Life and Meso

Here we are Saturday again, another week has flown by and Christmas is breathing down our us. This time last year I was on chemo and had an excuse not to get into the Christmas spirit, but I did get into it in case it was my last. A dear friend phoned during the week and as I was saying how unseasonal I felt she jeered me on. "Look at July" she said, "Morphine and Champagne, bouncing to Sir Elton John and trying to sing your heart out, Tell me you haven't lived!"

You know, she is right, I have still maintained a normal life, and I had forgotten about watching Sir Elton at Darlo in July (but it seems years ago). We went on to discuss doing the 5K the year before, how I managed that I'll never know, my kidney was in abject pain!

The year before my friends had done it on my behalf for Mick Knighton Meso Research Fund, this year my colleague Claire had rounded up the girls at work and with my friends and I we did the race. Not only did MKMRF benefit but so did Cancer Research. We spent days sending out letters at work to all our Suppliers and Customers. Instead of money a company sent us a DVD player and that led Claire and I to organise a full Dinner and Auction night, another round of letters were sent asking for tables to be taken and prizes! Two of us alone organising such a large event, we managed .. just. The amount of prizes we received for MKMRF dinner were amazing, I guess it helped that I suffered from meso. We had over 60 Auction lots and 70 raffle prizes, the poor DJ couldn't play any music as we spent all night reading out numbers inbetween the Auction. We organised this event in less than 8 weeks. (That's the picture with Chris Knighton representing the MKMRF on the night) Claire wants to do something dare devilish next year Any Ideas! and even more importantly any backers?

I guess what my dear friend was saying on the telephone was that I have never given up and to give myself a good shake, get the Christmas DVD on, the tree up and start enjoying, block out any decisions till after Christmas, she agreed that this is an impossible task but she said "your a woman multi tasking is not just physical its mental too!"

Since then I have cheered up, I went Christmas shopping on Tuesday and Thursday, still having trouble trying to find the right present for the right person, you know how it is. On the monday I was embarrsed in one of the stores as my card wouldn't work. I decided to call in the bank to see what was wrong only to be told I was unable to use the card as it had been cloned. Fantastic, I thought, how the *ell am I going to buy presents now, thankfully the PB let me withdraw some cash otherwise I would have returned home empty handed.

The Sales are a nightmare, there isn't much room between rows of goods and your constantly being knocked from side to side, don't get me wrong I like the thought of such low prices, but they seem to overstock the shops. I usually stay away when its Sale Time because you can never find anything under the additional piles and racks they bring in.

I tend to get more shopping done when I go with my best friends, when I go with Hubby its usually "What do you want to buy them that for" or "Well if you really think so", yet when I come home laiden with goods he goes "Wow what a fantastic idea" or "that's a really good gift" Is this normal in every relationship out there?

I still have to go shopping and finish off, I haven't got hubby anything yet! (although the dogs have) The weather has really changed and my friend hates the cold, funny that thinking about what I've done to it. Seriously, I can be boiling up everywhere but my back, it seems to work on its own temperature, and when I go down hill it always starts with my friend making my back ice cold.

It's our Office night out tonight, I have missed so many but tonight (all being well) I am putting the glad rags on, using loads of makeup and going out. Claire made me promise yesterday that I wouldn't overdo it today so I had enough energy to stay awake and come out and play. So the only bits I've done today have been light duties.

We feed the birds, usually have a few trays of seed on the kitchen windowsill, watching them all fly in and peck is amazing. So today we mixed some fat and seed together and set them in those coconut shells. Last year the green finches would tap on the window when the seed was all gone. The birds are still nervous as when you open the window they take flight and wait until 10 minutes later before returning to peck at the newly filled trays.

One last thing all those with meso or carers of sufferers I hope you have filled in the questionnaire on the British Lung Foundation website .. shame if you haven't.

Hope your shopping is going better than mine, Christmas Tree up tomorrow with a glass of baileys and Christmas Carol's in the background, I'm sure I'll be in the festive spirit by bedtime, so if your putting your decorations up tomorrow lets have a toast "To another year and many more to come"