Hi and welcome to the forum which I hope you will find supportive.  My story is more that of my late husband as I joined when he was diagnosed and the support of the forum for nearly three years during his illness helped me considerably.  Since he passed away in January 2015  the virtual friends I made here continue to chat and show me kindness just by listening to me rabbit on!!

You are more than welcome to post on my thread but it may also be worth starting a thread of your own and perhaps mentioning the kind of cancer you have in the title.  This way others who may relate to your own personal journey can respond and I am sure there are many who will definitely understand the sleepless nights along with all the emotions you go through as you undergo treatment and wish you all the best with your treatment plan and hope you have family and friends who can also be there for a support network. Jules

Morning Jules, 

Hope if you venture out for your usual Sunday constitutional you take care what with the problem with your leg. Thanks for the snow photos on the other thread. Have been kept busy. Yesterday we went and got two wreaths (Plus my chestnuts) and then took the wreaths over to our respective mums graves. I am writing two stories at present and and is a sci fi one. Do enjoy writing. I get the ideas mostly when I cant sleep at night and make up a skeleton story then when I start wring it its like doing a jigsaw trying to link all the pieces together. At my show last weekend, I found about a third of my sale were wooden Key rings with LED lights. I knew they had sold well but didnt appreciat how many had sold. 

We have our last wood club meeting on Wednesday and then we break up until March allthough I shall still keep the newsletters going. Have ordered 4 clip on electric lights so in future my stand will be illuminated. I am using led lamps as they dont get as hot as normal lamps. Will also re-make the middle section of my display stand to house the four lights for transport and safe keping It will also be desingned to house the extesion cable. 

Take care and will chat again soon, sending kind thoughts to you and your family, Brian

Hi Brian

Well, as the gym was closed for maintenance yesterday and I was  being entertained by the birds in the garden, I decided to stay put.  I only had a couple of inches of snow here (now virtually gone) but it meant that my daughter and family (they had a lot more) could not make the visit as planned  so will now look forward to our Christmas together and have posted their Christmas cards.  Saw pictures/videos of the boys enjoying snow in their own garden as son in law had made a mini snow slide.  They boys' schools are both closed today but my son in law drove the 50+ miles to work and my son and daughter in law also got in saying roads ok as long as people sensible.  Unfortunately it seems from the news there were still many problems.

I have been out today as apparently it could be very icy tomorrow but will hopefully still visit Mum though may wait till the afternoon to let it thaw a bit.

Love the fact that you are back writing and good to have an indoor activity for the winter months and also when sleep is a problem you can have fun thinking up new ideas  though would be better if you could sleep of course. The new ideas for lighting your stall sound good and I am sure the members will enjoy your newsletters whilst the actual meetings are suspended during the winter months.

Stay warm and safe and sending regards back to you all.  Jules

Morning Jules,

Wet Windy and not very warm here today. At least thats what Mrs B said when she ventured out to feed the birds earlier. My young grandson continues to take the mickey out of me. Bless him. Didnt see as much of the family as we would have like as our granddaughter had a very bad throat and didnt want Mrs B to pick it up.

I have suggested we make a small club stand to take to our shows that are held in the marquee. We will have to laminate any photos to protect them from the damp. We have been invited back to Wakehurst place, a national trust place we exhibite at every year. So will be sending out an e-mail to members to see how many want to book a place there.

Went to a local farm shop and got a bag of potatoes and some lovely big bakers in the bag. Do love baked spuds. Have been fairly lazy over Christmas and not done much and have unfortunately put on a bit too much weight so will have to try and lose this again. My son has bought me a small pocket size microscope which I can use to try and identify some of my timbers. It has 60 to 120 times magnification. If you cut the end grain of timber with a very sharp knife, you can often identify what the timber is by looking at the growth rings.

I watched Dame Judy Dench's program about her love of trees and learnet a lot from it.

I hope you had a great time with your family over Christmas. I suppose at work you are getting ready for the January sales. Hope your leg is now fully recovered. Hope you are able to do your usual Suinday walk as I know how much you enjoy walking. 

It is too cold for me to get out in my garage but have been planing on stock to be re=placed and possible new lines to work on for the new year. Plus the upgrade to my stand. The lights have now arrived and am very pleased with them. They have a flexible goose neck so I should be able to direct the light exactly where I want.

I wish you and your family all the very best for the new year, Take care, Brian.

. 

Hi Brian and a very Happy New Year to you, Mrs B and the family.

I hope that your grand-daughter's bad throat soon cleared up and that it will not be long before you can see them again.  So many bugs seem to be doing the rounds at the moment and it is not always easy to steer clear of them.

