Given I have not done a blog post for a long time, I figured a lengthy update was required and a good chance to fill in family and friends of some of the things Neil and I have been up to in 2011 – it has been a very busy one, so grab a cup of tea and get comfortable for 10 minutes :) Oh and don’t forget to click on the bold links for more info or photos.

The year kicked off with the launch of Neil’s second Ebook – Photo Nuts & Shots (the second in a series of four). We were hoping for as good a result as we had with his first Ebook Photo Nuts & Bolts and we were pleasantly surprised with the response we got. Thanks to our publisher, Digital Photography School, which has a photography focused audience, Neil’s new Ebook proved a popular purchase yet again. Neil has now sold over 20,000 Ebooks overall, which is a fantastic achievement. He has now finished writing the third book in the series – Photo Nuts & Post, which I am currently designing and this will be launched in a few weeks time.

Neil has been busy with other photography work including weddings, an interesting light painting job for AMP and ongoing sales of his stock photography. One image, a 360 degree panorama was recently bought by the online Smithsonian Magazine, which he was rather chuffed about. Neil continues to update his equipment and learn new techniques to keep ahead of the pack, so he can be prepared to write about it in his books. In February he started assisting Phil Hart, a good friend and brilliant astrophotographer in his new Night Sky Photography Workshops. These are held at Lake Eppalock, Victoria where light pollution is low and there is a large house for all participants to stay in. Neil always enjoys these weekend workshops and hopes to continue these with Phil when he returns from his overseas adventures late next year. If you would like to see Neil’s 2011 top 10 photos from various photoshoots, check out his blog post.

I too have enjoyed getting to know the camera better and it is now very much a shared passion, with me assisting Neil on most of his photo shoots, whether they be for work or play. One of our favourite things to do is to go away for a few days with friends who enjoy being photographed, like making clothes, doing make-up or who are just wanting to be creative. We usually end up with amazing images and great memories of spending time with good friends. One photo of myself, which I love, Neil took when we went away to Hepburn Springs earlier this year. We went with 4 friends, one of them, Annie, who is a great make-up artist and she did wonders with my face as you can see from the results!

My brother Nathan stayed with us during January and February as the rental house he was in was being sold. It was lovely to spend time with him, as we get along so well and he is a fantastic cook, so we were spoiled with lovely food during his stay. Whilst here, Neil took some photos of Nathan, one of which is used on his new album cover The Glow. He headed overseas on 6th March to continue his successful music career and is still there, currently in Chicago.

In March Neil and I spent a wonderful 10 days in Tasmania to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. Tasmania is a favourite Australian destination of ours as it is so diverse and beautiful, making it ideal for scenic photography. We stayed in a number of places from the north west beachside town of Boat Harbour over to the east to St Helens, and luckily avoiding some heavy flooding on our way to Hobart. Our holidays will be minimal in 2012 as we save for our first home, however we are looking forward to joining our friends Phil and Kaz in North Queensland later in the year to witness a solar eclipse!

April saw me undergo my 9th joint replacement. This time my hip, and the 4th replacement in two years. The last four operations on my hips and knees were revisions to the first operations I had over 15 years ago, so they were all in need of a tune up. All four were very successful and by the time this last one came around, I was accustomed to the extra pain that goes along with revisions. I was very happy to have mum stay with us when I came home from hospital as an extra help around the house and for lovely needed company whilst Neil worked. So for the next few years I hope to be operation free, but my right shoulder will be next on the cards, due for revision when pain increases or it loses too much function.

Living with a chronic condition like Rheumatoid Arthritis is not all bad. I have used my experience to help others with the condition and it is something I get great pleasure out of and almost feel my duty to share what I have learned along the way so others can live a better life. My work with Arthritis Victoria (AV) has only grown this year with me joining their Board of Directors – a real achievement for me and an eye-opener into how non-profit organisations operate. I attended a board builder conference in February and was very excited to earn a scholarship later in the year which gave me a full day’s training with the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

I am always available for volunteering my time for any of the AV events throughout the year and this year there were many. I did a short presentation at the launch of the Victorian Arthritis Map in front of the Health Minister, a fun role-play with a Rheumatologist at a Working Age Seminar and I spoke to three groups of 3rd year physio students about how patients with arthritis feel when working with a physio and ways to improve communication. In June I attended a 5 day Health Promotion course at Monash University which was funded by a volunteer grant I received. This was excellent and I took away some valuable lessons which I hope to be able to utilise in my work with AV and other arthritis groups. With my continued interest in ‘consumers taking control of their own health’, in July I went to a 3 day ‘Consumers in Health Conference’ in Melbourne with a few other AV volunteers. There were some wonderful international speakers and again a vast amount of knowledge was gained.

