LittleBigGirl's adventures away from home

A new year, a new decade, and a blue moon

2010-01-04T18:19:00.006Z

We were lucky enough to celebrate New Year's Eve on the rooftop balcony of Ben and Jo's fabulous riverside flat, with a great view of the Thames, fireworks on at least 3 sides, and top notch champagne. (Thanks to our hosts for their wonderful generosity, as always.)

Before the fireworks, before the countdown, and before the excitement reached its crescendo, I looked up and saw a beautiful full moon in the night sky. It had a huge glowing halo around it visible through the cloud. What was most remarkable about it though, was the corona beyond the halo - concentric circles of colour creating a rainbow effect radiating outwards. I'd never seen anything like it before. It was utterly breathtaking. I felt it was a truly great omen for the year and decade to come, and I felt blessed :)

I later learned it had also been a blue moon - the second full moon in a given month - a rare event indeed. Wow. I only wish I'd had a camera with me to take a photo of it, though I comfort myself that no photo could do it justice.

Apparently the next time a blue moon will occur on NYE is in 2028, and it will be a total lunar eclipse. I'll howl for that one ;)

Happy New Year to you all - may 2010 be the fruition of your hopes and dreams xxx

It's official: I'm engaged!

2009-09-28T20:41:00.012+01:00

I can't quite believe that I am engaged to be married... it's all happened so fast. My darling Ben proposed to me while we were away in Australia, last week. We have told family and close friends, and have changed our relationship status on Facebook, hoping that the rest of our network notices. (Feels a bit strange disseminating important news that way.) I am very happy and somehow at peace. Yay! :)

For those of you who want the details (I have been asked for them many times today, my first day back at work, so I know they're wanted!), the full story is as follows...

It all started in June. It was a few weeks before our 4-year anniversary dinner, which Ben had booked and was acting a bit cagey about, not telling me where we were going. We were in our bedroom, and I was tidying up my jewellery, when Ben started asking about my jewellery-wearing habits. It started with necklaces, moved on to bracelets, and then rings. I was instantly suspicious, and Ben knew it. In the ensuing discussion I managed to make it clear that if he were to get me a special kind of ring, that I'd want to pick it, but would appreciate a token if the special question were to be popped.

So... the chat about rings together with the cagey dinner booking naturally made me assume Ben was going to propose at our anniversary dinner! Confident in my assumption, I casually mentioned it at Ben's cousin's hen do, where female members of Ben's family, including June (his Mum) and Tracy (his brother's partner), were gathered.

Apparently soon afterwards Tracy told James (Ben's brother) of my expectations, and James told Ben, whereupon Ben swore and hit his head... because of course he had been planning ahead for Australia, forgetting that we had a significant date coming up earlier!

And thus poor little me sat there at our lovely anniversary dinner waiting for a question that didn't come. Oh dear. I can laugh about it now, but I have to admit I was disappointed at the time. And embarrassed! Especially after telling all the Turner-Robinson-Brittain-Cole crew! It took me ages to confess to Ben. In the end I just put it out of my head and figured he'd propose when he was good and ready.

Move forward to Australia... In the emotional maelstrom that was my visit home (reunions, family interactions, time spent with a beautiful baby), getting a proposal was the last thing on my mind. So when Ben whisked me away for some 1-on-1 time, I just thought he was spoiling me :) And spoil me he did, with style!

We went to a lovely boutique hotel in South Yarra, where we had a great massage and drank a bottle of champagne while we got ready for our evening out. We had a sensational dinner at a restaurant called Da Noi - the chef's menu is highly recommended! And then, having missed the session times for something a bit more romantic, we saw District 9 at the flicks - I loved it!

The next day was a lazy sleep-in, breakfast in bed, and then a walk around the gorgeous Botanical Gardens, where the last part of Ben's stealth assault was put into action: a pre-booked hamper with 5 mini courses, and more champagne! We sat and enjoyed our meal in the glorious sunshine (rain had been forecast but the weather gods were smiling down on us). As we prepared to leave I got up but Ben was still on the ground for some reason, and seemed to be on one knee. He then pulled out a jewellery box and my breath caught in my throat. And then he asked me to marry him. I was so overwhelmed I said nothing for a few seconds, then blurted out a "yes" and grabbed him in a big hug. Of course I also started sobbing. Then I stopped and said "hang on, let me see what's in the box first!" hehe Ben then gave me a beautiful 'sweetheart' bracelet with an little heart charm engraved with our names. Awwww :)

We walked around in a happy daze for ages afterwards, and kept calling each other fiance (or fiancee) because it was all so strange and new and fun.

So that's our story. We don't have a plan yet... we don't know where, when or how we'll be getting married, but I do know this: I'm having a beehive hairdo!

The new love of my life

2009-07-04T14:40:00.011+01:00

This is a post I should have done 2 months ago, but I was waiting for some good photos to come through first. Given as I *still* haven't been sent loads of photos, the ones here will have to do.

I am delighted to introduce to you all my beautiful little nephew Luca James Iakovidis. He was born on the first of May this year, weighing exactly 8 pounds. He is a little Taurus born in the year of the Ox, the same as his Auntie Mimi. In fact, he could have even had the same birthday as me (May 5th) but this way he arrived a bit earlier.

Barbara (his Mum) and Gary (his Dad, my brother) have been doing a marvellous job as first parents. They've even got Luca using Skype to communicate with far-away Auntie Mimi and Uncle Ben, even if it's just yawns and cute looks at this stage.

Little Luca is growing fast.. he's 2 months old already! I simply can't wait to meet him, and hold him in my arms for the first time. We're flying to Oz for a short visit in September, mainly to see this little gentleman and spend as much time as possible with him.

In the meantime I keep photos of him on all the computers I use, and I talk to him every day, even if he can't hear me. I absolutely adore him. It's been quite difficult for me to be so far away from this special little bubba, knowing that I'm missing out on all the little details and watching him grow and change by the day. I know the first thing I'm going to do when I see him is burst into tears. I've given Gary due warning. Then again, anyone who knows me well wouldn't expect anything less :)

A Big Ben update

2009-04-15T18:09:00.014+01:00

Well, I am sitting here in Ben's parents' living room, using Ben's laptop to type this update. Where do I start? I guess I start from the last update...

Last time I reported on Ben was to say that he wasn't having liver surgery as we had originally thought. This was an unexpected change of plan, and although at first we were uneasy about it, we maintained a positive attitude and thought, well, great, he is avoiding a big operation, that can only be good. But as more time went by and we spoke to more and more people about it, the more we came to the conclusion that not having surgery wasn't a good idea. Even Ben's oncologist suggested we get a second opinion.

So Ben went and spoke to a second liver surgeon. This guy seemed to have a much better idea of what was going on and gave me a much better vibe. (The original liver surgeon Ben saw gave me a bad vibe - he didn't seem to have all the facts of Ben's case with him when he saw Ben and didn't seem to have communicated with Ben's oncologist which did not reassure us at all.) The second surgeon fully recommended liver surgery. It's apparently a known fact that the best way to cure cancer is to operate AND have chemotherapy. Chemo alone apparently carries more risk that cancerous cells will grow back. So we went ahead and booked liver surgery for mid-April.

We were much better prepared for this surgery - I booked 2 weeks off work, and we arranged to stay with Ben's parents as they live closer to the hospital than we do (it's Basingstoke hospital). With no work, immediate family support available, and nearby babies (our delightful nieces Izzy and Liv) to keep our hearts light the scenario was much more comforting than the one we had following Ben's bowel surgery last year. (I was very stressed trying to balance work, looking after Ben and being everyone's point of contact)

We took him into hospital yesterday, and were visited by the usual rounds of staff - nurses, the anaesthetist, the consultant and registrar, a doctor, the consultant's representative, etc. The anaesthetist sat down with Ben and gave an excellent description of what would happen during surgery and how his pain would be managed. The consultant's representative also sat down and told us what the surgery would involve and what the risks were. He told us that Ben would most likely have his entire right lobe removed, as well as a wedge from the left lobe. When I asked how much of his liver that added up to, he said 60%. This came as a shock, because to date we'd only been told about the wedge, about it being a small operation, and that they 'would have a look' at the lesions on the right of his liver that had been blurry and inconclusive on the scan and decide what was required during the operation. I guess the guy was trying to paint the worst-case scenario for us, but I was really worried about the 60%, as were Ben's parents. We tried not to let our concern show for Ben's sake, but it was difficult. And I really hated leaving him there at the hospital all alone last night. I came home and lost myself in silly internetting to distract myself from getting distressed.

