Weekends That Were - December 2016

30.12.16

Update 2

Major progress yesterday! I got out of bed and into a wheelchair! The physio stood by while I moved myself across and into the chair, a second physio supporting my right leg which refuses to bend beyond 10% at this stage. So, leg supported by an extension, I self propelled myself, slowly, down to the lifts and then along another corridor to the gym. I hung out there for a half an hour or so, then it was time to return. My hip/pelvis was aching but it was a good start to further progress.

27.12.16

Accident and injury

By now most, if not all, of you will know of my ‘accident’  - but just so its on record, here’s the story….

Wednesday 14.12 I decided to cycle in to Stones Corner to Langland’s Park swimming pool so I left home at about 8.15.

50 meters down the road and I swung out to turn left towards the bike path and found a flat bed truck completely blocking the road between parked cars. I had nowhere to go, he had nowhere to go and when I braked I slid sideways on my left said under the front of the truck ending up half wrapped around his left (driver’s side) front wheel.

As he was still coming to a stop the wheel pushed me along the bitumen for several meters.

An ambulance was called and arrived very quickly, apparently just being in the area. I was conscious until they gave me, what I believe was, morphine and then I entered a very weird space I am still trying to come to terms with, before losing consciousness completely.

I was placed in an induced coma and transported to the Princess Alexandria Hospital where my following injuries were treated:

• 13 broken ribs – 4-9 on the left at the front, 4-10 on the right at the back & 11 & 12 on the right at the front.
• A punctured right lung
• My pelvis fractured in several places
• Compound fracture of the right femur - broken in two places –the femur was treated immediately and the bone stabilized with external metal work.
• Extensive gravel rash on my left side from my shoulder to my knee.
• Various other cuts and bruises including a cut on my right shin requiring a dozen or so stitches.

The good part was I didn't damage my head, neck or back at all - there was not even a scratch on my helmet.

Friday 15.12 My femur was operated on and ‘nailed’ – i.e. a metal rod inserted, permanently.

Friday – Wednesday 20.12 Was spent in the acute ward of the PA with three other patients, watched over 24 x 7 by a dedicated team of young nurses who do amazing work. A dark time in the main, which has become a blur in my memory now. A time of pain and anguish with visitors moving in and out of my days, my daughters predominate – their worry obvious.

Thursday 21.12 Moved to St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Level 2, Bed 29, a private room with a sky view and another team of empathic, respectful, professional nurses who took over my care.

Thursday – Tuesday 27.12 The days marked by progress and the ‘little things’…..

• Slowly bending my right knee about 5 degrees!  I managed to cross my ankles this morning (27.12) for the first time since the accident and can now move my leg across the bed independently.
• The main pain is in the gravel rash on my left side – requiring dressing changes every couple of days, which means I have to roll onto my right side as well as I can so they can access the whole area – challenging with a smashed pelvis.
• Sitting up straight in bed for the first time on Christmas Day and sorting my emails!
• Opening my bowels successfully  - which is a huge deal when you don’t move from day to day, trust me! It has become the topic of conversation among friends and family.
• The morning ritual bed bath which is just heaven!

• Finally getting it together to update my blog!

The future?

No weight bearing at all on my pelvis for 6-8 weeks – which is hard at times. I just feel like getting up and going over to the sink for a drink or to go to the toilet.

Once I am re-assessed (in about 4 and a half weeks now) a decision will be made as to what I can do then, how much my pelvis will take, how my femur has progressed.

Funnily enough the broken ribs are the least of my concern! Maybe its previous experience and understanding of that pain and the management of movement – having broken 4 ribs 5 years ago, it seemed much more painful then! Or maybe its just the pain killers?

The gravel rash is definitely the most painful part of the whole deal and I will be having the dressings changed again tomorrow when I go back to the PA for a check up………

I’d like to acknowledge all the people who have emailed me, texted me, visited me and called me over the past 2 weeks. It has been a revelation and a pleasure and I look forward to many more visitors in the coming weeks.

Do I feel stupid? Yes.

Do I regret it? Yes, but it wasn’t a decision I made and it was no one’s fault but my own.
Do I feel lucky? YES - I even, consciously, thought I was dead!

Am I concerned? Yes. Concerned that I will struggle to walk properly – a little. Concerned it will affect me, physically long term - a little. 

But I am determined to work through it, to get the re-hab and physio and beat whatever my body throws in front of me, to walk, to run, to swim, to climb, to kayak but…………..not to ride. I have decided that riding now is not the way I want to go. The bike will be buried – it’s shattered – and not resurrected. This was too close. This was too traumatic.

