28 March 2016 ...and a lovely Easter it was too

The past fortnight has been very stable for me. 
I'm not quite sure why, but over the past 2 weeks I have not had any 'break-through' back pain at all, so I am reveling in this 'freedom' and doing all sorts of extra things, not to mention being able to thoroughly enjoy the Easter season with Simon & Caitlin as house guests.
However I know things can change very quickly for anyone on a cancer journey, so I'll simply enjoy the moment. Pain is such a pain!
On 23 March it would have been my mum's 97th birthday, and despite the fact that she passed away almost 2 years ago, this was one of those moments that I really missed not being able to arrange a visit to Horsham to see her, or ring her up for a chat. It reminded me of the time many years ago, not long after Brian's mum died, that 2 year old Simon asked me who I was talking to on the phone. When I said "that was Nanna" he asked "Was it Nanna in Horsham or Nanna in heaven?" If only we could!

I thought I'd be very organised for Easter this year, so early on, Brian and I bought a few Easter treats for the family in readiness for the season. But 2 days before Easter, I had a phone call from the pathology department of the local hospital. My heart sank as I had recently had bloods taken there, but then they informed me that I had won first prize in their Easter raffle! Brian had an appointment with the Diabetes Educator (he has Type 2 diabetes) at the hospital that afternoon so after seeing her we picked up our prize and then sneaked guiltily back to the car - hoping we wouldn't encounter her along the way! Anyway all was well, I became very popular, and family and friends didn't object to being to enjoy some early extra Easter treats.

Portland was abuzz with Easter visitors for the weekend.
We went for a short drive to see the gannet colony, and Simon and Cait went for a walk along the Enchanted Forest walk - part of a wonderful 250km walk around the forests and sea views in the Portland region. We also enjoyed a short walk around the outdoor market on Saturday morning. I discovered that being in a wheelchair does have certain advantages, as people readily smile and make way for me amongst the crowds. Simon found that it was good to follow behind me as I could then pave the way for him (he was also very helpful for me whenever we came to rough bumps or uphill treks).

The season of Easter rolled along with its myriad of emotions and it was good to participate in the different worship opportunities, from Good Friday and into Easter Sunday. 

After Easter Sunday worship

It's now Monday, and the house is much quieter today. Simon and Caitlin arrived safely back in Melbourne last night, watching very carefully for koalas as they almost hit one near Tyrendarra when they travelled here on Thursday night. We've got a koala again in the tree on our nature strip. Brian watched it climb up the tree, then promptly climb back down again. Perhaps it noticed that it had already eaten out all the new growth of the tree so there wasn't much left to eat. However, this morning it was back again so the pickings in other trees can't have been much good either.  

A happy, healthy and blessed Easter to you all!