English Lawn Tennis Club

English Lawn Tennis Club, originally uploaded by Mrs Flower.

The grand opening of the new retractable roof at Centre Court at Wimbledon took place on 17 May. Katherine Jenkins, Farah Smith and Blake (?) performed.

Much better to have the roof for everyone concerned! :)

The handsome one (my other half) measured how far we live from Centre Court at the English Lawn Tennis Club, where the Wimbledon Championships are held.. and it is 800 metres as the crow flies! I didn't realsie we were THAT close to the courts. Wish I was a crow so could watch all day every day :)

Loving to travel!

1. Kruger National Park, South Africa


2. Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa


3. Cape Town, South Africa


4. Johannesburg, South Africa


5. London, UK


6. Rome, Italy


7. Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa


8. Fish Hoek, South Africa


9. Stellenbosch, South Africa


10. Wilderness, South Africa


11. Simon's Town, South Africa


12. Bath, UK


13. Richmond, UK


14. Rye, UK


15. Tenterden, UK


16. Stratford-upon-Avon, UK


17. Interlaken, Switzerland


18. Chepstow, UK


19. Brecon Beacons National Park, UK

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California beckons!

After 5 weeks of battling with a heavy chest and bronchial infection, losing my voice and getting a sty on my eye... I am happy to say my voice came back this weekend, sty is all about gone, chest feels better, I feel stronger - breathing problems are so debilitating, it is amazing.

We have also (excitedly!) booked our holiday to California end August this year! We are flying from Heathrow to San Francisco, staying overnight at a Crown Plaza Hotel, to fly from San Francisco down to Lax, then onto Oxnard in the morning.

My dear friend Kat lives there... I haven't seen her since her last visit to London January 2008, so it's been a while!

We are splashing out a little and hiring a convertible for our stay in Hollywood Beach - it was only £40 more in total so is a good deal! It just cannot rain now whilst we are there...

We will spend three days with her and her hubby, staying in their beach condo (ooh la lah!), popping up to Santa Barbara, seeing other pals etc. I cannot wait to see her and have a good natter!

Then it's back to San Francisco where we are staying at a lovely little boutique hotel for a week, The Orchard Hotel. It's on a popular tram line, which will be good, I so love exploring cities... but don't do hills (errr we will be in SF...)... being asthmatic and overweight do not bode well for hills! But I will persevere!

We will visit Alcatraz, Sausalito and the Muir Woods with their huge redwood trees, do a wine tour, have tea at The Palace Hotel, Golden Gate Bridge with the lovely Japanese Garden close by, do a Hop on Hop off tour, visit the USS Pampanito (submarine), and the Balclutha (full rigged ship) at the Marina, and museums and art galleries. We'll check out Pier 45 and Fisherman's Wharf - well aware it's a bit of a tourist trap, but hey. Let's hope we aren't scared by the man that goes 'BOO'!

So, lots to see and do in San Francisco! I love the style of architecture and the *flavour* of this city... much like I loved the *flavour* of everything in Charleston too.

We are then off to Yosemite National Park for a couple of days, we are staying in the park itself at Yosemite Lodge. We are so looking forward to this too, we are nature lovers of note.

So, all in all, a holiday to look forward to!

Crocs

So, we finally succumbed and bought some crocs.

I have never been a huge fan of them, however I have to say - they are incredibly comfortable! We went for a long walk in the common yesterday (Wimbledon Common), and, apart from the odd little stone getting into them now and again, it felt like we were walking on air!

Can you guess who is who here?

Apologies

Apologies my blogging friends for not being around much of late - I have been quite poorly the last 5 weeks and haven't had the strength to spend time on the compy. Respiratory problems can be so debilitating... everything seems to happen in slow motion at times.

Anyway, I am feeling loads better and will be on fine form soon.

I hope you are all well x

I nearly burst into tears!

I went to the doctor yesterday and I was feeling really sicky and yucky... could hardly breathe I was wheezing so much, have no voice, a crackly chest infection... looked and felt a sight!

The doctor is a new doctor there, this is the second time I have seen her, the first time I had 3 little mindees with me when I was having BP taken and general asthma care queries (which the parents knew about and had okayed).

Do you know what this (now favourite) doctor said to me?

'If I had children I would want them to come to you. The children obviously love you and you have a wonderful way with them. You are like a mum to them. They seem to be developing so well too, I am sure you have a good hand in that'.

I was gobsmacked ... and nearly burst into tears! What an incredibly kind thing to say, especially when I am feeling so rubbish and hubby and I are wanting children so badly. I do put my all into my job.

It gave me an extra spring in my step on the way home... okay, twas a wheezy springy type step... but a springy step non-the-less!

We live in a society that loves to assume, judge and upset, with their ignorance and arrogance. If everyone paid a compliment to one extra person each day, just imagine how many more smiles we'd see on the bus, in the Tesco queue? I'd think loads more.

What has anyone - a stranger?/a family member?/a friend? said to you lately out of the blue that was so uplifting?

Ugh. Poorly again.

I am really battling with it again. Saw the doc twice this week... at first as was a mere head cold on Monday. Hubby had it too, but after 3 days was right as rain. Not me though. The last 2 nights I've had high fevers, cannot eat, am coughing loads.

So back to doctor this am. Don't want to end up in hospital again!

Now I have a full-blown chest infection so am on bally antibiotics again, on steroid tablets (grrrr they put about 1kg on me each day!), excema cream (which flares up when body in distress), got more inhalers etc. that I needed. She nebulised me too which helped with the wheeze, although chest still incredibly tight.