Later in the year I led my first Better Health Self Management Course with an exercise physiologist with a small group at AV. The 6-session course was developed by Stanford University and is used throughout the world to teach people living with chronic conditions to self-manage and to live a more fulfilled life. I really enjoyed it and plan to do another one next year.

I also continue to volunteer my time with Arthritis Victoria once a fortnight on their Telephone Information Line – speaking to people enquiring about arthritis and I have done 4 community talks to local groups about arthritis, one of which was to a Chinese group with a Chinese interpreter which I most enjoyed.

At the Arthritis Victoria AGM I was thrilled to receive the Margaret Strang Award for outstanding personal achievements whilst managing a musculoskeletal condition. It was unfortunate that I was unable to personally be there to receive the award but I was not well enough after my hip replacement.

My involvement with running the Young Women’s Arthritis Support Group has continued this year. Much of the support is via the online forum and facebook page which I set up, however a small group of dedicated women and regular ‘newbies’ attend the meeting each month at a local Community Centre. The strong friendships which have been formed over a short space of time is simply wonderful and I get much enjoyment out of spending time with these incredible women who are all living with some form of arthritis. In November the group celebrated its 15 year anniversary, so we had a small luncheon to celebrate this occasion at Arthritis Victoria where we received a special award from the CEO.

To fit all of these things into my life and with Neil worried about me taking on anything more, I needed to give up something in 2011. Therefore, I decided to end my role at the Bead Society of Victoria as editor/designer for the Bead Society Magazine. After producing 15 issues of Connect and struggling to find enough time to complete the quarterly 28 page colour magazine, I knew it was time to say goodbye. I also withdrew from a couple of the committees I was on there but continue to attend occasional meetings and stay in touch with members. I have not done any beading for over a year, but hope to get back to it one day when life is a little slower paced.

Some of the other fun things Neil and I have done in 2011 include going to see the amazing Tutankhamen exhibition with good friends Maria and Antanas, seeing Tim Minchin with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, comedian Bill Bailey and “Whose Line is it Anyway” Wayne Brady’s improvisation show. We also spent a couple of nights down in Sorrento, enjoying an indulgent massage and deluxe pedicure for myself!

In September I flew to Brisbane for a week to spend time with mum, dad and brother Andrew, whom I hadn’t seen for some time, which was lovely. Whilst there, dad helped to spark my interest in watercolour painting again as he had bought some new equipment and had decided to give away the pastels and go into watercolour. I hope to be able to dabble with the paints again in 2012 but need to work extra hard to make this happen!

In October Neil and I attended a 4 day photography retreat with “Snappy Shutters”- a facebook group of photography enthusiasts. We knew no-one but decided it would be fun and a bit different and we were so happy we chose to go. The retreat was on Fraser Island, one of the islands off Lakes Entrance, Victoria. There is a large homestead there which is available to groups for hire. It is a beautiful place and made the ideal setting for learning new photography techniques and making new friendships. Here are Neil’s photos to browse through and a few of mine can be seen above. We have continued to be friends with many in the group and will enjoy seeing them at future events. We have already been to a karaoke night with about 10 of them, which was a lot of fun and their “white” themed xmas party.

In December I attended a small gathering of old high school friends, some of whom I had not seen for 20 years. It was wonderful to catch up and dance the night away to 80s music whilst reminiscing about school days. We hope to catch up again soon.

With all this fun stuff, I still need to fit in some time for work, and this year was a big one. Much of my work was ebook related, with 11 ebooks being produced and launched. Nine of these are from Neil’s publisher, who continues to provide me with ongoing work, which I am most fortunate to have. Two other ebooks have come from people seeing my designs and wanting their books made. I seem to have carved a niche with my graphic design and next year looks like it will be no different, with a schedule to produce at least an ebook every 6 weeks. Given the growth of both our businesses, Neil and I were encouraged to form a company, so we are now known as Creek Studios Pty. Ltd.

