Thursday 30th July

I had such a good birthday yesterday, I couldn't believe the amount of good wishes, flowers, cards, texts and presents I had, and it wasn't even a BIG birthday. Although my whole outlook on birthdays has changed dramatically over the last three years.

My one big wish is aiming to get OLD, and I did think, well I'm 54, what are my chances of getting to 64? (Song for hubby........When I get older, losing my hair,(already done that once) many years from now, Will you still be sending me a valentine, birthday greetings, bottle of wine?
If I'd been out 'til quarter to three, would you lock the door?
Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm sixty-four?

NO, Ive not been drinking! In fact one glass of Cava was all I managed last night, steady on girl! We did end up down at Rozel for some supper, well, five out of the six of us wasn't bad, and it was a mid week birthday after all. 

I had the joy of a dog walker friend to do the honours yesterday morning, (thanks SH) not so I could enjoy a lie-in, or breakfast in bed brought in on a tray.... Oh no, I had to race down to the Merton and meet up with three small children from St Ouen at 9am! 

They were SO EXCITED at the prospect of the fun that is the 'Merton Aquadome' with slides and whirly pools and fountains they could hardly contain themselves. Of course I LOVED standing in waist deep  cool water and trailing around after them (and as the morning progressed dodging many other wildly excited small people).It ended up with us badgering the lifeguards to get a move on and open the flume so they could scream and swish their way down at breakneck speed. What fun it is to be six and five and two again...The eldest two had to show me how to 'slide' properly, sitting bolt upright and smiling genially as you cruise serenely and graciously  into the splash pool at the end may be ladylike but it  is definitely  NOT the way to slide. 'You need to lie on your back and shout when you go in the dark". I did try.... (I have bruises on my spine to show for it), but decided that twice in the flume was quite enough, (Mary Poppins move over) especially as the bored lifeguard at the top of the steps was giving me funny looks. Similar to "What do you think you are doing you sad old women, just get off and do your WI breaststroke in the swimming lanes"

I think LV and I managed possibly three brief half finished conversations during the manic two hours of 'pool/cup of tea after' time, I asked the eldest to take a photo of me and his mum, and then the other two had to take photos of each other, and so on.... 

 Leaving them to go off and create havoc elsewhere I stumbled shellshocked to the Supermarket to do some food shopping (needs must even on a birthday!). Arrived home to a kitchen full of flowers and cards and presents, I'm really sorry but don't know who sent the cornflowers,  or gerberas, but thank you!

On the subject of flowers, the receptionist at the Merton bought me a beautiful Orchid and card as she knew it was my birthday, such a kind lady..

Lunchtime lovely SE came round with not one but TWO cakes that she had baked, a chocolate one with lots of sticky icing on  for men and a yummy dairy free, guilt free(!) banana loaf for me!!! Plus a hug and a miniature rose, bless her.

Talking about food I was treated to lunch on Tuesday as an early pre-birthday impromptu birthday treat, and very nice it was too...

Attempted selfie.....

Anyway, I ended up playing tennis with lovely friends in the afternoon and then back home to walk Jess to La coupe and managed a sea swim in the last little bit of sunshine at 6pm. Glass of bubbly in the hot tub before supper in Rozel, and home to open all the cards and gifts.... (nearly 40 cards in all and some amazing gifts), so all in all a very brilliant HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Sunday 26th July

Jessie update.... feeling much better I think... now just waiting for the vets bill, cats turn for an injection tomorrow so that'll be a nice start to my Monday!!!

Wednesday 22nd July

BF ( Best Friend) is sitting next to me surrounded by fast emptying bottles of red wine and melting chocolate profiteroles making outlandishly ridiculous suggestions for blog titles and contents.  

I am wisely doing my best to ignore her....

More importantly, "hows the dog"!! I hear you cry. Well, I had a call from the vet yesterday who said he received an in depth four page detailed analysis of Jessie's scan and ..... she is absolutely clinically FINE. The 'white' marking on her lung was partly to do with her muscle on her foreleg overlapping on the x-ray. I am very pleased that everything is fine with her, but now i need to sort out her head! (Hers and my BF probably....)

