Day 33 – 25/4/2011 Alice Springs Hospital

Day 33 – 25/4/2011 Alice Springs Hospital

Yes here we are still patients of Alice Springs Children’s Ward….it has been a funny day, it took me all morning to find out if Callum and I could escape for the afternoon!!  The Dr’s were reluctant to give us a gate pass so that we could leave the hospital grounds but I promised earnestly that I would bring him back!!  They preferred that he remained immobilised in bed with his foot elevated!! They appeared perplexed as to why I might want to take him out for the day!! Obviously they hadn’t spent much time with Callum otherwise they would have known that keeping him in bed and his attention focussed on something, anything was really a challenge.  To fill the space in the morning I got out Callum’s journal thinking he might be able to catch up a few days……oh well sometimes it is the thought that counts!!

Common sense prevailed and after lunch we escaped with the family to the Alice Springs Desert Park.  Callum was wheelchair bound but the paths were wide and we could easily manoeuvre him around. The park has a unique way of imparting knowledge – instead of walking around and reading copious signs and facts sheets, at the desert park you get given a headset and a map with numbers – when you find the number you hit the corresponding number in the headset and viola the information is provided in narrative form – great for the kids who tire quickly from having information read out to them.  What an ingenious idea!!  We had a lovely few hours enjoying the exhibits and the kids especially enjoyed the birds of prey show. 



Thorny Devil's



At dinner time it was back to the hospital for Callum and mum, Pete, Zac and Claudia headed back to the van which is still parked on Melinda’s front lawn.  Thank goodness for long-time friends!!!  It is anticipated that Callum will be discharged on Wednesday am and we will head back out to the West MacDonald Ranges, avoiding all fire places!!!