...and....

...as Mr V. Casey Esq has kindly reminded me, anyone looking for an around the world x-mas card...please post address here (or email to antifyre@gmail.com) and I will t'ink abou'it....roight!.......

closing date for entries is next friday! (and please do not assume i have your address...I am but one man...one forgetful, slighty damaged man:))

So...It actually did take this long to get sorted out!

Apologies for the length of time since the last post folks, but its been a strange month...

...of doing very little! Job situation in Sydney is very sparse and slow, especially as summer is coming (or now upon us), and new year, hopefully, will see a glut of jobs coming through...but have managed to get some casual gainful employment in a call centre in the CBD, doing some light Outbound non-sales stuff with a Stock Option group...not rocket science, not well paid, but its work...(just I write this, I may now have no work for the week... casually damn it!)

Flat is great and the four of us are settling in to our beach side lifestyles fairly well, and the whole house is now 'with job' (whether casual or full time), so its a little less scary... and before anyone starts wishing us bad thoughts over the weather difference, this has turned into the wettest December in Sydney history so far... with thunderstorms that are so frigthening it's not even funny..at all..

No lurvley photos or anything as yet(just of an ant-bitten foot!); have met up with some of the acting class and some old MBNA heads here, so the social is picking up a little...but mostly staying as quiet as possible and watching as many DVD's as I can (which is quite a lot, I have discovered....)

Hope your'e all well, I think it's time I looked at getting a job as 'local Irish Bowsie' on Home and Away.....

J

South Africa Memories...Picture-rama!

Just some random photos of the last 4 weeks.... some will need explaining I suppose....but the asking and then telling is always the fun part!(If you click on the photos themselves, you get full screen versions of them; really worth it for some of the landscape shots!)

In other news, we have hidden ourselves away from Sydney so far to try and get over our horrible jet-lagged,rundown systems courtesy of the amazing-ness that is Mr Caoilte and Miss Melissa...Seriously, their hospitality knows no bounds, so you all need to get over here late 2009 for their wedding so you can test it!!!!

New apartment (very near beach and very lovely, I am assured) is being visited and moved into over the next few days.... my new OZ mobile is +61 414079397 if anyone wants to text or leave abusive phone calls.. I'm off to open a bank account and find a job!

bye,

J

Goodbye Springboks, Hello Wallabies...

(long post, so large intake of breath....)

Our little tour of South Africa has come and gone and as we relax in the busom of Cape Town for another 5 day stay, we look back over the last two weeks with some trepdation (Away with the Fairies) and relaxtion (everywhere else....)

After our short stop in Grahamstown, we journeyed to Hogsback, the most beautiful area I have seen in ANY country for quite a longtime, and stayed in the Away with the Fairies hostel. As I have been kindly corrected (Cheers Mac!), Tolkien, while never probably having visited the place himself, has many a connection to this mountain range, and the locale certainly reminds of the books in many ways (check out amazing picture vistas! oooo!ahhhh!). By the way, if any of you ever goes on a small hike to a waterfall and someone in your party decides to 'just have a look over here', ignore them, go straight home and climb under the covers of your bed with a coffee and a good book....I had never gone on an 'accidental 4 Hour mountain climb in flip-flops' before, and I'm not sure I have the inner strength to do it again!

The hostel itself contained the nicest bunch of Alcoholics I have ever met and I dare not mention any more through recordable media of what went on during our 3 day bender there, only that I survived, and that I am happier for it.... ;)

After here, we moved to Buccaners in Cinste for some welcoming R&R, (of the quiet, reading lots, anti social kind) and healed all wounds by the Indian Ocean...although getting to the place somehow takes the shine away from it! Did kinda get chased by a lion in a game reserve, so that was pretty cool though....

Onwards to Graff-Reinet, a very different, very old-Afrikans town very near the Karoo...some lovely restuarants, well kept gardens and a little place called the Valley of Desolation.....

