Everything but the Kitchen Sink!

Dressings have been removed and a bit more fluid released in to the world. My surgeon is very pleased at how the healing has been progressing. She had 2 nurses with her who helped with prising off the dressing (which was painless btw). In my head I kept imagining that it would be like the dentist with his knee in your chest trying to grapple with a feisty tooth.

They seemed to want to make sure I was OK emotionally seeing my scar for the first time which was lovely of them, but I was fine. I initially came to the conclusion that it looked like something from a scene in Silent Witness  (BBC producers – if you want to film it please email me, rates negotiable). It is actually a curvy scar almost like a big smile. It might be quite fun to get the marker pen out and draw in 2 eyes and a nose.

Apparently I had a high lymph node involvement, 10 out of 24 nodes removed tested positive so the future treatment will be more aggressive. Ready for the list?

Echocardiogram
CT Scan
Bone Scan
Chemotherapy
Radiotherapy
Tablets for 5 – 10 years
Kitchen Sink

I am exhausted just reading this list. I’ve already checked up on my Oncologist and I’m pleased to see that in addition to his Chemo expertise he has written and published 6 papers on c cells. He’ll do!

Can’t think of any pics to put up but I do have a recent video of my clever Daisy taking her antibiotic tablet without me having to resort to restraining her in the big nasty towel. She is the only cat I’ve ever had that will take her pills willingly. It’s only a few seconds long but enjoy!

Slàinte Mhath xxx

Free Bird

I’ve been removed from my dreaded drain and have managed to get my consultant’s OK to go on half medication now. Yippee!  Apparently I was supposed to have been given a spare bag for when the first one filled up. I did wonder about that as it was starting to get heavy and I had visions of having to wheel it around to avoid developing a leaning to the left.

As I was making my way to the hospital exit after being given my freedom I bumped into the lady who was in the bed next to me in the ward. So lovely to see her up and about and looking so well. Big hugs were exchanged. We are hoping that we get to be chemo chums as well, you never know.

I’ve been doing some walking and I’ve even been to the hairdresser to get a new hairstyle! I had a nice pic of a Helen Mirren hairstyle on my Kindle, so I plonked it up against the mirror and my wonderful stylist cut it for me.


I’m driving now as well, just short hops to the supermarket and my favourite wool shop and cafe, oh and the library as I had a stack of books I’d reserved awaiting collection. I’ve even managed to knit half of a shocking pink woolly sock over the last few evenings as well. Will post a pic of them when finished. Next appointment is next Friday to have the dressing changed. I’m not looking forward to that as it does appear to be welded on and totally bomb proof! Surgical instruments may be required.

The cats have settled down now, except for Daisy my Tortie who seems to be running around playing tag with an invisible cat friend. At 14 she is the oldest but she is also the slimmest, cleverest and the most energetic of my cats (I’m covering the screen, so the others won’t get jealous at what I’ve written).

Now as I hijacked Lynyrd Skynyrd’s classic for my blog title it’s only right to add a link to the original Free Bird.
This is Free Bird being performed on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1975.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXVa3ibi6i8

Slàinte Mhath xxx

Warrior Woman

Well I’m now a fully paid up member of the Amazonian Women’s Archery Club and I’ve been told that for a while if I row a boat I will go round in circles.

I’m so lucky to be living in the UK and being looked after by the NHS. The level of care and professionalism is incredible, from the wonderful young man who taught me the trick to putting on surgical stockings to the surgeon who came in and drew over my boob with her marker pen, which tickled btw.  It’s like one of those Oscar acceptance speeches where there is a long list of thank yous.

All went well. I remember being wheeled into the anaesthetists room just before the op and waffling on about how I liked their pink walls, then holding the face mask myself just above my face saying how different it was from the old dentist masks which smelt of rubber and sweet odours (they must have been so pleased when I fell asleep) then waking up in recovery a couple of hours later being given the best tasting cup of water ever.  I did suffer a while from a bit of nausea but that did fade away by bed time later on in the evening and I was also going to the loo by myself by that time too. 
I was in a ward with 4 other lovely ladies all in for different things and I have to say the best line of my stay was from one lady who declared she couldn’t go home yet as she was waiting for her big knickers to arrive.

I’m home now with one of those wound drains attached to me which I’m going to use to terrorise my squeamish friend when she comes round later. And speaking of friends – Claire, Jan and Graham, Sheila, Stacey, Susan you are the very best mates a girl could have. I love you all xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Off to hospital tomorrow morning to have the drain removed which will be a relief as I’m currently dragging it around like chains in a horror movie!

Manchester lass – your candle worked! Bless you xxxx

Slàinte Mhath xxx

Bumps in the Road

Surgery this Monday morning! I have to be at the hospital at the ungodly hour of 7.30am. I will probably need the help of 6 alarm clocks.
I was driving yesterday and noticed this…….



I seem to be alert for all things boob shaped at the moment! Anyway my mind was very keen to change the sign to this……………….


Can’t help it, it is my warped sense of humour. I am also very tempted to stick a post it note to my boob before going into theatre. I was thinking something along the lines “Not suitable for rehoming”. That would sort of go along with my animal saving. I am sure it would give the team a good laugh. I wonder if you get scanned for post it notes on the body prior to leaving the ward.

I read the patient info sheet they give you and it says that you normally walk down to theatre. I keep thinking of that scene from the first Hobbit film where Bilbo Baggins bursts out of his front door clutching his contract with the Dwarves and shouting “I’m going on an adventure!” I wonder if I can recreate that with a quick jog down the corridor waving my patient notes.  Probably best not, I could end up recovering in the Psychiatric ward.

