I was just finishing a post in response to your posts when the website did its annoying thing and suddenly returned to the first page so I lost the lot.  Not that it said very much of great interest.  My foot is still painful as the day wears on but I still hobble around inbetween trying to keep it raised.  Trying to live healthily I started cooking lots of lean meat and vegetable meals over a few days but I didn't actually eat any of the meat as I am not really a meat eater so my pal Paul scoffed it very happily.   I must be more organised.

We had a fairground not far from where I lived as a child.  The waltzer, the big dipper and of course the swing boats and the dodgems.  It has all changed on Sunderland sea front now.  There used to be loads of shipbuilding too; my dad always went to watch a launch.  I try not to be to sad about the years flying by but an occasional sigh does escape me.  I may be able to get up there again this summer.  I want to see my aunt in Newcastle; her husband died in February and I try to keep in touch. 

Good news about Faye's new job.  Don't worry too much about holidays; are you able to go somewhere not too far away for a short break?    Might do you good if you can.  Annie

Hi ANNIE,  this site is definitely playing up at the moment.  I'm sorry your foot is still painful, these sort of injuries take months to heal so I feel for you, especially now it's hot.  Lisa went to Sunderland University and I became quite well acquainted with the area, she's the one who has just got a new job, she felt the other one was employing  her under false pretences as nothing has panned out.  We've been out for lunch but like you I'm not a big meat eater but Norman is.  It's red hot and I've had to come in the house as it's burning me, we're never happy are we?  If you make it up here we could maybe meet for coffee,  what do you think? Carol z

Our lovely neighbour is putting a new car port in, so yesterday he hammered away all afternoon and then started at 9.30 this morning,  so by mid morning my head is banging !  Hubby has a bath and comes down looking for me.  I'm sat in the front room having had a drink and some pain killers.  He realises I'm suffering so we set off for a country ride and decide to try The Black Bull at Moulton.   Loads of parking spaces for disabled but ten concrete steps down to the inside.  I go in and ask if there is an easier access,  yes round the front of the building but there's no parking area.  Do you think these businesses actually understand "disabled"?  So back in the car and we go to The Shaun the sheep pub and because of the football we get a table.  Hubby is a little stunned, he thought we were just having a drink.  I'm not cooking in this heat so we have a lovely lunch.  At home I sit out for ten minutes as next door have gone out, but it's far too hot, we're never satisfied! ,    All is well today,  his toe is finally healing, the infections have stayed away and the main gripe is how tired he is, but as I point out, he's  72, has cancer and drags a heavy prosthetic leg around all day.  Common sense wins and he agrees.  That has to be one for the book, us agreeing!!

It's a gorgeous day and very hot, when I think back to this time last year we were in the middle of chemo and hubby was suffering badly with the heat and lack of sleep, today he has gone for a ride on his buggy to see the trees in full bloom, the rabbits that hop around the course and generally have a nice afternoon.   They say a day in politics is a long time, a year of cancer living is long as well.  I hope we can keep this up until September as it will stand us in good stead for whatever we have to face after the scan.  But hey ho,that is two months away so let's enjoy ourselves whilst we can.  Our window cleaner has disappeared,  he's a biker so we think he's either fallen off it or taken a long holiday! So another job for me.  I hate cleaning windows but they're done and we can see through them again.  I actually have no plans this week so we are going to take off to Saltburn one day and enjoy the sea.  We can't walk far but just sitting together is enough and I never run out of things to say! See you tomorrow 

Another glorious day and as I leave for zumba Debbie is stood with a sun hat and sandals waiting for Norman to come out of the house and they are off to the Lake district for the day.  How I wish we could just take off but it all depends on how  hubby feels, today he is tired after being out all afternoon so he's having a quiet day.  All my zumba buddies are absent and Christine kindly leaves a voice mail saying she hopes I'm OK.  I am actually like Billy no mates and stand on my own in a corner!  Back home hubby doesn't want to do anything so I call Mary and we take off together,  have some lunch and a little retail therapy.   We've run out of larger so take off to the village shop, there's a little girl buying a popsicle,  a bright red one and as we get back in the car, which is silver, she sprays it all over our car so I've now had to get a damp cloth and wash the car, it's amazing how far a popsicle can go!  So we've had tea and I'm suddenly asked where his little fan is that Faye bought him last year whilst he was having chemo,  how the he'll do I know, it's a year ago, a lot has happened since then!  Anyway I've found it, put the charger in, but guess what, I've not done it properly!  So he's on his own trying to work it out, it'll have rained by then.   See you tomorrow. 

Hi again; the weather in London is hot, too hot.  I hate cleaning windows too; the window cleaners came today; they just do the outside and I am shamed into cleaning the inside of the ones I can reach.  Would love to meet up when I am in the North East next; I don't seem to have been doing an awful lot this year getting-away wise.   I used to get to Devon for a fortnight in the spring and another in the autumn for the fishing.  Paul came as well as he is a great fisherman.  But the friends who owned the fishing place retired last year so the habits of many years sort of fell apart.  Will have to go back to the GP about my foot; it is like yours, a long wait on the phone when yo actually get through.  I need to get myself up and running again.  I am watching two foxes through the front window; I do love having them around although lots of people dislike them.  I think they must be related as they are often together.  Tomorrow is another day.  Annie

Hi ANNIE, , it's boiling here today and too hot to sit out.  I've managed zumba and we had every window open. I would so love to get away but I know deep down that's not going to happen.  I love Devon but it's so far from here to travel.  We don't have any foxes here that we can see but when a Faye lived in St Margarets in Twickenham we heard them all the time.  We've just had tea so I'm off to have a glass of wine.  Write soon, love Carol.

Another glorious day so I do zumba and bump into my friend Jean, she is in a terrible state having had a knee op which got sepsis and then because it was so weak she fell on the bathroom floor and is now in a massive sling for her arm.  I'm so sweaty that I decide to mow the lawn, hubby is cross with Lookers garage as it has taken him fifteen minutes and an interrogation to book it in and guess when it's for correct, tomorrow ! So no trip out.  These big car firms spend more time tick boxing than doing the job and then send you three hundred texts asking if they've done a good job! Tiredness is his main gripe today as he got tangled in the duvet,  got cramp and knocked his plaster off in the night, did you hear me screaming he asks?  Nope I say I too was exhausted! Tea is over and my garden beckons,  so I'm going to hit the chardonnay and watch the baby birds.  See you tomorrow 

Whenever I get up for a drink during the night Paul seems to hear me no matter how silently I try to move along the landing.  He then calls out to tell me what an awful night he is having and I mutter "tough" bad-temperedly and take his order for a fresh glass of water or whatever.  The foxes were so funny last night.  Someone walked his dogs down the street so they ran behind my car - I could just see their two faces peering round the engine.  When they decided the coast was clear they came running round looking for the bits and pieces I generally put out for them to eat.  They are very cautious if we meet outside but are quite happy with me watching them through the window; they don't éven mind Muffin standing on his hind legs to watch them as long as there is a sheet of glass separating us.   Your poor friend Jean; as we get older things take so much longer to heal.  Am watching 24 hours in A&E while typing; it is my local hospital of choice and is very very busy always; my son was born there (he is in his 30s now).  Also my cousin did his medical training there (some years ago - he is now a consultant in Darlington) and I used to visit him there quite a lot.  It was his father who died in January when we all went up to Newcastle for the funeral.  I am rambling on again.  Will do something useful like washing up the dinner stuff still lying around the kitchen.  I got one of the M&S pies yesterday - you  mention them sometimes and a small M&S foodstore opened here recently.  Nice pie and the foxes enjoyed what was left over.  Annie