8.15am, Sunday morning. The news is on the radio. I'm obviously blogging earlier today as Chris Laidlaw hasn't started yet! Eric is sitting next to me writing up notes from his Flying Start Course (something all lawyers have to do before they can become a partner), Alice says she's been awake since 3am and is on the computer in the living room and I guess Harriette is on her computer, she's still in bed.
The week from hell started off Friday a week ago. I got sick again. I had D+V, probably norovirus. Because of my lack of large bowel (colectomy for unlcerative colitis in 1995) when I get D+V I rapidly become dehydrated. In fact, because I had weighed myself Friday am, I knew that overnight I had lost 3.7kg (that's over 8lbs)!! No wonder I am on the verge of fainting every time I stand up. Now this really threw a spanner in the works for Mom's taxi service! Cathy had taken Alice and Claire to Youth Band in Hamilton (we alternate Fridays) and Claire stayed overnight as they had a sectional in Hamilton 6-8am Saturday. A ridiculous time I know but it means many of the members can make it prior to Saturday jobs and sports committments. Now Eric was on his course in Hamilton from 9.30am so the plan was, Eric would take them in early, watch them, have breakfast and generally kick his heels until 9.30am. I would feed out (silage to the 4 cows, chooks (not silage obviously :-) and dogs), then drive through to pick the girls up at 8am, come home, take Harriette to work for 9am in Matamata and drive through to Walton to drop Claire home. That was the plan anyway. What actually happened was; Eric got up at 4.30am to feed out then took Alice and Claire to Hamilton for 6am but had to bring them home. He literally dropped them off and hurtled straight back to Hamilton, just getting to his course on time. We then got a neighbour Shirley to take Harriette to work and drop Claire at her grandparents in Matamata where Cathy collected her. Eric had bought me some Gastrolyte in Hamilton (I had not replaced our stock we used up in Samoa) which made me feel much better. By 11am I was just about able to drive Alice in to Matamata for netball. I didn't have the strength to stand and watch so curled up in the back of the Mistral and slept! Harriette finished at 1pm so walked round to the courts and drove us home when Alice finished. Needless to say, Eric and I hit the sack at about 8pm Saturday night.
Sunday evening Mom and Daddy came over for a meal. I immediately knew something was wrong when I said the "Hi, how are you?" on their arrival. Daddy said he was being investigated for liver cancer (I hasten to add the subsequent liver scan was normal). Anyway, I asked why? Pain in that area and a blood test that indicates that he has cancer somewhere though I have seen his blood results and can't see what the doctor is talking about. I was very rational 'let's wait and see what the scan shows', 'don't put 2+2 together and make 5' etc but as soon as they left I completely lost it! Although my head told me it could not be true (Daddy looks disgustingly healthy, no weight loss) I was so scared! I spent Sunday night thinking it all through, our trip to South Africa would have to be cancelled, Daddy would either be dying or have recently died by December and we could not leave Mom, what would Mom do, stay in Paeroa, go back to the UK, move into a smaller house, Paeroa?, Matamata? It was awful! Anyway, thank heavens they had a liver scan arranged for Monday morning. I met them Hailton for this and it was normal. We all just about cried when the sonographer told us. The issue now is that he may still have cancer and where. The GP wants to repeat the blood test and I think he needs a colonoscopy (Daddy had bowel cancer in the 1990's which was resected.) Still, whatever it is there is almost no diagnosis as awful as liver secondaries.
So, after acute illness and 24 hours on an emotional roller coater Alice then got the bug and had Tuesday and Wendesday off sick. She was proper poorly and poor girls was on her own much of the time as it was the only 2 days of the week I was out and about. I did offer to cancel my appointments but she said not to. She slept most of Tuesday, well when she wasn't on the loo anyway.
Things then got better and I am hoping for an uneventful week. I was really hoping to spend the weekend gardening as we have had a couple of weeks of absolutely gorgeous weather. Harriette then reminded me that I had a Rotary convention on Saturday and on top of that it has hardly stopped raining since Thursday night. 4 of us went to this convention in Rotorua and I really enjoyed it. Picked up lots of tips to improve our local club. I must say Matamata is a very dynamic club but there are things that could be tweaked. As Eric was on the second day of his course the taxi service was again unavailable so Mom and Daddy came over and took Harriette to work and Alice to and from netball.
Today we plan to catch up with Richard and Robyn. It is calving time and so they are holed up on the farm for 6-8 weeks. I'll ring them shortly to see how their day is panning out and when would be best to meet them. Harriette and I will also go to the gym and Eric will swim (I am trying to get him to do some exercise and get a bit of weight off before we go to South Africa).
Well, I think that's all I have to report. I must go and get an email off to Schools Band. I really need to update them on all the arrangement for the Festival in September and all the playouts we have been offered over the coming months.
