hi everybody…I’ll explain about young mr holmes - when I was about 16/17 I used to go over to stay with my granny in n.ireland and see him doing his first tv stuff - think it was agricultural news or sommat - and thought he was the bees knees, always a charmer and very sweet so I’ve always had a soft spot for him and taken the flack for it over the years - yes he could gallop up on his shire horse, or clumber up, say howdi and whisk me out of Black Canyon anytime!! ;0) Bless him, I hope that Ruth woman is looking after him…
Anyway, hope we’re all well…mary x
Hope all you Mums out there have been having a good day! Hope your day was good too Theresa. Thinking about you there.
Excellent funnies Martina. I’m chortling at the eagle one too. 
Nothing much happening up here today. Started designing hair loss hats in my head. Despite the range out there, I’ve struggled to find hats or scarves that really do the job properly, you know, full coverage with style, proper warmth or cool as needed, and really importantly enough shape to give you a look rather than just head cover. My black scarf is pretty good, but it’s still not quite right. Hmmm, wonder if Determination haberdashery has some materials in stock, not that Steel can be seen buying millinery materials. She’ll have to persuade the Old One to do it for her.
Jane, your last booster’s tomorrow is it? And Mary, you’re on your second chemo this week yes? And you Ros I think?
And how are Gennie and Rosie doing? Taking it easy still I hope. If you couldn’t ride round Black Canyon, feeling for you. Just keep riding and you’ll be out of it very soon.
I admire your courage in the face of mockery Mary, PonchoCat would be proud, but you are not living this one down!
the district nurse has just been to take my bloods. so hopefully i will get my chemo tomorrow.
its raining here and cold. wooley hat today i think to keep the old noggin warm.
hope everyone is doing ok.
take care
martina
Hope y’all don’t mind new gal heading into town!
Invited in for a beer by fellow Yorkie Helen, after peering in through the shutters for a day or two!
Seem like a bunch I can really relate to - and certainly share some fashion moments from the past! Yes, loons, cheesecloth shirts (and did anyone else tie the bottom of the shirt in a bow to show off “flat, tanned tummy” - in my dreams! More likely pale and flabby!) and even a cow bell! - What WAS all that about!
I do feel somewhat underqualified in the BC stakes, I am full of admiration for what you lot have / are going through, and still keeping up such a great sense of humour. I hope that comment is taken in the spirit it is intended, I do not want to sound at all patronising. It is sometimes difficult to express feelings in type!
I’m hanging around waiting for op - due on April 2nd. Been a bit drawn out - diagnosed DCIS 16th Feb, but second area was deemed suspicious so had to have further biopsy. Luckily - OK, so op + rads is the plan.
Feeling fit at present, so more than happy to do share of chores around camp - particular strength is clearing up horse poo! - so them stables can be spic and span!
Looking forwards to that first drink in the bar - oh, it’s 9.45am, maybe later?!
Cheers
LizzyM
Morning Gals…
Hi Lizzie - welcome to the storm riders
Welcome Lizzie. You’re not a lightweight or you wouldn’t have found your way here! Your experience sounds like mine. DX 12 Dec, surgery 12 Feb, following MRI and another biopsy on second suspicious area (gladly benign). Lumpectomy and axillary sampling. Clear nodes/margins, now just waiting for rads (20 May start). I admit that sometimes I feel like I’m getting off lightly, but happy to be doing so all the same! Offers of sh@t shovelling greatly appreciated:)
Had a lovely meal yesterday - it’s great when your offspring are old enough to foot the bill:D
Jane, good luck for your last rads this week. And do go to Rome - it’s fab. We went last October and it was amazing. One tip - stick to pasta and pizza and you can eat quite cheaply. Go for anything else (even coffee and a cake) and it’s a fortune!
Good luck to everyone doing chemo this week and I hope Old One, Gen and Rosie are managing to fight off the baddies.
Well, I’m off for a bit of retail therapy - I’ve got a holiday coming up and not a thing to wear!
Morning all…Welcome Lizzie…I see you made it to Determination! Another Stormrider to help fight the bad guys!! Like Sal says we are all here for the same reason, the same journey, just different pathways!!
