August 2nd

Just finishing up last bits of packing and tonight we're travelling over to Cork on the overnight ferry for Andrew & Orla's wedding this weekend!!

So excited it's only a few days away now - we can't wait to see them get married and join in the celebrations. We're really looking forward to seeing all our family back home & catching up with everyone we haven't seen for a while :)

I'll upload some photos when we get back....

July 21st

This week was our 2nd wedding anniversary - it's hard to believe 2 years have gone by already :) We had a lovely, relaxing weekend away in Hampshire & it was great to get away from it all. We had some great treats like spa treatments an amazing meal out, where we were treated like royalty!

A lot has happened in the first 2 years but hopefully things will finally settle down this year and we will have a less eventful year!!

I'm back to working 4 days a week now - 3 days in the office and 1 day at home so life is a lot busier but I'm coping ok so far & enjoying being back at work.

July 10th

It's been a very busy 10 days but so good to be able to catch up with so many people. I had a lovely time back home in Cork and it was great to see Charis, Sandra, Bryce & Carolyn and all the family (especially gorgeous baby Hannah), Jessie, Ruth & Gordon & everyone at camp! so sorry to everyone I didn't get to see - there's never enough time!

It was lovely to see all my family too. Heather and I travelled to Galway for Orla's hen weekend and we had a great time with Orla & all her family & friends. Thank you all for a fab weekend! I can't believe the wedding is less 4 weeks away...so looking forward to it already :) It was great to be back at work in Cork and catch up with everyone there, but as usual I didn't have enough time!

We had a nice relaxing weekend and I managed to swim 12 lengths of a swimming pool two days in a row! That was the furthest I had been able to swim since surgery and It feels like a great accomplishment. I felt pretty well, although I was a bit stiff afterwards but it definitely feels like I'm improving.

June 26th

We've just spend a lovely day sitting in the garden, relaxing, enjoying the fabulous weather & having a BBQ :) It was very relaxing & I think I needed it! I kept going all week and realised yesterday afternoon how tired I really was! I felt really exhausted and just lay on the sofa all afternoon watching Wimbledon & couldn't move!

I have another busy week this week - I'm working Monday to Wednesday in Kettering and then off to Cork on Thursday for a few days (Orla's hen weekend at the weekend and then working in Cork for 2 days next week). I'm sure it will just take a while to get back into the swing of work but I'm hoping I will get my energy back quickly :)

June 22nd

I've been back to work now for 2 weeks - 2 days on week one and 3 days this week. It's been so good to get back into work and to see everyone again :) The drive has been ok but it's made a huge difference to stay over so I only need to do the journey once per week.

I worked Monday to Wednesday this week & by Wednesday afternoon I felt really wiped out! I'm so glad I've been able to go back part time - although I felt I could work full time, I know I'm not quite ready for that yet :) But as always, everyone work has been so understanding & supportive which means so much - Thank you!

June 15th

Going back to work!! I saw the GP yesterday and he is happy for me to go back to work (part time initially) so I'm starting back tomorrow & hope to do about 3 days a week. I'm a little concerned about the drive as it's a long drive from Swindon to Kettering; it takes around 2 hours & I haven't done that much driving over the last couple of months, apart from a few short trips around Swindon. But I am planning to overnight so that I only have 1 drive there and back each week.

Apart from that, I'm really looking forward to getting back to work, seeing everyone, having a challenge and getting back to normality again after 3 months off :)

June 9th

Yesterday I had my 3 month follow up appointment with the surgeon. He did a full check up and scan and is really happy with how my wounds are healing and he doesn't want to see me again for another 6 months! I will have a check up with the oncologist in 3 months time but until then I'm all clear!! It's such a huge relief to know that everything is ok and I can start to get back to normal now (gradually - I have been warned!).

Thank you once again to everyone for all your support and care for us, especially over the last 3 months. We are truly blessed to have so many amazing friends and family around us, both near and far & really don't know what we'd do without you all :-)

June 3rd

I'm just back from a fabulous week on the Isle of Wight. Charis and Claire came over from Cork / Dublin last Wednesday and picked me up on their way to the Isle.

