Debt free. Pain free.

2025 is off to an eventful start. Currently, Garry and I are enjoying six nights camped out at the Ramada Hotel & Suites overlooking the Richmond River in Ballina. We’re staying in the same corner suite we booked in January 2021.  In the image below, our room has a balcony with an elevated overhanging roof visible in the top left corner of the building.

The weather has been superb with predominantly fine weather and temperatures approaching 30C. The sunrises and sunsets have been spectacular in equal measure every day. I could get used to this more laid-back lifestyle! Likewise, we're enjoying the boats that come and go along the river - both leisure craft and commercial fishermen.

We celebrated New Year’s Eve with good friends Liz and Adam Benson on their lifestyle block near Alstonville. Our daily highlights included walks along local beaches, swimming in lakes or the sea, and a few afternoon naps. However, there have also been one or two unexpected highlights.  

First, Garry surprised me on 31 December with news that he’d paid the residual balance on his share of the mortgage for our Sydney apartment. That’s right, we finally own our home outright 20 years after buying it. Regular readers will recall that I paid off my share of the mortgage in 2011. We moved into our apartment in April 2004 after making an offer in February of the same year.

We also own our business in full, having paid off our business loan in December 2021. This means that now we own our home we’re essentially debt-free. This milestone was a personal goal I'd always wanted to achieve before turning 60, which I'll do in September this year.

Second, on Saturday, I had an emergency root canal operation. I’d been experiencing some pain the day before that seemed to come right until I attempted to eat dinner at the Federal Hotel in Alstonville. I then spent the night battling a relentless aching rear molar. By morning it was clear I needed urgent dental care. Where do you go at the weekend for reliable world-class dental work in a regional holiday town?

After an internet search, I found what looked like a reputable local dentist in Ballina. I called them at 9:00 a.m. By 10:30 a.m., I was in a dentist's chair undergoing a full 90-minute root canal treatment. However, my research appears to have paid off, as the dentist managing the procedure, Dr Kim Davies, was the founding owner who’d been in business for several decades. She calmly and professionally talked me through the entire procedure.

The dentist discovered that the nerve in my tooth had been dead for some time. Furthermore, there was no sign of infection or anything that would normally cause pain and thus trigger a visit to the emergency room.  In fact, she described my situation as rather unusual.  Somehow I've been walking around for quite some time, possibly years, with a dead tooth.

If the last four days are any indication, then 2025 will be an interesting year!

A final closing note. Today my brothers and I paused to remember the death of my father. He passed away on this day twelve years ago. Here's a link to the memorial tribute I created for his funeral service.

Riding the wave

It’s back! COVID-19 case numbers have increased in every state and territory in recent weeks. Health authorities say it’s the start of a new wave of infections. According to recent news reports, cases have been gradually increasing since September. One report suggested up to 90% of Australian households will eventually be impacted by the latest wave.

Sadly, I can report that our household is one of those affected. After several days of feeling fatigued and sniffy, I woke on Monday feeling worse for wear. A RAT took less than a minute to confirm a positive result for COVID-19, my first since April last year. I’ve subsequently spent a week locked in the home office by day, and then the bedroom after hours. So far Garry’s escaped unscathed.

Fortunately, my symptoms have been relatively mild. Several days of headaches, bleary eyes, and breathlessness have finally abated. I’d say I’m well on the road to recovery. Ironically, Garry and I had made plans to get booster shots before our post-Christmas cruise. We’d decided that hanging out with 2,500 partying passengers on New Year’s Eve was a recipe for disaster. It looks like I’ve inadvertently secured my immunity boost ahead of schedule.

Lockdown 2.0

Sydney’s now into its 15th week of a comprehensive COVID lockdown. Without a doubt, this second lockdown has been a lot harder to handle. Last year the whole affair was new and exciting. This year, the novelty factor has gone. As a result, the whole experience had been emotionally draining, to say the least.

I’ve been working alone in the company's office for months while the staff work from home. To help maintain morale, we've been hosting daily debrief video calls with everyone before we finish for the day. They've become the high point of our day as we spend 30-40 minutes catching up with one another and letting off a little steam.

We’ve also entertained ourselves with a series of photo competitions (a new theme each day like garden life, nature, colour and so on), shared highlights of our favourite travel experiences and given each other’s favourite recipes a try. The team has become more creative, proposing plenty of novel activities as each week passes.

On the home front, Garry and I have been keeping ourselves busy. Garry's repainted the kitchen ceiling. It's been waiting for this final flourish after a leak was repaired in the skylight several years ago. I've made friends with IKEA and recently replaced our kitchen table. The old table was purchased almost 30 years ago.

After months of restrictions, the light is finally at the end of the tunnel. We’re scheduled to hit 70% double vaccination in NSW tomorrow and 80% by 18 October. If the current trend continues, we’ll pass 90% coverage of the adult population in NSW by late October. Garry and I have had our two shots, the first in May and the second in August, shortly after the latest lockdown began. We'll then have a booster shot sometime in January next year.

