Winston update, posh food and REALLY exciting Vaccine news

 Important things first, Winston is much better, rest, pain meds and muscle relaxants did the job. He's back going for full length walks again and jumping on the sofa. He has learnt that if he sits and whimpers someone will pick him up but we're not encouraging that sort of behaviour.

We have L'Ortolan a lovely Michelin Starred restaurant near home which has been doing some really swanky 3 course dinners for collection that you finish at home. Over the last couple of weeks we've ordered from them twice and I have to say it's been lovely both times - and super filling on the portion sizes - both times dessert has been saved for the next day because we've been so very full by the time we've finished the main course.

This naturally has led to me thinking I wonder who's doing that for Valentines (because lets face it Lockdown isn't ending any time soon) and magically our favourite Michelin star restaurant The Hand & Flowers in Marlow is not only offering this but it's also delivering it too. This makes me a very happy girl. Haven't got the faintest clue what to do for gifts this year, but at least we will eat well.

Life is the same shade of 'beige' for us as it has been for the last 10 months. We don't go anywhere, we don't see anyone and we're now on first name terms with our local delivery people for Amazon, UPS, Hermes and DPD. 

We are having a 'virtual home check' today for rescue pup that might decide to adopt us. Fortunately its the same people who we rescued Bella with so we are 'known' to them. The boy they have will need to do a meet and greet after the check and obviously how that goes will be the most important thing. Watch this space !!!

So this next bit is going to seem a little odd .... bear with me, the bit in Italics was typed 2 hours ago and the bit below just now

I'm in the next group for the Covid vaccine, exciting times .... 

I will be accepting it unless my neurologist comes back and tells me to hold off for a while because of depleted cell counts and lowered response - I've emailed Mr N to ask if he has any opinion on the timing, but since my friend who's having chemo is having hers and lets face it, in comparison I have an amazing immune response function I'm expecting Mr N to come back and say rollup your sleeves and get stabbed - remember to take your own lollipop with you because they're not handing them out these days.

At 17:30 my phone rang .... 'No Caller ID' ..... it was my doctors apparently they've had some no shows today and had some of the good stuff going spare .... can I get to the Village hall in the next 15 minutes? Also-bloody-loutly I can - I'll be there in 8 and that's with me stopping to put a bra on and changing out of my slippers into 'outside world' footwear.

I'm back and part 1 of the Oxford AZ vaccine is now sloshing round in me doing the leg kicking dance from Moulin Rouge at my immune system saying 'You know you want me' 

I can't tell you how happy and excited I was to get the call and dash out of the house.

Fuck you very much Covid-19 I am now becoming a VERY in-hospitable environment for you :-)

In reality this will change very little for me, I'll still anti-bac everything and everyone I'm aware that just by touching things and touching other things or other people if it was on my hands by cross contamination then I could be moving it around and I want to continue to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

If I didn't know I'll end up on my arse and probably back in A&E with something I'll definitely be needing the use of broken then I would absolutely be doing the happy dance right now.

Love, health and happiness to you xxx

So long 2020 - the year that wasn't, Ocrevus, holidays and Winston's injury

 Oh my and here I go again starting yet another post with YET another apology :-(

I'll work through this in chronological order so it makes sense.

Since my last update, I had round 2 of Ocrevus at Charring Cross on December 14th, another super long day with a funky urine test requiring blood tests then disaster, one of them wasn't labelled it wasn't spotted until 11:30am then a 2nd lot of bloods and more waiting. All told I'd been there since 8am (well up since 05:00 and outside since 06:50 to mitigate parking panic) my infusion didn't start until 13:30 ..... SAD FACE :-(

It was all nice and simples once it all got going I fell asleep in the chair and just soaked up the good stuff which helped enormously with the blood pressure checks LOL

Christmas was fun if not the usual way we do things, first time ever I didn't even have to have a token piece of Turkey :-) We had a gammon that I prepared from scratch with a honey. mustard and Orange Glaze, a Free Range chicken and a massive 2 bone rib of beef to roast as the centrepiece - well when I say roast ..... yeah I stood out in the freezing temperature on Christmas Day and I BBQ'd that beast. It was soooooooo good.

Presents were interesting too, definitely the first time I've needed a box cutter for ALL of my gifts (bar one) there was a distinct danger we might be opening light bulbs and cat food from the nice Amazon delivery man but we hadn't dared open anything in the 3 weeks before Christmas incase we opened a gift by mistake LOL

The 'inbetweeny bit' was quiet and uneventful with dog walks and some films and then New Year was upon us. As usual we had to give Winston a Xanax early evening because the fireworks started at dinner time. I spent the night with him curled into me giving him treats every time he didn't bark at the fireworks despite shaking like a leaf. At one point he hopped of the sofa then tried to get back on and missed (stoned on the Xanax) as he fell backwards his side smashed into the corner of the coffee table and that's where the next story starts ......

Over the weekend he got more and more sore, couldn't jump on the sofa any more, yelped and whimpered when you helped him so Monday we got an appointment at the vets, some pain meds and muscle relaxant and 'if he's still bad in a weeks time bring him back'

By Thursday he wasn't better, he was worse, now he barely moved around and he yelped and whimpered when he did so back to the vets (we'd gone from Tier 4 to national lockdown on Monday evening after the 1st appointment) this time I wasn't allowed to be with him while he was examined, I had to go back to the car so naturally I sat there sobbing my heart out. X-Rays needed LOTS of X-Rays, his ribs, his spine, his hips to check for broken bones which would require a general anaesthetic to do. 

He had to be in at 08:15 on Friday morning which clashed horribly with my annual MRI in London at 13:15 - Gareth would be home with Bella and could go collect him when he was done .... didn't happen - at 15:35 as I was driving out of London and called for an update I was told he was just about to be done - emergencies that morning. Please call back at 17:15 for an update .... 

It was 6pm before I was reunited with him, he was very dopey and lethargic but good news .... 

No broken bones thankfully, but he is on more pain meds which seem to be helping if he's not much improved by the end of this week then they'll refer him to a doggy orthopaedic specialist and get him an MRI (bless .... just like his mum) to see if he has a protruding disc or soft tissue damage.

We stayed in contact with those we love by video call and all things considered it's been okay. We've missed everyone terribly but I'm just grateful that we can miss them and see them again. We've had too many friends now who've had Covid or had it take their loved ones from them and they haven't been able to be there with their family at the end.

I never imagined there could ever be a time when it might occur to me that not having to worry because my immediate family are gone that it might actually be a blessing for me ...... 

Thinking of everyone who's having a hard time with this and hoping that they can hold on to their peace.

Much love

T