Day 70: Deco Blue Glass Fans

Pauline back garden,
Lasalle, 2010

I had another restless night last night. Waking around 3am and not being able to get to sleep, I opened my ipad to find an amazing email message from dear Pauline (Day 24), who is currently in Chile with John attending a conference. She told me she'd met a fellow Australian woman there, also undergoing chemo, but who had taken a short break from her treatment to attend the conference. Pauline thought her heroic for manage the long flight from Perth to Chile - I do too. Pauline told the woman about my treatment, and about the blog. At dinner that night the woman approached Pauline with a gift of earrings for me as a sign of solidarity. As Pauline said, the golden web is now threaded across to Chile, and to a complete stranger whose act of thoughtfulness has touched me deeply. It was hard falling back to sleep after reading this message, but when I did I was in a completely different state, no longer feeling agitated and alone, but nestled safely in that amazing web and grateful for all the good people in it, including some I don't even know!

All morning I've been thinking about that brave woman and her decision to travel. Today I meant to be in Manchester at a conference organised by my good friend Georgina Waylen. It's a conference that with Georgina and Fiona, I helped instigate and have been looking forward to for two years, but I'm far from reaching Manchester, indeed, today I can barely make it out the front door! However, I am there in spirit with that wonderful web of people  - I've sent over my recorded presentation and thanks to some obliging people at the Manchester end, I have been able to tap in via skype tonight to eavesdrop on the discussions...and if I'm up to it, I'll get up at 2am to take part in my session.

Day 70 and I was hoping to feel a bit brighter than I do, but I'm definitely making incremental progress. Just being quiet, interspersed with some very light work duties and phone calls with Lisa and Nat has kept me going. Robbie has been waiting on me hand and foot. I am so grateful and lucky to have him taking care of me.

To cheer me up I'm wearing a pair of earrings given to me by Rob and the boys for mothers' day around 10 years ago. They were made by the same French company as those from Day 45 - the blue/green glass glows as the light shines through. They inspired me to start colouring in another of Catherine's gorgeous Art Deco plates.