The last week seems to have been dominated by visitors coming to our house and us visiting other people - a mix of "business" and pleasure...
Two of our visitors were plasterers coming to give estimates for the cost of skim coating the walls of what will eventually be the guest room. Other visitors last week were much more sociable. Our friend Prue stayed overnight on Tuesday and we had a lovely evening catching up on news and putting the world to rights over a meal and some wine. We did the same again later in the week with another friend, Murray. Ironically, although he only lives around the corner our lives have very different patterns so we have to make an effort to meet up, rather than bumping into each other in the street. But it's worth it!
Our trips out have also been a mix of business and pleasure - several visits to the paint shop to buy samples, order and collect paint, and to the carpet store to look at samples and eventually order carpet. I'd forgotten how long it takes to research and pull together all this interior design stuff! In between, the big clear out has continued and we have been taking more bags of donations to the charity shop and more bags of junk to the recycling centre. But there's still a mountain of stuff to go through....
Our hard work on the home front was rewarded by a very enjoyable meal out with friends Ruth (host and cook extraordinaire) Anne and Colin, visiting Oxford from Chichester. One of those lovely lunches that lingers on past tea time.
All our friends remarked on how well Steve is looking at the moment. And he's still feeling good, which we hope bodes well for the next hospital assessment in early September (although we never take the outcome for granted, so as always most plans beyond that date are very fluid or only lightly pencilled in...) Ironically, it's me that's coughing (still) after picking up an infection in France late in June. If it hasn't cleared up completely by the first week in September, I have to contact the GP again to follow up.
Without wishing to sound like a hypochondriac, when one member of the family develops mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure, lurking in a dark recess at the back of the mind is the niggling thought that others in the family may have been exposed at the same time by the same source, or by secondary exposure from dust on clothes - especially if you have lived, studied and/or worked together in the same environment for many years as we have. In such circumstances, any prolonged chest problems needs to be properly investigated to rule out asbestos-related disease. However, I'm sure my cough is just a stubborn foreign virus rather than anything more sinister.
But I digress....Next week there will be more comings and goings, visiting and visitors and hard work topped off by more socialising, which we are looking forward to very much. And it all kicks off again tomorrow, so we must get ourselves sorted out now.
As always, we send our love to all the meso warriors around the world who are at various stages in their journey. In particular, to Jan who is feeling particularly low at the moment and Lou in Australia, who is back on chemo but still managing to be very positive as she waits for news of the birth of her next grandchild, due shortly.
Two of our visitors were plasterers coming to give estimates for the cost of skim coating the walls of what will eventually be the guest room. Other visitors last week were much more sociable. Our friend Prue stayed overnight on Tuesday and we had a lovely evening catching up on news and putting the world to rights over a meal and some wine. We did the same again later in the week with another friend, Murray. Ironically, although he only lives around the corner our lives have very different patterns so we have to make an effort to meet up, rather than bumping into each other in the street. But it's worth it!
Our trips out have also been a mix of business and pleasure - several visits to the paint shop to buy samples, order and collect paint, and to the carpet store to look at samples and eventually order carpet. I'd forgotten how long it takes to research and pull together all this interior design stuff! In between, the big clear out has continued and we have been taking more bags of donations to the charity shop and more bags of junk to the recycling centre. But there's still a mountain of stuff to go through....
Our hard work on the home front was rewarded by a very enjoyable meal out with friends Ruth (host and cook extraordinaire) Anne and Colin, visiting Oxford from Chichester. One of those lovely lunches that lingers on past tea time.
All our friends remarked on how well Steve is looking at the moment. And he's still feeling good, which we hope bodes well for the next hospital assessment in early September (although we never take the outcome for granted, so as always most plans beyond that date are very fluid or only lightly pencilled in...) Ironically, it's me that's coughing (still) after picking up an infection in France late in June. If it hasn't cleared up completely by the first week in September, I have to contact the GP again to follow up.
Without wishing to sound like a hypochondriac, when one member of the family develops mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure, lurking in a dark recess at the back of the mind is the niggling thought that others in the family may have been exposed at the same time by the same source, or by secondary exposure from dust on clothes - especially if you have lived, studied and/or worked together in the same environment for many years as we have. In such circumstances, any prolonged chest problems needs to be properly investigated to rule out asbestos-related disease. However, I'm sure my cough is just a stubborn foreign virus rather than anything more sinister.
But I digress....Next week there will be more comings and goings, visiting and visitors and hard work topped off by more socialising, which we are looking forward to very much. And it all kicks off again tomorrow, so we must get ourselves sorted out now.
As always, we send our love to all the meso warriors around the world who are at various stages in their journey. In particular, to Jan who is feeling particularly low at the moment and Lou in Australia, who is back on chemo but still managing to be very positive as she waits for news of the birth of her next grandchild, due shortly.
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