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 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:

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:

Yes, Caroline, I, too,was bragging that I had never had it, although all around me were falling victim. My mother always told me it doesn't pay to brag about anything! 
It hit me very suddenly in the middle of the afternoon on the hottest day of the year.  Thought it might be the effects of the heatwave, as I did once suffer from sunstroke as a child. Then my throat started hurting, and my head aching, so I did a test. When it showed positive, I didn't believe it, so I did another one, very carefully, so I had to believe it when that was also showing positive!

Yesterday I had the typical common cold/Omicron symptoms, cough, sore throat, headache, but apart from that I felt ok.  Today, I have all those on speed, plus, I want to go back to bed and sleep all day. My daughter is coming to take Archie to her house so I can do. I can barely speak, my head is banging, my throat feels raw and I am coughing for England.  I am so rarely ill,  that I'm grumpy when I'm not well, and I'm really grumpy now!  I will feel better when my meds kick in, I hope.

My son FaceTimed me yesterday and made me promise to let him know if I get worse and he will come up.  Hmm!  Do I want the tender administrations of my loved one? Mmm y-e-s, but do I want to be smothered with love and force fed, allowed to do nothing? Perhaps not!  Hopefully I'll be back to normal in the five days they say it will last.

It just shows, mother is always right!

Christine x

Oh dear and welcome to the club! Don't want you being in a special club full of the few that haven't had it...

Those social occassions are lovely but lethal...I hope you had fun at the get together....and it was worth it. I got mine en route back from the Edinburgh fringe last year - well worth it.

Glad to say I've recently had my over 75s booster as 'they' still think I'm extremely vulnerable (!!) and am not one to look a covid gift horse in the chops

Hope you're better soon...I think you love the extra attention from those ultra concerned children of yours really...ha!!

Xx

Hi girls,

I am happy to say I'm back in the land of the living! So much for five days! I was still testing positive two weeks later and then it took me another week to start feeling vaguely human again. Three weeks of enforced idleness is no fun when you have to catch up with all the jobs you should have done in that three weeks, but I am getting there, slowly but surely. The only outstanding task yet to be completed is to groom Archie.  I got as far as trimming the hair under his feet and cutting his toenails but he keeps avoiding me if I even look at his box of brushes, combs and sprays. A Sheltie takes a lot of brushing!

During my enforced idleness I reread all our conversations on here and was amazed at how much I had forgotten about my cancer stuff already. I was surprised to see how many people other than we three had popped in for a visit. If any of those people are reading this, please say hi and let us know how you are doing.

As I was reading our messages to each other, a little voice in my head kept wondering who holds the copyright to our ramblings because it felt for all the world as though I was reading an interesting and amusing book, and such a book would be really useful for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients to see there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  My brother sent me a book written by two doctors who had both had breast cancer who were able to write about the condition from both sides. That probably helped to make me as accepting as I was about the whole palaver!

I have done quite a lot of work today, so I am resting with my feet up reading news on the iPad. I feel for the mother of the little boy whose life support was turned off today, but totally get why it had to be and thank heavens I have been fortunate enough to never face anything like that in my life.

On that note I shall close, wishing you a fine and happy weekend, lots of love,

Christine xxx

Oh Christine, your message did make me smile. You fancy writing the book? :wink: 

Sounds like Covid gave you a tough time. But glad to hear you are now picking up, although I bet Archie is keeping a wide berth! Wow - to read through all those message must have taken a while! I am now tempted to go back to the beginning to read through too. 3 years does seem like a lifetime away and I have to say while my normal is kind of different nowadays (more appreciative of life but different worries too) I do think the cancer journey we went on seems so far away. 
Im currently waiting for a date for an MRI and my annual mammogram. Not overly worried about either to be fair - although I do seem to be checking my boobs quite a lot at the moment! 
Life is its usual busy. My eldest son is off back to the US on Wednesday to start his second year at college. Not home again until Dec. Got a few weekends away planned for this month and did have 5 days in Weymouth at the end of July. It was my 25th wedding anniversary last week and we are off on a cruise in October. My plan is now to shift some tummy stodge. I've bought myself a new trend hula hoop and am aiming to do it everyday (let's see how long I manage :laugh:

Sam - have you stopped working now? If so, how is life going? 
Right off to bed. Take care ladies xx 

Hi Caroline, 

I apologise for not having replied sooner, but life just goes on and things crop up and it's nearly a month since I even came on here.