We stayed at Charis' uncle's house to mind the dog & cats while they were away. We had a great time visiting different parts of the island - incredible scenery, white cliffs and lovely little villages. We went for walks, went out for coffees, lunch & cream teas, shopped, relaxed & watched dvds and had lots of fun. It was so good to see both of them & to spend so much time with them - normaly we just meet for coffee or dinner so it was really lovely to have such a long time together.

Dave came home from Morocco last Wednesday so I saw him for a few minutes before I disappeared to the Isle of Wight and he came down to join us for a day last weekend. We're both back in Swindon now and looking forward to enjoying the amazing weather this weekend :)

May 24th

I'm back! Apologies for the lack of updates over the last 3 weeks but we had a longer than anticipated stay in Morocco and limited internet access. Dave has been working really hard over the last 3 weeks, meanwhile I had an extremely relaxing time!

It was just what I needed - the hotel was lovely and I had no choice except to do nothing! I didn't venture too far outside the hotel on my own during the daytime and spent most days resting up, reading a lot of books & sitting out in the beautiful hotel gardens or by the pool. The most I did was to swim a few lengths of the pool every day and walk down to the town centre for dinner in the evenings.

We did get to see the walled city of Rabat & amazing blue & white streets & visited the markets a couple of times. We also had an amazing evening at a Moroccan family's home, where we were invited to dinner. It was a real cultural experience and they were incredibly generous & welcoming - I've never eaten so much food....Cous cous, tagine, moroccan bread, homemade pastries - really delicious!!

Unfortunately I left my husband behind :( I rearranged my flights and travelled home on Sunday but we weren't sure when he'd be able to finish up work. Hopefully he'll make it back tomorrow, but praying that the ash cloud stays away & the airports stay open.

May 2nd

We're just back from 10 great days in Cork - feeling tired from an early start and long drive / ferry trip but it was a really lovely time with family & friends. We got to spend a lot of time with family and caught up with some friends as well.

The only problem was that time went too quickly and we didn't get to see everyone that we had hoped to see. We're really sorry to everyone that we didn't have an opportunity to meet up with & hope to see you next time instead. It's so difficult to see everyone and I did get quite tired towards the end of the week - as well as picking up a head cold & sore throat :(

Dave is travelling back to Morocco for work again tomorrow but rather than leaving me behind I'm able to tag along with him this time :) I will be forced to rest as Dave will be working all day but I plan on bringing lots of books to read and rest & relax.

April 21st

We are really looking forward to spending time with family & friends in Cork this Easter :)

Dave has been able to take 3 days off work next week so we can make the most of the two bank holiday weekends and have 10 days off together. We're travelling over by overnight ferry this evening and coming back on May 2nd. It's been a busy couple of days packing and getting everything together...but almost there now and ready to set off :)

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter!

April 19th

Thank you so much to Ann (Avery) who called round yesterday with a beautiful bunch of daffodils from their allotment. They're all starting to bloom already, Ann, and as you can see they look amazing!!

Yesterday I drove again for the first time since surgery! I only took a short journey and although it was great to be behind the wheel again, I did feel stiff afterwards so I know I'm not ready to drive very far for quite a while :(

It was lovely to see Ann (Phelps) for lunch yesterday and have a proper catch up :) And this afternoon Nicky took me out to Cirencester for lunch and a walk around the shops...it's been really nice to get out and enjoy this amazing sunshine! Although all these lovely lunches & coffees are not so great for my waistline!!

April 17th

The last few days I've been taking my husband's advice and doing nothing!! I've mainly been resting, reading and watching tv. My blood pressure is still low but apart from that I'm feeling well.

I have got out for a couple of walks though and last night Ashley & Nicky took us out to a fabulous restaurant in the countryside for an amazing meal :) Thank you so much for a really lovely evening Ashley & Nicky!

April 14th

Today, I said goodbye to Charis who has just arrived back in Dublin. Thank You so much Charis for coming to see me :-) It's been amazing having you around and look forward to seeing you again really soon.

