Break in transmission

Yep, I've been off the air! First it was the Easter break in Tasmania - a wonderful chance to test the recovery of my kneecap (broken just one year ago) and catch a bit of R&R. The knee stood up to the rigours of the Bay of Fires walk as I’d assumed it would - thanks to all those extra nutrients backed up with a training and rehab program designed by a young man who knows more about the workings of the body than most.

What a magnificent part of the world - some images tell the story of this little adventure better than I ever could. 

Feeling rested and relaxed and happy to have my knee restored to normal I was only back in the office one day and was off to China. I was collected at Nanjing airport by two gorgeous girls who were to be my escorts and interpreter for 10 days. The English speaker learned in UK and was a delight, easy to understand and full of energy and enthusiasm. However, the presentation that was supplied to me needed beefing up with some slides on Olive Leaf Extract - hardly my area of expertise. However, rising to the occasion I cobbled something together at midnight (local time - 2am for me) and after collapsing between beautiful cotton sheets amid a plethora of puffy pillows I arose to face the day! 

First up a Chinese breakfast followed by a drive thru the pollution to an even grander hotel where the ballroom was choc-a-bloc with more than 300 customers waiting to hear all about Olive Leaf Extract. 

Show opens with a magician doing tricks, followed by beautiful girls in white ball gowns and red sashes. At 10am I am announced and said gowned girls escort me to the stage where, interpreter at my side I give the company trumpet a blast and air my new found knowledge on Olive Leaf for 30 minutes. Successfully delivered of that oration our driver takes us across town to a magnificent luxury shopping mall where the retail location is found. 

There I am again the subject of attention as customers queue to talk to me (ask about olive leaf and more via interpreter) and I manage to appear knowledgeable and confident about that and the rest of the product range which I am only very recently (like last 1/2 hour) familiar. Three hours on we depart via subway for the main Nanjing Railway Station. This is the biggest station in the country (for the moment) and would eclipse many major airports in size. Repeat that program in 9 different cities, totalling 11 presentations in 12 days and I’ve just told the boss I’m worth more money. Anyway, I'm back on the blogging airwaves ...

I’ve had a rest from blogging - focused instead on a serious rehab effort. Late March, on my regular Bay Walk, I went crashing to the pavement. Didn’t even get my hands out to save myself. Somehow struggled back to the car. But I was in trouble, 2 hours later an X-ray at Balmain Emergency confirmed a badly shattered kneecap. 5 hours and an ambulance ride later the orthopedic surgeon at RPA said they would schedule me for emergency surgery the next morning. Told him “I will do ANYTHING to avoid surgery.” However complete inability to lift my right leg from the bed meant no chance of just letting it mend. A mostly sleepless night followed - thanks to my concern for the effects of knee surgery on bush-walking, skiing and other activities, but also thanks to the multiple procedures that come with a large hospital, procedures that make no concession to night or day and which culminated in my 6am connection to a saline drip in preparation for the knife and vertical and horizontal wiring! But the Gods smiled - these particular Gods appeared in the form of Saturday’s orthopedic expert, now accompanied by an equally young, equally charming, but superior orthopedic expert. Too traumatised yesterday, a further test of my kneecap’s ability to function, confirmed that the quadriceps was still attached to the tibia and I was off the hook. Now encased in a brace from mid calf to mid thigh I was free to go home and let nature take it’s course. “Better than winning LOTTO!”