I need help from all you bloggers out there.
I need to find several couples that work together who DON'T live in Cornwall.
(There is an abundance of highly creative spouses in Cornwall but that's no good - I need them spread wider afield.)
These people have to be over 35, living anywhere in Britain and work with their spouse (though they don't have to be married?.
If anyone knows anyone, please email me on flower.pot@btinternet.com - my deadline is Tuesday afternoon!
Will post more when I have time - in haste!
Sunday, 10 February 2008
Friday, 8 February 2008
Songs on the Brain
This morning I woke up singing Leaving On a Jet Plane.
For those of you under a certain age you probably won’t remember this gem, which was written by John Denver in 1967 (a fact I had to look up on Wikipedia – you can see how bad my memory is).
Quite why this particular tune decided to drag me into consciousness at six am on this particular Friday I have no idea. I didn’t hear it on the radio or television yesterday, and I hadn’t been talking about John Denver (in fact I could have sworn it was by someone else) but we are going to see my mother this weekend. This involves a car journey though, not a plane, and we most definitely are coming back on Sunday.
But a dear mate of mine is flying off to Egypt on Sunday for a much deserved week off. So Carole, I will think of you sunning yourselves on that beach, raising a weary arm to get yet another cocktail, while some of us slave over a hot computer, or walk the dog in the dank greyness of a February afternoon.
(Actually, I’m quite content and having to sit still for more than five minutes would cause me serious grief, as she well knows. But I wouldn’t mind a bit of hot weather and swimming.)
So Leaving on a Jet Plane is for you, Carole, and have a good one.
The day before I had songs from Pajama Game on my brain. I couldn’t make it to rehearsals, but the songs just popped up, to remind me, anyhow.
What was the last song you had on your brain?
For those of you under a certain age you probably won’t remember this gem, which was written by John Denver in 1967 (a fact I had to look up on Wikipedia – you can see how bad my memory is).
Quite why this particular tune decided to drag me into consciousness at six am on this particular Friday I have no idea. I didn’t hear it on the radio or television yesterday, and I hadn’t been talking about John Denver (in fact I could have sworn it was by someone else) but we are going to see my mother this weekend. This involves a car journey though, not a plane, and we most definitely are coming back on Sunday.
But a dear mate of mine is flying off to Egypt on Sunday for a much deserved week off. So Carole, I will think of you sunning yourselves on that beach, raising a weary arm to get yet another cocktail, while some of us slave over a hot computer, or walk the dog in the dank greyness of a February afternoon.
(Actually, I’m quite content and having to sit still for more than five minutes would cause me serious grief, as she well knows. But I wouldn’t mind a bit of hot weather and swimming.)
So Leaving on a Jet Plane is for you, Carole, and have a good one.
The day before I had songs from Pajama Game on my brain. I couldn’t make it to rehearsals, but the songs just popped up, to remind me, anyhow.
What was the last song you had on your brain?
Thursday, 7 February 2008
Lost for Words
Over the last few weeks I have heard of two people who have been diagnosed with cancer. One is a dear friend’s father who has not been given long to live. My mate sent me an email saying she couldn’t talk right then but would ring later. She rang and I was speechless. Apart from saying I’m sorry, she started crying and I did too. Absolutely no comfort to the poor thing.
The other was a dogwalking friend whom I don’t know very well. I got out of the car to walk Moll early this morning and there was Olga, looking very pale. I asked if she was all right and she said, “I’ve had some bad news.”
I asked what it was, and she said, “well, you know I’ve had breast cancer and had both breasts removed.”
“No,” I said, my heart sinking.
“I heard yesterday that they’ve found more cancer and it’s spread.” She looked at me uncomprehendingly. “I’m flabbergasted. I didn’t ask the right questions and I can’t believe it.”
I gave her a big hug and said I was so sorry – what stupid words, meaningless, trite and worthless. And I cursed the lack of words – but what do you say? Our language is like food nowadays; there’s too much choice, we overuse the ones that are bad for us and don’t select high quality ones of real meaning. We use takeaway words that are pre-selected, bantered by the media and served in the chiller department, easy to grab, easy to use. Mixed metaphors? You'd be mixed if you were served up cancer.
When it comes to a disaster, we don’t have the right ones to hand. Or we’ve forgotten how to use them.
Or perhaps a cuddle is better than words?
