Saturday 31 October 2015

Saturday 31st October

Sitting at my laptop with the puppy asleep at my feet, not surprising she's crashed out after her's (and mine) hectic day. At least she's giving Jessie a break, there's only so much 'sleeping on her head' that any dog can take!

 Did I tell you that we won the Mary Blake Over 30's trophy this year? I knew Mary, and used to play netball against her in my youth, she was a lovely lady and keen tennis player too. She sadly passed away earlier this year, so it made this year's tournament very special .





 One of Beanie's first outings on the beach at Greve de Lecq, after the first five minutes she loved it!



 We also went to Le Creux park, there are some lovely fields to walk around and typically Jess managed to flush out a few pheasants , we had a rest on a bench halfway round and waited for the cyclist to pass!!!!
 Down at le saie at high tide, another new experience for Beanie...

 Some Halloween cakes I made for Dr H's daughter who was holding a cake sale at the Hospital in aid of Jersey Hospice.
 Gorey beach this time, meeting and greeting dogs and children!

 Bex put in an order for Lemon cake....and then I made two Eve's puddings, one for a friend and one for us. We also have leeks and carrots in the garden so a large pot of soup is simmering in the oven.
(Wish I could cook for my friends in the UK, especially the middle aged ones, eating hospital food every day is no fun... )Having said that they're probably glad I'm not cooking for them!!!!!
 Advantages to having a puppy and being up by 6.15am!! You get to see sunrises!


 At le Saie, by chance we met some fellow walkers......




 Collecting Vraic this afternoon ... lovely and sunny and LOTS of seaweed!!


We also managed to spread it on the vegetable beds this afternoon and cut the grass, so it looks a little tidier all round, and yes Jack we did wash your land rover down afterwards!!



Tuesday 27 October 2015

Tuesday 27th October

Yes it's been raining on and off all day, (managed to play two sets of enjoyable tennis this morning though)! It's not that pleasant walking in the rain or drying off muddy dogs, but...I'd rather be doing that than sitting in a hospital bed..... Thoughts today of our friends young and old that are being treated over in Uk hospitals.

Another week has fairly flown by, and lots has happened in the family nucleus. Jack and Steph have settled in 'next door', the house has taken very well to the split in the sitting room, and they seem happy with us as neighbours! (I hope)

Tom is still struggling with a cough/cold that he can't seem to shift since he has come back from his friends wedding in Barcelona, I think a trip to the doctor is due.

Talking of Spain, my father and sister-in-law had a fabulous five days over there with the choir, and did themselves proud. Coming in 10th out of 20 with a silver and GOLD award, so they were well chuffed!! Don't ask me to get all technical with scoring and classes as I have no idea but they were very pleased and rightly so, and that's all that matters!

Dan (who moans at me for always being late, and usually disorganised) is going away to Poole tonight for two days at the Lifeboat College, he needs to finish his training to be proper member of St Catherine's lifeboat Crew. Well, he has just wandered in asking if there is any of clothes around, (by that he means clean ones). I replied , not if you haven't washed any, knowing full well that he hasn't put any washing on for two weeks!!
This wouldn't be so bad under normal circumstances but he gets back Friday night and then leaves Saturday morning to Morocco for a weeks holiday! You can guess what comes next, "Mum, could you do some washing for me?" I'll remind him of this next time he's having a go at me!.

Bex has been doing some 'behind the scenes' work for St Martin's bonfire committee, they are having their fireworks and bonfire on the 7th November in the field opposite the school. Please try and go if you can as all monies raised go to local charities.

And as I'm on the subject of fund raising, there is a cake sale in the foyer at the hospital on Friday and Dr H has asked me to bake a cake. It is in aid of Jersey Hospice, so if you happen to be passing that end of town or visiting someone etc, stop in the foyer and purchase a cake!!

My Rising Voices choir, of which I have hardly been attending as I'm a slacker, not actually slacking but I can't fit it in very easily between tennis and badminton, as they all merge into one another! We have been asked to sing at the Charity Christmas Fayre on the 21st November, just for an hour in the morning, think it maybe in the town hall, but details to follow.

A lot of my extra curricular activities have been curtailed somewhat since the new arrival. Now I have three sons and three daughters! She is just gorgeous, and Jess quite likes her too! I'm so glad that she seems to have settled in well, and is appears to be a confident and  mischievous girl. I'm writing this blog post now as I have been out with them earlier this afternoon (such a pain now the clocks have changed and it's getting dark by 4:30) and she'll come back in and collapse for an hour or so, usually on top of Jessie's head in the same bed.

Steve has been struggling with an ear infection for over a week now, a legacy left over from his cold two weeks ago, and although he has had antibiotics they don't seem to have cleared it up. He is off to the doctors again this week, but it has been funny/annoying when he mishears what you've said or fails to hear you at all. Actually thinking about it, aren't most politicians like that? Turning a deaf ear??

Moving swiftly on.....

My hour is up, and I've not even had time to talk about ME, guess that's just as well!!

 On my bike!!! Sunday... Cycled to aerobics and tennis!
 Jessie and ~Beanie helping in the garden (not)


"Charlie Brown" 65 years old this week .... love it!



