One dragon slayed

Yesterday we had the call back appointment with Jase’s surgeon. They are confident that the tumour (a type 3 tumour – anyone know what that means? – just googled it, wished I hadn’t!) was contained within his left kidney and so it is all gone!!! They are happy with his recovery, and have said he can drive when ever he is ready. So, Dragons 0 Robinsons 1!

Our next battle approaches. Jase has been transferred to an oncology consultant, and we await *sigh* the appointment, followed by another scan in May to look at the two enlarged lymph nodes around his aorta, and then chemo starting after that.

So it looks like we need to put the next dragon in a box for a bit, get on with our lives, and make sure he is fit for the fight.

Teengirl is also going through it this week, with four one hour English controlled assessments, two teeth extractions, her grade 4 piano exam, a netball tournament, her brace fitting and a piano recital.

We are looking forward to the holidays already!

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Calm, grumpiness and Jerusalem

So the boy is home, tired, smelly, but home and full of stories of fencing, climbing, canoeing, sailing, cycling, midnight walking, and helping friends struggling with homesickness. He was made up that Jase was able to be there to meet the bus, we all went for tea in the pub after, it was lovely. We have had a quiet week at home, a bit weepy for me, me working and him upstairs in bed, Teengirl nailed her grade 5 theory exam (we hope!), anyway it is done. Piano practical next week. Jase has been getting better every other day, one day of feeling better and doing a bit more, then the next day zonked out again. But getting better all the same. A little shuffle to the shop for the paper and chat with folks along the way. A trip for a pint to watch the match. So we are calm, he is grumpy when he is tired though, I think we can live with that. But we are happy in each other’s company, all of us. We have become kinder to each other, slower to criticise, we have more time to listen and take account of each other. Juggling everyday events to get everything done is proving tricky, but I’m judging success by everyone being safely home in bed by the end of the day, having (hopefully) done their stuff.

This evening we had our WI committee meeting here, it was really lovely to see everyone, hear their news, accept their help (and homemade icecream – wow!), I think I will go to the meeting on Wednesday. It is a joy to be part of such a fab group of women.

Next Monday is still in a box, keeps trying to escape, raising its lid every now and then, but not able to give away any clues. Gonna stick a brick on it.

Oh, the fire has gone out, night all xx

He is home!

Stitched together with staples and meds, but home. What a relief. Today, on the order of teengirl, we have done sleeping, movie watching and roast chicken eating. Jase has done some shuffling about, and insisted on making the gravy, fine. Smallboy has done nursing, the drugs round (including injections, blimey) and general gwas for his dad. Elvis is feeling less confused.

They are all in bed now, and I have just spent a fantastic couple of hours on the phone to my lovely Snail. I hope that I listened as well as she did and could also offer her positivity, cheesy quote time, one I saw today, ‘your real friends might not always be by your side, but they have always got your back’, I love her for that x

So nothing else really, just relief, not thinking about anything more, just loving hearing their sleeping sounds. When we had the van, this was always my favourite part of the day, everyone in a tiny space, all that you need in a tiny space, sleeping, and together x

Today is a gift

Without getting too ‘ya know’ about it, today is a gift. Every day is a gift. All of us only have a finite number of breaths that we will share with each of the people we love.

Today Jase’s Dad arrived to see us, and it has been lovely to have him here. After tea and birthday cake this morning (he was 70 last week), Jase and smallboy took him off fishing with best friend of smallboy. They arrived home much later, cold, happy and with 20 small fishes caught and released (plus one mega carp). Teengirl was at work today, earning money towards her current goal – a small furry pet I think, or maybe a motorbike, it changes. Me? well no one asked how my day was actually, haha I sound SO needy! But just in case you were wondering, I cursed and swore my way around housework which no one would do but me, and no one will notice until I don’t do it. Ha ha, such is life!

So, my gift today? So many actually, small boys (young and old) fresh faced and smelling of the outdoors tumbling over their stories of gigantean fish touched but not landed, teengirl keen for a hug and wanting to share ridiculous laughs, my life’s love enveloping me with his arms and a tender kiss, a house ready to be muddied and muddled, a fridge full of good things ready to make a meal for the people I love, and a small battle won in the doctors surgery to get Mr R the medication he needed today and not tomorrow. I was invincible and triumphant.

There is so little we really need, this house would do us, night all xxx

Lifts and gifts…

There have been some uplifting moments in our rollercoaster of a week this week. These flowers were a gift from a friend of Jason’s, she was an everyday regular in his café before he sold it. I also received a fabulous parcel from my very good friend ‘The Snail of Happiness’, six balls of yarn and a magazine I had won in a raffle in April 2014 when I was visiting her. I’m glad that she had not sent it before :), although it did take me a while to recall it at all! I was hoping to post a picture of the parcel here, but being an amateur blogger, haven’t quite managed it!

Gifts and good vibes do us all good. When he was in the hospital last week (on Monday I think) Jase gave his shirt to a guy so he could be discharged, small things can be big. And after my epic sleep last night, I’m going to give myself the lift and gift of a glass of wine this evening, or maybe even two 🙂

On the up side….

Had a lovely morning, we both woke early and enjoyed a brew in bed before the squibs came to join us. A hang over free Saturday morning, don’t think I’ve had one of those since I was pregnant!!!

Talking of the squibs, how do you tell your children their Dad has cancer? How do you make sure they understand what’s going on? How can you be sure they are OK? What about when they are at school? What are they thinking? What are they telling their friends? Do they think he is going to die? As Jase was in hospital, it was down to me to tell them the news on Wednesday after school. It went OK, but only I think because it didn’t really sink in. In the days following, small boy has reacted with bouts of non-compliance, not sure about my beautiful teengirl. I think that she is OK. She has asked questions, taken on board information, spent a lot of time with her friends, and asked if Granny can come and stay. My plan with them both is to be ever vigilant, whilst trying to maintain normality in their lives, – wish me luck!!!

No f***ing superfoods

So here is the thing from last night and this morning, brilliant positive texts on good healthy food, for which many thanks are offered. So, out goes white bread and in comes wholemeal bread (some in the machine as we speak); no smoking and no booze; red meat no more than once a week (chance would be a fine thing!!); lots of oily fish; fresh and raw veg; no processed food; no sugar; no fizz or pop. Sounds do-able? Jase thinks it sounds fine, not that different to our usual diet (see if you can spot the differences!!), so long as there are, and I quote, “no f***ing superfoods”. I’ll second that!

Chin up

So here is the thing today, I am SO fed up of telling people. Jase had a fabulous idea and this morning he told the one person in the village who would pass on the news quick smart. Had to lever the small boy out of bed and down to school, with as much good humour and positivity as I could muster. He is not in a good place right now, and who can blame him. But he went, Jase got up at the same time and went with him, which helped I think. Oh yes – Jase is home!! As of 2pm yesterday, so lovely. Just need to get the boy back from the end of the pier.