May Scavenger Hunt

I finally finished off my list last night ... was I the only one who found some of these hard to track down? There were a few I was really stuck on, and I had to resort to what I could find in the house in the end. Note to self ... I must think up an easier list for June!

A cartoon character

Rupert the Bear, found at the Stitchcraft Show in Aintree.

A streetlight

In Chester, down by the river.... it just needs a lion and a witch and a wardrobe!

An interesting local building

Fort Perch at New Brighton, built in Napoleonic times to protect the Port of Liverpool from invasion. We were never invaded!!!

A butterfly

A favourite necklace

A bicycle

This is the bike I wish I had. It's on a poster we bought in France long ago, and hangs in the hall.

Think Vintage!

A well loved bear on a stall at Tynemouth's Vintage Market


Something Blue

Texture

A Red Door

A sign of the Zodiac

Pisces ... I'm really scraping the barrel here! Two glass fish from my bathroom window ledge.

A portrait in black and white

My grandmother (from a scrapbook page)

An emergency vehicle

The RNLI lifeboat on the River Mersey

I love looking at everyone else's wonderful photographs at the end of every month ... and I can't believe I've met so many new friends through this little venture. Thank you all so much for joining in!

Can you believe we've been doing this for almost six months! Amazing!!!


Here's the list for June:

something with your town's name on it
an elephant
a wheel trim
architectural detail
cheese
night
tree branches
cutlery
a childhood memory
a farm animal
something beginning with z...
the view right outside your door

For my sake alone, I hope it's easier than the last one!
Happy Hunting!

Project 365 ~ Week 20

I usually post this at the weekend ... but I've been away, so I'm a few days late. These snaps show the last week before half term ... I'm sure to non-teachers it seems that we're always on holiday ... one of the few perks of the job I suppose! What on earth has happened to the weather? After a super sunny April, it's been freezing here this week, almost wintery! 
141/365

Alice in Wonderland at the Creative Stitches Show ... I arrived at about 4pm, thinking the entry price was a bit steep for such a short visit, just as the lady in front of me was asking if she had to pay full price for the last hour. The guys on the entrance let us both in for free ... bargain!
142/365

Mr B. lends a hand pushing open some lock gates on the canal at Chester.
143/365

Football fun in school today ... a huge inflatable goal was set up in the hall and every child had a chance to show off their skills!
144/365

These superbright gerberas were a bargain at the local supermarket today.
145/365

An evening walk on Thurstaston Common, which is one of the highest points on the Wirral. This is known locally as Red Rocks, as the sandstone is an incredible rich red on the outcrops. You can see the Welsh hills in the background over the River Dee.
146/365

We break up for two weeks half term holiday tomorrow..... I'm getting ready to visit my daughter in Newcastle ... she has got us tickets for this!!!


147/365

The show was amazing ... a full two hours of songs and spectacles ... we didn't want it to end. (We won't mention the two hours wait in the freezing cold to get a Metro back from Sunderland!!!! Aaaargh!)

I hope you've all enjoyed your Bank Holiday weekend too.... I just hope it's been warmer where you are!!!

A Weekend in Newcastle

I've just returned from a wonderful weekend in Newcastle where my lovely girl lives. She had lots of nice things planned for us to do:

Saturday morning at Tynemouth Vintage market

A visit to Raspberry Bazaar ... a cornucopia of colour

The shop is packed to the rafters with the most amazing 'stuff' ... it's a feast for the eyes!

Later, a drive up to Alnwick to visit Barter Books ... 

wall to wall bookcases filled with treasures. Each time we go, I find I'm overwhelmed by the sheer number of books. I was determined to find something this time.

A meal at the Mussel Bar in Newcastle. We were defeated by the enormous size of the portions.

Sunday morning down at the Quayside ... we rushed through the little market and across the Millennium Bridge to the Baltic, to get out of the howling wind.

Lunch at Yo Sushi in Fenwicks ... the chopsticks were not so easy to manage!

Jelly Bean shoes

I love wandering the Food Hall in Fenwicks ... we don't have anywhere like this near home. Their shelves are stacked with wonderful things, from sweets and cakes, to bread and cheese, and barrels and jars of alcohol!!!!

