Life feels like life again. Gone are the never ending days of insular monotony.
I know things are changing as I haven’t watched day time TV in two weeks. I can’t pass on any pearls of wisdom from This Morning because I’ve not seen it. I’ve been out out. :)
Here in its place is LIFE...ok, I’m getting carried away, it’s not like it was BP (before the pandemic), but it’s a damn sight better than it was…big news! We went to a supermarket!! An actual real life supermarket, first time in a year! Whoop whoop!
I do kind of feel I might have lost something during the pandemic, my mind, my perspective? Who knows?
Never in my life did I imagine an actual highlight be a trip to Waitrose. But here we are! Hahahahaha
We loved it too. Seeing all the yummy things to buy. And we did. The freezer is fully stocked now. Mainly with cake, but that’s me. Love me as I am. Hahahahaha.
We also had Ben and Kaitlyn round for dinner in the garden in the week. Which is so nice that we can invite people and know they can definitely come because we don’t have to worry about the weather because we have the garden tent up.
I table scaped for the occasion, obvs!! :)
Chris did mention my scaping had got out of hand the other day, this was mainly brought on by my trying to copy a look from a website called Mrs. Alice, find it online, her table scapes are incredible…her prices however make me faint.
Anyway, I decided to source my scapings elsewhere, I’m in the process of buying an autumnal/Halloween table (these things take time to source if you don’t intend on spending Mrs. Alice money on it.
I ordered some squirrels (don’t ask, it’s best not to), in my head they were about 6-7 inches tall, like Mrs. A’s …in reality the ones I ordered were no bigger than my big toe.
And this is what you get for being cheap! Hahahahaha
What added to my disappointment, was when a parcel got delivered through the letter box, I said to Chris, jokingly, “God, I hope that’s not my squirrels!”
But it was! :)
Anyway, back to the drawing board. And probably back to Mrs. Alice to buy her bloody squirrels anyway!!
My Indian takeaway table scaping;
Just because I wasn’t putting any effort with the meal I didn’t see it as any reason not to make an effort with the table.
Ignore the wonky table cloth. I clearly haven’t honed my scaping skills yet. :)
Having the tent up has really made an impact on my happiness levels. I know, if I invite anyone round they can come no matter the weather.
Which is a great relief in this country, as the weather is unpredictable, and the law dictates you can only have guests round in the garden.
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I had a really very good meeting via Bowel Research UK. I volunteer for BRUK and I absolutely love it!
I get to be involved at the point of research and development for some incredible inventions and innovations. I use my experience with bowel cancer to further research.
It feels incredible! I feel like I’m putting my survival to good use. I’m making my survival count. I find that very comforting and helps me cope with the guilt I feel about people we’ve lost.
It’s been very interesting and enjoyable to be part of the team for BRUK. Although the charity does raise awareness for bowel conditions and diseases, its main purpose is to fund research and development in bowel conditions.
As you can imagine that is something close to my heart.
If you’d like to get involved please get in touch with them or me come to that, and I can pass your details along.
Dress from Whistles, Shoes from Jimmy Choo
I get dolled up for zoom calls for 2 reasons, 3, if you include I do as I bloody well please. :)
The first reason is I don’t want to see myself looking all haggard and rough on screen staring back at me, and secondly it feels like a day out to see other humans, so it’s worth making the effort. :)
We had a fantastic meeting. One of the most enjoyable I’ve had with them. So interesting and really very reassuring to know what is in the pipeline for years to come.
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Then at the weekend we had real live friends over, in the actual flesh!! (Insert a choir singing ‘Oh happy day’ here).
We saw James and Tanya for an impromptu picnic in London a couple of weeks ago. But it was so nice to feel back to normal with friends over.
Dress: from a collaboration range with Ghost & M&S.
Shoes from Jimmy Choo
The gang back together, the original curry club reunited.
James used to come to ours for a curry on a Wednesday every week for years. It grew and grew, at one point we used to have 14 of us for curry.
I can’t tell you how good for the soul seeing friends in real life is.
It really has perked all of us up. I didn’t notice how ground down I had felt until I saw my friends again. It’s like a weight lifted off me. I felt refreshed and revived.
