Our Wedding Anniversary and Rob's Birthday Weekend 2012

Knebworth Park, Hertfordshire

A lot of changes have been happening in our household this autumn. Rose, of course has gone off to uni and is living in Bournemouth now; Sarah has just left her job at Waitrose and has just started working for the Liverpool and Victoria Insurance as well as continuing her sociology degree through the Open University and Rob has just returned to work, after a taking a year off with me, for three days a week. I am relatively stable with my illness and have been for the last year more or less. We are all getting used to the changes and for me, Rob's first week back at work and the absence of Rose felt a bit strange. We thought three days back at work would allow some normality in our situation, but also allow for us to continue having some good times together.

We planned to go back to the Lake District again for our wedding anniversary and Rob's birthday, which both fell on the same weekend. We also carried on enjoying a few days out here and there and exploring new places locally as we were having some lovely weather and wanted to make the most of it.

Waddesdon Manor

St Ives, Cambridgeshire

We went to the Papworth PH Matters support group, which meets each quarter and it is a good chance to chat and meet socially with fellow PHers. We have been going to this when we can for the last year or so and really enjoy it. We all take something to contribute to the buffet lunch and there is usually a speaker who updates us on various matters relating to PH. This time we had a talk about diet, so I am going to try and make an effort to cut down my fat and sugar intake following the talk! That will be difficult as I am partial to a cream cake or two with afternoon tea!

Hay making near Codicote, Hertfordshire

We went off to the Lakes as planned. The journey was horrendous, with at least six long traffic jams, but we got there eventually. Before my illness, we always used to set off at the crack of dawn and miss all the serious traffic, but now I find that too difficult to manage and we always seem to get caught up in traffic jams, making this journey that used to seem so easy quite a difficult one now.

Wimpole Hall, Cambridgeshire

We managed to have a lovely late afternoon meal, not sure whether it was a late lunch or an early dinner for our wedding anniversary and because of the tiring journey I wasn't feeling so good. The following day, because I wasn't feeling that well and because it was raining hard, we decided to just have a quick look out for lunch and then buy some nice food to cook for dinner. Our favourite place for this is Sizergh Barns, a nearby farm shop that also has a good cafe and craft shop to browse around too.

At Wrest Park, Beds with Sarah and Oli

We had only just returned from Sizergh Barns and put the roast in the oven when we got a phone call from Oli, Sarah's partner to say she had been admitted into hospital with an appendicitis. We had also already had a phone call from my mum telling us my dad had been rushed into hospital after a fall and we planned to visit him the following day once we knew what was what. That was not to be and instead we had to pack back up quickly, rush dinner and get back for Sarah. My philosophy has become 'you win some and you lose some', as life always seems to have a plan of its own these days! We did a quick twenty four hour turnaround and arrived home late on the Sunday. Well all was not lost, we had had an anniversary meal out, lunch out and a browse round Sizergh Barns at least!

We spent the afternoon of Rob's birthday at the local hospital with Sarah, who was in a lot of pain and still hadn't had her planned operation to remove her appendix. That evening she had the operation and a day or so later came home to us, so we could look after her. So much for my 'empty nest'. It was lovely to care for Sarah for a few days, again I felt like a proper mum, but it was a bit like 'the sick leading the sick' at times!

Dalham Tower Estate Milnthorpe Cumbria

As soon as Sarah returned home I was back at hospital again, this time for my routine check with the Transplant Continuing Care Unit. Here we were seen to very quickly for the usual routine checks: bloods, weight and an update with the transplant co-ordinator and a check with the doctor.  I also got chance to meet another lovely PHer, who is hoping to be listed for a heart and lung transplant. It felt like we didn't have long enough to chat as we had a lot in common with our PH, medication, transplant and children!