Arkansas

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Hi all, well it is not long now before I will be heading home and looking forward to Aotearoa. Alot has happened since we last blogged mostly unexpected events. We left Washington DC and headed too Chicago to catch a connecting flight to Memphis only to find that our flight had been cancelled and the next one won't be until the following day, all good. They just put everyone up in a hotel with complementary food vouchers, so we got to spend a night in chicago. Caught our flight the next day where Jono dad and his aunty met us she is a hoot (Linda) so we have been spending our time with her. Linda lives an hour drive from Memphis in the rural sector, all flat land where she is surrounded by bean crops. Linda lives in this very large 4 bedroom home with her 3 dogs. Her neighbours consist of elderly folks who live in trailer homes. The landscape is quite different to home. We were meant to leave on friday to travel on down to Texas to see another aunty of jonos' but unforseen circumstances happened which took on a nature of dire concern. Jonos' dad John had a stroke, thankfully jono seeked medical help quite fast as things could have been quite different for us now. John is at this time in hospital where he is recieving very good medical attention it is his 3rd day here inwhich his condition is slowly improving. The left side of his body has been affected by the stroke but his speech is alot better today and he is looking forward to eating solid foods tomorrow. Jono and I have been taking turns staying with John overnight, his recovery is slowly but surely. And when he gets home he will need to undergo therapy and medication. We are fortunate that the health insurance company is attending to our needs but sadly this means jono and john will not be travelling home with me in a couple of days. For John has to have a 10 day clearance before he can fly. Thats all good as we want him to be well enough for the long flight home. This has not dampened our spirits, if anything we all are remaining very positive and looking forward to Johns' recovery so folks, this blog is to keep you all informed of our journey it has been a wonderful and we look forward to seeing you all - take care. Jono & Daph (ps. sorry we have no photos)

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