Anniversary

Last Sunday, 14 May, was a year since Tanai and I snuck off to the Wee Kirk o' the Heather in Las Vegas and tied the knot. We had a whirlwind romance, and that was such a wonderful, giddy, boundlessly happy time, it's hard to think it was only a year ago. Of course I didn't expect to spend our one year anniversary with such a huge chemo hangover, but that's how it panned out.

Getting ready for the wedding, larking in our hotel room

Just married! Having a burger and beer after getting hitched

I really wanted to treat Tanai for our anniversary, as we've been dealt such a crap hand of late, and he's been such a legend looking after me and being supportive and loving through these difficult times. I had anticipated feeling well-ish by Sunday, with it being 7 days after my chemo, so I booked for us to have a lovely afternoon tea in the Barbican Conservatory, a wonderful green-filled space only a short walk from our house. Tanai is a photosynthesist and so of course loves plants, in particular flowers, so I knew he'd love the setting. And it felt like something that would be do-able even if I felt tired.

Despite starting out well this cycle, by Thursday I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. I was completely shattered and feeling very unwell. It's perhaps a little TMI but one of the side effects of the anti-nausea meds is constipation, which I had with a vengeance by Thursday. So of course I panicked and took 6 different types of laxatives, which meant I had diarrhoea by Friday. Ah chemo, the gift that keeps on giving! Consequently, although I was hugely fatigued, I couldn't sleep properly at all, waking every 1-2 hours, preventing me from getting any real deep sleep. By Sunday I was completely exhausted and only made it out of bed with enough time to get ready and head out for the lunch. Simply stringing a sentence together uses up all of my energy on days like that!

The conservatory was delightful, sun-filled and an absolute hit with Tanai, especially some of the fabulous flowers in the cactus house. We sat down for our little sandwiches and cakes, all of which contained ingredients grown in the conservatory. A myriad of charming, intricate flavours accompanied by a glass of champagne; it was a lovely afternoon tea. With my new found taste-buds I would have preferred more savoury to sweet, but my usual self would not have had that quibble. Tanai then surprised me with a Barbican membership as my anniversary present! So I will no doubt enjoy plenty of cultural experiences here over the coming year, just a short walk from our flat. Can't wait.

My handsome hubby

Some loon with an incredible afternoon tea!

Cactus flowers

We then headed home and within 5 minutes I was back in bed for a nap. What a nanna! Not quite the anniversary I would have expected but we still had a charming afternoon and hopefully we can make up for it next year by doing something fun. And of course, we have each other and are still ridiculously in love, which is all you really need. My fabulous friend Nick who was popping in on his way from Australia to Cannes cooked us a yummy dinner that evening and entertained us with his charming company. I'm hoping he's forgiven me for leaving him off my list of bald style icons.

Dinner round our breakfast bar!

So today (Tuesday) I went back into work and I feel as though I'm back on the mend after round 2. I'm still very tired and no doubt will be in bed by 8.30pm tonight, but I can feel my energy levels rise and I'm sleeping better. Once again I'm so grateful to have work to keep me occupied -- I don't know what I'd do without it! I really enjoyed plugging back in to projects today and spending time with my colleagues. I think this week has brought home the realisation of just how long a slog the chemotherapy course really will be. But I'm a quarter of the way there now, and need to keep strong and positive until the end. Thanks again everyone for your kind words and messages, they are definitely keeping me going.

In the sunny Barbican Conservatory. 
My beautiful peacock-adorned headscarf is a vintage 1950s scarf from my friend Bree.