Reasons to be Cheerful Friday 20th July #R2BC

I have totally lost the plot on which week I'm upto in the year so have resorted to dates. This agrees with my inner Virgo which likes absolutes!
I've been naughty and wish to confess. I've wanted a new camera for a while now, kept putting it off because I couldn't warrant the cost. On a whim I went into the shop, tried a couple out and bought a Sony SLT-A37K, plus lots of extras. It was a lot of money to spend on a luxury item.....just for me. Feel a little bit guilty but at the same time happy. A guilty pleasure. Still not sure how to use the thing, so many buttons and settings, but will have many happy hours working it all out
Finally it looks like the weather will be improving. Maybe my mood will too!
Following last week's #R2BC post I've posted three or four quotes along the theme of Silver Linings. I've enjoyed going through my photo's to find just the right picture to accompany each quote and think I'll make it a regular feature on Glass Half Full. It's combining a healthy positive attitude with my joy in taking photo's. Win win all round. Take a look at the ones already published here, and let me know what you think.
I'm taking part in St Luke's Midnight Walk on Saturday and am getting excited if not a little bit scared.  If you are able to sponsor, I'd be grateful. The link for my Just Giving Page is https://www.justgiving.com/account/your-pages/Fay-7-Miles/
My chemo feet are killing me, I'm not sure I will make it round, but will put my best foot forward and try. Hopefully will have 'completed the walk' as part of next week's #R2BC

30,000 Tweets....

Please note : Before you read this I need to let you know, I've called out a few people who follow me, just a few. I love all of you, please don't be too upset if I've not included you. The post would have been just too long otherwise :)**

I've reached a milestone of 30,000 tweets, not much for some, but a big figure for me. But what does that number actually represent?

I've been on Twitter since May 2008, but it took until I got my iPhone late 2009 before I really 'got into' Twitter. Before that, it was weekend and evening's only and then only when I thought about it.

If I'm being honest, back then, I used it more to figure out
a) where my boss at the time, @Breenster was, and more importantly
b) what sort of mood he was in before I asked a question !!??

People I mainly followed were work colleagues. I used to get a bit star struck when visiting another site and realising I was sat near to the great and good of twitterati company fame. I bumped into @peewii in a hotel corridor and realised who it was from her avatar. First and probably last time we met face to face!

It was a bit of fun, a novelty piece, like looking through a window onto someone else's view of life.

It changed for me though when I was told I might have uterine cancer, the treatment of which was a total hysterectomy. I started this blog and through Twitter I 'met' and made friends with people who helped me through it. For the four or five months I was ill and not as mobile as I would have liked, Twitter was there with a supportive tweet at silly o'clock in the morning and a virtual hug on the bad days. @cleanless @grealis and @alittlebit are just a couple of tweeters who come to mind.

Through Twitter I've learnt so much. The best iPad apps to use, the greatest sites for funny pictures, amazing people to follow, great tips on reducing clutter, recipes, new foods to try, inspirational quotes (the one on my header is from @inspirationguy)

I've watched programmes like The Apprentice, Britains Got Talent and The Voice, not to mention important sporting events like England matches or tennis, and feel like a bunch of friends are in the room with me. The observations make me laugh and I feel part of something bigger.

Three years ago, although alone on New Years Eve, as MrC underwent surgery, I wasn't lonely.

@peter_agambar had faith in my son from a speculative tweet last summer to give him a job, landscaping the garden (Bless him, he started on one of the hottest's days and got sun burnt. The second day it poured down and was soaked through to his skin!)

I'm now more in touch with what is going on in my local area from the guys I now follow (and keep planning on meeting up with one day!) and more upto date with what's going on in the world in general, thanks to the people who tweet links to important events (The London Riots, Gaza, Whitney's death, who won the Apprentice to name but a few)

I joined Slimming World last year and now have a support group of SW devotee's. Who needs to go to a meeting when these wonderful people are there for me at the touch of a button? Want to know the syn value of something or need talking out of eating that chocolate bar, turn to twitter. (@BeeBeeCavendish @Anjeebaby @Vicki_Harrop @fiannah@Sulalee1 and many many others) Want to plan your meals to help keep on track? Meal Planning Mondays from @madamding has hit the spot! 

Even some of the spam bots have made me smile! Hello 'marmite bot' and the 'spelling' bot is very useful too!

When @Churchyc4 moved to London she found the easiest way to keep in touch was through Twitter! (Does that make me sad!? Hey, it works for us) It was fun and we know what sort of day each other is having.

I've been introduced through friends and friends of friends to new blogs which have made me laugh, made me think, inspired and made me cry. I've read about birth, death and everything else in between.

I talk to people from the other side of the world, people I've never met, but feel connected to. (@JaneofAustralia is just one who springs to mind!)

