Hi Sue,
So good that you are still here on strokenet, Being Kiwi have spent many happy times in your country!! I was wondering just where in Aussie you were! My sister lives in Manly, Sydney for over 25 years now and sports the Aussie accent and is now declared Aussie in our family, She comes home about once a year for a visit.
Before my stroke was a regular visitor over there and used to party hard in my teens and beyond in Kings Cross. Also a great fan of Jimmy Barnes , and used to catch his concerts over there too. I used to fly out from Auckland Friday night, PARTY and fly back Sunday night and roll in Monday morning for work no sleep, just a brill time!!
I sat my dive ticket in Caines and did my first dive on the Great Barrier Reef off Cape Tribulation, and got hooked! I took 3 months off work, brought a car in Sydney and drove up the coast, Stopped in at the croc farms and Rain forrest's on the way, But have to say it was a magical trip and the Aussie hospitality was amazing. I've never done the usual tourist trip and met some true Aussie people and found them easy going and laid back! The stroke took my dive trips away but have good memories and is now my "happy place" when I have to have my scans, lying in that machine is no place I want to spend any time.
New Zealand has just started a on line support group for young stroke survivors, but I'm a little old now! Hows it go "Too old to die young, too young to die old!" I guess I'll just sit in the middle of the road! But was really neat to hear that someone is finally doing something! It is mainly targeted at the very young stroke survivors and their care givers, But I like it here as there is a wider range of people.
It's nice that there's a Aussie on here as never seen any Kiwi's here yet! and you do a brilliant job and please stay involved and you are a very welcome face when I visit! Now that we are now into our winter, maybe more from down under will find strokenet! and join in!
Gayle