This morning we got a phone call from the consultant post-surgery, much earlier than we expected. He told us that it was a small operation after all - they managed to remove all the lesions from Ben's liver without taking more than 10% of it out. And he only lost a cup of blood. Given how much blood runs through the liver this was a great result. June (Ben's Mum) and I were so happy about this news that we hugged and had a little cry after the phone call. I am so happy... I know people recover from having the 60% liver resection but it was just another unexpected turn of events I wasn't prepared for.

I guess you just need to be ready for the landscape to change at any time with these things. Doctors' opinions change, further scans can change diagnoses and treatments, treatments can change based on the patient's reaction to them... you just have to be flexible and open to the best outcome, regardless of how twisty and turny the route to it can become.

I am just so happy to know my boy is ok. He is a trooper, and I am positive he will recover well from this surgery as he did the bowel operation. I get to see him tomorrow afternoon (this hospital is rather strict on visiting so I can't stay with him all day) and I can't wait.

After this, he has a 6-8 week recovery period, then 2 cycles of chemo left. Then I pray that that's it. He will need to be closely monitored - scans every 3 months for the first year post chemo at least, because he is so young and there is more time for potential regrowth. But I am confident we will see the end of it this year.

Thank you again to everyone who has emailed, texted, called, Facebooked etc. Your love and support has been invaluable and I'm sure it's had a lot to do with the great outcomes we're having. Thank you so much :) xxx

Snow, glorious snow!

2009-02-08T18:32:00.004Z

By now most of you will have heard all about the snow that fell in London and beyond last weekend. It was a big deal, despite some people's denigrating comments about how we UK residents "should be used to crap weather by now". The snow was a big deal, because, well, it was snow! Not rain nor hail nor sleet, but at least 6 inches of lovely powdery white stuff that coated our world and created a playground for those of us lucky enough to skive (English word for wag) off work.

I can walk to work in 30 minutes, and I had user testing scheduled, so I had to go in. But I didn't mind - it was lovely! I trudged through the snow in my pretty wellies* (English word for gumboots), watching kids and adults alike building snowmen, having snowball fights, using their shoes as makeshift skis and generally creating powdery havoc. Lots of laughter could be heard, and people were far more inclined to smile at complete strangers. It was a weird and wonderful morning.

I took some photos on my way to work on Monday, here is a sample. I'll be putting the rest up on Smugmug soon.

*There is a huge industry over here for cute patterned wellies for us ladies.

P.S. Monday was also Ben's birthday! He turned 32.

A slight change of plan

2009-01-19T14:53:00.004Z

After a great chemo-free Christmas and New Year, Ben got away for a few days snowboarding in Austria (under strict instructions to not push himself or do anything silly). The fresh air, exercise, and fun of doing one of the things he loves best did my boy the world of good and he came back smiling and with his (side-effect) acne greatly reduced.

So then Ben and I were gearing up for his liver surgery which was supposed to happen in mid-January. But at his next consultation, the liver surgeon said he wanted to do another scan, just to be sure. The scan revealed the lesions had shrunk so much due to the chemo that it just wasn't going to be worth operating. So great news is that Ben doesn't need surgery! Of course this threw us at first - being told one thing, then another under these circumstances doesn't make anything easier, but it's wonderful that he doesn't have to go through the trauma of surgery again. And it's clear that the cocktail of drugs Ben is on is working, which is also great.

So, while we still have a few questions about what it all means for future eradication of all cancer cells, we're happy, and now making social plans for the next 6 weeks!

Ben will be starting the next round of chemo next week. This will be another 3-month stint. We're better prepared this time - he's getting a 'portocath' (presumably a portable catheter) put in under the skin on his chest so the IV chemo drugs can be plugged straight into there rather than into his arm veins which have been suffering a bit.

Thanks to everyone who made enquiries after Ben's (and my) health... sorry I've not had much of an online presence lately... it was just an overhead I couldn't deal with while we sorted out what was happening with treatments, and work/leave arrangements and everything else. Needless to say your ongoing support and love is helping us along enormously, as always :)

What the 2008/9 festive season has been for me

2009-01-05T20:52:00.005Z

- a Legofest - hours upon hours of making and sorting Lego both new and old with incredibly satisfying results
- subjecting our baby nieces to wearing pink reindeer headbands with bells on them
- a chemo-free Benjy!
- lots of yummy food and good wine, courtesy mainly of Ben's parents
- watching a bizarre and wonderful circus/cabaret show called La Clique (highly recommended)
- learning how to do my eye make-up a bit more daringly and creatively
- wearing my 'Burlesque' dress for the first time
- watching a woman light up a flaming g-string and nipple covers as part of the New Year countdown
- an impromptu gig by moi (see last post)
- hearing 'Chicken Payback' in a club venue and bending some funky grooves with The Turner
- scoffing all the chocolates I got given within 3 days of receiving them
- getting Volume 1 of Absolute Sandman (YAY!!!!) - thanks Benjy!
- getting the ultimate Kath & Kim DVD Boxset in a rooly nice and unusual quilted white handbag case (YAY!!!) - thanks Mum & Dad!!
- knowing with absolute certainty that 2009 is going to be an amazing year!

Happy New Year everyone! xx

A surprise gig

2008-12-29T20:05:00.005Z

Merry Christmas :)

It's a bit of a tradition that Ben and I catch up for dinner with the Reading crowd sometime between Christmas and New Year. (By Reading crowd I mean people Ben went to college - aka senior high school - with.) As it happened we had a very nice dinner on Boxing Day at a place called The Jazz Cafe in Reading. The place was empty so we had the small restaurant room to ourselves. Best of all, they had a jazz pianist playing, so in effect we had our own private pianist. He was excellent, and played lots of numbers we enjoyed bopping along to in our seats. I must have bopped pretty enthusiastically, because Ebru started demanding that I get up and sing a song. To be honest, I really wanted to - it was a brilliant opportunity to sing informally in front of people I knew, so I didn't need much persuading.

I got up and sang 'All I want for Christmas is you' - the Mariah Carey version, slightly adapted for people like me whose voices don't span four octaves.

It was great, I got a huge round of applause and lots of compliments and felt really good. So good I wanted to get up and do it again. So I did. This time I sang 'Nobody does it better' (Carly Simon). I sat down again, but it wasn't long till everyone had me up singing a bunch of songs. It had been so long since I'd done that that I couldn't think of any songs to sing! I ended up doing 'Cheek to Cheek', 'Let's stay together', 'Blue Moon', 'I only want to be with you', 'These arms of mine' and probably a couple more I can't remember. A veritable set list!

It was a really wonderful experience, everyone was really pleased I'd done it and kept giving me compliments. I guess I feel a little rusty and my confidence has suffered for it but this little surprise gig has really inspired me to learn more jazz tunes and revive and revamp my songlist. I even exchanged cards with the pianist... who knows, I might even gig professionally with him one day! My dream is to have a regular gig in a jazz bar, say one night a week, so this really was a taste of a dream come true... Thanks to the powers that be!!

Me and my legwarmers

2008-12-23T15:40:00.005Z

My colleague Claire finds it hilarious that I wear legwarmers when I walk to work. It's friggin' cold, that's why!!

Anyway when she saw me she started singing the theme tune from 'Fame' and demanded I do a high kick for the camera. So here it is. Effortful expression and all. Plus a close-up of said legwarmers.

Ah, I love the work wind-down to Christmas :)

Feeling royally shitful

2008-12-18T14:58:00.003Z

(Warning: moan alert)
I woke up this morning with a splitting headache, stomacheache, nausea and dehydration and thought I may have food poisoning. This is on top of taking all of last week off for a throat virus, which also sapped me of my strength for half a week a fortnight ago, and for an entire weekend a fortnight before that.

I am really over being ill! Can't I have a break from it, please? :(

A really lovely album

2008-12-17T13:55:00.003Z

It's been a weird couple of weeks. Weird mainly because I've been ill and taken a week off work. When that happens it throws your sense of timing and reality off as your whole routine is put on hold. And being thrown like that when Christmas is approaching is really weird as you lose touch with the outside world's excitement building up. One day everything's normal, a week later you leave the flat and there are decorations everywhere, in people's windows, on buses etc. Not that I mind of course... it's lovely :)

But in the midst of all this strangeness, I have been listening to a gorgeous album over and over again. It's called "Neptune City" by Nicole Atkins, who Ben randomly found on MySpace a couple of years ago. We've been entranced ever since.

