South Island – Part 1

The good news is that I am almost back to 101%. I managed a 19km walk the other day and also made it through a game of tennis without collapsing. I’m still pretty worn out the day after but I feel a lot stronger than I did. I will be heading back to the South Island on Monday for a couple of weeks and after you see these photos you’ll understand why. Thank you so much for your lovely messages. I won’t lie I was a bit scared there for a while and as ever it is a blessing to be able to get up in the morning and feel well again.
I’ve been a bit bad at keeping the blog up to date since Christmas so here is the post Christmas action and some beautiful photos to warm you are up if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere and to also show everyone that despite all the horribleness that’s been in the news lately we still live in a very beautiful world.

It was the day ‘after’ Christmas…

The day after Christmas myself, Ruth and a lovely Canadian girl called Ozen set off for the South Island. This was a weeks holiday for the girls and was meant to be the start of a longer South Island adventure for me.

Looking at all the photos it’s pretty amazing how much we did in one week. No wonder I was exhausted.

We took Ozen’s car and jumped on the ferry from Wellington. As I awed at the scenery as we left the bay Ruth said to me, “just wait until you see the South Island”. As you’ll see from the photos I wasn’t disappointed.

We headed towards to Queenstown briefly stopping at Kaikoura and spending the night with the family of Ruth’s big brother in Christchurch before continuing South via the beautiful lakes Tekapo and Wanaka and onto Cardrona where we stayed for the week.

There are no words to describe how beautiful this country is. We kept stopping on the way as each view became increasingly more beautiful. Queenstown is just spectacular and these photos just don’t do it justice. The mountain range is called the Remarkables and with very good reason. They are ….erm….remarkable and overlook the insanely blue Lake Wakatipu. Whilst in Queenstown we jet boated, skydived but mainly just stood in awe at the scenery.

We also visited a little town called Arrow town which was where Chinese settlers set up camp during the gold rush, living in tiny make shift shacks. Such a beautiful little town and you can still search the river for gold whilst your there.

We spent New Years eve at New Zealand’s oldest pub called the Cardrona Hotel where we hung out with the owners and their friends. Such lovely people and they made us feel so welcome.

When I was in Cardrona I was interviewed by a local journalist for a Queenstown newspaper and magazine (see link) – http://www.odt.co.nz/news/queenstown-lakes/329381/globe-trotting-survivor-drops

Her name is Louise and I was far more interested in talking about her life than I was in talking about mine. Lou is from Ireland and has sadly lost both her parents to cancer. When her relationship ended in the UK she decided to set off on an adventure and find her happiness again. She now lives in Queenstown and absolutely loves it. Such a lovely girl and it was such a pleasure to meet her.

The South Island is spectacular and I’m so excited to go back and see a few more things before I venture up the north island. Just wait until you see the photos of Milford Sound which I declared as the most beautiful place I had ever seen. It’s pretty special.

New Zealand is definitely one for your lists and one you can do even if you’re not fully fit yet as I found out when I went to Milford Sound.

A very special Kiwi Christmas

Christmas is never the same when you are not around family and if I’m honest I wasn’t really looking forward to my second 101 Christmas away from mine, but this Christmas day turned out to be one of the most memorable of my life.

The day started with Ruth cooking an amazing breakfast before giving me two gifts with one being amazing and the other being… erm… toilet golf… literally a game of golf to play on the toilet complete with putter and a green! 🙂 Crazy!

Ruth then asked me to sit down and watch a video on the iPad before pulling her phone out and filming me watch it. I had no idea what was going on. I then watched what turned out to be the most wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me. My friend Richard contacted some of my friends and supporters from around the world and asked them to take a photo of themselves holding a 101 sign. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen and I can’t believe he did it. He is such an amazing friend and I was literally lost for words. If you fancy a peek I’ve attached it here;- http://youtu.be/1sf49Y9BpE0

After a speechless start to the day I was then picked up by friend Lisa and her amazing boyfriend, Sean and we went to Lisa’s mum and dad’s house for lunch.

When it came to opening the presents I was maybe expecting a gift from Lisa but instead was overwhelmed with lots wonderful gifts. I couldn’t believe what Lisa and her family had done for me. In one Christmas I received two of the best gifts anyone has ever given me. The first being the video Richard made for me and the second being a picture which Lisa’s niece Alicia painted for me. She is 8 years old and painted a picture of me standing on top on Mount Victoria overlooking Wellington. It is the best painting I have ever seen and will take pride and place in my future home.