The end of year was spent at Albert Park Lake with friends having a bbq and games for the kids, which was enjoyed by all. We spent a lovely Christmas Eve at my sister Rachel’s house and Christmas Day with Neil’s family. The only thing missing was mum, dad and Andrew who are living in Qld. We continue to encourage them to move back to Melbourne as we all miss them and would love to have them nearby so we can see them whenever we want to. We hope they might change their mind in 2012 and make the move back! New Years Eve was fairly low key, having a enjoyable bbq with friends.

Here’s to an exciting 2012 for all of our wonderful family and friends!

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In May this year, I turned the big 40! Instead of hiding away and pretending it wasn’t happening, I used it as an excuse to plan a fun and luxurious getaway, in which I invited a group of friends along.

I don’t like doing things by halves (life’s too short!), so I booked a fabulous place called Sea Eagle Retreat for a week. It was a massive 4.5 star property in Cape Otway with spectacular views, open fireplaces and an indoor heated pool and spa. The Otways and Great Ocean Road are by far my favourite place in Victoria. I feel very comfortable there and I have a dream to buy a holiday house one day so I can enjoy it even more! I love the sea and I love temperate forest, and the Otways has the best of both of these.

Given the various work schedules of the friends coming, I arranged arrival times and accommodation to best suit everyone and to maximise room occupancy as the cost for the week was for the whole house. The 51 square house slept 12 people with 5 king size beds and 2 singles. The house was a little older than I initially thought from the photos on the website, but it was still an amazing place with incredible 180 degree views of the ocean and Cape Otway Lighthouse. The bonus of an indoor heated pool and spa was fantastic, with many of us taking the plunge in the afternoon before dinner was served. Sharing a house for a week can lead to logistical nightmares with feeding everyone, so to make things simple everyone made their own breakfast and lunch and each couple cooked one dinner for everyone. This proved to work quite well. There was a large pantry and two fridges to house all of our food!

I wanted the week to be a relaxing no-plans affair, so everyone kept their own schedule; going for long walks, driving into town, or just lazing on the recliners reading. Towards the end of the week I also arranged for a masseuse, Tricia to come to the house. She was excellent with quite a few of us enjoying half hour and hour massages. She was very accommodating, giving Christine a pregnancy massage which she most enjoyed.

The house was on a large piece of land with a couple of gated areas to keep the resident horses in. They were very friendly and Maria had a great time feeding them carrots each day. A real highlight of the surrounds were the koalas that were casually dotted in the trees. Koalas are generally not a commonly seen animal in the wild, and to have them only metres from the house was wonderful. Manna Gum Drive which leads up to the property was another koala rich area, with many being spotted on low branches and even on the forest floor.

For my actual birthday, Christine and Andy kindly provided me with a menu choice for the evening and also cooked my favourite cake – flourless orange. Because we had so many people, 2 cakes were made! Many other friends spoiled me and I thank you all for making it a lovely memorable time.

A very magical moment on the last day of our trip was when Neil and I went out for a drive. We stopped for afternoon tea at Lavers Hill and on the way home we were greeted by the best rainbow we had ever seen. The afternoon golden hour and light rain was creating a magnificent full double rainbow which spanned the Great Ocean Road. You could see both ends of it hitting the ground and you just wanted to run over and stand in it, it felt so close. We frantically took lots of photos and savoured the experience together. It was ‘one of those moments’ that made you feel happy and quite emotional. I said to Neil “see, it’s a sign – we are meant to have a house here!”. We laughed and stayed until the rainbow faded. What a great way to finish off a lovely holiday.

On the way home we stopped for lunch and took a group photo. Unfortunately we never got a shot with everyone while we were at Sea Eagle, but this was most of the group.

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Many of my friends and family know about my monthly drug infusions for treating my arthritis, but probably wonder what on earth that means! So I thought I would post about my experience with this so you can be enlightened!

