Gaucin Spain July 2011

At last our holiday came around...after booking the flights in January it seemed to take an age..

Up at 5am and got on the road at 6am.  Not a good start as Jon decided to go M4/M25 well that would have been ok if Junctions 5/6 of M4 weren't shut so about turn and through Bracknell to the M3...except the A322 was closed too!!...good job we had sat nav but time was getting on. Managed to get to airport car park at 7.30am!!...bus to terminal and checked in with 20mins to spare...actually it was fab as there were no queues at all.

Got our hire car and made our way up to Gaucin arrived at 3.30pm.  Paul and Janys met us as we parked up.  Sorted out our bags etc and sat and chatted.  Janys made fajitas for tea which were deelish!

Sunday

Up at 8.30am, breakfast etc

Went to Paul's friends pool as he no longer lives there and said we could have use of his pool.  Swimming and BBQ.  Back at 5.30pm.  Chilled with wine all evening.

Monday

Up at 9am.

Coffee at El Zorro

Lunch at Mirador De La Sierra - Lentil casserole, Paella, Ice cream and of course the obligatory beer!

Coffee on way home at Bogeguita Chaparra.

Tuesday

Bahia water park from 12noon until 4.15pm.  All going ok and have a great time until Jack cut his foot on one of the water slides..went to the 1st Aid place and he had it bandaged up.

Back to P&J's at 5.30ish.  Janys made us pasta and a choc pud that was deelish..

Wine, beers and Who wants to be a millionaire...which we managed to get to a million without cheating..but we did have 2 intelligent heads and 2 trivia heads..makes all the difference.

Wednesday

Estepona market..very hot indeed

Chiranghito for lunch - sardines for me -yum

Back for a siesta.

Drinks with Isobel at Bar Antonia and Tapas for tea.

Thursday

Drove out to see Hayley and Jason Ohri at Hayley's parents place near Coin, about 1.5hrs away and not a bad drive as almost all motorway.

Had a lovely afternoon and they made us feel so welcome, I even got my cozzie on and went bald in the pool...

I have to thank Hayley for jumping in the pool fully clothed to rescue Jack as he tipped over upside down..she'd only got changed as well..so Thank You xx

BBQ cooked by Jason which was lovely and all the BBQ trimmings made by Shirley, Hayley's Mum.

Lots of chatting, revelations and secrets got spilled...they will remain in Spain...left at 10pm and got back after a hairy drive along the first road...steep drops but Jon is an excellent driver I must say.

Friday

Slow start to the day as were late to bed last night.  Went for a drink at lunchtime, back to house for lunch, and all of us just chilled in the afternoon as it was so hot...actually that isn't true Janys washed and ironed all my clothes ready to take back home..how lovely of her x

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Tea was food from the local deli (run by Des O'Connor's daughter!!), very nice it was too.

I was so tired and lacking in energy we all went off to bed early about 10.30pm.

Saturday

Up at 8am, bags packed, breakfast and then said our goodbyes...I was really sad to say goodbye to Paul and Janys, but managed to hold it together until we drove off...I may not be able to go out there again and that makes me very sad indeed.

Flight was on time as usual, must say cannot fault Easyjet..never had a problem with them.  The bun fight for seats is hilarious..we just hang back and stroll on and still manage to get 3 seats together..same as getting off..last off but the ones who wait the shortest time at immigration and baggage reclaim..the English mentality is beyond me!

Got back at 5.30pm and Jon went to get a KFC and a pizza for me...sorted out my case and Jack's case and have about 6 things to go in the washing..bliss

So a lovely time had by all, even Jack behaved 99.9% of the time!

Tomorrow will be spent sorting out and tidying up the house...and I may just have a siesta about 2pm!!!

Love Clare xx

Kathy's funeral today.

A sad occasion but one that I managed to get through without crying.  Hard?...no not really, Wendy said that those that cried probably identify her death with themselves...same age, child same age family etc etc...and it's very frightening to think of your own mortality, therefore making your mind work overtime...I have had 5yrs to come to terms with it so whilst I was sad for Kathy and her family, I didn't feel the need to cry for myself.  I am a strange one I suppose...

