Secret Post and Muleberry Show

I am lucky to be a member of Heathers Secret Post Club www.notesfromlapland.blogspto.com. Once a month I am sent the details of the person I need to send a package too and my details are given to someone else. The idea is that you receive a package but its a surprise. My package arrived on Saturday from mamacrow and I was thrilled to bits because of the thought and care put into my package. Mamacrow had obviously read my blog because she has gifted me the most appropriate things: a nail buffer and nail strengthener for my brittle and splitting nails, a gorgeous book mark, a poetry book on horses and a packet of polo mints for our pony Cola - how kind! Thank you mamacrow from the bottom of my heart!

There was an Old Man of Nepaul

From his horse had a terrible fall;

But,

Though they split quite in two,

By some very strong glue

They mended that Man of Nepaul

by Edward Lear (1812-1888)

Harry and Jason

Today we went to Muleberry show about half an hours drive from us in North Wales. Our friend was competing with two of her Shetland ponies and we decided to tag along for the experience. The only bad thing that went wrong was the fact that Harry lost his wobbly tooth and did actually lose it on the show ground. This is him crying with his dad. We have told him to write a letter to the tooth fairy and she will still visit him tonight!

Llinos with Mari-Ann and Eleri (her daughter) with Ernie

Llinos and Eleri did so well today bringing home over 10 rosettes with quite a few firsts. This photo was taken during the last class of the day for them and it was the championships. Mari-Ann is only 2 years old and up until last Thursday had never been led in a head collar before. There are alot of things that filly hasn't experienced but thankfully, she has landed on her hooves and has found herself a wonderful and caring home - under the careful handling and love of Llinos, this filly is going to shine.

The views from the show ground were stunning as it was located at the base of Rhuallt hill.

The sun was shining and although it was still chilly, it was a glorious day, a perfect day for showing! When we get our trailer fixed up, Cola will be competing at this show, lets hope he wins lots and lots of rosettes!

I Am Back!

Sorry I haven't been around much but I have been so busy arranging things for Cola and to be honest with you I had the worst case ever of chemo brain. By Friday my head was completely fuzzed, I wanted to cry but couldn't, I couldn't organise my thoughts, I was forgetting words mid sentence........ all of you who have had chemo know the score, I don't need to explain! Yesterday I spent the day scanning old photos so I have decided to share them because they are special. The above photo is of me aged 15 about to go away on a school trip.Going through the photos made me think alot really. First I thought "how old am I?" because I have had so many body shapes, hair do's and parties! I also felt really sad at the people and pets I have lost and that was quite difficult to deal with but I had some good memories too. The above photo is of me and my neice Emma Louise taken in 1991 - hard to believe that she is a full grown woman now about to have a baby of her own.

This is me aged a couple of weeks old. I remember that chair too. Mum had me at home and apparently I was an easy baby from day one. Wish I had had one of them!

This was taken in my back garden, I am the one with the long hair and the other girl is my best friend Karen Scott. We had such laughs together. This is the only photo I have of her and I really treasure it. Karen was killed in a car crash when she was 17. The first time ever her dad had not picked her up from the disco, she begged him to let her come home with her friends. Then the friends got into a car race on the industrial estate and the outcome was the death of a vibrant, kind, fun loving and beautiful girl.

I have had many parties in my life and this was a fun one, very well planned indeed! Yes we had party rules and we covered the carpets with plastic and stored the furniture - it was a fun party.

Taken in 1992 in Liverpool City my friend Julie and I having fun. My Swiss Italian friends came over for a week so we did alot of sight seeing and alot of silly things.

Bonfire Night

I don't know if you all know about the British tradition of Bonfire Night on November 5th?


Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament but he was caught in the act. His punishment was to be hung, drawn and quartered. This punishment means that you are hanged until you are almost dead, you then had your limbs tied to four horses who pulled in different directions and while you were begging for mercy, your entrails would be taken out and you would be left to die....... nice!


Anyway, I digress! Each year we celebrate with the burning of the Guy on Bonfire Night. When I was a child, children used to make their own Guy then knock on doors asking for "penny for the Guy" - sadly this traditon has been taken over by trick or treating. On 5th November, the bonfire would be built and Guy stuck on top!


