tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85630327351156094402024-03-05T07:14:08.193+00:00Maz's Ramblingsabout Love, Life & the UniverseMazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523801738628961953noreply@blogger.comBlogger454125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-78805574925442625502024-02-19T16:06:00.001+00:002024-02-19T16:07:09.556+00:00Mick - Update and Timeline<p> <b><i>Friday 26/01/24</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Blood taken – Full Blood Count, Haemoglobin A1c, Serum
Ferritin, Vitamin B12.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Liver function
tests, Lipids, Thyroid Function Test, Prostate-Specific Antigen, Bone Profile,
Renal profile.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><b><i>Wednesday 31/01/24</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Blood results show severe anaemia with haemoglobin of 57g/L
(normal 130-170)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go straight to nearest
A&E as may require blood transfusion.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><b><i>Thursday 1/02/24</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Visited A&E and admission requested with following
Clinical Summary<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">Presented to SDEC referred by
gastroenterologist for admission and under investigation by gastroenterology
for anaemia and weight loss.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">Weakness, lethargy, poor appetite
and tiredness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One episode of melena 2
days ago.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">Given 2 units of blood and post
transfusion Hb was 73 and then received 1 gm iron transfusion also.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">OGD was on 3/02/24 which
revealed:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Malignant tumour in distal
oesophagus and GOJ junction bleeding ulcerated several biopsy’s taken.<o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">Recommendation:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Urgent CT CAP (requested) upper GI MDM
referral (given)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">After OGD on the same day patient
was unable to pass urine and catherterization was done.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">Patient has been reviewed by the
consultant and declared medically optimised for discharge.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p>Plan on discharge:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Continue regular medications<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->- Omeprazole 40 mg BD<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->- TWOC clinic referral for catheter removal<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->- Upper GI MDM referral (done on 3.2.34)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->- CT CAP (requested on 3.2.24)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></i></b><b><i>Friday 9/02/24</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">CT Scan Medway Hospital.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><b><i>Wednesday 14/02/24 – Vascular Dept, Kent & County Hospitals (at
Medway)</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Results of camera and scan.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">Malignant Oesophagus Tumour
confirmed – lower part of the food pipe.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">CT scan shows that it is NOT
early stage and that it had already breached the walls and was therefore <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">NOT OPERABLE</b>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">Some treatment may be available
such as chemo and/or radio but before that a PET scan was needed to be
undertaken at Maidstone and then to wait for result before deciding on any
treatment. However any treatment would
be to extend the timescale to up to 2 years rather than none.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">There was also fluid showing in
the stomach and they were not sure yet what it was.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">Diagnosis:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">Cancer of oesophageal gastric
junction, provisional stage T3N0M0<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">Osteoarthritis<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">Current medication:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Omeprazole.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p>Investigations:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">PET scan<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">Ultrasound guided ascetic tap.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;"><i>Multi-disciplinary team reviewed the CT images and there were a few
indeterminate lung nodules and an incidental finding of large infra-renal
aortic aneurism, ascites and left side pleural effusion. Surgery is not an option.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p><b><i>Thursday 15/02/24</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">Phone call regarding shakes to be
given on prescription as unable to eat anything other than soft food.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p>Phone call from District nurses
re delivery of catheters etc for next change (7<sup>th</sup> May).</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p>Phone call from Aids helpers –
did we need any aids. Mick said I was
his carer and could get him in and out of bed without aids.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p><b><i>Friday 16/02/24 Vascular Dept.</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">Confirmation that within the
stomach there is an <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Abdominal aortic
aneurysm</b> The left artery aorta goes to the belly button and joins the arteries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This aneurysm is 5.5cm and usually requires
major surgery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wall of the artery is
weakened and was probably hereditary and had been growing slowly for
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The risk of rupture up to 6cm was
very small and it was best to wait for outcome of PET scan. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However Mick was very frail and surgery may
not be possible.<o:p></o:p></p>Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523801738628961953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-56862549348457020422024-02-19T14:53:00.003+00:002024-02-19T14:53:31.348+00:00Christmas, New Year, New Challenges<p> I had been concerned regarding the amount of weight my husband had been losing but he just said it was old age and that he no longer had an appetite.</p><p>So Christmas came and went but by the New Year I was toasting in 2024 with a glass raised on my own as now my husband no longer wanted an occasional drink.</p><p>I couldn't understand what had happened to my husband - he was no longer the man that I had married. Now I realise we all get older and change over the years but it seemed more than that.</p><p>On the work side I was still seeking part time employment and I attended an interview on the 5th January and another on the 19th January. Sadly I did not get either of them but in the end it was just as well.</p><p>I persuaded my husband to get on my weighing scales as he was looking gaunt and thin. My 13 stone husband now only weighed 8 stone 8 pounds! Enough was enough and I told him he had to see the doctor.