Destined for good luck

Hubby has just brought me a four-leaf clover which he found in the garden. I just had to take a photo of it and I looked up the meaning and each leaf represents hope, faith, love and the fourth leaf brings luck to the finder. It just seems so appropriate for us that I wanted to share it here.

I've been absent for the last couple of weeks and I expect you will understand why as I've been really unwell but feeling much better now.

Back in March I had two hospital appointments on the same day but the eye clinic appointment was cancelled and I wrote about it here. That has now been rescheduled for this week and I'm extremely surprised when really I should be relieved. I will attend the appointment but considering the other treatments I'm going through I can't see my eye operation going ahead. Strangely enough my oncologist has a telephone consultation with me arranged for next week as I begin on my weekly course of chemotherapy which I am absolutely dreading. I find it rather strange that one appointment will be literally face to face and yet the most important one will be done over the telephone. I do wonder when things will ever be back to normal.

My new look

I wore my new wig for the first time today to visit the hospital for round three of my chemo. I was pleased to be sat opposite a lady who is at the same stage of the same regime as I am, I don't know how we haven't met before but we've obviously been placed in different wards of the day centre. We compared notes as it were and she agreed that it took her until the third week following the second round of chemo to start feeling better.

It was interesting to learn she has kept her hair so far but has now decided to abandon the cold cap otherwise known as scalp cooling for all the reasons I decided not to go for it in the first place. She has yet to choose her wig and she was genuinely surprised that I was wearing a wig, she really thought that it was my natural hair. The wig is comfortable to wear and I'm pleased with how it looks. I'll show you the back view as I asked hubby to take some photos for my online diary.  As nobody visits me at home apart from the district nurses I'm comfortable walking around with what little hair that's left on my head. Hubby loves me no matter what I look like :)

My sister who lives in England was finally able to visit her static caravan in mid Wales at the weekend as lockdown restrictions were lifted and she phoned to ask if she should make the journey to visit me but as I am shielding at home I told her it wouldn't be wise as I couldn't invite her inside for a coffee and a good old natter. Same applies to my children who both live in England and my in-laws and friends, I'm taking no chances. I may go for an outing in the car tomorrow before the side effects of round three take a hold of me. I have a break now before I start on weekly chemo sessions which my nurse told me are not as harsh as these first three rounds. I really, really do hope that is the case.

Finally

Having spent an enormous amount of time this week trying to connect my camera to the new Sony software, I eventually discovered that both my point and shoot camera and my bridge camera were no longer supported. I was very upset thinking both cameras were now useless and I was definitely not wanting to spend more money buying a new camera. Then low and behold I discovered that my new computer has Image Capture on it. It didn't take long for me to discover this was the answer to my problems.

This morning I donned mask, gloves and chemo hat and hubby and I went to the supermarket's petrol station to fill up ready for my forthcoming hospital appointments. Hubby paid while I stayed in the car. The supermarket is next to the  beach car park and as nobody was about I got out to take a couple of photos. Back home using the USB cable I found it was a doddle to upload my two photos. To say I am thrilled to bits is an understatement.

It felt strange to be up at the beach again without our Annie, so photos quickly taken we went straight back home and we'd only been out of the house for a short time. My daughter let me know that our Council are proposing removing the summertime dog restrictions from the beach so let's hope so. This beach isn't well used by visitors as it's so stony but our Annie never seemed to mind that in the winter months.  It'll be good to go down to the beach any time of the year with daughter's two greyhounds when they are finally able to visit us. I'll have my camera with me for sure :)

No photos to see here

My new computer arrived on Sunday and setting it up was easy as I was able to transfer everything from one Mac to another. What hasn't been easy though is discovering that my camera software was out of date and despite uninstalling that and installing the latest desktop version neither of my two cameras will connect to the computer and I haven't a clue why not.  Hubby has a laptop which he rarely uses and I updated that for him only to find he has the same problem connecting his camera using the latest software. Two days of frustration and I've given up for now.

Anyhow, seeing as I am clinically vulnerable to the dreaded virus I'm not planning on going anywhere anytime soon to take any photos even if I wanted to. Secondly, the weather isn't playing nicely either and it's still pouring with rain even as I type this blog post. Thirdly, I've  not felt too good following my second cycle of chemo and I'm currently bracing myself for round three.

It was good that Formula One has returned to our television screens again and we did enjoy watching the first race of the season last Sunday. Hubby's favourite driver won the race and we always root for him being the underdog. Have to say we weren't too happy that the team went overboard with their black livery, too much talk over the weekend about lack of diversity in the sport and the majority of drivers taking the knee before the race. I don't agree with bringing politics into sport.  The motor racing will give us something to look forward to while having to continue to shield at home.
 

Turning back time

I've been having some computer problems lately and knowing I haven't spent much money on myself since lockdown began I decided I'd push the boat out and treat myself to a new computer.  My old desktop computer is exactly eleven years old and our son was visiting us at the time and he persuaded me to have an iMac and so we all went to Liverpool to buy one for me. I have a photo he took on the day as we drove into the city centre.

Photo taken July 2009

Times and iMacs have changed so much since then and my new desktop computer has been ordered online and will be delivered to my door next week.

Other purchases this week have included a new head of hair for me. I have now lost almost all of my natural hair and I told hubby my head looks like one of those dandelion clocks, he said he's glad I still have my sense of humour.  What remains of my previously brown hair is now a thin, wispy fair colour and I daren't venture outside in the wind :)

Internet photo of a dandelion clock

The wig lady came to my home and fitted the new wig for me and again it was bought and delivered without me leaving the comfort of my home. I have a photograph on my living room wall which my son took of me and my late mother taken about fifteen years ago. The wig lady noticed it and agreed the new wig looks exactly as my hair was styled back then. I'm turning back time.