HALF WAY ....

Sunday 1 December 2020 First day of summer and the forecast isn't looking at all like producing the typical warm sunny summer day we Aussies love - cloudy, windy and showers with a top temperature of 18c and we have a scheduled power outage from 8.30 -4.00 - first thoughts were a trip to Lakes Entrance and enjoy fish, chips and scallops on the foreshore but Mother Nature said not really a good idea, next idea movies and shopping at Midvalley Morwell however my body (and mind) is telling me different - there's a lot of things on my 'To Do' list that can be done without power and Sale has a cinema (albeit old and in need of a good revamp) and shops. Half way through radiation treatment ... so far all going well - have had a late afternoon 'nanna nap' - unscheduled whilst watching the cricket! -the past two afternoons so maybe fatigue is starting to creep in, but no signs of burning or blistering. The time travelling to and from Traralgon gives great opportunity for some precious 'one on one' time that is often hard to find these days - Monday Heather & I had some Mummy/Daughter time - morning tea, shopping and lunch, Spotlight was on the agenda Tuesday with Lindie, lots of laughs with Shell on Wednesday, my long time friend (actually the first friend I made when we moved to Sale in 1970) Noelene was my 'support' on Thursday and Friday, usually when we meet up we chat about whats happening currently so it was lovely to look back on times gone by and remember those early days when our kids were babies, velvet soap and shining kitchen sinks and lots of other wonderful memories. Lunched at Eviva in Traralgon Plaza on Thursday - good food but busy and noisy. Friday Noelene had booked for lunch at Victoria Rose Teahouse in Rosedale as a special treat - we shared a Ploughmans lunch followed by heavenly lemon meringue cheesecake sitting by the open window with the scent of roses wafting in was so peaceful. I am blessed with some wonderful friends. Tuesday I saw Dr Joshi my medical oncologist regarding stage 3 of my treatment, once radiation has finished I'll take Femara for 5 years ... not jumping for joy at this however if it is going to help prevent the recurrence of cancer and prolong my life 'so be it' ... some of the known side effects are just what I don't need: weight gain, fatigue, aching muscles and emotional swings .... WOO HOO ... I can gain weight quite easily now, my emotions are still understandably up and down at the moment without medication! Dr Joshi ordered a bone density scan for comparison annually as Femara has been known in some cases to cause brittle bones. Positive thinking, meditation, exercise, fresh air and healthy eating = my plan of attack against this little yellow tablet! Bodhi & Lulu turned four on Wednesday - the past two years we have been up North on holidays and there to celebrate with them (and twice cancer has kept us from being there, first Bill now me) yesterday they 'face timed' us to say thank you for their birthday cards and gifts - sometimes you just have to love modern technology. Had a long phone call from Dylan on Friday night - once again I'm a very proud Grandma, his exam results were exceptional again top score is 7 and he achieved 7 in three subjects and 6 in his fourth which should almost guarantee him a scholarship towards his study exchange in South Korea next year. I've been a Western Bulldogs member for over 15 years now (a fan for way way way longer) just a three game membership, more just financial support for the Club I love, With this years automatic membership renewal an email was sent out with a 'scratch and win' feature as a thank you for continued support .... I won a membership upgrade ... General admission to all home and away games .... happy me, hopefully I'll get to a lot more games next season. Our lovely Sri Lankan neighbours who are employed at a local market garden keep us supplied with fresh green vegetables, lettuce, cauliflowers, broccoli, cabbage for which we are so grateful as are the family members and their friends we share the produce with ... cooked up a few dishes yesterday to fill the freezer for dinners later in the week ... one huge cabbage, doubt I've ever seen one so big, obviously too big for the supermarkets, only used half yesterday in making Chow Mein and coleslaw - another batch of Chow Mein coming up this evening (when the powers back). Heather was a happy little vegemite as I cooked up a couple of extra meals for her and Matt. On Friday my Brother Peter was remembered at the Ecumenical Service hosted at St Stephen's Cathedral Brisbane by the Asbestos Disease Support Society. It is asbestos awareness week - please be careful of asbestos. 55 butterflies representing the 55 people who have lost their lives including Pete were placed on a canvas - I wish I could have shared the photo with you however they have a copyright on them. Sadly 4000 have died nationally this year. Till next time ...