The boy & Vietnam ❤️🌏✈️

I cannot contain my excitement my boy is arriving into Hanoi. I have not seen him since Feb …  he left the Uk in Dec last year and I was lucky enough to see him in Sydney in Feb ..daughter and I sat in lobby of the Hanoi Hilton ( not the prison nicknamed Hanoi Hilton which incidentally we did visit…….grim) watching the front doors and he came though the back door taking us by surprise … we hugged, laughed, roared as he was a typical traveller with his trainers dangling from his rucksack … god it was so good to see him … happy & tanned if not a little thin !!

The kids as I have said before were in junior school whilst I was having treatment. Son the eldest seemed to take it in his stride, daughter I remember the day of my first chemo they knew I was going into hospital but would be home at Mumma & Dad’s when they came home from school … daughter walked gingerly around the front of the house looking though the windows and smiled … she then said “oh I thought you would be in a wheelchair”.. funny how children’s minds work

Back in Hanoi The excitement was too much, we had to go for cocktails … we headed for the Bamboo Bar in the Sofitel Hotel… a fabulous colonial bar with cracking cocktails … it was just heaven us being together & catching up on the last few months.

We had a day of catching up and then I had booked a guide to take us to Sapa in the mountains .

A 6 hour drive with the last hour being bloody awful winding roads , driving on wrong side , swerving to avoid water buffalo generally scaring the crap out of me ,  we arrived in the most beautiful hotel … it was stunning in every way. Our guide I have to say wasn’t too interested but I will recommend Duong Huyen – Travel Advisor help@asiatouradvisor.com all booked before travel and without a hitch much cheaper than using a touring travel agents. We watched a young farm boy herding his buffalo and I took a quick film of it. Such a young age and completely in control …

Took me back to waiting for my results from the biopsy .. we had booked to go to the Royal Welsh Agri show and a consultant had asked me to go back to clinic on the Friday. I said I was away for a week … I didn’t want to spoil it for the children. The hospital agreed as it was really just the rubber stamp .. positive. (I have always told the kids news that’s not too nice whilst in a car. I told them about my diagnosis on way to Royal Welsh as they were super excited and had a lot to take their minds off it ) yes it was fine to ring me with the results …(not normal practice but as the biopsy had shown more a less 💯 % they agreed ). My Breast Cancer nurse rang me whilst I was watching the shearing competitions. She was slightly amused and could hardly hear over the roar of the clippers and cheering. Doubt she has ever given results again in those circumstances !! Surgery was arranged for following week …

From Sapa we flew from Hanoi to DaNang .. never without drama Mr Lover Lover had his prize Swiss Army knife in hand luggage and got busted .. we all found it amusing but more so was son who assured us he was now a world traveller …left his “man bag” on the plane and only realised when we were in baggage reclaim .. he legged it back and duly found it where he had left it ! … DaNang to Hoi An…. Hoi An is one of the most magical places in the world .. all the streets adorned with lanterns and the river is lit by hundreds of floating candles at night …sadly recently it has suffered a devastating typhoon :(.

I had my lumpectomy first and can’t not really remember much about it all apart from the awful vomiting following anaesthetic, and the wonderful nurse who held me whilst I was half dressed and vomited for what seemed like hours .. no dignity! I was sent home with a drain and I am so squeamish, I hate anything like that …it should have come with an instruction booklet . I must mention here a nurse who I know will be reading this who nursed me after second op she was the kindest, loveliest caring nurse I have come across she held my hand reassured me and looked after me. I will never forget her kind heart, after all they are doing a job and this is just a normal shift, they see hundreds of patients ..  but to me her kindness will stay with me forever ..

From Hoi An we flew to Hoi Chi Minh ready for a trip into the Mekong Delta our driver & guide rocked up and I knew we would have a lot of fun.. our guide was brilliant .. we had a hilarious couple of days travelling from My Tho up to Chau Doc seeing everything from crocodile farms to temples to Buddha’s to markets to mangroves . We had a trip to a floating market it was about 7.30 am the boats are simple affairs wooden with actual wooden garden chairs as seats ! .. the skipper cracked open a beer and laughed all the way … It was a little bit scary as it’s a filthy river and did not relish the thought being in it. Fucking hell life is way to precious to be floating down the Mekong !!

I wanted to keep the whole thing of chemo normal for the kids and had arranged to go with bestie and all the kids up to a local lake for a BBQ. I called at the shop to grab some bread and looked down at my chest to find it soaked. My wound was infected and a real mess and had burst open. Remember turning back, heading home, changing, sitting on edge of bed ( bearing in mind my squeamish side ) almost emptying the fluid into the waste bin 😤& sorting it out best I could and carrying on with planned BBQ …. so not to disappoint the kids …concoction of pain killers flying high ! Fuck my life .

We stayed in a hotel right on top of a hill in Chau Doc with spectacular views over the Mekong Delta. We had two sort of villa type rooms down one of two sets of very similar looking steep steps. We had dinner and daughter said she was going to bed .. we went through the whole set of instructions, spray mozzie spray , make sure nets are over bed and said nos da ( goodnight in Welsh ). We finished up and the 3 of us wandered back not realising we had taken a right turn too soon … said goodnight to son and we just about to go into our room and he yelps he had walked into someone else’s room by mistake. We were about to do the same …. there was a couple in bed …we were howling he was mortified when daughter appeared in our room saying mum mum look at your phone … she had done the exact same thing and text us saying she was horrified as she had walked in on a couple in bed… we howled and tried to work out who it was at breakfast .. they should have locked the door ! .

Talking of locked doors and treatment I always get slightly anxious when having mammogram / smear just in case doors not locked and just like to double check as the thought of anyone non medical seeing far too much of me makes my blood run cold … both humiliating as hell but all you sistas out there crack on with it …make sure you have your checks and if there is anything slightly different about your precious boobs please please go see your GP …I was very lucky and had rapid access to breast care wales .. my Breast Cancer presented itself as a tiny crease in my right boob hardly noticeable I thought it was the change or maybe as I had lost a few pounds to go away … not the case .. anyway back to having annual mammograms deep joy … not … size of these needs about 100 pictures or that’s what it feels like whilst the nurses make polite conversation…. my boobs are being flattened between two pieces of plastic …but then needs must and I am forever grateful to be well and truly in the system … high five for the NHS…. mammogram , Consultant all in a week hells bells I am going to say nos da for now and make some blackberry and apple gin … only takes 4 weeks before it’s ready to drink 😉🙌🏻…cariad mawr xx

Ingredients
1

325g fresh or frozen blackberries (defrosted)

150g caster sugar

1 l (1 ¾ pint) gin (any gin is fine)

Method

Put the Apple, blackberries, sugar & vanilla pod into large clean metal bowl…Pour over the gin and stir gently with a clean metal spoon. Cover with clingfilm or use kiln jar and leave to infuse for at least 2 weeks (up to one month) in a cool, dark place. When you remember, give the mixture a stir or shake in jar…re-cover.

Strain through a sieve lined with kitchen paper into a large clean jug. Using a funnel, decant into any sterilised bottles. To store: Once in sterilised bottles, the gin will keep for up to 6 months … hmmm would like to hear if anyone does keep it for 6 months!!