The last Christmas I spent with kids was when I was a child. Seeing the kids open their presents and then spend the rest of the day playing with bubbles and firing arrows across the room reminded me of how magical Christmas used to be. This yet again got me thinking about achieving thing 101 on my list which seems to be something I have thought more and more about as my trip has gone on. Sean’s children, Holly and Annabel then arrived and sang for everyone which was just beautiful.

After a huge Christmas dinner we then headed off to visit Sean’s family. We drove to what I can only describe as possibly the most beautiful cemetery I have ever seen which over looks the beautiful countryside.

Sean’s brother Piers died of cancer in 1977 when he was 8 years old. He was the same age as me when I was ill as a child and Sean’s family always visit his grave on Christmas Day.

Sean’s sister Anna Marie joked with me when I met her by saying “I’m sure this not uncomfortable for you at all”.

It was a very lovely moment and I felt so honoured to be there but I found myself getting upset after I read a poem that seans mum Christine had written on the grave. I thought about my mum as I know she would have felt the same way if she had lost me when I was ill as child. I then thought of Lynette and Cheryl who lost their children to this awful disease last year. I can imagine Christine’s words represent most mothers and fathers who lose a child.
Christine kissed her hand and touched Piers’ headstone and said goodbye. I asked if I could take a photo and Lisa said that they would be honoured if I did so.

We then all went to Sean’s mum and dad’s house and had yet more food and a wonderful time. Sean’s dad, Jean Pierre had a stroke a number of years ago and can’t move around as much as he once did but he’s still out there living life. They are a very inspiring family and it was joy to spend time with them.

This turned out to be one the best Christmas days I’ve ever had. I missed my family but instead became part of the lives of two new families.
A huge thank you to Ruth, Lisa, Sean, Richard, the Marshall and Hammond family and to all my pals around the world for making this Christmas so special. I have never experienced a day where I have felt so overwhelmed, humbled and grateful before. A day I will never forget.

I did it!!!

It is still sinking in that I have actually done this. It was the most mind blowing surreal thing I’ve ever done.

As I shimmied towards the door when we reached 15,000ft I still couldn’t quite fathom what I was about to do. I had been arming myself with thoughts of cancer and how this couldn’t be as bad but as we flew up but I found myself thinking of all your lovely messages of support on my last post.

Thank you so so much. I read them all this morning and I thought about them all day right up until I jumped.

I must admit they all flew out my head when I literally ‘fell’ out of the plane and were quickly replaced with “Aaaahhhhhh” and then “THIS IS AMAAAZING”

Unfortunately the video and photos weren’t ready when I left Queenstown so ill head back tomorrow and pick them up but I just wanted you all to know that I did it and I’m still alive!:)

The video should be hilarious. Patrick Swayze in Point Break I certainly was not! Expect to see a very scared then ridiculously excited Greig with the video ending with me hugging and thanking both the camera man and my tandem master who must have thought I was an absolute nutter!:)

A huge thank you to my friends Ruth and Ozen who also did the jump with me. Ruth started crying as soon as she saw the plane but did the jump anyway. So brave. Well done Ruthie! We faced our fear and won!

Happy new year gang.

Starting 2015 off with a… Jump!

Well, the time has come! I have now booked my skydive and at 3pm on the 1st of January 2015 I will be jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft at 15,000ft! Aaahhhhhh! I still can’t believe I’m actually going to do this. It’s safe to say I am good combination of excited and absolutely petrified.

I have to say that the past month has made me realise that I really need to work on the way I cope with stress. Although travelling is not easy if haven’t really felt stressed since I started this adventure.
Last night was the first worry filled night I’ve had for a long time. My head is sore from itching it and I have the churning feeling in my stomach which seems to have also affected my mood and my energy levels. Apart from eczema, night sweating and feeling super emotional all the symptoms are there from my worst times with PTSD.
Although that may sound like I’m not coping very well I feel I am to a certain extent. For every moment I feel scared I remember how grateful I am to still be here and to have the opportunity to do this wonderful thing. I only wish I could control my fear up until the actual moment I do it and not a month in advance.

