Day before Chemo - Round 2

As Kirstin will tell you .. the chemo regimen days are not really fun days and although the chemo is actually only 4 days, the reality is that for 13 days she does not really feel like herself. So the day before chemo was also a public holiday and Kirstin is feeling strong, so then 'lets head off back to mother nature', this time we visited the Rhino and Lion Park in Krugersdorp. Its one of our favourites because one can get up close with the 'king of the beasts' and even play with them before they realise that they are destined to grow up to be mans feared friend. Apart from the lions, the park has numerous antelope and the real beauty of this park is that one is guaranteed of a 'sighting' of all the animals.

The vast lion camp allows for awesome and up close views of the lions from ones own vehicle

Today they had baby tigers which was a nice change for everyone to interact with

And Kirstin decided to break from the usual lion play to get to know Mojo, the Serval

After a good day interacting with mother nature, we are ready to tackle the 'big bad red drip' again

Chemo companion by day .... terrorist by night

Abby, the Jack Russell bought to be 'Kirstins best friend', was meant to be a hyper-active little thing that would keep Kirstin active and busy .... well nowhere in the dictionary does the word hyper-active make any reference to terrorism ... because it should!! Abby is beyond hyper-active and just has no end. In fact she causes more fatigue than chemotherapy does. She has accepted Kirstin as her mother and when Kirstin is not at home, well now ... hell hath no fury like a Abby who cant find her mother !

Stress can sometimes be 'just a wasted emotion'

How often don't we stress about something and when the day comes for us to face that stress we suddenly realise that all that stress was a bit of a wasted emotion. Kirstin like any other sane young girl had visions of looking hideous with short or no hair .... but alas she has now realised that she does not look nearly as 'scary' as she had envisaged .... in fact she actually has realised that 'its not so ugly after all'

And here are her entries for cancer patient of the year .....

To hair and No further

There is a reason why the word hair contains the word air ... much like air being everywhere .. so too is Kirstin's hair. Hair in the shower, hair in the bed, hair and more hair everywhere! But there is a limit as to how much one can take, so the wondering hair lost the battle by having the audacity to land up in her food. So out came the clippers and now we are No. 1.

As parents we imagined that Kirstin would actually look fine with no hair but even we were amazed at how it actually really suits her ... and our unbiased opinion is ... she looks gorgeous.

AND NOW ladies and gentlemen we proudly unveil the awesome beauty of a No.1

The Law of Pilansberg - Respect nature or face the wrath of ultimate power

Pilansberg Game Reserve has had its fair share of problematic animals but so too have the animals had a 'guts full' of problematic humans. Cars may be stronger than humans but they are nothing but 'dinkie toys' to the mighty 'Tandor'.

This incident recently took place in Pilansberg and it has been alleged that the driver of the vehicle attempted to pass the elephant ... something you just don't do! Reverse gear is something you WILL use when an elephant wants to walk on a road ... and NO ... its not negotiable.

Pilansberg - A day in the wild

Wednesday, being a public holiday, gave us the opportunity to do a day visit to the Pilansberg Game Reserve. NO we did not see the big five, in fact we have never seen the big five at Pilansberg, but at least we got to see two of the big five. The mighty Kruger National Park is THE place for spotting the 'Five' but that's a 'dash' to far for a day trip.

The trip was not about the 'Five' but more about our belief in 'nature and relaxation' and Kirstin, as per usual had a great time.

The 'two out of five' are always worth viewing and are of course, the powerhouse two

The Healing Effects of Forests - www.sciencedaily.com

Forests – and other natural, green settings – can reduce stress, improve moods, reduce anger and aggressiveness and increase overall happiness.

Science Daily (July 26, 2010) — "Many people," says Dr. Eeva Karjalainen, of the Finnish Forest Research Institute, Metla, "feel relaxed and good when they are out in nature. But not many of us know that there is also scientific evidence about the healing effects of nature."

Forests -- and other natural, green settings -- can reduce stress, improve moods, reduce anger and aggressiveness and increase overall happiness. Forest visits may also strengthen our immune system by increasing the activity and number of natural killer cells that destroy cancer cells.

Many studies show that after stressful or concentration-demanding situations, people recover faster and better in natural environments than in urban settings. Blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension and the level of "stress hormones" all decrease faster in natural settings. Depression, anger and aggressiveness are reduced in green environments and ADHD symptoms in children reduce when they play in green settings.