Hi,

I am new to the group and BC. I was diagnosed in July. I had  a partial mastectomy with reconstruction 2 weeks ago. Yesterday I went back for the results only to be told that my margins weren’t all clear and I have to go back in on Friday for another op to remove more tissue. I’m also waiting for results of Oncotype test so decide what my treatment plan is. I haven’t been frightened or fazed by anything so far but yesterday I came away really *** off! My wound has just healed and now they are going to re open it. But hey ho. I’m 48 and like you have always been healthy and am crap at being ill. I do hope you don’t become down beat x

Hi Cazrosie - I am currently being offered a lumpectomy (assume same as partial mastectomy) or a mastectomy + reconstruction for a 3.5cm globular tumour. With the lumpectomy they indicated I would go from a B to an A cupsize so offered me a breast reduction on the good side. Size is important to me so I would rather go for a reconstruction to get symetry and also avoid touching the good breast? Are you happy to tell me about your situation? Did you have the same type of cancer? How much of the breast did they have to take? What type of reconstruction did you have (via liposuction or LIDAP)? Di they do the reconstruction at the same time or later after radiotherapy? I am sorry your margins were not clear - did you go for a further lumpectomy? - they suggested that this may well be the case with me due to the globular cancer type that I have. Were you - are you happy with your results? I do hope all went well with you after this post - best wishes Karen

Hi Sam, Christine and others!

oh Sam, sorry to hear things are getting harder with your dad's illness. Funny (or not really) but have just been listening to a podcast, while at the gym, with Greg Wise taking about caring for his sister at the end of her life. There's also a breast cancer surgeon who had breast cancer who is on instagram and does weekly videos where she answers people's breast cancer questions. She also has a website - Don't Ignore the Elephant where they do podcasts about things we don't like to talk about. Sam, might be worth a listen. They also do one about death. I suppose, working with a palliative care team, I find it all fascinating! 
 

Christine, hi lovely lady. Hope your knee is ok, dog is ok and how's the painting going. How's your daughter? And the puppy?!

Vee, hope you are doing ok. Don't think we've forgot you if we are quiet! I think we just don't pop on here as much as we used to!! Just pop in a message and we will be here! 
Samneedscoffee, hope we've been able to give you some useful advice! I know it's all scary times. But use us for suppprt if you need us.

All good here! Hubby is away in Canada, snowboarding with his mates. Been gone since last Tuesday, back on Thursday this week. It's been bliss :laugh:

Work is busy in many sideway ways, I'm trying to exercise more, as my middle spread tyre needs some serious attention but my mouth isn't getting the message. I'm trying to walk a lot more - less impact on my neck. I should have amazing legs by the end of the year!:wink:

Ive signed up for a Breast Cancer Now 10 mile walk, in May. It's in Oxfordshire and im doing it with my niece. 
Anyway, off to do some hula hooping - good for the waist!!

Take care ladies 

Caroline xx

Hi Caroline,

The old knees are behaving themselves today which tempts me to catch up on my house cleaning. I may resist the temptation, who knows!

Archie has turned into the kindest sweetest dog in the world - sometimes.  He still finds forbidden things irresistible if I have left them within fairly easy reach, I've just learned to be a bit more careful where I leave things.  He did have a chew on my new Christmas bobble hat. It was a Christmas gift, not a Christmas theme. He only made a small hole in the furry lining so it's still lovely and warm and wearable. He does now leave things before he can get to them if I see him and say No. He's just sneaky if I'm not around and he sees something that piques his interest. He waits eagerly whenever I'm cooking because I tend to drop things as I'm chopping etc. If it's ok for him to eat, for example a bit of safe fruit or vegetable I tell him ok and he'll go for it, but if I say no, wonder of wonders he leaves it for me to pick up.  It's only taken me five years to get to this stage! 

Bobbin goes from angel puppy to demon dog at the speed of light, as you probably well remember  from your recent puppy heaven. He was top of the class at his puppy training classes. He thought it was party time when we got there, all those lovely puppies to play with and constant treats being given. I don't think he's quite got the message that there isn't ALWAYS going to be a treat, though as he soon resorts to the unwanted behaviour when he doesn't get one. The classes finished last week, so my daughter has organised puppy playtime at her house, today, with two of the other classmates. She invited me down to watch them but I'm going to be busy doing something else.  The two boys who are coming were dreadful barkers when they first started and I'm sure they will bark for England in a new place. Archie is so kind to Bobbin when he attacks, relentlessly, but I wouldn't inflict three puppies on him.