Reasons to be Cheerful (#R2BC) from @michelletwinmum has enabled me to share my good days and brush over and forget about the worst of the bad ones.

My #tedthetumour this year has been interesting to say the least and new twitter friends have been there for me too. @woolhatwoman @MrsBorderreiver @laurenbigeejit @LizAnne_x @PhilippaDavey @SAHDandproud @TheBoyandMe @amumonamission @TheBoyandMe @Kateab @MammyWoo to name just a few.

@dorkymum wrote a post recently called Twitter is Like If you haven't read it, please do because it sums it up beautifully. I'm lucky to have that room in my house

The last six months have been hard, the hardest I've ever had to deal with. And I won't lie to you, when I say things are still difficult. However Twitter has helped me immensely. It's entertained, informed, supported, counselled and listened. It's made me realise there are always people worse off than yourself and be thankful for what you have.

That's where 30,000 tweets have gotten and given me. They represent friends and a supporting network and here's to the next 30,000

What does Twitter give or mean to you?

** Maybe if you weren't named this time, you'll be included in the 50,000 tweet posting!

Email from my Brother : Beat the Straw!

The next mail from my brother, they are coming thick and fast! Last one was all about wood, this is now paddocks and the rats are back!

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Hi Fay,

How’s it going?  This week we’ve finished the fences at our place.  I say “we” but of course the fencing guy finished doing the fences and we transferred the money over for his troubles.  Well Juliette transferred the money over, I just made a pot of tea and laid out the chocolate digestives on a plate while she did it.  Sometimes you’ve got to get your hands dirty to get the job done.

So the fences are all done that is all except the fence that will eventually block off the main house from the road because we’re getting the new, smaller front paddock turned into a car parking area.  From that point on it will be known as the “car park” paddock.  Likewise my archery range paddock will be known as the “archery paddock”.  The vegetable paddock will be known as the “vegetable paddock”, the largest paddock will be called the “big paddock” and the paddock between the vegetable paddock and the big paddock will be called the “middle paddock”.  Finally the paddock in front of the barn will be known as the “barn paddock” (because it’s in front of the barn).  Juliette disagrees with my naming system because she’s Mary-Mary-Quite-Contrary and wants to call the paddocks A,B,C etc.  I suggest my naming method is better as it’s clear to whom ever needs to know which paddock is which (“Which is the “car park” paddock?”, “The one with the freakin’ cars parked in it!”) but Juliette insists on naming the paddocks after prison blocks or like we’re Cold War spies and must not let on to the enemy where we’re grazing the alpacas this week.

So now the only problem we’ve got is that we now need lights out on the car park paddock (henceforth known as paddock F) for when it gets dark.  We’re in the country so when it gets really dark (i.e. when there’s no full moon and the clouds block out the stars) it’s really dark.  I had looked into getting 1000 watt mains driven 240 volt floodlights but decided instead that two LED lights run off three double-A batteries was the best.  You know, because I don’t have to faff about running electricity out to a field.  You just nail the LED jobby up on a tree and let it do it’s battery driven thing.  Easy!

I did of course test these battery flood lights by first of all buying them, popping three AA batteries in them and then waiting for night to fall before going outside and waving my arms in front of it.  They switch on when they detected a human presence and the box says the batteries last nine months based on three light ups per night.  So I waved by arms and hey presto, two beams of light came out of these two little LEDs and lit up the garden.  Okay so you’re not going to be looking for any needles with the amount of light they give out but they do the job.  They even powered down by dimming the light when you were out of detection range rather than just switching off.  Classy.  So I’ve got these LED lights in my hand right….

You may remember I caught a rat in the loft a few weeks ago.  I took that trap and put it in the garage because there were quite a few rat droppings in the garage and wondered if maybe Tom the Cat had decided to lose a bit of weight and cut down on the rat meals.  I’d left the rat trap on one of two desks we’ve got stored in the garage ready to go once Eva and Sam are old enough to have their own rooms and need desks.  Obviously I was planning on flicking the rat shit off them before moving the desks over to the house but for now all they sport are a petrol can, some tins of paint and one rat trap primed with peanut butter.

So I go into the garage and because I’m carrying the LED flood lights I use that to illuminate the interior.  That’s cool because in such a small space there’s more light given off from the battery operated flood light than the two energy efficient light bulbs that have their light switch currently blocked off from easy access on the other side of the garage because ome idiot parked two desks in front of the light switch.  One day I’ll move that light switch to somewhere more convenient, but for now I can see from the LED lights that the rat trap is no longer on the desk.  It’s on the floor.  Or more accurately it’s on the pile of hay on the floor.  We keep bales of hay in the garage to do the Guinea Pig bedding and feed the alpacas.  Currently we’ve got two bales opened up and loose and so nestled in that hay was one end of the rat trap poking up.