Neptune City is dreamy and lovely and magical. My fave song is "Maybe Tonight", the first track. It really sums up how I'm feeling at the moment... that mystical wonderful things can happen and are happening. Love and Fate and mystery. Love it. Thanks Nicole, you're a gem!

Re-thinking the whole food thing

2008-11-30T00:59:00.019Z

Back in September I walked into a Chinese herbalist centre hoping to get some acupuncture for some back pain I'd been experiencing, and walked out with a series of acupuncture/massage sessions and a bunch of detox herbs and pills. Not quite what I'd been after. I knew my head wasn't where it should be (this was around the time of Ben's surgery) but I went along with it, let myself get caught up in the tide of seemingly random actions on my part.

The herbalist basically said my liver, digestion, circulation, immune system and "ladyworks" weren't working as they should be. So I started a detox - no alcohol, limited caffeine (1, not my usual 2 coffees a day), no sweets, crisps, chips, roast nuts (!), citrus fruit/juices, deep fried foods, and a limit of red meat/dairy 3-4 times a week. I also took loads of pills and bitter herbal teas that stunk the flat out. I started it ok, but then our trip to Portugal put a dent in my resolve. It was silly to expect to do a detox on holiday, so I put it on hold, and really focused when we got back. It was 4 weeks of serious detoxing in October!

It was kind of funny - both Ben and I were on pill regimes (very different ones, mind you!) but it made me feel like we were doing something in his treatment together, which was nice.

I lasted 4 weeks, not the full 5 I'd paid for (hey, I have a week in reserve, whenever I want it). And I really noticed the difference - in my skin, my period, and my liver (unfortunately the only way I know my liver has detoxed is when I drink loads without my body objecting to the alcohol - nice). And I was generally a lot calmer, less agitated, less prone to stress. It was great.

Once I was off the detox of course I had to sample everything I'd been denying myself (and I mean, EVERYTHING!) but after I got over the deprivation reaction, I went back to fairly normal, healthy eating.

I have since started reading a book called 'Everything you need to know to help you beat cancer' by Chris Woollams. Ben had bought it and started reading it, and we're now both somewhere in the middle of it. The author's daughter had a brain tumour, and he did loads of research into what causes cancer. In the book he has managed to pull a large number of information sources together in an easy-to-read format. It's an excellent book, and a must-read for anyone with cancer, but also anyone who wants to lower their chances of getting cancer.

I'm mentioning this book in relation to my detox, because basically, the book advocates eating in a manner that more or less matches what I did on my detox. I feel that it's no coincidence that I did a 'random' detox and then started reading this book.

I know, and most people know, that eating healthier means a healthier body, but when you're forced to *really* think about it, *really* think about the levels of toxins in your body, and how they can create conditions for cancer... and when you have a boyfriend who is battling the damn thing... well, it makes you stop in your tracks and wonder what the hell you're doing.

(Don't get me wrong: I'm by no means saying that Ben caused his own cancer through a poor diet - especially because in the last year or so his diet has been formidably healthy - but a less than healthy diet and over-indulgence in booze in earlier years *may* have contributed to his current situation, among a whole host of other factors.)

So, I've started to really think about what we're putting in our bodies. Mainly food and drink, but also toiletries. I am now paying more attention to ingredients on packaging. I am working my way up to a different approach to food. I'm even considering giving up coffee, which is going to be difficult... my morning latte has been such a constant in my life for so long!

And I really need to lose weight. The last two years or so has seen me put on a LOT of weight, and I am now the heaviest I've ever been in my life. This is very unhealthy, especially for a person with such a small frame. Being overweight massively increases my chances of getting cancer, and dying earlier. Not good.

So... healthy eating. Organic food. No prepared foods. Limited dairy. Less red meat, more oily fish. Several smaller meals a day. No caffeine or aspartame. Limited sugars, and natural ones wherever possible. Supplements (which ones? I haven't worked that out yet, there are so many to choose from!) Green tea. No added salt (arghh, but I'm Greek!). Filtered water. Limited or no (?!) alcohol. Multiple servings of vegetables and fruit every day. And so on and so forth.

It's not like we've been eating in an unhealthy manner, it's just that we can (and should) take it to the next level if we're to put up a decent fight against this disease that's intruded so rudely into our lives. And we will. We intend to beat the fucker.

I'm not the only grammar pedant!

2008-11-18T19:18:00.009Z

Whoever crossed out 'less' on Transport for London's poorly written notice about escalators, and replaced it with 'fewer' - I love you! :)

(Though, to be fair, I appreciate what TfL are doing for the environment. At least they can spell that correctly ;))

(Noted today at Victoria Underground station)

Proof that 'Manchester' is an Australian word for bedlinen

2008-11-12T18:12:00.003Z

On this, my week off work, I've been going through and sorting a bunch of photos from the last year and a half (finally!) Here is a photo of a Store Directory in Myer, a department store, taken in December last year, on our visit to Melbourne. Stop laughing, you silly Brits!

Everyone has a story

2008-11-11T09:51:00.003Z

Almost everyone I speak to about Ben's condition has a similar story to tell about a friend or a relative. When I first started talking to people, this came as a shock. Now, after having spoken with loads of people, and hearing loads of stories, I am very saddened. Why so many? And why aren't we hearing about this - from the medical industry, from the media? There's always some article about what may or may not cause cancer, but I have heard nothing about the sheer volume of cases. I am really appalled that cancer is so rife. Why? Is it something about modern living? All the decisions we make about what to eat, drink, wear, breathe and surround ourselves with in our homes? Or does it go deeper than that? Is it more about relationships and expression of emotion, deep-seated feelings from the past not dealt with or let go? I really wonder...

There are just so so many stories, so many people in pain. It seems so wrong.

A holiday, a fresh perspective, and settling into life with chemo

2008-10-07T20:44:00.014+01:00

So it's been a long while between posts. Obviously a lot has been going on. Let's go back a few months to the last update, when Ben had his bowel surgery...

Immediately following the surgery Ben made a really good recovery and was let out of hospital early, which was really heartening. Then came a really difficult couple of weeks for me where I was juggling looking after Ben, finishing off a work project from home (unfortunately it was the tail end of a project I couldn't really hand over as it was all in my head) and fielding the much appreciated but voluminous enquiries after Ben's health via email, text and phone. I have to admit I really struggled through this period and was in some despair. I felt I couldn't give Ben all my attention because of work, and so was dealing with guilt on top of everything else.

But then, finally, my project was over and it was only a few days until a holiday we'd had scheduled for Portugal. Talk about serendipitous timing! It really was an absolute blessing to have that time-out. Ben's surgeon had not only said it was ok for him to travel, but heartily recommended it, so off we went, to sunshine and fresh seafood and family and babies! James and Tracy were at the family villa with their babies as well as Ben's parents. It was simply wonderful to sit back and be looked after by someone else for a change. And Ben's parents, who'd been stuck in Portugal while Ben was in hospital, were more than happy to be looking after us. We basically did very little for 10 days, and it was completely wonderful. We played with the beautiful little girls every day, went for walks in the sunshine, swam (I did; Ben sensibly sat in the shade by the pool), ate lots of delicious meals and read loads of books. But most importantly, we didn't think about the cancer or the treatment, or anything. It was all very very therapeutic.

To be honest, Ben had gone pretty much straight from diagnosis to surgery... it all happened so quickly and was such a big shock that we hadn't really processed it. The holiday was our first chance for our brains and our emotions to catch up with everything and come to terms with it. So when we finally came back home we felt rejuvenated and relaxed and ready to deal with the next stage: chemotherapy.

We already knew it was a mild form of chemo that Ben would be receiving, so he wouldn't experience symptoms like hair loss, but it would be taking some toll on his energy and result in a few other symptoms. We had visited the oncologist and she had explained it all to us in a blur of medical jargon. We'd also learned that his liver was showing some signs of damage, but a scan and consultation later, we still couldn't be 100% sure (and neither could the experts) that it was bowel cancer that had spread, or something different entirely.

So Ben started his chemo treatment just about a month ago, with a view to doing it for 3 months, then having liver surgery, then doing another round of chemo treatment for 3 months. It hasn't been scheduled, but we imagine the liver surgery will happen in late January.