The drug

The drug that I have infused each month is called Abatacept (‘Orencia’ is the brand name) This drug is in a class called ‘Biologics‘, which are medications (either approved or in development) that are produced by means of biological processes involving recombinant DNA technology. Biologics or bDMARDS (Biologic Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs) act by trying to target certain cells or selectively block cytokines found in excessive amounts. Most biologics are infused intravenously or injected subcutaneously as the drug is made of proteins and would be digested if swallowed. Biologics have been around for many years and are now becoming one of the most effective treatments for controlling inflammatory arthritis. All ‘biologics’ are prescribed by rheumatologists who evaluate each patient based on the severity of their disease, their infection risk and what other medications have been tried.

Abatacept is actually my second biologic. The first one I was on was called Actemra, which I had via a drug trial over 3 years. This was very effective in the first year or so but I ended up with a knee infection and was removed from the trial. After I was over the infection, I was put onto Abatacept in October 2009, which was not a trial, but on the government Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). This requires monitoring every 6 months with a blood test and an authority application form for continuing the drug which my rheumatologist has to send in to Medicare for approval.

The infusion

Unlike most other people on Orencia, I have to have my infusions performed in hospital, as I have a portacath, or ‘port’ for short (which cannot be accessed by the nurses on the Orencia homevisit scheme). So each month I go to the oncology day centre at Box Hill hospital to have my infusion. The nurses in oncology centres are extremely skilled in accessing ports and veins so i feel very confident having my treatment here. The reason I have a portacath is because my veins are extremely difficult to access, due to my Rheumatoid Arthritis. It’s a fabulous little thing and I could not have been on these biologics without it. Mine is in my chest, just above my right breast and sits under the skin, so no-one really knows you have it unless they touch that area!

To access a port means the nurse must use a sterile kit with gloves. The portacath can be a point for infection to enter, so care is taken to minimize this. After sterilizing the area, a special needle (or gripper) is used to pierce the skin through to the portacath sitting underneath. Once inserted it is secured down with some tape and the drug which is in an IV bag is attached via an IV line. 750mg of Abatacept is diluted into 130ml of saline and is infused over half an hour. A saline bag is also attached which helps provide fluid, but also helps with flushing the remaining skerriks of drug out of the line.

Whilst the drug is being infused I usually have a cuppa, watch tv and use my iPhone or iPad. Blood pressure and temperature are usually taken as well. After half an hour the infusion has finished and the line is flushed for 5 minutes. Before being ‘disconnected’, a heparin lock is made by injecting a small amount of heparinized saline (an anticoagulant) into the IV line. This prevents development of clots within the port or catheter. A little bandaid is applied and a new appointment is made for 4 weeks time and I’m on my way! I am usually at the hospital around 1 to 1 1/2 hours, which includes parking, waiting for the drug to be made up and the actual infusion. Not too long really.

Since starting on Abatacept last October, I have had very good results. After about 3 months, my fatigue levels dropped and my pain levels were reduced, particularly morning stiffness. Almost a year on, I am wondering if it is still having the same effect, so am monitoring things a little closer to see if I need to discuss other options with my specialist. What many rheumatoid arthritis patients discover is that over time, drugs stop working and the need to move onto something else is required. Good thing new drugs keep being developed so we have something new to move onto!

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It’s a long time between posts. Keeping a blog is harder work than I thought. But I endeavour to catch up soon.

I was originally putting off this post as I was too sad to write it, but as you will read, it has turned into a happy story after all.

On 20 March 2010, our beautiful cat Chibi disappeared. In the 11 years that he had been with us, he had never missed a meal, so we knew something was wrong when he was suddenly not there. We waited a couple of days before we stuck up ‘Missing Cat’ posters and did a mail drop to people’s houses. We also checked with the RSPCA, but he was not there. Chibi was microchipped, so we knew if he was picked up and taken to a vet or shelter that we would be contacted. So we waited and hoped and we were very sad. He was like our baby and it was just so empty without him there.

