Mummy at the School Gate

It's now October and so much has happened that previously would have been terrifying. They're now just memories of things that have just happened along the journey. Every day is a blessing. Every day that is normal is even more of a blessing.  Days after we met with "Our warrior" things rapidly descended into madness. I can't think of another word to describe it. It was early May.  Mike started experiencing excruciating pain in his back. He couldn't move without crying out. He made it to bed but the pain was getting worse. It was almost like his back was constantly in a spasm. Regular pain killers weren't cutting it, so at midnight I made the decision to call for help. I was mindful of Covid, especially with Mike now being vulnerable.  I guess there's a first time for everything. I'd never been in the situation of calling emergency services and I had no idea how to do it. I phoned 111 and explained the situation, that Mike had recently been diagnos

 I have no idea what day we’re at now since the initial diagnosis, and I have no idea how we’ve made this our ‘new normal’ so quickly.  We’re no longer sobbing helplessly. I’m no longer in a whirl of fear and despair. We’re now getting on with it.  It was a bleak week. The days were overcast and dull. Our life on hold. On the day of our consultation with our chosen oncologist at The Cromwell Hospital we feared that he wouldn’t take us on. We thought we’d be turned away and left on our own. We sat in the Genesis suite waiting.   Then...out he bounced. Introducing himself, I knew we’d made the right choice, or maybe the right choice had been made for us. He wasn’t dressed how we’d expected. Not suited and booted in his saville row suit, but casually in jeans and trainers. He was as young as I’d expected, but with an energy and an aura I knew was well placed. We couldn’t see his face as it was covered with the obligatory mask, but Mike said later, that his eyes were shinning...and they we

It’s incredible once you start speaking to people. Everyone knows someone who’s been struck by cancer. They know someone going through it now, or they someone living with it daily. We’ve been overwhelmed with support and kindness and knowing we’re not alone really helps. I have no idea of the normal process for anything medical. We’ve never needed it.  My brother had needed urgent hospital treatment, but unfortunately the NHS was pretty poor at that time and were unable to support him. It was a horrible experience and once the consultant heard that we were moving him to a private facility had said “I didn’t know they were prepared to pay”. That shocked me. Should it matter if you had money available? I vowed that we would never be in that position again.  I took out private medical insurance so that we’d have to go through that. I’m certain that 20 years later the position has changed. I have nothing but admiration and support for the NHS. They have certainly kept this country going an

I’ve stopped crying. I’m not sure for how long, but today was a good day. It was a good day in the sense that we acted normally in this totally bizarre and odd new normal. How many times have we said that this year? New normal? So many phrases that seemed trite and strange are used regularly to describe any crazy situation we find ourselves in. We’d finally been able to tell our son that his dad has cancer. It made it real. He cried. He was shocked. Our 30 year old son who adores and admires his dad always thought he was invincible, but it’s freaked him out beyond belief. I guess it’s the same for everyone when told of something that happens to other people. We’re always shocked and terrified when we hear something we never expect to hear. He’s a great dad and he’s a lucky son to have him. He knows this. We haven’t got to the stage of treatment yet. We have a vague idea of what to expect. We have no idea of the grade or stage. Oncologists haven’t been appointed although the consultant

 Hmmm, doesn’t sound too uplifting does it? It doesn’t really matter because this is for me...and I am no stranger to death. Really. Not my own, but like millions of us around the globe I’ve had loss. I’ve suffered from grief and I’ve prayed that it would never happen again. But it does. It’s inevitable. With life there’s death. Always. And it’s those who are left behind who suffer continuously.  I’m not incredibly self indulgent (unless it comes to buying clothes), but as this blog is for my thoughts it’s my indulgent spot where I can say what I want, not that I’ve not censored or held back on posting. If you looked into my drafts you’ll see 100’s of posts that I haven’t posted. I’m not really who I say I am. The things I’ve written about have happened, but 10 years ago I needed an outlet for something that happened and mummyattheschoolgate was born. It helped me through a rough patch.  I don’t have three children. I have one son. I’m not 40 something, I’m older. I feel younger. I hav

Recently, my ma (who is 87, donchaknow) decided to bake some scones.  Now, she’s been a pretty good cook all of her life and attention to detail and minutiae of all things cooked knows no bounds! We’d all rather eat with her, than schlepp down to that Michelin starred restaurant we have on our doorstep when summoned to join her for a nosh.   She’s that good. My dad was the master of triple cooked chips...before it became a ‘thing’. Summer BBQ’s always featured his skill...and his own take on Kentucky Fried Chicken made it impossible to not turn up!  Growing up, every Christmas Eve would find us in the kitchen, baking mince pies..at midnight!  It was our tradition. Obviously half of them would disappear into the ether as we tested them fit for consumption.  Christmas Eve would also find us decorating the house in the vibe of Santa’s grotto. The walls would be covered with silver foil, the ceiling festooned with paper chains. Every nook and cranny would be filled with glitter and glitz.

If you made a New Years resolution last year and kept to it, you really should give yourself a big pat on the back. If it was carving yourself some time, out of your busy life then it should’ve been easy, what we’ve all the time we’ve had, BUT, if you’re like me and procrastination is something you struggle with then you’ve only yourself to blame.  Because I’m no longer gainfully employed, I’ve spent the last year binge watching Netflix, TV series and anything that looks remotely interesting. I’ve spent a year where I’ve scoured the online shops for clothes I don’t need as I’ve nowhere to wear them. I’ve painted all of the rooms in the house and only stopped because I ran out of walls. I’ve cleaned cupboards, Kondo’ed the buggery, out of everyone’s wardrobes, baked bread and realised that I’ve been spending a fortune on cardboard. The things I’ve wanted to do, planned to do because I don’t have time ..I didn’t. Not anyone’s fault but mine. It’s not all been selfish and about me. I visi