The State Government has announced that restrictions will start easing next Monday (11 October) as we pass 70% and then some more around 25 October after we pass 80%. This means non-essential retailers will start reopening again on 11 October. Supposedly we’ll achieve “COVID normal” living by 1 December. That is, some health restrictions will remain in place for the foreseeable future, but life will effectively become as normal as it’s likely to be by this date.

International borders are also slated to start opening by late November. However, home quarantine and testing regimes will remain in place. There’s also still a lot of confusion about vaccine passports and other requirements. We’re also being warned that restrictions could change overnight if a major outbreak occurs internationally. Ironically, within Australia, state borders may not open before Christmas. We may find ourselves able to fly to London before we can fly to Perth.

Delivered by FedEx

COVID is back.  The entire state of NSW is now in total lockdown again as Sydney enters its eighth week of increasingly draconian restrictions. Statewide we reported record case numbers today: 633 new cases – a jump of 200 in a single day. 

The source of Sydney's initial outbreak has been traced back to an infected pilot on a FedEx freighter plane that flew in from San Francisco on 16 June.  He passed it on to a limousine driver* taking him to an overnight hotel. The infected driver then went shopping at Westfield Mall in Bondi Junction and the rest is history.

Since then, cases have been popping up everywhere. Currently, Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra, and all of NSW are in total lockdown. In essence 2/3 of the country's population is now stuck at home. 

Melbourne has been battling the Delta variant for weeks and despite its best efforts, it can’t get newly reported cases below 20 a day.  Last night, New Zealand also went into national lockdown. Today it reported 7 Delta cases in Auckland. They’ve traced the genomic sequence back to NSW. 

Our COVID Zero world looks like it’s coming to a rapid end.

UPDATE: 22 August

Local COVID cases continue to soar! NSW recorded 830 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. It looks like we've yet to peak during this outbreak.

UPDATE: 17 October

New Scientist magazine has published a superb summary of this latest lockdown. It sums up the last 107 days very nicely. You can read more here.  Daily cases fell to 301 today.

*Updated link that now references the history of this driver's subsequent trial by media.

The Lucky Country

Today marks one year since Australia recorded its first COVID-19 cases. Victoria recorded its first COVID-19 case on January 25, 2020 – a man in his 50s who tested positive for the virus after arriving in Melbourne on a flight from Guangzhou in China on January 19, 2019.

By the end of that day a further three cases had been confirmed in New South Wales, after two passengers flew from the Chinese city of Wuhan and a third from Shenzhen. One year later, here in Australia (and New Zealand), our pandemic experience looks vastly different from that of most other countries. The contrast is such that many of you reading this post will find it hard to comprehend.

Perhaps the starkest difference is the simple fact that there is currently no community transmission of the virus anywhere in Australia. The same goes for New Zealand. The only new cases being reported are coming from overseas travellers in quarantine. As of today, since February 2020, Australia has reported a total of 28,761 confirmed cases and 909 deaths. Yes – you read that correctly – these are "whole of pandemic" statistics. Not daily, weekly or monthly numbers.

Currently, you need a special Government permit to enter the country (and likewise to leave our shores if you’re a citizen or permanent resident). Upon arrival, you're transferred to a specially designated hotel for 14-days of mandatory quarantine. To ensure the quarantine system isn’t overwhelmed international arrivals are limited to around 3000 people weekly.

To date, these measures have stopped the spread of COVID-19, including more infectious variants currently spreading globally. However, the system hasn't always been totally foolproof. Since June last year the states of Victoria (with its capital city of Melbourne), New South Wales (Sydney), South Australia (Adelaide) and Queensland (Brisbane) have all experienced virus outbreaks whose origins traced back to hotel quarantine workers.

All but one of these outbreaks were brought under control within weeks. The most devastating occurred in Melbourne last June. Thousands were infected and hundreds died before community transmission was finally eradicated. This result was achieved by a comprehensive lockdown lasting almost three months. At the time it was considered the most draconian undertaken anywhere in the world. The UK’s latest lockdown is now operating with a similar level of constraint.

The nation's most recent COVID-19 outbreak occurred in Brisbane. A hotel cleaner infected six people with the new UK variant before the outbreak was brought under control. Here in Sydney, we’ve successfully controlled an outbreak that began in the city’s Northern Beaches suburbs three weeks before Christmas. As of today, New South Wales has recorded eight straight days without a locally transmitted case, Queensland has reached 14 days, and Victoria has made it 19 straight days without a new case.

Australia’s remarkable results have come at a considerable short-term cost to our civil liberties and economic wellbeing. Entire industries including international student education, tourism and aviation have all been devastated. Likewise, current border restrictions have left more than 38,000 Australians stranded overseas unable to return for many months to come.

However, despite these constraints, Australia’s economy is rebounding quickly. With unprecedented economic support from the federal government, around 90 per cent of the 1.3 million Australians who lost their jobs or saw work hours reduced to zero early in the pandemic are now back at work. Last month official unemployment fell from 6.8 to 6.6 per cent. These figures are still well above pre-COVID levels but show the nation is faring better than other OECD nations.

