Europe08: 3 weeks to go

Amidst packing boxes, rabidly monitoring exchange rates, arranging farewell drinks (yes, I put the wrong date on the invite!) and finalising work commitments, both JB and I have managed to come down with the dreaded lurgy.  We’re both wondering why we’re putting ourselves through this; isn’t the decision to travel supposed to be all fun?  Whinge, whinge, whinge.   

In need of a good laugh, was rapt to receive this email from my brother (WWG). 

Water Polo: Serbia vs Albania

21 days to go.

Europe08: 5 weeks to go

Here’s a map of the planned trip.

Use the scroll/zoom buttons featured in the top left hand corner of the map to see more specifically where we’ll be headed.

View Larger Map

We expect to stop/stay in all places marked with flags.  No doubt there will be changes along the way; this is a proposed idea of where we’re headed.  There is no particular amount of time allocated for each place and it’s pretty likely we’ll stay outside of many of the major metropolitan areas. 

35 days to go.

Subscribe to YD – thanks to BC!

Well, it’s taken a while, but with the help of my school mate Bruce, readers of YD can now subscribe by RSS.  Bruce patiently typed up a list of instructions on how to activate RSS to YD, but I still managed to stuff it up.  So after a few phone calls, and a bit of email back-and-forth, it should all be working a treat.  A few other improvements – now we have pictures and links, again all thanks to BC. 

You can visit his blog at www.clarkebruce.wordpress.com.     

36 days to go.

Dissection by Jacinta Halloran

Packing away all my books was a silly thing to do; I’ve been craving the written word. So, when the monthly Readings catalogue arrived in my mailbox last week, I ravaged it like a Yapping Dog set down in front of a endless bowl of Eukaneuba. After scanning the pages, I decided on Dissection by Jacinta Halloran and tootled down to the Hawthorn store to collect.

It’s basically about a GP in her early forties who has been served a writ for medical negligence; she didn’t diagnose cancer in a patient until seven months after symptoms presented. It reminded me of an episode of MDA (why was that show ever axed?) in that it’s a medical negligence suit that prompts the subsequent plot.

Whilst it is fiction, Halloran is a real life GP and able to bring a certain reality to the challenges the protagonist faces. For example the average GP is expected to meet and greet a patient, find out what their problems are, suggest some course of remedy, fill in all the paperwork and prepare for the next patient in an average 15 minute consultation.

It’s not a long read but thoroughly enjoyable.