from the hospital

Cannula trauma
The doctor has put my cannula needle on the UNDERSIDE of my left wrist.. which means I cannot bend it at all....
tricky..

Car Trauma - my gear box has exploded. New gears, casing and clutch now required .. hey ho - it's only money!!!!!!

Photos





































This is me enjoying my web n walk internet access (also modelling the handcuffs they tie me down with in here!)

And here is Nurse Connie - modelling the fairy wings we crafted this week - Dr A was highly amused to see us at work on these - never seen him laugh so much:

Note the two layers of wing and excess of dangly bits on these!

web n walk

thanks to the kindness and generosity of one my lovely friends I now have a T mobile web n walk USB thingy which means I can access the internet on my laptop in hospital -- all being well!

I can send txt using it too - which is so much easier when typing rather than fiddling with that silly phone-key pad and it's all included in the price. It was so easy to set up - in fact you don't have to do anything! Technology, eh!

So going back in tomorrow is very much brightened by the potential to use my messageboards etc ... I've got a grin like a Cheshire cat ...

And a new hair do -- well ,old style just re-done and it looks better than usual too!

Sunny Sunday

Sunny day out at Biddulph Grange - feeling loads better - I can hire out this camera to anyone who needs a flattering picture taken - I'm sure I don't look this smooth in real life!





















It was very busy there, so we had to skip the tea shop treats - but in the shop they sell VERY nice cookies with raspberry in which almost qualifies them as a health food .. it does in my book anyrate! *yum*

Anecdote:
Earlier this week I was stressing cos my hands felt really numb and my feet had been extra sore which is a regular side effect of my chemo ( you DO read some dire experiences of this "peripheral neuropathy side-effect) .. so I was getting a bit depressed cos it was getting worse .... I then started wondering "why is it getting WORSE just now? It's a while since the chemo finished. " thus embarking on one of those worse case scenarios: "Is the cancer growing in my spine?" ( the sort of reckless thinking that cancer patients are famous for!)

Later I was talking to my faithful sister about one of my antibiotics - flagyl - which you're advised not to drink with. I mentioned this prohibition and she said that she thought this was cos it magnifies the effect of the booze (and that's a BAD thing!?!?! ) .. On the other hand my dentist had previously told me that the booze ban is cos it can make you sick ....

so I toddled off to netdoctor to get to the bottom of this puzzler ...

Sad to report the drink-ban with flagyl thing is about nausea so I decided to let the cocktail habit rest ~ but I also read that peripheral neuropathy is one of flagyl's main side effects .. YAY
it might be a nuisance but at least I can stop worrying about a tumour in my spine!

news flash 2

home again
this latest infection wasn't as scarey this time as last time, and if I told you all about it you'd all cry out "too much information" - just trust me it was yucky ..... but hopefully on the mend now.

Sadly we've had to cancel the Wales trip, but will enjoy the sun and our own garden.

Thanks to all who sent messages etc etc ..

News Flash

Temperatrue is rising -back to hospital

B's mobile will not be available tomorrow cos she's switching providers

xxxxx

Weekend

Hi - we had a weekend in MANCHESTER.
Busy!

Woolfie picked me up in the afternoon and took me to James' ... (B was at football with her dad and didn't feel too bad that Stoke beat Charlton!) She joined us in the cocktail bar later.. It's a really groovy place, called ROOM: http://www.roomrestaurants.com/restaurants/

We stayed with James that night and then he made us an enormous lunch, inviting a couple of the bois who were out with us the night before help us eat the mountain of food he'd made!

After that B went to the International Hockey which gave her a second chance to hook up with her dad and a rare opportuity to see her brother. http://www.eurohockeymanchester2007.com/

Meanwhile I spent a few hours with Manda and Pete but I ended up feeling really over-tired and had to come home to crash. None the less, a very sociable weekend, and a happy time.

Working Girl

For two days running I've been into work!



















If you enlarge this one ^ you can see our lovely new pot and its fuschias on the wall!




















Results Day
It was great to be in college "as usual" on results day, especially since the dept has sustained our excellent record on results and provided a brilliant service to our students! I really pleased.

It was also good to go in when the focus wasn't on "me" cos everyone is so busy with their own stuff on results day. None the less I chatted to a lot of people and got hugged many times, so I hope I've not picked up any bugs *eek* .

Everyone keeps saying how well I look. I keep saying "Estee Lauder" - lets face it, I was still putting on my lippy to go for the sixth week of the radiation treatment; it is a good disguise! It's good psychology for me, anyrate, to look as normal as possible (.....good job my sister is away and not able to insert cheeky comments at this!)

Interview Day
On Friday we were interviewing for the temporary teachers to cover for Matt and me. It was interesting and engaging. I got a real buzz from talking about what we do in the Department.

One of the interviewees asked me if the college is a happy place to work, and I said yes, particularly because the teachers in the English Dept are very committed to what we do .. e.g. there were four of us there, yesterday, all strictly speaking on holiday! It was lovely to chat with "my" team again and it reminded me of the banter and comraderie that I have been missing this year.