This evening, Dave & I met up with Alasdair who is down all the way from Lossiemouth in Scotland, working in Swindon for a few days. We enjoyed catching up with him and talking about all that's been going on in each others lives since we last met up. Thank You Alasdair for finding the time to to see us.

Healthwise, I continue to feel well, but think I may have a very relaxing day tomorrow to ensure that my batteries continue to charge :-) It's very easy to want to push myself more and more given that I feel well, but my husband is reigning me in to ensure that I behave myself.

April 13th

Charis has come over to from Dublin to visit me for a couple of days and it has been really good to spend time with her & catch up :) Today she took me out to a really pretty medieval village called Lacock where they have filmed a lot of period movies like Pride & Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Moll Flanders & several of the Harry Potter films.

I also had a really nice treat yesterday when Nicky brought me out for a Starbucks for the afternoon. It's great to get out and about a bit more now that I've got more energy but I still haven't started to drive - that will be the next step when I feel ready for it.

April 10th

We've been enjoying the fabulous weather this weekend - sitting in the garden, reading, dining al fresco, BBQs and getting out for a couple for walks. It's amazing the difference the sunshine & fine weather makes :)

I saw the GP on Friday and she prescribed me with iron tablets but apart from that she was very happy with how the wounds are healing. I have all my dressings fully removed now and they're healing up really well.

It was really great to catch up with Steve & Ruth on Friday evening for a lovely dinner - thank you Ruth :)

April 7th

The weather has been beautiful the last two day so I have just been sitting in the garden, relaxing, reading & enjoying the sunshine :) We had our second BBQ of the year yesterday & didn't need scarves & gloves this time! It even reached 21 degrees today so it really feels like Summer is here early.

I have been less sore & stiff the last few days and I have more & more movement every day so it's really great to see progress.

Thank you SO much to everyone at Midleton Evangelical Church for the beautiful flower arrangement you sent yesterday - it was so kind of you. We so value all your support and prayers for us over the past few weeks & we hope to see you all soon.

April 5th - part 2!

Wow! What an amazing day! It is such a huge relief to hear that I don't need any further treatment :) The oncologist is happy that the tumour was isolated and has been fully removed and the scans have shown that it hasn't spread anywhere else, so there is no need for any more chemotherapy. I don't think it has fully sunk in yet but we are so grateful for this news and extremely relieved that we have overcome another huge hurdle!

Now I just need to concentrate on recovering from the surgery and gradually getting back to full health. I also saw the surgeon today and he was very happy with my progress. He removed some fluid from my back and was happy that the swelling is starting to settle down.

Thank you all for your amazing support - for the lovely comments you have left on the blog already today and for all the many supportive texts we both received during the day - it means so much to us :)

April 5th

Sharon has just seen the oncologist and phoned me from London to tell me some very GOOD news! She does NOT require any more chemo right now, and they are happy with her progress. She will be monitored etc, but everyone is happy with her current condition. Especially her husband! :-)

Thank You for everyone who has been praying today.... Sharon will update you herself later.

April 4th

Tomorrow is a really big day - I'm going to London to see the oncologist and find out whether they want to do any further treatment. I'm really praying that I don't need any more chemo but will need to trust the doctor's opinion either way.

I will also see the surgeon to check my wound and remove some fluid from my back, where the muscle was taken from. Marilyn is going to come with me but it will be quite a long day by the time we get there and back.

April 3rd

It's been so good to have Dave home this weekend :) He decided that yesterday was the perfect day for the first BBQ of the year! It was sunny but not overly warm (I think he thought he was still in Morocco).. but we really enjoyed it and it was great to have Colin over to join us too! After the barbie we had hot chocolate (to warm up) & watched a great movie.

Wishing all the Mum's a very Happy Mother's Day today - you do an incredible job!! And a really special Happy Mother's Day to Cherie who has just become a Mum for the 3rd time this week - Congratulations!! And to Peta, Nicola, Cora & Danielle who are having their first ever Mother's Day this year :)

April 1st

Esther came to visit this afternoon & brought some fabulous cup cakes she made - they are delicious :) Thank you so much Esther - it was so good to see you!

