Hi Carol, Rose, hopefully Billy and anyone else who reads our rubbish!

I didn't realise it was so long since I came on here.  Happy New Year to you all!  
I have just read through the messages since my last and am sorry to hear Billy isn't feeling well, Carol I hope you get your pain sorted and your lipoma removed. It's hard to get that kind of treatment on the NHS, these days. Rose, I'm sorry you're back on the treadmill of appointments and tests, that was the bit I hated most about getting cancer!  
I am delighted to report that my Christmas and New Year, in fact right up to this week have been lovely!  I haven't done much according to my friends who have been away and are currently in sunny Spain, but I had a lovely time with our friends on Christmas Day, coming away with doggy bags so no need to cook on Boxing Day, then my son and his partner arrived on 27th. I had a lovely time with all my family round me, and my birthday was lovely, too.  I didn't stay up for midnight, either. My daughter had a New Year bash to go to and my son had gone home. So Archie and I went to bed at our usual time. The rest of the week has got lost in the mist that is my memory.  I know I went shopping on the Thursday to a supermarket quite a few miles away because I knew they had a foreign currency booth and my daughter had booked a holiday for herself for June and, as it was her birthday the next day,  I wanted to get some Euros for her as part of her present.   It had been raining hard on the way there so switched on my dipped headlights. When I parked up there was nothing in front of me so I didn't see the beam reflecting on anything and I forgot they were on and I'm too deaf to hear the sound my car makes to remind me. As I hardly use the car, these days, there wasn't enough charge in the battery to survive an hour or so of lights on but no engine.   I found lots of nice people who would love to help but hadn't any jump leads as I wandered forlornly round the car park. Eventually a man had some jump leads and would be happy to start my car for me.  My daughter played heck with me for not having renewed my breakdown cover. I let it lapse during lockdown and didn't think to get it again afterwards.
The rest of my time has been spent driving myself demented over a jigsaw puzzle, a Christmas present from someone who obviously knows me better than I thought.  I have never in my life chosen to do a jigsaw. I probably didn't have enough patience with them. Now I have become obsessed with solving this 500 piece puzzle.  I think I am perhaps more observant and more patient  now because I paint, but this thing is really making my brain hurt!  I will do it! It just might take a long time!

Take care 

Christine xx

Hi Christine, thanks for the catch up, I remember Faye buying Norman a  500 piece jigsaw when he had his first surgery and was housebound, it was on the dining table for months until I put my foot down and transferred it to a large board, it did get completely done but took many months.  I'm so pleased you had a lovely time, I did but would have enjoyed it more if I had felt better.  I've had a weird week, trying to get a doctors appointment is impossible and so I'm still in pain, I'm trying to find another surgery as I've had enough.  My heating packed in last night which was just what I needed, but after numerous phone calls and on line filling of forms someone came out at 2pm and it's now working, so it was back to thermal vest, cardigans and warm boots again today.  The roof is now going to be nearly 700 pounds so a good start to my year.  Still no response from the private hospital, so good living here isn't it, no one answers the phone, no one calls back and no one wants your hard earned money!  My supposedly good friend Mary, didn't even call me and has now gone to Tenerife, maybe she's trying to tell me something!!  I've just bought a new blouse and some posh pyjamas to cheer me up and hopefully I'll have somewhere to wear them, I really must sort out my passport and book a holiday soon.  January is so depressing and the constant rain and dark days are not helping.  I've actually had to put a light on and we all know how  much electricity is at the moment.  So that's all my moans over and done with, my electric blanket is being put on earlier each night as by 10pm I've had enough of the rubbish TV and have returned to my snug warm bed.  Roll on the Spring.  Take care, Carol x 

