Six Week Adjustment Check-In

It’s been six weeks since I landed in OZ with anticipation of my new life here with Susan (and Woody, who is nearly as much a part of my daily life as Susan is). My belongings in the many suitcases have all found a place to live, even though most of it just went into huge zip locks for storage. They are stored on top of closets and in Woody’s house in the loft. Everything that you want to keep “nice” needs to be protected from the dampness, insects and rodents.
Susan and I are still trying to find a rhythm to our days/weeks, We keep thinking we should come up with a weekly schedule, but so far, we just go with the flow of what needs to be done that day or week. Susan spends at least one day a week in an office in town using the high speed internet and phone to get a jump start on her freelance articles that she is working on. I have no schedule, which surprisingly enough is a little unsettling at times. I am a person that historically likes to multitasks and has typically worked full time. So the brakes are on for me. I am finding time to read, time to think about the amazing environment that I am living in and time to take care of the strange Bagworm in a plastic box! We normally start our days with a cup of tea on the veranda, reading a book or checking email (whilst I am trying to kill the mosquitos sucking my blood).
Woody is doing quite well. He is nice and strong most days, has a great sense of humor and has been extremely gracious with my moving into Woodstock. His cancer seems to be in check for the time being with his hormone therapy and we hope he will be with us for more years. Woody has his routine of going into town two days a week. We really try to join him on these trips as he appreciates the help with running errands, as it saves his energy a bit.
OK, back to adjusting to being here! It occurred to me the other day that I have made a significant adjustment to living here when I stepped out of the car in Byron Bay (major tourist town and it is beautiful). I felt something under my toes in my sandal, shook my foot thinking it was a pebble and out flew an engorged leech that had been sucking my blood between my toes. I was very nonchalant about it, and just kept walking after commenting about the fact that the leech was now in the middle of the road in Byron. No heepie-jeepies about the leeches anymore, well, at least if they stay below my knees!