Up The Farway Tree

Mammoth Catch Up!

We have been on holiday for 2 weeks - back last weekend, so my blog has been sorely neglected.  I think it might make more sense to work backwards with my news :-)

Newcastle

I had my 6 month review at transplant clinic today and had some top marks again!  My lung function was exactly the same as the last review - 2.9L (109%) - and I can't ask for any better :-)  My BP, weight, oxygen levels etc were all stable....boring is what we want!   I have to go back in another 6 months and it is so nice to have a clean bill of health in the run up to Christmas!   On the way down to Newcastle we stopped at the Metro centre for a couple of hours as I am rather behind with my Christmas shopping which is not like me - I will have caught up in no time though!

9-5 - The Musical

We went to see 9-5 the musical in Edinburgh at the weekend!  It was a great show and I really enjoyed it.  Apart from the song working 9-5, I didn't really know the soundtrack but it was quite catchy and the show itself was very funny.   I have such good associations with that song because of it being the ring tone when I got my transplant call.

Cape Verde

So for 2 weeks of November we were sunning ourselves in Cape Verde, sipping pina colada and relaxing.  The Cape Verde islands are off the coast of central Africa, south of canary islands, and are just becoming quite a popular tourist destination - especially if you are seeking some winter sun.   We were on Boa Vista, where Thomsons fly to direct from Glasgow.   The island is volcanic, very barren and there is nothing really on the island, other than some small villages and the two large resorts.  The whole coast of the island is set for development so it was nice to get to see the island before it becomes much more developed.   We stayed in a nice resort, which was all inclusive -although you wouldn't really be leaving the resort anyway as there is nowhere to go exploring.   We did go on an organised tour with Giggling Gecko  - a tour company set up by a Scottish couple who moved out there this year.   This was an excellent day - they took about 12 of us out in four wheel drives to explore the island.   There are not really any proper roads on the island so it's pretty rough terrain!  We went to see a couple of beautiful unspoilt beaches, where we were the only people on them.  We also saw the sand dunes on the island, with sand blown in from the Sahara.  We had lunch at an eco lodge in the middle of no where with the most stunning view, and then finished off having a drink in a lovely beach bar as the sun went down.   It was a great day and the best way to see some of the island.

We really did do nothing but relax - I read about 13 books (had to swap kindles with Andrew because I ran out haha), we ate lots and relaxed in the shade.  The temp was high 20's-30c, with a nice breeze - so you could lie in the shade and just feel comfortable.  The pool was a bit cold for me but Andrew had a swim and we both paddled in the sea but it was very rough.   There were 3 people in the hotel with broken arms/dislocated shoulders from being in the sea!  It's a shame because the water was warm but the waves were just too strong.   The beach was lovely to wander along though and I was happy just to get my feet wet!


Some pics from cape verde:

Big waves!

One of the lovely unspoilt beaches on the tour:

The eco lodge where we had lunch

The view from beach bar

 Sunrise at hotel beach

There were 2 dogs in the hotel who I made friends with!

It was then back to reality with a bump when we went from 30c to 0c when we landed at Glasgow!  Back to hats and scarves but at least we are now in the Christmas season so I can start getting excited about that instead :-)

am still working the extra day at work and I have a few Christmas parties coming up over the next few weeks so the busy period continues ....but all good fun :)