Up early and off to Church, the weirdest service ever! The poor Vicar was as confused as us, but I did like her mask covered in Mallard ducks that she wore whilst giving Holy communion.  We had to all file out, standing on our crosses, not talking to anyone until we left, no hymns, no communication, the world has gone mad!!  I did laugh though, all us oldies who were sat two to a pew didn't have masks on but the younger member aged forty odd did, he surreptitiously glanced around and promptly took it off, I hope soon were back to singing our hearts out.  Back home we face time Lisa as its her 42nd birthday, Harry had his new T shirt on that I sent, it says "warning, I'm not listening". So everytime we said something he quoted his T shirt, needless to say it was removed by Mummy.  Hubby is in a belligerent mood today, very negative about everything, BLM, the grand prix, taking the knee, covid19 and so on, I went outside in the end, stuck my head in the roses and said God give me strength!  So we took off for a drive around the county to see what pubs were open, it turns out all of them were.  So I rang the Otter and fish and booked us lunch for when Lisa comes home, Sam the owner was so happy to hear from us, and pleased we're still alive, apparently they have lost a few customers during the time of closure, typical hubby I explained the rules to him, in one door, out the other, they'll probably change it for me he says, yes of course they will King Norman!   I think I've given him a superiority complex, he then tells me about police dragging a man out of a car, if they try that with me he says crossly, I'll fight back, you're an idiot I tell him, with your prosthetic leg you'd be on the ground before you know it, he looks hurt, but I've had enough today of his stupid macho talk!!  So he's not getting any tea, he can have his breakfast instead, roll on tomorrow.  See you soon, Carol x 

Hi All

Long time no hear, anyway thought I would share my good news.  Had an appointment for my regular check up (at the Cancer hospital) couple of weeks ago.  I received a phone call the week before asking if I would go for my blood test on the Monday and have a telephone consultation on the Tuesday, fine .  Had bloods and then consultation, everything fine and as it was my 5th year review once the Oncologist has read my notes etc the person I spoke with could see no reason why I would not be discharged.  I received a letter, copied to my GP saying exactly that, everthing was fine and no need to go to  for any more check-ups.  great relief allround especially as my prognosis was not that good.

I still have an appointment with the consultant surgeon in December and he wants to keep a check on me for a while longer due to my unusual case and the fact that it wasn't picked up until after my hysteroctomy.  For now we are celebrating and although upto covid lockdown have been living as normal a life as possible it seems weird that officially I am no longer a cancer patient. 

Will keep poping in to see what you all get up to but I dont look at the other posts much I suppose its all part of moving on.  Best wishes all. 

River

Dear River, such good new and I'm thrilled for you.  I think you were one of my first replies when I started this thread and it was then that I realised that people were actually reading my words.  And here we are three years on, your journey has been hard but it has ended well.  I must admit I only look at posts that interst me, too many worriers and I wonder just how they would cope if they were diagnosed.  I can understand why you want a fresh start, so my very best wishes for a brighter future.  Love Carol x 

Hi Everyone,

Pleasure shopping, been a while since I've done that.  Really good to hear that your overflow upstairs hasn't left any damage.  I'm curious why they even have disposable hymn sheets when most churches have screens now with the words.  Why no singing, are they worried that will spread the virus?   It will be interesting to see which of the new ways of doing things will stick around once this virus is controlled.
We are having restrictions tightened again, rising numbers each day at present in Melbourne.  So Melbourne is in lockdown again for 6 weeks.  Bree was coming for a visit on Saturday but now she is not allowed to leave Melbourne.  It's ok here, we still are free of any cases of the virus.  Bree will be back to homeschooling Stevie, but the boys (as they attend a special school for the deaf) are still able to go.  Deana and Nick are in the process of buying a new car.  They should be able to pick it up Friday or Saturday.  I feel for Bree, she had booked a night away for her and Jamie in August (their anniverary) but she will have to see if she can rebook for a later date.  I was talking to her earlier and people have gone mad shopping again, she had forgotten to buy a cabbage the other day and went to get one today, the shelves were almost bare and she got the last cabbage.  Nick of home this week so I don't have babysitting tomorrow.  A quiet week, a lot of knitting done, my scarf is growing quite quickly, and lots of reading too.  I should really be getting some ironing done, but it will keep.

River, what wonderful news for you.
 

Billy, Haven't had any more take-away banquets since the last one I mentioned.  Tonight was home cooked, just a vegetable pasta, mostly with leftovers.  Still nice though.  Hope you and Bren are doing ok.  Good to hear Bella is clear of infection at present.

Take care, Love to all.  Sue xx

Dear all, not much going on here, treatment week and a lot of rain and cold weather.  My lawn now needs a sheep to graze on it as its nearly two weeks since it was mowed, my electric flymo will probably electrocute me in the wet, well that would solve it all!  Hubby is in good spirits and Harry has got his first school report from his new school, he is well liked and doing so well, he can't wait to go back full time.  I am so looking forward to seeing them next week, I'm like an excited child.  Christine's husband has been admitted to hospital and just before that had reversed into a three day old Skoda, Christine was not amused.  He has bile duct problems and is being sorted out today.  Everyone else has gone quiet, except Margaret who keeps sending me daft things by text, she sent a copy of a passage she'd found in a magazine, it was minute so I texted back and said my eyes were not up to reading ant print, I still don't know what it says.  I am hoping to get my nails done next week, yipee, I'm sick of looking half finished, I hacked at my hair again this morning and it looks OK.  We have three hedgehogs in our garden, I bought meal worms for them yesterday so they were out in force last night, it was funny watching them, one came out of the hedge then weaved his way in and out like a drunk, but crikey he moved fast.  Sausage, egg and fried tatties for tea, yum.  See you soon, love Carol x 