See previous post called Email from my brother : Stab! Stab! Stab!

I think I mentioned last time that I had tied a piece of string to one end of the rat trap and as that end was poking free I stepped as close as I felt comfortable to grab the string (burying my legs up to my ankles in hay as I did so).  I could then pull the string up to see the trap and ascertain whether I had got a rat.  This I did successfully and saw that there was no rat and all was good.  Not really.  I grabbed the string and found that the string pulled back because I did in fact have a rat in the trap and that little f*cker was still very much alive.

Earlier in the week I was feeding the Guinea Pigs with their five kilogram bag of Guinea Pig and Rabbit Food.  I grab the bag, carry it out to their cage, get the bowl and tip some of the muesli like contents out.  I was a bit surprised this time when the little nuts and stuff stopped flowing out of the corner I’d cut into the plastic bag because of a blockage.  After a couple of shakes the cause of the blockage revealed itself to be a field mouse because it's fury arse dropped into the bowl.

The mouse looked a bit shocked.

I was a bit shocked.

I wondered if I had picked up a bag of Comedy Cat Food by mistake and almost turned the bag around to re-read the label.  The field mouse judged that it was time to go all Bourne Identity on me and he back flipped out of the bowl and ran off into the long grass never to be seen again.

However that moment made me realise what the big black momma from the Tom and Jerry cartoons felt when she saw Jerry Mouse strut his stuff in front of her.  It was a kind of a primeval fear of something small and bitey.  That however was a cute field mouse and now I had a plague carrying death rat the size of a Chihuahua to deal with.

So I didn’t feel happy grabbing the string with my bare hands because that felt a bit intimate now.  I looked around and played Goldilocks and Three Gardening Implements.  There was a pair of secateurs (too short), a pair of gardening shears (too long) and a pair of long handle secateurs (just right).  I mean that yes, the long handled secateurs had what is essentially a pair of scissors on the end but the thing was the handles were looooooooong.  Long was good.  I reckoned that if I gripped the string in between the jaws of the blades gently enough I could lift the string, pull up the trap out of the straw and see the rat long enough to figure what my next move was.  So I did.  The long handled secateurs worked a treat.  I lifted the string, pulled up the trap and there, its little rat claws struggling against the plastic jaws the held it’s head, was a really, really pissed off rat.  Better not let this one out!

It was at this point that the LED security lights I’d left propped up on the desk to illuminate the garage decided that there were no humans in need of its services.  Of course not, the little Fresnel Lense and sensor was trained on a dangling shit house rat.  So the LED lights began to fade.  I gave a little involuntary move of fear and the blades of the long handled secateurs closed together.  The sound of the “snip” as the string cut was shortly followed by the “thud” of the trap landing back into the hay.  So I’m in the dark, ankle deep in hay, with a pissed of rat that now may be out of it’s trap and looking to seek revenge.

"Think?  What am I wearing on my feet?  What am I wearing on my GODAMN FEET!  Steel toe capped boots?  No, I am not.  Wellington boots? No.  I’m wearing Crocks again aren’t I?  

Yes I am.

How thick are my socks?  Big woollen winter socks?  No.  Marks and Spencer ankle socks that Juliette’s parents brought me back from their last trip to the UK?  Yes.

How much protection would those socks give me from a rat bite?  Give me a Dungeons and Dragons Armour Class Rating now brain!  

Chainmail class?  No. 

Leather class?  No.

I reckon these socks would give me slightly more protection than not wearing anything at all.  At best I may delay the pain of the teeth biting me for a fraction of a second.

Time to wave my arms around like a loon to get that LED security light working again.  It’s not coming on!  It’s not coming on! 

The light has fallen off the f*cking the desk!  It’s in with the rat!  Oh my God where the f*ck is the rat!  Oh my God where the f*ck is the light!  I’m going to cave it’s rat skull in with these long handled secateurs before it gets me, I am!  Beat the straw!  Beat the straw!"

So I’m beating the straw in the dark, basically doing the Dance of the Morons when the LED lights come back up and I can see that the trap successfully held on to the killer rat and I was panicking for no reason.

Of course I then stepped in and cut the rats head off with the long handled secateurs, stepped from the garage and never gave the place a backward glance.  Of course that never happened either.  I left the rat to a long slow death by rat trap choking.  I came back in the morning and found the rat well and truly dead but missing it’s back legs.  Maybe Tom the Cat had weakened and broken his diet?  Or maybe there’s a bigger rat in there?  I reckon the bigger rat.  So, I’ve got to convince Juliette that I really need to splash out on some medieval plate armour for my feet ...

