I do know it is officially winter now, but I have called this autumn as I am recapping autumn - I think that makes sense.

So no myeloma news this post.  Am expecting bloods and an update on progress in July.  

I am about to depart for my trip to the UK on friday.  Part of me was tempted to go and get bloods to assure myself all was fine before going; the other part thought it was best not to know before I go and just enjoy it.  Overall, when I relapse, hopefully it will be slow rather than spectacular.  It certainly gets more aggressive the further through the illness you are, but so far mine has been at the slow and lazy end, and hoping it will continue to follow that path.  So hopefully I shouldn't run in to any problems whilst away.  

Amazingly it is the 5 year anniversary of my transplant on Thursday. I am feeling very lucky to be alive as a start point, and hopefully even still in remission (are you in remission if you haven't had bloods in ages so you don't know either way?).  We have felt very lucky to certainly fall on the better side of prognosis.  Which you can't know at the time.  It feels surreal that Dr M encouraged us to book to go to the UK in 2020 as he thought "sooner better than later". Obviously I didn't get there then due to covid; but being able to go in 2024 is an uexpected pleasure.

This trip is just me.  I am staying the first week with my sister A and her husband N, and they have planned a trip to Wales for us.  Which is very exciting.  Then up to Edinburgh for a conference, and then three nights in Islay and 2 nights in glasgow for me, whisky hunting.  I packed today, and then looked at the forecasts for London, Edinburgh and Islay for the coming week and was a bit suprised just how chilly the forecast for this week is...I'd prefer to avoid a heatwave, but imagined I might have some use for shorts.  Alas a lot can change in a week, so I guess we will see what we get when I get there.  But it looks like the thermals and down jacket might not be overkill.

I have no idea how much is reasonable to plan to do when I'm travelling, as I have done so little recently.  I still get tired easily, so am a bit nervous about the jetlag etc, but only one way to find out.  The flip side is I won't be balancing work and parenting, so I might surprise myself....

L is away in Melbourne this weekend visiting his Dad, who has his own parents visiting also.  They look to be having a marvellous time and have eaten their way around town!!  We are looking forward to hearing about his adventures when he gets home tomorrow.  K and I have enjoyed a lovely weekend together.  We still get on, with no problems with a temporarily empty nest.  We have been to a movie, been out for a couple of meals, watched some films and just chilled really.  It has been quite lovely.  

As a family we went to Oamaru for a couple of nights in the April Holidays.  We got perfect weather again - apparently Oamaru isn't always magnificent - just, it seems, when we are there.  It remains a favourite place for us.  The food is so good, and there is plenty to see and do.  We managed to pop in and see my Aunt on the way, who had produced the ultimate Kiwi morning tea that would have covered a shearing gang if needed, and saw friends on the way home as well.  July I won't have any leave in the school holidays as I will have just gotten back from three weeks away.  L and K are planning a couple of nights in Peel Forest to take a wee break together.   

K seemed to enjoy her trip to Wellington for her EMDR course.  L and I managed the week on our own, though she'd kindly done the shopping for me prior.  Whilst L is very good at getting himself to school, I'm super appreciative for all the dog walking, dishes and cooking she will be doing without me here to help.   

Work wise I have finished up my roving psychiatrist role and taken a permanent job at PSAID - Psychiatric Services for Adults with Intellectual Disability.  This is a job I have been interested in for a few years and hoping something would come up.  I think some people can't stand the area, but it is a good challenge for your communication skills, and takes some good observation to try and work out what might be physical illness, what might be psychiatric illness, and what might be behaviours driven by the environmental contingencies.  It has excellent psychiatrist colleagues and seems in a good place at the moment. So I am hoping I will really enjoy it.  I had just interviewed and was waiting for reference checks when I read in the newspaper about Te Whatu Ora stopping appointments - but I have a signed contract so I think I am all good now.  I am working two days a week at PSAID and temporarily two days a week with the Alcohol and Drug service until mid August as I had a prior commitment.  But from mid august I will be doing three days a week with PSAID which hits my goal to be down to three days a week by the end of this year. 

I hasd a messy finish to the director of training role, and to the most recent stint with the perinatal team, as I had been at work on my handovers, and I thought was super well organised.  And then I got what clinically seems likely to be RSV which really knocked me around.  I missed the last two weeks of the DOT role and the last day of the perinatal team.  And after a bit over a week away from work I then drove to work for a week which might be close to the most driving I have done to work nearly ever.  Alas finally feeling a bit better, thank goodness.  Do not recommend.  I have been lucky to have a very gentle intro to my two new jobs this week just been, which has been good for returning to work after being ill.  

I had my covid booster and my flu jab a month ago, as the internet told me that offers best immunity for my flights, so fingers crossed.  Will be strapped in to my n95s and hoping not to spend the trip ill.  Hopefully even if it isn't warmer in the UK they will have less of the terrible soup of virsuses floating around NZ at the moment.  

Our other news is that Ixir was booked to have a general anaesthetic a few weeks ago as the vet found a broken tooth at his check up.  He is such a guts we'd not noticed any slowing in his eating....whilst under GA she arranged to do some bloods and xrays as he has been slowing down a bit, not so keen to jump in to the car, and panting on occasion not related to heat.  They think on balance the bloods are most suggestive of lymphoma, but didn't think it was worth doing further investigations unless we really wanted them done, as they wouldn't recommend much treatment. They just suggested if he is struggling with low appetite to bring him in.  There has been zero sign of low appetite!!  He has in fact looked way more chipper post surgery; so we're not sure how likely it is that he was looking so grotty from an inflammatory response to a broken tooth - we can remain a litte hopeful at least.  Regardless, he looks really happy at the moment and has a good quality of life so we will just watch and wait.  We keep looking at him and thinking he doesn't look ill, but then we well know you can have blood cancer and not look terrible, so....time will tell.  

I'm also happy to declare I think we officially got a feijoa glut this year....another life goal achieved! We have mainly been eating garden fruit now for a few months,  so it will be a shock to be buying in again at the supermarket. 

Hopefully you are all either rugged up warm for the start of winter, or rugged up warm for the start of summer ;-)