161. A first time for everything

Today I posted a photograph of my noob online via a personal message to a very very anxious woman on the BreastCancerNow website. The comedy of it only struck me afterwards - would Facebook take it down for breaching their rules of decency?? It was once a breast; it’s located where breasts go... but basically it’s just a slash across the chest, ending in a confusion of lumps and bits of flesh and numbness under the arm.

Now I’m wondering why I don’t post it here. The answer is, it feels like flashing! I frankly don't give a toss who sees it in the gym changing room or at the hospital (hell, I have D the physio massaging it and anchoring it down to see if I can raise a straight arm without scar pain!) but it feels unseemly so you’ll be relieved that, for now at least, I spare you the experience.

3 nights without anastrozole and the only effect is a lot of hot flushes, not quite what I hoped for, especially since I just received the cosiest throw you ever could wish for - thank you Sheila.

            

I know it’s early days but I spent over an hour this morning unlocking each finger and then desperately massaging one leg cramp after another, cramps in places I’ve never had cramps - because this is a Side Effect, not a normal cramp. Oh no, nothing normal allowed on my body. Only the strangest Side Effects. I am so looking forward to losing this awful bone pain. I wish I hadn’t been so smug in the first months. ‘Side effects? No, a quick flush an hour after taking the tablet and that’s the worst.’ I spoke too soon.
That’s my knitting btw - it’s actually blue!



It’s been an exciting weekend of Storm Ciara meets Miller Homes, with poor Woodview in the middle. Saturday night the wind picked up but I was unaware of the rain. There must have been a LOT because, by the time I was aware of things, it was falling in sheets, almost horizontal at times and... out went the lights. It was only 11am so why worry - but we had no phone, no WiFi (eeek) and it wouldn’t be long before the house got very cold. Dennis managed to get the upstairs sorted but we couldn’t get downstairs fixed.

Babbling brook running round lawn

Running stream down garden

When we went outside, the garage was flooded worse than before; the patio was under 6 inches of muddy water, the garden was a quagmire (lovely word); the front drain was blocked with mud (hence our little flood and power cuts) and the building site was utter mayhem. The channel they’d cut was overflowing, we had ponds right up to our fences and a new stream coursing down the field from the posh area where they haven’t even started work - so in all fairness, I can’t blame the builders.

Yes I can. I loathe them with a vengeance. They are greedy and they cheat. They bend the rules and get away with stuff just because it’s too much hassle to challenge, let alone stop them.

Enough of the rant. The flooding was mild in the grand scheme of things but we would never have been affected by it had it not been for the mess on the building site. If water hits a mountain of earth, it goes round it - and heads for Woodview. Anyway, the contractor rang me in the afternoon, by which time I had every essential working by plugging in extension leads upstairs, and today I was visited by his site manager (a bit defensive) and the new Miller Homes Senior Site Manager (according to his card). I used my best teacher-voice to point out that the first time was understandable, this was downright annoying and yes, I understood it was freak conditions but that didn't change the fact that we are in the middle of their flooding and they should have taken better precautions. I expected to be properly protected from even freak conditions and, if it happens again... yes, I actually tailed off because what can I do? Solicitor? For what?

On the good side, I showed them the map and asked them to measure the distance from our boundary to the new house (currently a huge paddling pool). Craig suggested I was looking at an old plan so I put him right on that. Oh, I was on a roll. I also asked Tony to find out what’s happening to the buffer as ‘there is local concern and all sorts of gossip.’ I hope he realises he is going to be the most unpopular man in Bramhope! Everyone will fall on him with their complaints - but at last we can put a face to Miller Homes. Poor bloke, I wouldn’t be in his work boots for the world.

I am shattered from a full tai chi class. No sitting out and only one bit of shirking, a stretch I daren’t even try because I will fall over. Quite proud of myself. Tomorrow I have my free pilates one-to-one session, my Christmas Raffle prize. Pilates is recommended for all this joint and muscle pain but it does beg the question - how do you manage the slightest twist when everything hurts! This will be fun and useful, I have decided. What I haven’t decided as it’s only just occurred to me - do I wear my boob or noob? Hmmm.

And here is my second favourite cat, Lady G, in her finest Jan-crocheted blanket (not intended as a cat bed!):