Conference Shenanigans

The end of May rolled around way too quickly. I felt like I finished my 10km in pretty good shape, but my body decided that I had pushed it and picked up a cold. I’d spent a lot of time trialling nutrition, hydration and recovery methods, before, during and after training. My legs and muscles didn’t feel too bad before the cold kicked in. Maybe the pace I set was a bit much with how easily I seemed to pick up that cold!

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I wouldn’t blame you if you thought I had shut down the blog! I’m still here, just been busier than ideal.

It’s been well over a year since I last posted (Sept 2021), so I wouldn’t blame you if you thought I’d shut down the blog! Despite trying to keep a better work/life balance, that hasn’t quite happened. I had intended to write more; in fact, there are 4 unfinished blogs in my drafts folder. The way the world has thrown twists and turns has undoubtedly made for a year of excitement, achievement, adversity, persistence and progress throughout 2022.

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September Stumbled Along…

This year we started September in Level 4 Covid19 lockdown, which means keep your butt at home unless you are going out for essential items, medical treatment or for a short period of activities in the area local (walking distance) to your home. No “fast food”, no going to the gym, no gatherings, online school, work from home if you are not an essential worker, no funerals or tangihanga (funeral directors still operate but no gatherings), keep to your bubble, physical distancing and masks if out. My region moved down to Level 3 at mid-night of the 31st of August, which a “softer” lockdown; work from home, no seated dining, limited movement (stay local), gatherings of no more than 10 for funerals or tangihanga, weddings, church, non-contact customer pick-up or delivery, stay local. This was just in time for my birthday, after a couple of weeks without being able to have any form of take-aways I was craving Chinese food, so we made use of delivery food. My birthday was spent watching the Paralympics, not checking emails, eating junk food, Chinese food for dinner and cheesecake for dessert.

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Mid-Year months of Madness!

June kicked off with a hiss and a roar! I kicked the month off with another “Intro to Enabling Good Lives (EGL)” down in Wellington with Imagine Better for District Health Board (DHB) staff. We had a good cross-section of Children’s Hospital staff; including, OTs, physios, nurses, and a paediatrician. We also had a handful of social workers, OTs, physios, Allied Health Aids and a couple of Team Leads. The day after I was off to the Mid-Central Leadership Group meeting. By the time I had travelled to Wellington, delivered a training, driven home and a full-day meeting, I was beat.

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May as well make the most of it?!?!?

All of a sudden we’re almost halfway through the year, and this month hasn’t exactly gone to plan. In the end, despite a horrific head cold that had me laid out for a week, May hasn’t been too bad; just a little different than anticipated. Once again I remind myself that “life is indeed an adventure” if we look at it from an etymological (background of words) basis. Webster’s dictionary defines risk as:

1a: an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks. //a book recounting his many bold adventures b: the encountering of risks. //the spirit of adventure. 2: an exciting or remarkable experience. //an adventure in exotic dining they were looking for adventure. 3: an enterprise involving financial risk. //she wanted to pay off her debts before embarking on any new financial adventures.

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April’s Atiwhakatu Adventure

April began with me trying to get the footage I had taken at Alice Nash edited (I’m still trying!), some meetings and preparing to take 3 friends out to Alice Nash for an overnighter. Then I realized that the deer hunting season had kicked off, that there was a lot of talk of father/son hunting trips and that Aotearoa was in full lockdown this time last year…

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And the year is Marching on…

March kicked off with a visit to the local court to see ADNZ Raven’s support crew many of the courthouse staff all chip in towards Raven’s fundraising effort. The place was a bit chaotic due to a change in Covid19 Alert Levels. I don’t think Raven fully appreciates what “Social Distancing” means! Thank you so much for your continued support of Raven and Assistance Dogs NZ Trust.

ADNZ Raven wearing her blue harness. She standing getting a lower back scratch from a woman sitting down in an office setting. A sticker saying "Thank You" obscures the woman's face
Don’t let the judge catch you not social distancing Raven!!
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A quick overnight wander to clear our heads!

Holdsworth Lodge; Tararua Forest Park. 9 & 10 Feb 2021.

I have been wanting to get out bush and clear my head for awhile. It was well overdue and thanks to a couple of friends we locked in a date and off we went. A lot of trips would be out of my “range” at the moment so I deliberately picked Holdsworth Lodge, a bit of a cruisy, glamping trip. I have walked past Holdsworth Lodge plenty of times on my way into Donnelley’s Flats and thought “I need to measure up that ramp and the doorways”. This was the perfect opportunity to do a measure up and see how feasible this site could be for others to use. However the main intent for this trip was to get out of town and cellphone range to chill for the night.

ADNZ Raven is sitting, looking at the camera in the fore-ground. In the background is a lofted out blue sleeping bag, an orange stuff sack and part of an empty black backpack.
Are we going somewhere?
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Just like that it’s 2021, where did 2020 go??

2020 seems to have flown by, I know that it’s been a year none of us will forget. Globally Covid has been a bit of a shit-show; I am thankful and grateful to be in New Zealand and the decisions our leadership has made. On a personal level was a year of re-examining what is important to me and prioritizing, a year of accessing the medical and disability services and support that would have been beneficial over the last two decades. I guess like many, it’s been a year of uncertainty, confusion and a rapidly changing “normal”.

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