Love Mark,

xxx

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Good luck with that one! And as always

Guess what?

Yes, you guessed it. My scan was clear. No hiding Ted's! 

I don't like the dark, but I do like light at the end of the tunnel

I get some important scan results at the hospital tomorrow. They'll tell me if I've any other little Ted's hiding away. All weekend I've been thinking about it. I've come to some conclusions, stuff I know about myself. I like lists, so I wrote one

• I like planning things, to have something to look forward to, which don't include a hospital visit or operation.
• I like organising events and people.
• I don't like planning things and having back ups in case 'I'm not upto it or appointments will get scheduled'
• I like absolutes, I like to know the process, what's going to happen next. I like being informed, the energy of being in the know. Not the bleak and windy wasteland of ignorance.
• I like to know where I am and what is expected of me, not lets see what happens
• I like to control myself, not events control me. I especially don't like emotions for the same reason!
• I enjoy being self sufficient and strong.
• I dislike relying on other people.
• I enjoy feeling successful in who I am and what I do.
• I don't like feeling guilty for putting family and friends through this too. If I could manage alone I would.
• I enjoy order, but feel the last few months have been chaos. A chaotic mass of emotions, events, appointments, pain.
• I like goals and achievements, things to aim for.
• I don't like the dark but I do like light at the end of the tunnel

I can see that light, I'm imagining getting back to work soon. And I need a goal, something to aim for, something to focus on and get me fighting fit.

I did have plans for this year, things I was going to do. 2012 was the year I was going to reach my goal weight amongst other things. Over the weekend though, while I wrote my list I resolved to put back into my calendar an event I'd talked about back then. I'd decided to take part in the 30 miles St Luke's Hospice Midnight Walk. I completed 13 miles last year as part of my recovery, enjoyed the challenge and wanted to up the stakes.

However as much as I like a challenge, 30 miles is a bridge too far (plus MrC put his foot down) I even think 13 miles will be too much, as I'm still struggling with two! But I've registered for the 7 mile route, on the 21st of July.

I'm sure I'm going to be told good news at my appointment but even if it's not what I want to hear, I now have a goal, something to look forward to, a way to improve fitness and lift my soul, to raise money for a worthwhile cause.

My blog header has the following, it's tag line

Tackle each challenge with a strength of purpose and an expectation to succeed.

Please click My Just Giving Page and help me take those steps (literally) to bring me out of the tunnel and back into the light and put some order to things! There's nothing like money to motivate!



 

Week 22 #R2BC - 'the one where I've lost my belly button'

I'm just going to dive in and write from my heart the stuff I'm thankful for. I'm still a little 'under the influence' so apologise if I repeat or am grammatically incorrect.

I am sore, but in good spirits following the eviction of Geoff the Gallbaldder.

I'm being looked after wonderfully by my parents

I seem to have 'lost' my belly button in the operation. It's not a big deal, as someone said it actually serves no purpose (other than a measuring point as to how far south my boobs have sagged) Not sure why it took me two days to realise what had been done to it though!

I sent the pic to my daughter who said 'it looks like a bum hole' and cruelly to my sister (who has a fear of belly buttons) who said 'would have nightmares.' I've got to get my laughs somewhere.

Everyone, and I mean everyone on Twitter, have been super supportive and kept me going. Thank you guys, you know who you are.

And I now have 5 more scars to add to my collection. I know to some people, scars aren't something to celebrate, but for me they are evidence of events which have happened to me. Lots of people have scars, it's just for them, they are on the inside.

These are my battle wounds and I wear them with pride.



Don't forget this is a blog hop, so take a look at Michelle's post and the other linked posts by clicking here

My 10 tips for surviving a hospital stay....

Geoff the Gallbladder is coming out on Monday, I got the letter today confirming admission details. This prompted me to arrange my pre-op assessment. It's booked for Wednesday and it got me thinking, I need to start getting myself sorted out! 

Eeeek! I'm planning on staying with my parents for a few days afterwards so will have a hospital bag plus case for going to theirs to pack.

I'm by no means an expert, but going for my fourth operation in just over a year, and seeing MrC through six operations and over 40 emergency admissions means I've learnt a thing or two. 

The NHS website (which can been seen here and opens in a new window) details the basics, like nightwear, medications etc.

For me though, its the things you aren't told about which make a difference and the stay more bearable. No-one every rarely want to be there, are in pain and feeling ill, so these are a few things which keep me calm and positive, until I can come back home to my own bed!

1 - I take my favourite perfume, quick spritz not only makes me feel good, but can also cover any smells from elsewhere!

2 - Toiletries are the travel version, takes up less space and doesn't matter if they get lost. I take baby wipes too, good for quick clean ups and freshen, if you are too poorly for a proper wash. 

