Sydney, 5 March 2008

It is heartening when friends email us asking for more information on Lyndall's condition. These diary entries seem so far away from their intended purpose of recording sailing stories that we feel like we've lost the plot! However, we find comfort in the idea that for various reasons most cruisers spend some time ashore. So our excuse is that while illywhacker is OK, we're putting ourselves together - a kind of medical refit. How she does it I don't know but Lyndall has the ability to remain optimistic at the same time as suffering the ups and downs of her leukemia. Life is delicate balance between supreme tiredness, abdominal pain and nausea as the chemotherapy and blood transfusions apply benefits as well as side effects. Where is that miracle cure? Her specialist thinks she has achieved wonders by merely surviving this long but our measure is different. We'd rather be sailing!