Saturday – day of rest
So, having got to Michael’s place in Sydney at 9am, or 6am Perth time, having not slept much on the plane, we were both shattered. Having originally planned (before our flight was moved and I got ill) to visit the Blue Mountains National Park today, that plan was quickly shelved and remodelled as a sofa day. After a nap, I got up and had a bit of food (reluctantly) and had a shower, before promptly diving back into bed for another few hours. Some time in the early afternoon I emerged from bed again and found Michael, who’d also taken himself off for a nap, and we decided to spend the rest of the day watching films and trying to stay awake. So we watched Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace and several episodes of Two and a Half Men.
Unwell
Sunday started with a bang, or perhaps a crash. Having had another cold, hot and sweaty night, and having eaten very little for the last few days, my headache was worse than ever and I was feeling not only exhausted but weak too. I got myself out of bed and went for a shower. The warm water felt good but strange on my skin, almost tingly, but I appreciated an external source dictating what temperature my body should be rather than my body trying to guess and do the work all the time. However, as I left the shower, the room was swimming and my head with it. I dried myself off and headed back to my bedroom, but I couldn’t get my balance and ended up bouncing off the hallway walls. By the time I reached the bedroom just a few metres away my legs had buckled and I’d seen stars. Crumpled on the floor, I dragged myself into bed and considered my next moves.
Our plan for the day was to try one of the national parks with Michael’s friend Steph, who was going to spend the day with us. And it was looking to be a hot day too. But with the way I was feeling, this put the fear of god in me… Michael made me some avocado on toast and we discussed a plan of action. I needed some medical attention of some kind so he made me an appointment to see the GP that afternoon (a Sunday!). It would be private though… but at this point I would’ve paid anything to start feeling normal again!
Steph turned up and I took a covid and flu test (both negative) before we headed out to Lane Cove National Park. I sat in the back of the car in case I needed to sleep again… which was feeling very likely.
Lane Cove National Park
We drove in on Michael’s annual pass. You can basically drive around and stop at various points and there are large picnic areas and barbecues that you can hire out and there are usually public toilets to go with them.
We sat down in one of the first picnic areas and walked over to a bench. And even while just sat there, we were able to admire lizards and several different bird species.
We did a bit of walking, lizards shuffling left, right and centre, and the fresh air felt nicer but I still wasn’t feeling very steady on my pins.
After a while, Michael and Steph suggested maybe getting some lunch. The dizziness was making me feel a bit queasy, so I just said I’d have a smoothie and we went to Lane Cove to find something to eat.
Our next mission was getting to the doctor’s appointment Michael had booked at Chatswood Medical Centre. It took a bit of finding, but we got there in the end. I signed up as a new patient and was seen fairly quickly by the doctor. Possible atypical/walking pneumonia, which is apparently a mild form of pneumonia called ‘walking’ because it doesn’t quite send you to hospital. But for me it didn’t feel very mild and I wanted drugs and I wanted them fast. She gave me some antibiotics and anti-nausea/dizziness tablets so that I could eat, and hopefully I’d soon be on the road to recovery.
After that, we still had the afternoon ahead of us, so we decided to go to the beach. At least there I could lie down and sleep to my heart’s content.
North Curl Curl Beach
After a while, when I’d gathered a bit of strength and courage, I thought the sea started to look quite inviting. A refreshingly cold dip might just shake the ache out of my head for a few minutes, or at least distract me. So we all braved it and walked up to the water, Michael and I going in for a cold reset.
We then moved and sat up by the rocks at the end of the beach by the sea pool, which is filled by the overflow of the waves, but doesn’t have any waves itself or sharks for that matter…
It started getting less warm, so that signalled our time to leave. We de-sanded and headed for the car.
We dropped Steph off at the Tube station and carried on home, where Michael made us a lovely bit of mozzarella and chorizo pasta to go with my appetit using doxycycline tablet.
Then it wasn’t long before we were ready to hit the hay before the dreaded Monday! (Not so dreaded for me because I’m on holiday, but Michael would have to open his laptop again).
Blonde on a Road Trip 
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