Quick zip through the past month.  I still felt a bit groggy from the Covid for another week or so, but was  able to enjoy my daughter's early retirement with nice walks in the cool of the woods during the hot weather.  It's coming up to the time when my girlfriends have their birthdays. The first one, a 70th was celebrated by taking her out for the day, having a lovely meal then going to see a show. Very nice! Then on the Friday she held a party at her home for all her other friends and family and neighbours.  It was spoilt for my daughter and I, because we were getting updates from my son's partner on how he was after being knocked off his motorbike on a roundabout, that afternoon.  He was very lucky, really, he got away with a broken noses split chin requiring the plastics team, an arm broken in two places and six broken ribs. All very painful but recoverable. It was a good job it didn't happen a day earlier because she only arrived back from Australia the day before.  
I've been landscaping the front garden. That's not as exacting as it sounds as it is very small and I have just trimmed the hedges and created a gravel path where there used to be a big tree.  And - wait for it......I have finally captured the face of the baby I am painting.  I only have the rest of the painting to do now, but she is there, with her twinkly eyes and cute little smile.  On that note I shall take a bow and say goodnight.

Congratulations on your wedding anniversary, and good luck with the hoopla hoop, never could master that.

Sam, if you are reading this, hope all's well with you.

Love,

Christine xxx

Hi ladies

I am here and reading! Sorry it has been a delayed response – am just being cr4p.

And what a day, poor Liz eh, I mean she had a jolly good innings and all that but still sad, I do like looking at the vox-pops of funny stories/Paddington/James Bond etc., makes me shed a little tear.

Glad you are back Christine – though two weeks of idleness I could do with right now (not the cause though!).  Good to know you passed the time reading about us…am sure that helped the recovery go that little better.  My BCN suggested I write a book, not altogether sure why but it would fall into my CBA folder (can’t be ar5ed)

On a work countdown to finishing, thankfully, just really cannot be bothered anymore…luckily only 4 weeks left but motivation of any sort is significantly lacking and am having a really busy day (though not so busy I can’t finally reply – priorities and all!!). My leaving do is 6 October…am hoping my colleagues have taken on board that I don’t want any more clutter in my house and that John Lewis vouchers will be most welcome…we’ll see.  I think the boyfriend is worried that I’ll have nothing to do, I do keep reminding him that I have several long term projects that still require completion (like the cushions but worse) that are of a DIY nature and I find getting bored is just not in my nature.  Soon I too will have time to re-read our journey and will definitely be sorting an unruly garden out…

Caroline – bad news re son, be glad it wasn’t a car I guess but hope he’s doing well and recovering ok

Most excitement of late was my annual trip to the Edinburgh fringe; you will not be surprised to know it was not filled with highbrow events but with great (and dodgy) comedy and lots of food & drink.  We stayed in a lovely apartment on the Royal Mile, however now am semi-retired this will be the last of that sort of nonsense! Sensible hotels in future…

The excitement above was only marginally eclipsed by the completion of another long-term project, after a decade I finally defrosted my freezer (gosh, the fun in my life eh?). It had got to the point that I could not shut the door fully and then at all and what with all these ridiculous energy prices thought it probably was not a good thing so finally the day came.  I’m glad to say that the contents that I had been finely curated over a number of years survived and will now live to a ripe old age in a cold (but now snow and ice filled) home that I can now actually fit all the drawers back in.

Been suffering so much with all the hot weather of late, that combined with hot flushes ( think they’ve got worse since I stopped the zolodex which stops oestrogen production, goes to show its worked I guess?) have made me a very miserable lass….thankfully as I write it’s raining and a balmy 16 degrees…bliss!  I know the north still suffered from the heat this year but will be so glad to get back up there for the coolness (people and temperatures!!).

Recently had my annual mammo too and given I haven’t heard anything a  month later am thinking all is fine, I’ll chase at some point but not bothered tbh.

Caroline – hope your mammo & MRI went well and the hula-ing is going well, I have tried this and like tennis, dancing, aerobics there is just not enough co-ordination in my body to allow for such activities, some days ( well most days actually) it is a struggle not to fall over my own feet.

Keep well ladies X

Maybe I should change my photo to a freezer now??

