Felicitations for the fabulous festive fiesta, my alliteratively appreciative amigos! (#toomuchleftoverbaileys)
Phew – I hope your guts are not too busted, and you’ve room enough for 500 at your outdoor gathering in two sleeps’ time.
Chicken HQ has been quiet but pleasant over the last few days. Not least because we had turkey, of course…chicky has done a very good job of hiding herself, wisely so.
I’m starting a high dose, high intensity course of radiotherapy tomorrow – huzzah! Every day for six weeks. It’s not a cure – it’s a mitigation. There’s no more surgical options for me. Fine!
Anyway, this one sounds very good. Apparently, my skin will burn off (yawn – did with breast cancer radio 4 years ago, got litres of E45, blah blah), I won’t be able to swallow easily (bonus: excuse!); won’t be able to tolerate very hot, very cold or very spicy things (not ideal but can live with). Besides, and more importantly, I’ve known friends of mine who’ve done that with no complaint. I won’t be complaining- never.
Who – and I mean WHO – actually cares? I’m bloody delighted – it’s a step forward to control the as yet uncontrollable, the unknown, the theories – let’s crack the f on is what I say!
I posted the following earlier in the year. I have modified it slightly, but here is the context.
I’d been feeling super rough from chemo – I have to admit, that regime was a fcker. I was sat in my greenhouse just crying, because I felt so awful. I was saying to myself: “just three days, the last chemo, and then it will be over, and you will feel better” (cry, cry, cry – soooo pathetic).
When my carer was driving me back from the treatment, he was telling me about the petrol queues and the fact that people were again fighting over pasta in the supermarkets. I was furious – and, at myself, for snivelling, about something that would pass for me, in a short time. When we got home, i walked (albeit a bit ragged looking 👹) straight down to the seafront and the following poured out in 12 minutes.
Gratitude
To cold and pain I have no claims
No daily fight so breath sustains.
No challenge but for modern world;
No fear of futures yet unfurled.
There is no wolf outside my door,
For Fortune means there’s always more.
No wretched route from hand to lip,
No capture on a sinking ship.
This tide, it glides so soft and strong,
As certain as the swallow’s song;
As with hope she soars her miles,
To warmer lands, on airborne smiles.
And as I sit beside this shore,
I feel a love right to my core.
For what we have, we must exalt
Lest greed and gall become default.
No reason, cause or abject blame –
We all arrived here just the same.
But pause and ponder if you will;
Hope for others’ peace and still.
I think we (me) all need to think more about others, and i know that we all do; just saying. Whatever faces you, right at the moment, can’t be as bad as what others face every single bally day.
Thank you as always for your amazing support for yet another bloody year ❤️
🤦♀️Crikey, I need to find some new material!
Happy New Year chickettes xxxxx
Sent from my iPad
Who's going to get the chicken? 
You are amazing as always Sophie! I was reading this after being enraged by a visit to our local Tesco (it was hell) and encountering some awful people and behaviours. This was after having completed a lovely long walk in Stansted forest this morning. Its amazing how quickly we can react to situations if we don’t keep ourselves aware and recognise what we are grateful for. It’s the small things each day that make a huge difference to our wellbeing.
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