3 - Mouthwash helps take bad tastes away to and give me a bit of pick me up through the day.

4 - I take various things to keep me occupied, because I have the attention span of a goldfish for several weeks afterwards and flit from one thing to another. So books, magazines, crocheting are my go to things. Music is always great and I've also discovered the joy of audiobooks, so don't forget your headphones.

5 - On that note, ear plugs and eye mask can help get a good nights sleep on a busy or noisy ward. But please mention to the staff when you are going to pop them in. I can imagine a code blue being called if you don't rouse from a deep sleep! 

6 - I make sure my pyjama's look and make me feel good. Ok, I've had an operation and am feeling kinda shit, but you'll feel worse when you become more compus mentus and realise your comfortable go to sleepwear has got a hole under the arm and stains down the front. I also go for mix and match stuff so when you spill your tea down yourself you only have to change the one item.

7 - I also stagger visitors and ask them to keep their visits short. People coming in to see me do break up the day, but I'm in hospital for a reason and need to rest too. I also try space them out with time for a nap in between to get my strength back for the next one. Flowers and gifts are also better if they are saved for when I'm at home and can fully appreciate them. It can be a long walk to the car post op when released, imagine it with flowers, balloons and cards?

8 - Keeping myself hydrated (unless told otherwise. My friend went in for a heart condition and was on restricted fluids, so please check) Water is best for me, but if that doesn't float your boat, you can always have squash in between the tea trolley going around the wards. I tried fresh juices, but they soon go off in the heat.

9 - Another feel good tip, which @dorkymum reminded me of is take in a good moisturiser. Hospitals are very warm and you soon dry out! It was lovely to smother my legs before putting those ubiquitous surgical stockings back on. I have a handy bottle by the side of the bed for when I thought about it! 

10 - Mobile phone. I love to have my phone with me, lets me keep in touch with the outside world via Twitter and feel less isolated. However it can be a nuisance to other patients. So its kept on silent, calls are short and put onto airline mode at night! 

I asked for some tips on twitter earlier:-

I also had @mumonthebrink saying to have an escape plan and @kidschangenowt talked about taking your own booze! 

Have you got any-more top tips for a hospital stay? Let me know, so I can be as prepared as possible! 

I Believe...

Sometimes you just have to believe it's going to work out, that all the pieces of the puzzle will fit together so you can see the bigger picture. That people are going to do the right thing because its just the right thing to do even if its not the process.

I believed!!!

Yes you guessed it, pesky Geoff is coming out. I've also had confirmation I will be eligible to be included in the drugs trial. Yay!!! 


My two surgeon's have worked together and I'm going in for Geoff removal next Monday


I've still got to be well enough following surgery to start the drugs trial. I need to ensure I look after myself between now and then and stay as healthy as possible. The mind is a brilliant thing, am sure with your help and a positive outlook it will work out.

I believe

Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right.  ~Henry Ford

This post is following on from 'But then life would be boring...'

The one where the cat doesn't get electrocuted...

Hooray, a new email from my brother for me to share with everyone.
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Hi Fay,

Early e-mail again this week.  Lucky you!  I read your blog about your oncology report and the drug testing thing (if you missed it, its here) and I reckon you should push to get it done a.s.a.p. and get yourself on the drug trial.

Well, that’s all really.  Write to you again next week.

Love,

Mark xxx

Not really.  How could I miss an opportunity to tell you on a real life woe that makes your medical problems look trivial.  You see this last week we’ve gone without a hot water boiler.  No hot water at all!  Oh the horror.  At least that’s what people think when you tell them but it’s actually been a minor inconvenience at worst.  And here’s why …

As you may or may not know we’re moving our bathroom from the back of the house (which is cold and a long way away) to one of the four bedrooms in the main house (which is right next to everyone and is warm).  Eventually the old bathroom bit will become an awesome on suite master bedroom with a walk in wardrobe and beer taps and plasma screens on all the walls and disco balls and a little robot that will ask you if you want a sandwich and dancing unicorns and everything.  It’s a long term project but for now it’s all go for the new bathroom so we don’t have to get up in the night for a pee and go down to the part of the house that the previous owners called “The Icebox”.

Obviously the estate agent didn’t tell us that’s what they called the bit of the house where we’d be spending long periods of time naked (come on now, we’ve been married seven years and we’ve got pre-school children here now so less of that smut), but we found out that’s what they called it thanks to a neighbour.  Supergrass we call him.  On account of all the lawn mowing he does.