...which proceeded to blow Hogsback out of the water for sheer scale and size...again, the below shots do no justice to how incredible that view was (and yes the lizard was blue AND green!)...

More hiking here and a lovely tour of a Tequila factory at 10 in the morning (i'll explain when i get home...) and the penultimate spot on our trip, Nieu Bethesda, offically the quietest place in the world. Here, in the space of one morning we got a tour of an Agricultural site, the aforementioned tequila tasting, and a visit to one of the out of place art installations in the world, the Owl House...

A museum and tribute to the house's owner Helen, this fantastic look at colour and light was her life's work up to her death in the '70's, and I recommend that anyone interested Wikipedia or Google the place to find out more.....

Finally back to Rocky Road for a final drink (well, most of the Tequila and a 500 person Trance party in a backpackers in a wood is a bit more than a drink, but these things will happen when you are away..)... thanks so much to Rocky, Mac, Merix and all the folks there who were so very kind and welcoming, and also so very helpful and understanding through a very scary month and a half.... it was, and always will be, very much appreciated....so here's a photo greatest hits!

In injury news, the doctor has given an 'almost perfect' recovery update from my neck, and a view that if it continues this way, I am free from medical neck-warmers from the 15th of Dec, and on to a 100% recovery. Now if I can just recover the 3 stone I've lost, i'll be happy!

Going to sign this off now....its (pissing)raining in Cape Town (again!), but we did get out to see Mr Mandela's prison on Robben Island yesterday, which was sobering (apart from the HUGE amounts of Rabbits and Penguins everywhere....). A guy in a surf shop today told me to get a monkey tattoo on my neck before I leave, to remember the place by......I am really sick of this damn neckbrace!

Next post from Sydney, where we visit the newly-engaged Mr Dunne! Congats to Melissa and himself again, and I'll tap at you all in a week...

J

(p.s. I know there was meant to be some pics up here, will follow tomorrow due to technical difficulties!)

'Jefferson, I think we're lost....'

Quick one this,

Just to say we've left the mighty Rocky Road and are currently residing in the (possibly slowly dying) Frontier-College town of Grahamstown, on our little two week sojourn across the Eastern Cape....

All good to go, World Cup Final a little of an anticlimax (we were way too hungover from the night before...), and we are well on the way to getting ourselves lost in Greater SA....

Moving on in about an hour to an area called Hogsback, the spot where Tolkien was inspired by trips when he was a kid to come up with a lot of the areas for LOTR.... check out the website for the hostel we are staying in!......http://www.awaywiththefairies.co.za/.....very appropriate!

Before I split, a big 'Get Well Soon' to Elaine D, who managed to get herself involved in a mini Hit and Run in Argentina last friday....honestly, the dangerous situations my friends put themselves in when on holiday!!!! ;)......Seriously, be good and heal well my dear.....


Going off to some shopping for eating things now.....

Some photos during the week (when I'm not being timed by the evil Internet Cafe Controller!)

Bye!

J

New Post that has nothing to do with injuries what so ever!!!!!

My first proper night out in over a month (in a make shift pub in a garage!)

i) Leina and Amanda check out the Rocky Road Hall of Shame
ii) Katya gets her paint on...
iii) Attempts to look cool destroyed by neck brace!
iv) Aidan ducks the shot, while James takes it in his stride...
v) Katya posing with Mac and a Mohawk.....
vi) Chris gets his dance on, or at least thats what he said he was doing...
vii) Roo goes for SA Idol (it actually does exist!)
viii) ....and the recovery at Enrico's the next day

Ahhh, for F***s Sake.....!

So, the saga goes on....

Went for check up on Monday and now it seems I have broken my Fibia in my left leg (the smaller of the two bones), that was heretoo un-noticed because of the swelling/ brusing etc (although we had kinda guessed) and I have probably two or three broken ribs on the left side too.....

