Hi lovely people, such support and love on this thread, there is good in the world!  A better night for us both, only up twice and no rushing around this morning as we had no appointments.  Sarah is here making my home presentable so lovely clean beds and bathrooms when she leaves, I'd be lost without her as bending down at the moment is agony, can you remember those old black and white photos of Laurel and Hardy, one had a white handkerchief under his chin and knotted on his head because he had toothache, now I know why but the Look doesn't suit me!! Lynne it is nice to hear from you again, we've struggled but have kept going, you weren't given that choice.  It's funny you're saying you haven't been on the forum for a while and I understand why, but I've noticed others are coming on worrying about getting cancer when there is nothing wrong with them, I find it hard to understand how when cancer is not in your life for real that you would be so concerned that you might get it.  It's hard enough dealing with it for real and using this lovely helpful forum to have the support and knowledge of how to cope day to day but to waste each healthy day scrolling through cancer stories is such a waste of a life, I wish we had.  Billy, I am so, so sorry about Bren, its a hard diagnosis to deal with, my Father in law had it and I cared for him, then Mum got dementia and I cared for her so my heart goes out to you both, if you need help on how to deal with it I can help in some way.  Sue, I haven't replied yet as it's been a roller-coaster week but to see Australia in such a mess is heartbreaking for us all, the loss of life, homes and animals is devastating for you all.  So take care all of you, see you tomorrow.  Love Carol x 

Dear Billy,  So sorry to hear Bren could have Alzheimers, it's an awful disease.  I too, hope things improve. for so many.  Our fires aren't sorted as yet.  The fires in NSW have been going since September, and no sign yet of them easing.  Just in the last 1/2 hour we've had a few small fires start locally from lightning, hopefully they get them under control shortly.  Hope things improve for you.

Carol I had a gigle picturing you wearing a white hankerchief under your chin. 

Take care and love to all.  Sue xx
 

Dear Carol,  
They don't always get everything right, so you have to be aware of where your at.  There's a good chance it was the person that saw the Oncologist before or after your appointment.  It would have been a wasted visit if you hadn't questioned the nurse. 
Woohoo last day of antibiotics, enjoy your gin.
Fairly quiet day here, I didn't get to the ironing, changed bedding, vacced and washed the floor.  Then a phone call from Deana, as Nick was going to be later this evening, could I come and mind the shop for 1/2 hour while she picked up her car from the mechanics.
I've booked my car in for a service next Tuesday and enquired about tyres as well, as they need replacing.  Dread to find out what they will cost.
Tomorrow Rotary has an evening BBQ at Bunnings so I am rostered on from 5pm.  Our weather has cooled today and it only reached 20, with 19 predicted for tomorrow.  It sounds as though it's cold in England if you need a coat on to hang the washing.

I hope Ella had a wonderful birthday and got lots of presents, and that you enjoyed your face time with Ella and Faye.

Lots of love, Sue xx
 

Hi everyone, life has been a little better without pain!  Jean is so thin now she looks like she could snap in half, but like lots of people diagnosed with cancer she's had no pain, just problems, hubby was the same just a cough and no pain, that's why it was difficult to accept.  We had coffee and a chat and I nibbled on a large franzipan which was so big I had no tea!  Hubby was asleep again when I got home, he's had so little lately he needs to catch up.  He's just come down stairs and looks handsome in a red and white checked shirt and navy jumper, he asked if he looked alright and I said yes, it's just for you he said, how romantic after fifty years.  I'm off to have soup and croutons with Margaret, I may have to scoop the croutons out, having my nails done as they were last done in 2019!!  Sue, when my car had its Mot in December it advised 4 new tyres and I've only done 12,000 miles!   We still haven't got a scan appointment and had no calls trying to get us there under false pretences.  A special thanks to Chrissie for her kind words and support and have a marvellous time with the family.  So off out now, see you tomorrow.  Love Carol x 

Dear Carol,

It's great to hear things are getting better.  Jean is lucky she has no pain albeit other problems.  Neil was the same too, no pain, just trouble eating, with food getting stuck.  Seems to be quite common with a lot of cancers.  Your franzipan sounds lovely.  I searched as I wasn't sure what it was, but I made one a couple of Christmas's ago, just had a different name but very similar.  How sweet of Norman, so romantic.
12,000 miles isn't much to get out of tyres, we average about 50,000 km's a set but they are a low profile tyre so aren't expected to get as much milage as a regular tyre, plus they are dearer, the last set were nearly $400 a tyre.  So not looking forward to that bill but the car is due for tyres.  The service shouldn't be too bad, nothing wrong at all just a normal service.
I'd give them a call if you don't get the appointment time for Norman's scan shortly.
I'm assuming you will still be going out with the girls on Tuesday, surely you won't get notified of an appointment for the dentist at such short notice.

The Bunnings bbq was a lot quieter than the weekend ones.  Apparantly out club was the first to do the Friday evening one and Bunnings will see how it goes as to whether they continue them or not.  Time will tell.  Once I finished there I had tea but the lake, It was nice looking across the lake, a lot clearer today also, so I could see the other side, it wasn't just smoke haze in the distance.  A breeze and some rain have managed to get rid of most of it here at least.  Other areas aren't quite so lucky.

Nothing planned for the weekend, maybe I'll get that ironing done.  Just maybe.