In terms of the treatment, the main drug works on a 3-week cycle, which means that every 3rd Monday Ben has to go into the oncology clinic and get an intravenous infusion. He's also started a second drug which works on a 2-week cycle. And on top of all that, he has to take a complex medley of pills a few times a day - steroids, anti-nausea pills, and others. It's not been much fun - the infusions leave his arm sore for a week, and he experiences a lot of nausea and fatigue in the first week. But in the second week this improves and by the third week he's feeling almost normal. Bizarrely, the second drug has cause his eyelashes to grow longer! Weird, but wonderful :)

After cautiously returning to work, Ben has come to a sensible working arrangement: he will be taking the main week of injections off, and then working a 4-day week in other weeks. And even better, my work has approved me taking off every 3rd Monday so I can accompany Ben to the clinic for his big injections, which has eased a lot of distress for me.

This is a difficult time for both of us, and we're still trying to work out how much we can handle, and what support structures we need in place to make our journey easier and more comfortable. I've certainly come to realise that I can't just soldier on and expect everything to be ok - we all need shoulders to cry on, and I can't keep crying on Ben's - he's got enough on his plate already! And I've realised I've really done both me and my friends a disservice by not letting them know sooner. (Most of them don't read this blog, and wouldn't have received Ben's 'you ought to know' email.) I didn't mean to go on for so long in silence... when it all went down I didn't know if I was coming or going, and then when we came back from Portugal it was all very busy with work and weddings and other things going on.

But now's the time to let them all know. I miss them and love them so much. And, let's face it, I need them right now.

My angel and his awful ordeal

2008-08-24T23:55:00.004+01:00

It's been a very long, exhausting and emotionally draining week. And it bears some introduction.

About 2 months ago, Ben developed an ache in his lower belly. Initially we just thought it was poor digestion, and a bit of a bug. After a couple of weeks had gone by and the pain hadn't gone away, he booked himself in for an ultrasound. The results indicated his organs all looked ok and there 'might be some excess bowel gas'. All sounded fine, except the pain persisted.

We were then distracted by some reflux and chest pain, which was overcome by taking antacids. This lasted for a few weeks. In the meantime the bellyache was still there, and was getting worse.

Ben then made an appointment to see a gastroenterologist, and got some blood tests done which indicated there may be some inflammation in his bowel. He was told to get a colonoscopy (a camera up the back passage) just to be sure.

When he had the colonoscopy done, instead of seeing inflammation they found a big ugly lump in Ben's large intestine. They took tissue samples (biopsies) and told him to expect a follow-up consultation in the next 2-3 days.

In the consultation, Ben was told the lump was a tumour and that he had bowel cancer. Needless to say, this came as an enormous shock for both of us, as well as for family and friends. I'm still not sure we've come to terms with it yet. It seems so wrong that he should get bowel cancer at the age of 31 (or at all!!!).

The consultant (who is the top surgeon in his field, I might add) was about to go on holidays, so he offered to operate on Ben this week.

Ben had surgery on Wednesday. It went very well; the tumour was removed and all involved seemed happy with the procedure. Ben's been recovering in hospital this week, and I've tried to be there as much as I can with him. The poor thing has had so much pain and discomfort, but there has been a noticeable improvement every day, and he is now off all his drips and is walking around and looking a darn sight better than he was a couple of days ago. He even ate his first meal of solid food tonight.

He gets discharged in the next day or two, whereby I'll go into full-time nurse duties (I may have to work from home for a while). It should take about a month for him to recover from the operation, but it will be at least a few months before his abdominal muscles are fully healed and he's able to lift (heavy) things. And there are some follow-up exams and procedures he'll need to have done too.

But at least he's young and fit, and the tumour was caught in time, before it could do irreparable damage. We were lucky that he'd lost a lot of weight (3 stone) in the past year, otherwise the prognosis could have been a whole lot worse. We will overcome this, and we'll have a healthy happy Benjy back in no time. Thank God.

This whole thing has really reminded me about what's important in life, and health is definitely up there in the top 3. And so are family and friends. Thank you with all my heart to all our wonderful family members and friends who have texted, called, emailed, facebooked, sent cards or flowers, and visited Ben in hospital. We couldn't have got through the worst without you. We love you very much.

And for those of you who are hearing about this for the first time, we hope you understand why it was difficult to let everyone know right away. We love you very much too, and know we also have your love and support to help carry us through the next few months.

Far far far too long between posts

2008-08-10T21:10:00.013+01:00

Wow. I can't believe my last blog post was in March. Jeez. Time for a big catch-up then, eh?

Let's start in March, in bullet points; anything more would be silly.

March:
- the baby girls finally got to go home with their Mum and Dad
- saw Jonathan Coulton perform and I got his autograph!
- threw our first dinner party at the flat, with Kat and Andy the lucky recipients of a 3-course meal and loads of booze!
- went to our first 2008 wedding - Chloe & Tim (Chloe went to school with Ben)
- worked on a console game which was different, and fun!
- it snowed in our garden! (And in other parts of London, apparently)
- Saw Avenue Q which, because it had been made out to me to be amazingly funny, ended up inevitably disappointing
- went to the usual spate of lunches, brunches, drinks and movies

April:
- was busy busy busy on a project for the Freemans website - a fashion retail site that I did an expert evaluation, competitor review, user testing, interaction design, client workshopping, prototype testing and wrote a UI Spec for. All in 8 weeks. And not without help, either - I was working with a great team from Flow, our client, and our partner design agency Splendid. You can see the outcome here.
- tried 'Bollywood' dance classes which were fun and energetic, but the sharp wrist-twisting hand movements proved to be painful for my (still recovering) wrist
- went to a climate change meeting which left me feeling hopeful about the future and forever cynical about politicians at the same time

May
- had a long weekend away in the Lake District, a beautifully picturesque part of North England. Ben and I managed a 7-hour mountain hike on the first day, with lots of stile-climbing and lambsie-spotting (it was lambing season). We decided to relax, shop, and wander only on flat land for the second day.
- had a cocktail party (where my lovely bf's talents as a cocktail maker were on show) for my birthday. How old? Don't ask!

- Connie (my cousin) and Antoni became proud parents of little Thomas over in Athens
- sat through my first Eurovision final. It's apparently a rite of passage over here. Well, I've done it, so I never have to do it again. Thank God.
- earned mega gf brownie points cheering on Ben doing a 10k run, in the pouring rain.

June
- sang two hymns at our friends' Maria and Robin's wedding - Amazing Grace and Be Still (for the Presence of the Lord). It was lovely to be asked, and lovely to be singing again.

- had a 10-day holiday with Ben in England, which was bookended by weekends with friends. The first weekend was down in Pagham on the South Coast, at Claire's grandparents' house. The second weekend was in Elveden Forest in a leisure park called CentreParcs. It was literally in the middle of a forest and had a big pool complex with rapids, slides and wave pools, as well as loads of outdoor activities and wildlife to gawk at. In between the two weekends Ben and I drove around South-East England, ticking things like Stonehenge and Windsor Castle off my tourist list. We also saw some beautiful countryside and cathedrals.

July
- hit 3 years with Ben and 3 years in London. Wow! It seems to have gone by so fast! But I know I have changed immeasurably for the better, and I know it was the right decision to move here :) Especially as Ben got me 3 bunches of flowers and took me out for a superb gastronomic meal to mark the occasion ;) He done good.
- Mum came to visit! I unfortunately couldn't get time off work as it was late notice, but we got to spend some nice time together and she got to traipse about London and see some touristy stuff. And of all things, she seemed most taken with Selfridges!
- Ben and I had a long weekend in Athens with my parents, and Gary & Barbara (who were in transit). I also got to meet gorgeous baby Thomas, who is a delight.
- saw West Side Story beautifully performed and relived the fantastic songs we learned when I was a schoolgirl at Fintona
- started reading books again! I'd had a long absence from reading which I was getting worried about but I've thankfully caught the bug again

August
- did my first international travelling for work! Ok, so it was only Hamburg, and only for a day, but still! I've decided I really like the German language and would like to learn it in some capacity. Ja! Fur sure! hehe

So that's the run-down. In ongoing news, the baby girls are growing and becoming more alert and more gorgeous by the day. In less happy news, Ben has had belly trouble for some weeks now which is being investigated. We have two weddings and a Portugal/Spain trip planned for September, but nothing else of a big nature on the horizon. Photos, as ever, to follow (or so the legend goes).

That's it from me. Love to y'all. Iakovidis out.

