Last post for a little while

As the title says, this will be the last message I post for a little while because Richard and I are off to my mum and dads again tomorrow, so no computer access.  We are going over to my mums because on Friday Richard GOT THE ALL-CLEAR and we are heading back home.  The cancer in his blood was undetectable which is fabulous news and we don't have to be checked again until the end of February.  As with all these big decisions it has been a hard one to make.  On the one hand we are desperate to be in our own home again, but we have never had a Christmas without any of our family around us so it will be quiet, restful, peaceful but very sad without our children.  Time for us to be rather selfish though and I know my mum wants us to be here for the holidays, but dad understands that we need time to heal and rewind our batteries.  My mum knows that as well, and I quite understand why she wants us to stay here because I want to stay for the same reason but.................  Back again in February.

We looked after our beautiful girls today because their mummy went to Brighton to run a 10K and William went with his daddy to cheer her on.  She made it and did really well so we are very proud of her.  The girls behaved for nannie and grampie; they couldn't go because they have horrid coughs, and we had a pyjama morning and watched Bambi, Dumbo AND Snow White.  How cool was that??

Well, now we are planning when we return home and hopefully, this time next week we will be back.  Very strange.  It will be so good to see all our friends again and our little Sophie, so the next time I will be blogging it will be from home.

Light at the end of the tunnel

Like the title says, there is a small light at the end of the tunnel. Richard is coming along very well and we are just waiting to see what his PSA count is in his latest blood test. Should it be good we are thinking about going home. We have been over here for such a long time, living with family at 3 different locations, that we have forgotten what it's like to be on our own. Don't get me wrong, we have been incredibly lucky and we have managed so well, but not having our own space and not being able to do what we want when we want is very difficult. The up-side is, we have spent such good quality time with all of our family that we just wouldn't have done, it has set us up for a long long time. I am sure as well, that Vicki and family will be pleased to have the house to themselves especially our William, because we are in his bedroom and he is in with the girls.  I have to say though that I will miss the little bodies, albeit cold, first thing in the morning coming in to snuggle beside nannie, perhaps not the 5.45am ones!!

At the moment we are staying with Clare and Kenny in Cornwall for a few days and Clare and I have been doing some craft. While I am typing , Clare is knitting away and she is making such a good job of it considering this is her first attempt at what she calls "proper grown-up knitting". We had seen some wrist warmers in a shop and would you believe she looked at them and the price and said "That's crazy, they look so easy to make". Who would have thought I would ever have heard my daughter say that. I was tickled pink. From there we went to her lovely local knitting shop and 45 minutes later we came away with - wool for 3 pairs of mittens for Clare (and that's without even having a pattern - that's my girl) and 3 huge balls of wool for me to make a gilet - with cabling and everything grown-up. How scary is that??  I haven't knitted anything for myself for many, many years apart from socks and scarves.

Richard and I are now talking about our home in France and wondering how it has fared while we have been away.  We are very lucky to have wonderful neighbours who have been going in and airing it and generally keeping an eye on everything.  The lawns have been mowed, but the weeding will be a bit of a challenge!!  We went through some photos just to remind us what it was like and what we have been missing, I will share a couple with you.  You will notice the one of little Sophie and she has been looked after and loved by our wonderful neighbour David who has cats of his own so we know she is well loved.  Would you believe he has been known to take his lunch round to our house just so that he can sit with her to keep her company for a while.  How perfect is that, she just couldn't have anyone better taking care of her.  We originally thought this stay would be for a couple of months but we have worked out that this year, we will only have been in our own home for about 3 months.



Our little Sophie

Getting back to normal



 



We were hoping to have a few good walks while staying here but the weather has been too wet and blustery so we are keeping our fingers crossed for tomorrow.  I suppose it is November.  Oh and talking of November, can you believe that I have done all of my christmas shopping and even wrapped most of them, because if we go back to France, we will be staying there until Richard's next hospital appointment mid February so I have had to get organised.  Talk about having to be focussed, it really worked - brilliant.  We are so looking forward to going back to our home but at the same time, I have never had a christmas without my family so that is going to be very strange.  They would all love to come out to us but the flights are such a lot of money at that time of year that it's not possible, so it will be just us, though we have had an invitation to one of our friends out there, so although very different this year, I'm sure it's going to be wonderful.  At least we are here to tell you about it because a few months back when the word "cancer" became part of our everyday conversations, it could be a very different story.

Well, my knitting needles are beginning to call me so I will say cheerio, but before I go, Clare and I had watched the new TV series of Kirstie's Homemade Home and there was this part in it that made some baskets made out of crochet using garden twine.  I thought they looked fabulous but I have never crocheted anything other than a blanket, going round and round and round and round in circles.  Still haven't finished it as far as I know, not sure how!!!  Anyway, Clare had a bit of double knitting wool, I bought a crochet hook from her lovely shop and I had a go.  This is the end result, very wonky and obviously the seams aren't pressed, but it would pass wouldn't it?  I seem to lose stitches though.  I start with 22 chains and end up going across about 17.  How do I do that???  I just don't seem able to make a true square.

A not-quite-square but OK container?



I am definately going now.  I won't be back for a while because we are off to stay with my lovely mum and dad.  Will talk again soon though.  Bye.