An Eventful Year!

I know it’s a little early but I’m going offline for a few weeks, so I thought I’d do a final post of the year, looking back at my past year.

Wow what a year it’s been!

So we started the year with the floods. It was pretty scary start to the year, the rain was like nothing I have ever seen before. We had a warning to evacuate to higher ground but by then the roads around us were already flooded and there was nowhere to go, lucky for us we live close to the top of a hilly street. Watching the events unfold sent an overwhelming sense of luck and relief through us, we were lucky, just 2 streets away homes were flooded, the main road was completely under water but “our flood” was nothing compared to other towns and suburbs around Queensland. Hubby went to help with the clean up and has said the things he saw during that time will stay with him forever.

Moving on from the flood drama our year just got worse……………………. just before J was due to start school, (which alone has been one drama after another!), he pushed me and I tore my thigh muscle. I can’t tell you how painful this was but I will say that I struggled so much with the pain and using the crutches that Hubby had to take some time off work to look after J and the house. I managed to get around slowly and with a limp but minus the crutches before J started school. *phew* He had a meltdown when we arrived at the school on his first morning before the bell had even gone and there’s no way I would have been able to deal with the situation if I had still been on crutches.

During the second week of school Hubby arrived home from work only 30 minutes after leaving the house to go to work. I was completely shocked, he’s one of those people who is never ill etc so for him to have hurt himself bad enough to come home meant he had REALLY hurt himself. The drama with his back has continued all year with an end result that we couldn’t have predicted! (I’ll come back to this later in the post)

Then we suffered a huge blow in March when I miscarried for a fifth time. Less said about that the better

At the start of the year I thought that I had started to develop some nice friendships with a couple of people here, unfortunately by mid year these had turned sour and one person in particular showed a side to them that I really didn’t like and so yet another blow was dealt. *sigh*

Just to end the year as it started 6 weeks ago J broke his wrist falling off his slide. Although this was yet another low moment it also came with a high, J hated having the cast put, he hated wearing the cast and he HATED having it took off but he coped, in fact he coped with the whole ordeal brilliantly, much better than we had predicted.

It really has been one blow after another this year but along with the lows we’ve also had a few highs. Little things this year have actually been huge highs for us that have put the biggest smiles on our faces

Little things like……….. meeting a couple of old men that my Hubby worked with, with various stories to tell that have made us giggle.

Like J actually eating a proper, hot, home cooked meal! This for me was and is one o the biggest highs of the year, J has now eaten Sheppard’s Pie more than 10 times, (once he’s eaten something at least 10 times it kinda becomes one of his foods”), it doesn’t matter that he makes himself Sheppard’s pie sandwiches that have to be triangles or that he thinks they give him “the strength of 1000 Sheppard’s” (which of course makes him stronger than Dad hehehe), HE EATS IT!

This year J has also learnt so many new skills including how to move his arms in order to swim, how to hold a pencil with less than 4 fingers, how to read, how to pedal properly, (this year he finally started going around in a full circle with the pedals), how to get himself dressed (top and bottoms, next year we’re going to work on buttons and socks), how to use cutlery correctly. The list goes on, he’s done amazingly well this year and all of the little things added together has meant he has made huge progress with his development of skills he was/is lacking in.

Our proudest moment this year was during the last week of school. J has only ever attended 3 parades/assemblies at school, they’re just too sensory overwhelming for him, so just imagine if you can how proud we were of him when during the last week of term not only did he attend the parade but he also got up on stage with the rest of his class to perform Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer AND sang the whole, entire song!………………WOW Definitely the biggest high of the year

As this year is coming to an end, I’m sad to say it’s ending as it began. The powers that be have decided that they can’t do anymore to fix Hubby’s back, nor can he go back to work until it is fixed. Unfortunately our circumstances mean that we’re pretty much being abandoned by Australia and so have to return home to the UK. It’s certainly not something we wanted to be doing but we’ve been left with no other option and so I will be offline for a little while whilst we get everything sorted, (there’s so much to do!). All we can do now is to try to enjoy one last Christmas in Australia, make the most of our time left here and plan for the future.

Well that’s it, the end of our year, here’s hoping next year will be filled with a few more highs and not so many lows.

All that’s left for me to say is MERRY CHRISTMAS and (I hope) HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy Christmas Everyone!

Read Full Post »

What Mother Nature Left Behind – The Gallery

Read Full Post »

18/365 – The Clean Up Continues – Qld Floods

I’m cheating with today’s picture because my husband actually took this photo.

Please remember you can still donate to The Premier’s Relief Fund to help those affected by the Qld Floods just click here

Read Full Post »

16/365 – I’m Still Standing! Silent Sunday

We’ve been back out into the garden today for the first time since it flooded, it was too soggy before now.  Whilst playing we discovered this still standing in the ground, it may have been flooded in the garden but it’s still standing tall

Read Full Post »

The End of A Very Long Week

It’s been a long week here and I’m soooo glad it’s coming to an end.

