Dear Friends,

Carol, like you I had problems posting one night (seems solong ago now), then only a day or two after that my keyboard has a hissy fit, and it wasn't working properly.  Nick did try to fix the problem but has now finished work early enough today to make it to the shop to buy a new one.  

I'm so, so sorry Norman now has shingles, I remember Neil complaining of the pain associated with it, hopefully Norman has been given pain relief to help with that.  I'm not sure how accurate my info was but I was told it was unlikely I would get it unless I touched the area that had the shingles rash.  I'm glad you at least have some bright sunny days so you can at least get outside.  A bit hard to do that here at present the last few days have been so cold and wet.  You'de be lucky to walk to the corner then back home without getting drenched, and it's all of 7° at present.  Not surprising Norman's mood hasn't always been good, but it's nice to hear that he seems better today (23rd).  Mental health of people is bound to go downhill, it's really not natural for us to isolate ourselves and not have contact with people.  Not surprised to hear Mum's are struggling with schoolwork.  Bree is having such problems getting Colby to do his, and has had quite a few days where he has achieved absolutely nothing aside from Bree being so frustrated and feeling totally useless.   I really wonder how Colby will cope when school finally does go back.  The Sebastian and Stevie are coping with school at home.  At least Bree is is ccontact with Colby's teacher.  When do you get the Norman's scan results?
Why didn't Norman think to ask you to bring his spare leg?  I love your comment about the essential missing from your food parcel.  I have a girlfriend who di some shopping yesterday when she got home she realised she had forgotten an essential, you guessed it she went nack down the street to get some gin.  Sorry to see that you aren't going to post for a while, I do understand your reason though.  I have done very little since I last wrote, watched Eli and been home doing the usual things.

Billy, I find it hard to understand why it's taking so long to get a script filled, even under the current circumstances here (understand things are worse in the UK if the news reports are accurate) I can drop in or phone the pharmacy to get it filled and it's done the same day, usually within 1/2 an hour.  Just as well you don't do what I do and wait till you only have a couple of days left.  Sorry to hear you are struggling to get some decent sleep.  You so good to Bren, but you need your sleep too if you are going to continue doing all you do.  

Take care everyone and stay safe.  Love to all Sue xx

Hi sue 

Over here we have a paper with a list of the meds on and tick what you want, it's then dropped at dr surgery, then it's printed out proper prescription and needs signing by Dr then we pick it up and take to chemist. 

Or it can go to chemist electronically but I've found sometimes it isn't printing right so I've got to go to Dr again to get another prescription and try again.

Glad your OK like you said it's chaos for the young

I got a good six hour sleep other night it's does happen now and again.. Keep well keep safe.. 

Love.. Billy xxx 

Dear Billy, 

Sounds like your sytem is totally different to what we use here.  Hope you don't continue to have a 3 week wait in future though.  I think it will be so hard when kids finally go back to school, although in some ways it will be a relief to parents.  We are doing ok here, shopping is improving all the time also, less items seems to be empty on the shelves, which is great.  Not so good is we had our first confirmed case where I live, (country town of about 14,000.)  There were rumours previously but this time both the radio and the council have announced, so I'm guessing it's legit.  
Glad you managed a six hour sleep, hoping you get more of them.

You and Bren take care and stay safe.  Love Sue xx

Hi everyone, I'm back, feeling better and looking forward to hearing from you all again.  We are now up to treatment number five, four more to go, no scan results yet but we're the no news is good news brigade.  My husband is looking so much better and has more interest in life, we even cleaned his sock and underpants draws today, how's that for progress.  Its been a tough year, we truly thought it was all over in March but the lockdown although hard has let us re charge our batteries, he's happy I'm here everyday so that's made life easier.  We have laughed, moaned, become rebellious at times but basically done as asked, I have even downloaded the tracking app tonight to keep us safe.  The bedroom is finished although clearing the old drawers out he threw a leg brace onto the new bedding, it had a velcro fastening which attached itself to my new duvet cover, as this is a satin based material it took some getting off, he got into trouble for that!  The daughters seem to be coping better, less intermittent sobbing, Harry did another marble champions game, his happy smiley face cheers us up, Alfie and Ella didn't want to know, the more you don't see people the less interested you become, I'm hoping Alfie will be back at school soon.  So I'll try and post each day again as I know you worry when I disappear.  I'm not going to read any other posts at the moment it's hard worrying about us never mind others!  Billy and Sue, hope you're doing OK.  Love Carol x 

Hi there Carol ..

Just wanted to welcome you back, glad things are on the up .. esp in these crazy days ... but was getting worried .. so high 5 to you ... 

My granddaughter is going to start her round 3 of treatment soon... her bloods are looking good, and she's home till the next one starts .. my daughter in law is awesome... she got me through my cancer, now she's doing the same for her daughter .. so looking promising too .. so nice to get some better news .. it was much needed .. well Carol, look forward to your threads again .. you always find something to make us chuckle ... 