Hi everyone, I stayed up late last night to watch Shirley Valentine, with Pauline Collins and Tom Conri, set in Greece and it was so nostalgic.  I loved Greece and we stayed on Blue Bay Island which was opposite the leper island from the forties, which had been made into a village, shops, cinemas, housing etc.  It was fascinating to visit and I made friends with the brother of the hotel owner, a bit like Tom Conri he was happy to have a summer fling but I'd left hubby at home with the girls and said thank you but no!  I would go back tomorrow if I could.  We popped to pick up my M & S blouse, it was too big so we drove to Teesside Park and changed it.  I stood in the queue with a lady my age in front of me, we moaned about the fact they had one till open and then talked about the lockdown whilst waiting she told me that her husband had shielded as he had asthma, but 7 weeks in he was coughing badly so they got an appointment with their GP.  Within days he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, he died 8 days later.  She is so traumatised and said she is trying to arrange a memorial for him as the funeral was awful.  Hubby asks me to buy custard tarts and back home we have tea and cake, as it's stopped raining for the first time in two weeks I tackle the lawn which was that long the hedgehog had to practically pretend he was a mole.  Tea has been eaten, a home made beef curry and tomorrow we are going to buy some plants as the pansies have expired!!  Take care, love Carol x 

We had a quiet day yesterday as hubby seemed tired.  A little run out to Durham and two more hydrangeas, the coffee shop was open but he had no intention of going in!  This is when I feel sorry for myself as our friends had gone off in their caravan for a long weekend and were meeting others, it's just us two but he's happy with that so we came home.  He was doing the crossword and asked me what the word was for U in the police speak, I couldn't for the life of me what it was.  Suddenly he says, I know, it's Unicorn!!  Well I lost the plot, we used this alphabet at Court, so I said I could just see a policeman say he's looking fur a car, registration number Foxtrot, Tango, Unicorn, we both giggled so much and then it came to me, Uniform.  I'm getting ready for family coming, five of us to feed for a week, it's a nightmare trying to feed us all as they love spicy whereas Norman can't eat that.  Guess what?!!  I have a manicure and pedicure booked for Thursday, so excited.  I've had coffee at Margaret's today, two hours of chat and laughter, Mary is still in hibernation mode, we haven't had a proper chat face to face for four months, I miss her and wish she would just have coffee with me, I don't have the lergie and am less risk than Morrisons supermarket!  Lisa has gone to look at a puppy today, so waiting for a phone call.  See you tomorrow, love Carol x 

Hi everyone, just waiting for a call from our oncologist, hoping we may get a scan date but not holding my breath.  I did a load of potting yesterday, which has led to me having a horrible night as I have pulled a muscle in my back, I think I need one of those pull along sit on garden chairs, like the ones advertised in the old people's magazines.  I was doing really well, watered all the new hydrangeas, left the water running as the hose pipe cuts it off automatically, well it does usually unless you've pulled under the lawn mower, ripped a hole in it and caused it to spray all over, I hadn't realised this until I walked around the other side of the conservatory and was immediately covered from head to toe in cold water!  Needless to say hubby shook his head at me, went onto Amazon and ordered a new one, my trying to patch it up with tape failed miserably.  The hedgehog is getting brave and visiting us every afternoon at 4pm, he is getting through the meal worms at a rate of knots, at five pounds a bag he may soon find himself on a diet.  I forgot to tell you that Christine's husband had a small operation on Friday, they sent him straight home and he was so unwell she took him back in, they had caused internal bleeding and he still isn't home, it's apparently been awful as all his canulas keeping coming out and he's 84 years old now so not good.  Christine is doing a WhatsApp group tonight to tell us what is going on.  It's absolutely pouring down again, what a miserable July, I hope we have better weather next week when family are here, I'll have to tell Lisa to bring a warm cardigan with her.  So that's it for today, take care, love Carol x 

I now have beautiful pink finger and toe nails and feel more like me, the lady who owns the salon is Asian and followed all procedures, hand sanitiser, temperature taken and supplied a mask, but all done without a fuss, unlike Binns where they shop you back onto the feet markers on the floor, make a big issue about cleaning the surface down and then telling you to stand back when they emerge from the plastic  screen, not conducive to a happy shopping experience!!  Christine face timed us all but Dorothy couldn't follow the conversation and my Internet kept going down, just love technology when it doesn't work, so she rang me instead.  Ron had been given an injection for what he didn't know, then a student nurse tried to give him tablets that he had never had, he was adamant that they weren't for him, she apparently had other ideas and got cross.  Ron said I may be 83 but I have all my marbles and they are not for me, because of covid 19 they can't take the medicine trolley into the ward.  He actually rang Christine and she asked to talk to the ward sister, she checked and they were not for him, plus they had given him blood thinning injections when he was actually in because of blood leaking into him, needless to say a complaint has been put in, we were saying these errors should not be occuring in this day and age and arguing with a patient is really bullying them into taking medication when they know it's not right.  I'll let you know what happens.  The oncologist rang and a scan will be booked but she said if it's as good as the last one she will be pleased.  He has taken a drive out as it is actually sunny here today, the hedgehog is already out but leaving me lots of little poops which I am not happy about!  So Lisa arrives Saturday and M & S will be visited tomorrow for lots of goodies.  See you soon, Carol x