JINGLE BELLS

Hi All,

late late xmas eve blog update - to wish everyone who reads this a very happy christmas time. Full of santa goodies and sparkle. Hope a bit of calm is descending upon you after these last few weeks of mayhem…and hope christmas storms have not knocked out electricity etc. What a wild night it was last night.

Here is my christmas cheer: had a bone marrow biopsy done two weeks ago (exactly a year on from my transplant, 11th December 2012) and yesterday got the news that all is fine and bone marrow working and no sign of leukaemia!  This is the best christmas present I have ever had (even better than my Hornby train set circa 1962).  Had spent a very anxious two weeks waiting for the result convinced that everything had gone pear shaped. I could have kissed the consultant yesterday. Instead I shed a quiet festive tear;  then drove down to sainsburys to buy some crackers. When I think about this time last year, holed up in that tiny room, tied to a drip (with tinsel tangling off it) and staring out at a brick wall. It is so very special to still be here.  It feels so brilliant to be alive (and walking up the hill). Not been an easy year but I hope 2014 will be healthier all round.  Still another 12 months to go before my immune system in fully recovered and working normally - so more journeying ahead. Fingers crossed it will be easier than 2013.  Haemoglobin recovered and back to normal, steroids being reduced slowly. Platelets had been dropping for some unknown reason, but they too have turned a corner and on the up. Whoopeee.

My saddest holiday news is Luigi has gastric flu and holed up in Italy. So no festive pampering for me. Have not seen him since October. Ouch! that is a long time. Hope he recovers in time to get here for new year.  Celebrations go on nevertheless. Tonight Mel and the boys are coming round for risotto and rummikub. Candles and crackers all over a bright red table. My xmas tree has decided to lean precariously to the right, and I can't move it without risking half the stuff falling off plus a face full of pine needles. So lean it must.  Tomorrow I am joining Lulu and Julian and their extended family for turkey and trimmings plus more crackers. Then home to watch my new hd smart tv - which has an amazing sound system attached to it, courtesy of my brother Adrian. Sounds incredible. A new watching and listening experience!

Ok time to go cook. Hope everyone is well.  A huge thanks to you all for all your amazing support, blog-comments, texts, emails, snail mail, visits, phone calls etc over the year. You have all been a huge support to me which has really helped in my recovery and kept me going, especially through the tough times.  Love and christmas wishes right round the globe: cousins in Australia, nephews in Honk Kong and South Africa and New Zealand, friends in Italy, USA (snowy Cleveland) Letterkenny (big time windy I bet). And all those closer to home, Somerset, Sheffield, Norfolk, Oxford, Hythe, Harlow, Brighton, Whistable, Wales, and all North and South London contingents (the most fantastic bunch of friends).  To strangers too, who I know read this blog. And anyone else I may have missed out. In the words of Tiny Tim, "God bless us, everyone."

See you in the New Year.  tch xxx

     Whooshing into christmas