New Year's Eve was spent pretty much the same as always.  I went out in the morning to the gym and then decided to walk to see Mum.  Yes pretty dull and windy with the odd shower during the day but managed to dodge them all thankfully.  Spent an hour with Mum and then went shopping for a new kettle as mine had packed up the night before and had gone back to my childhood days of boiling water on the hob ha ha. I watched a couple of films on the tv and was reading through the midnight bongs as well as the usual family texting/e mails flying back and forth.   More calls from friends started at 8a.m this morning  so very lucky really.

Your mini microscope will, I am sure , be very  helpful with your timber identification. Always lovely to receive such a useful item.

After my very busy family Christmas it is now back to normal routine though I am meeting up with an old workmate who has flown over from NewZealand to visit family.  We are hopefully getting to gether in London for a coffee morning before I head off to spend the weekend with the family (my daughter and I are going on a post Christmas shopping day out).

I am working on the 3rd anniversary of hubby's death this week so expect this will be helpful.  Still sometimes hard to believe how quickly time goes by but me and the family are blessed with good memories.

By the time I returned to work (day afterBoxing Day) the standard clearance sale was already under way and it was just a case of serving and getting the deliveries onto the shop floor. Of course we were only closed for Christmas Day.  Would be lovely it retail could return to how it was in the 'good old days'.

Like you, I love a good baked spud and this is often a main meal for me as there are so many options for toppings.  However tonight I  will celebrate New Year's Day with a mini Christmas pudding for 1 which was in the hamper I won the week before Christmas!!

Damp and dismal here this morning so have cleaned all the bird feeders and will not bother taking the camera out on my walk but just get some much needed exercise.  At least going out means I get to see other people and may even eat lunch out.

Take care of yourself and MrsB and stay well. Jules

Oh Jules, you sound bit down.  Like you I spent NYE alone watching the telly and reading, just as I have also spent the last three Christmases and New Years since my Roy died.  Oh, I have phone calls and texts and presents, but it's not the same.  I shall be thinking of you on Wednesday, my very good friend.  Sending a big hug. 

Love Hazel xx

Hi Hazel,

Bless you, thanks for the hug. I think I am not so much down but reflective.  Also having been with all the family and had the fun of Christmas through the little one's eyes New Year felt a little flat.  I usually spend New Year on my own (just like other normal days really) but because of the miserable weather have not been able to get walking as much as I like and really miss walking for pleasure.  Roll on Spring ha ha.

Took myself into town yesterday even though quite a few of the shops were closed and I gave my place of work a miss!!  Did pop into Debenhams and found a couple of bits for this year's April holiday break so that was a bonus.  Silver screen cinema not running this week so not sure what to do today but determined to get out despite the fact that it is now raining.  Gym first I think and then perhaps a coffee in the High Street.  I also need to take down the Christmas decorations and get them stored once again

No new year resolutions to stick to (I always break them so decided against making them ha ha) but will need to get back on the good eating bandwagon.  Always eat more when stuck indoors...........so naughty.

I am looking forward to meeting up with my friend on Friday; hard to believe we first worked together over 40 years ago and e mail keeps us in touch now.  She moved to New Zealand many years ago and has had her own ups and downs but is now happily with a new partner who I will get to meet for the first time.Would be great if it could be a dry day so we can enjoy London sights for the couple of hours we have.  I need to be home by mid afternoon as my son in law is picking me up.  Spending a couple of days with them and taking my daughter shopping as well as looking after the children Friday evening so they can have a meal out together for a change (they got some restaurant vouchers for Christmas and are really looking forward to it).

Just been out to re-fill the bird feeder at the end of the garden (two doves polished off the contents yesterday!!) and noticed some daffodils coming through! Very mild so only a raincoat for me when I go out.

Stay cosy and appreciate being able to chat with understanding friends. Look afer yourself too. Jules xx

Thinking of you, Jules, and all your lovely family.

Hazel xxx

Bless you Hazel, heartwarming to have messages when I logged on this morning.

The not so great news delivered via tv was that due to a tree on the line no underground to work!!  Hey ho will walk for 25mins to bus depot and hope the roads not too bad (still dark so cannot see what last night's storm has done to the garden!!).  I do know that it kept me awake for a good part of last night so perhaps a bit more bleary eyed than usual.  Could well resemble a drowned rat by the time I get in.

Stay safe Hazel and thank you.  Jules xx

Oh, not what you need for a journey to work, a long walk in the dark in rotten weather before you even start!  Mind you, I had plenty of those when I had 7am Sunday starts for work at the hospital, no early buses!  Good job we like walking, eh?   Hope you managed okay, and get home safely too.

Take care, Hazel xx