Here we go again! More news from the castle.

[LavendarLady]

Hi Everyone. Haven't blogged for sometime as have been incredibly busy this last month what with Jubilee Celebrations, Beacons and Fireworks, Jazz at the Castle, Sandringham Garden Party and now lunch next Monday at Lord and Lady Walpole's for Macmillan. Also been doing my club assemblies for Rotary - went to 9 clubs in 3 weeks - a bit heavy going and tiring but made very welcome, had some really nice meals and met some lovely people. Himself's Rotary Club is having its charter night tomorrow so best bib and tucker and on Sunday we drive into Suffolk for the District handover which is a BBQ, marquee etc. Hoping the weather will be fine!

Been to see my consultant who has given me a steroid injection in the backside as all over aches and pains. Now been referred to the "shoulder man" and seeing him next Tuesday. He will probably do some tests and scans to see what is going on with the shoulder before he decides on doing any surgery. My GP calls it decompression of the shoulder which can be keyhole although my consultant thinks the shoulder man could do open surgery. Either way I don't want a general anaesthetic as not good with those. GP says they can do a block.

Also having an Endoscopy on the 19th July as had a few small problems there as well. I blame the MTX tablets I was on for 2 years which caused a lot of sickness and nausea although GP doesn't think it is connected.

My best friend has been diagnosed with Ovarian cancer. Thankfully it hasn't spread and she is having it all removed on the 13th July,.Thank God for a GP who was really on the ball when she reported her symptoms and packed her off to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge so fast her feet didn't touch the ground. Another friend lost her sister Monday night,another lost her husband two weeks ago, a dear friend (we have been friends since I was 15) has been told his cancer has spread and he has limited time left. So it has been a bad 2 weeks for news.

Bought two new canary palms for the garden. Berry passed his Grade 1 Gun Dog test and starts his Grade 2 on the 7th July., Hope to take him out shooting this winter to see how he gets on. At least he can watch what the other gun dogs do and hopefully learn from it. Garden is looking really lush after all the rain. Can't believe how much we have had. And this was supposed to be a drought! So much for the climate change fanatics.

Haven't really kept up with the blogs on here as been so busy so not sure what has been going on and how everyone is. Sylvia, hope you are ok and over your operation and much improved. Tilda have you moved off that island yet? Summer, how are things with you and work and your dad. Hope he is responding to treatment, Tricia, what's happening with you?

Love to you all - I will try to keep in touch a bit better = we are off on holiday next week to N. Ireland for a few days and meeting up with some friends. Hoping to get to see the Titanic exhibition as well. LavendarLady xx

[Hidden]

Lovely to hear from you I havent blogged for ages either, I had to work jubilee tue my local nhs didnt recognise it a bank holiday!( I had an endoscopy last year and it was fine!, Im sure yours will be too!.

Berry is a clever dog!, Im pleased your friends cancer was caught early, my mum's neighbour( an a nurse at my hospital wasnt as lucky she is having chemotherapy.. she is lovely lady and looked after my dad well when he had to go to a and e x

Im off to weymouth tomorrow for a couple of days x

[Hidden]

HI LL lovely to see your blog! Glad all going well by and large although sorry to learn that you've so many friends who've been suffering. It must be a stage or something because I seem to have lots of friends who are having a hard time just now too. Many have dying parents and are to-ing and fro-ing from Macmillan wards or thousands of miles to hospitals the other side of the UK. I think if my parents had lived to see a proper old age, rather than both dying suddenly at the age of 73 I would have moved to be closer to them as it sounds so stressful and exhausting for the people I know who are struggling with families and day to day life as well as having to trek long distances or even across Orkney to visit their sick loved ones. Also a close friend was rushed down to Aberdeen in an air ambulance last week and had to undergo spinal surgery at the weekend. It all sounded very fraught.

I think we probably will end up moving eventually but have to wait until the boys are older and are finished school - the youngest is 15 so that's not forever. So if you come up for a holiday make it sooner rather than later so we can meet up!

Good luck with the shoulder and the endoscopy.

Tilda xx

[helixhelix]

Nice to hear how you're doing. Well it sounds as if the health problems aren't holding you back and you're continuing to be well occupied with exciting things. Let's all hope that we get a bit of dry and pleasant weather for the summer, as marquees in cold and wet can be a bit miserable.

And yes, maybe it's the age I'm getting to but also have friends and family that are crumbling in different ways. At least it makes me feel lucky only to have RA!

Enjoy NI, a lovely place. Pollyx

[LavendarLady in reply to helixhelix]

Hi Polly, at present the RA is quiet thank goodness and apart from the odd twinge I have been able to get on with things without screaming in agony when I moved!