Blossoms

2008-03-10T10:24:00.002Z

Ah, the blossoms have started coming out. This is my favourite season of the year! :)

Simon Pegg weekend

2008-03-10T10:04:00.007Z

Ben's away, I'm ill with a persistent cold, and was feeling like a nice homey weekend indoors, so I had one. I indulged myself and watched all 14 episodes of 'Spaced' (2004 British comedy about twenty-something flatmates and their adventures) and 'Hot Fuzz'. Ahhh. :)

Did I mention I love Simon Pegg? Not just for his looks and sexy deep voice but he's a very funny bloke! And a very versatile actor too. Catch him in 'Shaun of the Dead' (which he co-wrote), 'Run, Fatboy, Run' and the soon to be released 'How to Lose Friends and Alienate People' with Kirsten Dunst.

Oh, and in case anyone's worried I did more than just watch TV all weekend - I met a friend for lunch and girly shopping (thanks Lou!), did loads of washing and washing up and even made some jewellery displays - I'll take some photos once Ben comes back with his camera (he's riding phat powder in Tignes at the moment...)

Trying to kill hotmail

2008-03-07T14:02:00.005Z

Some of you may already know my feelings about hotmail, and about Microsoft, its grotesque and calculating parent. If you don't, you clearly haven't been listening.

I spent the better part of last night trying to kill off my hotmail accounts (I have two; it's a long story), but being the sentimental so-and-so I am, I had to go through everything to make sure I can retain things like the emails Ben and I exchanged in the year we were apart (can't discard that melodrama!) and more practical admin things like login details for miscellaneous accounts. What a f***ing chore! Especially with the hotmail interface I loathe. It's so difficult to do the simplest of things. I hate it so much!!!

Anyway I'm thinking of throwing a party when I finally kill off my hotmail accounts. Long live gmail!! Those of you still on that antiquated shitty webmail service that is anything but 'hot' - you don't know what you're missing.

All my exes are getting married

2008-03-03T10:24:00.006Z

Ok, well not all of them. Two of them. Two out of three people I had significant relationships with in the past. I was told about one in 2006, and I just found out today that another one is getting married later this year.

I am happy for them, really I am. But I can't also help feeling a little depressed. Blecchhh. What I need now is a few hours and some seriously cheesy movies to lose myself in for a little while...

Andy's dream

2008-02-29T13:33:00.002Z

My friend Andy just emailed me with this:

----------------------------
Hey I had a dream the other night that you were on stage singing Band Aid style on the mic with Amy Winehouse, you grabbed the mic off her saying 'move over wino' and started belting out this tune! It was a classic.

You should enter xfactor this year seriously - it's a premonition!!
----------------------------

Hmmm... should I?

I scored a goal in footy!

2008-02-19T10:02:00.004Z

Ok, so it's nowhere near as momentous news as the birth of the twins, but I am proud to say I scored my first goal (in 2 years of playing footy, but may I remind you I play back defender!) last night! I was very excited. It's given me new oomph to play better and harder. Watch out Camden Ladies' League! Check out the match results online if you don't believe me. And the fact we lost by 6 goals is not the point!!!

Ben is an uncle!

2008-02-19T09:56:00.003Z

Yesterday, Tracy gave birth to two beautiful baby girls - Isabel Rose and Olivia Grace. They are identical twins and they are just gorgeous. They are also in critical care because they are a little premature, given they were mono-amniotic twins (sharing the same amniotic sac - very rare). James and Tracy are thrilled, as you can imagine. And Ben is very excited about being an uncle! And of course me at being an 'auntie'! :)

Dining in darkness

2008-02-08T10:48:00.001Z

Last night I took Ben out for dinner for his birthday to 'Dans le Noir?' where meals are eaten in pitch darkness, and you are served by blind waiting staff. (I never made it to the equivalent Melbourne restaurant, so this was a new experience for me too).

Ben and I were both quite excited by the prospect, and made our way into the restaurant in a line of people, hand on shoulder. We were seated, and felt our place settings, and got our bearings, kind of. It was very strange... it made you feel like your eyes weren't working, and of course it meant that your sense of hearing was amplified. It was fun to start with, but we soon found that the other people in there were talking so loudly (and making stupid loud noises for the hell of it, like moronic children) that we could barely hear ourselves over the din.

It got to the point where two of the waiters had to yell over everyone to be quiet. This only worked for half a minute, unfortunately. And they were mocked for it, too. After five minutes of cacophony, I, being the quiet wallflower I am, also yelled out for people to 'please keep the volume down', and also got mocked, particularly by the guy making the stupid noises, who made another stupid noise for my benefit.
This enraged me, and I screamed out "you're a fucking twat!". Ok, so I lost it a bit. But you have to imagine the pitch darkness, the difficulty hearing each other speak, and the beginnings of panic and distress feeding the situation.

The couple next to us asked to leave, before their starters reached the table, and we quickly followed suit. I was so angry that some thoughtless assholes had to spoil it for so many other people, and that we missed out on what would have been a novel dining experience (we didn't know what we'd be eating). Anyway, we got out of there and ended up having a lovely meal at a nearby restaurant. After a few drinks and some food Ben's heart rate was back to normal and my face had lost its unhealthy flush.

I have to conclude that we prefer lit meals.

Giving ethical presents

2008-02-07T11:31:00.000Z

While we don't always want to acknowledge it, we live in a hopelessly greedy and consumerist society. We buy and buy and waste so much, every day. Half the time we don't think about whether we really need that item, whether we couldn't perhaps re-use it or fashion it into something else, or find a more sustainable alternative to the new thing. No wonder we're depleting our planet's resources at a devastating rate!

A good friend of mine, Kate, started encouraging her friends to buy ethical gifts last year, particularly when it came to her own birthday presents. I think this is a great idea and I'm now ready to do it myself. (Yes, I'll confess, it took me a while - I've always been a girl who's loved her 'stuff', but even I can change.)

So, all I ask of you is this: When a friend's birthday is coming up, or an occasion like Christmas, consider getting them an ethical gift. It may not be as tangible or as fun to play with as a regular gift, but it will help slow mass consumption a tiny bit. And it will also help heal the planet a tiny bit.

Certainly when it comes to presents for me, I'll be more than happy to receive an ethical gift :)

Where to shop:
Oxfam Unwrapped (International)
Your Tomorrow (UK)
Ethical Gifts (UK)
Present Aid (UK)

Other ideas:
- make your own cards from bits and pieces at home - get creative!
- make your own presents!
- give someone a voucher for your time doing something nice, like cooking a meal or giving a massage

10 years in UX

2008-02-05T14:51:00.000Z

This morning I realised, with a start, that I'll have been working in usability/user experience for 10 years come September. Ten years!! That's such a long time! I'm not sure how to feel about this. On one hand, there's a sense of pride - I've come a long way in that time. I'm light years away from the green post-grad who donned corporate wear for IBM GSA back in '98. On the other hand, part of me is thinking I should broaden my playing field, have a career change, do something else with my life. But as ever, I'm kind of stumped as to what my next move should be, as it could be in any number of directions! Plus work has started getting quite interesting over the last six months, and promises to continue being interesting. So, the 'big move' is probably going to go on the back burner for a while. Again. But ten years... that's enough to scare anyone out of their comfort zone...

Are you a considerate passenger?

2008-02-01T10:18:00.000Z

Transport for London have just launched a new campaign to encourage people to be more considerate on trains and buses. This issue is close to my heart, as I, for one, cannot stand the littering and the music-on-mobile playing that are almost part of the fabric of catching public transport in London.

I wonder if this campaign stands any chance of working. I can only hope.

A profoundly important book

2008-01-28T10:26:00.000Z

I have been reading "From Naked Ape to Superspecies" by David Suzuki and Holly Dressel. It is a major wake-up call to those of us who want the human species, not to mention the diversity of the life on this planet, to survive. It tells you of shocking, appalling things you won't hear in the media because, as we know, the media is controlled by a small number of hugely powerful and profit-hungry corporations. As are world trade agreements. As are patents on living things!!! The immorality and greed of these corporations is beyond belief. They are exploiting everyone, each and every one of us, but particularly the poorer Third World countries, who can't afford to fight them. And here we are, complacently living our lives, only vaguely aware that there is a climate and environmental crisis happening. Well it's happening now, and it's much bigger and scarier than we think, or are permitted to know about. According to the scientists, if we don't change our ways now, and fight these bastard corporations, we are absolutely on the path to our own destruction.