Part of the new bathroom plan is to get rid of the old electric water boiler and install a gas Infinity system.  Like 99% of Kiwi’s here living rurally stuff like mains water, mains gas, broadband through the telephone wire and mains sewage is something that ‘ain’t ever going to happen.  What’s painfully obvious when you actually take stock of the situation is that we live in a field. It is a field that has a power line slung in and a telephone wire seemingly added as an after thought.  Everything else you’ve got to get yourself and store on site or it’s back to the nineteenth century.

We get water from a bore hole that I reckon used to be the well/long drop toilet a hundred years ago (most people collect rain water from their roof but birds shit on your roof - disgusting), we’ve got bottled gas for our cooker like we’re living in a caravan site and thanks to gravity and a splash of water we poop into a septic tank.  The septic tank gets emptied every three years.  

If you remember to do so.

The old boiler plugged into the electric and that was cool but recently it started tripping the circuit breaker and heating the water to a billion degrees centigrade.  But as long as it produced hot water we were happy.  Then I decided that perhaps I should have a look and found out that it’d been leaking long enough to corrode all the electrical contacts.  I thought I’d better check it out so not being one to laugh in the face of death by electrocution I switched it off and then tried to get Tom the cat to lick the terminals to see if they were live (he’s got nine lives after all and I’ve only got one).  However Tom was singularly uninterested in licking rusty metal even after I’d flicked tuna onto the circuit board.  So I put the cover back on but after that for some reason the boiler never worked again and just sort of continued to leak water.

Very cold water.

But we had a fool proof plan.  Do nothing!  We were getting a new hot water system.  Genius!  The planned new gas Infinity system works by taking a water from the bore hole and passing it through a pipe that gets heated up with a thousand tiny gas fuelled blow torches so that you get an infinite supply of hot water.  Hence the name.  You never run out of hot water.  It’s Infinite!  (Unless the bore hole runs dry or the gas runs out.)

The Infinity unit gets bolted onto the side of the house along with two industrial sized gas bottles that are chained to each other and the building so that in the event of a gas bottle explosion we can all experience what it’s like to ride on a Saturn 5 rocket for the remainder of our lives.  It’s be like the animated film “Up” except it’d be called “Along”.

Anyway, the Infinity system is due to be installed sometime in the “near future”.  We’ve got it all ordered with our builders but when it comes to being assertive and demanding that something be done I end up talking like John Le Mesurier’s  Sergeant Arthur Wilson from Dad’s Army – “I’m awfully sorry to bother you but would it be inconvenient to, ha, ha, ha, ummmm, sort out a date for when we might get some hot water system?  Jolly good.  Awfully sorry, I understand.”

So we haven’t got any hot water but it’s not been a real problem.  Our washing machine and dish washer runs off the cold water and they do their thing on their own.  For bathing we’ve got a wood burning stove that I pop a three gallon pot of water on when I light the fire in the evening and it’s hot within half an hour.  Flannel baths all round.

“But what about day to day washing your hands?” I hear you ask.  Well think about how you might wash your hands.  You turn on the hot tap, get some soap on your hands, lather up under the cold water coming out of the hot tap and just when the water starts to hint at getting warm, you’ve finished.  So who needs hot water coming out of a hot water tap?  Not us!  We get by and pull together as a team.  Except Tom the cat who is aces and skill at rat catching but is bugger all use as an electrical multimeter.

It was good news hearing that you wouldn’t need any further treatment for the cancer.  If your gall bladder is causing mayhem get it out quick, don’t wait.  Push for it.  The drug trial is cool but it sounds like you need to get comfortable and start getting on with stuff.  The invitation is still open for visit once the gall bladder situation is sorted, meet Tom the cat, the alpacas and see Eva & meet Sam, but might want to wait a bit though if you don’t enjoy flannel baths.

Love,

Mark xxxx

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I did actually laugh out loud when I read about trying to use up one of Tom's nine lives, thought MrC was going to have a heart attack at the unexpected explosion of noise.

What's your favourite bit been of the saga of my brother's emails from down under? (he's got his own page on my blog and everything!) 

Leave me a comment so I can lol all over again

And as always Mark.....

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To the stranger on the train......

Travelled back on the 12.30pm train from Paddington Station from the final of BGT (post to follow, promise!) and met a lovely woman called Alison.

She was in seat over from me and looked half asleep. She'd asked the train manager (it was guard in my day) to wake her at her stop as she'd been awake for over 20 hours.

I offered to do the gentlemanly (or womanly but doesn't sound quite right) thing, my good deed and all that and conversation ensued. I realised Alison must have taken part in a midnight walk. I'd seen a lot of woman, with the telltale shuffle of many miles walked at the station while I bought the mandatory 12 Krispy Kreme donuts (they don't sell them down here and I get lynched if I don't bring them back from every London trip)

When I asked her motivation for doing it, she explained she'd had cancer. I won't go into the details, that's her story to share not mine. But I found her inspirational. Her story was told with uplifting and positive language. She gave me some things to think about, tips on coping, how diet may help. The time sped by. And it was just what I needed to hear.

