Change of Plans - A Medical Drama

The eve of our non-refundable return flights to the US and it looks like we'll be forced to forfeit our tickets.

After an its-a-bit-difficult-to-breath-lying-down-can-I-have-a-pill-please trip to the GP and a chest X-ray, the doctor pronounced "What a big heart you've got. No plane trips for you. Go see the cardiologist."

Turns out I have a pericardial effusion (fluid around the heart). Admitted overnight to the Sydney Adventist Hospital, aka the SAN, (hurray for excellent medical insurance with international coverage that extends to the private hospital 10 min from my Sydney home), for surgery tomorrow. All the real doctors keep exclaiming how fortunate it is that we caught this before getting on the plane.

Po Po & I

Wii Fit

One could pull a muscle with the Wii Fit, that is, pull a muscle laughing at others using it. Sooo funny....

Next Stop Canberra

The relative road trip continues with a fabulous home cooked dinner and dessert at Po Po's.

More Fun in the Sand

More beautiful sunny weather to play at the beach. Time for a quick portrait of the original 3 members of the Chapman family.

Half of One Mile

A quick trip to Forster where recent storms had washed half my favorite beach away. The high tide mark was more like a sand cliff. The surf was still rough, with strong rips guaranteed to sweep you down the beach the minute your feet left the sand.

Art etc.

A concentrated dose of Aussie culture with an evening at the NSW Art Gallery's exhibit of the Archibald finalists.

Qantas A380. A better way to fly.

The improved seat design and extensive entertainment system made time fly on our LAX-SYD flight - 14 hours only felt like 13.25.

*live pictures of our landing in soggy Sydney courtesy of Skycam