As each week went by, we really didn’t think he was coming home and being the feline lovers we are, we decided to fill the empty void and get some kittens. We always said that when Chibi’s time comes, that we would get two kittens, so they could grow up together and have each others company. So on 12 April 2010, we chose 2 gorgeous ginger and white kittens from 4 brothers that were being housed at Ingrid’s Haven. Ingrid is a wonderful women who saves cats before they get put down and houses them at her shelter before adopting them out to people like us. It was a bitter sweet time, as Neil and I both felt guilty going to get the kittens, as we of course couldn’t stop thinking about Chibi. We decided to stick with Japanese names and chose the names Yoshi and Aki (pronounced Arkee).

After a week at home, the kittens had settled in quite well. They were a lot more work than Chibi was, but very cute of non-the-less. Then at 3am on 20th April, there was a rattle at the front door. Neil at first thought it was the wind, but after realising it wasn’t actually a windy night, he went to investigate. To Neil’s amazement, our old boy had come home! Chibi rushed in and headed straight to his food bowl. After eating, Neil brought Chibi in and woke me up. It took me a minute or so to realise that I wasn’t dreaming. Chibi was back. He looked ok, but had a very traumatised expression on his face. His coat was extremely thick as though he had been cold for a while and initially we thought he hadn’t lost much weight at all. After getting vet checked the next day, we discovered that he had lost half his body weight. Now for those of you who know Chibi, he is a big boy. He had lost about 3kg. His thick coat was covering up his now bumpy spine.

Finding it hard to imagine what he went through during past last month, we showered him with lots of cuddles and pats and decided to keep his new little housemates confined for a day or so. Chibi knew something was going on, new smells and little meows coming from the bathroom., so after a couple of days, we eventually let them meet each other. As you can imagine, Chibi was not impressed at all! Who were these 2 little upstarts in his home? I have never seen Chibi hissing so much. The kittens didn’t care, they just thought he was a new play thing. Fun times to come…

…so now, after 2 months of all being together, there is some kind of harmony. Chibi is tolerating the kittens, who are growing up fast, but still tearing around the house getting into everything. There is still hissing, but not too often and they have all been seen sleeping on the bed together, which is nice to see. Things are improving day by day. Life is fun and never dull with 3 felines!

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After the success of Neil’s first ebook Photo Nuts and Bolts, which he wrote and I designed and laid out, we are now working on the next ebook in the Photo Nuts series. To kick start the actual writing of the book, I decided we needed to get away, to escape the distractions that come with working from home. To be inspired and put into a creative frame of mind, I found a lovely place called Bear Gully Coastal Cottages. The pictures on their website sold it for me, so I booked for 3 nights before the easter break.

The accommodation was exactly as described, beautiful views, relaxing, bright and airy and a perfect place to write a book. Neil managed to make a good start on the book and also get out to take some nice images down on the beach. I had another ebook to work on as well, so we both kept ourselves as busy as we could, whilst trying not to get distracted by the view! We also went for a drive down to Walkerville South Beach and Waratah Bay which were nice.

Now that Neil has another camera, I am using his 350D SLR when we go away. I really enjoy photography and am learning things about the camera as I go. It’s nice to have more control over your shots, but sometimes you just want an easy camera to use, so I have also ordered a new point and shoot, which I am looking forward to getting, as I will be able to have it on hand at all times and snap whenever I want to! Here are a few images from our time at Bear Gully Cottages, taken with the SLR:

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My mother-in-law Betty came over for lunch yesterday, and I wanted to make something tasty and a bit special. After having lunch out with my brother the day before, I was all inspired to create something yummy. Salmon is such a lovely fish and is really easy to cook, so thought this would be a tasty and healthy option. The salad is a mix of basic vegies and is ‘thrown together’, so listing precise amounts is a bit hard. Just create a balance that is visually appealing and tastes great.

INGREDIENTS

Tasmanian Atlantic salmon fillet
Baby spinach leaves
Chat potatoes (cut into small chunks)
Cherry tomatoes (cut into quarters)
Avocado (sliced)
Cucumber (cut into quarters)
Red onion (small slices – use sparingly)
Pine nuts (if desired)
Mayonnaise
Basil leaves
Lemon infused Olive Oil
White balsamic vinegar
Olive oil for cooking
Garlic salt
Salt & Pepper to taste

METHOD

The basil sauce is first on the agenda. Finely chop a bunch of fresh basil leaves and add to some mayonnaise, roughly 1 to 1 by volume. Add a tiny drop of the lemon infused oil and some salt. Taste. You want to have it slightly tangy with a hint of lemon. Refrigerate while you assemble the other ingredients so the basil has time to infuse.