So this post is a thank you, to a stranger on a train. You made a difference

 

Reasons to be Cheerful Week 19 - BGT

Time to link up with Michelle from Mummy From the Heart to record and be thankful for the small things which have made me cheerful this week. The premise is even if your week has been absolutely dreadful (and I've had my fair share recently) there are always some little glimmers tucked away in there somewhere.

I try and reframe my 'not so good days' (bad days are banned) and come at them from a positive angle. Michelle has done exactly that in her post this week, I urge you to click here and take a look to show your support. I feel she is in need this week.

My week has been dominated by two events, both big events, things to be cheerful about. I'm looking forward to both, but for very different reasons!

My oncology appointment has finally arrived! Two weeks after learning Ted was cancer, I'm seeing an oncologist next Thursday......at last! All that whingeing and chasing (plus a bit of taking control and complaining has paid off) I won't dwell on what I went through, my posts over the last couple of weeks say it all, but at least I have it.

I can look forward to understanding what the next steps are, take control of my life a bit and plan. Anyone who knows me, knows I like a bit of planning!



But onto the second event.



I love my job

I love my company

I love Red, who is my companies chief values officer (yes this is picture of him, let me know if you want to hear more about him, he's lovely)

I'm so lucky

I'm going to the final on Saturday of Britains Got Talent, courtesy of Red!!! I won the tickets in an internal works competition and I am so happy I could burst! Something to look forward to, something a little bit exciting and different, something to brighten up my recuperation.

I'll admit, I'm very nervous, it's a long way to go and I still get tired very easily, but sod it!

Train tickets are booked, I'm travelling up on Friday night and staying with Amy so I can rest up during the day. I've not been to her new place yet, so that's something to look forward to too. Plus I may get to meet her wonderful housemates who have been looking after her. A chance for me to say thank you in person.

So all in all Fay is a very happy bunny!

PS Pudsey to win!

 

 

Reasons to be Cheerful Week 17 - C words

This week's post has been brought to you with a healthy dollop of positive thinking and a sprinkling of hope.

It's being written with the view of if you can fake it, after a while it becomes easier to do and hopefully the fake becomes something real and tangible.

It's been a difficult post to write (again!) and I kept putting it off. I want it to be real, I don't want to be fake and say it's ok when its not. So I'm reframing the facts to come at them from another angle.

Saw my Consultant on Tuesday who confirmed Ted the Tumour was cancer, grade 2 and semi aggressive. So at least we now know. Am now waiting (yes waiting, but at least it can't be urgent) for an oncology appointment to discuss what the next steps are re treatment. Fingers crossed and all that.

To keep my mind off things, Mum and I went back to Cowslip Farm Workshop in the morning, our new favourite place for lunch. We discovered Homily Pie, I must get a recipe! It's an open pie filled with potato, onion and leek and topped with cheese, delicious.The wonderful menu there is primarily vegetarian and inspired me to cook again, so we enjoyed a tasty vegetable lasagne yesterday, with the extra sauce being used in a pasta bake today. Maybe my cooking oomph is back? Time will tell.

Spent a few hours with Jane, my daughter's partners mum who is so fantastic with everything crafty. She has hundreds of books to flick through to get inspired and she is so knowledgable. We took over my Mum's sewing machine for Jane to check out and make sure it was suitable for quilting, which is something she is hoping to get into. Mum's owned it for over 15 years, so her face was a picture when Jane showed her the different seam width options and the zig zag stitch. She was over the moon but also a little bit embarrassed!

I've a consult booked next Tuesday about removing my gallbladder. Ironic I still need the operation considering it was the original investigation to the gallballer pain which led to the ultrasound which found Ted the Tumour in my right kidney. Silver linings though, at least Ted was found reasonable early.

I'm so grateful to everyone I work with for all their messages and telephone calls. You've all been brilliant. My boss has been wonderful (thank you Vanessa) and very supportive. I'm very lucky and can't wait to get back to it.

In the meantime I've started another crocheting project which I tried 6 months and gave up. The wool I've bought has tiny sequins which glitter very delicately. It's taxing my ability to read patterns, but I'm determined!


I've decided each day to tackle each challenge with strength of purpose and an expectation to succeed. It just may take a while for the faking to become real, so wish me luck




Don't forget this is a blog hop, from the brilliant Michelle of Mummy from the Heart. If you'd like to join in, then get writing and linking!

 

 

It's 3 o'clock in the morning.....So what?

It's 3 o'clock in the morning.


