Coming through the fog at last

As you may well recall from earlier posts, I quite like wrapping up warm in the cold weather and being all cosy in a good piece of knitwear. So it is very exciting to me that the weather has finally turned properly cold and I can wear my warmest scarf, cosiest gloves and wooliest hat when leaving the house. Whilst my outdoor expeditions are still fairly limited in my current state I have managed to get out a little lately and dress up warm in the process. 

I know I have not written much here of late for which I apologise, but I've been incredibly tired this last week. This is to be expected but it has also brought a stronger degree of lethargy which I am having to fight doubly hard to overcome.  In recent weeks my mum has continued to be brilliant and has spent man a long day at the end of my bed nattering away in between making me tea and helping out around the house. It's amazing how quickly our house becomes a bomb site when you stop doing the washing no matter how briefly.  During these very important trips Mum retails me with stories about how she is filling her retirement days and largely it all sounds rather fun in a funny sort of way. She has become an active WI member, completing her right of passage by making plum jam, and also still does some invidulating for her old school in tests and exams. It would appear that this no longer involves just pacing up and down in clunky heels as was the case when I was at school, but in some cases practically doing the exam for the kids. No really, it appears that this is alas virtually true.

Did you know for example that some children in today's education system have hand writing so terrible that they are allowed to have someone write their exams for them so that the answers are at least legible? I always thought scribes in exams were only for those unfortunates who had broken arms or similar which prevented them from writing, or who had a major disability which warranted such support,  not for those who never bothered to practice their handwriting from an early age like the majority of us. During our 30 year reminisce on a week or so ago, G and I discussed the handwriting book we had at infants school where we had to first trace and then copy the shapes of the letters, and then whole words as we learnt them as an integral part of our basic education in reading and writing. I find it utterly staggering that some children are allowed to not do this  regardless of their age. Surely, if they can't write (or in fact read, as it also materialises that many children are given readers in exams as they cannot read the questions themselves) then they should stay having lessons on these basics until they can do it. This may all sound a bit strict, and don't get me wrong I am not talking about children with genuine learning difficulties such as dyslexia and the like, but surely it is a misuse of resources to have exam invigilators reading out the questions, and then writing down the answers for these people if they cant be bothered to practice the basics of reading and writing to reach a standard good enough to take a straightforward written test? 

Anyway, my rant aside (I take this as a measure that I am getting stronger at least mentally if I can put forward my feelings on this matter through the chemo haze) I have enjoyed spending time with my Mum of late, and tomorrow we are going to be brave and visit the Shepperton Wig studio, as I've decided it's time to bite the bullet and sort out my barnet. It's falling out rapidly and although it's more thinning than completely disappearing I really hate finding hair everywhere and it is horrid to touch not knowing if it's going to come out in your hand or not. I spoke to a lovely lady on the phone who explained what would happen and I'm booked in at 1pm to start the process of my new hair. So the positive thought for today is very much that I that to look forward to plus I am getting stronger by the day which has to be a good thing. 

And finally, if I wanted to write this out by hand I could. It would be legible and hopefully make sense. I never thought that this would be considered such an achievement in today's society.