Christmas Day 2009

This Christmas Day I want to wish everyone Christmas Blessings. It doesn't matter what your religeon is, it doesn't matter if you don't believe, all that matters is that we are here and we are sharing love and joy. My thoughts and prayers are with those who are less fortunate than me, those who are mourning the loss of loved ones, those who are ill, or trapped in conflict.

We have just had our Christmas dinner and I am so stuffed full of food! I am sitting here wearing my paper crown and watching the traditional Christmas edition of Top of the Pops, waiting for the Queens speech at 3pm. I have Wilbur curled up next to me, he stole a party popper and it exploded in his mouth. He was very scared and dejected and immediately came to me for reassurance, he is such a silly dog. I love Wilbur because there is not a nasty bone in his body, even if he has just met you he will look at you with such complete adoration, I think thats why when things go wrong or upset him he gets very hurt!

Pickles loves her new toys especially the dog beer! The dogs have had their Christmas dinner too and loved every morsal! Oh no! Pickles has started........ she is grumbling....... mumbling......... woofing....... she wants my coffee!

Just look at all the the gifts Santa brought my boys. The best part about it was that neither boys asked for much because I have taught them about the cost of things and both were over the moon with everything they had. Even though there were gifts I was unable to get for them, not a complaint was made, I am so proud of them.

Joe enjoys playing chess and all he wanted this Christmas was a proper chess set. The one we got him is hand carved and is beautiful, something I hope he will keep and treasure for years to come.

My boys got me this Steiff pony! She is a welcome addition to my collection of bears. I love Steiff creatures so much because of the attention to detail. I didn't know of this pony but its lovely and I will treasure it forever.

I have been so lucky this Christmas but the best of all is just being alive and well this Christmas, being with my family, enjoying them, relishing in their youth. They still believe in Father Christmas and its such a special time. This is probably the last year that Joe believes because he is off to high school in September.... bitter sweet.

So on this special and Holy day, I wish you all health and happiness this Christmas and for the coming new year.

Jules Update and Running with Wilbur

I received an email from Jules Peters today thanking me for the care package I sent out. She has been a very poorly young lady with not only DVT, tropical disease but also had a pulmonary embulism. She is lucky to be alive. She is recovering at home now with her young children and is doing well. These conditions were caused during her climb up Kilimanjaro to raise money for cancer. We are all set for the Gathering at the end of January 2010 in Prestatyn where I can hopefully meet her in person.

Today I went running with my dog Wilbur. I have had to have a few days off exercise as I injured my shoulder on Thursday having tripped up over Mr Wilbur. I landed on my shoulder and it is still incredibly painful, very hard for me to get dressed or put a coat on. However, I had a good run and enjoyed it even more for having his company. He had to wear is flourescent tabard because he is the colour of tarmac and whilst motorists on the lane may see me, they may miss the little guy.

A very productive day.... I am feeling stronger and fitter with each new day and I am so happy to be able to do the things I love once again.

An Eclectic 24 Hours!

What a varied 24 hours!!!!!

Last night, I was in the Golden Lion Pub, Rossett celebrating the Breast Cancer Support Groups Christmas Party. Pictured above are the founders of the group, Pauline and Barbara who started it around 18 months ago. Its a fabulous group of ladies of all ages, really down to earth, nice people who are fun to be with. Our meals were very nice but the only gripe really was the fact that the "Christmas Mess" had too much cream and not enough meringue!!!!

This morning saw the departure of my youngest son, Harry on his school trip to Nant BH in the Snowdonia ranges. He is eight years old and autistic so you can imagine how anxious letting him go there has been for me. However, his favourite teacher is going, Mr Lloyd along with his classroom support assistant, Mrs Pattingdon. Mrs P has given up her own time in order to accompany Harry, and if she hadn't have gone, I doubt whether I would have let Harry go either. He was off with a wave and blew a kiss. Once in school, he is in school so I knew that from then on he would be happy.

I went out for my run which was excellant, I am getting fitter and stronger by the day and after that we drove to Cheshire to collect a parcel for a friend then on to Beeston Horse Market....

When I first walked into the thick of the auction, I was overwhelmed. Choked with tears, I just had to get out of the building. I couldn't be a part of that scene, those poor horses and ponies; scared, worried being pushed around, prodded..... It felt like a scene from Anna Sewells Black Beauty.