Love to all, take care.  Sue xx

A bitterly cold sunny day, but sad because another friend has died.  We drop off another sympathy card and Joyce is now a widow, like hubby and I she and Luke spent a lot of time together, you see your own future.  Not a successful Friday, Sat for 40 minutes in the New nail bar, freezing my socks off as there was no heating, everytime I asked how long, oh you be soon, you choose a colour, I've done that half an hour ago I snapped, after forty minutes I left,  Margaret said ooh let's see them when we met for lunch, I'm sitting on them I tell her as they're a mess, we have a laugh.  So order lunch, tomatoes, mozzarella and basil panini please, that comes with coleslaw or chips she says, decided on coleslaw, that'll be £6.70 she says, but it says five pound on the menu, we point out, apparently even though it comes with this I have to pay more money!!  We sit down and my dinner consists of half a tomato, one squashed mozzarella ball, no basil and lots of bread, Margaret says complain but I haven't got the energy!!  We had a lovely catch up though and then went our own ways.  A Hospital appointment for February has arrived but no scan yet.  Sue that's a lot of money for tyres, I think mine are about seventy each, they can wait, I'm not going far enough.  Ella is having a mermaid party today, Faye has made a beautiful cake.  So hopefully all is well as can be, see you soon, lo Carol x

Dear Carol,

What a day you've had.  So sorry to hear of Luke's passing.  She will miss him teribbly.  Don't thiknk of that as being your future yet.  So many of the nail salons work that way, where they don't make appointments and you just wait your turn.  Can't say I blame you getting rather impatient after a 40 minute wait.  I like where I get mine done.  It's all by appointment and she allows 1 1/2 hours for each appointment, not that she ever takes that lone. Lunch sounded a little strange have to pay extra for coleslaw when it states on the menu that it comes with it. It sounded nice but would have been much better if it had been done properly.  At least you had a good catch up.  
Hopefully you will get the scan appointment soon, although it's good you have the hospital appointment.
I'd much rather pay for your tyre, even at £70, that's less than half of mine converted.  It's because my car is the sport version, so has the expensive tyres,  Really can't let mine go when I do so much driving on country roads at 100km/hr.  
Ella will love her mermaid party.  

A lazy day here, just potted around doing a few chores.  Tomorrow is Eli's 2nd birthday, no party this time, I'm giving him some winter clothes, which Deana says he'll need.  He's got p;lenty of toys.

Take care, love to all.  Sue xx

 

Dear Sue, bitterly cold but sunny so we had a run out to Barnard Castle and had chips from an award winning fish shop, I managed to eat them!!  Not a good start to the day, I have a large beaten metal stag ornament on my sideboard, I picked the phone up to call my brother, caught my cardigans sleeve in the antlers and smashed it to smithereens, I said to him this is a very expensive phone call, I hope you appreciate it!!  Lukes funeral is last day of January, he'd led a charmed life because he was such a good companion and every one loved him, gave him jobs, money, then he suddenly had to start earning his own money, found a good job with a guy who we all knew but was a bit of a scoundrel, served time for fraud, then bought a big stadium for Darlington football club, took Luke on, but Luke lost his sight and he just ditched him like a dirty dish cloth.  So he and Joyce struggled on as no one would employ him, but he never lost his smile. We've got so many hospital appointments next month, but one of them has doubled up again so I said we need to sort it out, but it started a row!  Norman thought it was  to sort the scan appointment out, having not listened to the oncologist as he was too busy thinking about golf!  I'm going to ring our cancer nurse and get it sorted, because I'm not going Friday and Monday struggling on because he won't use a wheelchair, I sometimes have to stand my ground on these things.  I've just remembered that Margaret and I have booked Swan Lake, the ballet next Saturday, really looking forward to seeing it, mind I've had to look the story up.  Did I ever tell you that I trained as a tap and ballet dancer for The Royal Society for Teachers of Dance, but gave up just before my school exams as it was difficult combining both and Dad made me choose academic over dance, you know what Father's were like in the sixties they rule the roost, then he had the audacity to uosticks and leave us all to our own devices!!  Have a lovely day with Eli, its sensible to get what they need rather than waste money, we did the same at Christmas with Alfie and Ella.  So take care Sue, speak soon, love Carol x 

I've just got back from zumba and got ready to go for lunch, I actually look presentable for the first time in days, I've been sticking my hair on top of my head, not wearing lipstick and just mooching about, so a lick of paint, hair rollers and I'm off.  Poor Dorothy is getting worse, she's forgotten we were going out then said she's at the hospital tomorrow but it's in a golf club or maybe a cricket club, what are you going for we ask, I think it's the memory clinic but I can't remember!!  We did laugh with her, so after gently finding out why she's at a golf club it's because she's having an MRI on her hip at one of the travelling units.  I had to ring our cancer nurse again due to two appointments within two days, the first one is now cancelled, no date for scan so she's chasing that up.  Then a phone call from the cancer unit to go for treatment, I explain the situation. So when are you having the scan she ask, I literally have to stop myself from shouting down the phone, I don't know we haven't got a date!!!!  Is it me or do you sometimes feel like your speaking outer Mongolian and English has vanished, I do get cross because when I made phone calls at work I checked the facts first, but I'm old school.  The girls were asking me what I'm drinking at lunch, warm gin I reply, I've given up on drink as I can't stand the ice cubes, living with an exposed nerve is a dodgy business, they had forgotten to put the heating on in the hall this morning, I had to beg a scarf off someone so I could wrap it around my face, a bit of a sight I would imagine.  So hope you're all plodding along, Billy how is it going!  Anthea please let us know how things are now you are at home and not being bullied by unkind people.  Sue, hope you enjoyed Elis birthday, Ella had a lovely day, looking forward to seeing some photos, I'll post one if I can remember how.  Love to you all, Carol xx