I'm so looking forward to my husband coming home this evening :) Hopefully he'll be here in a couple of hours.... it seems like he's been away for ages but I'm very grateful to everyone who has come round to visit and to take me out for coffee - it's been really lovely and has definitely helped to pass the time more quickly.

Thank you to Nicky who took me out for a Starbucks yesterday :) And thank you to Marilyn & Andrea who have been looking after me and making sure I'm not doing too much!

Healthwise, I've been doing ok but a bit more stiff & sore than I have been, possibly because the numbness us disappearing after the surgery & I'm feeling it a little bit more.

March 30th

Yesterday I went to the GP and had my dressings removed - the nurse was really happy with me & said the wounds were healing beautifully! All the stitches are dissolve-able so I don't need to have them removed and only have a light covering on them at the moment. I see the surgeon and the oncologist next Tuesday in London so will have another full check up then.

Betty & Maurice took us out for a lovely lunch afterwards and it was really lovely to spend time with them. I also had a visit from Faith - thank you so much for coming to see me Faith & for the gorgeous roses :)

Mary came round today and took me out for coffee & a great chat so I have been very spoilt the last couple of days! Thank you :)

After all that activity, I have been resting up by reading & sitting in bed watching chick flicks that Sue loaned me....I need to watch them all before Dave gets home from Morocco (not sure chick flicks are his thing!).

March 28th

Yesterday was another lovely day with the Harris family - we went for lunch to celebrate Dave's uncle Andrew's 50th birthday & then sat in Sue's garden eating delicious chocolate cake, drinking coffee and taking in the fabulous March sunshine - it was like a Summer's day :)

Today was a bit more relaxed and I've just been resting, reading & surfing (the web!). It was great to catch up with Sharon this morning, a friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer at the start of this year and I was delighted to hear she is doing so well & almost finished her treatment already!

Thinking of Dave, Peta & Rebekah who are all suffering from a nasty bug at the moment - Get Well soon, you three :(

March 26th

We had an inpromptu Harris family reunion this afternoon - Dave's Aunts, Uncle & cousins; Sue, Julie, Sophie, Phil, Claire, Jon, Becks & Thomas came to see us and we had a lovely afternoon catching up :)

Thank you so much to everyone for coming to see us.

It was great to see everybody but especially Dave's cousin Sophie as we hadn't seen her for almost 3 years! It's just such a pity that Dave had to miss out - although we did conference him in from Morocco for a little while via Skype :(

March 25th

I've had a lovely day of visitors today. Nicky took me out for coffee this morning which was a really nice treat :) It was so warm & sunny, we even sat outside in the sunshine - it was like a Summer's day and it felt so good to be out in the fresh air for the first time in a couple of weeks.

Kate came to visit at lunchtime and brought some beautiful flowers. Thank you so much Kate - it was really good to see you :)

Ruth also came to see me and is was great to see her and hear about all the support, prayers and best wishes from the people at the BIAC. We are so indebted to you all. Thank you so much Ruth - I really appreciate you coming round in the middle of such a busy day & getting ready for the weekend & thank you for the lovely fruit :)

I'm feeling tired this evening but apart from that feeling really well. Planning on relaxing for the rest of the evening and catching up on some more reading.

March 24th

Last night we went back to London to see the surgeon for a follow up - he changed my dressings and removed some fluid that had built up on my back but he was very happy with my progress. I'll see him again in 2 weeks time & in the meanwhile, I just need to go to the GP next week to get my dressings removed.

Unfortunately, Dave has had to go to Morocco with work for the next week - he left at lunchtime today and isn't back until next Friday :( But he did take me out this morning to the library to stock up on books to read and for a lovely coffee at Starbucks :)

Apart from that just relaxing and taking things easy & it was so nice to have a visit from Sue this afternoon. Thank you so much for the flowers Sue :)

March 22nd

Today I have been really spoilt!

Thank you SO much to everyone at RCI who sent the beautiful flowers this morning :)

It was so thoughtful of you and really brightened my day & it's really nice to know people at work are thinking of me when I'm not there.

And then there was another knock at the door and a delivery of fabulous roses from Ashley and Nicky. Thank you so much!