Hi Sam,

Sorry, but I don't think defrosting (freezer) is on a par with making (cushions)  Nice to hear from you again, it feels a long time.  Roll on retirement eh?  My daughter has been officially retired for two weeks now.  She had her final salary payment with lump sum, but as yet she doesn't know how much pension she is going to get.  She had a letter from her pension department with higher figures than she was expecting, then a conversation with said department knocked her back down to her original estimated figure, then she got a letter from the Inland Revenue, acknowledging her new position of retiree with a warning that she will still need to pay tax on her pension, but, like you, she is an accountant and knows about these things, and she knows that she will only be required to pay tax on her pension, this year or in future, if she gets the higher figure she has been told she isn't getting. So she's none the wiser about her monthly pension.  The reason for the confusion is about how the pension is calculated. The pension amount is based on the highest three years of earnings in the last thirteen years, I think, but don't quote me.  Her problem is she had to reduce her hours, because of her health a few years ago, which sort of skews the calculations. She is sensible so is expecting no more than her original calculation, and if it's more, whoopee!  Her work colleagues gave her a good send off, with a night out and an envelope full of money, to buy her own present! Just casually mention that to yours and that might give them a hint!

It is my son who got knocked off his motorbike, not Caroline's. On the day of the accident he had to be lifted off the road and into the ambulance and spent hours in A&E, having  X-rays and scans done, ending up with them telling him he had a broken nose, split chin, six broken ribs and a broken arm in two places.  Great, could have come off much worse.  A few days later he had to go back to the hospital to have his chin sorted by the Plastics team, and he was supposed to be seen by Orthopaedics to set his arm properly BUT they couldn't get an appointment for that, so they got their doctor to refer him to go private.  His new set of tests, last week, showed he has two broken arms, a smashed wrist and two broken feet as well as the ribs and nose. He seems to be in fairly good spirits, despite everything. He suspected one of his feet was damaged in some way because it crunched (and hurt a bit) when he walked the dog! It doesn't bear thinking about if those breaks had not been discovered, he could end up crippled!

I was quite sad when the Queen died, it certainly feels like the end of an era.  From what I've seen, Charles will do a good job, he's had enough time to prepare for it. The wall to wall coverage has been a bit much, although I did watch the procession today.  My daughter, who is usually a tough old bird has been quite emotional about it all and I am the only person among those I have spoken to about it, who actually remembers the last Coronation.  I also remember falling in love with the Duke of Edinburgh thinking he was gorgeous. I was only six!  I have a distinct memory of walking in two's from our infant school to a canteen for school dinners, about half a mile away and the conversation was about Prince Philip now being called the Duke of Edinburgh.  Coronation day itself is clear in my memory, apparently  the pubs were selling a special Coronation Beer, that apparently was extra strong. We were the only family on our street to have a television, so the front room was full of my parents' friends and neighbours, and crates of beer.  The men were getting drunk and people who couldn't fit inside the room were outside  looking in the opened window!  According to my mother, there were more fights in the town that night than before or since. We lived on a main road, so my sister and I used to spend lots of time sitting in our bedroom window watching  the world go by. On Saturday nights, about 11.30, we used to wait for the last bus from the dance hall in the next town, bringing home all the teenagers. It always seemed so exciting, they were laughing and shouting and having so much fun, we were so envious.  Funnily enough, by the time we were old enough to join them times had changed and no one went there any more and they turned it into a bingo hall! 
I'm jealous about your Edinburgh trip. I used to go every year, to the fringe and to the Bank party at Hogmanay. Love Edinburgh but haven't been for a long time.

I'm a bit miffed that you've had your mammogram, I haven't heard from the BCN's since I had a phone call cancelling my July 1st checkup.  I used to get my appointment at that (telephone) checkup for my mammogram.  I called their office two weeks ago, to hear a promise to get back to me,"but it won't necessarily be today"  I called again, two days ago, still waiting for an answer to why I haven't  had either the checkup or the appointment date. It's a good job I don't think there's anything wrong. 
It is beginning to feel a bit cooler, in the mornings now, so no more heat wave. Actually, we might be glad of hot flushes this winter if we can't afford to put the heating on! 

Take care, 

Christine xx

PS Quick update, today, Friday, I have received a letter via the NHS Portal inviting me to an appointment with the Breast Specialist  Nurses on Oct 14th at 11.20am.  It will be interesting to see if I actually get there, or if it will be cancelled by telephone two days before, and I wonder if it was coming anyway or if it is a result of my reminder telephone calls.

Ciao xx

End of week 2 of not working and LOVING IT!  How I ever had time to do any work is quite frankly beyond me, most days I am really full on trying to get stuff done - luckily none of it that important.  Last week’s achievement was a jigsaw, the only problem is that I find such things very addictive and therefore will do them non-stop, hence I managed quite a challenging 1,000 piece in 2 days.  Love a jigsaw….

