Update - scan results and surgery

I can barely believe that it's been two and a half months since the last update. Happy belated new year to you all.

To get straight to the facts...

• Ali had a scan earlier in the year which showed some of the tumours were isodense. We weren't really too sure what that meant but they were changing in some form. Doctors said it wasn't anything to get worked up about but worth watching bit more closely.
• Last week, Ali had another scan. Good news was that it showed the existing tumours weren't growing. The not so good news was that the docs spotted a new 1cm tumour. Not clear yet why old ones aren't growing and a new one pops up but the docs were going to have a chat and think about it and let us know soon. It's just wait and see on this one.
• Yesterday Ali had surgery to remove her ovaries. She had been chemically restricting her production of eostrogen (the cancer likes the hormones) for a while but the time came when the trauma and inconvenience of the surgery were worth the benefits, which in its own way is a positive sign. Operation went well and doctors were satisfied. She is still in hospital but may come home Thursday (4/3) or Friday (5/3). A little sore, a little lighter but hopefully worthwhile.

In other news, Annelise has started her new school and really enjoys it. She seems to be starting to make new friends while still staying in contact with some of her old friends. All up she's pretty happy.

Harrison is on school camp at the moment. He's been away since Tuesday and comes home tomorrow. There have been no emergency phone calls from the school so I'm assuming it's all going OK.

We're still looking for a new house to move into. Having settled on our old property around Australia Day, we are now located in Matt and Bron's house in Wanniassa which is very convenient. Hopefully we find something soon.

That's it for now.

Five sleeps to go!

Kids are starting to get excited. Tree is up, lights are flashing.

My brother arrives from Perth today, will be good to catch up as it has been a while.

We have our first 'Christmas dinner' tonight with Alison's dad.

Both kids are now finished school for the year and I finish up on Wednesday.

:)

Looking for a new home

Hi all

With the house now sold, we are searching for our new abode. We've had a couple of possibilities but nothing that has really grabbed us. It seems the ones that Alison sets her eyes on are ones that are very comfortably out of our price range! I think it will need just a bit of steering and expectation management to get her on the right path to a realistic home.

Still, I think we will be able to find the right place so long as we have some patience and a reasonable attitude to what to expect.

We had last night in Sydney, visiting Colleen, Paul and the kids. It was a great time for adults and kids. The adults went out to the Opera House to watch the Whitlams play with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra while the kids went to a BBQ at the local school and then watched a video (staying up until 9:30pm as Annelise told us this morning!).

Earlier today, Alison and I had a quick trip to buy her a retirement ring from Tiffany & Co.. I must say, it is a very impressive place. She has dreamt of being able to visit and buy a ring from there for many years so I am very happy that we were able to do it. Looking at what they had on offer, it was incredible to see what you can get if you have some real money. Ah well, keep on dreaming.

Section below is just for adults!! Just highlight by selecting text below (no kids allowed).


Christmas just 20 days away now. We have the Christmas tree up and carols ringing through the house anytime Alison gets her way with the stereo. The kids are keen and excited although Harrison has decided that he won't be sitting on Santa's lap this year as he doesn't want to mix it with "some stranger that's not really Santa Claus anyway". Hmmmm, we may be lucky to get through this one with him as a believer but I don't think we'll get another year out of it.

That's all for now. Take care.

PS - I have just discovered Mojitos. Mmmmmm. I picked up a bottle of Havana Club Anejo Blanco this afternoon and it makes a very refreshing drink. You'll all have to come around one day to try it. :)

SOLD!!!

House is now sold! And it seems to have gone to a good family who have a baby due in March next year, just after they move in.

We're happy but now need to get serious about finding somewhere to live. It seems very real now that the clock is ticking and we need to move out in a couple of months.

Coundown to auction - this Thursday

Only a few more sleeps to go...

The auction is on this Thursday night; we're hoping that someone falls in love with the place and gets to enjoy it just as much as we did.

Harrison is off his crutches so that's one hassle out of the way.

I'll be sure to give an upon on how the auction goes so stay tuned.

House for sale in Cook - auction

Up for auction on 26 November.

You can see the rest of the house on the allhomes.com.au website.

Feel free to encourage everyone you know to come along and bid at the auction.

I'm Back!!!

First of all, no news has been good news. Ali is well, still getting the hormone treatment, tumours are small and not growing. Each week I keep thinking I should put something on the blog but then, either time gets away or there is nothing much too interesting to say.

As far as news goes...well Harrison will be turning 9 in less than two weeks! Last year still doesn't seem that long ago and I sometimes get the feeling he is way beyond his 9 yrs. He got his report card from school and he was more critical of it than I was! Only about 4 'A's for effort this semester. He has even asked me to prepare some 'homework' for him during the school holidays so that he can stay on top of it all. It's great to see him motivated but he also has the relax mode in hand so no hassles there.

One problem he has had is that he finally got the all clear to play cricket this season with his school (there was a concern that his warfarin may prevent this). He absolutely LOVES his cricket and could be found endlessly throwing a ball or bowling by himself in the back yard. Unfortunately though, he has injured himself. There was a moment where we were worried he had Perthes Disease (as it was something Alison had, can be hereditary, and is likely to strike at his age) however, it seems he has simply torn/strained a small muscle running across his hip. All the same, this means about 6-8 wks on crutches and no cricket for a while.

Annelise is still Annelise. Growing up quickly, getting into make up, music, etc. Her and Alison are heading up to Sydney tomorrow (boys weekend!!!) to go and see Mamma Mia with the cousins. No dramas with Annelise and she is growing up very well.

News flash - we are selling our house. This one takes up too much of our time and at the moment, we just don't want to have to worry about fixing bits and pieces or doing the yard. We have put down new carpet, painted the house (inside and out) and tidied up the yard. The place looks stunning and I hope we manage to get a fair price for it. It should be up on the net tomorrow so I'll post a link when it's ready and you can all look at the photos (or feel free to come along and spend lots of money to buy it). The auction is scheduled for 27 November so stay tuned for news on this.

I'm sure there's other things but at the moment, there's not a great deal more I can think of to talk about (my team lost in OzTag tonight). As always, I'll try to be more diligent with my blogging but then, when there is not really much to say, it's hard to sit down and say that.

Hope you all are doing well and wishing you all the best.

Andrew