So hope all your regulars are keeping safe ... here's to kicking cancers butt and keeping carona from the door .. big vertual hug as always.... Chrissie xx

Dear friends, its a weird day here as its supposed to be a special VE day but its so quiet you wouldn't know it.  I drove to get some milk, the car wash has re opened, the Care home opposite the shop was celebrating VE day with a sing song and flag waving out the front but it looks so sad when everyone is in a face mask so there are no smiles to see.  I came home quite depressed without milk or cake as the queue was so long, so not even a scone or piece of lemon cake for us.  Norman's back is bad but he's just getting over shingles and is sitting in one place too long.  I'm all dressed up with nowhere to go, I can't even be bothered to have a walk!  Chriss, I'm so happy things are looking a little brighter, you've had it tough but you're always so kind.  Billy, such good news but I doubt Bren will be the first or the last to be on the wrong medication.  So not sure what the rest of the day holds but it won't be exciting!  Love to you all, Carol x 

Dear Friends,

Welcome back Carol, It's good to hear you are feeling better.With you on that, no news is good news.  Greast to hear Norman is looking better and is showing an interest in life, also that his shingles is getting better.  It is tough with cancer, but this pandemic has just made it so much harder.  Glad your girls are coping better, unfortunately Colby is still being very stubborn where his schoolwork is concerned, and Bree is finding it so frustrating, Although there is talk here that schools may open in the near future, which Bree will be happy about I think.  We haven't had large numbers coming down with covid (apart from a cluster centered around a meat processing plant).  Only 1 confirmed case in Colac and that was someone travelling through but they are currently quarantined here.  

Dear Chrissie it is so good to he that your granddaughter;s blood results are looking good at this stage.  It sounds promising.

Dear Billy, That is wonderful news Billy.  Hopefully she keeps showing improvement.  Sometimes we do wonder if all the medications are required.  At least you've taken her off it,

Not a lot happening with me, still well, getting bored, although Eli helps with that,  Had him on Wednesday and will have tomorrow (Sat) and Sunday, It's Mother's day here on Sunday and Deana is so busy with flowers in the shop, Nick took a day of annual leave to help her today and both of them will be in the shop over the weekend so I'll watch Eli.  She is off to the market again in the morning as what she bought this morning has nearly all gone and she still has orders to be made and delivered Sunday.  It's good that it has been very busy with sales way down since over the last weeks because of the virus.  So a strange Mother's Day this year, I won't see Bree or go out for a meal with them, I'm sure they will ring though.  I did go out earlier to buy cat food, even that was different, Barriers all around the counter, eftpos machine on my side of the barrier, Had my doubts they would have accepted cash if I'd wanted to pay that way.  Oh well.

Best get to bed so I'm awake for Eli in the Morning.

Take care and love to all.  Sue xx

Well what a beautiful day its been.  The ironing is finally done, Linda and I chatted through the hedge and fence for twenty minutes whilst gardening, what a weird world it is having to gossip between slats of wood!  Linda is really thin and lives on her nerves running between work and child sitting for grandchildren but she's put half a stone on and can't fasten the button on her jeans now!!  She looks so much better (well what I can see of her!) she needs to carry on looking after herself after we're all released back into the wild.  Hubby is in a good frame of mind and has sat in the garden with me drinking larger, the lawn is mowed and the birds are very chirpy and flighty, the blackbird found a big worm and hid behind Alfie's tree to eat it then sang his evening chorus for us.  Great big fat sausages for tea and I'm on my third glass of wine, it's been very hot I need the fluid intake.  Dear Sue, it's going to become even harder the longer this goes on, I'm not a believer in this lock down scenario, but if you go against the grain I'm afraid the majority of people look at you as if you've lost the plot!  We can't avoid death for ever that's not how life works, life is not a surety against all ills.  Still that's my thoughts and I'm entitled to them.  So another week flies by, seven weeks gone in a flash, Norman obviously has to do 12 weeks but we will go out when we are able to have a drive further than around the block.  So take care all if you, love Carol x 

So today its pouring down, blowing a hooley and I had to dash outside in my nightwear to save the umbrella that we had up yesterday to stop us getting burnt,  from blowing away like a windmill in a force gale wind, what a topsy Turvey world we live in.  Lisa posted a message asking me a question, what is the point of living if we can die the next day?  Oh my God I thought the intermittent sobbing has won!!  So I posted back that we live to eat chocolate cake, drink gin, see our smiley faced children, then became so worried about her I gave her a call.  Hello Mum she replied cheerfully, are you OK I enquired pointing her to the face book post, Oh yes she says it was one of Harry's philosophical questions and I told him Grandma would know!!  So my reply apparently was for an eight year old, better knock the gin bit out I say.  So Harry and I have a chat, he has a new Mario switch game which is very very good Grandma,  Yoshi has to go around the world collecting eggs with enemies in them. Then he breaks the eggs apart and throws bits of enemies at his enemies, good grief I comment it sounds like North Korea's way of dealing with enemies, Lisa had to explain that one too him.  So I'm now sat waiting for him to face time so he can show me it.  Christine is making masks and scrub bags for the NHS, she'd run out of buttons, I was so mad with myself as I had kept my Mums button tin from 1948 with hundreds of odd buttons but when I did the front room I threw them out!  Anyway I scraped together some from my sewing box and she now has them.  Hubby looks good but his back still hurts from his shingles, he's very nicely dressed, as am I, we will not let standards slip!!  Hope you are all well.  Love Carol x