It’s been a very wet few weeks here and watching the flood disaster grow in Northern Queensland was awful, then at the start of the week the awful events in Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley occurred. Along with the rest of Australia our hearts broke for the people there, the footage on TV was truly shocking.

Tuesday the floods were suddenly at our front door, (well the back door actually). My mobile bleeped with a message to move to higher ground, evacuate due to flash flooding and then the phone rang. I answered and all I heard was an alarm and then the same message – evacuate due to flash flooding, move to higher ground. After seeing the terrifying footage of the wall of water in Toowoomba we were panicked – would we flood, would the house go under, would we be safe, where exactly would we evacuate to, the roads around us were flooded and closed. Coming from the UK you’re probably thinking we should be used to rain, but let me tell you I have never seen rain like that before! It was unbelievably heavy, I spoke with a friend (in the UK) on the phone Tuesday morning before the flood here took hold and we struggled to hear each other because the rain was so heavy and so loud! And the flooding came so quickly.

I discovered via social network sites that all roads out of my husbands workplace were flooding and so began worrying that he wouldn’t get home, luckily he did. I frantically packed a couple of bags with important documents, photos, clothes and such like just in case……… and only finally unpacked them yesterday! My neighbours gathered discussing what we should do, it was decided we were on a hill, the roads around us are closed and flooded so there was nowhere to go, we would sit and wait…….and hope. It was long night with little sleep but by morning, thankfully , as quickly as the waters had risen they were receding………… but where was all that water going? By the afternoon despite the river still being very high and surrounding towns still being flooded we took a drive to the local shops. We filled the gas bottle, just in case we lost power, this was still a real possibility due to the rising flood waters in Brisbane. We then went to the local supermarket to get a few groceries and we were greeted by empty shelves, bread, milk, bananas, potatoes and baked beans were all sold out……….. people were panic buying, “due to the extensive flooding around Queensland there will be no deliveries until further notice”, was one sign put up on an empty shelf.  At that point I was worried but not panicked I had food, bottled water and gas in my bottle, we’d be ok.

We tried watching the TV for a while but on every channel there was flood coverage and whilst we wanted needed to know what was happening, we didn’t want J to see some of the footage. He was already very anxious (resulting in a large number of meltdowns) and was convinced that we and his toys would drown and the house would fill with water. This increased when he heard the alarm and message when the phone rang telling us to evacuate.  Whilst out driving Wednesday afternoon we pointed out some of the mess that the flood had left behind, just so that he could see the water was gone. But it’s been hard and impossible to shield him from everything that has happened in Queensland and on Friday he packed a bag of toys for “the boys and girls whose toys drowned” and we took it along with some bags of clothes to our local donation drop off point.

Yesterday my husband went into Brisbane with 2 friends, (and again today), to help with the cleanup and it was then that it really hit home just how much J has been affected by recent events here. He didn’t want Daddy to leave yesterday morning and again today, all day yesterday, (and again today), he was extremely meltdowny and anxious, he kept asking things like “will Dad die in the floods?” “Will Dad be safe?” “Will he drown?” “I don’t want him to be in the floods when will he be home?” This continued until Daddy arrived home and was greeted with a cuddle from his son, a sign of his relief that his Daddy was home safe. Today has been much like yesterday. He seems happy with my explanation about how the water has gone now and Daddy is helping to clean everyone’s house and I watched the news briefly with him to show him that the water was gone and now it was very muddy. I watched him trying to process what he was seeing and what I had said to him and finally he said to me “So will Dad be safe?” I guess this is just something that we have to help him with over the next few days or weeks, we have an appointment with the child psychologist next week, (if it hasn’t been cancelled) so I’m going to have  chat with her too, maybe she will also have some ideas on how we can help J process everything that has happened.

It’s the end of a very long week, one that as been a huge mix of emotions – fear, panic, worry, tiredness, relief, sadness, grief, shock………….

I’m so glad that this week is over and now wonder what the coming weeks will bring…………………

Read Full Post »

15/365 – Please Help Those Affected By QLD Floods

Today my husband and 2 of his friends went into Brisbane armed with gloves, shovels and brushes to help with the big cleanup. The volunteers in Brisbane turned up in their thousands today but ofcourse it is going to take weeks, months and in some places years to cleanup and recover. Here’s a couple of ways in which you can help.

I’m sure there are drop off points scattered all around Australia but here is a list that I found for SE QLD

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=104057316310756&topic=281

Also found this which might have helpful information about drop off points in other states.

http://www.facebook.com/QLDfloods2011?v=info

If you can get to one of these places and have spare clothes, toys, bedding and so on that you can donate to those who have lost so much please do.