The other was a dogwalking friend whom I don’t know very well. I got out of the car to walk Moll early this morning and there was Olga, looking very pale. I asked if she was all right and she said, “I’ve had some bad news.”
I asked what it was, and she said, “well, you know I’ve had breast cancer and had both breasts removed.”
“No,” I said, my heart sinking.
“I heard yesterday that they’ve found more cancer and it’s spread.” She looked at me uncomprehendingly. “I’m flabbergasted. I didn’t ask the right questions and I can’t believe it.”
I gave her a big hug and said I was so sorry – what stupid words, meaningless, trite and worthless. And I cursed the lack of words – but what do you say? Our language is like food nowadays; there’s too much choice, we overuse the ones that are bad for us and don’t select high quality ones of real meaning. We use takeaway words that are pre-selected, bantered by the media and served in the chiller department, easy to grab, easy to use. Mixed metaphors? You'd be mixed if you were served up cancer.
When it comes to a disaster, we don’t have the right ones to hand. Or we’ve forgotten how to use them.
Or perhaps a cuddle is better than words?
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
Soaps
Last night we watched the penultimate episode of Mistresses which, for those of you that don’t watch it is about – er – mistresses. Clever, that.
I should explain here that the reason why I’m amazed that Himself has got so hooked on this programme is because he doesn’t watch soaps. At least, that’s what he says. His older sister reliably informs me that he was hooked no Neighbours many years ago, but he vigorously denies this, of course.
The plotline for the series is four women who are involved with various men and all in deep trouble.
Katie had an affair with one of her terminally ill patients and, when he begged her to help him end his life, she did. She then went on to have an affair with his son and finally told him what she’d done. Being a thwarted male, he spilt the beans, told mummy and Katie has now been suspended pending a court case.
Jess works for a party planning company and is having an affair with the boss. But when she organises a civil partnership, she slept with one of the women on her hen night. They start seeing each other again and she realises she is deeply in love.
Trudi’s husband Paul was killed on September 11th, she believed. But now a strange woman has turned up saying her son is Paul’s and now that Trudi has won a million quid on the lottery, she wants some maintenance. Trudi is now involved with another man but getting cold feet. She finally decides to give the woman some money and gets to the hotel, waits for hours and then sees her ex-husband running in with this woman and her child.
Siobhan has been trying to have a baby with her husband Hari for ages. As the marriage goes sour, she has an affair with a younger man at work, but when she discovers she’s pregnant, she lets Hari believe it’s his. The bloke at work realises, is livid and tells her where to go. Overwrought, she tells Hari the baby isn’t his and he is horrified.
So there you have it. Writing this summary, it reads as trite rubbish. I have trouble believing some of the situations, and I have no idea what message the programme is trying to convey. We presumably have to wait for next week for that.
But the writing is excellent; each week there are incredible twists and turns in the plot and the tension is racked up by the minute which all makes for very watchable stuff. We have been glued for the last five weeks and I can’t wait for next Tuesday.
Himself was just as keen until in bed last night when I said, “It’s a good soap, isn’t t?”
“Soap?” he cried hotly. “It’s not a soap!”
I hotly asserted it was, and this morning looked it up. According to Wikipedia, “A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction, usually broadcast on television or radio.”
I told him and he listened in silence. Then he said, “I think it’s better than a soap.”
Sometimes, I wonder…
Tuesday, 5 February 2008
Adenomyosis
This has just been published in Nursing Standard (this week's edition) so has to go into the portfolio. Everything you never wanted to know about painful periods..
Adenomyosis
• Symptoms include very heavy bleeding and severe cramps
• Is aggravated by the cyclical pattern, so the key is to stop the menstrual cycle
• Occurs mostly in women over 35, many who have undergone uterine surgery, e.g. fibroid removal or Caesarian
• There is no known cause
• The condition worsens with age, but tends to right itself after menopause
One in ten women suffer unbearably painful periods, have to miss work, cancel holidays and even become housebound for several days every month. The cause of this could be adenomyosis, a condition of the uterus that most women have never heard of.
With adenomyosis, the tissue that lines the uterus (the endometrium) grows into the muscle of the uterus. This means that the blood and endometrial cells that usually leave the uterus with a period every month are trapped deep within the muscle, causing severe cramping and very heavy bleeding.
