Breast Cancer Now Forum

No I don’t think you are being reckless at all Rosie! I have been shopping when the garden centres opened, I go to the supermarket every other week (we take turns) and I have been into work about once a week for the last month. But these are all quite limited and well understood situations, the NT will be the same, and I would not rule out visiting, and your camper parks too. What I am not keen on is situations with large concentrations of excited people who are not thinking about what they are doing. Maybe this won’t be the case, but I don’t think I will find it relaxing at the moment. I’d rather just let it all settle down first.  I’ll look forward to your reminder next year! ... View more

Hi Rosie, I don’t think I am ready to use public transport just yet, or go into a crowded city centre or a socially distancing restaurant. While there is nothing wrong with any of these things I am inclined to be very conservative in my approach to lockdown easing and I would like to wait until the initial euphoria/hysteria is over and also see what effect the new freedoms have on the infection rate before starting to go out again. So I will give this year's meet-up a miss, and hope that things will be different next year. I am glad to hear you are able to meet up with your family this summer and I hope you have a wonderful time on your travels - I will keep a lookout on FB!   ... View more

Hi everyone, hope you are all well, there are some slow signs of more normality now but I don’t think we will be free of booking slots online or queueing to shop for some time! I hope the new bubble arrangements might have helped some of you have more access to some of your family? It makes no difference to me or OH as none of them lives alone and most of them live a reasonable distance away, but the time will come I’m sure. we are both still working from home and have been taking days off during May and June so have made good progress with the garden and have also done lots of walking in our local area, we have discovered so many beautiful and unknown to us walks and have been really enjoying them. I have been in to work a few times to workshops with my team which is more efficient face to face, it makes a change but is very strange as there are so few people allowed in each area to support social distancing. we are planning to refurbish our study as a proper home office sometime soon, as we expect to be wfh for some time to come, and have ordered a new shed to clear lots of stuff (polite version) off our patio and store the bikes in a more accessible location. That should keep us busy for a bit. Ive also been knitting and have recently finished a shawl and a pair of gloves. I’m working on a winter and a summer cardigan at the moment, depending if it is hot or cool outside! I would post some photos but the forum seems unable to reduce the size of mine to match its requirements and I CBA to faff with them at the moment.  ... View more

Hi ladies, what beautiful sweaters, Cassie, such lovely work, your ED and GS must be delighted with them! It’s annoying that you get cramps if you knit for too long but it is probably good to take breaks periodically anyway. rosie I am quite happy being at home, pottering in the garden, going for walks and knitting! Work however has actually been quite stressful, with changes to both of our activities to focus on what is considered critical work, not necessarily what we would prefer but at least we still have jobs. It is very difficult to communicate effectively and work in a team while WFH but on the other hand it is easier to concentrate and get things done. I think we would both like to continue working maybe 50% of our time at home and the rest at the office when they finally reopen. Plans are in progress but dependent on government policy of course. I’m in no hurry to start commuting again. The weather has been very pleasant although as gardeners we would always like more rain! We are lucky to have a lot of beautiful countryside to walk in with relatively low numbers of people, although some people are clearly driving here from elsewhere. I'm glad to hear you are all well, time does seem to pass quite quickly despite everything!   ... View more

Morning ladies, I am still going to the supermarket once a week to shop. Things have greatly improved and only a few things are still difficult to get. I even managed to get pasta yesterday! They are well organised with 2m spaces to stand in while queuing, wipes and spray for your trolley and scanner and they sanitise the trolley handles as they are returned to the car park.   I am still working from home at the moment but don’t know how long that will continue as we have started furloughing people. We are getting on with the garden and I have my usual crafting projects but as I am still working my normal hours I don’t have much more time than normal for other things. I am doing yoga and body balance via video classes from my gym and we walk once a day. Hope you are all keeping well ... View more

Hello everyone, it’s all a bit mad at the moment, but at least the weather is improving. OH and I are working from home at the moment, the idea is 2 weeks at home, one week in the office. We don’t socialise much so not much change to our lifestyle so far, the closure of gyms has hit me hardest and I will be doing yoga and Pilates from home online if I can. we are just starting the gardening season as the weather has been so carp. This weekend we have mowed the lawn and sown seeds and seed potatoes. I am knitting as usual and spinning but do not really have much additional spare time apart from the two hours a day I would have been commuting, so we are just getting on as usual. The supermarkets have made a huge effort and we can see things returning to normal thank goodness.  Sadly I will have to cancel our weekend staying with DS after Easter and I do not think we will be able to go on our holiday to Shetland in May but in both cases I hope we will be able to go later this year. We are very lucky to have our garden and hobbies to keep us occupied, all we can do is just take everything one day at a time, it reminds me very much of cancer treatment in that respect. I'm glad to hear you are all well and getting by, I hope you all keep well.   ... View more