My daughter is finally coming to after her Covid, ten weeks later, she is going back to work next week, so I will be providing doggy day care, as usual. We had a trial run yesterday, while she went shopping. She was gone a few hours because she could actually mooch round the shops without a mask on. She was dreadfully claustrophobic when wearing one.  (I'm still wearing one when I go shopping. I've bought the FFP2 masks that give the wearer some protection as well as those around them.) I was expecting to have a horrible morning with Bobbin doing his best to make Archie play and poor old Archie trying to escape him all the time.  I was, however, pleased to see that if I told Bobbin, quite sternly, to leave Archie alone, he would do so, for quite a few minutes and eventually he realised what was expected of him and I had quite a nice morning.  I took the dogs round to see one of my neighbours who loves animals but is totally housebound so can't have a dog of his own.  Bobbin sat quietly on his lap for half an hour much to my neighbour's delight, while Archie sat quietly by his side.  I suppose we can put up with a bit of bad behaviour at home when they are so well behaved outside.

The painting is on a hiatus at the moment, this baby's face is still not appearing so I'm leaving it for a bit, hoping that when I go back to it, the face will magically appear!  
Did you expect to get a short answer to your questions?  I'm sure you didn't.  

lots of love xxx

Loved your long response. :happy:

Cheers.  I didn't try hard enough to resist temptation, so I'm now knackered but have a clean house for the first time in what feels like weeks!

xxx

Hi all

Let me reassure you that all is fine but my Dad did die this week (as expected), it was the best farewell as both myself and mother no. 3 were at his bedside and I’d been playing him some of his music in the morning (he has quite an eclectic taste to say the least…glad I get to inherit his music). My father wants a cremation and then to be put in the dustbin ( I kid you not) with no funeral …we will respect his wishes to a point but are considering scattering him on a Scottish beach (he loved it up there). Managed to brave the snow in North Yorks and the wind on Friday to get back home for a break (break the cats out of their imprisonment and chores!) as mother no.3 has relatives visiting/comforting/entertaining her, off back up tomorrow to finish the huge amount of admin that comes with death….am lucky (!!) that the Mother no1’s admin was so recent that its still fresh in my mind (I’ve always been good at finding the silver lining no matter how elusive).  Anyway I’m just glad he’s somewhere better and not lying in a hospital bed with no quality of life and having no choice but to listen to me yatter on at length.

Thanks for your mails C&C, not sure what I told you Christine during chemo (or whether I gave the wrong impression to Vee) but chemo wasn’t too bad…feeling rough isn’t the worst (for me not being able to eat or exercise throughout would have been THE killer). And rest assured no plans to run off abroad with any strange man (the one I’ve got would take some beating re being an oddity anyway).  I am sort of taking it easy but, like Mother no. 3, find it therapeutic to get things sorted and have a plan, believe you me I am planning in future weeks to spend a significant amount of time watching all the drivel that I’ve recorded on TV but haven’t yet had chance to watch.  In North Yorks the local TV aerial burnt down and lots of places are still without TV…its quite nice and archaic at the same time.

Caroline I must say up until now I’d never quite understood what palliative nurses did, you’re a wonder!  We had the loveliest and caring nurses visiting my father daily to fill upon the syringe driver and the nurse who we called when he died couldn’t have been any more lovely, she truly surpassed anything I would have expected from anyone and couldn’t have been more sensitive and helpful…its the thing you hope for but certainly don’t assume.  I do hope you’re as proud of yourself and what you do as I am!  Can’t really apply that to the (exciting..mmm) world of finance in any way shape or form…

The only thing that was very disappointing was the supplier of the hospital beds who were rude, lacked empathy and really gave an exceedingly poor all round service.  Rest assured they are now my new project regarding complaints as I would like to try and avoid anybody else going through the crap that my mother did, not acceptable at all.  Did I mention that re the Mother no. 1 I had complaints with her bank (3 of them!) and her credit card companies….all dealt with successfully and to my satisfaction!  I wonder if its a sign of age that I do actually enjoy a good complaint?