The more I read this book, the more galvanised I am to action. I haven't finished it yet, but already I'm asking - what can I do? How can I help? How can I make a difference? One thing's for sure - I will be investigating. And my first step to making a difference is telling you all about this book. Please, please read it. I'm buying my workplace a copy, my parents, my boyfriend and my brother. I think in this instance the greater environmental cause will forgive me purchasing multiple copies of the same book.

Weekend with Connie in Athens

2008-01-28T10:11:00.000Z

I just came back from visiting my pregnant cousin Connie in Athens. She knows what sex her baby is, and she and Antoni have even named him! Wow, that's efficient! ;)

It was wonderful to spend some quality 1-on-1 time with Con. We grew up as close as sisters, until her family moved to Greece when we were nine. The time I've spent with her since I moved to London has been great, but not very private, with few opportunities to be alone. This time, we finally did it, and caught up on love, life and the Universe, and affirmed that we are indeed a different generation from our parents.

I look forward to my next weekend in Greece when I will be a 2nd cousin once removed (or something to that effect)!!

Oh, and a visit to Greece wouldn't be right without a mention of food - managed to have a very tasty galaktoboureko from the best cake shop in Kifisia - fresh out of the oven! Yum!

Heroes

2008-01-16T12:33:00.001Z

On a less aggressive note, Ben and I have just started watching Heroes. A bit late, I know, but we had to get through the Firefly series (including the Serenity movie) before we allowed ourselves to start watching this new series which already has a cult following. It combines three of my favourite movie/TV show themes - special effects, genetic aberrations and serial killers. Oops, have I given something away? :) I didn't think this show was going to be as dark as it is... I thought it would be slightly more cheesy blockbuster action. Fortunately it's not. It's very well written and as SFX says, the first 3 episodes have the most brilliant cliffhanger endings. (We're up to the 4th episode). This series gets a major thumbs up in my book.

Angry!!

2008-01-16T12:25:00.001Z

I have been searching high and low for a sculpture course in London that is reasonably priced, aimed at beginners, located conveniently and run outside of business hours. It's taken me weeks, but I finally found a great-sounding course this morning. It's run on Saturdays by CityLit at a reasonable price and it's fairly easy for me to get to. And being run on a Saturday, I don't have to worry about skipping out of work early or getting home late. But, get this, I have to pay double the price because I haven't been a permanent UK resident for 3 years!!! It's a Government-funded school, you see. It doesn't matter that I have been working for this country for the last 2 1/2 years, have an EU passport, pay council tax and make donations to UK-based organisations. Can you believe it?!

This sucks the big one! Up yours to the UK Government for their stupid unfair stipulations!

Anyone know any good teach yourself sculpture books?

Grrrrrrr....

Offsetting your carbon footprint

2008-01-10T12:42:00.000Z

I just found a brilliant site which gives you the opportunity to offset the nasty carbon footprint your activities generate by funding different environmental causes.

The site let me calculate how many tonnes of CO2 my upcoming weekend trip to Greece would produce (0.686 tonnes), and how much money I would need to spend to offset it, which ranged between £5.15 and £11.75 depending on what cause I decide to fund. That's a pretty good feature in my book. And it doesn't add up to much, either!

I'm going to offset after every trip I take. It's obviously not as virtuous as not taking the trip in the first place, but at least this will help me assuage the guilt a little.

Note - the site lets you choose between British pounds, US dollars and Euros so all you Aussies are best to pay in USD.

Secret Santa is fantastic!

2008-01-08T16:59:00.000Z

Upon my return to London, I received my Secret Santa gift. I have to say, they made an excellent choice!

Ok, if it's not clearly visible, it's a shower sponge in the shape of a microphone. Pretty cool, eh? I love it!!

More Melbourne highlights

2008-01-08T16:22:00.001Z

From the cold, harsh climes of London, I can reminisce on the rest of my holiday in my home town:
- seeing Beowulf in 3D at the IMAX - woah!
- discovering I love the retro styles of Quick Brown Fox and spending lots of money there!
- Christmas with the extended family with loads of awesome presents and conversations
- Noticing how much everyone has grown or changed
- seeing some dear friends who I miss heaps
- playing with my cousins' cute spoodles (spaniel x poodle)
- meeting all the babies in my network (well, almost all of them)
- visiting fave haunts - Brunswick St., Acland St., and Smith St.
- being bought a ticket to a mystery event which turned out to be a Hari Krishna performance night. Needless to say we didn't stay long ;)
- being inspired by a new friend's art and cult collectibles
- pointing out places I'd been to for Ben everywhere we walked and describing the memories they evoked
- getting a shiatsu massage at the Japanese Bath House in Collingwood
- an intimate NYE with Gary and Barb and a few choice friends - with cocktails, boardgames and karaoke!
- drinking wine by the Yarra in Fairfield with my cousins
- eating sweet, ripe mangoes on a daily basis
- doing some bar-hopping on our last night in town and discovering some new funky bars: Horse Bazaar, The Toff, and The Workshop
- Yum Cha on our last day with my loud but lovable family :)

Needless to say it was a very special time with lots of great people and delicious food. Needless to say I don't miss the heat and I've started a health kick to recover from the excess consumption!

(photos forthcoming...)

Melbourne highlights so far

2007-12-19T21:28:00.000Z

- eating my Mum's delicious egg-lemon soup after a tiring plane journey
- going through all my clothes, shoes, DVDs and wines
- latte!! real, tasty latte, made properly!!
- seeing my brother and sister-in-law's new house (and having house envy)
- wandering through the city streets, checking out old bar haunts and wondering if they've changed
- playing bingo at the Terminus with the old Sensis techie crowd (and extensions)
- variable weather - hot one day, raining the next
- seeing 'Eagle vs. Shark' at the Nova on Lygon St.
- eating a pack of cheese twisties - yum!
- watching Ben rock out on my brother's Guitar Hero game
- hearing Aussie accents everywhere
- just hanging out at home with family

God bless Terry Pratchett

2007-12-13T15:03:00.000Z

...who assures us that he is not dead, but is only suffering from a rare form of early onset Alzheimer's. Bless him for being such a cheerful bugger! And may he write loads more books while he can! :)

Human milk - add 30p!

2007-12-13T09:49:00.000Z

This was a sign in my local coffee shop this morning. I looked at it, and looked at it again, and then I asked about it. The guy said, somewhat condescendingly, that it was a joke. Ok, I'm an idiot. But it did make me wonder for a moment there...

The frost has descended

2007-12-12T08:49:00.000Z

Ah the English Frost. It made its first appearance of the season this morning. I should have known - this week it's been just that bit colder and the wind that much icier. As I left the flat this morning, the first thing I noticed was the little park and playground in our square all frosted over, icicles twinkling in the sunlight. Beautiful! God only knows where all the squirrels are hiding - I just hope the little munchkins are warm!

Counting the days!

2007-12-11T09:26:00.000Z

It is now 4 days till we take off for Melbourne! I can't decide what I'm looking forward to the most - spending Christmas with my clan, catching up with friends, showing Ben 'my' Melbourne, seeing the Myer Christmas windows, having a summery and BBQ-themed festive season, or eating food that's full of flavour.

I still have my head buried in this project, and won't be surfacing till the last minute on Friday. Haven't even thought about packing, but I am determined not to take much, and do lots of shopping to bring back instead - the pound to Aussie dollar exchange rate is still sweet! I also need to write a few Christmas cards for people over here (I've succumbed... the guilt is too great) before I go.

I'm very excited... I can't wait! :)

Favourite new muso

2007-12-07T12:41:00.001Z

In the last month or so I have been introduced to the concept of 'filk' aka 'geek folk'. It is highly amusing. Through Neil Gaiman's blog I have discovered Jonathan Coulton who writes some very funny songs of this genre, and even does a cover of Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back" (beats me why I've always liked that song...). Check out his listening suggestions! (Warning: if you listen to this at work and laugh out loud people will give you strange looks. I'm used to that but you might not be).

Freaking out

2007-11-15T15:45:00.000Z

Ever had a day where things are just freaking you out? All was well until I went to have lunch with a colleague and we sat outside a cafe where pigeons were abundant. First I tried moving my chair while sitting on it, and because it was one of those wooden slat/foldy ones immediately got a finger wedged under the seat which caused a nasty, bleeding cut.

Then a persistent pigeon not only wouldn't move away from our table but actually hopped onto it and started nosing into my salad! It scared the crap out of me! We shooed it away but it just wouldn't go! We quickly grabbed our trays and headed inside. I was shaking for the next 5 minutes.