This condition tends to right itself after the menopause, but those who suffer from it find that the knife-like cramps and heavy bleeding worsen as they get older, and many women become anaemic through loss of blood.
The symptoms include:-
- very heavy and prolonged bleeding that can include passing blood clots;
- severe cramping during menstruation that increases with age;
- bleeding in between periods;
- painful intercourse;
- if the condition is advanced, it can cause infertility.
However, these signs can be similar to those suffering endometriosis or fibroids, so careful examination is necessary to detect the exact nature of the condition.
“There is little awareness of adenomyosis because, as it is located within the muscle layer, it is difficult to diagnose,” says Dr Sarah Gray, GP Specialist in Women’s Health. “The symptoms are pain associated with the onset of bleeding, so I can pick it up from a pattern of symptoms. If all other tests come back negative, I assume the problem is adenomyosis.”
The statistics are sparse, because the problem has, until fairly recently, only been diagnosed by examining the tissues of women who have had a hysterectomy. Approximately 10% have been found to have adenomyosis, but it is believed to be present in about 5% of all women of a fertile age, and many of these are unaware that they have the condition. It has been found that 12% of women with this disease have also had endometriosis.
Diagnosis can be by means of a vaginal examination which often shows a tender and/or enlarged uterus. Now MRI scans and ultrasound are used by clinical professionals to detect the condition, but none of these definitely prove that adenomyosis is present. The only accurate diagnostic method is still after hysterectomy.
While some GPs believe that hysterectomy is the best way to treat adenomyosis, most women prefer not to have such invasive surgery. For women who have had children or do not wish to conceive, the Mirena coil has proved extremely effective. This intrauterine device works by releasing the hormone progestogen directly into the uterus. This thins the uterus lining, so there will be less, or no, bleeding every month.
“The Mirena coil is 94% effective,’ said Una Stevens, a nurse for the charity Woman’s Health Concern, “but obviously it doesn’t suit everyone. For the first few months following insertion, heavy bleeding can occur, but this can be counterbalanced by taking a progesterone tablet such as Noresthisterone, which will settle the uterus and reduce blood loss.”
Other pharmaceutical treatments include a type of hormonal contraceptive commonly known as the 'mini pill' or progestogen-only pill (POP). It contains the active ingredient desogestrel, which is a synthetic progestogen, similar to the natural progestogens produced by the body. This breaks the hormonal cycle, thereby eliminating any bleeding and cramps.
Gonadoptrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) treatments lower the levels of oestrogen in the body which lightens periods and therefore reduces symptoms, and can reduce the degree of the adenomyosis. However, these treatments cannot be taken for long without a break, and can have adverse side effects such as headaches, depression and weight gain.
“For patients wishing to conceive, I would suppress the cycle until they did want to get pregnant,” says Dr Gray. “That means taking the contraceptive pill continuously – without a gap. Adenomyosis is aggravated by anything cyclical, so the key is stopping the cycle.”
Some male GPs can be dismissive about painful or heavy periods, meaning that many women think nothing can be done, so it important that nurses have a knowledge and understanding of this condition.
“It’s all to do with pattern recognition,” says Dr Gray. “Maybe some GPs don’t listen hard enough and don’t pick up the problem.”
So if you have been having very heavy or painful periods, it is important to keep a record of your periods over the last six months and go to your GP. In addition, Women’s Health Concern (details below) have a team of medical experts available to give advice on gynaecological and menopausal matters.
“Adenomyosis seems to have been put on the back burner,” said Una Stevens. “Fibroids are identified, and endometriosis, but we haven’t had any calls about adenomyosis on our helpline. People don’t seem to know what it is, which is strange. It needs to be highlighted.”
Many women suffer unknowingly from adenomyosis every month. With more information and wider recognition of the condition, periods needn’t ruin your life.
Both Dr Sarah Gray and Una Stevens are associated with Women’s Health Concern
Whitehall House
41 Whitehall
LONDON SW1A 2BY
www.womens-health-concern.org
General Enquiries info@womens-health-concern.org
020 7451 1377
Helpline 0845 123 2319 local rate call Mon-Fri 10am – 1pm
British Menopause Society
The-bms.org
Nursing Standard, 6th February 2008
Adenomyosis
• Symptoms include very heavy bleeding and severe cramps
• Is aggravated by the cyclical pattern, so the key is to stop the menstrual cycle
• Occurs mostly in women over 35, many who have undergone uterine surgery, e.g. fibroid removal or Caesarian
• There is no known cause
• The condition worsens with age, but tends to right itself after menopause
One in ten women suffer unbearably painful periods, have to miss work, cancel holidays and even become housebound for several days every month. The cause of this could be adenomyosis, a condition of the uterus that most women have never heard of.