Thanks also Caroline for top tips re Podcasts etc. I may have a listen but rest assured with my natural bluntness there not a lot that falls into the category of ‘things I don’t want to talk about’ regarding death/cancer etc.  I am the proverbial open book, feel sorry for my poor mother no 3…think she’s ok with me asking ‘where do you think he’s gone? and suchlike, will tell her about the podcasts too.

Envious too of your hubby, I do love skiing (despite the fact that I excel at being rubbish at it) but haven’t been due to hip breakage, being unfit, cancer then COVID for over 5 years…next year me and my pal will resume our annual trip…luckily she’s even more rubbish than me (her speciality is skiing uphill).

If you need sponsorship ref your walk let us know how I can help, good cause and all that and hope your week was a good one with lots of walking and no hula hoop incidents (never have the coordination required for such equipment).

On the knee front (Christine) the mother no. 3 is having a knee op end March so it will be interesting to see how that goes (my knees will no doubt go the same way…I blame too much step aerobics!), no driving for 6 weeks after but am glad yours are holding (you) up.  For the mother we’ll set up a rota of who looks after her.  And I think knee annoyance is amongst very good reasons to not clean the house…mine is filthy and will stay that way until I can be bothered (probably next year some time).

Archie sounds like he’s quite well behaved in the scheme of things, my fathers dog (miniature schnauzer) chewed my lovely gloves whilst I was up there (my fault for leaving them in reach of the mutt) and yapps  SO much, when anyone’s at the door, walking past etc.  He also insists on stopping every 2 mins to sniff and pee on every walk…I have no idea where all the pee comes from quite frankly.

Sounds like your daughter had quite a time with COVID, glad she’s getting/got back to normal now, I’m like you in that I am still with mask…for reasons of protection plus I’ve huge stocks that I’d hate to waste!!  So glad the dogs are doing so well together and also cheering up the neighbourhood…well done to them & you.

And you think your note was long mmm….

We’ve had 9 viewing so far at the Mother no. 1’s house since it went on the market last Weds so fingers crossed for an offer soon, good time to sell I’m told and this afternoon the boyfriend and I are sorting the rest of her estate…I can hear Christine telling me to rest but just want it all sorted (it is now 9 months since she died).

Glad all are doing well, and if the universe could just leave Sam shaped challenges be for a bit I’d be ever so grateful…

XX

Hiya Sam

I love your messages!
I am glad/sorry for the loss of your dad, and you will know exactly what I mean. There comes a time when you want their suffering to stop. I fully endorse his views re a funeral.   I keep getting local advertising catalogues promoting, among other things "A Simple Farewell" No frills cremation. I've cut some of the ads out and left them in different drawers for the kids to find when the time comes! I'm not leaving them much, but I don't want them wasting it on a flipping funeral for me!

I hope you get the house sold and the admin over and done with. I only had to do most of it once as there were only fourteen months between their deaths and the ***** of a solicitor did the distribution of the legacies, which were a lot less than my poor dad thought he was leaving us, but I had to organise both funerals, close all their accounts, clear the house and inform the necessary services etc. after the my mother passed.

I was delighted that my daughter actually felt up to swimming on Friday!  It totally zonked her and she had to stop after half a mile because her arms weren't  leaving the water and her legs had stopped moving for the last stretch. She is girding her loins for the return to the office tomorrow and I'm girding mine for a whole day of Bobbin tormenting Archie.   The weather forecast is 100% rain so I won't even be able to chuck 'em out into the waterlogged garden. 

Take care, Sam, and you Caroline, Vee, et al xxx

If I can remember how to do it I might remove Archie on here and put up a snap of the Bobbin monster, he is so cute looking and can be an angel!

 xxx

PS  I did remember and my photo now is a painting I did of Bobbin when he was 10 weeks old  

Sam, I'm sorry to hear that your dad has died but like Christine said, he is no longer suffering and Im glad to hear he had a "good" death with his family around him. 
Your praise of the palliative care team is wonderful to hear. Sadly I'm not a nurse or involved in patient care as such. I manage volunteers within the palliative care team and run a Befriending Service for people who suffer from a life limiting or chronic illness and are lonely or isolated. The palliative care teams I work along side are just amazing and it's lovely to hear that they gave you amazing support.

