Where the Wild Cassowaries Roam

Today there was a little ray of sunshine in Daph’s life, other than Ern, that is.

It started badly when Daph lost the will to live after the WD40[1] leaked all over everything in the storage box. Daph had a mental breakdown and wallowed in sorrow, whilst Ern tried to clean everything the best he could in the torrential rain.

What?! It’s raining again?! You don’t say!

Attempting to cheer Daph up, Ern took them for a drive in the hope of finding something redeeming in this otherwise cesspit from hell. We went to Etty Bay, where the wild cassowaries roam and the crazy tropical rainforest meets the beach. Daph loves exploring the wonders of nature. Ern knows how to cheer Daph up. And then, Daph found her happy place at Flying Fish Point. Ten minutes down the road, this little town is dotted with tiny, deserted beaches and volcanic rock formations to explore. We found a cute café overlooking the beach and Daph decided that this will be where they come for a hot chocolate and to unwind when Innisfail is close to killing her. Happy days.

Tomorrow, we move to the other side of town, and Daph starts a run of six early shifts in a row! Daph’s happiness may be short-lived. Poor Ern.

***

Daph and Ern moved into a bed-and-breakfast this week on the “right side” of town. It’s quieter. And drier. And there are fewer miscreants and delinquents on the walk to work. But there are more dangerous dogs, protecting people’s homes and thwarting the undesirables from frequenting this side of town. Unfortunately, the dogs don’t realise that Daph and Ern are far from undesirable, so the walk to work at 6.00 a.m. sets off a domino-effect dog chorus, in turn waking up the whole neighbourhood.

It’s still raining on the “right side” of town. The locals ensure us that the weather always picks up after the Innisfail Show, which is this Friday. Daph won’t be able to enjoy the small country town quirks of the Innisfail Show, because she will still be battling through her six early shifts in a row. At least she gets Public Holiday pay rates for missing it. Bonus.

Daph is now enjoying the job, despite the slow pace. The staff are lovely. Daph is finding it interesting, learning about the Queensland State health system. She’s getting used to handwriting notes and paper charts the old-fashioned way, after years of electronic medical recording in the civilised world. So far, Daph has had an average of 0.7 postnatal patients per shift. This makes for plenty of time for proper postnatal care and education for the woman, which is a breath of fresh air.

No baby catches for Daph so far. There is only one woman left to birth this month, so the odds are not good on Daph catching it. Daph has almost forgotten what a vagina looks like!

NB: Ern has a job! More to follow...

[1] If you don’t know what WD40 is, then you’ve never experienced struggle. Good on you. Water Displacement, 40th formula, is a miracle fix for all things squeaky, dirty, and stuck (a staple Kombi supply).