A nice service at the crem with nice tributes, a couple of hymns (oh how I hate hymns at funerals as no one can manage to sing properly...except the man behind me who sang rather good actually) and a reading. 

Very spooky actually as when I got home, Iris the celebrant who I've chosen to do my funeral, had rung me for a catch up and see how I was doing.

So whilst it was a very sad day, Kathy is no longer in pain or facing uncertainty.  Trevor and Emma however are just starting out on a journey that at times will be difficult but mostly filled with love and new experiences for both of them.

RIP Kathleen

Love Clare xx

The end is in sight for the 'fat face'...

Saw Dr C today and from Monday I'm reducing the steroids from 2mg a day to 1.5mg for 10days, then 1mg for 10days and then .5 for 10days...yippee.

Of course if I feel funny or get pain then I can increase them at .5mg a time.

I did have a few questions..

I have CT scan on 18th Aug and the letter says Chest/Abdo/pelvis...all very well but seeing as the main concern is now the brain tumours why no head? So he's putting in the request again as they won't do my head on my say so...

Why do I keep getting pins and needles in my left arm/hand?...most prob due to pressure/swelling on the right side of my brain..need to keep my eye on it.

I have a 'lump' on my right breast but upon examination he thinks it's just where I had intensive radiotherapy when I had my lumpectomy...CT scan will show anything if there is anything..

Told him my eyes go blurry...that's just normal apparently not much can be done about that..

So after being on the ward until 11.30am and then seeing Dr C I had to go to pharmacy to get the new steroids...got back home at 2.25pm..

Just got in and the bloke who did the blinds turned up to put in the missing one...

So much for a nice chilled lunch and afternoon before school run.

I have shaved my head with a No.3 on my head...it was looking so bad all different lengths...much better now...

Love Clare xx

Despite a sad start to the weekend I did manage to have a good one.

Lucinda came yesterday and stayed the night, we managed to get through 3.5 bottles of wine and hideous amounts of Thorntons choc..Listening to 'old' tunes and not getting to bed until 3am..

Jack for some reason slept until 8am..unheard of and I woke without a hangover no even a smidgen of one..

BUT...my legs hurt again like they did last weekend so maybe it's alcohol that isn't agreeing with me as both times I've had wine they've hurt.

Now, I know most people think that in my position I should just enjoy myself and do/eat what I want..well yes I can but the weight is not good so I sat down and did a full weeks menu...not just dinners but brekkie/lunch and dinner and snacks in between...on SW plan so all syns counted.. I must stay on plan this week... Saturday is Wendy's Strawberry Tea and I will only have 1 scone and Jam...surely I can do that can't I?

Hilary and Kev's party in the evening so maybe a bit of drink and food will pass my lips..

Let's see if I can actually do this...

Love Clare xx

Had a lovely couple of hours wandering around Worcester Gardens at Oxfords University.

Hilary's sister Allison is a gardener there and tends to all the flowers/plants/shrubs etc..grows plums/apples/tomatoes/cucumbers in the green houses.  The weather was looking awful first thing but we got there at 12 and between 12 and 2 there was lots of sun for us and when we sat in amongst the apple trees to have our lunch my knees were actually burning in the heat!

Sadly, I came home to news that Kathy one of the Mum's from school has roughly 2 days left..she's in Adelaide ward at RBH (the best place to be as they are just fantastic on that ward IMO).  It's really shocked me as although she had been told she had liver progression about a month or so ago, I really didn't expect this to happen so soon. She did look weak when I last saw her but just thought that was due to the chemo she had been on.

I was talking to her not long ago about 'the end' and she said she just hadn't faced up to it and didn't want to think about it...unlike me..

Very scary times..seem to be losing all those who were diagnosed same time as me (Paula and Neila last year).

So not feeling too chipper after a lovely morning...I don't often ask why but WHY WHY WHY???? - to leave a small child without a Mummy is just cruel...

***Kathy died this afternoon after a long battle, first in 1998 and then again since 2006..so sad for all who knew her she was a lovely lady***

Love Clare xx

After the miserable afternoon I'd had it just got better.

Went to parents evening for Jack's end of F2 report...wow I am so chuffed..this is what was said...

Jack is a vibrant, bubbly and caring boy with an infectious sense of humour.  He has made great progress in F2 and shown an increased motivation to learn and join in with focused group activities.