So – not the Christmas I envisioned and certainly not the ones the girls needed! They have been terrific, I am so proud of their strength and resilience, their compassion and their love. I love them deeply and am so sorry I have caused them such shock and grief.

For now its:

Onwards & upwards!

13.12.16

Minnippi

Mr P had an hour to spare so we met at 6 and wandered in on the usual route – minus the Airfield track.

On the walk in Mr P found a Phasmid (Stick insect) I sent it to Mr B at the museum for identification – to be updated.

Near the lake a Pale-vented Bush Hen called once from the tree line. The M1 track was a s quiet as it has been lately, not much going on.

The alley and lake were also pretty low-key, but a raptor flying over the far side caused a bit of discussion eventuating in us agreeing on Baza. Long, rounded wings, very pale underneath, a good sized bird it couldn’t have been anything else.

A claim of a Dusky Honeyeater feeding young had been made in the last day or two and we were keen to check it out. We did find a Brown Honeyeater in the presumed location with no yellow on the face – as we have seen many before – and we believe it has been a case of mistaken identification.

We finished up at the car with a fairly limited list, but with the time in hand we did OK.

12.12.16

Norman Creek, Holland Park West

A bright fresh morning – the southerly change still affecting the temperature.

A good morning bird-wise for the site – 24 species. Nothing exceptional, just the usual stuff.

11.12.16

Minnippi

The southerly change that had moved through on Friday night – and created the cool, damp conditions at Lamington yesterday, created a cool, cloudy morning so I thought I’d check Minnippi.

On site at 6.30 it was overall average. The M1 track was quiet – just a single Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and a single Galah standing guard outside their, assumed, nestholes. A distant calling Pale-vented Bush Hen somewhere along the river bank and a calling Lewin’s Honeyeater made up the total activity.

Up the alley – and I noticed the ground littered with Meadow Puffballs Lycoperdon pretense breaking through after the recent rain.

Meadow Puffballs Lycoperdon pretense 

Back to the lake – the surface again partially covered by the noxious weed that seems to re-appear on a regular basis – not much going on. Up and over the hill and a brief stop at the Raptor Lookout before heading onto the Airfield Track.

A nicely marked little lizard on a log turned out to be a new species for me, Elegant Snake-eyed Skink Cryptoblepharus pulcher, identified by the museum within a couple of hours on a SUNDAY!! Impressive!

Elegant Snake-eyed Skink Cryptoblepharus pulcher,

(Note – the skink from Python Rocks yesterday was also identified – I was half-right, it was a Murray’s Skink Karma murrayi.)

The Airfield Track was also fairly bird-less although Meadow Argus, Dainty Grass Blues, the season’s first Common Crows and a single Blue Triangle, sitting still for a change, provided some interest.

Blue Triangle Graphium sarpedon

Back again half an hour later at the Lookout and a pair of Channel-billed Cuckoos chased across the sky – God, I love those modern day pterodactyls!

Walking back alongside the creek a pair of Red-browed Finches flew across my path.

Other than that it wasn’t an overly exciting morning and I was in the car by 8.45.

10.12.16

O'Reilly's, Lamington

Mr P picked me up at 5 and we were in the carpark at O’Reilly’s at 6.30. On the road we had two Wonga Pigeons, 2 Common Bronzewings – nearly collected one on the windscreen, God, they’re hopeless – and a very relaxed White-headed Pigeon.

Headed straight out the Border Track – fast pace, heading directly for the Antarctic Beach Forest and Mt Bithongabel, 6 kms away. Our mission? Olive Whistler. There had been a report, now, unfortunately, several weeks old, but we thought they may still be around as they are, presumably, resident in the area, albeit in very small numbers.

We stopped twice for a drink and a short break and arrived at the short turnoff track to the Cairn, 300 meters before Mt Bithongabel, at 8.15.

We tried all along the track from there to the Lookout itself and found nothing but Australian Golden Whistlers in good numbers. It was amazingly Tasmanian-like with temperatures, about 14-15 degrees and a heavy mist or cloud hanging among the trees. 

Mr P in the mist

In the damp conditions we started getting leeches. In my wisdom I had worn shorts and ended up with a couple of bleeding bites from the tiny buggers – no drama, just annoying – and kept busy making sure they didn’t crawl up the leg of my shorts and bite something precious…….

After an hour and a half we headed back, birding along the way.

The activity was pretty low key – we only heard one Wompoo Fruit Dove and one Rose-crowned, several Brown Cuckoo-doves, Noisy Pittas and Green Catbirds. Saw a few Brown Gerygones, Yellow-throated, Large-billed and White-browed Scrub-wrens, one Black-faced Monarch. All in all it wasn’t very busy. A dead log provided some substance for a large clump of Jelly Ear fungi Auricularia auricula-judae.