Chocolate smeared on the sofa now, that would fit in with ice-cream down the t-shirt and fried tomato on the trousers, and she's only been here two days...

Early dog walk on St Ouen, straight from the airport!

 Followed by breakfast at El Tico....Huge BLT for me (well I was the one who swum!!)

 Another dog walk around St Catherine with the promise of an ice-cream...

No words needed.....

 Matching nail varnish- similarity ends there.....

 Samares Manor .... less walking around the grounds more eating the produce!!

 Lunch time trip on Jersey Seafaris to the Ecrehous

 Happy girls in our blue jackets...

 Skipper Dan

 Crew member and birthday boy TN ...( I made the other passengers sing Happy Birthday to him!!)

 We stomped over a few boulders to look around the reef, after we had spent some time in the 'Royal Square'....

 Prosecco/bubbles was a necessity

Luckily we met Pops after the RIB experience, and we scabbed a cup of tea off him at the cafe!! 

So, back to the BF, she's going back tomorrow, I'm sending her first class....faulty goods. She tells me she is 'special' I tell her she is disabled. She has a bad hip, you know when old people get up and groan? Well, thats her... It's managed to get her out of double dog walks today...I said I'd take it easy on her and we'd only have a swim before breakfast tomorrow (seawater is good for bad hips) . She says I haven't changed a bit and I always bossed her when we were young.

Signing off tonight so I can scrape her up and put her to bed... note to her husband I AM EXAGGERATING !!!

Sunday 19th July

I'll start off tonights post with the 'dog blog' update... she does seem a little better although it took a lead and lots of encouragement to get her out on the morning walk, but after that she was very sociable for the rest of the day and enjoyed various 'gardening' activities this afternoon. ( This means chasing the lawn mower in the meadow, digging for rats under the compost heap and helping Tom chainsaw/plane his 'coffee table' he is  busy creating. I should really take some photos of the work in progress, so far it looks like a very heavy lump of wood albeit smooth now, but still a large lump of wood. (don't think I'm really doing him justice ). I have told him RF that you would pay him good money for a tree stump sculpture for your garden.... he said "how much"!!!!

Once again the week has flown by, last Saturday most of the family gathered together down at St Catherine's to go out on the boat and scatter Nanny's ashes at sea. It was lovely and sunny and not too windy, and we all had a chance to say goodbye and remember the amazing wife, mum, and Nanny she was to us all.

Our two friends who are currently having treatment for chemo are both struggling, and my heart goes out to them. One is still stuck in the UK in virtual isolation which in itself is incredibly mind numbing never mind all the rubbish side effects. The other has had to switch to a lesser chemo over here as she was so very ill and dehydrated from the strong chemotherapy.

I am really looking forward to my BEST FRIEND LH (yes, thank you I do have a friend!)who is coming over to stay for three days next week, now that does make me very excited. Amazingly we have been mates for the best part of fortyseven years... (sharp intake of breath), and we couldn't be more different! Not only in appearances (lets just say she is petite and a brunette) and  her idea of 'sport' is walking to the shop to get a paper!!! (She'll thank me for that).

Of course I do have a multitude of 'activities' planned, but I shall reign in my frenetic lifestyle and concentrate on talking, eating and drinking, not necessarily in that order!  We will do the obligatory dog walks, and she will have to play at lifeguard whilst I swim.. Although there would be little chance of rescue if i get into difficulties!!!

 Jess and I had La coupe to ourselves Friday morning....and I have been giving her swimming lessons......

Thursday...

Jess has had a scan, everything seems clear except for a 'white coating' on her lungs, he is not quite sure what it is, and so is asking for a second opinion. This will take a week. Meanwhile she is on 'pep' tablets to see if that will 'lift' her.
She still seems to be struggling, doesn't really want to walk, or if she does go out halfway through she lags behind and plays "What's the time Mr Wolf".