My husband and his friend have also registered as volunteers and have been into Brisbane today to help with the cleanup. If you live in Queensland and are able and willing to help please register here.

The Brisbane City Council have also been doing a brilliant job of updating everyone with details of how and where to volunteer, details can be found here

Queenslanders are asking their neighbouring states to buy Queensland produce rather than produce from overseas. They are asking people to come to Queensland for their holidays. These things put money into the Queensland economy and help local businesses.

And ofcourse you can also donate to the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal here

Please give what you can, Thankyou x

 

Read Full Post »

14/365 – Donations Needed for QLD Flood Victims

As Brisbane awoke this morning, the waters had begun to recede. People began to return to their homes and were greeted by a disaster zone. Some have lost everything but feel lucky because they have escaped with their lives. This flood disaster has ofcourse not just hit Brisbane and it’s suburbs but also Rockhampton,Bundaberg,Gympie, Toowoomba and so many more places and the news reports that even more places along the QLD/ NSW border could be hit today. As I’ve said in previous posts we were incredibly lucky where we live, parts of our town and surrounding towns were hit bad and were underwater but our street remained dry. Along with feeling lucky, there is also a huge sense of wanting to help our neighbours, wanting to do more and yet not knowing what we can do. Something popped up on Facebook last night, it was a list of drop off points, places where donations of clothes, toys, bedding, toiletries, furniture and so on were being collected. We packed 4 bags of clothes and bedding to take down and J helped to pack a bag of toys. Who says children with Autism don’t have empathy? J is a child who hoards everything but even he wanted to give something to “the boys and girls whose toys drowned.” We bagged and labelled our bags, the people collecting goods are doing a great job and if we can help them even in the smallest way by labelling our bags, (i.e. boys clothes 3-4 years), so they don’t have to sort them, then we will.

I’m sure there are drop off points scattered all around Australia but here is a list that I found for SE QLD

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=104057316310756&topic=281

If you can get to one of these places and have spare clothes, toys, bedding and so on that you can donate to those who have lost so much please do.

My husband and his friend have also registered as volunteers and would love to go help with the cleanup. If you live in Queensland and are able and willing to help please register here

And ofcourse you can also donate to the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal here

Read Full Post »

13/365 – Destruction Left Behind From Our Flood Zone

Today I still can’t quite find the right words to describe just how shocked I am at recent events here. It would seem we are now clear of flooding but I’m still struggling to understand where all the water has gone and to see the destruction left behind is……..I don’t know the right word to use…….. shocking maybe, I don’t know. Seeing the destruction around our local area makes the reality of just how bad it is and will be in the worst affected areas really hit home. We were barely touched compared to those areas and each time I see those areas on the news my heart breaks for all those people who have lost their homes, their possessions, their livelihoods and family and friends. My heart and thoughts are with those people x

You can donate to the Qld Flood Relief Appeal here

Read Full Post »

12/365 – A Disaster Zone Our Qld Floods

I can’t put into words hows devastating the floods have been so far here in Qld, I say so far because we just don’t know how bad it will get but it will get worse.

I was physically shocked to see pictures that neighbours had posted yesterday of our local shopping centre underwater, the car parks had simply vanished, the car parks that I had been parked in Monday morning! The local park also was completely engulfed in water, the place where we so often feed the ducks had vanished! The local skatepark, just a short distance from our house – vanished. We were told there could be more water to come so we waited……………… then this morning we awoke to calm. The roads were once again clear, the water had receded as quickly as it has risen but there was a strange eerie feeling out there today. We decided it was dry enough to take a drive this afternoon to fill our gas bottle, (there is still a risk of power outage so just wanted to be ready…….just in case). Whilst out we stopped at the local shop, I was shocked at how busy it was! People were panic buying, shelves were quickly emptying, it made me realise just how serious the situation here is, I can’t even begin to imagine how bad the situation is in the worst affected areas and my heart goes out to those people.

The river here is still very high and no-one seems to know for sure if we are still at risk of more flooding, one minute we’re told we should be ok and the next water is heading our way so I guess we just prepare and wait.

This is the river here this afternoon

Keep safe everyone x

Read Full Post »

11/365 How Much Worse Will It Get?

This was the garden this morning

And then there was more

(Sorry it’s a little blurry)

J toy box was empty last night by 9.30am this morning this is what it looked like

It’s just crazy here at the moment…………. and a little scary.

We are currently cut off, all roads in and out of here are closed and flooded and we’ve been told it’s going to get much worse. We live on a hill so we’re hoping to be lucky………………. I guess we just sit, wait and see what happens.

My heart goes out to all those others affected by the floods, especially those in Toowoomba region, Rockhampton region, Ipswich region and Gympie, (just a few areas amongst so many). Thinking of you all x

Read Full Post »