NigelWaring

A good idea especially if you can quickly get that emergency fund up to about one million dollars.

Over the last six years I have needed just over $860,000 since I was diagnosed with Stage 3B Lung Cancer (inoperable), a much more common disease than most think, mine is Adenocarcinoma which is the non-smokers version. Since diagnosis it has metastasized (spread) to my ribs, spine, sternum and hips so that it is now Stage 4 Cancer. Just over two years ago I was put on Alimta Maintenance Chemotherapy and it has now stabilised, Alimta is never a cure but hopefully will keep me going until something better becomes available. The cost of Alimta including the work done by the infusion centre is about $1,500 a time plus the cost of a very comprehensive blood test, CT Scan and a review by my Oncologist. I am so glad that I did take out full cover health insurance about 40 years ago, I do not think that my health fund is as enthusiastic though. Anyway nobody has to worry about any of this because we all know that it only happens to other people. I'm not really being sarcastic. I'm now very much involved with a support group and stressing the seriousness of the situation seems to be the most effective way of saving lives.

HappyHeart I've not had any of those problems, it may depend on which health fund you are in. I'm in the Teachers' Federation at the top cover level, my wife was a teacher. I have just about all my treatment at the Sanitarium Hospital in Sydney, they also handle much of the public patients treatment because there is little available at Hornsby Public Hospital, you can't even get an x-ray with them, you have to go to the private one across the road. Anyway for treatment and visits to specialists I just present my Federation Health and Medicare Cards, they process everything on the spot and I never have to pay any top up fee.

I can't be sure on this but I think that funnel webs are not poisonous to many animals including dogs and cats and birds. I was once gardening and moving small rocks which exposed several funnel webs, one magpie must have eaten at least six of them without any problem, it was around our garden for many years after.

We live about one hour by train from the Sydney CBD and bought our own place 30+ years ago, you wouldn't believe how little we paid or what it is worth now. Rents out here, beyond Hornsby, are $300 to $600. I'm now retired but when I was a worker I soon got used to the travel and would manage to read at least one good book every week. Nowadays folk have laptops and pocket wifi so they can amuse themselves in many ways. I have seen people from the Central Coast (2 hour journey) watching the previous night's TV that they'd recorded, it is one way of catching up. We do like where we live, Hornsby is a passable shopping centre but for more serious stuff we can go to either Chatswood or to Erina Fair on the Central Coast. We are in the bush and a couple of times it has been exciting during the bushfire season but with a brick house and metal window shutters we seem to be OK. Not a good area though for anyone who likes the beach, Sydney beaches would be at least an hours drive, a bit less to the Central Coast and theirs are less crowded.

We've seen quite a number of funnel webs, our neighbour takes them to a local organisation that collects their venom for medical purposes.

Thanks for that very realistic report Vicky, particularly liked your comments on Culture / Australians / Australia which described it all very well. All those who have not taken out medical insurance, I recommend that you do right away. I never really thought that I'd ever need it but so many told me that it was essential so I took it out on the first working day after I arrived. That was around 40 years ago and since then I've only had average claims. The health fund was definitely making a profit out of me until about six years ago, since diagnosis my medical expenses have become close to a million. Yes I would have probably got similar treatment on the public health system but I might have had to queue a lot longer and I'm not sure if I would have survived as long. I can now pick one of the best private hospitals and have access to several top of the range specialists. My own direct contribution to the costs has been quite manageable, almost negligible. Yes I can definitely recommend that you take out medical insurance, even just the basics, as soon as possible.

I was in Dampier for almost four years, loved it, the heat was no problem to me. I was a Monday to Friday worker so I spent the weekends exploring, would take a tent and stay out most Saturday nights. Often I'd be two or three hundred kilometres from anywhere, I'd walk over to a small hill and round the other side and often there was a pile of empty tinnies. I did enjoy my time up there, might call in for a look if I'm in the area again.

We have been in the Botanic Gardens a few times but this trip was just to catch up with all the new things in the last ten years or so. We had eight very full days and were quite exhausted at the end of it.

Earlier this year we visited Bay Gardens in Singapore. We always enjoy walking among plants and flowers so thought we'd share these with you. They are a small selection from the more than 1,000 that we took: