Pleasure and pain

I believe "attend a tropical wedding" should be on everyone's bucket list and I'm happy to say I have now ticked it off! Last weekend Tim and I went to Port Douglas for 3 nights to attend the wedding of our good friends Andrew and Maxine. It was every bit as idyllic and relaxed as you could imagine a tropical wedding to be. A white, weatherboard chapel by the sea, rose petals, groomsmen in casual white shirts and pants, reception at the most luxurious resort Peppers on the Beach, drinks by the pool, buffet lunch in the pool side restaurant where we dined on everything from wagyu beef to kangaroo (first time for both Tim and I), no speeches, then everyone changed into bathers and we spent the rest of the day in the pool with frequent alcoholic top ups from the pool side bar. I mean really could you picture a more relaxing and refreshing wedding?

The plane trip also gave me a chance to flash my "bionic woman" credentials as I avoided the x-ray machines for the first time. It looks like I have now entered the world of bodily pat downs instead!

The only downside of this wonderful mini-break was that my back didn't cope too well. It swelled up worse than normal and left me with constant burning pain over the scar site which was only relieved by sitting in the cold water of the pool for long periods of time. While this was fairly pleasant with my book in hand, it made travelling more painful than expected and has stayed with me this week to the extent that I spent all of yesterday in bed as it's still so painful. I feel in some ways that I have just exchanged one type of pain for another - aaargh! I am seeing my surgeon next week and am praying that he will have some answers. I am aware that I may be left with some of this pain permanently. If that is the case I will need to invest in a lot more ice packs to cool me down in the car, at work and home!