I can't sleep
I've just been out to buy some chocolate milk, no idea why, I just fancied it. Very proud of myself for getting out of the house without waking MrC and even Fritz kept quiet (Although I was a little concerned when his tail wagging was banging up against the door!)


I tiptoed out of the bedroom with trackie bottoms (classy) and trainers in hand. Slipped the tracky's on over my pj's, big coat on (to hide the fact I'm wearing no bra) and I'm off.

I don't do supermarkets at silly o'clock very often, but my god it was weird. Loads of staff milling around filling the shelves, whizzing around on trolley things cleaning the floors. It was definitely 'staff are king, long live the king' as I had to dodge out of the way of them instead of the other way around. Mind you they did outnumber the customers in store......by a lot!


Grabbed a bottle of creamy banoffee pie milkshake (which I would recommend if you see it on the shelf, very creamy)  and a bag of giant buttons (as an after thought) and out was out of there and back home in 15 minutes flat. It would have been sooner, but I came upon a herd (yes a herd!) of deer as I drove back. There were at least 20 deer milling across the road as I came out of the car park. I'm not sure who the most surprised, me or them. They darted off pretty quickly, but it was an amazing sight.


But this is all fluff and small talk, I know why I can't sleep. Today (as in Tuesday) I'm seeing the consultant for the biopsy results for #Ted the Tumour aka the nasty 90% chance cancerous tumour on my right kidney. 


It's been an incredibly stressful few days leading up to this and I've really been worrying about it. But I've finally realised, its no big deal.


The best thing he can tell me is, 'it wasn't cancer'


The next best is 'it was cancer, its now gone and we will monitor you for the next five years'


The next best best thing is 'it was cancer, its now gone but we want to give you some treatment like chemo to make sure we got it all'


That's it. So what?


What have I got to worry about? The worse case scenario means it will take me a little longer to get back to work, so what? More time to get better acquainted with my hobbies. Yes okay, I may lose my hair. I've a haircut booked for the weekend, if I'm going to lose, I might as well be brave and change what I've got (My hair style hasn't really changed since I was 18. Sad but true fact) So what?


So I thought, as I was awake, I'd drunk my milk and eaten some of the buttons (who am I kidding, I've finished the whole packet) I'd share with you my 'so what' moment

So after that epiphany I'm back to bed (although I do feel a little sick now) with Pink's track ear worming into my brain! 


Can you think of any other 'so what' statements I can add to my list? And also help me figure out who sang the lyric in my post title, its doing my head in!?

Reasons to be Cheerful #R2BC week 16 - the nearly not written edition

It's my chance to round up the good things to happen this week, celebrate and reflect all the things which have made me cheerful. It's a big list!


- It was Mum's birthday and she loved her pressie! Yay! Wasn't sure if buying her an exercise bike would go down to well, but she knew where I was coming from PHEW
- Mum has gotten the quilting bug and we went back to Cowslip Farm Workshops for more supplies, inspiration and lunch! It's a beautifully inspiring place, and we need to go back next week (what a shame) so I will take some photo's to share.
- Completed a couple more projects, crocodile stitch gloves and scarf for Mum and a tea cosy for my friend Kim! What do you think?

- I've bought 2-ply hemp to try crocheting more fine and delicate projects which will be very challenging!
- James is competing in the Dartmoor Jail Break on Saturday. He needs to get as far away from the prison as possible in a week without spending any money! He's planning on walking! I expect a call at some god awful time asking for a lift back, but am very proud of him and hope he raises a lot of money
- My Mum spoke to Amy this week and my heart was lifted when she said she sounds so happy. That's all a mum can ask for, happy kids.
- MrC has bought me a new telephoto lens for my camera and a monopod! Looking forward to taking some pictures next week.
- Finally a GP (my new favourite one) has looked at my numb toes and agreed there is some nerve damage rather than fobbed me off! That's all I needed, I can live with the symptoms for a while (think I've got enough on my plate)
- I get my operation results and the next steps explained when I see the consultant on Tuesday, six weeks waiting nearly over.
- Been signed off from work for another two months. Another eight weeks to get better, relax and improve all my hobbies!
There you go, I wasn't joking about the list. Don't forget this is a linky hosted by the wonderful Michelle from Mummy From The Heart. Check out some of the others and please leave a comment or two, it makes us bloggers up very happy







PS I spent 30 minutes writing the original post and then very nearly didn't bother at all. It's been a crap week, rows, tiredness, shocked I've been signed off for so long, and the GP appointment has brought Cancer (with a capital C) to the forefront of my thoughts. Got a horrible feeling I will need chemo. However it was draining just writing it and a really crap post! So was deleted. This one is much better and uplifted me. It really works, just listing the good things makes see it was all bad, give it a go!