The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics also show GDP grew 3.3 per cent in the September quarter, but declined 3.8 per cent in the year to September 2020. However, the annual downturn is dominated by a 7 per cent economic contraction in the three months through June when the first national lockdown was in full swing. Analysts expect the December quarter just ended will continue reporting steady GDP growth and stable unemployment.

Looking ahead, the country will kick off a national vaccination program in late-February.  The population has been split into four groups. The first two consist of people at greatest risk, the latter two covers the rest of the population. Garry and I are in the third group. At our age, we're considered a little more vulnerable than the general population.

The effectiveness of Australia’s national border closure has been brought into stark relief in recent weeks by the experience of arrivals for the Australia Open tennis tournament. The Victorian Government elected to proceed with the Grand Slam event despite strong reservations by health authorities and lockdown traumatised Melbournian residents.

Last week 17 charter flights arrived in Melbourne carrying hundreds of players, partners and officials. Everyone was transferred into mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine. Since then ten people have tested positive. This includes rising Spanish star Paula Badosa who is one of 72 players confined to their rooms after several passengers on their aircraft tested positive upon arrival. Badosa was a very vocal critic of Australia’s hard quarantine procedure for “close contacts” like herself. However, she tested positive seven days into quarantine and has since apologised for her stance.

Novak Djokovic, the world’s No.1 men’s player, has also been a vocal critic. Last week he issued a fanciful wish-list for the 72 players stuck in hard quarantine. His proposals were poorly received by most Australians. Even more so given his defiant stance last year when he hosted a European tournament with poor health control protocols. The tournament subsequently became a virus super-spreading event.

No doubt many of you reading this post will struggle to comprehend how different life feels in Australia. Our headlines aren’t dominated by daily death tolls, overwhelmed hospitals and personal hardship. Instead, we’re all debating the merits of Australian player Bernard Tomic’s girlfriend, Vanessa Sierra, who recently took to social media to protest her hotel quarantine conditions.

In a Twitter tirade, she bitterly complained that "This is the worst part of quarantine: I don't wash my own hair. I've never washed my own hair. It's just not something that I do. I normally have hairdressers that do it twice a week for me, so this is the situation that we're dealing with."

All we can say to Vanessa is simply this. You’re washing your own hair so that Australia can continue reporting 28,761 confirmed cases and only 909 tragic deaths since February 2020. It’s a small price to pay when saving lives.

UPDATE: 31 January

West Australia reported its first case of community transmission in almost ten months today. A security guard working in a Perth quarantine hotel has tested positive for Coronavirus. The infected man may have been symphonic since Australia Day. Furthermore, he moonlights as a share ride driver when he’s not working as a security guard. In response to this positive test, the entire Perth metropolitan area has been sent into total lockdown for the next five days.

UPDATE: 3 February

West Australia has confirmed that the infected security guard is carrying the more virulent UK strain. This strain first appeared three months ago and is rapidly spreading globally. As of yesterday, West Australia had recorded no additional local cases. It looks increasingly likely the state may have dodged a bullet with this latest quarantine outbreak.

The second wave

2020 is undoubtedly turning into a year none of us will ever forget. With three months remaining the flood of extraordinary news headlines continues unabated. Since I last posted about the global COVID-19 pandemic so much has happened here in Australia and internationally.

Less than three weeks after my last post on 6 June things took a nasty turn in Australia. In late June, the Victorian State Government announced a re-tightening of social distancing restrictions after an unexplained spike in community transmitted cases. It soon emerged that disease prevention protocols had failed within the state’s hotel quarantine program for returning international travellers. Hotel staff and security personnel at two hotels had contracted COVID-19 and subsequently taken it out in the broader community.

Infected people then began travelling interstate triggering new outbreak clusters in New South Wales and Queensland. In Victoria, the situation deteriorated rapidly. As the graph published here shows positive tests, hospitalisation and COVID-related deaths began climbing to levels previously unseen in Australia. While these statistics are still remarkably low by global standards, the pandemic has resulted in this nation's worst recession since the Great Depression.

In response to Victoria's second wave, the nation experienced another soul-numbing round of unprecedented headlines. First, international flights to Melbourne ceased and its hotel quarantine program was suspended. Australia's second-largest city was effectively cut off from the rest of the world.

Then, on 8 July, the Victorian and NSW interstate border closed for the first time in more than a century. Queensland subsequently closed its border with NSW just weeks after finally reopening for the first time in four months. This meant that those of us living in Sydney found ourselves constrained within our home state's borders for the first time in living memory.

On 7 July, after recording 191 new cases, the Victorian Government announced that metropolitan Melbourne would re-start lockdown restrictions for a minimum of six weeks. Four weeks later these restrictions were extended across the entire state of Victoria.