However, I left the very best thing till the last ... the whole reason for being there in the first place ...was for this!!!

The opening night of the Take That Progress Tour at Sunderland's Stadium of Light .....the first time that Robbie Williams had been on stage with the rest of the band for 15 years.

It was incredible!!! 

(and deserves a post to itself another time).

Thank you!

I need to say a big thank you to everyone who sent such lovely comments on my last post.

I really thought twice about writing it all down, and I very nearly pressed the delete button because I thought it was so miserable ... but I use my blog as a sort of scrapbook/diary to record what's going on in my life, so I decided to press publish instead.
Yet again, I'm so touched by the kindness you have all shown me over this past year ... I wish there was some way we could all meet up and have a big hug!!!
Love Kathy xxx

The "It's been a Year" post

This time last year I was diagnosed with breast cancer and our lives were changed in a heartbeat. One day I was living my normal life, the next I was a statistic ... one of the 'one-in-nine's. As my long suffering readers will know, I was fortunate that it was caught early enough for successful treatment ...
but oh, my goodness, what a year it has been for us all.

For the first few months, life passed in a blur .... with so many hospital appointments, the operation and radiotherapy treatments ....  flowers, cards, gifts and people calling to see how you are. But then it all stopped, and I was on my own really. I found that, after all the treatment had ended, while my body was healing .... my mind was in a total mess ...  people think you're fine because it's all over, but I was in a much worse state afterwards. Only my closest family knew how I mixed up I was.

I despise taking the Tamoxifen, which might be keeping the cancer at bay, but has given me no end of miserable side effects ... from sleeplessness to constant mouth ulcers, and more ....
There's no question of not taking it for another four years, so I'm just learning to live with it.
I've had terrible ups and downs ... I'm blaming the medication but it might just be that I've turned into a 'grumpy old woman' because I'm a whole year older! I've turned into a right moaner ...

I struggled going back to work ... although I don't actually mind the job when I'm there, I find it difficult having to get up at 6 am these days, and driving for 40 minutes through heavy traffic to get there, and I hate the fact that there aren't enough hours in the day.... I long to spend more time at home.
And in work itself ... five months on, I still feel I'm on a different page from every one else. When they're all stressing about trivial things, I find I couldn't care less .... because I found out, the hard way, that there's far more important things in life than which colour exercise books we should get for next year. Some things are just not important enough to agonise over.
I like being with the children, but my relationship with a few of the staff has changed completely. I just can't be bothered with some of them ... isn't that terrible! Having six months out of the workplace has changed the way I see things in so many ways.

Oh my goodness, what a miserable post!!!

Let's look at some positives .....

* I am cancer free!!! A mammogram a few weeks ago was clear!
* This week, for the first time in ages, I actually feel quite well again. I don't feel as tired because I've been sleeping a bit better.
* I try to make the best of every day, and try to do something nice, even if it's only walking the dog in the evening.
* My husband and I make a conscious effort to spend much more time together now and we have a 'date' night each Wednesday, as well as something nice at the weekend
* I always have something arranged to look forward to ... we've made sure that we are living our lives now and not letting it slip through our fingers. We're very much in the 'You only get one go at this life" frame of mind!
* I'm changing year groups in September ... to give myself a fresh challenge with new topics to teach (and to move away from staff who are 'too stressy' for my new life)
* We've planned a date when I can retire ... a few years off yet, but not too far! I can see the end in sight!!!

I feel like I'm finally emerging from a very dark place ... maybe this first anniversary will let me put it all behind me and move on at last.... and I'll try not to mention it again!

Above and Below the Waves

Yesterday I nipped along to the Creative Stitches and Hobbycraft Show at Aintree, not because I needed any craft materials, but because I wanted to see 'Above and Below the Waves'. It's an international knitting project designed by Alison Murray who is a textile artist from Devon, and features a huge 3D underseas tunnel, complete with waves, cliffs, beach, mermaids, jellyfish and a very realistic fisherman..... plus every underseas creature you could imagine. Every single item has been knitted over the past two years. Words can't describe how wonderful it is .... so I'll just show you my photographs.

Look how big it is ... whole families were inside!

The project is raising money for the RNLI, and is touring the country this year.....
do try to catch it if you can!