</p><p><b><i>Friday 26th January</i></b></p><p>I took my husband to have a doctor's appointment and after looking at him they told me to get his bloods tested. The next day Saturday 27th January I took him to a local walk in hospital where they took blood and we went away to enjoy the rest of the weekend.</p><p><b><i>Monday 29th January</i></b></p><p>I went for my follow up appointment following my recent conclusion of radiotherapy and was given the all clear. </p><p><b><i>Tuesday 30th January</i></b></p><p>I was woken up by the phone ringing at about 6am. By the time I had got out of bed and got to the phone they had rung off. The number was withheld so I just thought it was a wrong number.</p><p>At 6:30am the phone rang again but I was up and downstairs at this point. When I answered the phone I was told it was <b>111</b> the emergency service. They had seen my husband's blood results and told me to take him to A&E straight away as he was at risk of heart failure. While on the phone they asked if he was breathing or bleeding so I went back upstairs to check on him and woke him up.</p><p>I confirmed that he was breathing and that he wasn't bleeding. They told me to get him to A&E as soon as possible.</p><p>This was now the start of the nightmare!</p>Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523801738628961953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-54030624256249616502024-02-19T14:26:00.004+00:002024-02-19T14:31:52.057+00:00Cancer and Me - second time around<p> I really could not believe that once again I was undergoing treatment for Cancer. This time around it was in my left breast but luckily for me it had been caught very early at a cellular stage and no tumour could have been felt. Just as well I went for a routine mammogram!</p><p>As I am returning to updating my blog - some considerable time later - I will do a short and quick update on my situation.</p><p>The operation was successful and a clear margin was allowed around where the cancer cells were. Also one lymph node was removed which again showed up as clear.</p><p>Diagnosis was:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Left Breast Cancer</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">T size Invasive 14mm, ER 8/8 positive, PR6/8 positive, Her 2 neu: Neg</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">All margins clear >3mm. Nodes negative, 0/1 nodes.</p></blockquote><p>Base line DEXA scan. Oct 2023: Showed there is no evidence of osteoporosis. Study showed normal values at spine, hip and neck of femur.</p><p>Plan was: Radiotherapy to left breast which finished on 30/11/23. T.Letrozole 2.5 mg Od hormone blocker tablets to be taken for 5 years (till October 2028) with Bone Dexa scan due again in October 2025 and repeated every 2 years for the remainder of the Letrozole therapy.</p><p>Also to undertake a mammogram every 12 months for the next five years.</p><p>As I drove away from having my final radiotherapy on 30th November 2023 I gave a big sigh of relief.</p><p>Not only had I had cancer again, and hopefully beaten it, but I had got us moved into a new home, had dealt with a scammer while trying to buy a car (to get me to hospital appointments), but now hoped we could enjoy our future.</p><p>No-one could have told me what was to happen next. </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> </p></blockquote>Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523801738628961953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-81672405437922613292024-02-19T14:11:00.001+00:002024-02-19T14:11:06.824+00:00Original Post was written in draft in July 2023 but circumstances meant that it was never published!<p> It's difficult to know where to start but the past weeks have been so very difficult and the future is likewise.</p><p>The ups and downs of house selling and buying is always fraught with tension. The back and forth of deals where one party wants one thing and the other another.</p><p>The chain that everyone is dependent upon but hate because the "unknown and invisible" people pull the strings and you spend time wondering whether the house move will ever actually happen!</p><p>From someone who had lived in the same house for 25 years who then found themselves moving from that home to abroad - sale and purchase / back to UK with family - sale / rental / purchase / sale and purchase and finally, hopefully to sale and purchase again I have vowed that this is positively the last move for me - in this life anyway!</p><p>Which brings us back to the present. There was a sudden flurry of activity as the first time buyers were losing their rental property in this month and wanted to complete on their purchase (our purchaser's property). We agreed to the proposed move date of 4th August.</p><p>However it then became clear that our purchase was dependent on the seller coming to a decision as to which property he was going to buy. He decided on a property that was empty. Great, we thought, no problems with up chain there then. Wrong! Not knowing the full details we are aware that the sellers of the empty property have no sense of urgency and half the time cannot be contacted easily.</p><p>So what is the problem?</p><p>Well apart from the first time buyers needing somewhere to live my circumstances have now changed drastically.</p><p>After a routine screening appointment I was called by the hospital for second tests as they were not clear enough. Ok, no problem after all these years I considered that there was nothing wrong with my boobs - couldn't feel anything.</p><p>However, ultrasound and biopsy later, I have been told that I have cancer cells and would need to have an operation.</p>Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523801738628961953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-69589421917932328412023-05-07T16:07:00.003+01:002023-05-07T16:10:17.754+01:00Climbing out of the abyss?<p><span style="font-family: arial;">October 2020!! I
cannot believe that I have let my blog stagnate for 2 ½ years. That is until I realised that I had plummeted
into depression and self-pity over the way my life had changed and felt that
there was nothing worth writing about anymore.
So where do I begin? Or rather
where did I end before this new beginning?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial;">In October 2020 I wrote about a conversation with my Mother
regarding her experiences during World War Two.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="font-family: arial;">It gave me an insight into her youth, her relationship with my Father
and the reasoning behind some of her characteristic behaviour.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Likewise with my Father who having a similar
experience of losing a parent at a young age they had this common denominator even
though not much else in common.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial;">But I digress as this does not explain my lack of blogging.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial;">They say grief hits you in very personal and different
ways.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">My grief multiplied as each one
died:</span></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -18pt;">One of my besties, Millie, only 8 years older
than me and who had suddenly deteriorated.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->My Mum – a victim of COVID and far away from us
so that she died alone in a hospital bed as we were in lockdown and by the time
it was serious enough for us to be allowed to see her it was too late because
of the travel time.</span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->My furry soul mate rescue dog, Freddy, we had
all been through so much and he was my treasured friend, from being a playmate