Nowt anyone can do, as they'll just have to heal themselves up etc...but I can still walk, although sneezing is a complete NO-NO!

Oh and the neck brace has to stay on till X-mas.....

Stoopid Monkey.

In a more positive light..... with all bandages off, I can finally take a proper shower! Yay! Getting out of the house more and more which is also a plus... and the Monday after the Rugby Final (Go Springboks, Go!) we have a wee two week trip planned to bring us to some more lovely areas, before we head on back to Cape Town to fly out..... All good to go :)

Everyone still taking very good care of us here; Katya is getting her art on in a big way, designing some cool murals to go on some of the walls for the local projects.... I'm still tapping away at the computer to get some lovely things for the locals, so we do have some things to do, despite our current patient/carer nametags!

Oh, and by the way,one for Briann, Dee...... (sorry mate, don't have your email....)

The pictures below are of a South African Rain Spider... There have been at least three or 4 of them in the house since we got here... the picture in no way captures the true size of the animal (you try calling it an insect!)....its at least bigger than the top of the can!



(seemingly Red-Eye Reduction don't work on spiders....!)

On that lovely arachnid-inspired note I will leave you all...

Soon.

J...


(p.s. the South African mobile number I have has been passed on to another deserving volunteer (hence no answers to anyones texts...sorry!) , so if anyone wants to text etc please use Katya's number :) )

'Every day, every hour\I wish that I was..... bullet proof '

Ahoy, hoy!

So the recovery is in full swing, kind of...

I have spent the last week since coming home trying to ease myself back on track and its proven a pretty decent spin....apart from the night before last when, my ribs and my left leg defiantely reminded me that my neck was not the only thing that got battered like a cod in Glasgow...... Two serious strength painkillers and two Vailum put pay to that however :). Due back in the hospital for another xray/check up on Monday week, and staying relatively at home till then....

Thank you so much again for all the calls/Texts/mails etc that I've received....really nice to hear from everyone all round, even though the monkey jokes are getting a little thin... (I'm looking at you, Reidy!)....I'm trying to get mails back to everyone I can who have contacted me, so if i have'nt yet sorry!, will be in contact soon....

Also, a huge thanks to all those who contributed to the Rocky Road computer fund (you know who you all are!)..... the new machine is now in place and I am busy filling it with lots of lovely programs for the lovely people who live here :).... we have an extra three weeks here now before we venture on a little more travelling on our own.....



In one thing as a sign of luck changing (as if being alive is not enough!), the lovely people at Quantas quite nicely have changed our flights (both connection and main SA - OZ flight) for nothing !!!.... we are now due in Sydney for tea and crumpets with Mister Dunne on Nov 11th, bar any further Acts of Ape or medical emergencies......

Katya is very well, if relieved that all seems to be returning to normal.. she's had enough of hospitals and xrays for a lifetime, I think.

Will go now, if only see Ireland thrown home from the Rugby World Cup in shame as we deserve..... We both just bought lifetime Springbok supporters tickets yesterday!

If anyone who does'nt have it wants to mail me/contact etc....antifyre@gmail.com is the mail address, or look for Micheal JohnKennedy on facebook will find me too....
Bye,

J

The one where John flips a pick-up truck....

First off, thank you goes out to a very special person today...

....Katya. You really have no idea how much you helped me over the last two weeks, and how much you will probably continue to do so as I rush towards recovery with open arms. Constantly around, contacting my folks and bro and other worried friends keeping them in the loop, tireless in enthusiasm and support, and still willing to laugh at my jokes?? Is there no end to your genius??? (Thats about as gushy as she would allow me to get I think, without resorting to violence ;) )

So, to explain what all the fuss has been about for anyone who missed the bits and pieces, here follows a quick synopsis.....



