Amazing weekend back in the fold

Love is.... Determined

Saturday Night
Yayy we didn't sit home watching Country Calendar and Choice tv nature at large for once. After  a melt down several weeks ago,  we decide that we are going to get our life back!  We are  go getters again. !  Well for a day.
Lunch at Vanessa and Ray's was cool seeing the whole dance group together again. Gosh we feel like we are back in the fold.  I  can't describe the feeling you get from excellent  supportative friends,  and having not been able to see them for soooo long.
Why not go for it???

So after dinner we go dancing.  Yes dancing again at the RSA Howick. A slow start but a start none the less.
Derek announces our come back and it is sweet.
Dancing in heels is like learning to walk again.  Good job we are keeping up our fitness.
Diana and Phil host supper.  I  have not eaten so many sweet goodies for ages. 
I forgot to take a photo of the "best dance group ever."  😍

Sunday
Tonight we have been invited to dinner with the medical centre where Colin used to work.  They are loving seeing him again and him them. What changes there have been in this year.  The new doctor is very friendly and patients really like him.  It is going to work out for every one.
Goodness,  I never realised how tiring being social is.  Haven't had to work so hard on conversation for a while.

Jobs have been put on hold this week as we are distracted with taking opportunities.  I  will feel happy when I  can knock a few big jobs on the head but it is going to be a slow process.

Happy daze

Love is..... Being considerate

Happy to report that Colin is well and healthy.  Clinic this week we are calling the shots!  Well I  have  decided to not stick around to see the registrar and anyway the nurses are down on staff and doctors  are off sick.  Sandra and David D and we are off to Pearl Garden again for lunch after blood tests.  Our car is having its warrant in newmarket so good timing. We catch up and enjoy our yum char.  Not sure when we will tee up again. Colin will do blood tests locally for the next 2 weeks as it is easier and takes the pressure off the hospital.

Don't know what happened to our summery weather but Sydney are having a heat wave. Humpf. Still as  we walk our 3km each day,  I  admire the garden roses that I never saw before.  Laugh at the houses where they have planted roses in the wrong place and they have withered up.  I  am still  flat out with producing food.  Our life revolves around food,  buying,  preparing ,  cooking, eating and cleaning up after it. I  make our own crackers at night and now my own chicken sausages. Cutting out preservatives and pesticides and hydrogenated oils as  much as possible.  Not interested in cooking for any one else either.  Shopping online for special supplements.  Found vitamin D supplement from USA was cheaper even with p & p and arrived in 5 days,  no problems. Colin has to eat often but he is now well enough to prepare his own snacks and help with clean up. 

Colin has purchased aSamsung tablet for himself but was really grumpy as he couldn't get the screen cover on without bubbles of dust.  Cameron has come home and spent hours in the bathroom sitting on the shower stool trying to fix it.  He is so patient.  Cameron worked so hard this week with no complaints. Home at midnight 2 nights and very late 3 nights.  The boss noticed and is taking 4 in web sales to dinner next week.  Cameron was just happy to have dinner supplied 3 nights. 

Making my own sausages to avoid nitrates

Homemade crackers

Breathe a sigh.

Love is... Never going to give up

Day 160
5 months on

Specialist appointment today
And I am not sure what he will say today.  But it is a relief to find that  Colin's GVHD is a mild reaction and he said he is doing really well regardless.
Not sure how it relates but Colin's liver function has sky rocketed over 600 and should be 30s. Other functions decreasing.  He needs to taper the prednisone and he doesn't have to be so precious about going out and of germs.  Just take care.

I  am very grumpy and at the end of my tether with everything going on. I  am pushing for blood tests to be done locally every alternate week,  as Colin likes going to the hospital. It will take the pressure off my flatout days. Phoned a friend to talk about my frustrations.  My mind is exhausted with organising every part of the day and all the jobs I have to do. 

Probably didn't help that I had to clean the garage on my own, in prep for the yoga class.  Colin couldn't help due to the dust but he was great at cutting up boxes and filing the recycle bin.  Gloved and masked of course. Taking the class felt so good.  Wish we could carpet it as teaching classes would be a great job.  Unfortunately the garage is chokka full of junk.  So getting rid of it is on the cards.  Wonder if the kids will take their stuff away?

Nick popped in and stayed for dinner. Happened to buy 4 fish fillets. 

Flower arrangement from my garden.  Colin doesnt need to be afraid of flowers anymore

Colin & I are feeling good

Love is... Full of enjoyment

Where does time go.
I  am flat out working in the garden and spent 4 1/2 hours in the kitchen yesterday making homemade chicken sausages.  They were brilliant and then beef cheek stew so I  could get down to the garden plot at 4.30pm for 2 hours to plant my beans.
This  morning is lawns and tidy garage as I hope to reconvene the yoga here next week as we lost the free council building.  The ladies will get a fright when the see all the junk we have collected.
Colin is with me 90% of the time and we don't like being apart. He is inside working on dishes or small jobs and office work.
He decided to take out the alarm battery  to order another one.  Saving money by doing it yourself has now cost us nearly $150 as it wouldn't work again and we needed the service man for a  $30 battery!

Colin is well but blood tests are still raised.  You wouldn't  know anything has changed but it is always in the back of our minds that everything can turn pear shaped.  A 3 hour wait at the hospital on Monday got me angry so we left and asked the dr kirsty to fax the script.  Not impressed with her. At all.
We love being together every day but with this cloud hanging over us we are just trying to get on with living.
When people moan about the little things I  feel like saying "  snap out of it"
Colin won't be left out of going out as we had to take a step back due to increased immunotherapy.  We are still getting out even if it is curtailed a bit.

Thanks all our friends Julie,  Sandra, Faye,  Mary,  Diana and Glenda for listening to me since January and keeping in  the loop.  Appreciate the talking and chats and help.

Too early but we got up for the rugby

Fabulous game and worth it last week

Holding As Is

Love is... A journey

No Change
In Colin's status.  At clinic this week his liver function is much the same so may be on prednisone for longer than 2 weeks.  Not what we want but there seems to be no other major symptoms so that is a blessing.  We both feel a bit down over the GVHD but are carrying on regardless. 
Definitely not impressed with the registrar who was not the person to alert the specialist but it was our lovely nurse  Anne.  Registrar Kirsty was dismissive.
Great to catch up with other patients and a few of us are going to the Leukemia meeting this week on the subject of travelling with blood cancer.  Well we can wish can't  we?
A busy day at home on researching supplements and ordering them.  Our into the garden to plant veges and clear weeds.  Still tons to do but  Colin is able to tidy the kitchen and do mini chores while I  do all the cooking.  Soup is one of our main dishes as it is diabetic friendly.

We have to put our dance classes back on Hold till we talk to the specialist next week.  Disappointed but there is too much going on anyway and not enough hours in the day.  After dinner I will make my healthy crackers for our nibbles.
I  go to sleep late and my mind is full of the things we have to plan and do in the next week.

Still feeling tired after early start watching the All Blacks win. Sunday was a busy day with yum char and icing class

Waiting for his first haircut since last year 

This is growth since June

My icing flowers from class with  Magical cakes

Lovely day and welcome distraction