Storm Eunice has left her mark down here and we have now been without electricity for 54 hours. They are saying it should be on by 11pm tomorrow but it does keep changing as originally should have been on by 11pm yesterday (Saturday). Luckily I have a very resourceful husband who has brought home a generator from work and we have a bit of power. (Wifi and TV working so all is calm and we are able to charge phones!) Log burner is on and heating the water so we are warm and able to shower. I've taken tomorrow off work and it's half term so niece not at work and youngest not at college. Think we might go out for the day!! 
Christine, love the painting!!

Caroline xx

Hi Caroline,

I'm glad you are able to make the best of your current situation, and you are all safe and warm. Here is not so bad. We seem to be faring better than most, at the moment. We had heavy snow yesterday morning but it was gone as fast as it came by mid afternoon.  It has not stopped raining for the last few hours, my garden path looks like a canal and Archie was very puzzled as he splashed his way out to pee.

Glad you like the painting - he will never look like that again, so I did it for my daughter.  He's a gangly blond scruff now. He's had one haircut and he's due another next week.  My daughter has asked me to try to clear his dreadlocks around his back end as the groomer said she will shave him if she can't just brush them!

Ive just seen on the news there's another storm on the way, so staying indoors and staying warm is the only way to go.

xxx

Just wanted a check in! How is everyone doing? 
 

caroline xx

Hiya,

i was thinking the same thing. All okay Chez Sheltie but for being foolhardy and getting so excited by the good weather I did gardening and spring cleaning and am now almost immobile ecause of my knees..

I'm getting them injected next week so I'll be ok after that.  I'm going to have to  start to listen to them complaining before I need artificial ones!

In the meantime I'm taking it easy.  That's only possible when Bobbin is at home,but, two days a week my daughter has to go to the office and "Grandma" does doggy daycare. He isn't back until next Tuesday so I'm hoping to be able to play with him then.  Archie let's me down over playing with Bobbin by running away and leaving playtime to me.

I hope all is well at yours and that everyone else is ok, too.

Christine xxx

Hiya,

i was thinking the same thing. All okay Chez Sheltie but for being foolhardy and getting so excited by the good weather I did gardening and spring cleaning and am now almost immobile ecause of my knees..

I'm getting them injected next week so I'll be ok after that.  I'm going to have to  start to listen to them complaining before I need artificial ones!

In the meantime I'm taking it easy.  That's only possible when Bobbin is at home,but, two days a week my daughter has to go to the office and "Grandma" does doggy daycare. He isn't back until next Tuesday so I'm hoping to be able to play with him then.  Archie let's me down over playing with Bobbin by running away and leaving playtime to me.

I hope all is well at yours and that everyone else is ok, too.

Christine xxx

Hi there

All good here, been very busy..mostly with trying too get an Ukrainian refugee for my spare room…let’s just say the system isn’t there and nothing is joined up, very frustrating but luckily there’s lots of tenacious people like me around!

My mothers estate is getting there re sorting out so am now mortgage free, a wonderful feeling indeed, raised many a glass to that one.  Her house sale is progressing fine too so fingers crossed all sorted within a couple of months.

Me and the step mother have also sorted (just as well I’m an expert now) my fathers stuff which was thankfully so much more straightforward than my mothers, she was actually in hospital yesterday having a knee operation…I hadn’t realised how big an op it was, may have to go up next week to provide support depending how she gets on (love an excuse for a visit back to the motherland).  Have you considered the op Christine??  I’ll let you know how she gets on if its of interest.

Other than that its work (dull), gym & bike rides (lovely) and counting down the days until I move back up north (sad but true…I have a retirement calculator app thing on my phone…its just doesn’t count down quickly enough!!) I’ve been getting out and about a bit…

Did manage to drag the poor Adrian to Brighton Sunday…blummin cold but lovely, much prefer the seaside when there’s not the hordes of sun-lovers, had a lovely (and by lovely I mean HUGE!) fish and chip lunch so a very good time was had by all.

