Update

I am feeling great, radiotherapy is going well so far. I am tired with running back and forth to the hospital and running the kids to and fro to friends etc. They go back to school next Wednesday. I'm 1/5 of the way there. Number 6 out of 30.

Sadly I won't be able to drive Kady to her first day of high school next week. I won't make it to radio in time. At the same time she needs to learn about the bus etc so it won't be so bad as she has friends from a few years ago who catch the same bus.

It doesn't get much better than the way I feel right now. I am feeling healthy and happy. Feeling really good compared to chemo, still very tired though. Feel good having my friends, Valerie in Ameriac and Helen local staying in touch.

Meeting so many interesting people at radio. Good souls, good volunteers and staff. There a people really made to work in this field, that do their jobs really well. It really takes a special person to work in Oncology.

I am struggling with my Nan being in hospital. I don't believe that it's because we are both fighting cancer. I think it because I really thought she would live forever. I just always envisioned her here, forever. I am struggling with losing her. I just love her so much. We have spoken every few weeks for years (Australia to England). We chat from family history to day to day stuff. I feel I know her as much as I know myself.

She told me there is nothing more they can do for her. She has been bedridden for weeks and Dad said she is on a drip and hasn't had solids for a while. And yet she still is so positive and happy and finds the best in everything. She worries about everyone else but herself but then that's the type of lady she is. She is such a beautiful woman.

Anyway a good few years ago when I was only 17/18 I made a tape (heh you remember those), for my Nanny and Grandad and saved my money and sent it to them. I am sure Nanny has it somewhere unless it didn't last. Back in 86/87. I taped some songs that reminded me of them and chatted away for goodness knows how long about how I missed them and what was going on etc. Very amateur and probably boring, but hopefully they liked it.

I chose two main songs for both of them. For my Grandad the song went on about something at the end of the day in a storm and I cannot remember the name of the song (will have to source it). My Nanny's song was Three Times A Lady, I think by Lionel Ritchie. My Nan has always been such a lady. So special. As a teen every time I heard the song and lyrics I thought of her and it bought tears to my eyes. It makes me think of her even to this day.

Here are the lyrics

"Three Times A Lady"

Thanks for the times
That you've given me
The memories are all in my mind
And now that we've come
To the end of our rainbow
There's something I must say out loud
You're once, twice
Three times a lady

Yes you're once twice
Three times a lady
And I love you

When we are together
The moments I cherish
With every beat of my heart
To touch you to hold you
To feel you to need you
There's nothing to keep us apart

You're once twice
Three times a lady
And I love you l Iove you

I have always had a connection with Nanny. Can't explain it. I feel her love, I knew her love as a toddler and also Granddad's. I was spoilt by them. I still have the duffle coat they bought me when I moved back to England at 14. Being such good quality (bought from the store up the road in Lewis from where they lived) to pass onto Kady when she grows ito it. It cost Grandad sixty pound. I remember him telling me to look after it. Well here i am and Kady 20 odd years later and she is getting closer to growing into it and it's still like brand new,( even though I wore it for years) and she loves it and finds it trendy lol.

I have great memories from so early with spending time with Nanny and Grandad. Even moving overseas as a child I felt her love through her cards ( you could always pick Nanny's cards), her letters and her gifts. I have her coffee and walnut cake recipe, Christmas cake and Yorkshire pudding recipes, handwritten many years ago for me to carry on. She always told me it was up to me to continue her recipes .

I will ring Nanny in a few days as she really wanted to chat to the girls.


Change of topic. The hospital don't think I will be able to claim travel allowance. I clock 57 kms from home to the hospital, one way. The hospital claim via fastest or less km's, of less km's you can do it in 48kms or fastest 55kms. You have to travel at least 50kms one way to be able to claim. The social worker is hoping the DEPT will look at the 55kms which is the fastest. They make take the less kms that take longer. Funnily enough neither route is the way I travel but I don't get a choice. After all I am local and I know the roads. If I get a rebate it will cover $80 out of about $180. Still not good but I will be happy with whatever I can get.

My lovely MIL slipped some money into my pocket yesterday to help with expenses. Mainly because I am not earning much these days. I was stunned with the amount and put it straight into the account. Felt very guilty though. Paid off a large sum from the credit card. Helps out so much.

McNaughts comet. Well J and I headed up to Mount Blackwood last night and spotted it straight away. I rand Dad to get co-ordinates as he had rang me the last few nights about it. Dad had been able to spot it from home easily.

We had alot of haze on the horizon due to the bush fires. This I think blocked out venus. I drove us home to get the binoculars. We headed a few KMS up from where we live to a clearing were we could see it again. It was fab. We could see a small tail. We have had cloud cover for a week so we missed it at it's best but we both can now say we have seen a comet.

My Dad turns 60 next month and Dylan turns 2. A party for the two (as they are a day apart) that Dad found out about has been arranged. I wish I could be there but due to being 2000kms away and to radiotherapy every day I am unable to attend. I am sure I will be on the phone during the evening. Hate missing out on this type of thing.