We had a gorgeous few days away at the aptly names Killcare. The weather was perfect, the dog friendly house made everyone very happy, and we shared really special family time with board games, long walks on the beach, and fish and chips at Patonga with a local dolphin play in the water and whistling kites overhead.Rob, James and I also finished watching the Handmaid's Tale TV adaptation and agreed it was terrifying and brilliant in equal measure. I finished my first novels in ages - Alan Bennett's hilarious 'The Uncommon Reader' and a good Australian crime novel, 'The Dry' by Jane Harper.
Our long walks on the beach has made it easier for me to slip back into a morning walk routine in Sydney Park without the discomfort I was feeling before we went away, which is such a relief.
We settled the boys back into school last week for Term 3, and I got to do some good things at work, including undertaking interviews for the Business Manager for the new institute that I'll be running when back to work. There are exciting times ahead.
Last week Rob and I also enjoyed the fabulous Preston, Cossington Smith and O'Keefe exhibition at the UNSWAG, followed by a terrific lunch and catch up with Carol Weissert, a lovely colleague from the US.
We've had some lovely visits, yesterday from Maddie (who has shown me the Tunisian crotchet stitch that I might now be able to concentrate on given my eyes have stopped streaming) and on Friday from gorgeous QLD-based nephew Harry before he heads overseas to Berlin next week.
Last night Rob and I were guests of Steph, my wonderful Swans-committee friend, to her corporate box at the Swans v St Kilda match. It was great fun, helped along but a great win by the team. I can't believe that I'm enjoying the sport so much.
I did all of this feeling so much stronger. The worst of the chemo and surgery effects have now all but disappeared; I can get very tired quickly and I've had ongoing trouble with nails and with my mouth, but both are improving. My hair, eyebrows and lashes are growing back apace, which makes me very happy.
On the medical front, last Wednesday I had my second radiotherapy simulation with Dr Rowena to prepare me for the start of treatment tomorrow. She was a delightful as ever, greeting me with a big hug, demonstrating concern and sympathy about the surgery and giving me some great reassurance about the next steps in the treatment and the positive outcome she expects.
I'm not relishing the idea of being 'fried' on a daily basis for the next 5 weeks, but at the same time, I know I'm in great hands and that this is an important stage in ensuring against a recurrence. To keep me occupied I'm thinking of doing a Jane Austen marathon to mark the bicentenary of of her death - 6 books in total, two of which I've never read. I've already started re-reading Pride and Prejudice and enjoying it immensely. It reads very differently to me at 50 than it did when I read it as an 18 year old doing my HSC when despite Marg Walsh's best efforts to teach me, I missed most the subtle humour and the political and economic boundaries.
We've had sad news tonight that Rob's dear old Aunt Beryl is critically ill in hospital. He's made plans to head to Armidale tomorrow to see her. Poor Robbie has it coming at him in all directions at the moment.
Fantastic to see a new post and hear how well you are doing. <3 xx
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