We are a bit sad as a family (me especially ) but hope things will get sorted with her soon...we keep speculating on what it might be as sometimes she seems fine, but having to manhandle her out of the car and coax her to walk is not "Jessie" behaviour...  ;-(

Sunday 12th July

There is something the matter with Jessie..... It started quite a few weeks ago, just little things that were out of character. She has never been very good at getting up in the morning(who is?), but you would have thought that with her breeding she would be bouncing around at 7am. However she 'saves' all her energy for chasing pheasants/rabbits/balls, but she has even been refusing to go outside for her morning 'toilet'. She didn't want to walk last Monday morning at all, and refused point blank to budge, despite me walking ahead quite a long way. ( I had to go back and take her home).

She is spending much of her time in her utility room, preferring that to our company in the kitchen, and appears disinterested in lots of things. Her eating habits etc are largely unchanged, so it doesn't seem like a physical problem.

Saturday morning Steve and I took her to the beach, although she was happy to jump in the car I had to lift her out. She began normally enough chasing the ball and racing around, but before we had even got halfway she began mooching along between us and even dragging behind (think small, sulking toddler?!).

Enough is enough and we called the vet, there and then, managing to get an appointment at lunchtime. We told him it was a bit complicated, and he did a very through examination, other than slightly lower heart rate everything else was normal. Blood test taken and again all results came back normal. (there are diseases that the blood test ruled out) I need to talk to him tomorrow to see if we take it one stage further and have a scan, OR he suggested that we may need to see a dog behaviourist, as she could be .......wait for it........depressed.

Apparently 'Springers' are known to suffer from 'mental issues', I'm blaming myself of course. I probably don't do enough 'work' based activities with her. Anyway, I want to try and get this sorted as it's upsetting to see her looking so glum.

Friday morning I bumped into  some of my 'beach friends' down at Bel Val,  and so good to reacquaint myself with them. I know when I see them that summer really is here, with lots of sea swimming, ( and I get free lifeguarding duties too!) Fitted in two swims which was a bonus, although I could have done with that cooling water when I was playing in the 24Netballathon for Philips footprints later on that night. The gym at Le Rocquier school was BOILING!!
The link below explains about the Charity, and as I play netball I thought it only right to enter a team, lots of St Lawrence girls joined me and some played on the Saturday too.

http://www.philipsfootprints.org/

"One of Nicky's bucket list challenges (www.nickyschallengesweebly.com) was a 24 hour netballathon. But it just wasn't enough of a challenge so we are also having a Family Fun Day at the same time!"

 So, we are up to photos of our UK trip, and here is Grommit, my brothers dog with his new toy, Jessie has one similar but with no stuffing.....

 Wimbledon 2015...!!!

Some more good news, I received a text from my lovely Dr H on Friday to say the rest of the blood test results I had taken came back, my liver, kidneys and calcium level are all good. I am obviously very pleased, and now when folks say I look well, I can say "I AM" Thank you!!

Today I walked Jess albeit reluctantly (at the start and finish) from white rock to Jardin D'Olivet and back, (that was for the local blog readers!!) Took about one hour 20min, she ordinarily would have loved that walk ,but i had to cajole her at parts.
 It was also  the last Aerobics session of the summer with the twins, it was a great class as always, but they need a break as much as the rest of us (although don't think for one minute they'll be resting on their laurels!!)

I thought for a change I'd cook roast chicken for the family tonight, of course we need two chickens and lots of vegetables- (i'd made an apple pie before I walked Jess). 
I managed to multi-task and do the last bit of ironing whilst watching Wimbledon men's final, and then 
suddenly out of the blue I was wracked with stomach pain, just the same as post op, with back spasms, feeling sick and unbelievably wretched. I hadn't eaten or drunk anything that i dont normally eat/drink, but it was just like the other two times this has happened, with no apparent rhyme or reason. I took alkalising tablets straight away, which did little to relieve the pain, but Jack remembered buscopan which you can get a at the chemist and that we had bought previously (suggested by hospital). This helps with muscle spasms. Finally at 9pm this evening I was pain free, but exhausted.

