Yes, that's right folks, yours truly has spent the past five days admitted to Katherine Hospital. 'Why?' I hear you ask. Well that's a tale in itself...
It's mustering season, which is when all the cattle are pushed into the yards to be processed. Cows down one race, calves down another, weaners another etc etc. I was working on the calf cradle, which is a mechanism for catching the little buggers and clamps them in so we can brand and tag and and castrate and worm and, importantly, vaccinate them against botulism.
There is a needle on a gun for this vaccination, and after getting bollocked by my evil boss I was a bit flustered and somehow managed to jab myself with this needle. I thought nothing of it at the time. I had, in fact, jabbed myself the day before and I was fine. However, this particular jab must have gone deeper then the other, seen as that night my hand started to throb with pain and Lionel had to give me two nurofen to dull the pain and let me sleep. The next morning I told my boss that my wrist was the most painful thing I've had since I dislocated my knee and how it just couldn't move. She put me on anti-biotics and painkillers, hoping that would end the matter.
However, by lunchtime that day, it became apparent that the anti-biotics weren't working, and so she said that if tomorrow it was no better I would hitch a lift with Lionel (who was going into Katherine that day anyway) and go to hospital. Fun times.
So I get to hospital and go to A+E and they begin to think that it's septic arthritis and even called the infectious diseases doctor in Darwin for an opinion. I get admitted and put on a drip for the anti-biotics. The first day the Doctor said I was to get transferred to Darwin to have an operation, but they decided against that and kept me in for observation as it seemed apparent that it might not be septic arthritis. 24 more hours of observation turned out to be a lot longer, as I stayed in for a further three days. Then yesterday, the Doctor said that my wrist was a lot better and that I could be discharged. I was so happy to hear that. There's nothing worse then being on your own in hospital with the threat of an operation hanging on you then being on the other side of the world and being on your own in hospital and having the threat of an operation hanging on you.
It was better at times, I had lots of phone calls - some from the expected and some from the unexpected (thank you Grandma, Georgina and Tracey :D) I spoke to Lionel for more then two hours a day, and generally really wanted to get back to work.
Unfortunately, I've not been able to do so. The Australian hospital system is very different to the one in England, and I wasn't told how to handle the Australian one. Before I went to Katherine, I was told by my boss that I can claim the bill onto Worker's Compensation, which is a well known thing here, since it's a injury sustained in the workplace. Apparently, when I was discharged I was meant to be given a form to give to my boss claiming that I am fit to work again but I wasn't given this. So now, I have to chase it up and ask them to fax it over, otherwise I'm 'unfit' for working.
It's a load of annoying things. Hmph.
Anyway, I'm on oral anti-biotics now and painkillers for the next week, and am counting down the days until I leave here (14 today) and start travelling! xD
Your arthritic buddy,
Nic
xxx
Sunday 26 April 2009
Monday 13 April 2009
Gordons, Five Mile, Paradise, Schuberts and North, South and West Buchanan.
I last posted ages ago - right? I bet people, well one person (mentioning no names, Father) who is probably getting annoyed that I haven't. There is one simple reason for this. TIME.
I have almost none for myself, since the work here is getting intense in the lead up to mustering. It's really tiring, and most of the time I just want to sleep or get wired from caffeine so I can keep working. Today is my first day off after seven days solid physical work in the tropical sun, and if you can give me a buck for how many times I have overheated I'd be a millionaire by now.
However, we've done some fantastic work recently.
In one of the paddocks, we've placed in another trough for the cattle to drink from which is a hefty job which requires a lot of poly pipe, vehicles and muscle. On the first day when we were taking everything we needed out to the paddock (called Gordons) we had two utes with trailers, the front end loader and the truck all moving out there. A few days later the Grader was out there too. It took four people to plumb in the trough from the Turkey's Nest in Five Mile (which is a big mound with a dip in the middle for a pool of water in the next paddock. There are several of these on the station) Anyway, poly pipe fitting is the easiest thing in the world. If you played with Lego as a child, then you'll be able to do it like that *snaps fingers*
The title of this blog is all the paddock's names of which myself and two other new pommy backpackers have been sent round to check the fence lines of. One of which - North Buchanan - was where I perfected my 4x4 driving skills. The roads around the fence line were simply eroded during the wet season. It was all sand, and had produces dry canals that swooped from side to side. Checking the fence line was meant to take us three hours, we got back nearly five and a half hours later, and my hand prints are still on the steering wheel of Eric. Poor sod.