I table scaped like a pro! I love making an effort with it. I am incredibly visually stimulated. I like pretty things over practical use. Is that a sensible way to be? No idea, and absolutely don’t care either. :)
I show love with making a pretty table and feeding you till you hurt. :)
Ben was out with some old work friends, so Kaitlyn came to lunch too, then Ben followed on in the evening.
We had such a nice time. Chris managed to be good company (despite crippling pain and awful symptoms of his back issue). I did suggest we cancel it but he pointed out that he was going to be in pain whether friends come or not so he might as well enjoy himself.
(Chris’s back update, it’s all moved on at pace, but will slow down now we know what he’s dealing with. He had an MRI and has seen the surgeon.
God bless private health cover. Our NHS is an incredible machine, and is amazing, I won’t have a word said against the treatment they give.
The only problem is getting into the system to start with. He’d be waiting nearly a year for what he’s managed to get done in a week private.
He has been warned the numbness in the leg and foot drop could be permanent because the disc herniation is so bad. But that said sensation could come back.
Time will tell. So the plan is to re check mobility of foot/leg/nerves in 2 weeks.
They can’t actually do anything to the disc for the first 6 weeks anyway, to allow for some natural recovery.
The surgeon is going to perform a nerve conductivity test in 2 weeks to see what is and isn’t still working
But on the up side the surgeon said such a big herniation can be a good thing because the body sees it as an alien interloper and tries to absorb it.
Other options are on the table once the 6 weeks rest and nerve test is complete.
Not really any real solutions as yet. But at least there is a plan).
So with Chris’s back stuck in limbo for the next 6 weeks (poor choice of words, I hardly think doing the limbo right now would be advisable) ;)
We are just carrying on as normal. He knows the plan and now we just have to get on with life. It’s not easy, and people will say ‘oh he can’t be in that much pain if he can do this or do that’. But people are rather blinkered unless it’s happening to them.
You might say someone suffering with the excruciating pain of advanced stage cancer up their arse couldn’t go to parties, walk 20km for charity, go to theme parks, go shopping for frivolous things. But I did all that and more. Some people can live through pain and manage remarkably well.
Although in fairness I didn’t know I had cancer, I was told I had IBS and piles, I wasn’t deliberately having a merry old time in the knowledge a killer was lurking up my bum.
I was in fact completely void of knowledge as to why I was in so much pain. At points I’d sleep biting on a flannel to prevent my teeth cracking I was gritting them so hard.
So yes, I know humans are incredible creatures. We can have fun, in spite and despite pain. And Chris is being my superhuman hero right now. He’s so good, he never moans, he just gets on with life.
And he just takes the piss taking he gets from myself and others very well. :) hahahahaha. What’s friendship without dark humour. :)
Sunday I decided to go back to Neptune in Colchester to get just a few more bits for scaping. Yes, it might actually be out of hand now. I think where once there was alcohol there is now table scaping hahahahaha. One compulsion given way to another. And even with the eye watering amounts of money I spend on decor it’s still probably cheaper than drinking. Hahahahaha
Jeans!! They can make me quake with fear. But I also find them really exciting to wear. Because I don’t do it very often.
Jeans from Topshop (when it was still great), Top from Michael Kors, Shoes from Gucci, Bag from Chanel
Colostomy bag, Convex from Dansac
My little haul included this basket that I’m using as a planter.
I laid Monday night's table for two, I made it pretty and aesthetically pleasing. I intended on serving the Thai prawn curry that I had ordered in my Gousto box for this week. But sadly the box didn’t arrive, so we dined on fish fingers, potato croquettes and peas from the freezer. (Food I had bought for Zak, so basically we had a 2 year old’s dinner hahah).
The box did eventually turn up, so at least we won’t be eating beans on toast for the rest of the week, that said, I do love beans on toast, so we might. ;)
Tuesday was very exciting. We had planned a day to Bicester Village a few weeks back, and certainly well before Chris’s disc tried to escape down his spine.
I thought we would cancel it, but no, he was determined to go.
Dress from M&S, Shoes from Louis Vuitton
It’s a long drive to Bicester from here. I wore a large capacity stoma bag and took plenty of supplies should I need them.
