I'm so excited!

Radiotherapy ~ Day 25 (9:05) THE LAST ONE!!!!!

I've just returned from the hospital after having my last treatment ..

I can't describe the feeling of joy I have bubbling inside me!

It's like Christmas, and birthdays and the first day of the summer holidays and everything wonderful all mixed together!

I'm going to do today's blog later on ... I just had to share my happiness

My Hopes and Dreams for the next 365 days

Well, my '25 things in 25 days' challenge is finished. .... and I've reached my rainbow after all the rain on the way!

When I started this I was on Day 1 of my treatment and I felt as though I was in a dark tunnel with no way out .... I couldn't see the light at the end. Blogging every day has given me something to focus on away from the hospital appointments and some of the topics really made me think ...

and none more so than this last one ... about my hopes and dreams...

I hope this treatment has worked ... everything so far indicates that it has been successful ...

I hope I can learn to live without the word CANCER shouting in my head when I wake up every morning....

I hope I will be able to read an article or hear a news story about 'someone else's cancer' without losing confidence in my own recovery ...

I hope I remember all the wonderful things that happened to me in the past 4 months and not just the bad things.... above all the love of my family and friends who have been with me every step of the way....the lovely people I met at the hospital ....

and the kindness of people who I didn't know at all, but now feel like my friends ( yes, that's all you wonderful people in blogworld who took the time to read my ramblings and left such uplifting comments of hope and support)

I hope that I can remember to live for the moment ...

that it's the smallest things in life that can give you the greatest pleasure.

I hope that my life will be back to normal very soon ... returning to work (normally not something I'd be too excited about) but this time it will mean I'm well.... (but I hope I don't get bogged down again in the daily grind).

And my dreams ... well, they haven't changed

I dream of us winning the lottery and buying a house in the Lake District ...

or near a beach...

... with a holiday home maybe in Paris

More realistically, I dream of a long uninterrupted summer holiday next year ... six weeks away with our caravan travelling through Switzerland and France.

And best of all ...

I feel that I'm able to have hopes and dreams for the future!

My day in great detail ...

Radiotherapy ~ Day 24 (9:05)

6.15 Wake up feeling tired, another night of broken sleep

7.00 Can't get back to sleep so I get up

7.05 take my medication with a glass of cold water - two months ago the thought of this upset me a lot, but I don't even think about it now, it's just part of my daily routine.

While Mr B. takes Inca out for her morning walk, I get her food ready. When she comes back she thinks the 'food fairies' have been .....

7.30 Time for my shower, I dry my hair and get dressed in my best jeans and a new stripy T-shirt which has a sparkly heart on the front. Mr. B. thinks it's very amusing. I take no notice and put it on anyway!

8.15 I have my breakfast of muesli and berries and fruit tea, watching the BBC news

8.45 Mr B. drives me to the hospital.

This is my 24th appointment at radiotherapy, my second to last.

 I've been doing this every week day since 28th July.

9.20 No delays today and I'm called in quite quickly. The session lasts about ten minutes and the actual beam of radiation only about 20 seconds in total. I discuss care of my skin with the radiographer and she gives me some new cream to rub in.

9.45 I leave the hospital, yet again feeling so greatful that my cancer has been 'well behaved'. If you are ever feeling sorry for yourself, one glance around an oncology waiting room will make you realise how lucky you are.

10.00 Arrive at M&S Food store in Heswall to purchase a picnic. It's a beautiful day and we are going to make the most of it. Mr. B. is going back to work tomorrow after the miserable wet summer holidays and wouldn't you know the sun is blazing!!! So, we're off to Wales to enjoy our last day out for a while.

By 12 noon we're eating our picnic at Betwys-y-coed sitting on the rocks above the river, in the warmest sunshine we've had all summer ... bliss! Mr. B. goes browsing in the outdoor shops - visiting expensive coats and sleeping bags, that he doesn't need, but likes to see that they are still there ... for 'one day'!

I buy these little chaps for our dragon project that we will do in school  after Christmas.