Last night we had a Bonfire and burnt the Guy at my friends house. She lives on the top of the mountains so there was nobody to disturb. OK, so it was a little late but it was raining on the actual day and cold, and miserable. It was such good fun. So cold though until the bonny really kicked in and then our faces were glowing with the heat. Alvin let off some lovely fireworks, the children enjoyed their sparklers and we all came home muddy, tired and thoroughly relaxed!

Transitions

The pub in Glyn Ceiriog - our favourite place (not the pub but the actual village)

When I was growing up, one of the many pieces of advice given to me by my mum was.... "in life, you have to be like a tree which bends in the wind. If a tree stood rigid, it would snap, learn to bend....". I have always followed this advice, adapting to change really well and not being too bothered by it.

This week, I have found myself to be snappy, irritable, naggy....... Why? I ask myself. Then I realise that I am at a transitional phase of my cancer treatment. On Thursday; the 19th anniversary of my big brothers death; will be my last dose of chemotherapy. After 12 rounds of chemo over six months, I will be glad to kiss goodbye to that phase in my life. I then move onto the next stage which I haven't thought about much, the radiotherapy and it scares me. However, like every aspect of cancer treatment you have to put on that "stiff upper lip" and soldier on..... It is rather like fighting a war with cancer. One mission is soon to be accomplished then on to the next and the next and the next until peace can be declared once more!

So, having never been phased by transitions before, I am surprised that I find myself feeling the way I feel at the moment.

This thought leads to another thought.

This time it is with autism and those with communication problems. Transition is hard for them as their security lies in routine and mundane daily grind. I now know what it feels like to be my child...... I now understand just how hard life is for them, dealing with situations that I have taken for granted all of my life. Simple changes in routine such as going to school a different route, a school play instead of the usual work.... all these tiny tiny little things that we all take for granted because we are ABLE to bend in the wind.

Cancer has taught me so much in life...... Mainly.... not to take ANYTHING for granted, be it transitions, being able to adapt to change, my family & friends, my life........ I am also able to discard the unnecessary and the unwelcome and focus on what matters.

Transition.......... Bring it on!!!!!

Friends

As you may know, I have recently purchased a new scanner and I am busy uploading pictures onto my computer so that I can sort them and archive them. This has been an evocotive task for me, conjuring up long buried memories along with the emotion. One thing that has struck me; friends are like ships... they pop in and out of the harbour of your life, some only visit once, others stay forever.... thats the way friendship is. However long or short their stay, they always leave ripples in the water... Above is a picture of me taken over 10 years ago when I was pregnant with Joe and the chap with me is Chris, a friend of my husbands. We don't have alot of contact but the friendship always picks up from where it left off.

Jessica Clark, a good friend for a few years but we lost touch and now I don't know where she is. We had lots of fun together thats for sure, went to alot of live concerts and had sleep overs.

When my fiance of 7 years and I split up, my life went in a totally different direction. I became a member of the Sports Connection Gym and hooked up with a great crowd. Lots of events, house parties and fun including climbing Snowdon, camping, Its A Knockout to name but a few. Yes, for those in Great Britain, I was a friend of Tim Vincent way before he hit the TV screens, I remember him as a lanky young lad.

Mandy was a great friend, brilliant fun and I am still in touch with her mother although she is living all over the place and has been for about 15 years. She saved my life. I was in a deeply depressed place.... my brother had died.... mum & dad divorced... my fiance cheated on me and was keeping me hanging on like a yo-yo. She had split with her boyfriend and just asked me did I want to join her on a trip to Disneyland. I said yes and I never looked back. It was on that holiday that I first got to sleep without crying and holding a photo of my fiance. It was on that holiday that I decided to ditch him once and for all..... Although I loved him dearly, I was not going to be treated like an object any more.

We did the Aerobathon in Earls Court, London twice. We raised money for Cancer. Way back in 1993, little did I know that I would be benefiting from such charity fun events. Michelle was a brilliant person to be around, a bubble of fun, always smiling. She taught aerobics. Me? I cycled 30 miles a day, swam, did aerobics and weight trained seriously to the point that my spar partner was a guy! Not so blinking fit these days am I? I feel like a big fat pudding!