The state's lockdown restrictions were tightened again in August to include a night curfew in Melbourne. Non-essential businesses were forced to close and residents were largely confined to their homes. Those venturing out for exercise or grocery shopping were restricted to travelling within a zone that extended no more than 5km from their home. In Sydney, Victorian travellers arriving by air were also forced into compulsory quarantine for the first time.

The death toll in Victoria rose rapidly reaching 805 people as of yesterday. Positive infections passed 20,000 recorded cases. Prior to the second wave, Australia's national death toll has stalled at a remarkably low 104 people.

Restrictions finally began to ease in Victoria in late-September as new case numbers dropped into the low teens. Clusters that had broken out in NSW were also brought under control thanks to new restrictions and world-class contact tracing. As of today, NSW has reported eight consecutive days with zero community transmission. In Sydney, daily life is slowly starting to feel normal again.

International travel remains effectively banned in Australia. Residents cannot leave the country without a permit that’s often difficult to obtain and those who return are transferred into compulsory quarantine for 14 days at their own expense. The intake of international travellers is also capped at 4000 people per week.

These restrictions are expected to remain in place until at least March or April next year. As a result, Garry and I have made new plans for our Summer vacation. We'll be staying within our home state and travelling up the North Coast for two weeks on Boxing Day.

We’ve booked ourselves into a corner suite at the waterfront Ramada Hotel in Ballina for a week. We last stayed there in 2016 while on business and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We’ll then make our way back down to Sydney stopping for several days in a series of scenic spots. Our itinerary includes the picturesque waterfalls at Dorrigo National Park, Harrington and Port Stephens.

Internationally, the news remains grim. The USA, Europe and India saw positive cases rise again as initial lockdown restrictions were eased in June. In the UK daily cases now exceed those reported during the pandemics initial outbreak. In the USA more than 200,000 people have died and more than 7 million infected. Globally the death toll has soared past 1 million souls.

Then, just when we thought we’d seen the last of COVID's stunning headlines, the President of the United States and the First Lady were diagnosed with COVID-19 yesterday. The President’s infection comes less than a month before the US Presidential Election. Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, are now under quarantine for several weeks.

It’s almost impossible to overstate the impact this has on his re-election campaign. Trump was already behind in national polls and actively redirecting the daily narrative away from his handling of the pandemic. Now he and many of his key campaign operatives are unable to venture beyond their homes. October surprises really don't get any bigger than this.

In public, Trump has downplayed the pandemic's seriousness. He’s ignored social distancing measures on numerous occasions and disregarded guidelines from top health advisors. Once again, this persistent virus has demonstrated how incredibly virulent it really is. It’ll be interesting to see how this week’s events affect the election on 3 November.

Seeking a new direction

Is Australia's next coronavirus crisis just around the corner? A battle with public complacency looks like it's become the new front line. This handy graph encapsulates the challenge ahead.

The Sydney Morning Herald noted today that mobility data from Apple shows increasing numbers of people searching for directions by road, foot and public transport, compared to the first weeks of Australia's strict "stay at home" instructions.

At the start of April, weekday searches for road directions in Sydney averaged about 54 per cent of the normal baseline level. The week after Easter it averaged about 61 per cent and last week it was averaging 64.2 per cent, with a spike on Thursday of 69.9 per cent amid a week of sunshine and warm temperatures. That was the highest number since March 20.

Sadly the lack of social distancing etiquette has grown worse at our local supermarket. Garry and I dropped in on Friday evening to grab a few supplies. The first thing we noticed was the staff had given up counting shoppers entering the store. Coles had previously announced it was limiting store patronage to ensure social distancing was maintained. For the last ten days, the number of shoppers has been religiously counted in and out of the store.

On Friday the building was heaving with people. Dozens were queuing to use the checkouts. Aisles were crowded. People were standing around chatting. Few appeared to be making any attempt to physically separate themselves from others.

We have a young demographic in our area including a lot of international students. As a result, it's tempting to stereotype the crowd. I certainly considered myself all but bulletproof at a younger age. How do you help others truly comprehend the economic sacrifice and financial hardship made by millions to ensure their health? I don't envy our Government.

Four more weeks

It’s official. Australians are in for another four weeks of partial lockdown. The continued restrictions reflect growing confidence that the nation is successfully containing COVID-19. The latest graph shows an increasingly stable, and reassuringly low, level of new cases being reported daily (currently averaging below 50 new cases per day).

Some commentators are going so far as to suggest we’re on track for domestic elimination of the virus. Personally, I think that’s wishful thinking. I went to the supermarket last night. The experience was incredibly disappointing. At least a third of shoppers demonstrated absolutely no interest in practising social distancing. This was in stark contrast to active avoidance behaviours I’d witnessed only weeks ago.

This shopping experience leaves me in no doubt that we’ll continue to see sporadic outbreaks. Too many people seem to have very little sense of just how virulent this virus is. I’ve read several stories where positively diagnosed people believe that their only credible infection source was the supermarket.

