One small step

At last - it's happened!  Steve came downstairs this morning with a bucket in one hand and a packet of anti-nausea tablets in the other, and proceeded to put them away.  That may not sound like much to you, but for me it's a sign that he now feels confident that the side effects of chemo are as good as over.  Another small step in the right direction!


There's a lot you can learn by observing our hall.  Before Christmas it was lined with boxes of wrapping paper and decorations, ready to deck the halls; during the festive season, a changing succession of boots, shoes, coats, hats, scarves and gloves piled up as family and friends came and went, some staying for days, others just visiting for a short while. Now it is the home for our rapidly diminishing supply of salt, the garden spade, boots, gaiters and walking poles. 


The blanket of snow is still deep and crisp in these parts, although more uneven than it was, and a lot more shiny and slippery in places - especially on the footpaths, which have not been gritted. I was grateful for the added support of the walking poles on my journey to and from the station on Friday, when I had to go to a work-related meeting in central London, although I confess to feeling rather conspicuous on the tube....


With more snow forecast and food stocks running low, we bit the bullet yesterday and dug the car out of the cocoon of snow in which it has been embedded since last Tuesday. With help from a neighbour, we managed to push the car into the middle of the road where there is a drivable passage just wide enough to negotiate our way safely on to the the main road system.  At the supermarket, it felt like everyone else had made the same decision - we had to hunt the parking space, squeeze through aisles heaving with trollies, and wait patiently in long queues at the check out. But we are now re-stocked, ready for the next wave of snow which is forecast today.


Sadly, the bad weather meant we had to miss Sue's party, in the depths of the snowbound Oxfordshire countryside, impossible to reach without a 4X4.  So our first meeting with the three french hens is on hold for the time being....I'm beginning to wonder whether we will be able to do our next planned trip to Bristol, where it's been so cold that the harbour has frozen and the ferry service cancelled for fear of breaking the ice and damaging the moored boats.


A special message for Kate and Nick: We are thinking of you both as the due by date draws nearer...cross your legs Kate, and try to hold off given birth until the thaw!