Thankfully I chose a good week to get ill as 4 of my 6 mindees are on holiday! So I only had to concern myself with 2.

I am very good with my daily inhalers and generally it's fine... but then now and again have a relapse. With the head cold it was fine to mind (I look after kids who have colds, no prob), but then as I felt that becoming a chest infection I stopped care. I could plod on, take it easy with the kids, as I know it's difficult for parents to take time off work... but I offer a service with high care and I would be acting irresponsibly were I to soldier on I believe, especially where my breathing is concerned. An attack comes on very quickly too.

What do other CMs with chronic asthma do? How bad to you get with your asthma before stopping providing care?

I put this question to some CM coleagues, and these were their responses:

'I do feel incredibly guilty taking time of work for any reason - I am only minding part-time and so it only really affected my other part-time job. You will be off work longer if you try to soldier on and possibly end up back in hosp which will be much worse for you and the parents/children. You are doing the right thing as your health is very important.'

'Parents won't give a hoot if the level of care slips a bit or you go on less outings than usual or you take it a bit easier... so stop worrying about that!!

It really is down to how you are feeling and whether you're best carrying on so that you have something to take your mind of the asthma... or if you're best stopping to get yourself better.'

Their responses have made me feel better. I do hate being off sick... have only had 4 days off in 2 years which isnt too bad, especially considering I have a chronic condition. But was good to hear what the girls had to say.

Is my last name Rockerfella???

What can I do?

Our tenants in Johannesburg are supposed to pay their rent in latest the 5th of every month.

Last month = NO RENT!!!!
This month they paid on the 12th!!!!

Is my last name Rockerfella???

We have tried to manage the property from afar for the last 2.5 years but are thinking we just have to get an agent in to manage it for us. It's such a hassle when the plumber is needed.. rates and taxes law changes etc.

Their lease ends on 31st July 2009. And it WILL END. No matter how many emails we get re how 'happy they are there'. He says he had a medical emergency. I don't quite believe him. Plus there are two of them there, so why wasn't half the rent paid at least? And why is it always late? Do people not consider the roof over their head?

I wish the property market wasn't so bad currently, because I just feel like selling it.

And to top it all off I have (yet another!) bronchial chest infection. My lungs are still suffering from the attack in November 2008 - they are working at half capacity now, not a quarter as they were then (small steps)... when will they mend?

The open casket

Below is a letter from my friend. It had me in tears. These poor kids,
losing their mum at such a young age. I am not too sure about them
seeing their dead mum in an open casket though, what do you think?

>>>>>

Hi Jen,

We buried Betty yesterday and it was a sad day, but yet thanks to Tom it also
was a celebration of life. How can you not cry and laugh when you see the
innocence of a very rambunctious little boy who embodied the joie-de-vivre of
his mother who he won't really remember, and who was loving the attention!

David is going to have his hands full with him as was shown as Tom stood
behind him at the reception after the service trying to pull down his pants,
with a grin of total mischievious 5-yr old boyishness!

Poor Alice, she was a little more overwhelmed by it all - sort of understanding
but not really. She was concerned about her mother being left in the cemetary
all by herself. I was talking to David last night about it, and told him what my
mother told me when I was little and my grandmother died - that it was only the
outer shell that was put in the ground, that she was in Heaven with God and with
loved ones. Hopefully he can help Alice understand that her mother will always
be in her heart, and not in a hole in the ground.

Funeral customs I know are different around the world - and even here with
different cultural/religious groups. We have "visitation" or a "wake" usually
the day (or in some cases for 2 days) before the service at a "funeral home".
There is always a controversy about open casket or closed... I prefer the closed
with a nice photo of the deceased.

Betty's was open and David had the kids in to see her which some thought was
gruesome. Actually, I think it gave them a better sense of the closure - the reality.
It was a decision only a parent could make, knowing his children.

I think it was better that they were not hidden away from it all - and their
curiosity was very natural. It was heart-breaking hearing about Tom wanting to
get in the casket with her - I think it had as much to do with a little boy wanting
to climb into a box! And then that Alice touched her hands and was sad that
Mummy's hands were so cold.

One happy thing that did come out of this situation was that another one of our
cousins who has been estranged from her father came out from western Canada for
the funeral and built a bridge with her father. She hadn't seen him in 10
years, and it was good to see. Not that they are going to be best friends, but
she can go home knowing that she took the high road and made the effort. If her
father dies before she sees him again, she has that peace of mind.

I've never been more proud of her - so glad that she did it and it was a better
reunion than I had expected. Neither of them are Christians but there's been a
lot of prayers that there would be reconciliation between father and daughter.

Much get going to work... but thought I'd tell you about yesterday, in part.
Hugs and good wishes your way,

Sally
>>>>>

The fear of death

I heard three pieces of bad news today... one from a friend in South Africa, whose mum has to start chemotherapy again, as her cancer has returned.

Another friend's sister in law in the States passed away due to... you guessed it... the 'c' word. She wrote me a beautiful letter which I will post, sans identity. Made me chuckle and cry all at once.

Another friend in the States is so stressed, her son has an inoperable cyst in his spine. He has a baby due in July too, and everything in their life is so bittersweet ... she said she wishes she had the faith I do to believe in God, so He could help her through this trauma... she is an atheist.

Tragic. All of it. Why???

One of the worse part of any illness is the frustration of not being able to do anything physically to fix it - to make the patient better - and the unknown factors.

I received an inspirational message a week or two ago that said:
'When I have something to worry about I hand it to the Lord. He's going to be up all night anyway'.

I truly believe that the Lord will give us all the strength we need if we let Him.