busy week or so

since our exciting episode at the hospital now 10 days ago, thing just havent slowed down.
tuesday paul made me an emergency appt with the doctor (urgh urgh urgh didnt wanna go) about a lump in my armpit, doctor found another 2 in my right breast and i was refered for an emergency appt at the breast clinic. he and edz went back later that day, he for results of an xray on his lumpy knee and edz for check up on her ears. she had ear infections in both ears a few weeks ago and he put her on antihistamines (which she didnt take, just cut wheat and dairy out of her diet as i have done for years when she gets this) and her ears were clear. during the day i had the weekend of washing to catch up on and try to sort my house a bit!
wednesday we went to see eli and dan and toby and luca in guildford, which was luffly as we havent seen them since september when they had 3 of the children when we went to ireland, since then eli has fallen with child again and is looking a total goddess! paul wasnt feeling very well, coming down with stinking cold, so was dosed up with various cold and flu meds to get through the day. as always there was great food and great company, so he didnt mind too much ;o) all the children were cuddling the chicken, sweetie, as did i. she is just the cutest thing! sitting on shoulders and even letting beau and luca (both not yet 3) carry her around without too much protest. even though we dont see them often enough, it always seems like it was only last week that we did!
thursday and we went to tonis for lunch and sparks and edz were spending the night. cue very excited sparks as it was his first sleep over ever! toni total spoils my kids rotten, she got in cake for breakfast! we had our usual lunch of cheeses and cold meats and crackers and afternoon of talking and laughing, she always knows how to make a good day :o) i also managed to get my ticket for my trip to manchester and was told that i need not reserve a seat as it wouldnt be that busy. the hospital also rang and gave me an appt for monday morning. eekkkk that was quick!!
it was a quiet night, with only 3 of my kids at home that night, so we went out for dinner, only to sainsbos, but needed to get enough food for paul to last the weekend, and i would go shopping monday after my return.
friday, paul had a few hours work to do, river and chase did some chores whilst i sorted out my stuff for my trip. we had been planning to go for coffee in town, but the traffic was hideous so we went straight to the station and got coffee and cake there before catching the train.
that journey was reminicent of illegal cattle transport, or broiler chickens. people were packed into the carriages and in the corridors. lucklily only delayed by about 15 mins, which, on a 5 hour journey, wasnt too bad.
was met at manchester piccadilly by manda, whom i havent seen since we were 11, so, erm, many years ago!! she hasnt really changed a bit! the whole weekend we never really ran out of anything to talk about, between reminising about our families, our summers together, people that we know in ireland, to stories of her work, her grandparents, my kids, our lives, everything.
she took me over to see hinge and bracket, her grandparents, which was the main reason i went up there. bracket had a stomach cancer removed a short time ago and hinge is still smoking 100 fags a day and holding court. they now live with mandas mum, pat, so spent our time between there and their old house, where manda lives. a couple of hours was spent with bracket sat in the wicker laundry bin and me on a computer chair, talking about my fear of these lumps, she said i was allowed to worry, but not be scared. she had both removed 25 years ago, it doesnt worry her at all, said there was worse things that then big C.
also spent mucho time talking about ireland and now has me planning a month over there for the summer with the children. hinge and bracket will be there for most of august and end of july, so planning similar. hopefully catch up with my friend lisa in northern ireland too. paul can fly back and work and then return to bring us home. maybe even manda could come over and stop with us, that would be so much fun!
went out for dinner on sat'd night to a local pub, dog and partridge, which was nice. saw bracket eat more than she has eaten in the last month and only smoke 2 fags in the hour and half we were out!! hinge got to watch the whole of the ireland scotland rugby match in peace, made his day i think ;o) bracket also lost her lower dentures, but i think they are in someones pocket waiting to give them a fright ;o) tis the sorta thing she would do!!
sunday morning and manda friend Jackie popped back up (she had been over for a few hours friday night) which was great, she is a blast! and we all went up to pats to say goodbyes and pick up my care package, easter eggs for my kids, box of heros, bottle of whiskey and some cake, i went for a short walk with tilly (mandas niece) and popped in to see mandas aunt maureen. i dont think we had met before, but it was like i'd known her for ever. she reminded me a lot of her grandmother, whom i knew well in ireland and with whom she used to live when she was a child. she also knew my grandparents and the house that they owned.
after tears and promises of meeting up again soon, manda and jackie took my back to the station and deposited me on a train that was more packed than the one i arrived on, and only got worse! at birminham people were banging on the windows of the carriages shouting at people to move up, which they couldnt as there as no room!! it also broke down for nearly an hour near leamington spa. so the 5 hour journey was a 6 hour journey. i had a banging head ache and a smokers cough (even tho i dont smoke anymore!) and couldnt read my book as the words kept moving around.
paul and the kids met me at the station and turns out they had all had this coldy fluey thing whilst i was away (damn, i wasnt there to look after them, what a shame!) but it appeared that i was coming down with it (that'll teach me for being smug about it!). all were chuffed with their gifts too :o)
monday, nic picked up beau, took others to school and went straight to the hospital. after much poking and prodding, it was decided that it is all within the normal range, but have an open access for 6 months should they get any bigger or more of them. cue huge sigh of relief and paul tell me i have another appt in the morning with the doc re the stomach thing i have been at the out of hours doc/blue lighted to hospital over 4 times in the last year or so.
spent the rest of the day at nics sorting out her puter, which i think i made a little difference, but was planning on getting rocky over to do the rest on tuesday.
woke tuesday morning with a tight chest, coughing, sneezing, banging headache, dizzy, unable to see out of my right eye properly. oh yes i have this coldy/fluey thing and it aint nice. went to doctors and i am being booked for gastric camera thing to see what is going on and then possibly camera the other way. aarrrrgghhhh!!! this is why i have been avoiding it all for so many years, i dont want cameras.
rest of day was spent on the sofa under a blanket watching trashy tv with beau playing with sparks, who was also suffering with this cold, only not quite so much as he made out when he was sposed to be getting ready for school!!
today, bit better, taken lots of pain killers as i have to get cars and do work and stuff. beginning with getting beau ready so she can go off with nic when i have got the car from moordown, pick me up again from the unit to get more cars from christchurch. also gotta find time to get some shopping in too! there is nothing to feed my 5000 for dinner!! eekkkkk