Hello!

29 days to Christmas! There has been so much going on that it seems to be creeping up on me fast! I always seem to be saying that there is a lot going on in my life ...but there is! I suppose that's what comes of having four daughters and nine grandchildren, I thought that when I retired there would be more time to play with but it hasn't worked out that way.

When my girls were at school I did voluntary work in our local hospital, I worked four mornings a week in the League of Friends shop and one afternoon going round the hospital wards with the mobile shop. I enjoyed it so much and did it for quite a few years. One of the wards was a unit for women with breast cancer and in the ward the morale was so high you would never believe they had any health problems. There was a hairdresser who went there a couple of times a week, people that gave talks and did crafts with them, it was very uplifting to see them. On the other hand though there were small rooms that had just one patient and those were the ones who were very ill, it was heart-breaking to see all the photos of children and drawings that they'd made for their mum but the hospital did as much as they could to make the time there as comfortable as possible. The hospital closed down quite a while ago and there are now homes on the site but I mostly have very pleasant memories of my time there. I always intended that when I retired I would do voluntary work one or two days a week in a hospital but it hasn't worked out that way, I'm waiting for when I can afford the time and that doesn't seem to be just yet!

Well I had the result of my scan last Friday, the lump IS a hernia but the scan also picked up gall-stones and a cyst on my kidney! I had to have another blood test yesterday and go back to my doctor next Monday to see what's going to happen next. Just along the corridor where I had my blood test at the hospital is the place where Rhiannon had the camera procedure. She said the doctor examined her before using the camera and she has to have it done again....in five weeks time! I have been really worried about her but now I think that if he wants it done that far ahead then it can't be too serious, what do you think? She'll be sent another appointment and she also has to have another blood test.

After my doctor's appointment next Monday morning we'll be going to see my friend Linda in Essex for a few days which I'm really looking forward to. Although we speak on the phone a couple of times a week it's been months since we last saw each other. Peter is one of those rare men who doesn't mind shopping and he'll happily take us anywhere we want to go. Because he starts work in the early hours of the morning, he finishes about lunchtime and always phones me to see if there's anything I need at the supermarket, I really appreciate that in this horrible weather we've been having!

Well I have some housework to do, vacuuming, washing the kitchen floor and ironing, doesn't sound too much but I seem to get lots of phone calls during the day so it always takes me longer than it should! A nephew from my first marriage is coming to see me this evening with his wife, I haven't seen them for many years, they're thinking of moving to this area and I've got the local freebie newspapers for them with the property pages in them....I can feel some baking coming on!

One of these days I'll learn how to put photos on here! I had just mastered it on the old AOL blog and then it was taken away! Oh well, when I get time!

Have a good day,
Pat