A couple of days ago I found out the shocking news that an ex colleague had died. Diagnosed with cancer in mid May and dead a month later. I haven't seen her in over 10 years so not a friend but someone I did work closely with for many years. Some great nights out and some good memories. A few years younger than me, children mid teens. I owe it to her to make the most of the 'well' time that I have left...she didn't have that opportunity and that really sucks.
Not managed to arrange Inverness yet as I'm still waiting on an MRI appt. There will be another opportunity and we will take it.
My sister is meeting me for dinner tomorrow evening after my PET scan. I will be ravenous by then! We had hoped to see a show but there isn't much choice on a Monday night and as she's a teacher she will need to get back home at a reasonable time. Can't find anything suitable but we'll have a nice wander around London instead.
Welsh alpaca friend also wants a couple of nights away later this month. Maybe something Bristol/Bath way. I've only ever been to Bristol for a conference so that might be good.
I've spent a lot of time this weekend with my youngest son, firstly we watched last night's game. He is a massive football fan and has an encyclopedic knowledge of international football. He's one of those people that if he's in to something then he's really into something and he just absorbs information. Unfortunately though he only absorbs information that he's interested in. He knows his world flags and capital cities, he's pretty good at dinosaurs and he knows his football. Cannot read an analogue clock (I did teach him!) and he'd probably struggle with knowing the difference between an oak and a beech tree (once again, I did teach him along with British nature in general). He also suffered with multiple ear infections as a small child and had childhood hearing problems which was fixed with surgery. As a result, when he learnt to talk he was blessed with a louder than average tone of voice that has never resolved. Basically no volume control. All this info leads on to one of my favourite stories...
When he was small, maybe about 6/7ish we visited Igtham Mote, a NT property in Kent, with my mum, brother and sister in tow. There was a bit of a queue getting into the property and he was acting up a bit. I happened to notice a swallow's nest in the porch eaves and I thought that this was a good time for a bit of performative parenting. I knew that he would know what built it, after all I had taught both my boys a fair bit about British wildlife and nature. So fairly loudly I said "What built that nest DS2?" He looked at me completely flumoxed. So I gave him a bit of a clue..."begins with Sw". He thought for a moment, I was convinced he would say swallow, or maybe swift. Then with a face full of pride, so loud that about 20 people around us heard "OH, SWANS!!!" Well, the whole of the queue fell about laughing, I was briefly mortified but also couldn't stop laughing. From then on it has become a legendary story within the whole family. Swans, swifts and swallow's are regularly interchangeable and constantly pointed out. If in company we are also not afraid to raise our voices about it and will happily point out a swallow gracefully swimming along the edge of a lake. Today I took him to RSPB Pulborough to do a spot of bird watching. We laughed as we reminisced and hoped to spot something beginning with SW. No SW birds found but we did spot a white tailed eagle soaring above the South Downs and being mobbed by crows. A beautiful sight. Peaceful time also spent with the merlin bird app (I found him cheating with that last week, app on his phone, birdsong on his laptop!!). Good drive there and back along the A272 as well, plenty of classic cars and even a steam traction engine! Fabulous day...this is what life is about. It doesn't have to be something grand, just something really meaningful. I'm hoping he will remember this day long after I'm gone.
Thank you all for your kind messages of support. They really give me a boost. Now get out there and watch the summer swans darting around the sky, swooping for insects!!