Jack enjoys work with numbers. He has good number recognition and has no problem grasping increasingly complex mathematical ideas.

Jack has not got a natural love of literacy but is more capable than he realises.  He can recognise many sounds and demonstrates increased control when writing, listening well for initial and final sounds.

Jack loves to play outside, whether this is role play, investigation or construction.  He works well within a group and has a wide selection of friends to choose from.

Jack will be greatly missed in F2 and is without a doubt a credit to you!

and...**He scored really well on the learning table thingy and got up to 7's with a few 8's too**

So how come he's such a monkey at home then?!

Love Clare xx

Feel crap about the way I look...just plain bloody miserable today..

My face is so bloated that I don't want to go out now, my eyes and nose are the same size as they were and my cheeks are just so puffed up I can see them nearly touching my eyes.

Have reduced steroids as well but it's not improving..

Of course it's not all steroids, I feel hungry all the time and no amount of fruit etc that I have in the house stops me from eating all the crap we have in here too...sweets/crisps/biscuits/choc..I know we don't have to have it but Jon and Jack like it, why should they go without because I have no self control.

I think I'm more upset with myself as I said I wouldn't go down the eat what I want route as I'm 'ill'...I'm not ill as such and have full control of what I eat - so why aren't I listening to my head instead of my stomach?

My hair is so thin now and it's virtually non-existent on the crown.  Anyone who's known me for a while will know that I loved my hair and always had it looking nice...I feel like a freak now..


So it's not enough to have a fat face but no hair to speak of either. Can't wear my wig as it just looks silly with the size of my face and of course on holiday it would be too hot. So have resorted to wearing a hat..thin baker boy one so I don't get too hot.

There's another worry,  afraid good old Easyjet will pull me up as I look nothing like my passport pic and I won't want any pictures taken of me whilst we are away...can I do something in 2 weeks?...I will try.

Just feeling a bit miserable today, Jack has been off school all week, he's doing my head in to be honest as there is nothing wrong with him, so full of beans etc but every now and again needs to rush to the loo..keeps answering back and not doing as he's told...to be fair he's probably bored out of mind as indoors all day.

So a miserable Thursday here. I hope a happy Friday as I'm out with Hilary, off up to Worcester Gardens at Oxford Uni, where her sister is the landscape gardener there...bet it's fab. Don't want to put a downer on the day out.

Not like me to moan or be upset but sometimes it just creeps up on me and this afternoon was one of those times.

Love Clare xx

How frightening..

Woke in the night to excruciating pain in my feet and up my legs to my knees.  Got up and made my way downstairs very slowly. Extremely difficult one stair at a time.

Hobbled round the kitchen trying to get my feet to work properly.  Had to give in and sit down as couldn't put any weight on them.

Sat on the sofa drifted off and then managed to get back upstairs to sleep for a couple of hours.

However, in amongst all this Jack has really bad stomach upset, so between Jon and I were taking him to the toilet all night.

I'm up now 7.15am and my legs still don't feel right but no where near as bad as they did.  Feet seem to be ok but knees are now really hurting so what's all that about eh? Was so frightened that I wouldn't be able to walk by the morning, but it's ok for now.

Had a couple of days with nothing much planned but will now have Jack to entertain as not allowed back to school for 48hrs.

Love Clare xx

Jack has a new bedroom.

Jon has been working non-stop to paint, do the flooring and put the furniture together and it's all looking fab.

There are a few bits we still need to do to it....tv/dvd combi and wall bracket, small orange rug, blinds need to be fitted on order so possibly next week, notice board on order and maybe a bookcase for the dvd's.

Really pleased with the furniture, good quality and relatively easy to put together...either that or Jon is an expert.

The guest room is also getting there, just carpet and painting of skirting board and door to eaves space. Bedside table and chest of drawers on order.

Flooring for bathroom and carpet for hall, stairs, landing need to be ordered.

Sofa bed and footstool in garage to be recovered - as that's going in the games room, will go Monday to sort that out. I know what colour paint I want to do it in...so that will be next.

We had intended to do all this when we first moved in...why did we wait 4yrs...??

One chuffed lady here...

Love Clare xx