My husband talked me into going back in, asking me to make some ponies day a little brighter by stopping to fuss them. I did that but I can tell you, it broke my heart. I lost count of the thin and undernourished animals there, probably over run with worms and other things! Some destined for slaughter, others possibly to be transported in inhumane conditions across Europe in order to be served up on plates in resteraunts.

I will not go back there again.

I was quiet going home. Feeling quite emotional because of Harry and what I had just witnessed.

We decided to stop at the Grosvenor Garden Centre for a good cup of coffee. They serve up a lovely Americano!

On display are the "home baked" mince pies and to the right are the flapjacks. All of the food is hand made on the premises and its open cooking so you can actually watch the chef prepare it all. It is delicious!

I was happy with my lovely coffee but Jason decided to have the caramel shortcake (his favourite).

We purchased some "Grumpy Mule" filtered coffee from the shop which was quite apt given our day!

This afternoon I clipped and bathed Wilbur and took all of his "feathers" off his legs. I do like him looking like a proper schnauzer; being a dog groomer, I like them to be clipped to breed standard but Wilbur..... He is a full on "action pup". He is the original "Million Hours a Day" dog. He lives life in the fast lane..... All things considered, he runs or sleeps and I am fed up with him bringing half of the woodlands home in his fur. He is nice and neat now and must feel so much better. At least he won't have to suffer me pulling bits out of his hair all night.

All in all, its been quite a different 24 hours!

Come for a walk with me and my dogs......

Please feel free to click on any of the photographs to enlarge, I have imported them as small pictures because there were so many. I apologise for the blurring and colour issues but it was quite difficult to take photographs with 3 naughty dogs in tow! So this is the start of our walk, coming out of Lavister Walks.

We enter onto Darland Lane. When we first moved to Lavister Walks almost 15 years ago, there were no houses on the left but now it is quite built up.

These are my walking companions. Left to right: Wilbur, Pickles and Poppy.

We pass lots of blackberry bushes on our walk, some blackberries have past their best but others are still waiting to ripen. I must pick some to make some blackberry brandy for Christmas, its really lovely and makes nice gifts for friends.

These are the out buildings of Gamford Farm, it used to be a pig farm but has stopped working for a long while now. There were animal abuse issues and the place was closed down thankfully. I used to be able to hear the pigs squealing from my house and it wasn't pleasant.

The old sign for the farm which is as decrepit as the building itself is becoming over the years.

We walk quite a way down the lane before we come to the first set of cottages which is called the area of Trevalyn. Very pretty cottages but I wouldn't like to live in one because alot of commuters use the lane as a short cut and I think they think it is a race track!

We leave Gamford Lane and re-enter Darland Lane. There are fields full of horses and ponies, this one whinnied at us and alarmed the dogs. At this point, Pickles is allowed off her lead because it is a very narrow and quiet lane and she is a good dog..... Wilbur and Poppy are not to be trusted!

Trevalyn Farm, a really old farm house which has recently been restored. They converted the barns and outbuildings into flats and houses presumably to raise money for the refurbishment. The development is sweet but I think it has robbed the old farm house of some of its character.

I could not pass this hedgrow without taking a picture because the berries were in abundance and so pretty.

Here are my PINK sheep! I think the farmer must have either been drunk when he marked these sheep or it was raining and the colour has run!

I found this freshly dug hole in the hedgrow. It kind of turns off to the right. Not sure what sort of animal it belongs to but probably a rabbit.

One of my favourite trees along Darland Lane. Ancient oaks. One could stare at this tree the entire day and still wonder at its beauty and find different patterns, textures and life.

Sloe Berries, great for making Sloe Gin. I usually pick lots of these, freeze them then use them for my gin, again, another nice Christmas gift for friends. These should be picked after the first frost but as the weather has changed here in recent years, I prefer to pick them and freeze them myself.

We are approaching Darland Woods now, Pickles is checking that we are going the right way. The woods are on the right.

Just what the dogs have waited for. This is the entrance to the woods where all of the dogs are allowed off their leads. I am climbing over the style at this point while they have bounced off to sniff some smells.