Next stop ... Harlech Castle

Now, we do like a good castle ... and this one proved to be a very good castle indeed. Mr. B. bought the guidebook and proceded to read it very carefully examining the entrance for the portcullis grooves and the arrow windows ... looking at every detail

He does this in every castle we ever visit ... he is an expert on castle gateways .. but then loses interest and we just wander around the rest of the site ... going up and down winding staircases and gazing through arched windows.

The views from the top of the towers are breathtaking ... and it takes your breath away climbing the stairs to reach the top!

We stroll around the little town, and find some lovely little antique/vintage shops to browse in, but nothing takes our fancy today and we head off to the beach.

... and yes, I was straight in for a paddle. The water was lovely and warm!

Next stop was Barmouth, quite a big, bustling town full of holiday makers soaking up the sun... with more good shops and a fantastic beach.

We've never been to this part of Wales before, and we were so impressed with the whole area ... the scenery is stunning, and the beaches are wonderful. We think we might come back to stay with the caravan in the future....

Time to set off home, and we drive across country past Lake Bala, through Ruthin and Mold and finally back onto the Wirral.

7.15 Home again, and we unpack the car. Inca gives us a huge welcome. She stayed  with our lovely young man today .. and missed out on a paddle in the sea.

We eat a quick meal of pasta and Mr B relaxes after all the driving he's done today.

I catch up on some texts from friends asking how my treatment is going and we make plans for a meal out very soon.

9.20 I'm at the laptop writing about my day .. and will be in bed by 10 pm at the latest.

It's been a lovely day!

Whatever takes my fancy....

Radiotherapy ~ Day 23 (9:05)

Earlier this week I showed you a glimpse of my little craft room .... and I had so many lovely comments about it I thought today I would show you a bit more.
It really is tiny, no bigger than 6'x7', hardly bigger than a cupboard but I am lucky enough to have this space all to myself ... and it is filled from floor to ceiling with all my stash.
I reclaimed the room from being a bit of a dumping ground laughingly called 'the study'
.... and redecorated it about 18 months ago. I stuck rigidly to a colour scheme of cream, red and
olive green. If something didn't fit that scheme it wasn't out on show!

We already had the computer desk and storage units in an 'L' shape, and I bought these white shelves very cheaply from IKEA ...  I store little flowers and ribbons in glass jars.... the small ones are spice jars from Ikea and the larger ones are recycled coffee jars.

I used K&Co papers to recover some old books and files,

and old boxes and tins were smartened up with a lick of paint.

Magazines are stored in wooden boxes again from Ikea.

An old cork noticeboard was painted and recovered to match the scheme, and IKEA hanging rails were

put up for extra storage.

Originally there was a place for everything ...

I love these red pails from Lakeland ... they were a set of three and I use them for storing inks and stamps.

Wasn't it lovely!
When it was first done I used to stand in the doorway just looking at it because I loved it so much.

Now... lots of your comments praised the tidiness of this room ... and it was ... tidy ... back then
... but I need to confess that ... today ... 18 months later ...
it looks like this:

It is full of so much 'stuff' ... I can't actually see what is in there!
Sorting this mess out is top of my list of things I need to do when I'm feeling ready to return to my real life (instead of the slow motion world I'm occupying right now).
Who knows ... maybe then I'll be inspired to start crafting again!

A Youtube Clip ...

Radiotherapy ~ Day 22 (9:05)

When Inca was a tiny puppy we had a new fence put up in the garden to keep her safe.

Shortly after, we saw this Youtube Clip .... and began to worry.

Our new fence was about the same height as the one in the film.

Should we have bought a much higher fence? Had we wasted our hard earned pennies?

Could labradors really jump that high?

                                             

As it turns out, we needn't have worried ...














Thankfully, almost three years later, our black lab has never been very atheletic!

A recipe

Radiotherapy ~ Day 21 (9:05)

Buttermilk Pancakes

I've chosen this simple recipe because it is easy to do, tastier than shop bought, quick enough to make for a weekend breakfast and never fails ... we never have any leftovers!