Yesterday I met with the business development manager of a skydiving company called Nzone. Nzone were the first company in the world to start tandem skydiving. I wrote to them to see if there was any chance they could perhaps give me a discount on my skydive. I received an email back from a guy called Derek who started off saying they get many requests like mine and are not always able to help everyone. He then went on to say that he really identified with my story and would like to meet to discuss.
I first thought this meeting would only be about what publicity the company would want me to do for them in return for a discount. Something I of course have no problem with. However, the meeting was so much more than that and it was only at the end Derek mentioned me writing about my story for the NewZealand.com website.

Derek identified with my story on a very personal level. He had lost his mum to cancer and has also had his fair share of anxiety related issues. After living in numerous cities around the world living a very stressful but financially successful life he gave it all up to live in the beautiful countryside of New Zealand where he could be in amongst nature and find peace. I think we must have chatted about pretty much everything.

It was so great to meet him. Here we were two guys, one from South Africa and one from the UK chatting over a coffee surrounded by the beautiful mountains of New Zealand. Both having shared similar experiences in life and both having gone out there and changed their life so they could feel happy again.

I think what Derek liked most about my story is that I had done something about my situation just like he did. Derek and Nzone then gave me my skydive for free.

I told him about my fear of heights and how scared I was and he replied “good”. It is about overcoming that fear and doing it anyway. That is what skydiving is about. He then gave me his business card with the most wonderful poem by the author Frank Herbert about fear.

I read this and then realised how true it is. Fear is the killer. The reason I chose to go on this trip was to feel happy again as I was so tired of being scared all the time. I saw what the fear of cancer did to my mind and body and how I then affected the people around me.
I know this situation is very different but the fear is exactly the same. I am going to do this and just before I jump I’m going to think back to September 10th 2010 when my worst fear came true and I was diagnosed with cancer again. Back then I would have given anything to believe that I would reach the year 2015 let alone start it with a skydive over my dream country of New Zealand.

I now say goodbye to the year 2014 which has turned out to be my most favourite and successful year ever. My success wasn’t measured by how much money I earned, (which was none) or what possessions I attained (hiking boots and a new camera) but has been measured by the amount of times I have felt happy, grateful and proud. Looking back it appears that I felt all of these things simultaneously on quite a few occasions.

Wishing you a very happy and healthy new year gang and I hope 2015 is your most successful year ever. Thank you so much for sharing this past year with me. You will never know just how much it has meant to me.

I’ll see you all when I land!:)

Oh..and here is the scene from the film Point Break that inspired me to do this. http://youtu.be/MoA17WOEtTU

My first week in New Zealand

I’ve now been in Middle Earth… sorry I mean New Zealand for just over a week now and although I am away from my family again at Christmas time I am having the most wonderful time.

I’ve made new friends, hung out with old friends, seen loads of Lord of the Rings stuff (the dream), seen beautiful mountains, paddled in the clear blue sea and seen first hand why everyone who visits this country falls completely in love it. I have done all this and I haven’t even see the legendary South Island yet.

On Tuesday Ruth and I headed up to a place called Rotorua in the north. Sadly Ruth had a funeral to go to so I went with her to keep her company and to share the driving.

Whilst we were there we saw a little bit of Rotorua which is next to a beautiful and huge Volcanic crater lake and sits on the geothermal hot spot of New Zealand. The smell of sulphur (rotten eggs) sweeps across the town and steam rises from the ground to the extent that people have pipes fitted in their gardens to allow the steam to escape.

The place is amazing and so beautiful. Just down the road is the geothermal wonderland of Wai-O-Tapu which is a scenic reserve of a huge area of surface thermal activity. Magma left over from earlier eruptions runs beneath the ground.
This place is so beautiful with bright green lakes, sulphur and spurting mud pools. Nature in all it’s amazing glory. I’ll probably be heading back through here after I visit the South Island.

On Sunday I met with my Raleigh international friend Kirsty who I volunteered with in Costa Rica and now lives in Wellington. It was so great to see her.

I later went for dinner at Ruth’s mum’s house who lives in the most amazing location on the side of a hill facing the ocean. Ruth and her mum Joanne are actually related to Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson and Joanne’s house is actually Peter’s childhood home. It was quite surreal to see family photos of Peter everywhere. Joanne was so lovely and made the best lamb I have ever tasted. Fingers crossed I’ll be invited around again!

Ruth treated me to a tour around the incredible WETA studios where she works where films like The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, King Kong and Avatar were made. Ruth actually helped make most of those films.

