**TAMOXIFEN TEN***

[MaryAnnSingleton]

brand new shiny thread....our tenth !

have a nice lunch topsy- my MIL is pretty good too-thank goodness !
Grrr about the scoopy neck tops
Thank you too for promoting I'm 8 - that's really kind- I don't get royalties though as am paid a one-off fee but if it sells well then obviously they will be more likely to choose me again as illustrator

Topsy, I hope you have a fab lunch cooked for you. I too am sure your consultant just has exciting plans, but I will be thinking of you.

It is a bugger sorting out what clothes will work. I used to like little vest tops but the excavations under my armpit make them A Thing To Be Avoided these days (unless its hot and I really don't care )

Amber - i too am thinking of you for Tuesday. It's all a step nearer the end.

I have also been recommending MAS's new books around the place. Dd sat down and read it in one swoop. It was soooo peaceful. She sent MAS a thank you email that was so breathless it had no punctuation of any kind. I am not supposed to know that as it was 'private'. I don't think she remembers that it has stayed in my sent box and I am nosey.

Wishing lovely Sundays to all, even if it is pouring down there, as it is here. We are having a family pumpkin growing competition this summer so this will surely help, especially if i go out and stick my pot in pole position, but I expect that isn't allowed. So far mine is by far the weediest, which is ironic as i am the only one who ever remembers to water, feed and pot them on, etc....

Hi MAS - cross posted. Had meant to say, oouch for your poor dad. Gout is really, really sore

poor thing- he is suffering
I loved dd's thank you- I hope she got my reply !

She did indeed! I think another reply from her is brewing. She likes writing - her super heroes story is apparently quite good, it is being shown to the governors tomorrow I haven't seen it so can't comment.

Hi all, Topsy, I agree with everyone about the long weekend theory - the rowing sounds a very likely reason. The tops area pain aren't they? - I often have to wear lacy topped vests underneath my clothes to cover up - but thats not always practical in hot weather. I sometimes use bras with a lacy panel at the top, (which look like a vest top underneath clothes) - you can actually buy little panels to sew into your bra (I think they are called 'modesty panels') and I have actually sewn lacy material into tops to make the neck higher (that was so I didn't have to get rid of all my favourite tops!)

Have a lovely Sunday Dinner

Amber - unbrave days are definately allowed, and they are the days when you have to be kind to yourself and give yourself a bit of TLC and treats ) - I hope you feel better soon and good luck for the next chemo (One more under the belt remember )

MAS - I have aches and pains all the time, - and like Smee my onc. was pretty dismissive. putting it down to tamoxifen. But if you are anxious talk to your BCN, and she can reassure you.

Your poor Dad - gout is very painful I've heard, I hope they get him sorted out with something to relieve it soon.

Good luck with the pumpkins Cakes - I've never grown one, my courgettes are looking a bit fed up with the dry weather at the moment though.

I finished the puppets [hooray and massive sigh of relief]. We met up with DS and his GF on Friday and handed them over and had a coffee together. GF (I feel funny calling her that, I really consider her to be my DDIL) gave me a lovely necklace and matching earrings to say thank you for getting them done.

Anyway - I will put pictures up, give me a second and I'll put them on the next post.

Love to all for a relaxing weekend.

Puppet photos

grasshopper

ladybird

spider

Please ignore any background muddle and untidiness (yes there is rubbish all over the stairs which I keep meaning to take up to the kids rooms)

Also yes my beloved inherited comfy armchair which is very old has had to have its arms patched, - I have mismatched old furniture (I call it eclectic style )

I LOVE THEM - especially the ladybird. As for mess and clutter - your woodwork looks sheeny, which suggests diligent dusting to me.

Is it still not raining where you are???? We keep hearing about dry weather but we had a very, very heavy storm on Friday, got rained out of Stratford yesterday afternoon, and we have woken up to rain today which is still going. As far as lack of rainfall in my neck of the woods goes, I think it's a myth. Everything here is green, and we are WET. I know it's not the same story where you are, but i hope you are getting a bit of this, at least.

I have mismatched furniture too. That's as it should be. I love your old chair, it looks extremely comfy. We have a very old rocking chair, not inherited sadly, but bought and reupholstered. We rarely sit in it, it was frankly made for bums smaller than ours, but we just love it.

I love the puppets KK - they are all absolutely brilliant but I especially love the ladybird - well done and how lovely of GF
Very much looking forward to another message from dd Cakes ! and to reading the super heroes story

I love mismatched stuff- much more imaginative !

It rained on Friday when we went over to Lowestoft to see DS, - really poured. But as we came back we found it seemed to have rained everywhere except our village -most odd. We get short spells of rain but never enough to give the garden a good soaking.

Thank you for kind comment about puppets, and my furniture - the stairs are naturally sheeny, - dusting has been rather neglected of late due to puppeting panic!

