An open letter catchup that is for all my friends... a round robin in fact.... soemthing I hate receiving, but it is a short way to catch up with the major things that have happened..

A roundup of all, or most, that has happened to us in this last year*

 

In late 2014, I received an unexpected refund which allowed me at long last to go visit my son and family in Australia. We had a lovely Christmas with all the family attending here the day after boxing day, and then on the Friday 23^rd January, I was leaving England to go visit Australia. It was a very long flight with a stop at Dubai and arrived safe and sound early evening at Perth Airport.

 I was met by my son Daniel and his lovely wife Alex and grandsons Griffin and Orion. The weather was amazingly warm and it was magical to be actually there with my boy.  The next day, Sunday, a celebration was held at their house for Griffin’s fifth birthday.. I stayed for two weeks and had the most wonderful time. Because of my condition I had not dared to travel far, but my body behaved itself and all was well until the last day before leaving when I had another accident, but soon recovered.

Because it had been so hot and my family refused to let me go out without factor 30 plastered all over me, John didn’t recognise me at the airport, because I was the same colour as I left, no tanning at all!!!!

I fell in love with Perth and would love to go back there , and in fact plan to return for Dan’s big birthday in 2017.

It was easy to fall back into the old routines at home, and then in April, I received news that my 4^th child Christopher’s marriage was over after 8 years of marriage. This was so shocking , we had no idea they had troubles, and I was very upset and could not get it through my mind how final it all was. We tried talking to both of them, but it is happening..

 A few weeks later I got Shingles. I think it was the shock, but who knows? I was fortunate enough to get to the doctors and got a medication that helped the worst of the illness be contained. So after a while I was recovered and back into all the routines. Meanwhile, John who had his own medical troubles seemed to be coping well and he is amazingly tolerant at my going away abroad.. His breathing seemed to be ok, he has a condition called COPD.. which is incurable, but he keeps on going and jogging every day.

In May I had an appointment to have a mammogram. I was very loth to attend to this, as the whole procedure is hard and sometimes quite painful.. however I DID attend. Two weeks later I got a letter asking me to have a return appointment at the hospital. Naturally I was worried, but when I got there I was told that there was good news as it looked like pre cancer cells found in my left breast. It meant another appointment which John attended with me. The surgeon said that I could leave it, or have a lumpectomy or a mastectomy . Of course I opted for the lumpectomy and then had fifteen days of radiation therapy.

I decided to wait to have it until I got back from my visit to Canada seeing Gabriella, my daughter and her family. They live in the Ontario area and quite rural. It was lovely to see her and share time with them all despite the absence of her son, who had left home some time before.[ Too long a story to tell her, but its a sad one]...AND I met up with another old friend who I saw the last time I was  in Canada and who I first met when I was 18!!!  We had a lovely meal out together and could not stop talking  .... anyway, when I returned after two weeks, I then started the procedure to have the lumpectomy and radiation.

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John was amazing and drove me each day for my radiation thereapy to the hospital

  Finally in mid September I was finally free of hospital and life resumed once more.

 

Other news...

 This May I celebrated my 70^th Birthday, and then on September 3^rd John and I celebrated our twenty fifth wedding anniversary. Cannot believe where the years go to****

We had another Grandchild join our family, a little girl called Amelia Ivy, the daughter of John’s son Richard and his wife. She will  be one year old on December 28^th.

I also had the sad news of four of my schoolfriends I had kept in touch with over the years, had passed  away and that was very upsetting as I had been quite close to them all. I guess its something we will have to get used to as we get older now.

 

I have been continuing with the legal action against the hospital and visited many specialists from both sides during the year. Today the 10^th of December I will hear whether the judge thinks we have a case in order to proceed so that is ongoing at the moment.

 

 Now we are almost at the end of the year, and so much that happened, is in the past, and we are all looking forward to the next Year.

 

  I hope for everyone that I send this letter to, will enjoy an even better year next year, and that 2016 will be really happy and healthy for everyone..