Finally had our gals annual catch up at the spa (not been for 2/3 yrs) which was soooo nice although I did overdo it on the fitness classes (aerobics is not my friend re jumping, lack of differentiation between left and right and no coordination whatsoever) as you do but as much as my bum ached my cheeks ached more from laughing…mainly at myself.

I also managed to finish some painting (get me!), don’t worry Christine your place as artist in residence is safe as mine were walls & ceilings, far safer so I now have (light) purple bathroom walls (love ‘em) but one resulting downside is that I can now show the world the colour of said walls on my lymphoedema compression glove (doh! Why didn’t I wear my marigolds mmm?).

In the process of organising a pals 50th celebrations…there’s 11 of us going to Dubrovnik June, I’ve been before but that doesn’t detract from my excitement and I love planning!  I’ve decided am going to stay out a few extra days to do some reading (never manage to make time to read at home and have so many books that I want to read), just me….love my own indulgence!!

Glad all animals appear to be ok (Caroline has your monster settled any more??) all 4 furry beasts here are fine, creating much mess and beseeching for more food here…bit like their owner actually.

Enjoy those spring bulbs, as I will tell you every year they’re my fave…tulips are about to pop here and bluebells out very shortly…love it!  The only thing I don’t like about spring is the clock change, I had to tell the Waitrose delivery man ‘off’ the other day for being early (was eating my dinner), his poor confused face when he realised I hadn’t put my clock forward…what an idiot I am, I did of course apologise profusely and reminded myself that I am not always right!!!  Still need to change that clock….

Have fun! XX

Hi Sam,

As always, reading your stories makes my day!  
As I was reading I was saying to myself, I must remember to reply to that point, probably about five times, so here goes.....

We have a family of refugees from Ukraine staying on our cul de sac.  The husband is actually British with a Ukrainian wife and two boys.  They lived in a flat in Kyiv (sp?) and as soon as the bombing started they grabbed what they could, got into the car and headed for the hills, well, the border, actually. presumably, he was able to get them to UK easily because he's British, but they had to leave behind.  almost everything they owned. There is a nice lady, who bought my opposite neighbour's bungalow when he died, she herself was resettling from France, and actually is rarely here, for whatever reason. Her daughter knew of the refugee family and the mum has let them stay in her bungalow. My lovely neighbours set up a Messenger group at the beginning of lockdown so anyone who needed help could pass the word.  It had gone quiet lately, but it was quite comforting to know there was always help at hand if you need it.  The word went out on our Messenger page about our new neighbours and immediately a plea was issued for help for them.  Last Friday the new family were presented with £300 worth of edible, play and pampering goodies, plus cash vouchers from our whip-round. The boys have places in the local school but I've only ever seen the dad getting into his car..Having put opaque window blind film on the lower part of my windows to stop the dogs barking at everything that passes, means I can't be a nosey neighbour so it's just coincidence that I have happened to see anything.  It is so nice to have kind neighbours!

Second point to respond to - knee surgery. I was told a few years ago by my GP that my knees were in a really bad way and that surgery will be the only option once the Tablets and injections stop working.  I was referred to an orthopaedic surgeon who literally spent most of the consultation telling me why I don't want an operation. I was already doubtful about having surgery because I knew a few people who had been given new knees and regretted it, not to do it.  I'm still hoping the injections will work. Having them on Thursday, so keeping my fingers crossed they will work again. Please do let me know how your 'mum' gets on.

Point three, - retirement.  My daughter probably could have retired through ill health, any time in the last few years, but she has a dogged nature and kept herself going by taking a huge pay cut and reducing her hours, and the last couple of years, working from home really helped her. However, I'm sure I already said, she was off work nearly three months recently with her gall bladder surgery then Covid ( and loss of Smudge)  When she had her return to work interview, her line  manager said she had reached a couple of trigger points, so they had a discussion about her future  and it seems to be turning out right, for once.  The company don't want to make her redundant because of the ongoing costs, but may be prepared to offer her a cash settlement if she were to take early retirement. It all has to be made official yet but we are keeping our fingers crossed that she will be able to retire at the end of August if the numbers work out ok!!!  She still has a mortgage but also has a lot of equity in her house so it could possibly work out financially for her. I hope it does because she needs to rest completely for at least a year before her health will improve.