Poppy has been squirrel and duck hunting and is about to re-join her "pack".

Wilbur sporting his leather head collar because he pulls so badly, a headcollar is a great way to control him without pressing on his neck. He tends to cough easily so I am concerned about any restriction put around his neck.

As we passed the lake, the sun hit the leaves of this tree and it looked so pretty, I had to take a picture of it.

We leave Darland Woods at this point and enter the Golf Course. It is a "pay as you go" golf course and has been in existance for almost 10 years. I remember it when it was agricultural land and one would hardly meet anyone on this walk, now you bump into golfers and other dog walkers so it has lost some of its charm for me. At least the golf course are planting trees and enhancing the environment but they have culled all of the rabbits and I have found some disturbing mole traps.

The entrance of the golf course and the exit for us! This is where the dogs go back onto their leads for safety because the main road ahead has a tendancy to be extremely busy.

Here we are on the main Chester Road, about 5 minutes walk from home and the end of our walk. The dogs are tired and so am I! So, I treat myself to an iced latte (skinny of course) with a dash of vanilla essence..... blissful x

Walking

Pickles

I had a wonderful walk today with the three dogs; Pickles, Wilbur and Poppy. It was a beautiful autumn day, the sky was blue, the sun was shining, it was just perfect.

While we were out on our walk, I marveled at all the wonderful things around me. The old, old Oak trees, holes in the ditches which must be somebodies home, blackberries on the bushes, elderberries and sloes.... it was lovely.

I have decided, that if I am blessed with another such day then I am taking my camera with me and I am going to take you all on my walk, so that I can share some of the lovely things I have seen.

I bumped into my friend Rachel with her daughter and their dog Molly so we had a lovely chat. I also saw Dave Golf, the greensman at the golf course and had a chat with him. It is so nice to be getting back to normal again.

Mind you, I over did things yesterday and now my breast and arm are aching and throbbing. I have taken it easy today, lets hope things are better tomorrow.

Oooh, almost forgot to mention.... I saw some pink sheep today as well! Hopefully I will be able to get a picture of them tomorrow!

Radiotherapy Set Up Day

Teal Toes for Ovarian Cancer Awareness

Sherry, I will post you a link I just hope I am not too late. Chemo has been bad this week so today is the first day I have been able to think about make up or nail polish. Soon over though!

Wilbur

Today I had to get to Glan Clwyd Cancer Unit in Bodelwyddan for 10am. No mean feat with having to drop the children at school. Harry didn't cope with the change in routine very well so this meant a rocky start to the day, we managed. Another disaster was that my friend couldn't drop her dog Poppy off with me because she had lost her in the woods, then as we spoke, she found her but her daughter fell into the swampy lake! Disaster!

We got to the cancer unit on time and I must say how posh it all is. It is all newly furbished and very nice for NHS!!!! I had a brief appointment with my oncologist just to sign the paperwork for radiotherapy and finalise details for Herceptin and Tamoxofen. She warned me that there would be alot of talking over me and about me so I got myself mentally prepared.

Pickles

I was handed a piece of paper to cover my breasts while I got myself into position on the table. The two radiologists were lovely and kept me informed of what they were doing as the fiddled me into place. I had to then lie there as still as possible for half an hour while they moved me, x-rayed me, stuck labels on me, drew on me and measured me.

Poppy

I decided that the best plan of action was to close my eyes and think about other things such as my dogs, my family and my blog. This way I didn't end up feeling like a piece of meat and also I didnt have to acknowledge the other members of staff who were working on my not so pretty body.

The good news is that because the cancer had not spread to my lymph nodes, I will not have radiotherapy under my arm pit which was a worry of mine because mobility of my right arm is important in my line of work as a dog groomer.

The final insult was the application of permanent "dot" tatoos. As if my body hasn't been cut up, stitched up (or rather glued) and mutilated enough. I keep reminding myself that a few dots and scars are alot better than the alternative.

We got out of there as quickly as possible. However, the cumulative effect of 11 rounds of chemotherapy, sleepless night last night worrying about today and travelling had its effect on me and I hit a wall of exhaustion so the rest of the day was spent in bed, too tired to read or even think.