I remember the tying of cheesecloth shirts, couldn’t do it now though, not without revealing the ‘overhang’…
Hope everyone had a nice mums day…or just a nice day!!! I haven’t been able to sleep this week, so been up early…but it was great to lie in this morning till 11am. A first…but feel better for it!!
Thinking of everyone having chemo or rads today!
The weather has changed…real blustery!!! Mary Poppins weather!
Di and Sandra I hope your wounds are behaving themselves now!
catch ya all later
Helenxxx
Welcome Lizzie! Another hand for the chores is definitely welcome. Blackjack will hand you a shovel and fork before you even get through the stable door! And you’re just in time to watch the cowpokes driving the herd through - watch this space, with a bit of luck the Storm Riders will be really busy later on what with cowpokes, a run in with the Boss himself (Casey just couldn’t help herself…), and I believe the train came into town with a load of pink material - watch Red leg it to the haberdashery.
Yep, I remember the old tied in a knot thing, although what I thought I was revealing is anybody’s guess. lol!
Not long till your op. Have you been in for ops before?
Sal, that’s one of the things I will never experience, the joy of payback time when the young uns grow up and you can fleece them for money instead of the other way round! ;D Buy something fabulous and give us a full description. I love shopping, even if by proxy.
And I agree on the Rome eating. But Jane you absolutely have to fork out for the ice cream. Yum! There’s a shop about a 100m up from the Trevi Fountain that does the most gorgeous creamy heaven, then you can go watch the fountain as it runs over your fingers. Ooooh, I am in lust!
Martina, excellent, glad the chemo is still on. Cold and wet here too. Woke up in the night with my head freezing off. I thought it was warm enough to ditch the wee night cap, but nope. Roll on summer!
Glad you got a good sleep Helen. I don’t think it helps us one ickle bit to not sleep.
Welcome Lizzie and hi all. I think I’m managing to stay skirting round the edge of Black Canyon rather than plunging right down into the depths this time. Maybe there is something to the gradual reduction in steroids idea. Still feel as if I’ve been run over by a bus though, and have slept most of today so far after I’d got the kids to school. I could cheerfully go back to bed again now!!
Had a nice day yesterday, the family all got together at my brother’s for lunch (they came to get me as I wasn’t fit to drive) - I was feeling very tired and a bit woozy and was shattered when I got home but it was nice to have a day with everyone. I did find, however, that wearing a scarf all day gave me a stonking headache - just the feeling of it round the front of my head was horrible. Hmm this could be a problem.
Martina - I’m glad you’re getting moving again on the chemo, fingers crossed for tomorrow.
I’d love to go to Rome, it’s on my list of things to do. Particularly on a grey and blustery day like today!
Hi All, whare’s the sunshine gone?!
I had a day hiding under my rock yesterday, managed to succumb to those nasty dark voices which whisper in your ear…ended up in tears on the phone to BCN this morning who ordered me atraight in to be ‘sorted out’. Anyway have had the seroma aspirated yet again and re-dressed, plus tutorial on DIY dressings and enough supplies to open my own shop! They also told me to stop holding it all in (which I do) and have a good cry if I want (which I don’t) - this was the first time. I feel a lot better as they said they’ve seem much worse wounds heal ( the pressure of the seroma broke the wound, sorry if too much info) - it just means more visits, again Wednesday and Friday. I’m getting back in the saddle, holster at the ready and am fit to do battle again 
Gen- I hope you’re giving in and having plenty of rest today, and all the rest of you storm riders are getting on okay. I’ve lost track of who’s having what and where but am thinking of you all and wishing you well. Welome Lizze too, Big Hugs
Di x
Oh poor you Di…You do right …hollering, screaming and stamping every so often…should be a must for everyone!! It leaves you feeling drained, but surprisingly on the whole…a little better.
Have all the rest you can grab Gen…and good luck for tomorrows chemo Martina.
Now your back in the saddle Bilbo…can you look for that durned horse of mine…Lightening…run off into the blue yonder. Sure he’ll come home when he’s hungry!
helenx
Di - it will heal. My wound did exactly the same thing - I had my op on 22 Dec and there was a persistent bit that kept leaking a tiiiiiny bit until as recently as 3 weeks ago. It’s healed over now though - you will get there. 