Our sofa was bought new, but the armchair was inherited from elderly relative's house contents, and the other armchair is an Edwardian carved wood and velvet affair. I love it because its low and my feet reach the floor - the rest of the family (all tall types) give it a wide berth

Oh thank you too MAS, - I x-posted with you. Ladybird is my favourite too

Small people struggle with modern chairs and sofas I find. Our sofa was also bought new, and if I sit on it properly, like a grown up, my legs stick straight out in front. Undignified.

How odd it isn't raining in your village! And disastrous for growing courgettes...

DD has just phoned me on her birthday present, just handed over by her great aunt. Extremely generous, of course, but I am really not sure an 8 year old needs a mobile phone. Ah well. Least said, the better.

Not just me who finds modern furniture competely useless, then?

Yay! Puppets!! Splendid!
More I think.

Me too

Oh yes - I'll have one please , - DH has justs made rock cakes - I'm trying to resist one.

Is he allowed to do that sort of thing when you are on a diet?????

The mere mention of virtual cake has sent me to the actual cake tin. Rats!

I am having some green tea the goodness of which is counteracted by the chocolate peanut butter eggs

I've told him it's cruel and unreasonable - but I haven't been buying any cakes or biscuits and he was craving cake, so made some!

We've just been out to get groceries and I now have a selection of fruit to choose from (how dull healthy) - I like the sound of a chocolate peanut butter egg though

Well it's yin and yang isn't it? Green tea needs offsetting with something and chocolate peanut butter eggs sound more than reasonable. I fear it is pineapple for tea here. That or strawberries and raspberries.

How cruel life is.

Hello lovely ladies. I apologise for being awol for quite a few days. I have been having a wobbly, worrying time. Nothing in particular triggered it off but overnight I turned into a worrywort. I have been having a few aches and pains and the worry of my lump not shrinking significantly and the thought of things speading has been uppermost in my mind.

The sickness from my last bout of FEC was particular bad (gone now though thank goodness) and the tablets haven't worked (had 4 different lots) so when I go for last FEC on Wednesday I have resigned myself to 6 or 7 days of terrible sickness and nausea but THAT WILL BE THAT so I will just bury my head for those days and get through it. I am hoping my oncologist will be able to book me in for a mastectomy asap - I just want it over and done with.

Topsy I'm so glad your op went well. Did you have nodes involved? I am looking for an outfit for a wedding in August and am really having trouble knowing what will work best after the op - lots of things are quite round or scoop necked.

KK, I love the puppets - my favourite is the lady spider (look at those lips). Is there a French influence there, with the beret?

Amber, I sympathise about being 'unbrave'. That's me at the moment too.

Sorry to hear about your dad's gout, MAS. My brother suffers and he's 'only' 50. He takes medication but it flares up sometimes despite it.

Sorry for missing anyone out. I hope you're all well. Has LGF been in touch recently. We're both at the same stage of our treatment and I was wondering how things were going. I hope she's not going through a wobbly time like me. LGF, if you see this, thinking of you xx.

Hello Figgy - its lovely to see you, but I'm sorry you've been having a bad time. I think it is very natural to worry about everything - every twinge or ache. But I think you will feel better about things once you have had your mastectomy, so I hope you get a date as soon as possible

The sickness must be making you feel pretty low too - its sounds relentless, and is bound to make you feel a bit fed up with it all.

I also hope LGF and also Limejelly are feeling OK if they are reading (pop in and say hello ladies if you feel up to it )

I'm glad you think the spider looks French - that was the brief I had 'make her look sexy an a bit French' so it's good to know it comes across.

Topsy, lunch being cooked sounds essential. We had cheese sandwiches. Hope you've given Miss P the boot - she can be a bit persistent, but we all know her well, so a mutual moan most definitely helps.

Same holds for un-brave days, Amber. Be weird if you weren't having a few. Only good thing about Tuesday is that it's another one done.

MAS, your poor Dad. How are his eyes now? Was second op a success?

Cakes, brilliant that the school are making a fuss of DD for her story. I demand extracts.

Kurri, your puppets all look mighty at home on that chair. They're brilliant - hope DS is delighted. I'd bet we'd win the prize for mismatched furniture - a fair amount of ours has been gathered from skips and DH made our kitchen out of scaffolding poles. I like to think of it as Utilitarian.

Chucking it down all day here, so we jumped on the bus and headed to the Wellcome Collection - well worth a trip if anyone's ever in London and hasn't been. V.good cafe too, so naturally we had cake - apologies to all those on diets, but it was mmmm.

hello figgy- am glad to see you,but sorry to hear you are feeling wibbly and worried and suffering sickness

Dad's eyes seem to be fine- very successful,so that's good...the gout is a worry- he hasn't had it for ages-but he admits he was careless about taking his preventative medicine.
Dh is cooking an Angela Harnett recipe tonight - pot roasted chicken with lemon,spring onion s and ginger- yummo. He is a bit stressed as it's spitting everywhere (I shall be cleaning up-that's my job !) Often think of LGF and LJ - hope they're doing ok.