I’ve been working hard on the second draft of my memoir, working one week/month in the Northern Territory, and having some R & R with my husband Michael.
Last month we stayed at a recently renovated Accor ski resort in Merrijig, Victoria. It’s been decorated with unique ski-themed items, as you can see from the photos below. It was very relaxing to be there, even though it wasn’t ski season. We could see kangaroos in the distance, and enjoyed the fresh air and the beautiful scenery.
Earlier this year I attended a Storytellers’ conference in the beautiful Baulkham Hills, just under an hour’s drive NW of Sydney. The conference centre had a large labyrinth outside.
Labyrinth at St Joseph’s Conference Centre, Baulkham Hills, NSW
We were encouraged to walk in it during our free time. I was keen to have a go, even though it would mean braving the cold. I bundled myself up in a green skivvy, my black woollen jumper, a purple scarf knitted for me by my mother, my navy blue fleece lined parka, and my bright blue Monash Uni beanie. I didn’t have my fluorescent pink ski gloves with me, so I kept my hands in my pockets. The experience of walking round and around in the labyrinth was a peaceful experience that took about 20 minutes. I walked back inside, savouring the warmth of the heated conference centre. As I walked past the reception desk, an information sheet about labyrinths caught my eye. I picked it up and started reading it. The following quote resonated with me:
Outback Australia continues to lure us back.
This time the attractions were the Field of Lights at Uluru, and King’s Canyon, where we enjoyed glamping (glamorous camping) in the middle of nowhere.
The dinners under the stars, sitting around a campfire, listening to a didgeridoo, and to stories told by Aboriginal Traditional Owners and Elders were some of the highlights.
We’ll be back.
Helicopter view of Kata Tjuta (Olgas)
5 person helicopter
Uluru at sunset
Field of Lights – Art installation – Yulara/Uluru
Fantastic cultural tour – Kings Canyon
Kings Canyon
Middle Ranges – near Kings Canyon
Mural – airport at Uluru
Peacock at Alice Springs
The back of a peacock.
Royal Flying Doctor Service, Alice Springs. Mock interior of a plane.
I’ve been at the Gold Coast this week attending a national conference on General Practice education. I enjoyed presenting a workshop on Building empathy: the role of humanities. I was also honored to be invited to co-chair a one day forum for the Cultural Educators, Cultural Mentors, and Medical Educators Network.
View from 14th floor of Jupiter’s Casino at the conference
Sunset from 14th floor of Jupiter’s Casino at the conference
View from 14th floor of Jupiter’s Casino at the conference
Jupiter’s Casino – I just looked!
Jupiter’s Casino – I just looked!
Conference venue – Jupiter’s.
Conference venue – Jupiter’s.
Conference dinner table decoration – steam punk theme. (I had to google what it was).
I’m back home this week before heading off to the Gold Coast for a national Medical Educators’ conference. I’ve been given the honour of co-facilitating a one day forum for Medical Educators and Indigenous Cultural Educators. I will also be presenting a workshop on one of my favourite topics: ‘Using medical humanities to build empathy in doctors’.
This brings me to the book of the week: ‘all the beginnings: a queer autobiography of the body’ by Quinn Eades. Quinn, who created this book as part of a PhD in creative writing, writes poignantly about many experiences from a patient’s point of view, including being a new mother, having a hysterectomy, and the journey of having a twisted ovary being diagnosed…..eventually. The book also contains several traumatic life events experienced by Quinn, whilst identifying as a ‘she’. Quinn now identifies as a transman who has begun transitioning since the book was published. I admire Quinn’s courage, his incredible resilience, and willingness to show his vulnerability.
View from hotel room, Alice Springs
Table decoration – authentic desert sand.
In a cafe at Tennant Creek….guess what these are? (Answer at end of blog).
Mobile of a flying man – Tennant Creek cafe
Mobile of a flying man – Tennant Creek cafe
View from 10 seater chartered plane from Tennant Creek back to Alice Springs
Safety Instructions
Inside 10 seater chartered plane from Tennant Creek back to Alice Springs
View from 10 seater chartered plane from Tennant Creek back to Alice Springs
View from 10 seater chartered plane from Tennant Creek back to Alice Springs
Peacock by the pool
Mural in Alice Springs hospital
Outside Alice Springs hospital
The mystery items from the cafe with ladies’ heads turned out to be holders for earrings made for pierced ears. (Just flip open the bit at the bottom and voila!).
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Some photos of my trip to Tennant Creek…
Old Telegraph Station, Tennant Creek
Bush Turkeys, Tennant Creek
Termite Mound, Tennant Creek
Termite Mound, Tennant Creek
On the way to the Pebbles, Tennant Creek
The Pebbles, Tennant Creek
The Pebbles, Tennant Creek
The Pebbles is a sacred site for women’s business. I could feel why. The energy there is very peaceful.
I’ve been busy working on the second draft of a memoir about my spiritual journey. I’m trying to get as much done as I can before heading off on my monthly work visit to Alice Springs next week. Cutting out sections that took blood, sweat and tears to write can be excruciating, but it needs to be done. ‘Kill your darlings’, as the saying for authors goes. It also helps to have a mentor, as well as deadlines, self-imposed or otherwise.
For those of you who don’t know, I’ve been working as a Medical Educator training doctors to become General Practitioners for the Northern Territory’s General Practice Training Education (NTGPE) program since 2009.
Many thanks to those of you who have sent good thoughts to my husband, or enquired about his health. I am very grateful to report that he is very much on the mend and looking forward to getting back to full-time work. (not to mention a much less gruelling car rally in November……!).
Recently I’ve been reflecting on how I got to be the way I am. I wanted to share an example of persistence in my life. I learnt this quality from my mother.
Last month during my relaxation time in Alice Springs, NT, I went on a full day adventure tour to the picturesque Palm Valley in a huge white 4WD bus that could take up to 20 people. My husband Michael was busy getting ready for a car rally.
My husband has been unwell with pneumonia for what feels like way too long for him and me, however thankfully he is now on the mend.
This prompted me to share a modified version of an article I wrote many years ago about my experience of being both a doctor and a mother of a child with a chronic health condition.
It appeared in ‘Australian Doctor’, a weekly national magazine for General Practitioners. Although it was published on 23/3/2001, the message is still relevant today.
Blurred Roles: We Care Too, by Dr Bambi Ward.
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