Sukhraj and Celia were both wearing high-heeled, red shoes, so I can report that standards are being maintained at all levels!

Domestic Bliss

Warning - Instrument of Torture Images enclosed ..



Well that's what my sister (bless her) exclaimed when she saw this appliance fixed up in my study the other day ..



So here is B modelling her domesticity and also her new jamas that her dad got for her ..


It's actually a Charlton thing - with no red on it ... strange but true!



















And yes, this is me, hoovering the patio today!





















I don't look all that ill, do I!?!?!?!?!

Frog itself

I dont have any recent pics of the oldest frog -which is now a GIANT - due to eating all the slugs in our garden .. but here is one of it that I took a couple of years ago -- the two new ones are more this size now

Home 9

Ninth set of chemo over and done.

I felt pretty rough while I was in .. but feel immediately better once I get home .. YAY!

Brigid's been busy planning how our life will be when I am back at work ... cos I am expecting to be part-time she's got my list of chores well mapped out .. getting her breakfast, preparing her lunches, doing all the food shopping ...

She tells me I "can't" put this on the blog --- face facts - domestic goddessing seems to be my future.

xxxxx

frog spotting

My brother, Tracy and Luke were here over the weekend, and then Julie joined us on Sunday and she stayed here with me for three days ... which was lovely. Also, gave B a break to go off and visit her own family members in London and Kent. I'm back in hospital again tomorrow ...

These shots show the main highlight of my garden - frog spotting, well there's no frogs in the shot, just the family looking at the spot where the frogs are. We've had a big frog for many years, and now there are two new ones, much smaller and very happy in this damp undergrowth and tiny tiny pond!

Holiday Snaps

Here are a couple of shots of the "typical " scenery around Pembrokshire:

































































This was the view from our hotel balconey in Saundersfoot.
When the tide was out we walked for miles across these sands.














This is part of the Bishop's Palace in St David's. Yes the sky really WAS that colour - not filled in by Photo-shop!

Creoso Cymru

We had a great WEEK away - courtesy of Dr A (my oncologist) having a holiday ~ I can't have treatment while he's away so I've had more time off!

We couldn't believe how lucky we dropped with the weather .. which has been glorious in Wales and it seems most other places too -- how great is that for us all!!??

We had three nights in Saundersfoot in a really marvellous hotel with stunning views out ~ and we did loads of beach walks there ~ which were great ... then we went to St Davids but the hotel was a right let-down ~ more up-graded YHA than the luxury spot it billed itself, so only one night there for the discerning tourist

Then two nights in another swish place up on a hillside in Barmouth ~ I surprised myself this morning by doing an impression of a mountain goat up the hills behind the hotel

We came home via Portmerion cos B's never seen it .. and just got home an hour or so ago and now we're both planning family stuff .. me with my brother and sister doing a rota of visiting me here, and B off to see her family in London, Canterbury etc, partly in the company of the one and only Mr K!

holiday time

Brigid is enjoying not being at work ... we've had a sort of "at-home" holiday these last couple of days ..

but only after she had got the "domestic goddess" routine out of her system and spent the complete first day of her holiday in the garage - moving everything off the three decrepit shelving units, rationalising and tidying; then constructing the three new shelving units she had bought ... and putting everything back.

I have to admit it looks great - but what a whirling dervish she is!

I didn't do much myself on Monday cos I was still pretty weedy ..

Tues was better - we toddled off to Trentham, round the gardens, even managing to catch a little sun. We had cake for lunch .. not a good thing. We also bought a new raincoat for me.

Raincoat sellers must be the only ones pleased with this weather .. and wader manufacturers. How many of you have waders at the ready for the event of flooding? And how come so many ppl on the telly always seem to be equipped with the right gear for the unfolding drama? Do the BBC take the rubber kit with them from props and fix the story like they do with faking phone-ins? .. I guess we'll never know!

Weds was a sociable day.

We went to Little Moreton Hall like real tourists. It was busy there, in fact. Then off to The Egerton Arms in Astbury where they were having a Shellfish Month and I ate langustine for the first time since I had them in The Outer Hebrides .. strange but lovely. I used to work in that pub when I lived in Congleton, 25 years ago. It's changed totally inside and the"new" landlord is really excellent .. he's been there for 12 years.

We went onto Sandbach after lunch - it always seems to be all traffic there to me,

tho the old ancient crosses and the three pubs on the adjacent sides of the old square offer a calm space in the melee.

B stayed there to meet Celia H and I went over to see Azrini and then to the Simcocks' place - all of which offered an interesting variety of conversations.

Today saw us off to an early start to meet "our" interior design woman at John Lewis. We're all excited about getting new curtains for the lounge and she had some great options to show us in the range of fabrics there. We then drove ot Central Manchester for dimsum at Little YankSing .. which wasn't exactly the YankSing we were looking for, but it was lovely.

We added a bit of culture by dropping into the Art Gallery then home to pack for our weekend in Wales ..

YAY!

home 8

Have had a more than usually sleepy time in hospital this week ..but alleviated by some good visits ....