What lovely photos of your ES and DIL, Lovewine! I have been to the Guiness museum and really enjoyed it, I hope they had a lovely time in Dublin, I enjoyed the pubs with live music! I have been very busy at work and have taken the last few days off to decorate our hall and landing which was due to be done last year but I injured my shoulder and could not do anything. It is half done at the moment but looking good and I have tomorrow off as well. The gardening year is just getting going and we bought seed potatoes today. I am looking forward to Easter as I will take another week off then and hope to be in the garden and also get out walking. you have posted some lovely photos of your travels rosie, it is great to see you enjoying your travels with DH.   ... View more

Lovely photos cassie, and what a lot of effort your daughters put in to give you a celebration. A very happy belated birthday from me, too. Rosie, I hope you are OK and enjoying your trip I'm fine, very very busy at work and just coming home in the dark to hibernate and rest! ... View more

Oxford is fine with me assuming I am able to join you, although I wouldn’t mind trying a different restaurant for a change! But as I may not make it probably best if you all decide what you prefer. I also hope that I will be able to join you, TBH I’m not all that bothered about the village rock festival but OH really likes it so I go to support him and it is usually a very pleasant day. ... View more

Hi Rosie, re the meet up the 25th July is the weekend of a fibre festival I would like to attend. July 18th could be taken by the village rock festival but they do not announce the date until much later in the year. So I don’t feel I can commit to either date at the moment, the best thing is probably if everyone else can make a date then agree on that and I will come if I can. ... View more

Good morning ladies,  it is grey and damp here although the sun is due to come out later. i am sorry to hear you came down with a bug joan, I hope you are over it now. Rosie I hope DH has also now recovered. cassie, I am sorry your ED is still having difficulties. i had a very relaxing break in Scotland and then back at home, after 21/2 weeks off it was very hard going back to work on Monday and I have struggled all week really to get back into things. I dare say next week will be a bit easier, but January is not my favourite month and I always find it hard, as I would prefer to be hibernating LOL. I am trying to rest as much as possible and find a few things to look forward to. lovewine I hope the workload has settled down after the festive period. ... View more

Good morning ladies,  I have been very busy both with work and trying to fit in Christmas preparations and some pre Christmas family meet ups so I have been reading but not posting for the last few weeks. I am now on holiday and do not return to work until 6th January and OH finishes today, we both really need a break, I am only just starting to wind down. we put up our tree last weekend, I still have cards to post and presents to wrap but at least I now have time to do all that. Yesterday we did the first Christmas shop and will do the final one early Monday morning. We are at home with guests Sunday to Tuesday, Christmas Day and the few days after it is just the two of us and then the following Sunday we will drive up to Scotland for New Year.   Lovewine I was very pleased to hear your good news that you are healing well and should not need a skin graft. I hope you manage to rest and get a break over Christmas, albeit short, and enjoy having family around. Rosie DH's trip back sounds horrendous! I enjoyed looking at your trip to the a Christmas markets and I think you must have had a lovely time. Have a good trip to Plymouth and a lovely break with family. joan you have been very organised with your Christmas preparations, I am most impressed. Your tree does sound very festive, I hope you too have a lovely break. cassie I hope that you will be able to start your break soon and that you are not too busy at work. You have had quite a lot on your plate over the last few months so I am sure a rest and some relaxation would be welcome.  I wish a happy, restful and peaceful Christmas to you all ... View more

Gosh Rosie, you have got a packed day! We have a Christmas market here in the village which was last weekend, it is very convenient for us! I bought a few hand made things, I like to support local artisans.  joan I am so sorry to hear of your SIL being made redundant, it is nearly always done just before Christmas, goodness knows why, maybe because of year end figures for the business. I was put at risk of redundancy the December after I had chemo and it is a horrible feeling, very worrying and stressful. I felt so helpless! However there is a big shortage of many skills at the moment so I would think his chances of finding a new job are very good. lovewine, sending hugs, I am sorry you are feeling stressed over your procedures, which is quite normal, but I am sure they will go smoothly and you will be healing up in no time.   cassie, sending hugs to you too, I hope things are going OK and you are not too busy at work. i only have two weeks left to work before my Christmas break and seem to be catching up with the workload. I really need the break and we are taking two weeks off this year as we are both tired. We will be going up to Scotland for the New Year.  ... View more