On the 11th of September, after a very successful trip to town to pick up some supplies for the kids in the play , organize Katya's Anniversary present and put the new computer for Rocky Road into production, I swerved the center's pick up to avoid a monkey in the road...managed to get the damn thing back onto the road, but the steering locked and I veered left, popped over a barrier and 'Dukes and Hazzard'ed it into a field, rolling the truck three or four times, whilst manging to be thrown from it before it reached its destination.



My initial prognosis was nothing broken, a very bruised back, and a laceration across my head that needed twelve staples to stitch up...and an award for the luckiest fucker on the face of the planet....





A trip to the hospital and three days later I was home again....but not for long.

The doctors were not convinced by my still relatively high level of discomfort, and promptly send me for a day of x-rays and MRI's up and down the Garden route here, arriving back at the hospital where I was initially led, to a consultancy with a Dr Verrier (probably the best doctor I will ever meet!)

He quickly showed me through the 3d rendering that the Catscan/MRI had done that I had broken one of the joints that held my vertebrae together in my neck separating my c6 and c7 discs, which then turned in towards my spinal column (pretty much anyway).He immediately hit sent me to bed, and set me up for an operation, to take a piece of bone from my hip to replace this joint and fuse it to my vertebrae with a titanium plate, going through my throat...




All in all, when they got in there to do the operation, the cord had swollen and it was very messy, but all good in the end! Got released after a few days rest and back here to Rocky Road for 6 weeks, until I can get another x-ray to check progress...



So that has slightly put us out of our plan, as OZ will have to wait out another month or so, but onward go we do.

THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who sent me messages and texted and called over the last two weeks; you really all kept spirits up and made the days lying motionless go quicker and quicker. I owe you all a drink (or 5!)

Cheers especially to my bro Rob, too, who stood in and saved the day. you little Gem.


Gotta go and get some rest, peeps... will be on to you all again soon with recovery news from the lazy-boys in front of the TV ;)

Soon,

J

'I'm not that easy, no I'm not your Horse to Water......'

Well here's the thing....

Things have been a little bit hectic as everyone is fond of saying here.... With the Cultural show coming through (Finally) last Saturday night, and not being a complete mess (although a funny story about that to follow), and the play within 9 days time; I am experiencing a little Battle Fatigue, especially from regular visits to the local back packers (more regular and more drunken as we go), and the constant supply of good food, good cheap beer and hot tubs is a constant temptation....

Out new arrivals, two teachers from Carlow, Una and Donal, have come and gone, but assisted Katya no end with the safe house... Sarah returned to the UK also, so for the moment K and myself are the only volunteers here, making things a welcome bit quieter....

How can a rugby team be so hyped and suck so much..... just glad the jerseys green and I can claim to be a local!

The play has progressed to a written status and I'm at my wits end keeping order and interest levels alive (leading me to walking out on the cast last week....!) but it will all be great in the end (hmmmmm, who am I trying to convince here??)

Anyway, with people not turning up when they should have (performers and attendees), there was a huge Chicken Poike (SA Chuck Stew) with about 15 kg(!) left over on Sat night.... The decision was made to leave some for the cleaners the next day and relax into chicken sambos for the rest of the week... Mean while, a group of local criminal types from a nearby township, who have been running rampant with the breaking/entering recently, got wind of the activity at the centre where we were running the show, and decided to break in to help themselves to whatever they could find. Jarque's Poike being as good as it is, the lads couldn't help helping themselves......and helping, and helping, and helping...so much so that when the police arrived, they couldn't move quick enough and got hauled off to jail! Classic and quite typical of many stories I have been regaled with while here....

So off to bed with me.... one quiet night in thirty thankfully... upcoming events include a three day camp with the local adventure center acting as guides, skydiving, paragliding, a huge party on Sat night, and lots...more...rugby (hopefully sufferable in public this time!)

Be Well!

J

Catch up!

