About this Blog

This blog started as an online diary and place for me to rant about annoyances in my family.

However since July it has become a place for me to catalogue and express my views and opinions on the treatment I have recieved following the diagnosis of a potentially cancerous tumor in my bowel.

On 3rd August 2011 I was told that it was cancerous. In April 2012 I was given the all clear.

October 15th 2013 I was diagnosed with peritoneal disease and liver metastases. The cancer was back and this time it is inoperable.

It is a little bit out of date as the NHS doesn't tend to have a WiFi connection in hospital and I can only post when I get home and posts take a while to write.

It is NOT about individuals or the nursing profession. It is about some of the inadequacies in the system and the way the NHS is failing some people.

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Monday 27 December 2010

Save Bookstart - PetitionBuzz

I do agree with a lot of the cuts this government is making as we are in a terrible mess and need to cut the deficit.

I, however, love reading and reading to the kids especially in our this digital age where dvds, computer games and the like are replacing everything.

Isaac and Imogen love their bookstart books and so I would love it if you all would sign this petition to make your feelings known to the Government

Save Bookstart - PetitionBuzz

Friday 24 December 2010

Christmas Eve

What better thing to do while waiting for the Grandparents & Aunts to descend upon us than
Track Santa in Google Earth

while watching the cbeebies christmas specials, Bob the Builder with Chris Evans, Elton John and Noddy Holder and then the panto with all the 'stars'

Happy Christmas Everyone

Thursday 23 December 2010

Christmas Eve Eve

You would think that with all the bad weather we have had recently that there would have been plenty of time for blogging.


But no, not with two kids, Christmas on the horizon and the 'piece De resistance' a broken washing machine, time seems to speed up.


So - 2 kids, how do you ensure that Christmas is fair for them? Isaac understands that father Christmas's is coming and bringing presents, although they have had to be hidden until Christmas eve as he keeps trying to open them. Imogen at almost 10 months has no idea, although every visit to Santa gets her a little more used to the strange man with the beard. 
Each child has 5 presents and a stocking although the difference is Isaac has bigger presents and probably more expensive although some of the presents are going to be used by both as Imogen grows older.


And then, the broken washing machine. At the height of the bad weather we were making 'essential journeys' to Horsham almost every day to use and abuse the in laws washing machines. The machine is now fixed and I do love being able to do my own washing and follow my own rules.


Now Christmas is nearly upon us, I need to retrieve the chair from the cupboard under the stairs, which is piled with all the camping stuff on top of it. I have looked and decided that Tony can do this. 


Now to the knitting - I made two 'bags' although they have no handles for Christmas presents. I have almost finished sock number 2, and the top I started knitting when Imogen was 3 weeks old, has one lot of ribbing to finish.  The cube cushions, however are still languishing in the bottom of the bag and need to be rejuvenated. I shall make this my new years resolution. 


Happy Christmas readers one and all (mostly just one)







Wednesday 1 December 2010

December arrives with a .....

Well with a range of emotions and activities.


Despite the snow I have managed to take Hayllar number 1 to his childminders, made it to the job centre & even reverse parked the car back in the same space at home. 


Isaac loved choosing a decoration for the Advent tree this morning. I then had a major panic as I have 2 decorations left to knit and 1 to finish due to lost darning needle. 


The conjunctivitis is going due to copious applications of breast milk to Imogen's eyes, although hand expressing is harder than it looks!!!


Christmas presents wrapped last night - 4, christmas presents still to buy - more than I care to think about!!



Tuesday 30 November 2010

Snow Strikes

Snow has struck Crawley and I am amazed by several things


1. The number of people who do not clear their windscreens properly on their cars. Do they not realise that the snow can slide down the windscreen?
2. People who drive at 25mph on 50mph roads which have been gritted and are clear of snow. Main roads are gritted AND we only have about an inch!!


Having had to leave the house today as youngest Hayllar has conjunctivitis and needed eye drops I am also shocked by the way people wrap up their children, some of them don't even have hats on. I am in some way negligent in this manner as Imogen refuses to wear mittens as she is a finger sucker. Isaac was the same although I used to manage to keep one on him as long as his thumb was free.