Aunty B did her usual tour of duty and took me in on Tuesday. Then Mr K came over in the evening..

On Weds, Mandy came for lunch, followed by Sam in the evening..
Matt came by on Thurs, but it was perhaps as well Liz was too ill to come in the afternoon, as I was very sleepy and hardly stirred all day, and for the first time during chemo I didn't even get showered / dressed .. *eek*..

Celia D picked me up this morning and spent a couple of hours here - this weather is tedious in the extreme .. I feel like a prisoner with it, really ....

Next chemo will now be in three weeks time, due to Dr A being away. He is also starting to think a three week cycle might be best for the last few treatments since my white cells went so low last time...

Llandudno

~ Turned out fine - the hotel was fine - marvellous bay windows with great views and the food was marvellous, but ...... the rooms are very small for the money so we wont STAY there again. ~ Tho we would certainly dine there .. maybe it is a place to replace Churches / 64 for dining out for birthdays etc? .. Mr K are you reading? Go see what you think (and the murals in the Terrace Dining Room are of Lake Como ~ Hilda Ogden eat your heart out!)


We got sun and had a glorious day on Saturday -- we were outside nearly all day: strolled along the Pier, then up the front of the Orme, through the lovely gardens there. Later we sat outside for coffee and after a late lunch we wandered along the beach looking at the British @ Play - it was marvellous .... all in the warm and sunny weather. B actually got burned cos her emergency sun cream wasn't in the car and it took us a while to veer towards a chemist, by which time the damage was done!


I was reminded of the old days when we went there en famille to Llandudno. I told B that we'd sometimes get a picnic and sit on the edge of the Orme there, tucking in .. but I had very clear memories of having to fight off the seagulls there who seem to think they're entitled to a share.


I don't think she was paying me much heed .. but the truth of my observations came later ..


Walking along the prom, I noticed a fellow eating a sandwich and waving his hand about to point things out to his g/f. slightly behind the fellah but in front of us, I saw a seagull ..


I said to B "Look, that gull's eyeing up that guy's sandwich ..."


No sooner were the words out of my mouth than the bird swept up and snatched the sandwich from the guy's mitt. We were all in hysterics.


The guy was quite shocked, of course, cos the bird had swooped in from behind in an ochestrated raid ... but he managed to laugh a bit! The bird just sat there, only a few inches away ... with his stolen sarnie swelling out his neck ~ the way they do when they've swallowed something too big for them.

Weekend

It seems that Grey is this year's sun!

I'm so tired of the relentless clouds ... I hope it brightens up a bit over the weekend. We are off to Llandudno later! A very over-stuffed and muralised hotel near the pier -- St Tudno
http://www.st-tudno.co.uk/
plenty comfy seats if the weather is poor, anyway!

I'm just toddling off to get my blood test. All being well I'm back "inside" next week.

Met a pal from tinternet yesterday, which was lovely. She found me through this very blog and our shared experience of cancer etc etc. We've spoken a lot on the phone and get on very well so that was a new thing to do. *waves to jan*

Le Tour - Stage One - Canterbury

Wow

It was so exciting to watch Le Tour pass through Kent, and past the end of the street where B's grandad lives in Canterbury .. He had the good sense to toddle his 92 year old frame down there and declared it to be "rather fantastic" .... we wish we could have been there with him. All our trips to France start with a stay with Faff and he knows we love Le Tour.

David Millar did such a great solo-ride, I think he really meant it when he said he rode up front to thank the British public for turning out in huge crowds along the way to cheer on the cyclists. He managed a great personal feat and clearly enjoyed it all the way. It was a real bonus that he got on the podium with the King Of The Mountains Jersey!



It is a BIT sad cos me and B would have soooooooo BEEN THERE yesterday and today if I was not too weak to embark on that sort of jaunt ... but I've enjoyed it on the telly and been very pleased to see an international crowd of fans out lining the route on both days

allez allez allez!!
Vive Le Tour

Le Tour - Stage One - Race For Life

I sort of double posted this heading .....

it's a big day cos Le Tour is in England, and that excites me enormously .. but also it's been an emotional day cos there have been runs for Cancer Research under the Race for Life banner today, and to my knowledge at least two people have run with my name on their backs.

Bless you, Glossy, up in Glasgow, bearing me with fortitude ...

and bless you my lovely little sis, down on the South Coast, doing the race for life with my name on your back ... I can't pretend that I wish you DIDN'T have to put my name on your back this time, but I do appreciate what (both of you) have done for several years now to raise money for this charity

Bless you, both, tonight ....

The rest of you - I hope you've contributed to the Race for Life and if you haven't, you can do it on line:
http://www.raceforlife.org/supportus/donate/













xxxxx

Le Tour

Yay - the sun is shining on Le Tour de France prologue in London right now -- I'm getting such a thrill from just the fact that they've brought it over here and planned such a cute route through London ...

And it's still possible to believe that Millar or Wiggins (British riders) could actually win today's stage..

Allez allez allez!