Update time!!

So here we are, another year has rolled by, bringing with it fun, laughter, worry, busy times, hard work, family life.  My health, as far as I know, seems to be okay – I am on six mouth Oncology checks and I am doing well (apart from the dark times in my head when I convince myself the worst will happen – but I seem better at dealing with those times at the moment).  A family holiday to Zante in July last year was wonderful! Rob & I got away for a week in the September after I finished treatment, leaving the kids at home with Grandparents.  At the time I promised that I would take the kids there one day & so that’s what we did.  It was a lovely, relaxing, family time & I loved every single minute.

I am training at the moment for a 100-mile road ride around London in July (Prudential Ride London-Surrey) so I have been getting out on my bike quite a bit lately and getting some miles under my belt.  I am feeling fitter and stronger on the bike although I still find the tiredness at other times hard to deal with & often feel wiped out after a training ride.  The other day, whilst out on a ride I found myself absolutely desperate for a wee – now since treatment, if I get too desperate it can become quite painful & so it got to the point where I really, really HAD to go.  I pulled over just past a little bridge over the canal, threw my bike in the hedge, tucked myself in against the wall and crouched down.  It wasn’t until I was mid-flow (past the point of no return!!) when I glanced up and looked directly into the eyes of a fella coming towards me, up the path from the canal, with his dog!  Well, there was nothing I could do except say, “Sorry, you caught me wee-ing!” at which point he realised what was going on & he mumbled ‘sorry’!  The poor guy had to step over my stream to carry on his way – I imagine he had a tale to tell when he got home from his dog walk!!  In the other joys of cycling I got a bee-sting to the face when out the other day.  I think it got caught between my helmet and my glasses where it proceeded to sting just above my eye – ouchy!! As a youngster, when I stood on a bee in the garden and got stung, my foot would swell to three times its size, so as a precaution, decided to cut the ride short in case my face was to start swelling – fortunately, other than a bit of localised swelling around my eye, it was absolutely fine!

In other news we got a puppy in the Autumn – a Cocker Spaniel.  She has been lots of hard work but lots of fun too! She gets me out on walks, even on days when I don’t really feel like it & even though she is into everything, it is nice having a bit of company as I clean the house and tidy up!