150g plain flour

2tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

50g caster sugar

2 eggs

150ml buttermilk

25g butter, melted and cooled

sunflower oil for frying

icing sugar for dusting

Sift dry ingredients into bowl.

Whisk eggs, butter and buttermilk in another bowl, then pour into dry ingredients.

Whisk until you have a smooth batter.

Fold in your chosen flavouring ... see below.

Work in batches, drop large spoonfuls of batter onto oiled hot pan.

Cook on one side until bubbles appear on upper surface, flip over and cook on other side for another 1-2 minutes.

Keep pancakes warm in a low oven as you go.

Flavourings:

1 large mashed banana or

75g berries of your choice or

75g chocolate chips or

75g of dried fruit  (we like chopped cranberries)

Toppings:

creme fraiche / natural yoghurt

sliced strawberries / mango

maple syrup /honey

chopped nuts or pumpkin seeds

banana slices and toffeee sauce

(We just have jam or maple syrup)               from Rachel Allen's 'Home Cooking'

A website ...

Radiotherapy ~ Day 20 (9:05)

This one had me stumped for a while ...

I couldn't think of one particular website that I like to browse more than any other.

Then I remembered one that I use so often I have forgotten it's actually a website.

The BBC

I have this as my homepage ...

every time I log on I can see the news,
I can check the weather,
I can see what's on tonight
I can use BBC i-player if I've missed something unmissable
and quite often while I'm blogging
 I listen to the radio too.

This website is part of my life.

My Hobbies ...

Radiotherapy ~ Day 19 (13:05)  Clinic (13:35)

Where do I start with this one? How many hobbies can one person try? My house could give Hobbycraft a run for its money with the amount of stash I have squirrelled away over the years.

                                                                             (This is my craft room on a very tidy day)

In the early 80's and newly married I did a lot of knitting, (generally for myself in those days) and then later when my children were born they had lots of hand knitted goodies too.

Cross stitch, free embroidery and silk painting took over....

... each hobby needing new materials and trips to craft fairs in London or Manchester. It's all tucked away in hidden corners in my little craft room. I have boxes of glass paints in the garage ... so I've dabbled with that too.

For the past 5 years I've fallen in love with Scrapbooking and have books full of lovely memories for my family to keep.

I love planning new layouts and seeking out the right papers and embellishments..... inks and stamps ... ribbons and buttons ... stickers and letter sets ...  Sadly, since I started my Snappycards after-school club I haven't had as much time for the scrapbooking and the preparations for the cardmaking seem to take most of my spare time.

and now I've started to make a few cards myself.

One hobby that has stayed with me throughout all these years has been photography ... I love recording those special moments, but also, increasingly, the more ordinary things that make up our lives right now.

These days, I think blogging is my new addiction. To be honest, since I started blogging I have done very little scrapbooking at all.... it uses the same principles after all ... photos and journalling .... and it's saved me so much money because it's stash-less!!!! Less clutter in the house and more cash in my purse!
Mr B. is very pleased!

My week in great detail ...

Radiotherapy ~ Day 18 (11:30)

Apologies now ~ this is going to be a long one .... if you care to stick with it!

Saturday

I have a very slow day on Saturday, as I am feeling shattered.

Some nights I don't sleep very well ....I stay in my bed until lunchtime and just read the papers and sleep a bit too. Mr.B has been persuaded to go away for a well deserved break, before school starts up again soon.

He has gone to do some rock-climbing down in Dorset.... meanwhile ....my lovely girl arrives home to take his place. She can stay for a whole week this time! Hooray!!!!

Sunday

Refreshed after my lazy Saturday we decide to have an afternoon out. My daughter fancies a trip to the Albert Dock in Liverpool ...but, to make it more interesting we travel 'over the water' by ferry!

We haven't done this for years and years ....

This used to be so thrilling when I was a child ... watching the boat getting closer and closer ..

... and it's still pretty special as a grown-up! The view of the Mersey waterfront is beyond compare ...

Some beautiful old favourites ...

.... and a new building is taking shape to re-home The Museum of Liverpool Life. It's due to open next year.

