Three weeks since I have been able to add anything to my blog. I have lists for everything:
WORK - The three yearly re-accreditation visit at our Medical Centre is over and just a few things to tidy up before we get the big tick. Five hours with two people going over our policies, procedures and processes. We have advertised my position, interviewed and made an appointment. My replacement starts on 15th June and I have two weeks with her until I leave on 26th June. I have budgets to finalise, normal daily routines, that are important in the running of a medical centre, to attend to so that I leave knowing it is all shipshape. Finally there is the important farewell dinner on the 20th June. After 15 years it will be sad to leave the "team" especially as we are moving to another town to live on our return from our cruise in October. I hope we will have lots of visitors come to stay!
FAMILY AND HOME: I have to organise birthday presents for three grandchildren, two daughters and two sons-in-law. Am halfway there! Paula - our eldest daughter- is graduating Bachelor of Nursing on 29th May. It has been a hard three years as she has studied, looked after a home, husband and three children. We have managed between us and she has done extremely well. Hope she enjoys the special gift I have bought her - can't say yet as maybe she will read this! Photo coming! The next thing to do is to move all our household effects to store in Palmerston North. We have been renting here in New Plymouth and our house in Palmerston North is tenanted until we return in October. We have with us, in the small two bedroom flat, only that which has been necessary so already have most of it packed - it will still be a mission.
CRUISE PLANNING: Final payment for cruise made. Passports are current, visas for India and waiver for USA obtained. Immigration information completed for Princess cruises. Have received our cabin allocation and excited to see that we have had an upgrade. Both Mason & I have had vaccinations - flu, polio, tetanus, HepA/Typhoid and still deciding if we will have Yellow Fever. Have decided on medical advice that we will take a course of Tamiflu just in case. Our medical reps have been generous and allowed me to make up a small medical kit, again, just in case! Visits to our GPs to organise, to get scripts for our usual medications to see us through the three months. Purchased a little foreign currency when the dollar rate was good, to keep us going for a while. Many discussions with Glen & Alice by phone to decide what shore excursions to book. Have decided that the ones in Egypt are a must - we all want to see the Pyramids and Valley of the Kings. Think we will book rental cars in some of the places - we have all been to Rome and Florence and think we would like to visit Ostia Antica - have heard it is as good as and maybe better then Pompeii which I absolutely loved. We are lucky that we have friends who will be able to pick us up and show us around in Oman and Dubai and maybe Apia, San Francisco and New York. Mason has done lots of research on the ports we will visit and has quite a file for us to look at and discuss. Last but very importantly there is the question of what to take?? I always say I am going to be good with the things I pack and when we did Europe in 2007, I was, thanks in part to my sister who threw most of the clothes I intended taking on the floor AND I managed!! I think I will need a little more this time and have colour co-ordinated and mixed and matched so that I will get the most out of what I take. Have made appointments with my hairdresser and the girls at work gave me a voucher for my birthday for some sessions on the sunbed - can't mix with those Australians who will still be nice and tanned!!
Seven weeks till we embark and I think I'm organised so here's hoping there are no hitches and I have thought of everything!!!
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