In amongst the worry (by Amanda)

 Without planning it, life is busy again.

Val has taught a couple of morning yoga classes this week and that makes for a busier morning in our house as two of us try to beat the clock to get out of the door. She has really enjoyed being back in the studio, and the enthusiastic welcome she received from the students was heart warming and meaningful for her. Thank you. The bonus in this is that Val experienced physical fatigue by day's end that was not accompanied by that mind-numbing tiredness that, until only recently really, she had been experiencing by the evening. That's post-chemo progress. Val has two scans coming up next week - a CT and a MUGA.

On Tuesday evening, I gave a short presentation to a local gathering to mark the 26th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in the Morgentaler case. I was the "older" woman, invited to present my thoughts on the pro-choice movement over the past few decades; I was followed by a young woman who has only ever known abortion to be a legal and accessible medical procedure. It was a lot fun pulling together my thoughts and matching them with pictures, stories and facts. The event was a success, and I learned that I should never again try to manage a microphone, a presentation remote clicker, and cue cards in my two hands. Note to self: Ditch the cue cards and trust that I know my content enough to speak without those notes.

My night class on Wednesdays is moving along, but that evening commitment does require planning and juggling to incorporate meal preps. Val had wanted to go to the New Music Festival concert this past Wednesday evening, but ran out of juice: After all, she had her Herceptin treatment that afternoon and, while it is not that onerous, it nonetheless does take time and energy to get there, be there and then get home. We have tickets for this evening's final concert with music by Max Richter and Valentin Silvestrov; it should be good - as good as the festival opening concert that featured the Hilliard Ensemble. That was a fantastic evening of new music.

Underlying everything is the fact that Colin, my father, remains in hospital and is back on the ward after a relapse last week due to blacking out very early one morning. He is bearing up, but it's all dragging on longer than he would like and any of us wanted. One cannot worry continually, however, so this experience of having a loved one in the hospital for an extended time - new to my family - is, for me, an exercise in being aware and concerned without tipping over into constant worry bordering on anxiety. I suppose 'interesting' would describe the experience, although I'd be happy to have a bit of boring any day now.

Yesterday evening was lovely because Jacki and Eva brought over an early birthday cake and gift to kick off my birthday week with a surprise bang. It was great fun to be feted in advance of the actual day with yummy cake; and the books by Judith Kerr about her childhood in Germany, France and England during WWII are a very good read. Thank you Jacki, Erika and Eva! And it all continues with a dinner date on Saturday with Randa and Yvonne, and then I have a drinks date to organize with Susan (Tanqueray gin 'n tonic here I come!), and we hope to have dinner with the Schnitzers next Friday. Oh - and this is super great - my parents' gift to me arrived by post yesterday: Season 4 of...Downton Abbey. Yahoo! We'll begin watching that this weekend.

So in amongst the busyness of it all, there will be fun, love and laughter. Let it be so for you, too.