Heat oven to 180 degree fan-forced. Place the potato chunks into oven dish and pour over some olive oil and a good sprinkle of garlic salt. Using your hands, toss the potatoes around so they are all nicely covered with the oil and salt. Place in oven and cook until brown and crispy (about 15 mins).

While the potatoes are cooking start getting your salad ready. Wash the spinach leaves, drain and place into a large bowl. Throw in the tomatoes, cucumber, avocado and red onion. Drizzle over a small amount of lemon infused olive oil and a sprinkle of white balsamic. Taste. The oil is quite strong, so just add a bit at a time until the salad has a nice hint of flavour throughout. Add some salt and pepper if desired. Set salad aside.

Lightly season fish on both sides with garlic salt. Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan and cook fish skin side down first on a medium heat. When skin is brown and crispy, turn fish over and continue cooking for about 4 mins or until fish turns a paler pink on the sides.

Toss potatoes through salad at the last minute to retain crispiness. Place a large handful of salad onto a plate and sprinkle with some pine nuts. Put the salmon on top and add a dollop of the basil mayo. Bon Appetit!

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1. Chicken meatballs served on the “good dinner set”

Living in Melbourne means you have to get used to unpredictable weather, and yesterday was no exception! Golf ball size hail hit Melbourne and its outer suburbs causing chaos and much damage. As scary as a storm can be, being close to one is somehow exciting and invigorating. I was ‘lucky’ enough to be caught in the storm yesterday.

I met my brother for lunch at a cafe in Armadale and we sat outside as the weather was lovely and sunny. After lunch we strolled down High Street to find another cafe to have tea and cake in, all the time looking at the sky which seemed to be darkening rapidly. While sharing a delicious flourless orange friand with Nathan, a text message came through from Neil saying to stay inside as there was a big storm coming. We didn’t really make much of it and thought we would be finished by the time the storm came. Not to be! When we got to the counter to pay we could see the heavy rain coming down through the window. We paid and went outside, thinking we could walk back to the car without getting too wet, however the storm quickly worsened and we retreated back inside the cafe. For the next 20 minutes, we stood huddled with other patrons watching the hail come down. It was torrential. The drains couldn’t cope and the water was gushing all down the pavement, making it very difficult to leave. I managed to take a few videos on the iphone as I couldn’t believe how bad it was, but looking at the videos afterwards didn’t really show how bad it felt at the time.

When the hail eased, Nathan and I decided to make a dash for the car, which meant walking through some knee deep freezing cold puddles. Having to cut our afternoon short, I arrived home drenched with totally soaked pants and shoes. What an afternoon!

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After my left knee replacement (revision) on 23 October 2009, I started my physio rehab at Peter James Centre a couple of weeks later. I feel like part of the furniture there as I have done rehab at the centre for the past few operations I have had, so know most of the staff. The physios are really lovely and specialise in orthopaedic rehab, so you feel confident working with them.

When you arrive, they take baseline measurements for different things, like how much you can bend and straighten your legs, what strength you have in each joint etc. For my knee that had just been replaced, my measurements were rather poor with one of the worst being a 30 degree quads lag. I was still partial weight bearing due to the surgeon having to break my tibia, so I was on crutches and getting around quite slowly. As well as measurements the physio asks you to set goals, so mine were to be able to walk freely, with a cane if necessary, being able to get in and out of a car unaided, to drive, and to be able to get back to regular house duties.

So we set out to gain those goals with 2 x 1 hour physio sessions and 1 x hydrotherapy session per week, plus exercises at home. Each session would involve a variety of exercises that focused on the knee but would also work on the other joints too which helped support the replaced knee. Being in the orthopaedic physio room means you get to see many people going through their own rehab. The feeling of ‘why do I have to be here’ soon leaves you as you see amputees having their ‘legs’ adjusted and the pain they go through as they try to walk. It is so humbling to be around these courageous people and makes your own rehab not feel so hard.