Do I miss work at all?  Not one bit!  Gave my leaving card/flowers and helium balloon a week before they were all recycled/chucked.  And even before your suggestion Christine I had already made it clear that I wanted ££ for my leaving gift not more clutter for my house! Am actually seeing probably the only ex-colleague I can be bothered to keep in touch with next week, a nice foursome with our husbands/partners….made even better by no work the following day.

Christine I hope your daughter is as over-joyed with her new life as I am, despite the fact that she wasn’t work shy like me and that she got her pension sorted to her satisfaction.

Anyway enough of annoying you with my (very lucky) non-work joy….

All good here, finally got annual mammo results back and all clear (never in any doubt luckily), after a brief hot weather related hiatus am back on the bike which, although quite muddy at this time of year, is lovely.  Yesterday I was cycling through loads of beautiful trees that were raining leaves on me, it was so uplifting….probably as a)its gorgeous but b)that nasty summer has gone.  The size of acorns and cookers this year re the heat of the summer…don’t think I’ve ever seen them so large.

As its going to be fine after today am going to tidy the garden a bit before it gets cooler-on the subject of which I reckon there’s a higher force at work making it warm so we don’t have to use too much very expensive energy - and long may it last!

My morning routine now consists of getting up at a normal time (7 to 8am - it used to be 5.30 to accommodate pre work exercise, ow!), a leisurely breakfast catching up with BBC news on iPad during which the cheekier of the cats walks all over the breakfast bar until I turn the tap on so it can drink from it which results in whomever is sat opposite me being covered in water spatter…nice.  Hygiene standards low here and all meal time are accompanied by at least 5 cat hairs.  It's also made worse by the propensity of cat hairs to stick to my compression glove, that and my naturally greasy skin ensures am always adorned somewhere by cat hairs....its a look!

Christine - hope your son continues his recovery, I love motorbikes and used to ride one (not very well or safely I hasten to add) but, due to car users, they are such a risky form of transport - one of the main reasons why I stick to bridlepaths as much as possible.  Hope your planned mammo happened, suspect like me you’ll be waiting weeks for results though.

Please tell me Caroline that you’ve had your MRI & mammo by now and all’s well?  And how was/is the cruise?  25 years is very impressive, especially by todays standards, I’ve been with my chap for 20 years but would only get married for tax reasons (ah, the romance…).

Hope all is well with both of you (and anyone else who is reading) and you’re having nearly as much fun as I am!

X

Hi ladies,

Lovely to hear from you both. All good here. I had my yearly mammogram in August - all clear. My MRI was also clear which was a relief! Also had to go for an urgent appointment at the gynae clinic, where they took a biopsy - the most painful thing ever!!! But all clear! So I'm "healthy" and cancer free! :happy:

Our 25th anniversary cruise was amazing. Far too much to eat and drink but walked a fair few miles around some lovely cities.  I even did a few visits to the ship's gym!! Going on the running machine while sailing through the Bay of Biscay was an experience :laugh: Think I only felt sea sick on the first night - but that may have been down to the amount of alcohol consumed - (well it was my birthday! ) as well as the choppy waters.
Work is pretty hectic. We've had people leave/go off sick/ due to leave so I've been doing extra to help out. Means I'm doing a lot of extra hours. Today was manic and I felt like I sat at my desk for all of 10 min as the day flew past so quickly.

My kids continue to make my life "interesting" My eldest, who is over in the US called on Friday to tell me he had gotten very drunk on his birthday night out, had his phone stolen, then found his phone but was unable to retrieve it (long story), retrieved his phone but case with drivers licence and bank card were gone. Phone then not charging so he has no access to money, potentially no phone! And is so far away there isn't a great deal we can do. Anyway, he has frozen bank card, using an old account and phone is now working. It's no wonder I have to dye my hair to cover the grey!! 

Sam - I have to say I did feel slightly jealous reading about how much you are enjoying "not working" and it did cross my mind to start thinking of how much longer I would want to work. My hubby has his own business and his plan is to retire mid 50's and travel. I think, in my head, I feel like a ticking time bomb - just waiting for the cancer to come back, so don't want to leave it too late but don't feel ready yet.

Christine, how did your appointment go on the 14th? Did you manage to get there, without it being cancelled and have you had your mammogram yet?

Well, I am knackered so need to head to my bed - had too many late nights recently and I'm looking more tired now than before I went away! (Only been back a week :laugh:)

Take care, catch up soon.

Caroline xx