These reports include an elderly Queensland man who later died. His only reported activity outside the home was a single trip to the supermarket. Today I read about a young UK journalist who, over a 14 day period, only left his home to visit the supermarket. He described his subsequent illness as far more life-threatening than the flu. His experience included a late-night paramedic call out that left him genuinely fearing for his life.

UPDATE: 24 April

Australia recorded only four new cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to 4pm on Wednesday. This included two in NSW and one each in South Australia and Tasmania. The last time new cases were reported in single digits was 8 March.

Bending the curve

Some encouraging COVID-19 graphs have been published today. In NSW, there were 49 new confirmed cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on April 9. While that was 11 more cases than the previous 24 hours, the number of tests increased by more than 500. It's encouraging that higher test rates aren't finding proportionately more cases at this early stage.

On a separate note, NSW Police can now issue a $5000 on-the-spot fine for spitting or coughing on health workers or police officers. These new powers were introduced after gutless attacks on front line workers. Pharmacists, supermarket managers and police officers have all been spat on by disgruntled people in recent days.

Likewise, anyone caught without a good reason for being away from home is also subject to a $1000 fine. On Thursday NSW Police handed out 45 fines for breaching the Public Health Act. Several people have now received multiple fines. One of those fines was given to NSW Arts Minister Don Harwin who was caught sneaking off to his holiday home up the coast.

I kept my promise. You keep your distance!

The University of Sydney has released a social distancing model today. The success or failure of Australia's coronavirus fight relies to a remarkable degree on just one thing. If 90% or more Australian stay home and comply with all social distancing directives we can end the COVID-19 pandemic in three months. The graph above really says it all.

The university’s research also reveals that up to 30% of people would normally fail to comply with Government directives. In other words, if we can convince just 20% more of the general population to comply it’ll all be over by July.

At the moment Australians have managed to cut social contact by about 50 per cent, which will flatten the peak of the pandemic by about two-thirds, according to Professor George Milne from the University of Western Australia.

https://www.sydney.edu.au/…/greater-social-distancing

Hopefully, the social distancing and hand hygiene messages are getting out there. A colleague in Europe sent me this image from Bergamo, Italy. The town's crematorium can no longer cope with the rising death toll. Military convoys are now moving corpses twice a week.

It's such a tragic image. I honestly thought twice about sharing it. However, if it encourages one more person to stay safe then it's making a difference. Stay safe. Stay Strong. We'll get through this together.

The vanishing man

I’ve been quietly transforming my health this year. In March I received an early-stage Type 2 Diabetes blood sugar test result. I’m sure regular readers of this blog have quietly noted the weight gain that Garry and I experienced while living in the UK. In time, this weight has taken a toll on my health including bouts of Gout. However, the early-stage diabetes diagnosis was still a shock. Grand illusions aside, it’s clear I’m no longer bulletproof.

I decided I wasn’t going to roll over and accept defeat. Instead, I began an intensive web search to map out my options. By chance, I stumbled across research recently published by Newcastle University in the UK. It was discovered that Type 2 diabetes can be reversed by an extreme low-calorie diet.

In an early-stage clinical trial of 11 people conducted in 2011, all reversed their diabetes by drastically cutting their food intake to just 600 calories daily for two months. And three months later, seven remained free of diabetes. In essence, participants who rapidly lost approximately 15% of their initial body weight restored their health.

Given these stunning results, I decided to undertake my own clinical trial. I was also encouraged to learn that my personal circumstances put me in a sweet spot for success. That is, my diagnosis was recent, the weight I needed to lose was within an ideal range and my age correlated with the best results reported by the Newcastle trial. In other words, my chances of successfully reversing my recent diagnosis appeared high.

I reviewed their research findings in detail and gathered as much information as possible about the diet program used in the clinical trial.  This included a helpful book based on the study's findings by Dr Michael Mosley published last December. However, I made one key change to my diet plan. In the study, participants substituted one daily meal for a weight-loss protein shake. I decided this wasn’t sustainable and reworked the diet to include three normal meals.

Every week I prepared a weekly menu spreadsheet, tracking the calories in every food item. I tried to average 750 calories daily as defined by the food labels on the products I bought (or calorie counts I found online). I also managed my intake to ensure I ate at least 67-70gm of protein daily - the recommended daily minimum for an adult male. My spreadsheet also charted my weight and Body Mass Index (BMI). I then officially weighed myself before breakfast every Sunday morning and recorded my weight for the week.

I trialled the diet for seven weeks, plus an additional three weeks transitioning back to normal eating. Over ten weeks I lost 18.6 kg, or more than 19% of my body weight. My BMI went from 30.2 (Obese) to 24.3 (Healthy). I lost 13cm (5 inches) around my waist (nothing fits in my wardrobe anymore). My blood sugar reading dropped from 7.3 mmol/L (7+ is considered diabetic) to 5.5 (the top end of normal). In other words, I’ve successfully reversed my early-stage diagnosis. I'm no longer diabetic.