With adenomyosis, the tissue that lines the uterus (the endometrium) grows into the muscle of the uterus. This means that the blood and endometrial cells that usually leave the uterus with a period every month are trapped deep within the muscle, causing severe cramping and very heavy bleeding.
This condition tends to right itself after the menopause, but those who suffer from it find that the knife-like cramps and heavy bleeding worsen as they get older, and many women become anaemic through loss of blood.
The symptoms include:-
- very heavy and prolonged bleeding that can include passing blood clots;
- severe cramping during menstruation that increases with age;
- bleeding in between periods;
- painful intercourse;
- if the condition is advanced, it can cause infertility.
However, these signs can be similar to those suffering endometriosis or fibroids, so careful examination is necessary to detect the exact nature of the condition.
“There is little awareness of adenomyosis because, as it is located within the muscle layer, it is difficult to diagnose,” says Dr Sarah Gray, GP Specialist in Women’s Health. “The symptoms are pain associated with the onset of bleeding, so I can pick it up from a pattern of symptoms. If all other tests come back negative, I assume the problem is adenomyosis.”
The statistics are sparse, because the problem has, until fairly recently, only been diagnosed by examining the tissues of women who have had a hysterectomy. Approximately 10% have been found to have adenomyosis, but it is believed to be present in about 5% of all women of a fertile age, and many of these are unaware that they have the condition. It has been found that 12% of women with this disease have also had endometriosis.
Diagnosis can be by means of a vaginal examination which often shows a tender and/or enlarged uterus. Now MRI scans and ultrasound are used by clinical professionals to detect the condition, but none of these definitely prove that adenomyosis is present. The only accurate diagnostic method is still after hysterectomy.
While some GPs believe that hysterectomy is the best way to treat adenomyosis, most women prefer not to have such invasive surgery. For women who have had children or do not wish to conceive, the Mirena coil has proved extremely effective. This intrauterine device works by releasing the hormone progestogen directly into the uterus. This thins the uterus lining, so there will be less, or no, bleeding every month.
“The Mirena coil is 94% effective,’ said Una Stevens, a nurse for the charity Woman’s Health Concern, “but obviously it doesn’t suit everyone. For the first few months following insertion, heavy bleeding can occur, but this can be counterbalanced by taking a progesterone tablet such as Noresthisterone, which will settle the uterus and reduce blood loss.”
Other pharmaceutical treatments include a type of hormonal contraceptive commonly known as the 'mini pill' or progestogen-only pill (POP). It contains the active ingredient desogestrel, which is a synthetic progestogen, similar to the natural progestogens produced by the body. This breaks the hormonal cycle, thereby eliminating any bleeding and cramps.
Gonadoptrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) treatments lower the levels of oestrogen in the body which lightens periods and therefore reduces symptoms, and can reduce the degree of the adenomyosis. However, these treatments cannot be taken for long without a break, and can have adverse side effects such as headaches, depression and weight gain.
“For patients wishing to conceive, I would suppress the cycle until they did want to get pregnant,” says Dr Gray. “That means taking the contraceptive pill continuously – without a gap. Adenomyosis is aggravated by anything cyclical, so the key is stopping the cycle.”
Some male GPs can be dismissive about painful or heavy periods, meaning that many women think nothing can be done, so it important that nurses have a knowledge and understanding of this condition.
“It’s all to do with pattern recognition,” says Dr Gray. “Maybe some GPs don’t listen hard enough and don’t pick up the problem.”
So if you have been having very heavy or painful periods, it is important to keep a record of your periods over the last six months and go to your GP. In addition, Women’s Health Concern (details below) have a team of medical experts available to give advice on gynaecological and menopausal matters.
“Adenomyosis seems to have been put on the back burner,” said Una Stevens. “Fibroids are identified, and endometriosis, but we haven’t had any calls about adenomyosis on our helpline. People don’t seem to know what it is, which is strange. It needs to be highlighted.”
