Sarah and Jo's Christmas Greetings 2017

Looking back on our year in 2017, at first it seems to have been an “Annus Horribilis” due to Jo discovering pulmonary embolism on her lungs, followed closely by the diagnosis of Myeloma (a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell) It is treatable but currently incurable.

Jo is 9 months into a 14-month treatment plan and has written a separate blog on the experience so no need to dwell on that here. In case you are interested and have not already got the link, her detailed account of the treatment, life generally and loads of photos can be found at http://canibeatmyeloma.blogspot.co.nz

So it has been rather a more eventful year for us both but particularly for Jo than we would have hoped for!  All that we had planned in 2017 had to be cancelled. Planning ahead is all very well and good, but we have decided to do more things on the spur of the moment in 2018, unless we have more certainty on Jo’s health/ability to travel.  Quite frustrating for Jo as a project manager trying to map out the adventure in the months ahead. Hopefully we will both be back to more rufty tufty and less pushing the MTB uphill in 2018.

On second thoughts, when all the negative stuff has been parked, processed and faded into distant memory, it has been more a glass half full sort of year as we have still managed to have adventures, explore more of NZ magnificent countryside, towns and cities, meet new people, learn new things and enjoy ourselves.

We are both busy and positive and always manage a belly laugh at least once a day. Being able to smile at the ridiculousness of life really helps.

When reflecting on the year, we both independently selected Jo’s wigs episodes (trying them on in the shop, wearing them at home and Sarah wearing them when we go out) causing us the most laughter.

Closely followed by Jo wearing her beanie whilst driving the car.

Simon Collins even got in on the act.

We very much appreciated visits from friends during the course of the year,

starting over New Year with Kjersti, Cecilie, Bev and Simon and continuing throughout (Marti and Robbie, Linda A, Carolyn) ensuring our spirits were kept up. 

We know it is a long way for most of you and no cheap airlines exist in this part of the world. Luckily for us, we have also developed a really fabulous group of friends here. We also discovered that winter in NZ is actually really good.

Very cold, dry with plenty of snow and sunny clear blue-sky days.

Autumn and winter are Sarah’s favourites in NZ, but summer and spring are pretty good too!

Jo missed Europe entirely this year but Sarah managed a few weeks away in May/ June – to get Grace’s Barn on the market, to check out Casa Cesara and to BBQ at Austwick Hall.

As a result, the live classical /opera and theatre culture was limited this year. Thank goodness for the internet.

Long distance travel has been limited to short flights for Jo; an enjoyable long weekend in Auckland with Marti and Robbie in March (pre-chemo) and a fabulous visit to Sydney and the Blue Mountains

in early November (post stem cell transplant) crammed with activities and visits to friends when Jo was feeling really well.

We enjoyed the sculptures by the sea - even those with strange visual effects.

Having to visit hospitals in Clyde, Invercargill, Dunedin and Christchurch also has its upside, as we have managed to explore much more of Otago and Southland countryside.

The most time away from home was spent in Christchurch in August/ September when Jo had her stem cell removal and return. We stayed in a hostel over the road from the hospital, next to the beautiful botanical gardens.

Fellow cancer sufferers and family hung out there so sharing the communal facilities was always salutary. Nevertheless, it was comfortable and super convenient.

Sarah’s culinary skills were tested due to Jo’s total lack of interest in food and a very small kitchenette. One night she rolled out the pizza dough on the bedside table and even roasted some pork belly! Fortunately, sourdough bread is still being made on a regular basis (favourite with fennel and poppy seeds) and Jo has recovered her appetite for oysters, wine, blue cheese and steak.

Christchurch is an interesting city as it is recovering from widespread mayhem caused by earthquakes in 2011. 

Enormous efforts have been made, successfully, to bring the city to life and to encourage the arts with lots of sculptures, graffiti, theatre and restaurants.

Closer to home, Sarah been learning how to make gorgeous pottery and to expand on her woodwork skills (cabinet making, bowl turning, making a stool) and is always aiming to achieve something stunning. Lucky for Sarah, she has a fantastic woodwork teacher in Wanaka (Simon King) so patient and always happy to share all his tricks. However, it is hard when you have spent most of your life not doing practical things. Measuring accurately is a real challenge! Pottery is easier but there is a limit to how many misshapen, thick set mugs can be accommodated!  Candle making is back on the to do list for 2018 to accompany the sunset drinks on the balcony perhaps?

Jo has been focused on encouraging tradesmen to finish the renovation work, furnishing and launching the flat for Airbnb rental and to tending the garden on and off, when feeling up to it. Thankfully after 2.5 years, we finally finished all the renovation work in November. The rental of our little flat is going really well and the garden is looking lovely – apart from all the herbs being scoffed by very noisy quail last night. Jo doesn’t lose her temper very often, but got very focused on fencing the herb garden, so much so that it now looks like a prison for herbs with no door. Fortunately, we have wire cutters.

Golf has featured a lot in the past year as Sarah wants to get her handicap down whilst Jo’s goes up from lack of playing. Sarah’s test for a good day has progressed from how many golf balls she can find, to whether or not we manage to recover our green fees per round and has it been a big enough walk. Overall for 2017 we are in credit and we have had a lot of fun along the way. Sarah’s new toy is a remote battery-operated “trundler” (English term is trolley). So, you still walk. But the trundler does its own thing with remote guidance only. After playing with a 9 and 12-year-old in a competition recently – both of whom had electric trundlers – Sarah realised you do not have to be over 60 to have one. The youngsters were even riding on theirs. The golf pro told Sarah he would void the warranty if she did that. Unfortunately, after 1.5 games of golf the trundler has stopped working! And yes, I did charge the battery.

Sarah’s will business is ticking along and the index for the book has been written. That was actually done late one night when she had to explain to HK Immigration why she was away from HK so much. Writing and researching a book, of course. It worked – Sarah now has her HK Permanent Residency.

Sarah was expecting to do a lot of ex gratia wills work through the cancer network but this (unfathomably) has not materialised. Neither has the knicker-ripper novel promised several years ago. How she is going to combine sex, wills and legal stuff is beyond comprehension, but I suppose John Grisham has done it (and fact is sometimes stranger than fiction).

We are writing this letter as we approach midsummer. It is already swelteringly hot here (think BBQ on balcony to lake and mountain view) Sarah has not yet swum in the lake yet with wetsuit

but has just invested in an inflatable SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard) to float around on the icy Lake Wakatipu. (about 5C even when the air temperature is 30C).

We had hoped to kayak on Christmas day, but as we have reluctantly just agreed to sell Bumble our yellow Nissan Juke and will be carless for a few weeks whilst we wait for the next one to arrive (a Land Rover Evoque – Jo wants to call her FuFu but jury is still out). We can’t get the monster kayak down and up the hill we live on as it’s too heavy to push up again. We may just have to walk up a local mountain probably Ben Lomond or go for a cycle instead.

In 2018, we are hoping to make it back to Europe towards the end of June for 2-3 months and very much look forward to catching up with many of you then.

In the meantime, we look forward to hearing from you and wish you a wonderful Christmas and Best Wishes for 2018.

Lots of love

Sarah and Jo  

xxxx