to our other young dog to having to be put to sleep all within 3 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I held him and talked to him telling him
everything was going to be alright as they gave him the injection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As his head slowly lowered a part of me went
with him.</span></span></p></blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">And then, not a death, but the dying and changing of my
relationship with my husband, lover and best friend.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Nothing was the same, everything was turned
around.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I was no longer a wife but a
mother, a carer, housekeeper, handyman, cook, gardener, decorator, worker (to
finance all that State Pensions would not provide) and anything else that
needed to be done.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Life as I knew it no
longer existed and my world was confined to four walls,</span><br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial;">I felt broken and alone.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial;">Following grief we react in strange, uncharacteristic ways…</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I moved house.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I no longer wanted to remain in the other
house, I wanted to leave behind the pain, I wanted to provide a home that would
be more suited to my husband’s needs.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="font-family: arial;">But all it did was put us at risk of being in debt as it became obvious
just how much work needed to be done on the house.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial;">I had run away into more trouble than it was worth.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">So my solution was to move again.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial;">For 7 months the house was on the market and I watched as my
savings dwindled away.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">In the end
reducing the price drastically and swallowing the amount that I had already put
into the house we have got a sale.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial;">A sale to a smaller more easily managed property and this
brings us into the present.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Solicitors
are instructed and the wait begins as the amount of paperwork is undertaken and
the searches etc. are done.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial;">I hope that this property will be our final home, our final
destination, and that some form of happiness can be found.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523801738628961953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-75282460894861328212020-10-11T14:41:00.001+01:002020-10-11T14:41:50.283+01:00<p>Pondering on how life has changed this year for all of us it
led me to considering how life might have been during the war years and how our
parents and grandparents coped with all the horrors that they had to face.</p><p>My Father died 12 years ago and being of that generation he
never actually spoke much about the war apart from sharing some photographs about the life in Alexandria where he was stationed during WW2. The odd occasion when questions were asked he
just replied that he had seen things that he would never wish to see again.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now my Mother (her Father had died which resulted in her being
sent to boarding school) had never mentioned it at all.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I decided, therefore, that at her age of 93 it was about
time I found out a little about her life during that monumental period. So today I took the opportunity to ask what
she remembered and this is what she said.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>"At the age of 13 I
was living in Rickmansworth at the boarding school I was sent to after my
father died and my mother and elder sister had to work. </i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>We were totally sheltered from all that was
going on. Life centred about lessons and
learning and the only difference was that we used to go into the tunnels which
became our classrooms during that time. </i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>We tended to have groups of about four friends and in the dormitories we would
have midnight feasts and everything was done for us. We knew nothing of the outside world as there
were no televisions and we were not allowed to listen to radios. We were cocooned in our own little bubble of
safety oblivious to what was going on around us. I don’t really remember war planes or
anything like that because once inside the tunnels we just concentrated on our
work. Life was just normal.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p> But we had no friends outside of that environment. While my sister and my mum had friends at home I didn't have any as my friends were at school.</o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When I eventually left
school at the age of 18 it was 1945 and the war was over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I went for an interview in a bank and was
totally honest when they asked me questions about the war – I just said I didn’t
know anything about it as I was at boarding school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They gave me the job so they must have liked
my honesty.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>I knew nothing about
boys or men and I met your father while out for a bike ride. We got married at Christmas of 1946. I was 19 years of age and I had given up
working in a bank to help him run his paper shop.”</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The reason I am documenting this on my blog is because, to
me, this explains such a lot and I don’t want to forget it.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523801738628961953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-55244179870996585502020-03-29T10:29:00.000+01:002020-03-29T10:29:02.908+01:00Coronavirus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YwXsH5sbwZDylNHuS-juBe1R_M1digXu7C_iRz5UK6ak4m4OVjkwKorHvF3Wa9LwJTFaumcpPOvhgWN3FsqdnFcqhu6qhMqZWM0zGezfXDjcwFUOIUiAOPbT-fsVWPp3nwjRkjqcNj6p/s1600/20200327_090657_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YwXsH5sbwZDylNHuS-juBe1R_M1digXu7C_iRz5UK6ak4m4OVjkwKorHvF3Wa9LwJTFaumcpPOvhgWN3FsqdnFcqhu6qhMqZWM0zGezfXDjcwFUOIUiAOPbT-fsVWPp3nwjRkjqcNj6p/s320/20200327_090657_pp.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
It has been a long time since I posted on my good old blog. So many things have happened over the years but they now slip into insignificance compared to what the world is going through at the moment.<br />
<br />
I felt it necessary to speak face to face and hence the above photo. At the age of 66 I now realise that the tribulations of before are nothing compared to being healthy. My year long search for employent after being made redundant was successful when last November I gained a position as a viewing guide for a local estate agents. I loved the work although it did curtail what social life and friendships I had built up since moving to this area because, of course, it involved unsocial hours and weekend work. But to gain employment and to supplement my reduced State (and only) Pension it made me feel I was contributing in keeping us afloat.<br />
<br />
