stuff!

I'm getting a new abyssinian kitten! I went and saw her a few weeks ago when she was only about 4 weeks old - so cute! This is a not very good photo I took of her then - she was being held by the breeder. I wasn't allowed to touch her at that time - I guess she hadn't had any vaccinations yet. Her name is Saffron - Saffie for short.

I had been going to pick her up the weekend before Christmas and fly her down to NSW with me to stay at my Mum's for Christmas. It seemed like a good idea when I thought of it months ago. I have 2 weeks off over Christmas and will be spending the first week down in NSW. But as the time has approached I have been wondering if this is really such a good idea after all - mostly for her! Being picked up by a new person, and about 24 hours later being put in a plane and going to yet another new place! anyway, the breeder has agreed to hold onto her until I come back (with some relief on both of our parts!) so I'm going to collect her on my way home from the airport!

My health has been mostly OK, although I seem to have started coughing again at night which is extremely boring to say the least! I don't know who I can complain to now! But I'm still OK in the daytime (touch wood!). I've been doing yoga and going to the Curves gym 3 times a week, which I'm pleased about. I do know that exercise is good for your health, and immune system generally. I haven't started going back to class (yoga) yet. I was going to go today but ended up getting spaced out doing Christmas shopping and didn't get it together. I think I will probably have to leave it till next year now - I could only go next Saturday now, as the following ones are going to be busy busy busy!

It's funny, normally I'm not very social at Christmas but this year I seem to have been invited to heaps of Christmas 'dos' - starting tomorrow evening! And I'm having a Christmas BBQ lunch myself in a couple of weeks too! Mostly some people from work, family and a few other friends. Should be nice.

Yoga and downpours

Well, I've managed to do yoga twice this week. Which I suppose is an advance on the previous few weeks when I was too sick to do anything that put my head lower than my chest ... On Tuesday I just did a really short practice - 1 sun salute (!) and a few standing poses - just testing the waters vis-a-vis inversions and coughing.

But today, I did quite a bit more - our Friday lunchtime yoga sessions started again after the finish of uni exams (which used the room). Just 2 of us were there, but I managed an hour of yoga. I was still careful about anything like downdog, did shortened versions of the sun salutes etc. And it's 3 hours since I did it and I haven't been coughing, so hopefully that means I can slowly build my whole practice up again, and won't need to be scared of inducing coughing fits.

I was supposed to go to class tomorrow in Brisbane, but there's a big thunderstorm predicted for tomorrow afternoon, and I don't think I want to be driving in that. Again! Yesterday I went in to Brisbane after work to have some acupuncture, and when I came out, the skies were black and I had to drive home at about 60kpg along the highway through pouring rain and thunder and lightning! Not fun ... :)

We've had the most amazing weather here these past few days. Huge storms, ripping roofs off, flooding creeks and bridges not to mention houses. I've been OK, no leaks or fallen trees or anything, but I did measure 235mls of rain a couple of days ago. That's 9.5 inches in the old measurement!! My water tanks must be full - it's been too wet to check. It's been great getting all that rain, but I'd like it to stop now please!

And I'm going to see the new James Bond film this weekend - yes!

My Plan to start yoga again!

I was looking through a drawer for some spare Christmas cards I'd bought and never sent last year (yes, I've suddenly realised it's that time of year, specially for overseas cards!) and I saw the old wall calendar I'd had last year. It had pictures from an ashtanga yoga class for each month - just regular people doing yoga. And it really made me want so much to be doing yoga again.

I've had a few setbacks with the cough etc. but do feel I'm getting on top of it again. (yes, I know, I've said this a few times before!) But anyway, I've decided to try doing some at lunchtime this week, specifically I'll try very cautiously doing 1-2 sun salutes, and see how downdog goes. If it doesn't get me coughing again, I'll increase the number slowly, and hope to be able to go back to class next Saturday. Now that is a plan I like the sound of!!

Actually, I had to go and have chest physio this week. Apparently I've damaged my lungs sometime ago by coughing too much, and that damage is never going to go away. So I'll be more liable to getting chest infections etc. Luckily the resulting bronchio-something (!) that I've got is in a very early stage, and should be able to be kept there if I look after myself.

It was quite amusing - the physiotherapist kept on repeating that this condition that results in the boring cough was never going to go away completely. In that, I'll be liable to get chest infections that will bring it back. After the 4th time I ended up saying to her - look, I've recently survived having cancer. I'm certainly not going to break my heart over a bit of a cough that comes every now and then!

Last night was the Bach Society Choir performance of The Messiah. It went pretty well, although there was a sticky moment in the 2nd half when one voice-part didn't come in when they should, which unfortunately resulted in us altos losing our place and not coming in either! Luckily the other 2 voice parts were still singing and we managed to pick it up again a few seconds later!! These things do tend to happen sometimes in performances! Anyway, I had a lovely time, and what's more, I didn't cough at all. I did come armed with Fisherman's Friends (very strong mint lozenges) which my Mum told me stopped her coughing fits, and whether it was them, or maybe the physio the day before, it was really nice not to be coughing my head off while I was supposed to be singing!

What a day!

At work yesterday in Australia we were all glued to updates on the web, including the CNN live feed. When CNN called the election for Obama - at about 2pm, it was just so exhiliarating! It just seems like finally (well, after a few years) America is coming back to the world family. People here, in Europe, the UK, Africa are all so excited and thrilled! And Obama even said something about that towards the end of his acceptance speech ... :) I got text messages from my sister in London yesteday evening (their morning) to share her excitement.

A friend of mine told me how when she was a very young child her parents called her in to watch someone on the TV, saying this is really, really important. It was Martin Luther King speaking. I feel like this was one of those moments in history too ... one of those times we'll be able to say where we were when we heard the news.

Good news at last!

Yes, I am definitely on the mend - I can't say how much of a relief that is after 9 weeks of coughing and wheezing, sinusitis etc! I've held off saying anything for a few days as there've been a few occasions in the last couple of months when I thought I was getting better, only for it to come back a day or two later! Anyway - posted a bit more about it on the lymphoma blog (even though what I had is nothing to do with lymphoma, that blog is about my health!)

I even feel like I can sing properly (or nearly!) again - which is good as I've got choir practice for The Messiah tonight, and the performance is next week!

I don't, however, feel confident to start my yoga practice again yet. I'm going to wait until I'm completely confident my airways are 100% back to normal. Hopefully that won't take more than another week or two ... :)