Jelly Ear fungi Auricularia auricula-judae.

Back at O’Reilly’s we had coffee on the verandah and saw a ‘semi-distantly’ perched up female Rose-crowned Fruit Dove and had very close encounters with Crimson Rosellas, Satin Bowerbirds and a pair of Regent Bowerbirds – spectacular bird, beats Golden Bowerbird hands down, I reckon.

Regent Bowerbird male

After coffee Mr P suggested a short stroll on the Python Rocks track and that was a little birdier. Several Paradise Riflebirds, though no good views, another Rose-crowned Fruit Dove calling, Fan-tailed Cuckoo and excellent views of a single Crested Shrike-tit. We also had a pair of Richmond Birdwing butterflies, but they didn’t stop for photographs.

A large skink did (identified by the Queensland Museum as a Murray's Skink Karma murrayi) and a Golden-scruffy Collybia Cyptotrama asprata didn’t move too far either.

UPDATED - Murray's Skink Karma murrayi

Golden-scruffy Collybia Cyptotrama asprata 

Headed home around 13.30. Not a bad day despite mission unaccomplished.

7.12.16

Oxley

A storm at 2.00am woke up the suburb and the crashing thunder and vivid lightning was followed by heavy rain. I needed a bit of a walk and I thought Oxley might be worth a visit.

It wasn’t. The birds were very quiet and it rained most of the time I was on foot. Not heavily – just a wetting, not a downpour - but enough to keep things low.

A Black-shouldered Kite perched up in the classic dead tree against the (grey) sky took me back to our recent adventures on the Strzelecki, but other than that it was very average.

5.12.16

Eye Update

At the specialist today:

There has been no noticeable improvement in my sight - BUT the scans showed a reduction in the fluid. Good news! The medicine in my eye presently is a 3 month programme and I'm only 6 weeks into it so hopefully..... at least I can have another injection in January and if its made some improvement in 6 weeks...maybe?

There are signs of a cataract starting - but that was expected and is of minimal concern. Dr Warrier believes that will not become an issue for 6-12 months. And a cataract op is nothing.

3.12.16

Dohle's Rocks road

Mr P and I met up with Mr J and Ged T (Mr T) at 6 and walked out onto the exposed mud of the Pine River. Loads of Black-tailed Godwits, Whimbrel, Common Greenshanks and a few Eastern Curlew, but nothing suspicious.

Walking back Mr J pointed out an apparent moth which, on closer inspection, appeared to be being predated? Mr T also spotted a caterpillar which I submitted to the museum for identification.

UPDATED: Robberfly (Zosteria sp) & No-brand Grass Yellow Eurema brigitta

Unidentified, as yet, Caterpillar

Back to the cars and we moved down the road parking up near the west end of the nature reserve area. As we were setting up the scopes Mr P spotted a falcon like bird flying overhead – a cuckoo. No one got any detail but strongly suggested an Oriental Cuckoo. Out on the mud more Black and Bar-tailed Godwits and a good number of Great Knot. A single Red Knot showed briefly before flying out of sight behind the fringing mangroves. A flock of approx 100 White-throated Needletails hawked overhead as we had a look at the new hide built to overlook the ponds on the north side of the road. Once again the viewing ports were too low – who designs these things? Not much on the water – a few Chestnut & Grey Teal, a single Black-fronted Dotterel and a single Marsh Sandpiper.

On to the end of the road (and a flash back memory stir for me as we passed the parking slots along the front) and a walk out onto a mosquito infected claypan. A number of Red-capped Plovers and a small overflying flock of Topknot Pigeons (the latter a little unexpected at this time of year) were about all apart from a couple of Whistling Kites and a Black-shouldered Kite.

Back up the road and down a side street to a dead end and another swamp. Not much here but I did turn over a piece of cardboard and found a small Keelback Tropidonophis mairii curled up underneath.

UPDATED Keelback Tropidonophis mairii

Very very humid, 29 degrees and cloudy, but really draining even though it was only 8.30. We decided enough was enough and headed home.

2.12.16

Mt Gravatt

Found this guy, Carpet Python Morelia spilota, wandering across the road in residential Mt Gravatt at 16.30 in the afternoon! It curled up behind the wheelie bin before I disturbed it and it slid off into my ex-wife’s garden.

Almost Garden of Eden stuff – without the apple…..

Carpet or Diamond Python Morelia spilota