Burgled - and an update on Hannah's clinic visit

So here, albeit a little late, is the promised update. I didn’t intend it to be quite this belated, and on Tuesday night after a Maths Lesson sat myself down to catch up on some emails. Managed one post to BA network, and had just begun a long overdue email to Danielle (sorry Danielle, have got no further with it :-() when I heard the front door shut. Andy was not in the room, and I assumed he had gone out to put something in the bin. In fact, he was upstairs, and some ******* ****** (insert expletives of choice) had brazenly walked into our house, when we were here, at 9:30 pm, and swiped my handbag and Andy’s mobile from the kitchen.

The next four hours saw frantic cancelling of credit cards, deactivation of phones, Andy stomping round the neighbourhood, and a visit from the police (the woman who took the call seemed quite excited when she realised it was a BURGLARY!). They had tried to use one of the cards within 10 minutes of stealing it; unsuccessfully because they didn’t know the PIN. Scenes of crime came round the next morning, but didn’t find any prints. Not surprising really as they didn’t have to touch anything apart from what they actually took. It’s possible there may be CCTV from the cash machine where they tried to use the card, but that is the only possible lead.

The bastard even answered my phone, as if it was his!!! :- Obviously this was before I deactivated it. GRRRRRRRR

Why can’t these people do honest work for a living, like the rest of us do? Probably because it was drug related. Now there’s a topic for another post…..

In many ways this unpleasant event is actually a good thing. We have lost our sense of complacency regarding our security both when in and out of the home. Andy has spent £200 today on security devices for our home, and we haven’t finished yet. I have realised that there is not really any need to keep all my credit cards in my purse, when I rarely use them. They should be kept safely at home unless I need them.

This has also been achieved with the minimum of harm done. Really, it has just been a matter of inconvenience. We received most of the replacement cards within 48 hours, and the replacement sim cards to enable us to keep our mobile numbers within 3 days. We are also very relieved that Andy (or indeed me) did not come face to face with him/them, as they may have been high on drugs and/or armed. It was only that he had gone to the bathroom which prevented him from bumping into them……scary….

So I guess, shit happens, and it could be much worse. A lesson has been learnt. The worst inconvenience is losing our numbers stored in our phones – everything else is replaceable. And it is nice to have an excuse to update our phones…… ;-)

I had so much news before that I wanted to post but half of it has gone out of my head, so I will try and get through a few of the major events, in the 10 minutes I have before the Strictly Come Dancing result.

Firstly I wanted to say that I am so happy for Andy that he has been given a project at work that he is enjoying, for the first time in a couple of years. Of course, this means I have become a ‘java widow’ again, but I can live with that for a few weeks ;-)

Next, Hannah has had bloods (31st Oct) and a clinic visit (4th Nov). Bloods excellent, first ever normal across the board. Hurrah!

For those who care, they were

Total Bilirubin 4 (remember we’re in the UK!)
Albumin 41
ALT 39
Alk Phos 355
Total Protein 63

The clinic visit was OK, although her liver was palpable again, about an inch (it shouldn’t be felt below the ribs). It always used to be, but then in the two clinic visits in early summer it wasn’t. There seem to be three possibilities. 1) This is because she is growing 2) This is because the enlargement was missed in the summer 3) This is because her liver is getting bigger. Hope it’s the first. Time will tell.

Aaah, running out of time. Hannah was also part of a Diploma in Child Health exam at our local hospital. This was kind of a ‘Guess the diagnosis’ scenario. Both candidates who examined Hannah correctly gave BA as the most likely diagnosis, which I was fairly impressed with, given that there are only 50 new cases per year in this country. I was relieved that I have done so much research, as the first guy (who knew what a Kasai was – well done) described it as “a palliative procedure to keep the child alive for the first year until a transplant can be done”! That could have sent me into a panic! In some cases, he was right of course – I can well believe that is what he has read about it.

Right, time for SCD. My fix. Who will be out? Don’t want any of them to go. Sob. (Get a life, Sharon!)

Where have I been?

The computer has taken a back seat in the last month, hence my lack of blog posts and email contact – both of which in general require a lengthy session – although I have managed to pop up on the odd forum here and there.

That time of year has arrived again. Yes, it is time to resume my strange addiction to Strictly Come Dancing. I LOVE this programme. This is not normally my kind of show; I’ve never watched Pop Idol or X Factor or anything like that. I am not the sort of person who plans my time around the TV (good job as with only the five network channels there is often little to bother with), so tend to watch programmes that can be seen in isolation, like documentaries or things like Grand Designs (How cool? To design and build your own house? But how stressful!).

What do I love about SCD? Of course, there is the connection with Dirty Dancing, all-time favourite girlie movie, reminiscent of teenage years and one-time crush on Patrick Swayze. The fact that I can’t dance and am usually too shy to try makes me in absolute awe of the celebrities who put themselves under that pressure and scrutiny in the name of charity, and even greater awe of the professionals who make it look so perfect and effortless, just like I was blown away by Cynthia Rhodes’ dancing in DD. I avidly watch both the show itself and the fanzine It Takes Two, having to video them as they coincide with the girls’ bedtime..

Last year, I felt the winners of Strictly, Jill and Darren, were head and shoulders above the others. This year, there are a lot of good couples. I think my current favourites are Patsy and Anton, as I like their dancing and also think they both come across as humorous, down to earth people. I wish people didn’t have to get voted out (although this is how they make the money for charity) so you could see how everyone progressed over the time period. I also feel sorry for them when they have put in so much time and effort.

I think there are still five weeks to go, so still plenty for me to look forward to. My increased TV viewing (as well as a return by the amusing Mitchell brothers) has brought my nine month abstinence from Eastenders to an end. Arghhhhhhhhh! Have also got back into Holby City, after trying to break that cycle.

To make things worse, 31st October saw the release on DVD of Star Wars Episode III, Revenge of the Sith. We tried to fit in a viewing of the other five beforehand but only got through Episodes IV and V. Despite our best intentions, we missed out on seeing Episode III at the cinema so this had been eagerly awaited. I think Star Wars is like Marmite, you either love it or hate it, and being firmly in the former category (part of my assimilation into Sci-Fi by Andy), I really enjoyed it, and thought it a good completion of the saga. Personally, I am incredibly impressed by this whole, detailed, concept that George Lucas has created, and I disagree with critics who say that this or that should have been done some other way. It is the way it is, and I love it!

I have also been taking on some more work in the evenings the last couple of weeks, so, excuses over, I solemnly promise to deliver in the next week:

1) A blog post with news!
2) Emails to people who may be wondering why they haven’t heard from me.

Off now to put all the blasted links in this post, and to watch video from earlier of SCD It Takes Two, Eastenders and Holby City. I think my life may lack excitement…..