This tour was something I’ve been dreaming of doing for years and it was even better than I expected. I got to see actual props and costumes used in the films as well as a tour around the Weta Cave. I was in heaven. I also bumped into a lovely couple called Tom and Barbara who I met in Western Australia a few months ago. It was so lovely to see them.

I have been made to feel so welcome since arriving here in NZ. Even the crazy Wellington weather has been good to me. This is my second Christmas in a row away from my family but I am so lucky to have Lisa and Ruth who are doing everything to make me feel like I am at home. Ruth even bought a Christmas tree especially for me coming here. It’s just amazing and as my mum and dad always say….I am a very lucky boy.
X

This post is dedicated to the families of those who were killed or injured in the extremely sad and heartbreaking accident that happened in Glasgow.

Wishing you all a very safe and Merry Christmas
X

The 12 days of Christmas

(Really bad Christmas singing)

In Sydney there is a beautiful church called St Mary’s which has the most wonderful light show illuminated onto it every night. Most people just stand there in silence marvelling at it’s beauty. Not me and Vicki Connerty though (Vicki only realised I was filming half way through). We just couldn’t help ourselves and had to sing along. So this is us singing along to the light show with me trying to read and keep up with the words to the 12 Days of Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE and remember… it’s calling birds… not talking birds!:)

A picture paints a thousand words

Cameras and photographs

I love photographs. I think everyone likes photographs. That’s why things like Facebook are so popular. People like seeing photos of other people and different places.

I was never much of a photographer before this trip and I am now what some would describe as a bit of nightmare as I take photographs all the time. As wonderful as memories are photographs just capture that very moment that made you want to take a photo in the first place. That photo then goes on to evoke even more wonderful memories that were maybe pushed to the back of your mind. I do sometimes get down on this trip especially when I’m on my own and I find I always turn to my photographs to make myself feel better and lift my spirits up again.

I also love to use photos to accompany the blogs that I write. The written word is immense but a photograph to go with it can help make people feel that they were there as well. When I read an autobiography I can’t wait to get to the middle bit and see all the photos.

My camera(s)

For this trip I needed a camera that was affordable, compact but also took high quality photographs and videos. I met up with adventurer Mark Beaumont (the fastest man to cycle around the world) who gave me some great advice. He also recommended the camera I should use. He used it to film his cycle challenge around the world and it only cost £200 – the Panasonic Lumix TZ30.

This camera was incredible and took awesome video and photographs. Unfortunately I smashed the screen on a boat on my way to Colombia. I fell over and it was in my hand. It was either the camera or my head that broke my fall. I still have it with me today even though it doesn’t work. Call me sentimental but I just can’t seem to let it go.

I then had to replace my camera so I then bought the upgrade my old camera and got the TZ40 which was equally amazing! Unfortunately being the ‘cotton headed ninny muggings’ that I am I broke that as well.

My wonderful friend Holly who I only just met a few weeks ago contacted Panasonic for me, told them what I’ve been up to over the past 18 months and they have kindly sponsored me a new camera. Not only that, it is the upgrade to my last camera which is absolutely wonderful as I’m a bit in love with those.

I now am the proud owner of the Panasonic Lumix TZ60 and it is even more impressive than the last two Lumix models I’ve owned. The zoom is absolutely amazing for such a small camera (see photos). This is a great travellers camera for those who need something compact and high quality.

When I was interviewed by ITV they commented on how high quality my video footage was when they produced a video summary of my adventures. Needless to say they didn’t say the same thing about my presentation skills! 🙂

So a huge thank you to Panasonic for sponsoring me this wonderful camera. I am so grateful for your support.
For more details on the Lumix range please visit www.panasonic.com

Hello New Zealand!

I can’t believe I’m here! The country that I planned to visit in 2010 before being snatched away when an ugly thing beginning with ‘c’ came back and decided it wanted a rematch! It lost, I won and now I’m here!:)
I’m so excited to be here. I’ve wanted to come here ever since I watched the extras on the special edition DVD of Lord of the Rings (nerd alert). I remember thinking it looked like the most beautiful place ever and now I am finally here.

