with melanoma is from the spirit within. He gave up the treatment for a bit of extra time as it was literally zapping what life he had away. Several years now and he looks the best. I have mixed feelings, a warmth, a joy within to see him winning, to have quality of life worth more than a poor life under the treatment he was having.

Ken, my brother is back riding his bike and looks the best he has in years
[Photo: Og Bear]

He is also excited about the work he is getting done around the farm, and we jump in his ute and go off to inpsect it and make a few repairs and adjustments.

He is participating in a government funded project to protect and improve natural waterways and will also make the farm more viable and manageable.

While out in the paddock I get a good signal and ring the Professor about the bloods. Yes, OK to do them in Ballarat in the morning, a small price to pay for getting away.

Ken's partner arrives back and we have tea and later turn in for the night.

The next morning I headed off to pathology in Ballarat and it was about 2 hours by the time I returned.

My favourite aunts who I often stay with
[Photo: Og Bear]

On arriving back I go down to the farm next door to visit my favourite aunts. My father and my aunts grew up here. I have often stayed there in the past. This is the house my grandfather built in the 1920s. He made the bricks, the tiles, everything.  The garden, though run down as a result of many years of drought, is huge. The whole place has a special feel and I love being amongst it.

I have spent much time here helping research the family history there.

My aunts' house where they grew up with my father
[Photo: Og Bear]

Chris, my sister at home
[Photo: Og Bear]

After lunch with my aunts I head off to see my sisters. Chris is at home cooking and is excited about the renovations she is doing to her house. We have always been close.  She was born not long after me and as I was critically ill as a baby, my first renal failure, we have alway been close.

Next, I was off to see Mags, my "baby" sister who recently bought a farm house adjoining her partner's farm. She feels very at home there as it is not unlike my brother's house that she grew up in.

My younger sister on the verandah of her house
[Photo: Og Bear]

It is very dry and the farm looks desperate from the prolonged drought. I have been quite shocked each time I have visited in the last few years and worry how bad it will be next time.

The mobile message comes through that all the bloods are good. I can relax.

I stay at Ken's again that night and head off the next morning. Bloods in Ballarat again then on to my appointment with the doctor at Geelong.

It was good to get away for the first time in 7 years without the need to dialyze hanging over my head or making my return to do so urgent. It was good with the help of Eric to be free.

[Og Bear]

For more photos go to:

http://picasaweb.google.com/OgBear/IFeltTheNeedToReturnToMyOwnCountry#

For a slideshow go to:
https://picasaweb.google.com/OgBear/IFeltTheNeedToReturnToMyOwnCountry#slideshow/