When just over a week ago I got the phone call informing me that they now needed to cut down on staffing and that I was among one of the 50 members of staff being laid off I initially panicked. How on earth was I to find work now? I am certainly considered by employees as being too old (although they can't officially say that) and being rejected over and over again doesn't do a lot for your self-confidence!<br />
<br />
But then coronavirus (COVID-19)<span style="color: #3c4043;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">went into full swing and there were more important things to consider!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3c4043;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #3c4043;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Never in my 66 years can I recall any virus taking over the world to this extent. This pandemic has caused and is causing so many different reactions. From the extreme panic and terror of some to the acceptance of fate by others. It has shown the greed of some compared to the compassion and bravery of others.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3c4043;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #3c4043;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To the frontline key workers I salute and thank wholeheartedly and to the many volunteers that are tending to those that have to self isolate by dropping off shopping or by giving just a friendly message or call it is bringing the communities together.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3c4043;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #3c4043;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Some say that it is bringing back the "wartime spirit" and I guess it is a war - the war against the virus - but it is more than that. To me it is a wakeup call. For us to stop stressing over things that we cannot control. To appreciate those that are important to us. To realise that we are just mortal beings and that as long as we have a roof over our heads then nothing else matters, and for those that do not have a roof over their heads, that if any good comes out of this situation that by putting the homeless into temporary accommodation that permanent homes can be eventually found for them.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3c4043;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #3c4043;"><span style="background-color: white;">So why do I feel the need to write this blog post?</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3c4043;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #3c4043;"><span style="background-color: white;">Because as COVID-19 gets closer to home and I actually know some of those contracting this virus I face the reality that none of us know who, where or when? Therefore I feel the need to just put my two-penneth in and say that I am proud of the human race (forget the odd greedy person (generally just caused through their own fear)). I am proud of how we have come together, how we are tackling this invisible enemy, and how we are reaching out to one another to offer support - via social media/TV/radio or online groups/meetings - guidance and assistance and how when - eventually - we come out the other side of this that we can see that there has to be some good come out of all tragedies and it is the good that should be the main focus.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3c4043;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #3c4043;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #3c4043; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Stay Home, Stay Safe</i></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #3c4043;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #3c4043;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523801738628961953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-60303646280596362572019-02-03T14:02:00.000+00:002019-02-03T14:02:13.961+00:00Blog back in working orderMany thanks to the blogger help forums for without them I would not have been able to gain access to my blog. A blog that, much to my surprise, has been running for nearly 11 years.<br />
<br />
Now I apologise for the haphazard way in which I run my blog, with moments of intense blogging followed by silences as life gets in the way.<br />
<br />
So what has happened in my world lately?<br />
<br />
Well a job that I had been working in for almost 20 years (initially working locally, then London, then remotely from Spain and again remotely from UK) finally lost the contract that was originally only going to be temporary until the client took it in-house. Now for 18 of those years I had worked on that contract and whilst the original company had TUPE us across to another company I had helped to build upon this role and build the team until the clients were ready to work on it themselves. Consequently it left me without a job unless I wished to either re-train and commute to London again or to accept voluntary redundancy. <br />
<br />
I accepted redundancy. My redundancy started on my birthday 1st December and upon this birthday I reached the age of 65 and now fell into the bracket of "retired on state pension only".<br />
<br />
But I am not ready to retire. I am not ready to rely totally on my £164.35 pension! I am definitely not ready to slow down or quieten my brain.<br />
<br />
So, what next?<br />
<br />
So far I have been brushing up my CV and applying for jobs. Only 2 interviews so far.... Now I am pretty sure that I have the experience and qualifications but something seems to be preventing me from obtaining new employment. Age is not really allowed to be a factor but in all honesty I guess any position would involve other colleagues and I would need to fit in with their age group.<br />
<br />
As I continue my search I have taken on the joy, expense, and training of a young puppy to keep my other dog company. I had forgotten how exhausting that can be. But it is keeping me busy!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaWKptmHaJDo8spRuc0a3ftWg_36KzZIjrpZZvc7of0W1g8Vu3tfVgOPphcIadcvTRzVfYRGbAN6Jh3SRJRT8c8WOO3YzZNtxABsuOkSFscCzY-ehk5a7ZOeV9n1f2m7Quo3vFa1oUyu4/s1600/50866878_10218119037030510_7779808038038274048_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaWKptmHaJDo8spRuc0a3ftWg_36KzZIjrpZZvc7of0W1g8Vu3tfVgOPphcIadcvTRzVfYRGbAN6Jh3SRJRT8c8WOO3YzZNtxABsuOkSFscCzY-ehk5a7ZOeV9n1f2m7Quo3vFa1oUyu4/s320/50866878_10218119037030510_7779808038038274048_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523801738628961953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-5443748121013577272019-02-01T18:55:00.001+00:002019-02-01T18:55:41.881+00:00Widget Server problem - is this the end of Blogger Widget Server.com has taken over my blog and I cannot view it or access the settings. Not even sure if this post will work! Is this the end of blogger?Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05437906364800723802noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-47557871540368760342017-10-26T14:14:00.000+01:002017-10-26T14:28:37.373+01:00Live In The MomentWhile sitting here working at my computer my desktop background changed to a photo of my kitchen in Mallorca and I stopped and stared.<br />
<br />
For five minutes or so I allowed myself to gaze at the photo and remember how the kitchen had been in a terrible state when we bought the house and how the blind was one of the first things we changed. Next we changed the cupboards and rearranged the kitchen to allow for more cupboard space, our fridge freezer and an extra under the worktop freezer.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1lreqxVPfh8zP9r7oiaCdkQFv0BtE-UH5cb-B6NDL95soPMlJIbyeHqddDMhKAwxGNhyT5MxQpfEZ148siErfu1LStaB4UfpfORdAjsQBAK00d1fC51ITEV8HIt4qdGWoSXWneY2F07w/s1600/417888_10201234534928510_1156702157_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1lreqxVPfh8zP9r7oiaCdkQFv0BtE-UH5cb-B6NDL95soPMlJIbyeHqddDMhKAwxGNhyT5MxQpfEZ148siErfu1LStaB4UfpfORdAjsQBAK00d1fC51ITEV8HIt4qdGWoSXWneY2F07w/s320/417888_10201234534928510_1156702157_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