In all honesty, if I’d known that a diet like this would be so effective and be so easy to do (I didn’t really feel all that hungry after the first 4-5 days) I’d have given it a go three years ago. My results were better than the Newcastle patients and six weeks after finishing my transition to normal eating my weight remains stable. This diet really works!

My weekly menu planning took several hours to prepare on a Sunday morning. However, it really kept me focused on the program and challenged me to identify creative substitutes for keeping meals interesting and varied. This exercise kept me honest and made last-minute changes to the diet plan easier. I could quickly work out how to shuffle my eating plan if the day got busy or a social event cropped up.

For example, I travelled to New Zealand in June but still managed to maintain my diet. Planning my menu also got easier as I went. Within a fortnight, I had a two-week eating plan that I could start to cut and paste daily menus, making it easier to build next week’s menu.

I also got very good at reading food labels and identifying substitute products or brands that allowed me to either have larger portions of the same food or use the calories I eliminated to add another tasty item to my weekly diet plan. For example, I found a whole grain bread with 8 calories less per slice. This meant I could increase the amount of avocado or yeast spread on my breakfast toast, or let me grate some parmesan cheese over my scrambled eggs.

Likewise, some types of fish have fewer calories than others. Choosing the lowest calorie fish (with a reasonably high protein count) let me increase the weight of steamed vegetables I could include in the same meal. I soon learned I could fill a plate with healthy vegetables and end up with a large meal of tasty food with surprisingly few calories.

I also discovered plenty of low-calorie meal ideas that stopped my food from feeling bland or monotonous. For example, I started roasting capsicum and asparagus at dinner time for a tasty addition to the plate (coated with sprayed oil to keep the calories down). I found a very low-fat Feta cheese to add to salads to give them a salty/savoury favour burst (and increase my protein count). I swapped real balsamic vinegar for a diet dressing version – same flavour but fewer calories (or more spoonfuls for the same calorie count making for a moister salad).  

Since ending the diet, I’ve continued avoiding white carbs (including white bread, pasta, potatoes etc); especially at dinner time. I'm not only keeping the weight off but it may be helping me lose a few more pounds. I weighed myself before breakfast today. I was shocked to see my weight at a new low since starting this whole exercise (76 kg). Five months ago, I was almost 95 kgs (and this was down from a peak of at least +100kg last year).

UPDATE: 7 December
Five months after completing the Newcastle Diet my blood sugar levels remain stable. My latest test results show a level of 5.6 mmol/L. They’re basically unchanged since my last test on 28 June.

UPDATE: 2 April 2017
I've done another round of the Blood Sugar Diet to strip off a little more fat. I repeated the diet for another three weeks in March. As of today, my weight has dropped to 73kg. I feel this gives me a little more margin for ongoing weight maintenance while maintaining a healthy BMI.

UPDATE: 17 May 2017
My blood sugar levels hit a new low this month. My latest test results show a level of 5.2 mmol/L. I've also stopped having gout attacks. I have more energy and I'm sleeping better at night. Garry says I've also stopped snoring. I’m living testament that the Newcastle Blood Sugar Diet really works. My doctor cannot believe the results I’ve achieved.

Time for some Christmas cheer!

It’s hard to believe Christmas will be here a week from today.  The last couple of months have simply flown by.  Despite being officially unemployed there have been few truly idle moments.  In fact, I’m beginning to wonder how I ever fitted in a 50-60 hour working week.  If stop to consider the last few days I’ve found myself meeting headhunters, helping Garry with his company website, hosting Christmas lunch for his family and working on my interim consulting business.

I’m pleased to report that my business is off to a promising start.  Thanks to the presentation I gave at World PR Forum in Melbourne eight quality business leads have already materalized.  If these convert into real billing work I could find myself busy four days out of five during the early months of next year.  The level of interest has been rather surprising which probably indicates how detached I’d become after 15 years sitting inside the same organization.
 
Unfortunately almost every headhunter says this year has been a shocking year for the recruitment industry.  Despite the OECD’s strongest GDP growth figures, a safe haven currency and declining unemployment figures business sentiment in Australia had fallen to the same level reported during the depth of the GFC.  I continue to be mystified by the perpetual reticence and mild despondency of Australians given the relative strength of its economy.  Negative media spin on every economic subject, coupled with the ongoing trials and tribulations of a minority Federal Government, are progressively taking a toll on the nation’s collective morale.
 
On a more positive note, as I mentioned, we hosted Garry’s family for an early Christmas lunch on Sunday.  The weather dawned bright and warm.  You already could feel the sun’s intense heat radiating through closed window blinds during breakfast.  Temperatures ultimately peaked in the low 30s, before clouds began gathering for light rain shower late afternoon. 
 
We assembled our popular banquet table on our main balcony and enjoyed a delighted lunch under the shade cloth.  Garry prepared a spectacular leg of ham, while I dazzled the crowd with my famous cheese board and a couple of Summer salads.  I even put my hand to a delicious trifle for dessert, laced with brandy custard and Bailey’s Irish Cream.  As expected, we ate far too much and shared plenty of laughs.
 