Of course this entire episode was a ruse to make the rest of the family prepare the veg, cook supper and wash up.........
I'd make a hundred roasts if I didn't have to go through that again. We think its just a left over side effect from the operation, and sometimes the bowel twists or something and its enough to bring on excruciating pain. Luckily for me help was at hand, of which I'm very grateful. 

I'm getting regular updates from AB and SM on their productive gardening achievements, bounteous supply of vegetables and fruit, and photos sent of plates full of green salads etc. Hmmm, we have had broad beans and mangetout its true, and a few tomatoes to munch, but our carrots, onions and courgette (boys are pleased ) are woeful. Its always the veg beds that are close to the road that look the worst!! Typical. There will be no sign of AB until well into September as she is out harvesting from dawn to dusk, and (this is true) counting how many runner beans she has on her plants ............. save us all 

My final total for the Race for Life... the page is closing very soon , thanks to FB who with May who donated cash last week...

!https://www.justgiving.com/jillluce/

Wednesday 8th July

What an brilliant day we had yesterday at Wimbledon, plus we had the bonus of seeing my older brother and sister in law who kindly put up ( put us up?) with us for two days!
We saw the ladies quarter finals on centre court, and had two very different matches, but each three setters so definitely had our money's worth! ( well I am married to a Jersey man! )

The power and speed the ladies travel around the court and whack the balls is incredible , I don't know how the other day little Heather Watson managed to do anything against Serena but she did take her to the wire.
I have to say it my in my personal opinion Serena deserves to win, if only for her court etiquette if nothing else!! There were two ladies that drove me to distraction with their fiddling around receiving balls from the ball boys/girls examining them and the tossing them back to the poor children, GET ON WITH IT. Serena meanwhile took the first ball offered, walked up to the line and served, no nonsense.
Rant over!

Entirely different note, big shout out to our two friends, one restarted chemo in UK third round and the other in Jersey tomorrow. Can't really say they'll be fine and good luck, as its really not fine and good luck doesn't really come into it. All I can hope for is the side effects are manageable and they are both one step closer to getting better and making a full recovery. Love and prayers to them both.
Along the same line I see our lovely friend PS has passed away, I know he did have some extra time that he wouldn't have had with the expensive drugs he had to fight for, but I know it was certainly worth it. He was so kind to me when we bumped into each other either at the beach with the dogs or at the supermarket or dreaded oncology unit. Our condolences go to his wife JS .

I thought I could post photos but they don't seem to have uploaded so that'll wait until I write the next post.

Lastly thank you to all those friends that have dog walked Jess over the last few days, I'll probably find she's had such a good time that she won't be content with our strolls down to Le saie beach and back !




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Location:Southampton airport

Friday 3rd July.....

A whole week of Island Games...it's been manic but absolutely brilliant.
Jersey has been buzzing, not only with some superb sporting activities, but matched with sunny and very hot weather!!
There have been so many volunteers who have given up their time this week to help out at all the different venues, I only helped a bit at the badminton hall Monday/Tuesday and today. Without their selfless dedication to ensure everything ran smoothly the games wouldn't have been half as well managed as they were, so a very HUGE thank you to everyone.

So, we have SC wandering randomly around Caesarean tennis club today... clutching a plastic box of food.  ( love her)

 Love the fact that the Isle of man badminton team played cards outside the hall!

 Our Gold medalist Mark...

 We got to see the Mountain biking on Wednesday night.....

 At St Aubin on our way to the yacht club.

 Saw the medal ceremony for sailing.

So its been a highly charged emotional week, and on top of everything else I went for a blood test on Monday..
I had an appointment at Oncology on Thursday and wanted to make sure I had a blood test for CA125 (cancer markers). It's been about 10 weeks since finishing chemo and I just needed to know what was going on. In a healthy person anything that's 35 or below is good, mine came in at 6.... so understandably I'm very relieved/pleased.
Now I just try and forget about it all for another three months!