Hi everyone
No, I haven’t had a baby – I had an operation (remember?!) But I do have a new grandson, Aidan, who is bringing joy to the family and is a bonny lad already. This is motivation enough to keep on with the recovery (as are the other three grandchildren) and I am now over 6 weeks post-surgery, with only one more round of chemo to go. All the indicators are looking good and the incredibly dramatic wound on my abdomen is now almost healed into a jaunty scar, though I still have no plans for bikinis this summer (or any summer, come to that!).
I’m on a steroid high today – crash comes tomorrow for a day or two, but I’m riding high right now. Today I have reviewed a journal article, been to the allotment for a bit of light pottering (not allowed heavy exercise for another six weeks) sent some emails and watched TV. My challenges are beginning to change as I get less tired, so I try to pick up the trumpet a few times a week as well as walking more and trying to sort out a dressing up box for the kids which is not two flights up (at Christmas they kept putting on clothes that were too long and nearly breaking their necks coming down to show us their latest outfits!) So, plenty to do – and more writing is going to be on the menu now I have the energy to sit at my desk a bit more. More on that soon. There is linguistics in the offing!
In the last couple of weeks we managed to get down to Essex to meet our grandson and last week spent time with friends in East Yorkshire who let us use their holiday let when it’s free. They look after us so well, it is very moving. I also managed to drop into the regular jazz jam session at our local arts centre, HEART, which I have been running since it opened 15 years ago! I am so grateful to friends who have kept it going in my absence and I can’t wait to get back to being able to play again. I’m persevering with Duolingo for now too (115 days) but I plan to try better ways to actually learn Italian as it’s driving me a bit mad!
I continue to hear from you about your various challenges – often with apologies – no need! This is for you, not me, though I do love it that you’re trying to do things you want to do. This whole experience has both encouraged me to do things I have been putting off and crave going back to the good things I used to like doing anyway. The big change is dropping the things I hate doing (unless they’re vital for me or someone I love). It’s liberating!
Lesley Jeffries 