Then I got back to work to find emails from clients asking about the work I was meant to have finished today. (The key client was away so I figured I could get away with having it done by the time he got back. Ok, so I've been completely burned out by work and have been taking it easy since my huge deadline - I'm only human!) So that caused the heart rate to go a bit silly-fast.

Then I thought Ben had invited all these people I didn't know to our housewarming and had a little freak about that too (I was wrong and I apologised).

So all in all, I've had about enough shocks for one day! I feel emotionally bruised and my finger still hurts :( I just want to go home and cuddle my giant toy monkey...

Moved and (almost) settled

2007-11-09T11:07:00.000Z

Well, we are now living in Barnsbury in our lovely new flat. We've been there just about 2 weeks now. The move went really well - can definitely recommend man with a van to do the job. They weren't the cheapest, but were very friendly, efficient and careful, and were English-speaking to boot (always reassuring)! We managed one truckload, plus a short extra trip to the storage depot, and had everything moved within 4 hours, which is brilliant.

So the last 2 weeks have been spent shopping, and sorting stuff in the flat. There were a few hitches (and still are in some cases) with things not quite working as they should, but we're hopefully getting on top of them. Poor Ben has learned to cope without TV and internet... and that's saying something! Importantly, our washing machine just got fixed so we can start assailing our mountain of dirty clothes (which won't be helped much by our trip to Amsterdam this weekend). We've done the department store/kitchen shopping trip, and the home/gardening equipment shopping trip, now all that's left is a furniture shopping trip (you guessed it, Ikea). We had an abortive attempt last weekend, but didn't have all the measurements we needed (d'oh!) so it will have to wait till next weekend.

The housewarming invite has gone out... if any overseas friends are in London on Saturday 1st December, please let me know! The theme is fridge magnets (I am indulging a long-held wish of mine)! Hopefully we'll end up with a fridge completely covered in them. :)

I'm not providing photos of the new flat yet, as there are still boxes of things everywhere. When we get our furniture, and everything's been put away, and it's all pretty-like, I promise you some snaps!

It's a really nice flat, and I'm really happy with it and in it. I think Ben is too. :)

I think I can, I think I can...

2007-10-25T09:12:00.000+01:00

Remember 'The Little Train That Could'? That used to be a favourite childhood book of mine. I feel like that little train right now, chugging its way up an enormous mountain, saying "I think I can, I think I can".... I'm ill, have a mountain (ok, maybe just a large hill) of work to get done by Wednesday, am moving house at the weekend, and just made it through a personal crisis. The Universe always seems to give me opportunities to multi-task! hehe

Anyway, wish me well as I chug away, tissues, lemsips, wireframes and bubble wrap in hand...

Belle de Jour, anyone?

2007-10-21T18:48:00.000+01:00

Not sure if "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" has made it to Oz, as it's a TV series based on a book which is based on the real-life blog of a London call girl (point being, it's London-based). Anyway it's had a lot of publicity over here, particularly as Billie Piper plays the lead role. Remember the song "Honey to the Bee", released years ago? Yep it's the same Billie, a British favourite after her role as Rose in Dr. Who.

On a whim, I thought I'd check out this so-called blog. Yep, it's real. And, my God, is it hilarious or what? This girl should write professionally (well, I guess she has). I can't remember laughing so much in one afternoon. Needless to say the TV series doesn't *quite* cover the range and depth of raunch the blog does. I'm going to try and read all of Belle's blog entries. From 2003. Bottoms up! hehe

Moves, and more moves

2007-10-21T15:04:00.000+01:00

Gee has it been that long since I wrote a blog entry? Tut, tut. I didn't mean for it to be so long between posts. But as you'll soon hear, things have been fairly demanding lately.

Firstly I finally left my beloved Stoke Newington at the end of September :( It was kind of emotional, especially as Lorraine and I had developed an attachment. But I'll be going back periodically, to collect mail, get my hair cut, and catch up with Lorraine. Ben and Jon helped me move half of my stuff (as well as some of theirs) into storage, and the other half into their place in Borough. Eleanor (Jon's gf) had moved in a few days before, so I'm sure the boys had a lot to get used to in a short space of time! Given that they'd not had a cleaner in the entire year they've been here, and aren't the cleaning types, one of the first things Eleanor and I did was to give the flat a good clean. (We're still waiting for the boys to clean the oven and the toilet, 3 weeks later). Despite that, it's been really great living under the same roof as my Benjy, and seeing him every night :) It's also been nice sharing a place with Jon and Eleanor - they're good mates and we always have great conversations.

Ben and I move into our new place in Barnsbury next weekend. I can't believe my month in Borough is almost up! We're very excited though... it's going to be so much fun to finally have our own place and furnish it and sort stuff. (I love sorting stuff, in case anyone was wondering... I've mildly considered becoming a professional 'sorter' at times). We're having our housewarming on December 1st. Invite is pending.

So, one move down, one to go. Almost. Because in the meantime, my workplace has moved too! Yes, Flow Interactive now have a new (and not fully finished) office in Clerkenwell - a much more 'happening' suburb than Highbury & Islington - not nearly so residential, and much closer to central bars, restaurants and the CBD or "City" as it's called here.

So needless to say, getting used to new routines has been the theme of the month. Add to that a crazy work schedule, travelling with the mobile lab, fitting in physio appointments and you have one tired and run-down Mimi. I developed a cold last week but it seems to be disappearing, which is good. 'Cos I sure as hell can't afford any time off work at the moment!

You'll be pleased to hear my wrist is improving... it's no longer swollen and the mobility is much greater since I started physio. I'm not very disciplined at doing my exercises, but it's getting there nevertheless. I'm even going back to football on Monday, after a too-long absence - yay! Not in goal, though.. I doubt I'll be doing that for some months. Just on the pitch, in my old defence position. Let's see if I even remember how to play! ;)

For those more spiritually inclined, I have discovered Sonia Choquette and in doing so have found the next step in my personal development. I've also started seeing a homeopath and am trying to go 'alternative' wherever I can. So, all looking good on that front.

Right now I'm just really looking forward to moving into the new place, and settling into a proper routine. Unsurprisingly, I've been feeling a bit unsettled and all over the shop lately, and I just want a bit of regularity in my life. Fortunately, it's not far away :)

One last, but important, piece of news: my dear friend Zoe and her hubby Alasdair have moved to the UK! They're living in Bishop's Stortford, halfway between London and Cambridge (where their respective jobs are based). We caught up last weekend, and it was great. It's so good to know a good friend from home is just a short train ride away...

Cast-off!

2007-09-18T09:46:00.001+01:00

Just a quickie to let you all know I got my cast taken off last Wednesday - yay! My wrist is till a little bruised and swollen, and very stiff, but generally on the mend. The specialist gave me a soft splint to wear on and off for another week, and I am trying to use my hand as much as possible without overdoing it.

You'll be pleased to hear I am now typing with two hands and am able to wash my hair with both hands too. Today was a major achievement - I bought a take-away coffee and was able to carry it in my left hand! Woo! No more missing out on my lovely store-bought morning coffee! Yay! :)

So all is progressing well. This week I am seeing a specialist in hospital again to check on progress, then after that a physio to get some exercises.

One weird thing: I have scratched all the skin on my left hand and wrist off, leaving a new, shiny and very sensitive skin underneath - when I feel something with my left hand, all the textures are amplified, making for interesting sensory experiences! :)

Ciao,
Mimi "The Hand" Iakovidis (as Ben has taken to calling me lately)

We got the flat!!!

2007-09-03T20:02:00.000+01:00

Ok, I guess this needs some introduction.

Ben and I have been wanting to move in together for a while now but things like holidays and football injuries and date-coordinating with flatmates kept moving the dates later and later in the year.

But finally, a couple of weeks ago we started on the seemingly huge and daunting task of flat-hunting. We booked up the calendar with viewing dates and potential move dates, and started scouring the web and whoring ourselves out to estate agents. We weren't enjoying it much, and my current project hasn't made it easy for me to ring agents etc. so Ben was doing a lot of the calling around.

Anyway, on Saturday we sneakily double-booked to see a flat in Barnsbury and we really liked it! It was on a nice quiet circular street with a park in the middle, and it had a garden, loads of storage space, high ceilings and a few quirky features like lowered kitchen and bathroom. We went to see it again a couple of hours later, this time armed with a designer tape measure (we were in Islington and desperate - don't ask Ben how much it cost!). This time we were triple booked and the other people viewing it were making 'ooh I like it' noises so Ben and I ran outside and quickly called the agent to put an offer on it. Needless to say the property market in London is very competitive at the moment!

