July 31st

What a fantastic day at the Olympics yesterday!! We got to see some amazing swimming finals and semi-finals last night and the atmosphere was incredible, especially when the Team GB swimmers got in the pool! Unfortunately I couldn't find any Irish swimmers to support but we brought the flag anyway!!

We were at the evening session but went in to the Olympic Park early and spent the day wandering around and taking it all in. It's a massive place and we did a lot of walking to get around & see everything - all the arenas were huge and the whole site was so well laid out with gardens, meadows, canals, eating areas, sitting areas etc...extremely impressive!

July 29th

The last few days have mainly been spent recovering from my chemo on Tuesday - I felt a bit sick on Wednesday and it took a couple of days to start feeling back to normal again but thankfully I'm doing much better now.

The weather has been amazing all week so it's been great to sit and relax in the garden and once again I'm very thankful for my kindle to help pass the time....as well as being glued to the Olympics on TV for the last 2 days!!

Tomorrow evening we have tickets to the Olympic Swimming - we're SO excited about going and hope to make a full day of it and enjoy the Olympic park!!

July 23rd

I came back to an amazing card from all my friends at RCI - they made a card with a collage of photos and messages from so many of my friends and colleagues in Cork, Kettering and even the US. It was such a special gift and brought tears to my eyes reading all the thoughts and messages they sent. It makes me realise even more how much I miss work and especially all my friends there. I truly am blessed to work for such a great company :)

We had a visit from Charis & Sandra this afternoon - it was SO good to see them both, especially after all the hassle they had getting through the traffic on the the way here! We had a great time together & got to have a BBQ and enjoy the fabulous weather over here! Thank you SO much for coming to see us :)

Tomorrow we travel to London for my next chemotherapy - this is the third of the new regime & it's amazing how quickly it seems to come around..

July 22nd

We're just back from a very busy 2 weeks in Cork - we were able to catch up with lots of family and friends but as always there were so many people we didn't get to see...we always seem to run out of time!

We had lots of fun with the girls & had lovely days out - watching the yachts at Cork week, swimming, going to the beach (in the rain!), fishing, picnics and a really special 'Come Dine with Me' evening! We also got to visit my Aunt & Uncle in Youghal and in Bantry & had some lovely meals out...

It was our 3rd Wedding Anniversary on the 18th and it was really nice to get some time away together :) Looking back it's been such a tough 3 years and definitely not what we would have planned or hoped for during the first 3 years of marriage but I am truly thankful to have such an incredible husband by my side through all the ups and downs. He has sacrificed so much for me and does so much for me every single day - Thank you Dave :)

July 6th

Back to London again yesterday to see the oncologist as he was away last Tuesday. He is confident that the brain tumor is now under control and doesn't expect any further issues with it, which was very reassuring to hear :)

I felt a little sick after this weeks chemo, especially the night after but I'm on anti-sickness tablets which seem to be helping. The consultant wants to wait until after my next chemotherapy session and then send me for a CT scan to see whether it is having any affect on my lungs. So the next hospital appointment (all going well) is for chemo on the 24th July!

In the meanwhile, we are planning to go to Cork to see friends and family and spend some time looking after the girls while they are on holiday. This means more driving for poor Dave as we are travelling over on the ferry - he's in need of a good rest!

Hoping to get to see some of you while we're there....

July 3rd

Great news!! My MRI scan on the brain showed that the tumor has reduced by 2 thirds!! I had the scan this afternoon and the consultant reviewed it and gave us the results straight away. He said it is very positive news and they were pleased with how it has reacted so far. He was able to show us the images of the initial scan and compare them to todays scan and the changes were very obvious.

Although it has come down it is still quite large - he expects it to continue to reduce and will do another follow up MRI in 3 months time and assess whether we need to radiotherapy or remove the remaining mass by surgery. The swelling has improved dramatically but there is still a little bit there so he has recommended continuing with steriods for a few weeks.

We are absolutely thrilled with the news and it's so good to hear something positive. It's also amazing the way it happened - we weren't expecting to get any feedback so soon but we bumped into the consultant's PA in the lift and she arranged for us to see him this afternoon. It turned out that my consultant was away but his colleague wanted to review the scans as soon as they were done and let us know immediately. They are an amazing team and so caring :)

July 2nd

Heather, Tommy and the girls came over to see us this weekend - they had booked it a while back as a surprise and I only found out about a week ago!! :)

It was so lovely to have them here - they stayed with Tommy's brother in Reading and we met up and did lots with them... Windsor Castle, Windsor wheel, Legoland, shopping, BBQ! The girls were SO excited to be here and especially loved their trip to Legoland!

It's been a busy 10 days and tiring from all the travelling (especially for Dave doing all the driving) but it's been really lovely!!

I go to London for my second chemotherapy tomorrow and also for a follow up MRI scan on my brain to see the effects of the Gamma Knife radiotherapy.

June 29th

We had a fabulous week in Scotland! It was a long drive and we got back to Swindon very late last night but it was great to get away and spend time with Steve and Ruth and see some more of Scotland.

The scenery there is amazing and we saw some stunning lakes, mountains, valleys & rivers... We walked around lakes, walked along Glen Nevis (Ben Nevis valley), went to Balmoral, had a trip on a steam train and had lots of time to relax and enjoy the time away.

We also got to catch up with some friends we don't get to see very often. We travelled via Edinburgh and spent Friday afternoon & evening with Mez & Miriam and the girls which was a real bonus :) We also got to spend a very special afternoon with Alasdair, Irene and their family in Lossiemouth on Sunday.