Many women suffer unknowingly from adenomyosis every month. With more information and wider recognition of the condition, periods needn’t ruin your life.
Both Dr Sarah Gray and Una Stevens are associated with Women’s Health Concern
Whitehall House
41 Whitehall
LONDON SW1A 2BY
www.womens-health-concern.org
General Enquiries info@womens-health-concern.org
020 7451 1377
Helpline 0845 123 2319 local rate call Mon-Fri 10am – 1pm
British Menopause Society
The-bms.org
Nursing Standard, 6th February 2008
Monday, 4 February 2008
Awards and Twins
I have been awarded the E for excellent award from Debio and now from Akelamalu as well.
Many thanks, you two. I am delighted by this award, and glowing to start a Monday morning. What a boost! But rather than pass it on to five specific people, I think you all deserve it. Please collect and display as you see fit. Or not.
And to continue my story of the tenants, which keeps being interrupted – the next lot were twins who said they were eighteen. I thought, No Way are we having eighteen year olds living upstairs. The place will be a tip, they’ll have endless parties, it’ll be unbearable. (I hadn’t run the student accommodation office at Falmouth art college for nothing. I could tell you stories that would make you weep.)
But faced with the prospect of 18 year old twins, Himself’s eyes lit up, as you can imagine.
In fact the girls came to see the flat with their grandparents and Himself knew the grandfather from sailing days. “I’ll vouch for the girls,” said the grandmother. “If there’s any problem, I’ll sort them out. And don’t worry about the rent. I’ll pay that.”
So we eventually decided in favour of the girls. Or rather, Himself spent hours persuading me until I gave in.
In fact they were great tenants. Their mother had died several years before and the grandmother had brought them up, and done a very good job. They were polite, didn’t play music too loud (or if they did, they were extremely apologetic and turned it down at once) and being at college and then working at Macdonalds, they were out all day.
There was only one incident when they woke us up and that was one summer evening. We’d gone to bed early and I woke with a start, hearing whispering outside our bedroom window. (This was before Mollie, of course, or she would have barked the place down.)
I froze. All senses on alert, I lay there, my pulse banging in my ears. There was a burglar outside. They were about to break the window – murder us in our beds. What should I do? No phone by the bed – should I sneak out and ring the police from next door?
Then a knock on the window. More whispering.
As Himself was out for the count, I crept out of bed and tiptoed to the window, convinced I was taking my last breaths but would die a true heroic death.
I flung back the curtain – and there was one of the twins with her boyfriend.
“I’m really sorry,” she hissed. “But I’ve locked myself out and my sister’s away for the weekend.”
I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. But all things considered, they were great tenants. They’re attractive, intelligent and caring girls and their mum would be proud of them.
Friday, 1 February 2008
A Very Special Man
Yesterday I was talking to a baker who provides the bread and other goodies at our Farmer’s Market. It turns out he’s been married to the same woman for nearly forty years and he has twelve children, all of whom help with the business.
What struck me was not only how in love he still is with his wife, but how close they are as a family. They never have big disagreements, which he puts down in part to not having had any TV in the house since 1990.
The kids all play together on the farm, riding, helping out (they earn their pocket money by washing the vans and helping clean trays) and every Sunday nearly all of them gather for Sunday lunch, cooked by the baker himself. There are 27 of them in total.
They’ve always worked for themselves, either running a guesthouse, a farm, a baby equipment business (from all those kids) and latterly the bakery. They mill their own flour and the whole family help with the baking, even those at school.
“We share everything,” he said “The family is our life. What could be better than working with those you love?”
When the conversation was over I felt privileged and humbled. What an incredible man. And what an amazing family.
What struck me was not only how in love he still is with his wife, but how close they are as a family. They never have big disagreements, which he puts down in part to not having had any TV in the house since 1990.
The kids all play together on the farm, riding, helping out (they earn their pocket money by washing the vans and helping clean trays) and every Sunday nearly all of them gather for Sunday lunch, cooked by the baker himself. There are 27 of them in total.
They’ve always worked for themselves, either running a guesthouse, a farm, a baby equipment business (from all those kids) and latterly the bakery. They mill their own flour and the whole family help with the baking, even those at school.
“We share everything,” he said “The family is our life. What could be better than working with those you love?”
When the conversation was over I felt privileged and humbled. What an incredible man. And what an amazing family.
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