Point 4 - I hope you have a lovely time catching up on your reading, I know the feeling of so many books, so little time, but, Dubrovnik seems a bit too close for my liking to Ukraine  My friend's husband recently went to Slovakia, twenty miles from Ukraine border, two weeks after the invasion. I thought that dangerous too.  It is onlyI now that I realise how supportive our parents were when we went to live in Saudi Arabia just a few weeks after the Six day war between Arabs and Israel   I only learned many years later that my mum used to cry every night from worry until she heard from us. A telephone call had to be booked five days in advance in those days and mail could take up to two weeks!  Thank heavens for modern communications!

Point five - tulips  I have been worried about mine as they came up so early, encouraged by all the sunshine then the cold seems to have stunted their growth. They were really tall last year but only one has shot up, very spindly and the flower is white, whereas last year they were all pink.  The rest are budding but only a few inches tall.

Glad you are enjoying life, note for future, change the clocks before you go to bed the night before  The  day they go forward is my favourite day of the year, for that extra hour of daylight with promise of more to come.

Right, that's mine and Sam's life stories updated, Anyone else going to report on the last few weeks?
 

Love

Christine xxx

Hi ladies,

Just a welfare check!

All well Chez Sheltie, dogs, daughter and son all ok.  It is official,my daughter has only two more weeks of work, then it is the summer hols, except she is retiring!  Her contract doesn't end until the end of August, but she works Term time only. I am delighted for her, but it doesn't half make me feel old!

Hoping all is well with you girls,

lots of love

Christine xxx

Hi Everyone,

Seems like a long time since I came on here - shows how life moves on! 
Life is good here. I am currently on day 7 of covid. Felt awful the first few days but been a lot better since Sunday. Having to work from home but no issues with sitting in the garden to work.  Think I caught it off my son and now my hubby has tested positive. Seems covid is def not going anywhere fast! 
We sadly lost one of our cats last month. She went missing for 24 hours and we found her the following day, just on the other side of our garden fence but she had died. Looked like she had been hit, probably by a car. Everyone was so upset - my 17yr old really struggled. We have said we may consider getting another one in the autumn. We did bury Poppy in the garden and my son's girlfriend had a stone engraved for her. 
I have managed to get an MRI in August! I gave my breast nurse a letter I had got off a web site, asking for my breast density and requesting an MRI as part of my screening as high breast density and lobular cancer can mean they get missed on a mammogram. My breast density came back as C, which means it is dense. They have agreed to give me a one off MRI this year but then back to mammograms. I'm grateful for that!! 
Christine, how is your knee? What did you decide to do about possibly having an op? And good news about your daughter! You will be able to see a lot more of each other!

My parents were meant to be staying with us this week but we had to cancel that. Hopefully they can visit soon.

Sam, hope all is good in your life. 
Right, I really should get back to working!! 
 

Caroline xx
 

Hey,

Glad to see my shout out worked! 
i know so many people with Covid, at the moment. It feels strange that we are so laid back about it. I'm one of the few who have never had it, thank goodness.

Sorry to hear about your cat, I know I've had dogs for the last decade but I have had cats in the past and really love them.  I know how much it hurts to lose a pet, it's like losing one of the family.

We have just returned from visiting a neighbour who has the most laid back cat I have ever seen. He lies on the sofa, ostensibly in a deep sleep, then he opens one eye as Archie gives him a kiss. Then he closes it and I swear he has a smile on his face. 

I had an MRI scan before my surgery - be warned it is not a pleasant experience lying face down, boobs dangling going in and out of the machine. I'm afraid my boob density is zero these days.