Marilyn is a full time flower arranger now, looking after all the flowers for me. And they are all placed in the sitting room so that I can see them while I'm lying on the sofa reading or watching tv .... and eating the delicious Thornton's chocolates that Andy & Carla sent me - thank you :)

What a lazy lifestyle I'm leading!! I did manage to drag myself off the sofa for a short walk with Andrea this afternoon though :)

I really am overwhelmed by how generous and thoughtful everyone is and have had cards and messages from so many people it's very humbling. Thank you!

March 21st

It's great to be out!! It's so nice to see outside the 4 walls of the hospital room and feel like I'm getting back to normal life again :) I even had a short walk outside yesterday & today and it's been a real breath of fresh air (literally) to get out in the fabulous spring sunshine.

We're staying with Dave's Mum for a while so I'm being pampered by Marilyn, Andrea & Dave and not allowed to do anything!! My remit for the next few days and weeks is to rest, do my physio exercises 3 times a day and go for a walk every day. I'm quite stiff down my side and arm, especially when I wake in the mornings but I'm not in any pain, which I'm very thankful for.

Thank you so much to Mrs Jell who sent beautiful flowers around from the church for me this evening.

March 19th

Sharon's deputy back on duty tonight while she catches up on some well deserved rest following her busiest day of the week.

She was released from hospital this morning after having all the remaining drains removed and having all the dressings replaced. We were chauffeured back to Swindon courtesy of Ashley (who sacrificed playing golf on a beautiful springlike day - thanks Ash!)

Very tired now, so plan to just kick back and relax. I'm sure Sharon will be updating this better tomorrow.

March 18th

Thank You so much Nathan, Abi & Jonothan for the fabulous balloons you sent today :) It was such a lovely surprise when they popped out of the box and I saw your names on the balloon!! You are all very special and I will think of you everytime I look at the balloons.... I'm trying to hide the mini eggs from "Big" Dave though in case he eats them all :)

Thank you too to Charis for the beautiful flowers you sent yesterday, Heather for the orchid & Dave for the lilies and to everyone who has sent cards. When the consultant came in today he said it looks like I've moved in!!

Thankfully he had some very good news for us. The tumour was completely removed during surgery, he also removed some of the chest muscle to test and that was clear & the lab tests showed there was nothing else of concern in any of the tissue. It's such a huge relief that it's definitely all gone this time round! This is a big hurdle to be over and whilst we still face the decision of the oncologist on whether any further treatment is required, we will enjoy today's news!

I'm hoping to go home tomorrow morning once they remove the remaining 2 drains and change my dressings. I have been behaving myself and taking things easy today but it's been good to get up and have a shower and walk around a bit, especially after being confined to one room for a week.

March 17th

Happy St Patrick's Day! It's Sharon here - finally able to take over blog writing responsibilities from my husband :)

The last few days have been tough - especially Sunday but I thank God that all seems to be behind us now and day by day I feel I'm slowly improving & getting my strength back.

It's been a really good day today and I've had much more energy - I even had a bath, a walk around the corridors and a hairwash in the hospital's 'salon'! The nurses here have been amazing and have done everything from pampering to entertaining to looking after me in the most incredible way.

Dave has been amazing as always and has been by my side non stop for the past 6 days and it was so good to have Heather here too - especially with everything that happened on Sunday & Monday. Thank you all for your messages of love and support - they have been such an encouragement to both of us over the last few days.

The consultant will be in tomorrow with the results from the surgery and will hopefully let me go home on Saturday. Right now I know I'm in the right place and am being looked after by the most amazing, caring people.

March 16th

Before updating you on today, both Sharon and I would like to Thank You for all the messages of love and support left on the blog and by other means. It is all very humbling to know that there is so much support.

Today has been a "quiet" day. Sharon is visibly more tired than yesterday and has managed to get some sleep throughout the day. Although her blood pressure was marginally lower this afternoon, the nursing staff were OK with this and the fact that inevitably the bodyshock of two such ops in quick succession should catch up with her and cause her to look more tired.