As the weeks rolled on, I started to notice slow improvements and after 6 weeks I was allowed to come off the crutches and fully weight bear. This made things a lot easier and from then on my strength seemed to get better and better. The physio and I were ecstatic when I finally managed to get my quads lag down to zero!

A few days ago, after 3 months of rehab, I was finally discharged from Peter James after achieving all of my goals. As part of the discharge process, you have to do different tests, like balance, endurance etc. One of these tests is a 6 minute walk to see how far you can get. I achieved 308 metres in 6 minutes, which may not sound far, but for me was a massive distance and I was not overly fatigued at the end of it, which surprised me most. The physio was hoping I got to 300 metres, so she was most happy.

So as I say goodbye to Peter James for a while (I will be back there after my next op), I am now focused on continuing my exercise regime. I am doing hydrotheraphy once a week and yesterday started Tai Chi at Arthritis Victoria. I will also be doing my own physio at home to help keep my joints flexible.

Physio photo taken by Neil Creek

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Growing up in a food loving family and with parents who love entertaining, eating and cooking good food is something I am familiar with. No matter what the occasion, providing tasty well presented food was always important, and still is. Eating is so enjoyable, so why not make it special more often? It’s not hard to do – I just take basic recipes and add something extra nice. I have a herb garden outside when I need it and an array of spices in the pantry. And why not eat off the “good dinner set” more often? Don’t wait for Christmas, life’s too short!

To make everyday food more special, I tend to break my cooking into cuisines. That way I can work out what herbs and spices are associated with that cuisine and then I have my palette of flavours to work from. So the first recipe I would like to share with you is Chicken feta meatballs. My husband and I have dinner with his family every fortnight or so and we all take turns in cooking, so it was my turn last week. I try to think of ‘one pot’ meals as these travel a lot easier. I’m going through a meatball phase at the moment, so thought that would be a good choice! How do you make meatballs more exciting?

Chicken feta meatballs in a creamy mushroom & spinach sauce.

Makes 30 good sized meatballs (serves 6-7)

INGREDIENTS

For meatballs
1kg chicken mince
1/2 large red onion (chopped finely)
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp ground oregano
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Block of soft danish feta (cut into 1cm cubes)
1 cup plain flour (seasoned with salt)
2 tbls olive oil (for frying the balls)

For sauce
1 punnet button mushrooms (chopped)
2 handfuls baby spinach leaves
600mls thickened cream
2 tbls olive oil
2 tbls cream cheese
3 garlic cloves (crushed)
1/2 tsp ground oregano
pinch of sea salt & pepper

METHOD
Place all meatball ingredients (except feta and oil) into a large bowl and mix well. Form into small meatballs and insert a cube of feta into each ball as you go. Smooth meat over so the feta in encased and roll in seasoned flour. The size of the meatballs is up to you. They need to be big enough to hold the feta, and for 4-5 of them to be in one adult serve (see picture). Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the meatballs a few at a time, so the temperature of the pan stays hot. Turn meatballs occasionally until all lightly brown. Do not overcook as they will continue cooking in the sauce later. Set aside. Now onto the sauce!

In the same frying pan, heat oil, add mushrooms and garlic. Fry for a minute or so, then add the cream, cream cheese, oregano, sea salt and pepper. Simmer until cream reduces a bit and sauce has thickened slightly. Add in baby spinach. Taste. If required, add more salt and/or oregano. Once spinach has wilted down, add in the cooked meatballs. The meatballs will thicken the sauce as well. If the sauce becomes too thick, just add a little milk and stir and this will thin it out nicely.

Serve the meatballs on a small pile of creamy mashed potato. An italian salad and garlic bread are a nice addition for the table. If mashed potato seems like too much hassle, you can buy frozen mashed potato. I know it sounds like it’s cheating, but it is seriously good stuff. It comes in a bag containing little cigar shapes of potato which can be microwaved. The texture is absolutely fantastic. I also like to add a dash of milk and some seasoning. It’s like restaurant quality mash and the Safeway brand one just has potato, butter, salt and oil in it, so no nasties! Enjoy!

All photos and video taken by Neil Creek

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My story about growing up with arthritis and joining a support group, which I now lead.