I was seen off at Sydney airport by my lovely new friends Vix and Rob (and a guy claiming to be Santa…that beard was totally fake though) and I was greeted in Wellington by two lovely old friends (old meaning I’ve known them for a while of course:) Lisa and Ruth. There was also a strange bald guy there just hanging around but fortunately he only had eyes for a another Trout!:)

I’m staying at Ruth’s apartment in beautiful Wellington and when I arrived Lisa and Ruth had put together a little bag of some of the things that make New Zealand great to welcome me to their amazing country. It was so sweet of them. My gift bag included a beautiful map of New Zealand, lots of New Zealand chocolate, wine and a lovely card with the legendary Kiwi saying of ‘sweet as’ on it! ‘Sweet as’ meaning…’awesome’ or if your very British…’I rather like that’ …….at least I think that’s what it means. Correct me if I’m wrong Kiwis?

Ruth told me that Kiwi’s aren’t as patriotic as the Ozzies but then proceeded to tell me that New Zealand has the best of everything. Best country, best meat, best sweets, best coffee. There’s a photo of me sampling my first kiwi coffee and looking like I quite liked it (truth is the milk was boiled and tasted funny but it wasn’t too bad:) New Zealand has just been voted the best country in the world to visit for the thirds time in a row so I’m here to see if that holds true.

I’ve already unleashed my inner geek and been to one of the Lord of the Rings locations here in Wellington and I made a new friend by the harbour!:) Just call me Frodo Turkey legs Trout!:)

So here we go! New Zealand it’s great to be here! If anyone from New Zealand is following 101 Things and fancies a hot choccie and a chat then please let me know and I’ll drop in when I get to your town/village/hobbit hole!:)

SO EXCITED!!
X

The sun sets on my Australian adventure

I am actually struggling to know what to write in this final post from Australia. I have absolutely adored my time here. More than I ever thought I would and I am genuinely sad that the time has come to say goodbye.
Before I arrived here I imagined my trip around OZ would be a far different experience to what it has been. I imagined I would again be scooting from hostel to hostel in true traveller style.

Instead, everywhere I have visited has felt like home. In Broome where my adventure in Oz started I stayed with my wonderful friend Katherine for three weeks. 2 weeks longer than I had planned. Even if the rest of my trip had been poor from then on I would have still left Australia with a full heart. I absolutely loved my time there.

I went on to meet the most wonderful people as I travelled on The Ghan train, at the hostel in Alice Springs and on my tour group to the mighty Uluru.

I then arrived in Sydney where a girl called Vicki (photo 2-upper) who I had never met before gave me her beautiful apartment for two weeks whilst she went back to the UK. In that time I met lots of amazing people who became my friends. Holly (photo 2-lower), a British girl living in Australia who has not only become a good friend but has helped me endlessly by supporting 101 Things and arranging interviews and meetings with cancer charities as well as making Thing #32 on my list a reality which was to sing at the royal opera house.

When Vicki returned we found out we got on like a house on fire and we have had the best time together. I can’t remember a time when I have laughed so much. She has been so generous, organising a surprise birthday party for me, putting me up in her apartment for the best part of 5 weeks and giving me the best birthday present ever… A trip to swim with dolphins in New Zealand.! Incredible!

Friends for life have been made.

I then went to Noosa where I was reunited with Katherine again and met the wonderful Noosa Nanna before travelling to the Gold Coast where I stayed with Tom and Janice and then onto Brisbane to stay with the lovely Lynnette, Robert and their son Liam.
In each of the places I have visited I have been treated like family and family is one of the most important things in this world. As great as it has been ticking off things like the seeing the Kimberley, the Ghan, Uluru and singing at the opera house, it will be the people that I have met that I will always remember Australia for. These wonderful people have made this one of my most favourite countries I have visited so far.

There are places I haven’t visited on this trip like the Whitsunday Islands and Frazier Island. The reason for this is because I have already visited these wonderful places a number of years ago and my budget is such now that I can’t really afford to do these things again. They are both definitely worth adding to your list though. Melbourne, I promise I will visit you next time.

One thing I didn’t get to do which is on my list is to Dive at the Great Barrier Reef. I can’t explain why but I just didn’t have a burning desire to go there. I think a range of factors influenced this decision like cost, distance and time. I think the most interesting thing about this is that I’m not disappointed I didn’t go. Other than visit New Zealand there is nothing on my list now that I feel I must do. I am so content with my life and my achievements that everything I do from now on is just a bonus. If I tick it off great but I don’t think I will ever look at the things I have not done and have regrets. They can stay on my list as something to look forward to doing in the future.

