5 November 2009

On the weekend of 24-25 October the family gathered here for my 78th birthday -- 13 months after my lung cancer was diagnosed & I was told Ihad months, not years, to live.

So we really had something to celebrate! The Saturday evening menu was planned in homage to Julia Child (my idea) & featured roast leg of lamb (with quince & rosemary compote -- a treat for Roy) accompanied by baked aubergines stuffed with mushrooms. Dessert was chocolate charlotte Malakoff, a signature dish of mine in New York days, complete with home-made lady fingers. Home-made room decorations included last year's 'Happy Birthday, Julanne' banner, supplemented by a new one reading 'Jule & Julia' plus huge enlargements of the 'Julie & Julia' movie poster with the title altered according to our theme & a photo of me in my late teens replacing Julia's photo.(Confused? See photo at bottom of page.) Everything was wonderfully cooked & produced in great style by Kate & Chris & Helen & Harry.

The celebration continued at Sunday lunchtime, for which Roy's sister, Janet, & her friend Margaret brought steak & kidney pie & desserts plus a birthday cake. And because it was the half-term week (no school), Harry & family could stay on till Tuesday. Since when I have been recuperating from all the excitement.

My wig continues to be very useful, especially on bad hair days. Roy & I both have our regular hospital appointments & are feeling as well as can be expected. The anti-oestrogen tablets are reducing the breast tumour & I see my lung oncologist for a 3-month checkup in late November.

Yesterdayon a so-called health walk, I managed 4.1 miles in 1 hour 40 minutes --my first real walk in over a year. In addition to leaders, these walks (which are organised by the NHS but run by volunteers) have enders, who keep pace with the slowest participants. The walks are usually only an hour, but this was the one on offer on a beautiful November day & I thought I'd give it a try & I'm glad I did, in spite of very sore legs.