It has been reassuring to hear what we should and should not expect. As always, the nurses and medical staff here have been absolutely brilliant. Sharon was also treated to a foot/leg massage in bed by one of the nurses to try and help her - given that she has been bed-ridden since Saturday, this was a welcome relief for her :)

No word on when to expect to be able to leave, but for now, she is in the right place and certainly being looked after by the right people.

March 15th

They say a picture paints a thousand words!

ps. She didn't actually eat the doughnut, but I was able to assist :-)

March 14th - Further Update

We ended yesterday's post hoping that today's report would be a bit brighter..... and here it is.

As you may have read earlier, Sharon went down for a short operation... however, that turned out to be a 2 hour 45 minute stint away. During the operation, she had a clot removed which had built up on her left side and caused the problems yesterday. She also received a topup of blood which has evidently made quite a difference. She is doing really well right now, looking a lot more like the Sharon we all know.

The surgeon popped in this evening to check on all of the drains that have been inserted and is happy with progress. He also mentioned this is the only time he has seen any issues with this type of operation in years... oh well :)

Sorry to sound like a broken record, but we all can't thank you enough for all the support we've had. It has made a BIG difference, and one which we are very grateful for.

March 14th

Sharon managed a better night's sleep last night, but is still feeling very stiff down her side.

She is being taken down to theatre at around lunchtime to have a clot removed which caused all the drama yesterday. She has a lot of swelling at the moment and the surgeon is keen to get it sorted now rather than leave it. Have been told the procedure is straightforward and should take approx 20 minutes.

Heather and I are sat here with her now and she is in better spirits. She has just read the comments left on her blog from the past couple of days and was amazed at the messages of love being left for her. Thank You SO much!

We will post an update later today.

March 13th

After posting yesterday's entry, Sharon continued to improve and by the time Heather and I left her late last night, she was feeling a lot less sick and looking a lot more like herself. Unfortunately, today has seen a few setbacks which we will share with you.

Sharon suffered a bleed this morning and as a result things like her blood pressure and levels dropped. She certainly ensured that the nurses and medical staff had a busy Sunday morning! Decisions were made to leave alone and see if things improved. *However*, throughout the day her blood pressure has returned to the same level as yesterday, and despite her haemoglobin levels still being low, the surgeon is happy to leave her recuperate and see how things go, obviously monitoring her. We can't thank the nursing staff here enough who have been beyond amazing!!

As a "helpless" observer, I can honestly say she is looking a lot better than earlier today, but obviously are keen that she continues on the road to progress. We are looking forward to being a bit brighter about tomorrow's entry :-)

March 12th - Quick Update

Sharon is back from surgery and gradually coming out of the anaesthetic. Her surgeon came to see Heather and myself after the op to say that things had gone well and that there "were no surprises".... obviously something we were very happy to hear.

She is in a bit of pain and feeling slightly nauseous, but hopefully just a temporary thing while the drugs wear off.

We have the biggest possible Thank You's to all who have supported us, been thinking of us, praying on our behalf, text messages and so on. Yet again, we are just humbled by the amazing people that surround us. A very special Thank You to Heather for all your support and being here for a few days.

March 12th

Sitting in the hospital waiting to go down to surgery - they said it will probably be about 1pm before they're ready. Most of the nurses are the same as the last time I was here so it's nice to see some friendly faces :)

I am feeling apprehensive about the surgery and really hungry!! but apart from that doing ok. Dave as always has been by my side every step of the way - he really is amazing :)

And thank you again for all your messages and texts of support - they bring us so much comfort and encouragement and we are very blessed to have so many wonderful people around us.

March 11th

It's 5:30pm and we're about to leave for London in an hour or so and guess what I've been doing all day - finishing off a million things for work!! That's called getting your priorities right :) It has helped in some ways as I haven't been thinking about surgery at all and maybe I just needed to take my mind off things - but I really can't believe it's come round so soon.

I check into the hospital (or should I say hotel!) at 7am tomorrow but I'm 5th on the list for surgery so will probably be waiting around for a long time before I go in. The operation itself will be about 4 hours but I will ask Dave to let you know as soon as possible how everything went. Heather (my sister) is coming over tomorrow afternoon for a few days too so I will have lots of support.

