A wee update

Good afternoon all! I thought I should post a little catch up blog to let you all know how I got on in London! I went with my friend Amy who had to put up with a very nervous Mairead all day on Wednesday.. I couldn't even eat! On Thursday morning I was still feeling a bit sick but not as stressed.

The event wasn't until 1pm but we arrived early so I could have a run through of my speech. After that I felt grand! Everyone was so supportive and kind so it really put my at ease. Amy managed to sneak a little snap of my run through..

I actually really enjoyed the speech and felt so honoured to be invited. Lots of people came to speak to me after and were really complimentary - so that was nice! There's more information about the event here... http://www.teenagecancertrust.org/what-we-do/health-professionals/blueprint-of-care/

Afterwards, Lord McConnell took us on a tour of the House Of Lords - it was great! He has been so supportive of the Teenage Cancer Trust and was a very good tour guide. Here's a picture of me next to Queen Victoria's Throne.. Oooh!

Amy and I managed to fit in a trip to see Matilda, dinner and drinks with friends and visits to the National History Museum and the V&A! Currently, the V&A have an exhibition of ballgowns on (swooon), so that was our first stop. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take any pictures but I can confirm that the dresses were AMAZING. One plus of having a disabled badge is that I get a reduced rate for expensive exhibitions.. I have definitely taken advantage of that! I was so knackered after the trip so went to bed as soon as I got in on Friday!

The past few weeks have been rather busy with birthdays, meetings, hen do's and the like. All good fun really! I had a bone scan on Friday at 9am (GAAAH) which was OK too. I was expecting it to be like an MRI but it was fine. It was also a good excuse to get a nice West End breakfast after.

On Saturday, Rona, Teenie, ML and I ventured to Aberfeldy for Cat's hen do - it was SO much fun. ML organised the whole day and did an amazing job. I am now so unbelievably excited for Cat's wedding on Saturday. It is going to be a wonderful day. (I stole one of your pictures Judy - hope you don't mind!)

Here are a few other pictures of recent times. First up, myself and ML looking very cheery.

My wonderful Music Girls who always put a (rather large) smile on my face.

We had a lovely cousin fuelled few days for Grace's birthday a few weeks ago. It was so nice to spend some time with them all. Also, as Eurovision was on, it gave Teenie and I an excuse to dress up as Jedward!

We had an 'ironic' Jubilee Party a few weeks ago - it was ace! We ate a lot of cake..

This first picture is a few weeks old but I love it. The kids discovered Instagram on my phone and seemed to enjoy it. It's James' birthday today so they came round to drop off a card for James and help eat the amazing cake Mum and Teenie created! 

I can't quite believe James is 20 - crazy. His back is still pretty bad but will hopefully improve soon as he is getting rather intense physio every week. So, it's a rather miserable birthday for him so his 21st next year will have to be immense!

Healthwise, I'm going grand. Blood levels are still a bit low but not worrying. My energy levels are still a bit rubbish but I know it's something I need to build on. After the crazy weekend, I have felt absolutely shattered! I'm still aware that I need to conserve my energy and that it will take a long time to recover. As I've said before, it's a gradual process but I can definitely see improvement - even if it is taking a while!

I'm really looking forward to the Summer - weddings, hen do's, a trip to Keswick, the induction at Coatbridge (YAY) and some voluntary work for Macmillan. I'm excited to actually 'have' a Summer so I want to try and pack a lot of things in. I hope everyone is having a cheery Wednesday!