So here is my apron - I love it. Although I don't think I will be wearing it to cook in!!! I loved making it. It is good to actually finish a project or two! I have nearly finished knitting Chloe's tank top which is the first 'big' knitting I have done in years. All my other knitting projects have been for babies, necks, brooches or feet!

Yesterday I enjoyed a lovely morning with a friend. Well it was nearly a day as the morning slipped into the afternoon with out me realising!

Today church and a visit to Savill Gardens with a bit of knitting and possibly some ironing thrown in!

This week brings coffee with friends, blood test (postponed from last week), flower arranging, tutoring, ladies bible study, housegroup meal, cooking and finishing projects.

I am nearing my 2 year anniversary of diagnosis. With breast cancer you have so many dates which are etched on your brain - diagnosis, first and last chemo, mastectomy and final treatment but for me I will celebrate that I am alive 2 years after diagnosis and continuing to get better. I am not sure how I will mark this - but I will. (Ideas on a postcard!!!!) I am SO thankful to be here and to be loving life in all its fullness. Our summer ahead is full of lovely things;

• Shakespeare at Stratford and an overnight stay
• Holiday in the Lakes
• Ballet and Opera visits
• Vincent and Flavia with my sisters and daughters
• Chelsea Flower Show
• Summer exhibition at RA
• Afternoon tea in London
• Olympics - rowing tickets
• Para-Olympics - swimming and stadium tickets

How can I not be grateful that I have so much? All of this is interspersed with hospital visits just to keep my feet on the ground and my heart trusting the creator of the world.

All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well", Julian of Norwich

Not bad for 2 days sewing - these are Chloe's

first 2 projects on the sewing machine. My

ruffle apron is nearly finished - just 3 ruffles

to sew on. The sewing machine works like a dream

it is wonderful and very easy to use. It is now living here while Chloe has gone back to uni to finish her project, so I get to play a bit. I have also nearly finished the knitting I have been doing for Chloe - it is a waistcoat/ tank top to wear for placements next year. I am looking forward to seeing it finished now. How wonderful to actual finish a project!

Today is tidying, sewing, knitting, flower arranging at church, cooking and gardening day! Not sure I will fit all of that in! I am happy to be feeling so much better - just coughing nicely now!

Sorry for not updating sooner but I am a bit poorly. Nothing serious just a cold but I am feeling quite yuck. The radiotherapy may have scarred my lung so when I have a cold it feels quite sore which added to a sore throat and nose makes me feel a bit sorry for myself. It is nothing really but I am a bit whingy! Thankfully on Monday I was feeling fine and we had a marvellous day. We started with lunch in a little cafe type place in Covent Garden - the food was very yummy. Then some shopping in Lush(of course) and our first look at the 200 large decorated eggs which were displayed around Covent Garden. They have been designed and are being sold for 2 charities. Some of them were amazing and all so different. We then went and found our box - yes you heard correctly a box at Covent Garden. It is quite a different experience being in a box. You are so close to the stage so that you can see clearly the faces of the dancers and the wonderful costumes but you do have to lean forward all the time to see. It is also best if 2 of the 4 people stand to get a good view. We were seeing Alice in Wonderland and it was a-maz-ing. The staging was very clever and the costumes and make up were wonderful. It is a great ballet to take someone who has never been to a ballet before as the story telling is great. It was a really wonderful experience and at the end we just wanted to stay and see it all again to see all the bits we missed the first time - there is so much going on. Afterwards we looked at some more of the eggs before going for our Tapas meal which was very yummy too. All in all a magical memory making day.

Yesterday we went to collect Chloe's new sewing machine. It is wonderful - and can do so much. She is very, very pleased with it and has already made a ruffle apron - photos to follow! My material is all cut out for mine and just needs me to feel better so that I can sew it! Chloe's plan was to return to Southampton yesterday but has now stayed until Thursday to use the machine! It is going to live here as she will have her project to finish in the next month.

We are now on the countdown for our holiday to the Lakes - less than a month to go - yippee! Paul has bought me a new suitcase which I just look at to remind me that it is possible for me to go on holiday - I am SO thankful not to be doing dialysis.

My seeds are coming on well - next stage is to move them into the leanto green house preparing them for going into the garden when it gets warmer. The propagator has done a wonderful job and just speeds everything up.

My Kitty moves into her new house today - hurrah! It has been a bit of a stressful few weeks but they exchanged contracts yesterday! I can't wait to go and see it and then I will be able to imagine her there.

So today - a quiet recovery day I think. Hoping this cold won't stay too long - I have plans!!!! My life is too busy to be ill!

Wonderful evening yesterday seeing Katya and Pasha dance. We were so close to them - it felt like our television screens had opened up and there they were! They were joined by 2 dancers from a Sky dancing programme that I hadn't seen but they too were wonderful. One of the the highlight of the show however was the dancing competition when people from the audience went up onto the stage to learn how to dance. 6 couple went up including 2 little girls. The girls had brought their ball room shoes with them and were obviously used to dancing. They were wonderful and Pasha and Katya were lovely with them. Their mummy was sat behind us and was in tears watching them. We waited afterwards to take photos - mmmm mine are rubbish. I need to practise using my zoom! But at least I have a photo! The other photo is of some of the people I went with.

Our other major activity yesterday was the purchase of a new sewing machine for Chloe. We went to the sewing shop near cemetery junction where the man was VERY helpful. We will be collecting it on Tuesday. It is amazing what it can do. Chloe can't wait to get her hands on it. For the next month it will live here while Chloe finishes her project - so I will get to have a little go. Lovely!

It is now only a month until we go on holiday - wow! I just have to get through 2 more blood tests and a renal appointment!

Today - a bit of tidying, gardening(planting the little tiny plants that arrived yesterday looking a bit poorly) and slow cooking lamb for tea - yummy!

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! who took on flesh
Fulness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

What powerful words - 'From life's first cry to final breath Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell or scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand.Till he returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I'll stand. '

This is my song today - its all about Him.

I am quite tired after 2 quite busy weeks. But I continue to do more and more. It is really lovely to have a life which feels more like normal. Our house is beginning to look more like it used to although we still can't see out of our windows!!! This week I have cleaned up after last weeks holiday, cooked cakes and soup, visited friends, helped out at a friends house, shopped with Chloe, knitted and flower arranged. I loved flower arranging today - it is amazing that flowers in buckets as above can turn into arrangements as on right. The church will look so beautiful on Sunday after 6 weeks of no flowers for lent it will then be transformed by yellow and purple flowers to celebrate that Jesus is risen.

Tomorrow I am going with friends to see Katya and Pasha dance - lovely. Saturday Chloe and I are going sewing machine shopping and Sunday we are going to Joy and Matts to celebrate Talia's birthday. On Monday we are off to London to see the ballet Alice in Wonderland. We have got a box for the first time - how lovely. More forever memories.

This is a family photo from yesterday(minus Paul and I). It is the best of quite a few photos none of them quite right - someone is pulling a funny face or not looking on everyone! But at least we have photos. We had a really lovely day all together. We don't very often manage that. For the first time we couldn't fit everyone around the tables and had to eat on laps. The food was lovely although it did feel like all we did all day was eat and make cups of tea! By the evening my legs and feet had swollen quite a lot. We had a bit of a kidney damage thought but then decided that hopefully it was because I had been on my feet all day. This morning it is much better so maybe it is just a warning that I still need to put my legs up at some point during the day. It was a reminder that trust is still a daily thing - the future is all in His hands. So today a slower, quieter day. It was lovely to be at the centre of my family - doing what I love.