Hey Folks,

Just when I say it can't slow down, it does :)

Weather has been intermittently great, then awful, then great again..... After the super high of the Bungy on Tuesday week ago, Luis headed back to Spain to finish his studies, and the new guys (Ozzies Hugh and Shanie) are settling in. Friday night was over in the Wild Tongue backpacker's for a big brai and lots of pool (very drunk)... another Hot Tub on Saturday and then a day at the beach in Natures Valley on Sunday (very nice weather indeed, a little drunk), but It's mostly pissed rain this week. :( Brought Katya out for dinner on Monday nigh (very swish) and Got to attend some masterful 'fret wankery' guitar modern Jazz last night....JH would've thrown something....

On the work front, I am now having to write the play myself, as things have gotten a little unglued in some areas (much to my frustration)...so it's now one,too short, MJK written play (written as in not actually finished yet!), with 8 fourteen year old, uncooperative, ADHD candidates as my students.

Help.

Food has been continually amazing here, and the regularity of it and a new thing I have discovered called 'Sleep' (Glen, can you look that up for me, I may start patenting it for Ebay when I crawl home....) and a slight tan means I resemble a non-vampire for the first time since Sep 1998!

Not much else to report, Cocktail Party of sorts tonight and a weekend of lazing around if the weather keeps up (as I type those words, the sun comes out and obliterates every single cloud in the sky.....typical)

Hope you all have not drown in the midst of the Great Irish Summer....to those who got to see the Stones last week.....BASTARDS!

Sleep Well Kiddies!

J

'Cause I'm Free........Free Fallin'!'

I HAVE SURVIVED!

An amazing, terrifying rush of adrenaline that completely is unlike anything I have ever experienced before!

As Katya has said in an email last night, we're still not sure who was more scared, me in the air or her on the ground...the pictures do not do the distance justice as to how long it really is! An excellent crew and really supportive (apparently I jumped very well, and this confirmed by a couple of people working there, so not too shabby for a first timer :) )....

There is a DVD too, which truly shows the complete horror on my face as I stepped up to the plate, but I'll leave that for perusal when I get home...

More animal pics on the way too from the safari at the weekend, but I'm off to relive insane flying in my head


J

A way to waste time......

Hmm, you'd think after two weeks things would start to slow down around here....

Not at all.

This last week we've been taught how to roll Sushi (and yes they did have spoons in ancient Japan, JH!), messing with seaweed and caviar to much artistic effect (well, Katya was....I'm just happy that mine stuck together!) and have been a little hungover on a number of occasions ;) ... I'm getting a little frustrated with the lack of movement on the School Play project, as at the time of writing I still don't have a copy of the script! No matter, I suppose I must acquiesce to the African way of doing things and slow my horses up.

We also visited a very large Nature Reserve/Safari park in Addo, just beyond Port Elizabeth. We rented a (pos) car and hurtled ourselves the 3 hours up the road, well into the Western Cape area, where we were staying for two nights. Driving here is more of a field sport than a necessity; you really wonder do they hand out licenses at supermarkets, like a coupon special offer.....but, I digress.

The park is amazing and we saw many wondrous animals; Buffalo, Kudu, Ostriches (i think i never want to see another warthog/meerkat ever again) but missed the Lions, who were off playing cards or doing their laundry that day. Lots of Elephants up close though, and more than a fair share of Stripy Donkeys; all wild or rehabilitated wild animals. Very cool! Some pics to follow, already some up on facebook....

I write this now as some method of calming myself, as in 4 hours time I will throw myself 216m off a nearby bridge, attached only by a springy rope, and I would like my last words, if appropriate , to be fitting of my life!

So, in the great writings of the almighty Homer...... I Regret Nothing!

(Back later with pics etc!)

J

i) Elephants talk about important items of the day...
ii) Are Stripeys meant to be this cute???
iii) Meerkats legging it from a Predator (seriously, something major spooked about 50 animals into a stampede!)
iv) Katya, Masterchef!
v) My budding actors!
vi) ....and 3 go for a walk on a cliff