While pondering on this I also remembered how stressed out I had got with all the pressure of being the breadwinner, the organiser and everything else that went along with that move. So much so that I forgot to live in the moment. I didn't appreciate what I had around me and what I was experiencing. My mind was too busy thinking about the next thing I had to do.<br />
<br />
Now I realise just what I missed.<br />
<br />
I missed enjoying the moment (even with all the stresses and strains) and now that moment has gone. I missed enjoying our lovely Spanish home and now that has gone too.<br />
<br />
Too busy to live in the now, too busy thinking and not enough time enjoying, too busy to remember how short life is and how we should enjoy the here and now for when we turn around it is gone and all that we had or have is for nothing.<br />
<br />
Life is for experiencing and enjoying and I have always spent too much time worrying to appreciate that.<br />
<br />
Hope I can remember that in the future.<br />
<br />
Ok back to work now!Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523801738628961953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-12471608086605289482017-10-06T11:45:00.001+01:002017-10-06T11:45:21.459+01:00Harvest MoonIt is a harvest moon tonight and autumn is well and truly here.<br />
<br />
The sun is shining and the sky is blue but there is a nip in the air. First thing in the morning there is a heavy dew on the grass and it won't be long before the frost will greet me as I walk my dog.<br />
<br />
Living in the countryside I have noticed the berries on the trees and bushes and if the old tale is true then the amount of berries and the early onset of them should be telling me that it is going to be a cold winter! Mind you I'm not a true country person and I'm probably reading it all totally wrong!<br />
<br />
I certainly miss the Spanish autumn. Well to be perfectly honest I should just say that I certainly miss Spain - full stop, in totality etc and now that I've been given a clear bill of health (for the next year anyway) I can start to think of the future again.<br />
<br />
I haven't totally given up on Spain, I miss the sunshine, the people and the way of life, but you can't look back. I've said it before and I will say it again.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>"Glance back but look forwards"</i></b></blockquote>
<br />
Well nearly the weekend - have a lovely one everyone!Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523801738628961953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-37475805803880542412017-09-29T13:58:00.001+01:002017-09-29T13:58:32.342+01:00Fighting Fit AgainHi everyone. It's been an age since I wrote a post and looking back over the last couple of posts I realise that I left out a lot of what has gone on!<br />
<br />
But that doesn't matter and I surely don't want to bore everyone with the gory details.<br />
<br />
However this week I had my 'over a year' hospital check up. That made it the third check up since my op. Well it seems my hard work at getting fitter has worked as I've been given the OK to now go onto yearly check ups. I could dance around the room and when the Consultant examined me and said 'perfect' I felt like jumping for joy!<br />
<br />
For the past year I had tried not to think too far into the future and in fact I was scared to even think of having a future but now my dreams have started to return. I am fighting fit again 😜<br />
<br />
Life can really be great at times.Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523801738628961953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-36840132674703050702017-01-12T16:37:00.000+00:002017-01-12T17:06:44.620+00:00Hello Again!Firstly a belated Happy New Year and I welcome the New Year to a new me with short hair instead of long and optimism instead of pessimism.<br />
<br />
2016 was a stressful year full of up and downs where all that I knew before was turned upside down and my outlook on life was given one hell of a shake up. But with that came a strength and a realisation of what is important and what is not important.<br />
<br />
So here I am over 2 stone lighter having shed the living in Spain weight with the help of Slimming World and a new haircut to give me the lift that I needed.<br />
<br />
I did not realise how long it had been since my last post but maybe I needed that time to come to terms with all the events of the past few years.<br />
<br />
So I am living in a beautiful village, with a lovely little house that is perfect for what I need. I have finally finished registering locally for all the health bits like doctors and dentists, vet and have, of course, found a hairdressers within walking distance to where I live.<br />
<br />
Freddy, my little dog, loves his walks around the village and has even started to get used to the occasional gunfire that we hear in the distance.<br />
<br />
I have joined a local Slimming World group where I have found not just the incentive to lose that extra weight but new friends that have made me feel settled within this area. I feel like I belong, it feels like home.<br />
<br />
It took a while (and a visit to London) to realise that working remotely from home in the UK is preferable to commuting and I certainly don't miss the early rising and late returns! Right now as I listen to the rain on my 'office' roof I am thankful that I don't have to trudge to the bus stop or station and sit in wet clothes for the next couple of hours (or more) as we battle our way home.<br />
<br />
When going for a meeting in London just before Christmas I realised that work clothes no longer exist in my wardrobe and although I managed to pull something together for that day the thought of trying to find clothing for a whole week would have been impossible! In fact a position became available and I was asked whether I wanted to stay as I am or to take on that position. I thought for a moment or two and then said no thanks!<br />
<br />
Yes it has taken a while....<br />
<br />
But I realise that I am lucky. I have everything I need right here, and I am grateful. Grateful that I have been given a second chance.<br />
<br />
So all I can say is thank you!<br />
<br />Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523801738628961953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-75265460072543446252016-05-31T11:49:00.005+01:002016-05-31T11:49:56.877+01:00Three Days to GoWell the days have dragged by and the hospital visits have increased.<br />
<br />
I had my pre-op assessment and gave more blood. Tomorrow I have to be be up early to get to the hospital for 8:15 for an MRI scan.<br />
<br />
Then on Friday the 3rd I return to the hospital for my operation.<br />
<br />
I admit to being scared. Not of the operation in itself as I will be knocked out for that, but of the results and the post op recovery.<br />
<br />
I had a caesarian way back in 1978 and all I remember is how painful the first day of recovery was. Hopefully things have moved forwards now and they can actually give something to relieve the pain.<br />
<br />
Also, if I am honest, it is the "what-ifs" that scare the life out of me.<br />
<br />
I just wish I could turn back the clock and rewrite this part of my life. But I can't.<br />
<br />
Life can be so darn scary at times!Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523801738628961953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-25720627371479837392016-05-24T08:44:00.000+01:002016-05-24T08:44:21.688+01:00TIME STANDS STILLOn Friday 29th April I attended the hospital for a routine exam.<br />