Hi all
Weather in West Mids has been cr@p all morning but sun has now peeped out which is lovely.
Delighted to report still doing well following first FEC last Fri, apart from extra hot flushes which keep me from sleeping, so dozy in the daytime, and a raised temp yesterday aft which went back down to normal in the evening.
So far I seem to be getting off remarkably easily, compared to some of you - in fact I feel quite guilty! However, today is the last dose of Dexa so we’ll see what tomorrow brings.
love Rosie
hi lizzy and welcome to the madhouse! ;D Di - I feel for you, I had a bit of leakage/infection and was going to say I know Gennie had fun with hers too…I rang re my hickman line only to be asked to ring xray and sort it if I could - they rang me back saying that april 14th was the soonest they could do it - so I can delay this next one or turn up on wed and they’ll try it the normal way - dreading it, but they’ve had ages to ring and sort it out…gggrrrr…plus they now tell me that once the hickman is in you need to wait a week before treatment?? double gggrrrrrrrrrrr mary x
Hi Mary…don’t know enough about chemo treatment to comment on the different stuff you have to have done…but a bit more information on what was happening to you…would have been good!
Have you decided what your’e going to do Mary?
helenx
Oh what a pain Mary. I didn’t realise you had to wait before having treatment with the Hickman line, although I’d had my portacath for 3 weeks before I had anything done using it. So will you go and try to get the chemo done the usual way this time or wait? Hard to know what to do isn’t it, particularly if you had a grim time getting a vein last time. Mind you, at least they’ll know this time and can try heat etc to try to make it a bit easier.
It amazes me how inept hospitals are at co ordinating treatment, any other type of business would go bust if it was ran so poorly and yet we just nod and smile and accept cr@p service. Oooh don’t get me started!!
Mind you, even being private is just as bad. I’ve just had to phone to find out what time my appointment with my onc is on Friday as nobody ever bothers to let me know. I now know it’s at 4pm at the private hospital and not at the NHS one where I usually see her. So now I don’t know if I’m meant to be having my bloods done first or not, since they are done at the NHS site. Blowed if I’m driving up and down the countryside for all of that since it’ll be way too early to do bloods anyway (day 10).
Aaaaaand breathe. I’m off to chill out for 40 minutes before the hoards descend from school. I could happily go to sleep so I’ll have to make sure I stay upright or they’ll be stranded at the bus stop with me snoozing on the sofa lol.
well they said I could come in as planned and have it the usuaul way - so need to give my veins a talking to!! I don’t want to put it off - would rather get on with it esp if I’m well - its different putting it off if you’re not well etc etc isn’t it…so will need everybody to concentrate hard on wed at about 11.30 to coax the veins along!! mary x
Aaw Shucks, there’s no getting anything past you girls. Lightweight indeed!! Looks like I’ll just have to volunteer for potato peeling duty to compensate. Third chemo is looming on the horizon (next Tuesday plus neulasta the next day uugghh) - so I’m gathering in the stores to lay down against the tornado’s ahead.
XX
Hi everyone and welcome to Lizzie and Rhodabee.
I’ve been trying to get the place tidy while I feel up to it, so haven’t been online often lately.
The neighbours’ tongues will be wagging as I had a strange vehicle on the drive all day ! Our local support group offer a gardening service for members, so I availed myself - the guy was here 6.5 hours and it would have taken me 6 weeks to manage what he dug over.
I think Carole said it may be my second chemo soon - it’s actually #3 tomorrow, after a visit to the Onc and bloods permitting.
good luck to all others being " sorted " this week - regards to all, Ros.
Will be thinking of you tomorrow Ros, congo line at the ready - hope it goes okay. How great to have help with the garden, I may join a support group after all.
Mary, we’ve both got appointments at the same time Wednesday so I’ll think of you! Everything crossed it goes okay for you.
Great to hear your first chemo is still going well Rosie, long may it continue.
Is the bar open yet Bartend Nell or are you still off chasing that darned hoss, new Stormriders buy the first round…did you tell them?? Welcome Rhodabee.
Hope you’ve all had a peaceful day,
Di x