Hi Christine, I've taken the bull by the horns today and changed surgeries, what a difference the reception lady was so kind, I filled the form in after ballet class, drinking a nice cup of coffee in the cafe area, handed them in with my ID and by Monday I will be called in to a health check, can't remember the last time  I had one!  If I'd had my way after the misdiagnosed lung cancer for Norman I would have left then but he was of the opinion better the devil you know.  Protesting nowadays is pointless, it's all done and dusted before we find out.  I've been invited to a quiz night tomorrow with nibbles and drinks, looking forward to seeing everyone.  Xx

Hi Carol,

Well done! It always feels good to have made a decision and acted on it and first impressions sound good for the new surgery.   Apparently there have been nearly a thousand protest letters submitted about our health centre and the organisers of the protest are trying to get it up to the round sum.  There is to be an appeal hearing next week.  The reason for the contract being offered for tender is because we were down to one amazing lead doctor and 2 locums, (or loca to be pedantic)  because in the last few years a few of the older partners have retired and the last partner moved away. It seems the NHS doesn't like single doctor surgeries,  no matter how good they are.  Fingers crossed we manage to keep our current team, they are all great.

We had another delicious lunch at the community pub we discovered last week. My cousin's daughter is here from Ireland, just for a few days and the poor girl has spent the whole time running round visiting relations. We had a couple of hours catching up and she had to be off, not before inviting us to go and stay with her any time, dogs and all! She flies home tomorrow and still had a cousin on the other side of her family to visit tonight.  My daughter will probably go later in the year but I will stay home and dog sit.  I spent more than half my life travelling all over the world for work and play and there aren't many places I would bother to travel to again, so I let my passport lapse and I don't think I will renew it, despite everyone urging me to do so.  Where I live now has everything I need or want, except perhaps for a bus service to town, which would be nice but it isn't a problem as long as I can drive.

Enjoy your quiz night.  I used to enjoy quizzes, they seemed the perfect outlet for all the useless information floating around my brain.  
 
Christine xx

Sorry I've been missing.  The quiz was enjoyable and we had so much food between us!  Sounds like you had a lovely time Christine, like me you enjoy time out and about and also on your own.  We'll a busy week, the new surgery have been so good and my awful pain is left over from the pleurisy and has given me an inflamed ribcage and muscles, passed the health check and they wrote to the private hospital who contacted me immediately to offer an appointment next month.  Lisa said she and Tugs were going to pay for it, so we agreed 50/50.  But I also called the NHS again to see where I was on the list.  Thursday morning a phone call, a cancellation and if I agreed they could operate Monday, that's this Monday!!  Keep your hands in your pocket pet this guy says over the phone. So pre op assessment yesterday, blood pressure is 210/180, oh my god says the young man and rushes to get a nurse, anyway after sitting quietly it went down enough for me to be accepted.  Faye and Lisa are concerned as its a year to the day since Norman died, not a good omen, but I've told them to stay home and I'll be fine, lots of friends around and I'll call if I need them.  I'm so worried about BILLY,   God forbid the worst has happened and let's hope he can get in touch soon.  So I'll give you an update soon.  Love Carol x 

Wow! That's impressive re cancellation. Hope all goes smoothly and you'll soon be back on here. Sendng good wishes. Love Rose xx

Hope everything goes smoothly on Monday.  I'm sure it will and you will be out and about again.

Yes its worrying not hearing from Billy.

Do you still keep in contact with Aussie Sue?.

Problem when people disappear from here you don't always know if it's bad news or they have moved on.

River

Thank you so much and yes I'm sure I will be up and about soon.  Unfortunately after Norman died the friendly chat with Sue  lasted a while and then she never replied to my last post, as did another one I'd been corresponding with.  But hey ho it's a funny world maybe it was all too raw for them. Having lost their own husbands themselves.  Take care, xx

Yes, sometimes people move on. But Billy is the kind of person who would let people know first. Cancer Chat was a big part of his life. Obviously, we're all still hoping he's just been really out of it for a while. But his illness was progressing again (hence the chemo) and he had a nasty bug on top. A lovely kind man always thinking of others.