With one family Christmas behind us, we have one to go.  Garry and I fly to New Zealand on Saturday to join the rest of my family for a final reunion.  Sadly, Christmas this year comes with a poignant mix of celebration and sadness.  Dad’s health continues to decline and the end is clearly approaching.  After much debate and discussion the family moved him to a retirement home last Friday to ensure he’s receiving the best possible palliative care. 

They've reassured us that keeping someone with Dad's challenging health complications at home simply isn't viable anymore. He now needs at least two full-time carers on hand 24 hours a day; each properly trained to nurse an increasingly immobile man. It’s heart-breaking to know this is his final home. 

However, Mum has done a sterling job caring for Dad at home this year. The medical staff are full of praise for her efforts. She has given Dad the very best of care, keeping him safe and in familar surroundings, far longer than anyone thought possible.  Often to the detriment of her own health and well being. I salute her.

Finally, with things so uncertain, Garry and I have cancelled the short road trip we’d planned around the central North Island.  As I reflect on my father's situation the misguided woes of Australian business leaders swiftly pale to insignificant. Life is far too short to be worrying about "what might happen" when our national economy remains the envy of the world.  It's time for some Christmas cheer!
 
UPDATE:  5:30pm
Just as I was about to put this post to bed, a headhunter called to touch base.  II’s been encouraging to see at least four firms actively connect me with on a regular basis while others warmly respond to every update I share.  They say the job search process is often a waiting game, tempered by irregular bursts of unpredictable activity.

Health care; up close and personal

It’s been my turn in hospital this week. I went into surgery on Tuesday afternoon for a submucous resection septopasty, turbinectomy and concha bullosa resection; or as some would say, I’ve had a nose job. Over the last few years my nose has become progressively blocked by swollen nasal membranes and a deviated septum (the piece of cartilage that separates your nostrils). The condition was seriously aggrevated by chronic hayfever I suffered annually in London. In more rece3nt years things had reached a point where was breathing from one nostril during the day, then snoring loudly all night.

In case you’re wondering, a submucous resection is an operation where they separate the mucus lining in your nostril from the underlying cartilage. The cartilage is then reshaped and the lining restitched. A turbinectomy involves reducing the size of three internal nodules, or turbinates, that line the nasal passage. The last bit of surgery had every nurse completely stumped. A concha bullosa is an air cavity that often develops inside one or more turbinates. These can swell over time, blocking the nasal passage. The surgery took just over an hour and all seems to be healing well.

This was my first time under general anesthetic. Despite my apprehension, the experience wasn’t particularly unpleasant. In fact, I find it rather fascinating to awake in a brightly lit room surrounded by fancy machines and attentive nurses. I cannot recall being so pampered and fussed over for a long time. Nor were they the least bit bothered that I had a large blood splattered tampon-like bandage strapped under my nose.  If I'm honest, the entire experience of being in hospital gave me a fascinating insight into the world of modern medicine.

Perhaps the most surprising observation was the number of people I dealt with during my brief 20 hours as a patient. Each had a distinct role, performed professionally and efficiently. Before surgery I met at least seven people including my doctor and anesthetist. Six separate people attended to me in my first hours after surgery, then the following morning another six people visited me in quick succession bringing newspapers, breakfast and paperwork to sign. In all I counted at least 19 different people who came to my bedside at various times.

I had no idea so many people were involved in the running a hospital from administrators and cleaners, to doctors and nurses. The volume and variety of roles I encountered was fascinating. All were polite, caring and consistently put me at ease. I’ll never fear going into hospital again. However, the bills now arriving in my letter box are a shock to the system.  It seems that such attentive care comes at a cost.  I'm left pondering how to reduce headcounts and thus the spiraling cost of health care without sacrificing its quality.

The golden lunch hour

Lunch was interrupted without warning today by the arrival of London’s air ambulance helicopter outside my office. My company occupies the top floor of the building. This meant that as the ambulance descended past our windows the commercial hum of our office was suddenly drowned out by the pulsating thunder of it powerful rotors. At first we thought its arrival was publicity stunt. However our excitement sooner turned to horror as the realization of its true mission unfolded.

Less than 200 metres away, on Hammersmith High Street, a car had struck a cyclist. The driver, clearly in shock, then swerved on to the pavement and hit several pedestrians before crashing into the front windows of a discount supermarket. News stories later reported that nobody had suffered a life-threatening injury. However, those us in the office endured an anxious wait for everyone to return from lunch. It was more than hour before we knew our entire team was safe.

The entire experience, coming so soon on the heels of Garry’s hospital admission, reminded me again how fragile life can be. It was heart-wrenching to think that someone in Hammersmith had gone into town today and, without warning, found their health and well-being shattered within seconds. As some at work later said, ”Take a moment to hug your kids every morning. You never know what may happen next.”