We had to wait in suspense all weekend because the agent couldn't get through to the landlord to confirm the offer. So this morning, while I was taking notes in yet another corporate interview, I noticed a text message and thought 'Omigod, it's from Ben, about the flat!' I had to concentrate really hard to keep focused on my work. When I finally read the message and it said "House is ours!!!" I was just so happy and relieved. Yayyyy! :)

Only minor negative is that the flat becomes available on the 24th of October and I promised my landlady (and flatmate) Lorraine I'd be out of here by the end of September. Besides, she's already lined up a new tenant. D'oh! So, I'll have to share Ben's room again for 3 weeks. Given that Ben's flatemate and his girlfriend will also be living there at the time it should be a nice little squeeze! But it will be well worth it. I'm already itching to get our new place all nice and shiny clean for our move! (I know, I have issues)

So, there will be a housewarming party, most likely in November. I'm warning you now - all invited will have to bring a fridge magnet. The more unusual and interesting the better. So you can start shopping for one now!

My left arm

2007-09-02T18:59:00.000+01:00

Ok, so it's not a Daniel Day Lewis movie, but it's still pretty interesting. My last 'arm' update (aside from my gratuitous broken-wrist-mentioning Facebook status updates) was written during my week of pain, when I first broke my wrist. I mentioned some flowers and cards I was sent - from work, and my friends Kate and Tom, Ben and Jo, and Alex and Asitha - here are the pics. I also mentioned the painkillers - here is my bedside stash!

My first day back at work was awful - I was so tired and overwhelmed. Fortunately that reduced significantly the next day, and it's been pretty good since. But it's easy for me (and others) to forget that my body is healing and I will (and do) get tired more easily.

About 10 days after the first (half) cast was put on I had a hospital appointment where they removed the cast, X-rayed my wrist again, and put a new, all the way round, fibreglass cast on. This cast was stronger and lighter than the plaster one. I asked the guy who put it on for me (an orthopaedic technician by the name of Tony who was awesome) to wash my arm for me as it had started to feel a bit manky. Here are some pics of my wrist between casts - can you see the bruising? (Apologies, my phone isn't exactly the latest model.) At least the swelling had gone down.

In the meantime I've taken my cast and sling to a wedding, to super corporate client interviews (tip: footy injuries go down well with male execs!) and have even braved London public transport with them. Unsurprisingly, not everyone on the buses and Tube notices my cast or takes care not to knock into me. Some lovely people have given up their seat for me, but they haven't been in the majority I'm afraid. And it's not easy to keep your balance and hang on to bus/train poles with one hand, let me tell you!

So now I am due to get this second cast removed in 10 days and I am practically counting down. Not that I should expect my wrist to be fully operational afterwards... I expect it will take a few months before it regains its strength. I am wondering what it's going to look like though... currently I am scratching the dead skin off it (not pretty, but I can't help myself) - you can see my two-tone thumb where I've scratched the darker skin off. Yes, ewww back to you. Plus I've been told my arm might be super hairy when the cast comes off. Nice...

Disarmingly yours :)

P.S. In case you're wondering, no I haven't let anyone sign my cast. I have a super corporate client and I don't think it would look very good. Maybe on my cast's last day..

The pressure to blog

2007-09-02T18:51:00.000+01:00

I admit it, I'm feeling it! Once you start a blog, there's this unspoken expectation that you're going to be adding to it all the time, keeping it fresh or real or whatever the kids are saying these days. Well, having one typing hand and no computer at home (not to mention a stupid-busy project at the moment) have all made it a bit hard to blog regularly. And I have stacks of things to write about, hence my frustration. To make it a bit easier for myself, I've decided to do 'retro' posts when I can - posts that won't be in order of chronology, but will at least fill some of the gaps for you. Ok, I feel a bit better now. Now all I have to do is sort my photos...

On another hysterical note

2007-08-10T16:11:00.000+01:00

I have just managed to buy a dress and matching sling from a designer shop around the corner from home. Can you believe it?! She had some matching scrap material left over, and cut and hemmed it nicely for me. Now for some shoes & a wrap and I'm all set for Jenny & Jonny's wedding next weekend! Woo hoo!

Stop the press: My boyfriend's Mum just joined Facebook!!

2007-08-10T15:43:00.000+01:00

Omigod. What's going on?! I don't know whether to laugh or go into a mild panic. I wish I could be there to see the look on Ben's face when he finds out! (I just sent him a text as he can't access FB at work).

Hats off to June for making a bold move into the social media arena. Question is, can she keep up? hehe (Love you, June! :))

If my Mum joins, I'm quitting. Some things are better left unshared with the folks, y'know?! (Love you too Mum - lots and lots!!) :P

I broke my left wrist...

2007-08-08T21:06:00.000+01:00

...saving a goal at footy on Monday night. It was just a few minutes till the game was over, we were losing 3-5 and I was determined not to let the other team's star shooter, Carly, get another goal in before the whistle blew. So when the ball came at me, hard and fast, I stopped it with my left hand. Unfortunately the impact bent my hand all the way back and, as it turned out, broke my wrist. Needless to say it hurt like a bastard. I was in shock and couldn't think beyond getting an ice-pack on it. My teammates were awesome - running cold water over it, making a makeshift sling from a football jersey and generally being attentive. Thank goodness I was persuaded to go to a nearby hospital instead of being complacent and just going home with some frozen peas! I found a cab outside the school we play at, and off to the hospital I went.

The hospital visit was an ordeal in itself (aren't they always?). I had to queue at reception despite the increasing pain which, I'll admit, made me cry. It convinced the receptionist to put me at the front of the nurse queue, so I was grateful for being so emotional (it does help, sometimes). I called Ben to come and keep me company, and in the meantime I saw a nurse who gave me some pills (oh sweet drugs!) and sent me off to have my wrist x-rayed. The x-ray lady told me 'unofficially' that I'd broken my distal radius bone. I mentioned I'd fractured the same wrist when I was 10 but she assured me that it would have fully healed and this was an independent break.

Then came the waiting. Ben found me and we waited together. To pass the time he told me war stories of his broken ankle and broken knee. He also fed me the remainder of my lunch as I was starving. Finally a doctor saw me and told us officially that I'd broken my wrist and would need to get a cast put on it. He said I'd have to wait longer as an old lady had broken both wrists and was being attended to before me. (She'd come out of the elevator in John Lewis and slipped on their shiny floor, putting both hands out to break her fall... see Mum, it's not just sports that are dangerous!)

We continued to wait, and an hour went by. Both Ben and I could barely keep our eyes open. I jokingly said they'd forgotten me. Then a nurse came by and said the doctor had left without passing over my card. So they hadn't known I'd been waiting. And it was almost midnight (I'd got there before 8pm). Nice. Anyway soon after that she got me sorted with a soft half-cast, and made me laugh too, bless her.

So next week they take the soft cast off, x-ray the wrist again, and put on a full, hard cast which I have to wear for at least 4 weeks. Sexy. In the meantime I've taken a few days off work and am living off painkillers and glasses of milk. Living one-armed is sure an eye-opener! I can't open a can, put my hair up or do up my bra without help! Ben has been an angel looking after me, but he can't be here 24/7 so it's all been a bit of an adventure.

Thanks to everyone for the calls, texts, emails, Facebook messages, flowers and cards - you're ace! xx

P.S. I can't believe I just typed all that one-handed!
P.P.S. Thank goodness I'm right-handed!

We finally won at footy!!

2007-08-02T11:42:00.000+01:00

All the gals were feeling quite tired, and a few of us were a little ill or injured, but amazingly we got through the match with panache and didn't do our usual thing of 'coming 2nd'. I even did a dive in goal. The score was 2-1 but the victory was sweet nonetheless. And here's a team hug to prove it (I'm in the back, somewhere). Love the ref's expression, don't you? ;)

Acknowledgement

2007-07-31T18:31:00.000+01:00

Before I forget... once again I thank Travis Beckham (aka Squidfingers) for permission to use his background pattern. He's got some cool patterns, man! Check them out!

Welcome to my travel/updates blog

2007-07-31T17:52:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone, I am replacing my update emails with this here blog. So instead of getting an essay in your inbox every few months, you will have a site you can visit at your own leisure, and hopefully fewer, shorter updates to read! Enjoy! xx