<br />
Nearly 3 weeks later on 18th May I attended the hospital for the result and my whole world stood still.<br />
<br />
On 26th May I am due to go for a pre-op assessment and, if all is ok with that, then on Friday 3rd June I am due to go for a total hysterectomy due to the dreaded C cells being found in the lining of my womb.<br />
<br />
You see even now I can't say that word!<br />
<br />
Even though, in my youth, I used to work in the very same hospital I have over the years gradually got a fear of them. I think in your youth you are oblivious to the whole thing about mortality. It would never happen to you!<br />
<br />
As life passes and so do people the fear begins to build and in my case the waiting leaves me completely sick to my stomach. <br />
<br />
I feel robbed of my future and am being forced to live totally from day to day. While everyone else still casually mentions what they will do or want to do in the future I feel scared to think of the future.<br />
<br />
It is totally irrational as there are those so much worse off than me, but the fear persists. Last thing at night the doubts creep into your mind. Waking at odd hours it is on my mind and first thing in the morning again the worries and doubts are there.<br />
<br />
My dog is picking up on my fear and behaving totally irrational and I feel a wimp feeling and behaving the way I am.<br />
<br />
If I could close my eyes and sleep until waking from the operation then I would be happy. But I have to get up and work each day. I have to try and think what to cook for dinner when my appetite is now non-existent and I have to try to control the fear.<br />
<br />
But this time, this is out of my control, I am at the mercy of my own body and the National Health Service.<br />
<br />
Sorry for being so gloomy but I hoped that by writing this post that the fear would leave my head and stay with the written word!Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523801738628961953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-14508069044623923082016-04-27T15:44:00.000+01:002016-04-27T17:08:42.732+01:00CONFUSED AGAINI wish I really knew what would make us happy. I would like to stop searching and to enjoy the moment.<br />
<br />
How do you find your happy?<br />
<br />
I thought everything was great. We had made the move back, survived the property rental time and found a new house to buy. The stress of the house sale and purchase has now passed and the realisation that I would have to work for another 8 years to pay for a mortgage at a time of life when I expected to be retired I have accepted.<br />
<br />
Why then do I feel confused.<br />
<br />
The long list of 'to do' items have been ticked off and we are now officially part of the UK system again. But...<br />
<br />
Ten months on the irritations and annoyances that made our dream life in the sun more of a nightmare have begun to fade. The initial excitement at being back in the UK among family and friends has proved that they still have their lives to lead as do I and that although the distance is not so far the time we all have for spending together has not increased. Apart from one family group I see no more of my family than I did when in Alcudia and in fairness their lives moved on in the time we were away. We cannot turn back the clock.<br />
<br />
Our lovely new home is undergoing structural work to create my office where I continue to work full time but the safe village where we moved to would seem to have its fair amount of cracks in the passing crime rate. Still safer than where we lived before in the UK, but it is not as safe as life in Mallorca.<br />
<br />
Life is not the idyll I expected it to be.<br />
<br />
In the past few days my Mother, who was one of the reasons I returned, actually said that she got told more by the family about their lives when I was living away and she wished I was still living in Mallorca.<br />
<br />
Great!<br />
<br />
So all the stress, upheaval and financial cost was for nothing. Maybe I should never have come back!<br />
<br />
Oh well, perhaps today is just a bad today and I should leave my posting until tomorrow.<br />
<br />
Life no doubt will show me the way - as it always does - and perhaps the sun will shine tomorrow.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523801738628961953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-73946454726685321022016-04-25T13:41:00.001+01:002016-04-25T13:41:48.721+01:00Nearly the end of April - updateIn the chaotic days of settling in and rearranging our entire life I had forgotten to pop into my blog and update my progress.<br />
<br />
Today I realised that the last post was in November 2015! Where has the time gone? How do I summarise the passing of 5 months?<br />
<br />
I will now endeavour to condense those months into a short post which I will publish next.Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523801738628961953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-35583176391009279642015-11-22T10:25:00.001+00:002015-11-22T11:13:43.354+00:00Got the t-shirt!Seeing an old work colleague posting about her frustration regarding the UK and her longing to live in Spain I thought been there, done that and got the t-shirt!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I remember the feeling so well and I also remember that no matter what I or anyone else says we all believe that we are different and that we know best. That for us the living our dream will bring us everything we long for and more. Living the dream is our utopia, our happy, our ever after.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That I believe is where we go wrong - as nowhere can live up to the life we have imagined in our dreams.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I believe that living abroad works when you approach it differently. When you move not because you are escaping from anything but because you know the wrinkles of the country you are moving to and are prepared to totally change your way of thinking, change your views of culture and upbringing and realise that unless you are going to live on an ex-pat village that you will have to be the one to change and blend in.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I guess if I had been able to have the time to attend language classes. If I had the type of personality that would push myself forward and got involved in clubs and local events. If I had been able to cut off all ties with my former life in the UK then maybe - just maybe - I would have settled in and adjusted.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But for me, as a full time worker, and a somewhat private and shy person, I just could not settle. Almost immediately the pressure of juggling work, the responsibility of organising everything - in a different language and culture - became a headache and the joy of living a dream became, if not a nightmare then, a little jaded.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, my friend, do not look to living in Spain as an escape and the answer to your prayers. Look at it as an adventure with its own set of problems and annoyances but with warmer weather! If you can face that then go and be happy but retain a little bolt hole in the UK in case you find that what you were looking for was right in front of your eyes all the time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Do I regret my move to and from Spain? No never. I did what I never believed I would ever do and I experienced things that I never believed I would. However I would have done it differently. I would never have sold my property in the UK until I had lived in Spain for at least two years. I guess I would have "try before you buy".</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Still love you Spain (and those that became our friends) but my heart is in the UK!</div>
Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05437906364800723802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-89761880016565968292015-10-28T09:12:00.001+00:002015-10-28T09:12:50.514+00:00Conveyancing UK styleBuying a new home is always very stressful. Buying a new home after living abroad is even more so!<br />
<br />
After being aided by who appeared to be a well established, long running estate agent (and I should know as I used to work for one years ago) I suppose I did what we always used to say not to do - that was to use a conveyancer/solicitor attached to the estate agents and/or vendor.<br />
<br />
Years ago it just used to be that you never used the same solicitor as your purchaser/vendor. Mainly in case there was a conflict of interests. But now with the modern method of having teams of conveyancers associated with the estate agents and most of the work done online it seemed logical to use one of theirs as they must be working for the estate agent and should therefore get everything completed as quickly and efficiently as possible.<br />
<br />
To begin with everything rushed through with an efficiency and attentiveness that surprised and pleased me.<br />
<br />
But now nearly two months since the offer was accepted the silence is deafening!<br />
<br />
So after a chance meeting with someone and mentioning who we were using as conveyancers I was told how awful they were and not to touch them! Too late now I'm afraid but what could be the problem.<br />
<br />
Searching the internet for reviews on the said company all I found were bad reviews. Not so much about the people but how slow and unprofessional they were (one person waited 6 months to exchange).<br />
<br />
But what I find frustrating is the lack of communication - from the estate agents and the conveyancers.<br />
<br />
I have no idea whether the vendor has found a property to purchase or whether there is a chain involved. I have no idea whether a survey has been done by my mortgage providers and I have no idea who my point of contact is!<br />
<br />
Technology might be brilliant but good old fashioned communication and keeping your client informed at all stages beats it hands down.<br />
<br />
Too late for me to do anything now - but just wait!<br />
<br />
<br />Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05437906364800723802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-32902552649263855912015-10-13T09:31:00.000+01:002015-10-13T09:31:06.886+01:00Checking my linkJust quickly checking my link as I have now totally reverted to my original blog as my Living In Mallorca blog is naturally redundant now that I have returned to the UK.<br />
<br />
I will write more later but I am finding it very difficult to fit everything in now. So what has changed?<br />
<br />
While working full time in London and rising at 5:30 to go to work and returning at any time up to about 20:00 I still managed to find the time to write my blog, do my painting, create web pages and internet shops, do online courses and a multitude of other things. Now, working from home, I barely have time to anything! I think the nearly 3 years of living in Spain made me too laid back. Got to get my get up and go working again :)<br />
<br />
Oh well on with work and more later!Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05437906364800723802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-40962758440217296642015-10-07T22:29:00.001+01:002015-10-07T22:37:41.701+01:00Totally Responsible<div>I <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">have to admit to being rather scared that at the age of 61 (nearly 62) I have taken on the sole responsibility of an 8 year mortgage to enable us to buy a home.</span></div><div><br></div><div>It is the return of the 'what-ifs'.</div><div><br></div><div>What if I am made redundant, what if I am ill, what if my other eye gets a cataract.</div><div><br></div><div>I guess being responsible for the lives of two others - one human and one canine - is a very scary part of life and a position that I am not used to being in. But here we go, one day at a time, trusting that everything will be ok.</div><div><br></div><div>I seem to have spent the past three years taking on the role of decision maker and problem solver - not a role that I am naturally born for but hey ho - go with the flow...</div>Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05437906364800723802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-74978261152606234432015-10-03T14:23:00.001+01:002015-10-03T14:23:06.999+01:00HomeHome - so many definitions of the word. Home is where the heart is, home is where I hang my hat etc.<div>For me home is a feeling of belonging. Let me explain.</div><div><br></div><div>Living in Mallorca I loved the island and made some dear friends but I never felt I belonged. The weather was great, the way of life and mañana attitude were a novelty at first. But my roots weren't there, my whole way of life was far different to the way they lived and the language was a barrier that I had little time, while working full time, to do anything about. It was down to me to change or for me to leave. I chose to leave. My family were in the UK and while not in one another's pockets it was comforting to know that if I returned to the UK then I would at least be on the same island!</div><div><br></div><div>Upon returning to the UK we looked around trying to find somewhere to live. What area should we go to, where could we afford? While waiting for our house sale to complete we looked at lots of different areas.</div><div><br></div><div>The coastal areas whilst being by the seaside and having their own attractions just didn't feel right, we didn't belong, and most were out of our price range anyway.</div><div><br></div><div>The countryside around the Weald of Kent is the most beautiful I have seen but the areas I can afford I do not want to live in! The areas I would have wanted to live I could not afford.</div><div><br></div><div>Northwest Kent where we had lived for 30 years was well out of reach now as prices had risen as the regeneration project was under way.</div><div><br></div><div>Then we returned to an area in the southeast to view a couple of properties. Between viewings we had to waste some time and we sat by a sports field just watching the wildlife. I got out and took Freddy for a walk and listened to the birds singing. Blackbirds, starlings, sparrows and finches - just every day birds that I grew up with and a eureka feeling came over me. I was back home! Like someone who had wandered for years and finally returned to their nest I felt I was back where I belonged.</div><div><br></div><div>Now the area is not exactly where I was born and bred being a few miles distant but everything was familiar. I could remember things from when I was younger. Oh that's where such and such happened and that's where I did so and so. <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The familiarity was comforting! I could relax. I knew how the system worked. I knew how people thought or behaved. I was no longer an outsider.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I was home and so I put in an offer on a house which was accepted. There are still the normal searches and legal hoops to jump through but this is the area we have chosen. In the countryside but not too far from the towns. About midway between one side of the family and the other.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Your roots, your past, the memories and the familiarity - they mean more than you imagine - and to me they make a place a home. I belong, I am home.</span></div><div><br></div>Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05437906364800723802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-24778334469457032032015-09-06T15:39:00.001+01:002015-09-06T15:42:09.452+01:00BACK IN THE UKI have been back in the UK now for exactly 11 weeks and 2 days and boy has it been stressful!<br />