I now travel to what I have described as my dream country to visit and the only country that I simply could not miss, New Zealand. I have waited so long to get there and now as I prepare to leave Australia I find myself feeling excited but also quite sad. Australia is the 14th country I have visited so far on this trip and like all the rest of the countries I have seen it is filled with good loving people. I can now see why so many people end up staying.

Thank you so much to everyone who has made my Australia trip possible. I cannot thank you enough for your generosity and the love and support you have shown me. I will definitely be back again one day but until then you are all invited to stay with me wherever I end up in the world! 🙂

Australia as a whole should definitely be one for your lists! It is just wonderful.

Next stop…Middle Earth!!:)

Another year older

On Saturday I celebrated my 35th birthday. Unlike many others my age I absolutely love birthdays. What an absolute blessing it is to be another year older.

Some people dread their birthday because they fear what will come with old age, fear of losing their looks or maybe because they think their life hasn’t quite turned out the way they hoped it would and another year has flown by. Believe me, mine hasn’t quite turned out how I imagined either. When I was younger I thought by the time I was 35 I would be married, in a steady job and settling down to a normal life.

It’s safe to say that going through a traumatic experience changes all that. Whether you suffer from cancer, have broken up from a relationship or are just so fed up with how your life is going that you need to change it so you can just remember what its like to feel alive again.

My thirties started off as a bit of nightmare but the past 18 months have been the happiest and most rewarding time of my entire life. I have seen and achieved more in this short time than I have in my entire life.

When I think of the things I have done this year I still have to pinch myself. Two of my most favourite moments in life have occurred in the past year. The first one being when I took part in Angelride and rode a bicycle 140 miles across the state of Connecticut to raise money for a camp for seriously ill children. Having never ridden a bike more than a few miles before I did this with a weeks training. My brother rode next to me and my mum was there to meet me at the end. Surrounded by wonderful people this was the most magical moment of my entire life. After years of believing that my body was weak, ugly and had constantly let me down, this ride continued to prove to me that it has actually always been the rock that has kept me on my feet and has never let me down.

Another one of my favourite moments happened a couple of weeks ago when I sang on stage at the Sydney opera house on live TV. This was huge because a few years ago I didn’t even want to leave the house. I had lost my confidence and was riddled with anxiety. Even now I get nervous talking to people. People say how confident I am but it is a total illusion. Before I enter a new hostel I take a deep breath and prepare myself to meet new people. Anxiety is still very much a part of my life but before singing I just told myself that surly this can’t be worse than being told you have cancer….and you know what..it didn’t even come close. I hope my performance in front of an audience of 500,000 people at the Opera house showed others who suffer from anxiety just what is possible.

But I think the best thing about 2014 has been the people I’ve met along the way, the people my experiences have helped and the people who have who have supported me through this blog.

For my birthday I came back to Sydney and people I had only just met a few weeks ago organised a surprise birthday lunch for me. What beautiful generous people. When I arrived in Connecticut for Angelride I was taken in by strangers, given a bike and equipment to use and treated like family. I made friends for life and for a short time I felt like I was home.

I thought this trip would be about completing my list but in actual fact my favourite thing has been the experiences and people I have met along the way.

I leave for New Zealand next week and instead of contemplating what I will tick off from my list I find myself wondering what wonderful people I will meet when I get there.

When I was in hospital this time round I found myself with regrets that I hadn’t lived my life the way I had wanted to and maybe I had missed my chance. If cancer dares rear it’s ugly head again I can safely say I now have no regrets. I am content for the first time in my life. Every new thing I do form here on in is just a bonus and I now want for nothing… except for Thing #101 but I’ll hopefully work on that when I stop running around the world! 🙂

Thing #1 on my list which is to help others through cancer will never be ticked off. I will continue to do this forever more and I hope more so once I stop travelling.

As I write this I’m sitting in a coffee shop looking at the Christmas lights. An old woman has just walked by and given me the biggest smile. I’m not sure why, maybe I was smiling at her without knowing it or maybe she’s just nice. Either way it has made my day.
I’ve had a few health mishaps since that photo of the ill little Greig was taken and I don’t know what will happen in the future but what I do know is that right now I feel like most grateful person in the world. What a lovely feeling to have.

Thank you so much to my lovely Sydney friends for making my birthday so special. You have no idea how much it has meant to me. A huge thank you to the AMAZING Vicki Connerty for making it all happen and for making the best birthday cupcakes ever. You rock VC!:)