I am so overwhelmed by the number of texts, emails, blog messages & cards. I'm really sorry I haven't been able to respond to many. I just want you all to know how much they mean to both of us - we feel so loved and supported & really do value you prayers and encouragement over the next few days, and especially tomorrow.

March 7th

I can't believe a month has passed since I've updated my blog. It's been a very busy month - we got back from Australia and I went back to work full time from 2nd Feb. Work has been so busy - my boss was made redundant while I was away but he stayed on for over a month to hand everything over to me. So it's been extremely busy - I've been travelling to Kettering once a week and staying up for 2 or 3 nights and then back to Swindon for the weekends. But I've also been able to work from home a day or so a week.

Then came the really difficult news a couple of weeks ago that my tumour has grown back. I noticed a lump right next to where the original tumour was and wasn't sure if it was scar tissue or something esle. When I went for my check up they thought it was just scar tissue but did a biopsy and discovered that the cancer had returned. It's been such a shock, just when we were getting back to normal again and really felt that we were moving on and putting this whole episode behind us.

I haven't updated the blog as I was waiting on test results & wasn't really sure what was happening next so wanted to be able to give the full story. I am due to go for surgery this Saturday (12th) - in order to make sure it doesn't come back again they are going to have to do a mastectomy. They will also do reconstruction at the same time but it will be a long operation and the recovery time is anything from 6 to 12 weeks. The surgeon said I'm likely to be out of action for about 3 months. They also said that chemo is unlikely but won't know until after surgery so I am really hoping & praying that I don't have to go down that road again.

There have been lots of tears over the last few weeks but it's been good to have work to distract me - and as always incredible support from the people around us. Thank you so much to everyone who has been sending us emails, texts, cards etc as you've found out bits of news. You are such an encouragement to both of us & we will make sure to keep you updated with how I'm doing. I may not be able to type for a while but I'm sure Dave will let me dictate (for a change!) and keep the blog updated for me :)

January 31st

We're back! We had a great last 2 days in Sydney - went shopping, went to Bondi beach and even got to climb Sydney Harbour Bridge on our last day!! What an experience being able to climb a bridge, being so high up and seeing the amazing harbour views.

We left Sydney on the 28th and had a stop-over in Seoul for 1 night on the way home. It was quite a shock to the system going from 27 degrees to -5!! But at least it meant that it didn't seem that cold when we got back to the UK!

We have a couple of days off to catch up with jetlag and unfortunately we're back to work on Wednesday but what an amazing holiday!

January 27th

We've had a fabulous week in Melbourne. We got to see the Australian Open tennis on 3 days and saw some amazing games. We got to centre court on Australia Day and saw Kim Clijsters and Andy Murray play, in between canon fire and low flying planes to celebrate Australia Day!

On Tuesday we took a day trip on the great ocean road and saw the amazing 12 Apostles rock formations. They were really nice but the weather was pretty wet & miserable. And on Friday we took a tram trip out to St Kildas beach. It's a really different city to Sydney, lots of old buildings, trams and people from every nationality you could imagine.

On to Sydney next for a couple of days and then back home on the 30th :(

January 23rd

We've been up at 4am for the last 4 days in a row & feeling exhausted now!!

On Wednesday we travelled to Ayers Rock on a 6am flight - went to see the Olgas (another rock close to Ayers Rock), walked through a gorge (where the park ranger recored a temperature of 51 degrees C!) and then went on to see the amazing sunset over Ayers Rock. Well....I watched the sunset while Dave took about 600 photos!!

On Thursday, we got up early to see the sunrise over Ayers Rock (really stunning), did a cultural walk around the base of Ayers Rock (we weren't allowed to climb it as the temperatures were too hot!) and then travelled on a 4 hour bus trip to Kings Canyon.

On Friday, we got up at about 4:30 (lie in) to do a 3.5 hour sunrise hike around the rim of Kings Canyon. Actually it took us about 4 hours because we were waiting for Dave to take photos :) It was absolutely spectacular there - an amazing canyon in the middle of the desert with nothing else around for miles and miles. Then we took another 4 or 5 hour bus trip on to Alice Springs.

