Gold Coast Australia

 This week started out okay, just the usual coffee outings

BUT then I get the call from Coolangatta, Australia...

"family should meet at the Hospital ASAP".

I threw 5kg of clothes into my backpack, shorts, swimmers, tee shirt, 2 dresses, flats, wig, pushup bra and makeup and hoped on a plane. No breast forms as I thought they might look like C4 explosives in the airport scanner. I got there a day ahead of the other family members, so the next morning I took a 8km walk and got breakfast while I waited for them. My sister thought my shoes didn't really match the dress when she saw the photos, but my flats wouldn't have lasted this walk.

Before they arrived, I changed back into male clothes as I knew we would head to the hospital together. Turning up to the ICU ward in hospital in female clothes wouldn't have been good - there are limits (for me). 

We all moved into a really nice apartment for the next few nights, 10 stories up with great views of whales passing the bay, I even had my own bedroom. The complex had a swimming pool and gym.

As I was running on NZ time, I was waking up a couple of hours earlier than the others, so with some shops opening at 6am, I would watch the 6.30am sunrise with a coffee most mornings, get free Wi-Fi and read the newspaper online, stop at Woolworths for supplies around 7.30 -8.30am (bread, milk, tea, coffee, Vodafone sim card etc). 

Having the gym in the apartment block meant I could wash my make up off (except mascara as I liked to keep that on) and change into shorts and tee shirt before heading up to the apartment where the kettle was hot and toast was already in the toaster or on the sunny balcony table ready for eating. 

I actually did so much walking that both shoe linings in my flats had moved quite a bit inside the shoe obviously the glue isn't designed for too much walking.

Anyway, after a few days and the medical emergency being downgraded, it's time to head home. Another late flight but still a good 5 hours sleep before work this morning.

If I was on holiday here, without family or other commitments, apart from surfing, I could easily see myself in a summer dress all day long. Everyone I meet (okay it was mostly shop staff and only a could of other people sharing a moment) were just so relaxed and easy to chat too.