Good morning ladies, it is bright and sunny here which makes a pleasant change. I have had a very draining week so am glad to have a weekend to rest and recover. i am very sorry to hear of your bother's passing away, cassie, it must be a great shock.  the whole pension thing is very stressful, too, but I have found seeing a financial advisor helpful and I hope your pension advisor will provide you with some insight and options.   lovewine, what a few weeks you have had, good news about the mammogram but very stressful having to chase the consultant appointment and not knowing exactly what the treatment will be.   rosie I have never heard of a dog cafe, the photos are lovely, I can see why you enjoyed it joan I hope all is well with you and you are not working too hard.   ive just finished knitting a shawl, I will post a photo when it is blocked. I’m now knitting another shawl, I can’t have too many in winter, they stop my neck from getting stiff with air conditioning blowing on it and freezing cold meeting rooms! ... View more

Good morning everyone, rosie you must be back home in the UK now, a significant milestone for you even though you will retain links with Cyprus. I understand your mixed feelings looking back, the isolation of your cancer journey and some of the other difficulties but at the same time you and DH have created a very successful business using your combined years of experience in education and that is something I am sure you are proud of. The weather here is not too bad today so I hope you wake up to some sunshine. lovewine I am glad the diagnosis of your skin cancer was so rapid and that the news is reassuring even though I am sure it is not what you would have wished. My aunt who is 76 was diagnosed last year with something very similar and has had successful surgery and now completely recovered. Her GP was not as supportive as yours and insisted it was nothing, so she paid to see a consultant privately who diagnosed it as skin cancer and then referred her for treatment on the NHS.  i hope your cold clears up soon joan, I have the tail end of one and am still a bit bunged up and my energy levels are not yet back to normal. My new job is completely manic but I am enjoying it and thank goodness for my 4 day week! I’ve just knitted a nice warm sweater and am working on a warm shawl, mainly needed to combat the air conditioning in the office. Cassie I am sorry to hear you have been having medical issues, glad your blood pressure returned to normal. i hope you all have good days. ... View more

Morning everyone, it has been a wet weekend here and continuing today. Rosie, you have a busy time of transition ahead, I wish you luck with your decluttering. I’m sure you will enjoy having the family to stay in a few weeks, they will enjoy the warmth and sunshine! The motorhome was an inspired purchase by the sound of it!   Lovewine, it must be hard for all the friends and family of your friend with cancer. Your helping with their dog is much appreciated, I am sure. It is hard to deal with the everyday things when something like that is hanging over you and practical support really helps. I hope things have calmed down at work after your backlog.   Cassie, I found it really helpful to discuss my retirement provisions with a financial advisor last year. Much to my surprise I found that I would be able to retire when I wanted and got a clear picture of what to do in the meantime. I hope you get similar insights! Your job does sound very stressful and busy, I think you cope with it very well but it is not surprising that you are considering other options.   Joan, I have mixed feelings about reunions, it is interesting and enjoyable to meet people one once knew well after a long break, but then I often realise that we have drifted far apart!   I can’t remember if I mentioned that I had applied for another role in the same company but a different business, earlier this year, anyway I was offered the role in August and started a few weeks ago. It is the sort of work I like very much, very full on and busy and worse at the moment because the team has been left to its own devices for over a year and everything is in chaos. I’m enjoying it but it is much busier than what I have been doing!  The sweater is progressing well, I will post photos when finished       ... View more

Morning everyone, it is bright here following a wet night and should be an OK morning, I need to get some washing on the line! rosie, it’s good that you and DH have managed to execute an exit strategy and that you will be able to spend more time in the UK and travelling in the motor home in the future. I look forward to following your adventures in Spain and Portugal! lovewine I hope you have an enjoyable and relaxing time away i hope you enjoy your weekend with GS cassie   i am currently knitting a sweater, it is very light and warm and fun to knit as there are different colours which is quite motivating as I am keen to knit to the next colour! ... View more

Your rally seems to have been really lovely, Rosie and how nice to have a barbecue with your ES and family! it is wet and windy here, the grass is turning green again. We have five huge cauliflowers in the fridge and a lot of courgettes! We will still have plenty of vegetables over the winter though as we have carrot, beetroot, swede, leeks, squash, kohlrabi and chard.   ... View more

Congratulations Lovewine, and what a nice idea to have the bell to ring. That’s a lovely photo! joan, that is also a lovely photo, what beautiful coloured lights on the water.   ... View more