Knowing we were going I bounced out of bed and got ready. I was basically sitting by the front door like a dog excited for their walk. ;)
The opening hours have changed and it’s now open 8am till 8pm.
We live a good 2 hour, maybe 2 and a half hour drive.
All the way there Chris kept tormenting me with the updates, it’s been open 15 minutes now, 30 minutes, 45 minutes…all while my excitement/anxiety/anticipation were working in overdrive!!
Palms sweating, heart palpitating. God I’ve missed shopping. Yes, I’m shallow! I never once claimed I wasn’t…and like I said before - love me as I am! Hahahah
With every passing second of other people in the shops before I was, my heart was sinking for bargains lost. Seriously I need to get a grip! Hahahahaha, I won’t, but I need to. :)
Well I needn’t have worried. Bicester Village was the emptiest I’ve ever seen it. I won’t get to experience it like that again. But I was grateful it wasn’t busy.
Terrible for the staff though, if you’ve ever worked in a shop, being busy gets you through the day.
Usually in the olden times it was full to the brim of coach loads of international visitors. And even without them it’s usually ridiculously busy.
One year the doors were taken off their hinges by the sheer weight of customers pushing to get in to one of the shops.
Yesterday couldn’t have been more different. We were the only customers in some of the shops.
There is virtual queueing in place in some of the stores. So if you want Moncler, Louboutin or Gucci, go there first and scan the code and get in the virtual queue.
The Gucci virtual queue took 2 hours to contact us, but it really does save pointlessly wasting time outside in a queue, because you can carry on shopping till they call you.
I got bargains in both Gucci and Moncler so to me it was well the faff of virtual queueing. (Have I said the word queue quite enough yet?).
We had an amazing day. Although poor Chris with his floppy, numb foot tripped over the fairly uneven flagstones 3 times. I was holding his hand for two of the stumbles, and saved him from falling flat on his face. And one time he managed to save himself.
It’s like watching Bambi on ice watching him walk right now. As you can imagine having this pointed out to him brought him great comfort! Hahahahaha
Oh, go on then, add evil to my list of personality traits! ;)
All joking aside, I was incredibly nervous for him, the three stumbles were bad enough, I was worried he would go over fully and break something.
He can have his revenge for my micky taking as I foolishly forgot to wear cycling shorts and I am deeply regretting this decision as I incurred terrible inner thigh chaffing during our shopping extravaganza. God pays debts without money, Chris’s nan used to say. ;)
And now my inner thighs are all scabby and making a dry chaffing noise as I walk. Oh my god it burns! Hahahahaha.
After our epic shopping trip, and it was epic, Chris bought me some absolute corkers, despite me being evil. ;)
Afterwards we drove to see Sam, Milly and Zak for dinner.
As we pulled up they were waiting by their back gate, Sam was saying to Zak who’s that? But he didn’t recognise our car (and why would he, I told Chris it’s the most pedestrian car I’ve ever seen, I can barely recognise it myself hahahaha).
Anyway, as I got out the car he saw me, his face lit up and he shouted ‘NANA, Nana, nana!!’ And I swear to god my heart burst. He has a smile that lights up the world, but to be the focus of that smile, well, it’s indescribable.
We had a quick play in his sand pit, at his insistence, and then we went to a local pub/restaurant for dinner. Is that an ideal or suitable place for a child to visit with his grandparents? Yes! If it’s the only thing open it is!
He was an absolute star. Luckily there was a bit of a garden and flower bed, to look at things, and plenty of stones which he loved to rummage through to find the best ones. He very kindly gave me one to bring home. It’s in my bag still. If I hold it I can still feel his hot little hand gripping on to it, until it got too ‘hebby’.
Anything he doesn’t want to hold anymore is too heavy.
He took Pops all around the pub garden to show him stones. Chris very much appreciated the guided tour.
He was an angel. Sitting eating dinner is the least enjoyable experience for a small child. Especially as he hasn’t had much practice out and about like my boys had because of the pandemic, Zak hasn’t been to restaurants in his living memory.
My heart is still full of happiness from seeing them. They live so far away. But now we can travel freely, we will see them more. which is so good to look forward to.
We’re off to the supermarket again tonight, I know, we are bordering on hedonistic right now!
Have a wonderful rest of the week and happy long weekend to my English readers. xx