Thank you, Your Highness

I know you’re eagerly awaiting the second instalment of my Newcastle adventures. Rest assured it is a work in progress (just need to edit out the bawdy bits). 

Meanwhile, back at the Full Bush Rat Ranch, winter has set in. Things have come to a crawl. The vege garden has all but died from the frosts, Derek’s love-nest in the quince tree has been taken over by an invasive vine, the trees and rose bushes are bare, the lawns are thick with soggy, rotting leaves. Scrapping ice off the windscreen in the mornings is now a regular occurrence and I once again, have a large jerry can of water on-hand for when my pipes freeze 🙄

Today was a public holiday in most Australian States/Territories, to observe the King’s birthday. His actual birthday is 14 November but 10 June is close enough right? 😄 Apparently, it’s observed in June because the weather in the UK is better for the Trooping of the Colour. Fun Fact: the Brits don’t get a public holiday but we do. Go figure.

Most Canberrans love a long weekend. They charge and pack their EVs, hitch up the boat/caravan, load the bikes, take enough cases of beer to last 2 weeks then join the convoy to The Coast.

I don’t enjoy weekends – especially the long ones. I feel extra lonely and isolated. I fill my days with gardening, housework, crosswords, cooking (not the fun kind). It would be nice to have a companion (other than the retarded hound …)

Today I have a craving for a burger. A real burger, not a Maccy D’s or Hungry Jacks. Check Google. Burger Villain gets good reviews. Closest is Mitchell. Mitchell is a light-industrial area of Canberra, approximately 8km north of the CBD. As well as suspension repair shops, used car dealerships and a whiskey distillery, it is also home to kick boxing clubs, ballet schools and a few brothels. Google tells me it is a 38 km / 27 minute drive from the cottage. Load the hound in the wagon, first stop: coffee. Fortified, I head down Macs Reef Road to the highway. This is going to be good. Arrive at Burger Villain, Mitchell.

WTF? Is this, quite possibly, the most depressing suburban-streetscape/shopping centre in Canberra? No cars, no people, everything is shut. Thankfully my trip is not wasted, there is a small neon ‘open’ sign on Burger Villain’s door.

Burger ordered. Sans onion. The nice chap behind the counter gives me 5 minutes.I take this time to tentatively explore the wasteland I have happened upon. Do other people know about this? Am I the only person who requires a burger on a public holiday, explored Google and landed here?

The burger arrives. With onion. Decide I’m not going to drive 38km for a fresh burger and eat it in the car in a post-apocalyptic, concrete car park. I look on the map, head to the nearest bit of green-space. 7 minutes drive. Easy. Burger will still be fresh.

The green-space ends up being the Gungahlin Cemetery 😐. Not wanting my burger to get cold, I end up perching on a park bench in the sun, watching over the dead people. It’s quiet, serene. The burger is good. Lucy agrees.

Next stop, Bunnings. I’ve never been to the Gungahlin Bunnings before – it has an undercover car park, a level down from the store. Get the dog out of the wagon and proceed up the travellator. It did not occur to me, the idea of a travellator is completely foreign to a dog. But she manages it, clever girl. I indulge her by visiting the ‘manure’ aisle before buying some potted violas to brighten my bleak winter garden.

I escape from Gungahlin, snake my way to the highway, back down Macs Reef Road to the last stop, Bungendore Showgrounds. Lucy loves this place. Lots of space and good smells.

Was it worth driving 76km for a burger? Probably not. Could I have just made a toasted sandwich at home? Yes. But I got out into the sunshine (albeit with dead people), bought flowers and the mental dog had a great walk so yay for me.

Thankfully the next public holiday is not until 7 October. 

Today is 2 years since diagnosis. I feel numb. Did not want to hear it 2 years ago, don’t want to hear it now. Cancer – any long illness – crushes you. It steals your time, your strength, your body. I'm still a bit pissed off with the universe right now.

Love yous all,

The FBR xxx