Monday

I am feeling a bit better today, M is feeling either the same or slightly worse.  It’s weird, we figured I would be the one to get worse, considering I am the one working and running myself ragged.  Perhaps my immune system is stronger for that very reason, I don’t quite understand how these things work. 

So we took our time getting up and getting ready this morning, then went over to Chinatown again around lunchtime.  Went to the Chinese bakery again and stocked up on treats and some stuff to eat for breakfast tomorrow.  We wandered around and I bought these pincushions for my mother and sister.

Bit of a story there.  So, it’s a pincushion, and around the outer edge are these tiny little Chinese people with long pony tails.  Pretty stereotypical and racist.  Our mother had one when we were younger and we never really thought anything of it, because it was just her pincushion.  I told my sister I had seen them for sale in this tiny little shop full of Chinese symbolic banners and tokens.  We found it a bit ironic that all those years ago my mother was sticking pins into little Chinese dolls, only for my father to end up re-married to a Chinese woman.  

So I bought two of these pincushions, as a silly gift so we can tease mother about it.

We were uninspired as far as lunch options so we went into Eating World and got some duck and noodles, dumplings and chicken wings.  The food court there is really grotty, otherwise we would have sat and had bowls of noodles.  Perhaps some other time when we’re not desperately ill and can afford to ingest a few germs. 

Came back to the room and rested for an hour or so before we went to meet M’s friend again for a drink.  That was relatively uneventful.  On the way back I stopped and got a pie from Pie Face, which is a ridiculous waste of stomach space when I am in a city with such a wide variety of food available, but we were both out of energy and I only needed a little something to keep hunger at bay.

So here we are back at the room.  M has fallen into bed and I am rubbing blistered feet.  I am up at the crack of dawn tomorrow for my visa medical, then I will come back and meet M at the hotel.  I think we will go up in the Sydney Tower, and then head home.  

Tonight I am feeling a little sad at the idea of taking M to the airport.  Ernie will be going at the same time, with the pet carriers.  I expect I will be fairly devastated, even though I know that it’s only for a short time.  I’m not sure how I am going to react, considering the last time we had an airport farewell it was extremely traumatic.  Even now I don’t want to talk about it.

I will be fine.  My job seems to take over my existence from time to time and I think I will just let it.  Time passes quickly enough, and we have a PLAN this time. 

Still, only 3.5 weeks until he is gone and that is just terrifying.