<br />
Just the getting back was bad enough with ferry (and a nervous dog), driving through France (with a dog) and sleeping in the car overnight, but then there has been all the problems associated with finding somewhere to live.<br />
<br />
The couple of weeks or so that we were going to stay with my Mum ended up being 8 weeks but we eventually managed to find somewhere to rent as the house sale in Alcudia continued to drag on (in fact it is still dragging on!).<br />
<br />
The house we are now in is a lovely house although owned by a DIY bodger! Getting our furniture here was another stressful and expensive time as we had to pay another company to pick up our furniture from the removal firm that had it in storage as they were too busy to deliver it for a few weeks! Weeks - we needed it asap. <br />
<br />
We have managed to rent for 12 months with a 6 month break clause (giving 2 months notice after 6 months). So we have been looking around hoping that the completion on our Spanish home will soon happen.<br />
<br />
But what has happened to the house prices??? Within the time period we have been here the prices have risen by about another £20,000 at least. The money we get for our house in Mallorca plus savings will not be enough to buy a property here so I have been looking at getting a mortgage.<br />
<br />
God knows when I will ever retire!<br />
<br />
Anyway that brings another problem. I can afford the mortgage but the banks don't want to know because I can't show the past 2 years on my credit reference account. So what do I do?<br />
<br />
I am left to try and find a broker that can manage to get a mortgage for me I guess - but how do I know who to trust. It has been many years since I have needed to apply for a mortgage so everything has changed.<br />
<br />
Anyway long and short of it all is:<br />
<br />
Stuck in rental for 8 months - need to buy before prices go completely out of our range - but can't get a mortgage even with a very large deposit.<br />
<br />
In amongst all this I have got us on the Council register/doctors/vets/broadband/gas & electricity/water/tax/driving licence sent off/TV licence and all the other things that I have had to do as well as working full-time, cooking & cleaning.<br />
<br />
Crikey I thought I would have an easier time working from home!<br />
<br />
<br />Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05437906364800723802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-58676868606604394352015-07-20T17:36:00.001+01:002015-07-20T18:23:34.849+01:00Patience is a virtue but<div>I certainly do not have it!</div><div><br></div><div>First of all once the decision had been made to return to the UK then I just wanted to get on with it.</div><div><br></div><div>Then I had to wait a few months for my eye operation. That in itself was a very stressful situation. In a foreign country discussing an operation in another language other than my own. My studies didn't include surgery!</div><div><br></div><div>Thankfully the surgeon spoke English.</div><div><br></div><div>Next there was our house on the market in a country known for being difficult to sell. In the end we decided to go anyway and rent until our house was sold.</div><div><br></div><div>At the very last minute we got a purchaser and also the offer of staying with my mum until we found somewhere.</div><div><br></div><div>So off we went, the three of us, me, my hubby and our dog.</div><div><br></div><div>Now that we are in the UK there was the hunt for something we could afford. After all moving to Mallorca, buying a house, selling a house and returning to UK all within 3 years takes a hefty toll on the finances.</div><div><br></div><div>So now we have been lucky enough to find somewhere but we are waiting to hear if our buyers' buyer has obtained a mortgage and if not then it's all off. Also the house we are interested in haven't confirmed if they will proceed with us even though we offered the full asking price. I guess they are suspicious of our sale proceeding.</div><div><br></div><div>Makes you wonder some times if you are actually doing the right thing.</div><div><br></div><div>Crikey my blood pressure must be high!</div>Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05437906364800723802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563032735115609440.post-4902292920369340752015-05-26T07:50:00.002+01:002015-05-26T07:59:55.746+01:00Yesterday was Chaotic!Yesterday was a bank holiday in the UK. Well I am in Mallorca so what did it mean to me. Well it meant that I didn't have to get up and work online. A relaxing day I thought?<br />
<br />
Hell no!<br />
<br />
The day started quietly enough. Me and Freddy went for our walk and the sun was shining. By lunch time Mick had got up and woken up enough to take us to the vets. Today Freddy was due to have his annual vaccinations. Last ones he will be having here in Alcudia. We had decided to try the local vets and not the one Freddy was used to (20 minute drive away). The reason for this is because when we leave we will need to take him for his worming tablet and amongst packing etc it will be easier if we can go local.<br />
<br />
So popping off to Alcudia Town we walked into the vets (no appointment necessary). After standing fidgeting for a while eventually someone from the shop (that the vet is attached to) came through and told us that the vet was on an emergency call and would be back in 15 minutes.<br />
<br />
So off we went for a wander around.<br />
<br />
But 15 minutes or so later we returned. The vet was lovely, young and good looking (as they all are out here!) and even better he recognised what breed I thought Freddy was! When asking me what breed I said that they put on his records that he was a Yorkie but he was too big, Mick said a Tibetan but he shook his head and said no 'Catalan Sheepdog'. Hooray, that's what I had found before. It is only logical really as they are quite common in Spain and it accounts for him always trying to herd us!<br />
<br />
Anyway, jabs done, explanation done about returning to the UK and a promise to return 2 days before we leave and Freddy happily left the vets. In fact, for once, he liked the male vet.<br />
<br />
Another item ticked off my 'to do' list.<br />
<br />
Next post tells the remainder of my chaotic day.<br />
<br />
Oh and here are a couple of photos. First one a Catalan Sheepdog from the internet and secondly our little Freddy.<br />
<br />
You be the judge but I think their is some Catalan in him.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JGFZ7oZlAOQ/VWQYbTjxdaI/AAAAAAAAEE8/KZOsfbEeTG0/s1600/catalan%2Bsheepdog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JGFZ7oZlAOQ/VWQYbTjxdaI/AAAAAAAAEE8/KZOsfbEeTG0/s320/catalan%2Bsheepdog.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sV4jFY2773Q/VWQZDwlKZgI/AAAAAAAAEFE/N_qWV0uERqk/s1600/IMG_0306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sV4jFY2773Q/VWQZDwlKZgI/AAAAAAAAEFE/N_qWV0uERqk/s320/IMG_0306.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Mazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05437906364800723802noreply@blogger.com0