We have had some good weather this last 2/3 days with plenty of sunshine and the solar panels have been working flat out so we have lots of lovely hot water.

Saw my best friend yesterday and she is quite upbeat about the coming operation which is good. Just keeping everything crossed for her but I know she will be in good hands. Love LL xx

[sylvi]

Afternoon LL,lovely to hear from you. I am now 6wks post op. There has been an infection in the top half of my scar so antibiotics for 7dys. Now my ankle keeps swelling up when i stand on it.

Lots of people dying or have died,thats goes in spells doesn't it. It is not nice,but the good news for your friend is that they caught the cancer very early which will speed her recovery.

Your berry is coming along nicely now isn't she. She will be a great asset when it comes time for her to out and about during the shooting season.

We are in cornwall at the moment and the weather has not been knd to us so far.

Glad to hear that your reasonably well considering all that is going on in your life. You are a very busy lady and i envy you.

Sylvi.xx

[LavendarLady in reply to sylvi]

Hi Sylvia, so sorry you ended up with an infection after all you have been through. I hope you are now on the mend. Re ankle swelling - I was told by my GP that any trauma in the limb always results in ankles, feet etc swelling. I get it in the heat or when the RA is active as well and it all goes back to the Baker cyst which burst 4 1/2 years ago when first diagnosed with RA. And my whole leg swelled up. Hope it all settles down soon. Keep the foot up when you are sitting to help it drain back. Love LL

[Gina_K]

Hi lavandar,

Great to hear you have been busy enjoying life, love inspiational blogs. Well f N.I. Is good enough for the queen & yourself, I just might venture north one of these days, my daughter had some dental treatment in crossmaglen years ago, and that was my first time to ever cross the 'boarder' funny nt many southern Irish people go here and it is really beautiful

Have a wonderful holiday. I am just back fom a month long stay in Luz, and as such it so happy, thinking will move there permanently some day

Xx Gina.

[Hidden in reply to Gina_K]

YOu lucky thing, a month in Portugal, come on up to Belfast some day and i will meet you off the train

[LavendarLady in reply to Gina_K]

Hi Gina, Was that Praia da Luz? If so, we have holidayed there for the best part of 18 years, often twice a year and love it. We have also been to Burgau and Salema and just love that coastline. One of my favourite spots is up at Sagres on the cliffs and then out to the lighthouse along the coast and watch the weather coming in from the Azores! And the ships rounding the coast. We were last there 2 years ago and this year will be in Cyprus again - another favourite. We have friends who live part of the year at Luz and return to England regularly particularly in June/July when it gets very hot.

In Ireland, we are staying just over the border at Donegal with a couple of trips up to Malin Head and the Giant's causeway. We were in Dublin last year and also spent several days at a lovely hotel in Templemead outside Belfast and drove along the north Antrim coast - absolutely stunning. Hoping to meet up with friends in Belfast if we can get the timings right - they are meeting us at the airport where hopefully the coach will drop us off in the morning.

Glad you enjoyed your stay in Luz and came back feeling rested and hopefully well. Love LL x

[Gina_K in reply to LavendarLady]

Yes Praia da Luz, it is fabulous, I go at least 3/4 times a year, found a lot of positive changes ths year, things seem positive.

I find it a very calm place, can't wait for October.

Gina.

[Hidden]

Hello LL, good to hear from you, just read your blog there now, you are doing loads of things as usual in spite of the medical problems.

What part of the North are you coming to, i live in the North but work on the outskirts of Belfast. I sincerely hope the weather is kind when you are here.

It has been a brilliant year for Northern Ireland with the Titanic, the MTV awards, The all ireland irish dancing championship and this weekend we have the Golf. Every one i know keeps seeing famous people except me.

Have a great time.

[LavendarLady in reply to Hidden]

Hi Mads, flying into Belfast, then travelling to Letterkenny in Donegal. Have organised a trip to Malin Head and Giant's Causeway and we then have a day or so free in Donegal before travelling back to Belfast International where we hope to meet up with our friends for the day before we get our flight back. And then go and see the Titanic exhibition. When we were in Belfast last year we went out to Harland and Woolf yard and saw where the exhibition would be although they hadn't made much of a start on it then but quite awsome seeing the two great cranes there as well. We had a lovely visit round Belfast on one of the sightseeing buses and really enjoyed our time there. We came up from Dublin on the train and had to get off at Newry I think it was just over the border because of a bomb scare further up the line so then coached the rest of the way to Belfast. Beautiful views of the coast from the train and spotlessly clean with very helpful staff as we really didn't know where we were going at Belfast station!

Love LL xx