On the subject of conjunctivitis I bet my GP has never had to put eye drops 4 times a day into the eyes of a very wriggly 9 month old. Imogen does not like that. 


And finally a picture to amuse you all


Nothing like a quick trampoline bounce in the snow!!!

Thursday 18 November 2010

gigging

So it is possible to go to gigs with young children. Have just had my ribs cracked, boobs squeezed and leaked milk all over a fan at a leveller's gig. Made me feel like a teenager all over again.
Isaac's first gig was the leveller's supported by 3 daft monkey's and seth lakeman at arundel castle at 8 weeks old, Imogen has been to her first gig as a festival!!

Kids should not be a burden and should not stop you doing anything!!!!
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Wednesday 17 November 2010

a women's work is never done!

Now the building work is finished the work of furnishing the conservatory begins.
The jobs worth's from Argos would not take my word that the sofa could be unwrapped, I had to wake hubby. Once we had unwrapped it fully we realised that if the manufacturer had thought about it they could have wrapped the cushions separately and created a lot less hassle.
Then the furnishing. It has demonstrated the flaws in my measuring techniques. Measuring the length of the wall does not mean everything will fit!!! You must take into account the windowsill and skirting board.

Oh well the best laid plans and all that!!!!!
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Monday 15 November 2010

Monday Morning

'Tis actually Monday afternoon now, but I have been musing.


Why did my children both wake up at 4.30 this morning? I ended up as the meat in an Isaac and Imogen sandwich, until they both wriggled through 90 degrees and I ended up sleeping halfway down the bed with their feet at my head. 


Why do children do that? When Isaac woke up he was sleeping across his pillow, not under his covers & then told me that he was cold. At least Imogen is in a sleeping bag, although I am surprised she has not got brain damage as she seems to thrive on banging her head on the bars or head of the cot. 


Although the wake up was 4.30 once in with me we did all sleep til 8.15. This does then annoy Isaac as we missed Chuggington & Octonauts on Cbeebies. It also means we don't do breakfast until nearly 9am.


And now for some lunch



Friday 12 November 2010

Musings on Socks

I am currently knitting a pair of Bamboo Rib Socks from Simply Knitting (October 2009) and this has led me to many musings about socks.

They are a strange phenomenon, small but so important and very time consuming to knit, lots of counting, decreasing, increasing and matching things up so that they look beautiful. 

You can't really skimp on leg length or foot length like you can with other things. You can't really stop once you have completed one, you must do both ( who needs one sock???).

Then there are shop bought socks, especially kids ones which seem to disappear into the space time continuum when washed. Isaac has several odd pairs of socks as does Imogen.

Then there is the ease of removal of socks. By 8-9 months old Isaac was regularly removing his socks, an activity which he still finds amusing especially when we are out and about. I have probably left a trail of toddler socks across Southern England. Imogen on the other hand seems to have no desire to remove her socks. This does delight me, sometimes the only way to determine whether she is a boy or a girl is to check the socks.

Then there are the types of socks. Tony is a black sports socks man, but they leave black blobs of fluff everywhere. Most match but as they are from a variety of sources there are differences between some. On the plus side this does mean that holey ones can be thrown out and pairs can still be formed. 

My dad on the other hand has 7 pairs of socks, black with coloured heels and toes, 1 for everyday of the week. When I suggested that he might want more, he laughed. He does his laundry once a week and so needs no more.

Me, well I have a variety. I love over the knee socks, although given my height they become knee highs for wearing with boots. I have coloured and patterned ankle socks for wearing with trainers and lots of thick fluffy ski and hike socks for this time of year.

Socks, don't you just love 'em,

Wednesday 10 November 2010

A new start

So I am making my 2011 resolutions slightly earlier than normal and intend to keep this little snapshot of my mundane life up and running now.


So I am a mum to 2 gorgeous kids.


Isaac is my terrible toddler, mad about trains - especially steam trains and very loving to his little sister
Imogen (christened Genie by Isaac), she is a crawling, standing, whirlwind who loves watching and chasing her big brother.


What about me? 


I am currently a stay at home mum who knits, cross stitches, bakes (mostly cakes and cookies) & tries to fit in a bit of reading here and there. I am also a Guider and have been involved in Guiding since I was 7.