This was very similar when myself and Dan drove around Schuberts. Again, eroded fence lines and very hilly. Took us six and a half hours. And we did see a dead cow on the Northern Side with a frilled-necked lizard on top. That was a pleasant sight.
The two new backpackers are lovely guys and have made me feel better about being just a backpacker ho is here for experience, as they are too. Dan and Mark make me laugh and even help out with the cooking, and sometimes offer to do it all. They even let me watch movies on their laptop and Jeff Dunham's stand up. Makes me happy. (Ant - buy Jeff Dunham's Spark of Insanity. He's the guy who does Achmed the Terrorist)
It's strange how settled you can become. I remember my first day here, but it feels like a year ago instead of two months. I am really beginning to enjoy myself here, and that's what I intend to do, enjoy it whilst it lasts. I've given in my notice to the boss, and I leave Buchanan Downs on the morning of the 11th May, to go and meet up with Jenny in Sydney for some fun times. But part of me doesn't want it to end. I can see myself doing this for a much longer time. Then again, I have had some of the worst homesickness recently - so I know I couldn't stay out here forever. Plus, I simply just LOVE Marmite far too much.
I've got to love you and leave you now.
Nic
xxx
I have almost none for myself, since the work here is getting intense in the lead up to mustering. It's really tiring, and most of the time I just want to sleep or get wired from caffeine so I can keep working. Today is my first day off after seven days solid physical work in the tropical sun, and if you can give me a buck for how many times I have overheated I'd be a millionaire by now.
However, we've done some fantastic work recently.
In one of the paddocks, we've placed in another trough for the cattle to drink from which is a hefty job which requires a lot of poly pipe, vehicles and muscle. On the first day when we were taking everything we needed out to the paddock (called Gordons) we had two utes with trailers, the front end loader and the truck all moving out there. A few days later the Grader was out there too. It took four people to plumb in the trough from the Turkey's Nest in Five Mile (which is a big mound with a dip in the middle for a pool of water in the next paddock. There are several of these on the station) Anyway, poly pipe fitting is the easiest thing in the world. If you played with Lego as a child, then you'll be able to do it like that *snaps fingers*
The title of this blog is all the paddock's names of which myself and two other new pommy backpackers have been sent round to check the fence lines of. One of which - North Buchanan - was where I perfected my 4x4 driving skills. The roads around the fence line were simply eroded during the wet season. It was all sand, and had produces dry canals that swooped from side to side. Checking the fence line was meant to take us three hours, we got back nearly five and a half hours later, and my hand prints are still on the steering wheel of Eric. Poor sod.
This was very similar when myself and Dan drove around Schuberts. Again, eroded fence lines and very hilly. Took us six and a half hours. And we did see a dead cow on the Northern Side with a frilled-necked lizard on top. That was a pleasant sight.
The two new backpackers are lovely guys and have made me feel better about being just a backpacker ho is here for experience, as they are too. Dan and Mark make me laugh and even help out with the cooking, and sometimes offer to do it all. They even let me watch movies on their laptop and Jeff Dunham's stand up. Makes me happy. (Ant - buy Jeff Dunham's Spark of Insanity. He's the guy who does Achmed the Terrorist)
It's strange how settled you can become. I remember my first day here, but it feels like a year ago instead of two months. I am really beginning to enjoy myself here, and that's what I intend to do, enjoy it whilst it lasts. I've given in my notice to the boss, and I leave Buchanan Downs on the morning of the 11th May, to go and meet up with Jenny in Sydney for some fun times. But part of me doesn't want it to end. I can see myself doing this for a much longer time. Then again, I have had some of the worst homesickness recently - so I know I couldn't stay out here forever. Plus, I simply just LOVE Marmite far too much.
I've got to love you and leave you now.
Nic
xxx
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