On Saturday, we got up before 4am to do a sunrise hot air balloon trip in the outback! I've always wanted to do a hot air balloon trip and it was incredible!! We saw the sunrise over the mountains, saw lots of kangaroos hopping around through the trees, and even had a champagne breakfast when we landed. Then flew on to Melbourne for the next stage of our journey.

January 18th

We were planning to travel into Queensland and visit the Whitsunday's & Cairns but decided against it & two days after we left Brisbane, the whole city was pretty much under water! I managed to get a resort on the Gold Coast through work last minute - right accross the road from the beach and amazing sea views from our apartment so we stayed here and had a fabulous relaxing week! The rain stopped afer a few days & we had fabulous sunshine :)

We are so struck by the sense of togetherness and community spirit in Australia, especially through really difficult times with the Queensland floods. We travelled around the Gold Coast by bus for the last week and the bus company decided to give everyone free travel for the week in return for a donation to the flood relief appeal. In Brisbane, the council asked for volunteers to help with the clean up operation after the floods and 20,000 people volunteered! And listening to all the news coverage it was amazing to see the reporters in tears when they were reporting on how the floods had devistated people, homes & whole towns.

January 10th

I have never seen so much rain!! It has rained almost non stop for the last 4 days- Brisbane was lovely but it was really difficult to see or do much with all the rain. We did get out to see Moreton Island on Saturday - the 3rd largest sand island in the world and had a great day touring the island on a 4WD. We also had a chance to go Sand Boarding - like tobogganing except on sand dunes....it was brilliant fun :)

We are now on the Gold Coast where 'the beaches are stunning and the weather is fantastic all year round' - except that it hasn't stopped raining so we can't really get out to see the beaches :( As the locals say - well at least it's warm rain :)

January 6th

We have had a fabulous week in Sydney - what a fabulous city. The highlight was definitely the fireworks display but we got to do and see so many other things too. We spend a day in the fabulous blue mountains, took ferry trips around the harbour, went to Manly beach, Bondi beach and Palm Beach (where they film Home & Away), spent lots of time walking around the city and had a very special dinner at the revolving restaurant in Centre Point Tower, overlooking Sydney at night.

We also got to go to the Ashes cricket on Day 4 - which was an amazing experience . The atmosphere was fantastic and England had an incredible game!! We then travelled to Brisbane tonight and plan to spend a few days here and on the Gold coast.

December 31st

Happy New Year from Sydney!!

We have decided to take a few weeks out and have a really special holiday to celebrate what we've come through over the last year. Dave has been to Australia a few times and loves it and he's always promised to take me here one day and show me around - so this is the day!! We landed on the 30th December (in time for New Year) and are here until the 30th January :)

What an amazing place to spend New Year and see the most incredible fireworks display ever! And what an amazing story we have to tell already....

We planned to watch the fireworks from a garden area that looked over to the harbour bridge & opera house. On the way to get our place, amazingly we bumped into friends from Swindon who were in Sydney for the weekend! We were amazed to see them and stopped to chat for a while, but by the time we got to the entrance gate the place was full and they stopped people going in - we were 3 from the front!! We were devistated as this was meant to be the highlight of our trip. We wandered around for about an hour and thought we wouldn't even get to see the fireworks from a distance and in the end we decided to go to the central area right next to the bridge where we knew it would be impossible to get in. Amazingly, after the 9pm fireworks a lot of families with kids left and they let a handful of people into the Rocks. We somehow managed to get a front row seat - next to people who had been queuing since first thing in the morning or even the night before! The most amazing view we could ever have hoped to get!

It just goes to show that sometimes when what we think are bad things happen, it's because God has an even better plan in store.

December 25th

Happy Christmas to all!

Hope you all had a very special Christmas time with families and friends. We travelled to Ireland and had a really lovely few days with my family. It was amazing to look back to this time last year and the lovely surprise to see everyone turn up at our doorstep but I'm so thankful to have had a very happy and healthy Christmas this year :)