We take a leisurely stroll round round the Dock in the warm sunshine

and stop for an excellent coffee and cakes at the new ferry terminal

before boarding the ferry home to the Wirral to the strains of 'Ferry across the Mersey' by Gerry and the Pacemakers ...yes - they really do play it as you sail!

Monday

Don't sleep well again last night...  wide awake from 3 a.m.

Sign up with readitswapit an online book swap service. I'm getting through so many books it's costing a small fortune, and this seems such a good way to recycle the books you will only ever read once.

Have a double appointment at the hospital, radiotherapy and a very brief chat (all of thirty seconds max)

with a doctor I've never met before! I find it totally pointless!

I do some food shopping, and then have to have an afternoon nap.

Later, I make my first ever strawberry jam,

I'd love to say I grew my own fruit, but I have to confess it was shop bought!

It tastes really good.

Tuesday

We had intended to go to Southport today after my appointment, but the weather is truly appalling and I get soaked at the hospital.... so we abandon the idea. I send off 4 books for my first 'ReaditSwapit' swaps, and 1 book arrives for me. I'm impressed and a little frightened by the speed of the transactions!

I actually do a bit of ironing from the great mound that is waiting!

Later, we go for tea at my parents' house.

Wednesday

Three more books arrive from ReaditSwapit... and I post another one off. I've now got a nice pile of 'new' books waiting to be read at the cost of under £2 postage for each one.

In the afternoon I visit our local organic farm shop and buy some good things to eat.... sadly they don't have much in the way of fruit. Maybe I need to be there earlier in the day!

My lovely young man  finally admits he is nervous ... he's waiting for the dreaded A level results tomorrow!

At 4 p.m. I receive a very distressing phone call from Mr. B as he is leaving a hospital in Weymouth. He's had an accident rock climbing ....caused by a moment of carelessness by his partner. He says he's fine, and he's coming home tonight instead of tomorrow.  I spend the rest of the night worried sick ... because

I don't know what 'I'm fine ... it's just a graze' actually means. In the 35 years I've known him he has never had an accident climbing. He arrives home at 10.30 with a huge cut and lump on his head. It isn't as bad as I expected thankfully, but bad enough! He is more upset that he's worried me. I tuck him up in bed, grateful that he's still alive, and have the best night's sleep I've had in weeks!

Thursday

I wake up feeling really good today. Sadly, Mr B.'s head is hurting ... but he's being very brave.

My lovely boy gets up early to get his results .... he phones from school. He has done as well as can be expected given the lack of revision, and has a secured a place at Aberdeen Uni, (missing his first choice of Belfast). I think he is very, very relieved and declares himself 'well pleased'! And so are we!

I wait ages at the hospital today ... there seems to be a long delay for some reason. Afterwards I go to Cheshire Oaks ( our local outlet centre) with my daughter.

We have lunch and browse around the stores ...  I am looking for a nice handbag but nothing takes my fancy today. Then we do something really exciting .... and book a special treat for October.

The two of us are going to have a 'girlie' week away, in a warm place, near a golden beach, in a (hopefully) lovely hotel with a spa. It will give me something special to look forward to after my treatment!

Friday

I've had another poor night, with two hours wakefulness. When I do eventually drop off again, we are woken by an incredible thunderstorm over our heads - flashes of lightening, very loud bangs and torrential rain - the full works! Very unusual!

Inca is confused, because her 'Dad' is up and dressed but hasn't taken her out for her walk!!! Eventually the rain eases and off they go.

Today is my birthday. I open some cards and lovely presents from my family.

..... including a beautiful pearl bracelet and pair of ear-rings brought back from my daughter's recent trip to Bangladesh,

and  a lovely jewellery box to house my growing collection of pretty things!

After my hospital appointment, we go for a birthday meal at our favourite local restaurant. It feels so good for all four of us to be together around the table .... it doesn't happen very often these days. That's the best present I could have wished for!

I spend the rest of the afternoon asleep again ... I'm longing for the day when I get my real life back!