At least I was well rested for when my Screamers came home from school, since then it has been full on action with Harry filming his dwarf hamster Penny and play fighting. Off to swimming classes tonight so I should get an hours peace, poor Jason fronts it all!

Tribute to Dogs Past and Present

There was a dog show in Rossett today, just a fun thing really. I would have liked to have taken one of my dogs but I am so so tired and I don't know why? Chemo is on Thursday 3rd September so this should be my "good" week. Mind you, if its anything like the Epi, I seemed to suffer from a cumulative effect of chemo. Anyway, enough of that stuff. Here is Wilbur and Pickles sitting together on the sofa. Its hard to believe that when Wilbur first joined our family almost 2 years ago, Pickles couldn't bear him to be anywhere near her.

Pickles is like a fluffy mountain goat at the moment. I only had the energy to clip Wilbur and I only did that because he was hot and bothered (he is a full action pup!). She is very much a "mother bear" dog. She tells all the children off who come to the house while staying at a safe distance from them. I think she is issuing warnings of "you must behave in my house". She is quite a character! She was and is my "3rd time lucky" dog.

Poppy belongs to my friend but she comes to my house on a daily basis while said friend is at work. She also stays some nights and weekends and is an integral part of our family. Harry decided to wrap her up in my dressing gown and she didn't mind at all. She is a characterful dog too.

It's hard to believe that this photo was taken 11 years ago in Erddig. I was pregnant with Joe in the picture and I am here with my mum, my darling first dog Bobbi and mums treasure of a dog, Suzi. I took mum to a rescue centre and she wasn't sure about having a dog again after losing our Ben and Sheba but I thought it was what she needed. It was love at first sight. Mum and Suzi had an instant connection. She was such a gentle and peaceful dog and I miss her.

Me and darling Bobbi on Red Nose Day!! What did we look like? She was my darling treasure of a dog. My little shadow. My little angel. Taken away too soon by cancer. She would have been 15 years old now. This week on 25th August 2009 was the 10th anniversary of her passing. I miss her with all my heart, she was such a special little dog.

Finally, rather ironically, my brothers/mums/brothers fiances dog Roscoe passed away this week. He had suffered a stroke and had been in decline for a few weeks. Sadly, his time came and he met a peaceful end.

I thank all of the dogs in my life for giving me their unconditional love, their support, their company: Patch, Ben, Sheba, Suzi, Bobbi, Sadie, Roscoe, Morgan and in life now; Pickles, Wilbur, Poppy, Al and Fudge. Without them, my life would have been / would be a much duller and sadder place.

Session 2 of 12: So Great to Have Friends

Yesterday, I was asking "Why Me?" and my friend Ron told me that I shouldn't be asking that question, I should be asking, "How am I going to deal with this.." and he is so right. Thank you, Ron for my wake up call.

I feel much brighter today. The sun wasn't shining in Rossett, we had a storm and it has been cool but I feel good. My dear friend Jan went out and bought me the most beautiful scarves, one of which I am wearing now. It is silk and feels so warm and soft on my head. I didn't realise just how cold my head could get. I lay in the bath yesterday and my head had a jolt when I rested it back against the bath side. It did the same again today when I laid my head on my cotton pillow. All these new experiences.

I do think about cancer coming back but as my friend revealed today, if I had had this type of cancer diagnosis 5 years ago, I would be in a bad situation but the fact that my cancer is HER2 pos and receptive to Herceptin means that the tables have turned full swing and I am in the best possible situation.

My pandora bead came the other day and it symbolises "Love, Faith and Hope" which is what I live by, a great partner for my lovely breast cancer bead.

My dogs are looking good but need a bath so tomorrow I think I may just take the plunge and bath them. Oh, they get conditioning treatments too followed by a blow dry, tidy up and Eau De Toilette... they get the works. I have decided that seeing as how I have this year off work as a mobile dog groomer, I am going to concentrate on my two dogs. Pickles is five years old and a complete joy, she stays close too me and apart from demanding endless cups of tea, she is an easy dog. Wilbur on the other hand is just over 1 year old and he is naughty! He barks like a wild thing when I take him on walks and it is stopping me from taking them out at certain times of the day. I am going to invest some serious time into training him now and turning him into the dog that Pickles is!

Watch this space!!!!!