I had a stack of scans of various kinds on Saturday as part of an imaging trial by uK Biobank. Results are for research purposes only, but they do say that if they find something really bad, they will let you and your doctor know, but not to think it's a health check. I had one MRI on my brain, another for my heart and lungs, a Dexa scan for my bones, ECG and ultrasound on my neck. With each scan I felt more and more wobbly from lying so flat, then the ultrasound on my neck finished me off. I had a full blown vertigo attack. I managed to get to my daughter's for Archie, and she gave me some anti nausea pills and made me wait until I felt better.  I thought I was better, and left, I navigated her steep, wonky path, and felt ok until I bent down to put Archie in the back of the car. I had to cling to the door to stop myself from falling over.  Stupidly, I drove home and was so sick, I puked about six times, fed Arch, let him out to pee and poo, then collapsed on my bed and slept for ten hours. Next day I felt severely hungover and didn't feel right until Monday.  I think I've done my bit for mankind, now, and I will politely decline the next invitation. I got such a telling off for driving home and not asking for help!                                                                             

My knees are still the same, but I keep taking the tablets!  Actually they are not too bad at the moment with the warmer weather. I don't think I will have the operation unless the injections and tablets stop working.
 I do hope you are ok soon, and your parents can come to stay.  Is your niece still with you? 

I am watching Nadal playing quite badly at Wimbledon, but I imagine he will do a Djokovic and end up playing well when it really matters. I would like to see a Nadal v Djokovic final, as I think they will be overtaken by the hot young players after this year. I noticed last week that our current stars are all losing their hair and getting injuries. It's interesting seeing the players I watched in years gone by, sitting in the crowd looking like the old men they are!

Hope the sun is still shining while you work!

lots of love

Christine xx

Hi all

Yes am still alive…despite this evil, oppressive heat….bring on the winter I say with my northern roots well & truly on display.

I would have replied earlier but am just too blummin busy…its ridiculous, the fact that I manage to find time to work is nothing short of miraculous!  Christine glad your daughter has given up work, its the way to go definitely…I’m handing my notice in at the end of the month, how on earth will my work survive without me? by putting up bunting every day and celebrating I suspect.  Hopefully this news doesn’t make Christine feel EVEN older…

Everything good here - especially in light of the previous news! Today am off to a wedding and am so glad that its not the weather forecast of a couple of weeks ago where today was the bonkers hot day.  And on the plus side the wedding isn’t till 5pm.  I did originally decide to wear a lovely dress I have that’s far too big now and tried to take it in…a combination of me (cr4p), the sewing machine (cheap) and the fabric (man made) resulted in much frustration,missing stitches and my now wearing something totally different.  Will stick with patching jeans and cushion covers I think.

The boyfriend is having a melt down as he paid £22 to have an air con unit delivered yesterday that didn’t turn up and now he’s concerned it will be delivered once we’ve left for the wedding (its 2 hrs away) or won’t get here for Monday…I have told him he’s a loon for spending £500 on something he’ll use 3 days a year and that I will be lying down in a dark room to avoid the heat…thankfully my house is old and has thick walls etc. so keeping windows and blinds shut does the trick.

Also managed to fit a holiday in in June, 12 of us went to Dubrovnik to celebrate a pals 50th, fab time had and thankfully flights & airports behaved themselves, and it wasn't too hot!  That's it for hols abroad now until the airline industry madness dissipates though.

Does Archie and your dog Caroline (sorry name eludes me!) like the heat, my cats are just flaked out in the house…actually that’s no change from usual tbh!

I like the new piccy of Archie - he’s such a fluff ball.

Pants news about your cat Caroline, sorry Poppy went in such a way, I’d be devastated if I lost any of my gang and Adrian goes apoplectic when he see’s the dopier of the 4 sat in the road (thankfully its a quiet road…I chose it that way).  But well done on getting the MRI, suspect you’re quite tenacious as I know you have to be to get such things, am assuming the results were fine…I know for a fact that the only thing of mine that’s dense is what’s between my ears.

Christine are you glowing after all your scans?  Good to see you doing your bit for medical research…and glad you’ve finished it if its making you feel pooey!

My knees are getting worse (I blame step aerobics back in the day) , am hoping that I won’t have to have the same operation that my step mother had earlier this year (and that presumably may be on the cards for you too Christine), don’t fancy being out of action for so long.  And I hope Christine that your tablets keep doing the trick…I might need them soon…

Right enough sitting in the garden, better have some lunch before I get glammed up for this wedding (bring on the booze!).