I must confess that the air ambulance is an impressive machine. It’s painted a brilliant vermillion colour (the hue of its corporate sponsor; the Virgin Group). It’s based at Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, about 13 kilometres east of Hammersmith. Incredibly it takes the helicopter less than 12 minutes from take-off to landing at most destinations. This means that a trauma doctor can reach a seriously injured person within the first Golden Hour, dramatically increasing their chance of survival.

Operating the ambulance is an impressive affair. It costs at least £5000 a day to operate. The Civil Aviation Authority grants the crew special permission to land anywhere they consider it safe at any time. With almost ten million people living within its reach, the helicopter is very busy. In 2009 it completed 1741 missions, an average of almost five calls a day.

UPDATE: October 27
The air ambulance helicopter reappeared outside the office today. The local paper later reported that a man had fallen from a roof-top balcony barely 100 metres from our office. It's hard to believe we've seen it twice in less than a fortnight.

Amazon.com; the ultimate sign of recovery?

Garry’s recovery is steadily continuing. Today the last of his surgery staples were finally removed. He’s clearly on the improve. Garry’s become increasingly mobile as his stride regains its more youthful gait. For days after first leaving hospital Garry was constantly stooped over, shuffling around like an old man. Yesterday he even started talking about working from home next week.

A return to work is probably well timed as Garry appears to have been constantly shopping online. Of course he always claims everything's an essential item that either he or the household desperately needs stuff like; printer cartridges, linen and electric toothbrushes. It’s a relief to see him returning to normal.

It is true that there are a few one-off essentail purchases cropping up. For example,while Garry was in hospital I had the car die on me. I'd driven to the local supermarket to buy him a few hospital essentials such as shower gel and slippers. Astonishingly, slippers were nowhere to found.

As I returned to the car in defeat my frustration was compounded after it failed to start. My stress levels subsequently rose through the roof as a rather forlorn Garry began calling, asking why I was taking so long to visit him in hospital. Fortunately, the AA breakdown man arrived within an hour and swiftly diagnosed a faulty battery. I shouldn't have been surprised. The car is six years old and still had its original battery installed. We're now £99.99 poorer.

The English Patient

After nine days at Royal Free Hampstead hospital Garry's finally been discharged. Half of his surgery staples have been removed and the scar is healing well. He's now back at home camped out on the sofa surrounded by plenty of creature comforts. As a result, my twice daily jaunts up the nearby hill to see Garry have been transformed into an equally active home help service.

I'm trying not to think about how we'd be checking into a hotel in Southern France right about now had life not thrown us a curve-ball. However, Garry's in one piece (minus a small segment) and that's ultimately what counts.

We won't be going to Toulouse!

We’re giving the National Health Service (NHS) a solid test drive this week. Garry was taken ill on Tuesday and then admitted to hospital 36-hours later suffering acute appendicitis. Unfortunately, last night, just hours before he was due to go into surgery his inflamed appendix burst. A relatively routine operation quickly turned into a five-hour marathon before he returned to the ward shortly after dawn.

The doctor told Garry he’ll be in the hospital until at least Sunday. Fortunately he’s recovering well, with tubes sprouting everywhere and lots of fancy machines to keep him company. When I saw him this afternoon boredom was setting in which seemed like a rather promising sign of recovery.

His bedside TV isn't the only entertainment on offer in Garry's ward. Directly opposite him is an older gentleman who seemed hell-bent on disparaging every aspect of the NHS currently at his disposal, ensuring all within earshot hear his numerous, petty complaints.

Still on the run

It’s difficult not to associate health risks with travel in India. The monsoon season is notorious for generating a noticeable increase in water-borne and gastrointestinal infections and food served on the Indian railway network has an equally dubious hygiene reputation. These cliché health warnings are easy to believe when you see the conditions many street vendors operate under. The photo above was snapped from the window of our car in Agra and sadly isn’t atypical of scenes witnessed all over India. However, despite studiously avoiding street food and watching what I drink, I’ve always returned from India with some form of bowel aliment. This latest trip has proved no exception.

This week Garry and I have both returned from India with bowel problems. Garry endured a couple of days of diarrhea while I’m now enjoying my fifth day of the same symptoms. I suspect a meal we ate on the train back from Agra on Tuesday evening is the culprit. As a seasoned traveler I’d pre-ordered the vegetarian meals for us as part of our First Class booking. These tend to less risky than meat dishes. However, on this occasion the main menu image include a diary product, a high risk food you’re often encouraged to avoid. The knowing nods that colleagues subsequently gave me in Delhi the following day were hardly reassuring.


While the food onboard may have been questionable, the reliability of our train journeys to and from Agra cannot be questioned. We departed Delhi on time at the ungodly hour of 6.25am and arrived in Agra two hours later, less then three minutes behind schedule. The air-conditioned Shatabdi express train proved just as reliable that evening, returning us to Delhi at 10.30pm, 195kms away, exactly on schedule.

The train station in Delhi was just as I last remember it. Thousands upon thousands of people flowing continually along battered pedestrian footbridges, noisly crowding platforms and just generally loitering. No matter what the hour the assault of sights, sounds and smells always bring the colourful character of India to life.