Tuesday 20 October 2015

Tuesday 20th October

A quick blog post tonight, as not long in from a netball match, which sadly didn't go in our favour but the team played their very best, so that's all you can ask.

Thank you to EVERYONE for their kind comments on FB and texts,  cards and flowers ..We had such a lovely Pearl Wedding Anniversary evening all carefully arranged by our children (mostly Bex). A superb meal at a rather nice restaurant paid for ( we found out after asking for the bill) by Papa, flowers on the table (from the children) and pink champagne.

Hubby had to work all day, but I was lucky enough to swim, coach netball, walk dogs and clean up copious amounts of puppy sick ... ( what do you expect if you spend your morning munching on underripe apples and pear windfalls)!

Oh, and Bex and I did manage to spend an hour or so in town enjoying an 'indian head massage', a real treat for us both.

A few photos..

 Look at this brilliant card from our lovely neighbours... presents too!!
 Beanie desperate for treat, Jess not bothered!!
 Swimming at flicquet?


 For those folks not on FB... a few pics of us pre dinner... wearing my 'wedding pearls'

 Our gifts....
 Advert in the paper...
I'm sure there's loads to tell you, but that will have to wait another day.....totally brain dead now!!

Thursday 15 October 2015

Thursday 15th October

Just a few minutes spare to pen a few lines in the 'dog blog' !!

Hang on a minute, before I start, I read in the JEP that TH and her husband have moved to Portugal, with their very old cat, that seems to have used up more than his allotted nine lives!! TH, how did I not know about this, I thought you told me the UK, and as you are not on FB and I do not have a current email I have no way of contacting you, although I do know you read this blog, so please get in touch!! ( I could do with another holiday!)

That's done and now to business... Jess is recovering from her scan/blood test vet visit last week and the blood test we were waiting on has proved negative for the random condition involving stretching of the heart, although she does have a fractionally enlarged heart. Dan says that's my fault for walking her too much when she was a puppy, (the vet says that's rubbish).

Beanie has settled in very well, making sure she sleeps on top of Jessie's head most of the time, which Jess has taken all with good grace. This arrangement is fine whilst she is a puppy but will not be quite so comfortable when the puppy grows to full size.




That face, how can you deny her anything????



Ok, while i remember my friend PdleH has some rather large and beautiful looking pumpkins for sale, worthy of a photo I thought, so if you fancy pumpkin soup or to do a spot of carving you know where to get them!!
Got a letter from the hospital yesterday for a new appointment on 22nd December, so that will make for an anxious run up for Christmas no doubt.

Our friends who are currently waging their own battles with this disease, are still in my thoughts daily, and i was able to play in the CLIC Sargent Tennis tournament this morning that raises money for children and teenagers with cancer. Of course I thought about where I was this time last year, crippled from the operation and feeling very sorry for myself. Also with the dread that I had to endure another (life saving and very necessary but not pleasant) round of chemo.

Lastly a big thank you to Papa (The Foreman) and Dan (the labourer) for wallpapering the new 'wall', it looks good!!




Thursday 8 October 2015

Thursday 8th October

Happy days!!

This post could take a while to write.... trying to tap out a few sentences between puppy attack/playtime!!

Two big bubbles of happiness yesterday (despite the stinky cold that hubby has kindly passed onto me) nothing can wipe the smile off my face.

I had a blood test on Tuesday as next week is my three month check -up, and I thought it would be rubbish as I feel 'under the weather' but my lovely consultant rang and then text me with the good news that my CA125 was still down at 6.

That is the best news I could have had, I know it's still early days post chemo (6 months) but I would have been pretty upset if the cancer had come back so quickly.

Secondly we picked up the newest addition to our household, a little black and white springer called Beanie ( she takes after her grandad apparently J J Beans, hence the name) I think it suits her.

Dan and I took her into a pet shop today to get a new collar, the one i'd bought was too big! She was as good as gold, and then we went onto the vet for vaccinations, she was so chilled she slept on the vet's examination table!!

This afternoon i had an appointment in the Oncology Unit at the hospital, met a new locum, can't spell or pronounce his name very well but we'll call him SB! He was such a nice man, and talked to me about a CT scan, we decided  not to go ahead but to review it again in January. I said that unless my blood markers were rising there seemed to be little point in having a scan as it only measures tumours over 10mm...He also gave me an examination and during discussions said most earnestly that it's a case of 'learning to live with Cancer' and that many more people were doing exactly that, and I've had my checks today and whilst everything seems clear to go away and live life!!

Pretty sound advice, if your head is in the right place and of course you feel well.

So, of course photos of my girls....two of them anyway...








Too cute.... gets Dan out of doing jobs too!!

Monday 5 October 2015

Jersey! 4th October

Photos!!









 This was before the food and drink!!


 Pete's starter of foie gras .... beautifully presented...
 My starter of braised red cabbage and smoked duck....

 The unusual wall map....
Betty at the Chateau


Back on Jersey soil, and had to pick up Jess from the vet where she'd spent the day , not sure what was wrong, she had a sore eye on Saturday and a slight temperature today, with shaking and very miserable.
A little snippet of what is to come this week, someone to cheer up Jessie and the rest of the family!!!



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