I do worry for my 14 year old cat Poppy who for all her life has been making it her mission to paddy paw my left boob into submission. Can you teach a 14 year old cat new tits?

Thank you Manchester Lass and Kate for your lovely comments, they were very much appreciated xxx


Slàinte Mhath xxx

Yes, I am guilty of blog neglect!

No posts from me since June 2014 – where did the time go? A lot of tea cosy making and stuff, but mostly frittering away my time. I reckon I could clean up on Mastermind with Eastenders as my main subject. For someone that has no tv I do remarkably well on BBC catchup.

All that has changed now as at the beginning of the year I got the news that I have breast cancer (no capitals, this nasty disease doesn’t deserve them). If there is one thing that makes you rethink your life and priorities bc is it. I’m just about to embark on surgery followed by chemo. No, I’m not going to post all the gory details as they unfold. I made the mistake of reading a fellow sufferer’s blog where she had described every single minute of suffering. I cried myself to sleep that night.

The one thing those wonderful MacMillan Nurses (capitals here cos they are great!) do is to warn you to stay off the internet and not to Google the disease as you can scare yourself witless. So I have decided to focus on real life in the flesh people – MacMillan Nurses, ladies I meet in the hospital waiting room and friends that unknown to me have gone through it. I prefer my situation to be one of hope and of appreciation of the great gift of Life. So here is a nice hopeful pic to be going on with until my next post.


Dolphins expressing the sheer joy of living.

Slàinte Mhath xxx

Foxy Feed

Some slightly better news than the last post I wrote. Twinkle an adorable Tabby  who has spent a long tme at PAWS Animal Sanctuary has finally found a new home. A couple came by this morning and fell in love with her.


She’s going to a home with a huge garden and a lot of love!
Below is a video I shot of a new little Fox cub who has just found his way to my door and the cats’ leftovers! He is so gorgeous, I love watching him trotting around and sizing up this new world of his. If you watch the video, please ignore soundtrack in background, I’m watching re-runs of 24. Jack Bauer and I are up to Season 5 now.

Beautiful Fox Cub in the Garden

Gully the Herring Gull is taking food from me now at very close range – we’re up to about 2 feet away now. Honestly I swear there is a queue of wildlife at my door every afternoon! My neighbours opposite me love watching all the different creatures turning up for their tea.



And this is a skinny little adult fox which I’m trying to fatten up. There is a large dog Fox that comes round as well and if they both turn up at the same time he won’t let the little one feed.



Craftwise I’ve been busy sewing, but I’ve taken time out to crochet this little cutie.


The pattern was free from DenDennis Amigurumist It doesn’t take much yarn and it’s quick to make. The head and body are made as one which is great as there is no fiddling about trying to sew a flopping head on!
A short post this time as I have to get back to Jack!

Slàinte Mhath xxx

Hatches & Dispatches

It’s so hard to discipline yourself to sit down at the computer when all you want to do is to get outside and visit gardens, pubs and cafes with outside seating, the beach, quaint villages, animal homes, riverbanks, dig holes or just sit outside enjoying the sun while it’s here.
At least the sun is helping to dispel the blues after some sad news this week. Remember that little family of Robin chicks from my last post?


And their proud mother?

Sadly the nest got predated by a Magpie and the little chicks are no more. Simon King captured on film the Magpie looking at the nest. Thankfully he didn’t publish the actual predation.

So very sad, I had a real lump in my throat when I read the news. Simon did say that he had also witnessed a Crow taking Magpie chicks. It is the circle of life but a cruel one at times. I have a fondness for Magpies as well since I helped rear a nest of abandoned Magpie chicks to where they all fledged. This is one of the little characters sitting on my hand.


The second piece of news also refers to a previous post – little Button the black and white stray cat who got the all clear from Feline infectious peritonitis was finally rehomed to a very loving home, then sadly only after a couple of days in his new home he took a bad turn and had to be put to sleep. His new owners were devastated as so was I, but at least he did finally know what it was like to be in a home if only for a very short time.



To cheer up the mood of this post, I think I’ve been adopted by a Herring Gull. He has cottoned on to where I put out the food for my foxes and has started getting there before them to grab it. This afternoon I had some left over cat food chunks from my cats’ breakfast which I threw to him one at a time outside the front door. He got closer and closer and more trusting too. My cats were out as well but they stay clear of the gulls. I know he has young so I’m pleased the cat food will be recycled and go to a good cause. Sort of evens the balance with the robin predation.

Now I have been busy with other animals too. Let me introduce Suarez (thanks to my friend Michael for the suggestion) the crocodile.

I used the pattern from the book Super, Super Cute Crochet. Amazingly the instructions for the teeth were missing from the pattern and the publisher didn’t post errata for the book. So I improvised. I’m quite pleased with how Suarez has turned out. He’s currently sitting beside Eric and Ernie’s tank sizing them up.
Then in the absence of any British sports wins recently I decided to fly the flag myself and embroider this very British pouch.

It reminds me of one of my favourite Michael Caine films, The Italian Job! You’d have a hard time blowing the b****y doors off this Mini, they’re firmly stitched on. And for the lining I turned up the Britishness of it and used this fabric.



I love it! The designer was inspired when they created this. It makes me smile every time I look at it!
Well that’s enough of smiling for the mo, I’m off to catch up with Keifer Sutherland in the latest episode of 24.

Slàinte Mhath xxx