I have started my 15 working days of radiation treatment so this post has a theme song by The Trammps https://youtu.be/A_sY2rjxq6M (more...

Chemotherapy is over! It has me looking forward. I know I still have a lot to go through - but I’m in recovery mode now. I’ll start feeling better, not worse (well, until I have reconstructive surgery, but I’m not in an enormous hurry for that). It is spring. I love spring. I love the feeling of renewal, the longer days, the smell of the rain and the warming earth, the colour green and flowers. I’ve been showered in congratulatory flowers. I have flowers surrounding me both i

At the beginning of this journey the endless time stretching out ahead of me with little to do, filled me with horror. I had lived such a busy life. How would I spend my time not working? How would I feel about my new idle self? Would I spend hours trapped in my own head going around in circles? It has certainly been interesting slowing down. Sometimes the chemotherapy forces you to do absolutely nothing. You are exhausted but the steroids keep you awake. You are exhausted bu

What interesting plague infected times we live in. We were plunged into alert level 4 (our strictest lockdown conditions) on 17 August...

No raindrops on roses nor whiskers on kittens No bright copper kettles nor warm woollen mittens Some might come in brown paper packages...

I almost didn’t make it to my third round of chemo. Whilst taking my drugs one hour pre chemo, I dropped one of the pills down the side...

I have a chart on my kitchen wall with 1- 6 written on it. Those numbers represent my 6 rounds of chemotherapy. I have crossed off 1 and...

On 24 July 2001 my heart broke. It has never properly healed. It has a great, big Natasha shaped hole in it. Twenty years ago, my...

My favourite TV programme as a small child was Sesame Street. My favourite character was Kermit the Frog. I know exactly why Miss Piggy...

This year I had intended to be in the South of France, Northern Italy and Croatia about now celebrating a significant birthday. A global...

Many, many years ago, when I was single and fancy free, I was accosted by my ex’s current girlfriend in a gym changing room. She had...

By the time I publish this I will be 5 weeks post surgery. My operation was about 6 hours long and I went home the next morning. I took...

This title is supposed to be a tilt to Hemingway but I accept it is a bit clumsy. Fortunately I still have one (spectacular, reduced)...

Nearly 20 years ago I consulted a clinical psychologist and was under his care for about 6 months. I had been under huge pressure and...

In many respects my childhood was typical of most kiwis. I walked to school, played outside on my bike until it was dark and wandered the...

Shock and awe (technically known as rapid dominance) is a tactic based on the use of overwhelming girl power and spectacular displays of...

I know professionally that if you are in a fight the road is windy, you need to be smarter than your opponent, strategic, clear thinking...

The first phone call I received on 19 April was from Mercy Radiography wanting to book me in for a MRI scan on 23 April. “Hmmm“ thought...

I remember watching Prince Phillip’s funeral on 17 April and discussing with Bill whether it was odd to choreograph your own farewell...