Stay cool ladies! XX

Hi girls,

Glad to hear you're still alive, despite the weather.  I'm quite used to heat,  Sam, having lived in hot climates for twenty years on and off between '74 &'94, it's our British stoicism that causes us to suffer.  Even fifty years ago there were air conditioners in every house where expats lived, locals not so much. My daughter has a full blown system in her house, in bedroom and living room. She also has solar panels on her roof, to pay for it.  It isn't just for hot weather though, her system blows hot air when it's cold. I had one of the portable ones a few years ago, but you had to be able to vent the hot air out of a window, which wasn't possible when I moved here, so I just rely on open windows when it's cool and closed curtains when it gets hot.

What do you plan to do when you leave your job?  Something good, I hope.

Sorry to hear about your knees, my GP says it's time for the operation when the injections and tablets stop working. The consultant I saw spent most of the appointment telling me why I didn't want the surgery.  After he had finished his speech I told him I didn't want it anyway!  He then gave me injections in both knees and hit the bone!  Not only was it excruciatingly painful, they didn't work, but I still had to wait for months before they could be done again.  Recently I have been having them from myGP and bless her, they have been painless and effective! 
I'm glad you weren't one of the thousands whose holidays have been ruined by the airlines. I still can't see the attraction of joining a couple of hundred people in a tin box, breathing in their recirculated air, sharing their germs.  My daughter is nagging me to renew my passport so we can go on holiday to Greece again, but it's not working.  I'll volunteer to mind Bobbin, instead.

It was a lovely day for a wedding, the photos will be beautiful!  We, daughter, dogs and I went to our annual family gathering. Also known as a music festival organised by cousins of my kids. The dogs were impeccably behaved and Archie even let some little children stroke him.  Usually he runs a mile at the sight of anyone shorter than three feet. Of course everyone loved Bobbin, who performed beautifully for anyone who showed him some attention. These events have been going for a few years now, and have raised a lot of money for different charities, this year it was the Air Ambulance and a food bank. The noticeable difference this year was the large number of little children, and the lack of oldies like me.  I suppose that's the norm with the passage of time.
 Caroline, I hope you are fully recovered from the Covid, by now, and are enjoying the sunshine, although the temperatures are a wee bit over the top for a normal British Summer.  At least it will be gone before we know it.

I was supposed to have a face to face checkup on July 1st, but it didn't happen, I just got a phone call telling me not to turn up at the hospital but no hint of rescheduling.  That's three years in September from diagnosis, and October for surgery  and not one six monthly checkup in person.  It'll be time for my next mammogram soon, they don't usually cancel that!

Take care, ladies, and catch you in another few months 

love

Christine xx

Hi again,

After two and a half years of being really careful, I have succumbed to the dreaded  Covid!   On Saturday, I went against my better judgement and decided not to appear antisocial at our annual family gathering by wearing a mask and I flipping catch it!!!! I'm very cross!
 

Christine xx  

If you get past it relatively unscathed, it might not actually be a bad thing. An infection along with the boosters offer the best all round protection.

We all caught it at the end of February, and the wife did have to get antibody infusions, but she was ok with it. Had she not tested positive (she had a raging temp for one day and got rushed in in-case it was an infection), i wouldn't have even known i had had it. She was fine after day 1. I had no symptoms other than a dry right nostril for a day. So i can see why some people just go out and about and don't even realise.

That said, it does seem like a lottery. I know someone who had it badly, and a lot of others who were floored for a day or 4.

Before we had got it, the kid was off School from before Christmas, and was home schooling. We were caught between a rock and a hard place because she must have felt isolated. Getting it also allowed her to go back to school. It was actually a relief to get it and kinda get a wee bit of normality back into our lives.

Oh no! Same happened to me a couple:laugh: of weeks ago!! I'd been bragging to people at work that I thought I was immune, then the following evening woke up feeling crap, got up, did a test and was positive! Felt crap for the first 4 days. Fatigue, coughing, like a heavy cold. Still coughing now, 3 weeks later! My friend has just caught it - also managed to avoid it until now too! Our hospital cases have shot up and we've gone back to having to wear masks.

I did spread my love/germs with my husband :laugh: