Day 6, and yesterday was the best Day 5 I have had.  I made apple juice with the windfall eating apples and drank a big tumbler full, did some painting and organising of my book about the old days, 'built' a sandwich for lunch, made Dave a dental appointment for mid-day as his toothache is getting worse, then cancelled it because I couldn't contact him on his mobile!  (Doesn't sound like much, but when it takes and hour and a half even to speak to the receptionist, it actually took up a large part of my morning.)  I also had a cup of tea and a catch-up with Dot, did a load of washing and hung it around the house because the weather is appalling.  Then Dave and I watched the recorded period drama, Downton Abbey, which I would have enjoyed more if I could hear all the dialogue.  I am not sure if it is our new TV or my hearing, but I am watching everything with intermittent sound, and have to keep asking Dave what is happening.  I have taken to doing a codeword or other puzzle at the same time to lessen the frustration.

Today I was confident that I would be in fine form so I tackled the drawers of the tallboy which were full of about 30 years truck and wouldn't open.  We are doing a re-think of our bedroom storage, and contemplating spending money on new wooden furniture, but I want to rationalise what we already have first.  Cancer has made me think about why I am keeping so many souvenirs and tatty memories - I don't just have stuff dating back to my school days (old school tie,) but also numerous attache cases packed with Mum's and Nan's stuff.  When it has been kept so long it is really hard to throw it away, even though sometimes I have no idea of the original significance.  So I am having a think about the stuff I store, because Mary-Ann and Joe won't want to make decisions about my old stuff as well as their Nan and Great-Nan's.  The good thing is it may well mean we don't have to spend money on furniture. 

The Rhino men are here today applying the levelling compound to the drive.  The postman can't get in, and when I made them a cup of tea one of them had to walk all the way round the pightle to collect it from 'Mum's'.  I have almost given up trying to call it the annexe - 'Mum's' is so much more personal, like it is still part of our home.  I have probably done a bit too much this morning as I am a bit wobbly now, which is why I am sitting down with a cup of tea and doing this rather wandery blog.  I have found when the overwhelming tiredness attacks it is best just to give way to it.  It makes me feel a bit pathetic, like I am milking the situation; not knowing the physical basis for what I feel is hard for me.  My potassium was a bit on the low side when I had my last blood test, which gave me the idea I should eat more fruit, hence the apple juice, but it is probably irrelevant except for making me feel I am doing something positive. 

I had an unexpected phone call this morning from a friend from church who had been having her Quiet Time and felt God was asking her to phone me.  She is a person who really listens to what God is saying to her, and acts on it, and what he was saying to me through her was that my trust in him is bringing blessing to those around me, and that he is using my illness to bring about good.  That was such an encouragement, because actually my own Quiet Time is not very focussed at the moment, and sometimes I feel a bit guilty that I am not growing spiritually.  What my friend said confirmed what God has given me since the beginning of this, that this is a different time, a time of just trusting and knowing peace, not knowing what the short-term outcome will be but simply knowing God is walking with me through it all.  It was such an encouragement to have that confirmation, and to know that God is not marking my homework!

Well, the Rhino men have done all they can do today.  The leveller is taking a long time to dry, but they are hoping to get the resin on tomorrow.  We are going to be so smart!

I haven't posted for 3 weeks.  Been too busy.  Chemo symptoms are boring now as they are the same every cycle.  Day 5 was horrible again, so don't take any notice of anything I might say next Monday, in fact it is probably best if you leave me to my own devices that day!

We have had a lovely 'grown-up' week with Sheila and Bob.  They had had a pretty exhausting time with travelling around for weddings and Bob making his contribution to a funeral that he wasn't able to take because he was here.  We pottered round Sheringham at the beginning of the week and Holt at the end, picniced in Holt Country Park, went to Taverham GArden Centre and spent a lot of money on plants, and drove all the way out to Alby Craft Centre to see a furniture maker who came up on the internet when I searched for re-claimed pine, but works in anything but reclaimed pine.  The trip was worth it though, because on the way home, following the Satnav, Dave spotted a sign for Guestwick.  I have been nagging about going to see the new stained-glass window made by a young local craftsman over a period of 10 years.  It ws featured in the EDP, and I have wanted to see it ever since.  With the light shining through it, it was so much better than the pictures in the paper, and we all took pleasure in seeing it.  Then Bob and Sheila went to sign the visitors book and the last entry was a couple they have known for 40 years, who now live in Reepham.

At home we did a minimum of housework, gave ourselves a space every day for reading and rest, Sheila did weeding and together we hosted a Biggest Coffee Morning in the World for Macmillan Cancer Care.  I had put a letter through all the Homewatch letter-boxes and Dot and Rodney had put invites in 50 more local houses.  It was also on the church notice sheet.  We made cakes and scones, Dot baked sausage rolls, and June Ward, our Fair Trade lady from church provided individual caffetieres and teapots as well as cake.  Various neighbours and friends also provided cakes.  By ten past ten our house was heaving, and some of the early-comers must have stayed here' being sociable and talking to old and new friends' for a couple of hours.  Dot and Rodney had run a raffle and tombola with prizes from nearly everyone they have run into in the last few weeks, and we sold some left-over cakes at the end.  Altogether we made £362 on the day, and after we banked it this afternoon another £5 arrived.  Even the cashier at the NatWest said how well we had done!

I have done some weeding and planted some spring cabbage this afternoon after my rest, and hope to do a bit more autumn stuff in the garden tomorrow as it will be October before I am able to handle cold things again after that.  Amazingly people liked our garden, weedy and untidy though it is.  Hopefully by next spring it will be better organised, with more perennials in the flower patch so we don't have to buy plants to cover up bare spaces.  I worried a lot about that earlier this year, but since we started to have some rain everything has filled out and I now have to thin out the catmint and re-site some of the bigger plants that are crowding each other.