After being diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis when I was 12 years old, I didn’t realise what an impact the disease would have on my teenage years and more so, that it would be a life long condition I would have to deal with.

Being an independent and positive natured person, I learnt to deal with my condition in my own way. Of course my family were there every step of the way and that was enough for me then. Having to go to school each day was a good thing, it kept me busy and active. My school friends found it difficult to understand what I was going through and I did not talk much about it during school. It was like a secret illness. Even though my symptoms were obvious to everyone, not may people asked, they just accepted it, and so did I.

After finishing high school I started working as a graphic designer and that was a busy time. I loved it and found that now I was getting older, my colleagues understood me and I could talk about it more easily. My condition was ingrained into my daily life and I found ways of doing things to make it easier. I was independent. I even went overseas and lived in Cornwall for 6 months and a couple of years later moved out of home and lived by myself.

Having one or two relationships was also a confidence boosting thing, it boosted my self-esteem. I felt good and my life was ticking along.

During my mid 20s my joints started giving me lots of pain and over a four year period I underwent two knee replacements and two hip replacements. The first operation was a scary experience, the following two were much easier and by the fourth I was bossing doctors and nurses around!

These replacements made my daily life much easier and I was still my confident self, always being told “you are so positive” and “you are so brave”. I didn’t need any help from anyone. My arthritis was not going to “take over”. I felt so confident with how I conducted myself that I was encouraged to enrol in a self-help management leader course, run by Arthritis Vic. I had experienced so much and thought I could help others. The course was not as easy as I thought it would be and actually helped me more than I thought. During these years, in 1994, I met my wonderful future husband, Neil Creek. In 2001 we got married.

Many years on, my mother-in-law joined Arthritis Vic on behalf of me, thinking I may get some benefit from the newsletters. So I always knew Arthritis Vic was there, but I still had the feeling that if I let myself be vulnerable and mix with other arthritis sufferers, it would “break” the confidence bubble I had been living in all this time. I did not want to see people worse off than me, people that I might be like one day, people complaining about pain.

Then, in about 2007 my mother-in-law showed me an article about the “Young Women’s Arthritis Support Group” (YWASG). At the time I was not very happy with my specialists, was not moving ahead in my treatment and my arthritis was not great. I thought, maybe I should call them, who knows what may come of it. So I did. I spoke to Sue and it was amazing. She asked me about my condition and it felt wonderful to have someone understand exactly what I was about. I got off the phone feeling really positive and excited about meeting some of the other ladies from the group. I met up with them a month later at a restaurant and it was a great experience. I could ask them about their conditions and talk about the little intricacies of having arthritis; the funny day-to-day tasks we all find hard, the medications they were taking and the specialists they were seeing. I could see they were on top of their treatment, so I got a recommendation to a new rheumatologist.

I arrived home and my husband could see I was happy. I was bursting to tell him how it went. I had survived my first support group! I was not depressed or negative after being around these people, I was humbled and excited about the future. They were lovely ladies, each with their own unique story, and it was nice to share mine with them too.

My new rheumatologist turned out to be wonderful, putting me on a new drug trial (Tociluzumab) which was fantastic. I was on the trial for nearly 3 years until I got a knee infection which meant I had to be removed from the trial.

After attending many YWASG gatherings, I started involving myself in the group more and more, helping design and print some brochures and magnets and also design their website, with the help of my husband, Neil Creek. In 2009 I felt the need for the group to evolve a bit more and really saw the need for members to come together on a more regular basis. So I took it upon myself and organised monthly meetings at a community centre for members to come each month for mutual support. Shortly after this I took over leading the group as the other ladies who had been doing it for many years felt like a break. Bringing young women together who suffer with arthritis and seeing the joy and benefit they get out of the group is a very rewarding experience. It has made me grow and respect “support groups” so much.

So summing up. My advice for anyone who is wondering about joining a support group? They are not as scary as you think! However, do it in your own time. I believe it is important to be independent to an extent and a support group may not be something you will ever need. I don’t ‘need’ YWASG, but it is very nice to be part of a group where I can meet new people and share what’s going on in my life. Knowing that I may be able to help someone, even in a small way, just by talking to them is a great feeling. Sometimes when you help others you help yourself at the same time.

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