I know I am a week late….but Happy New Year!
We decided to continue our quest to mark momentous occasions with fun & sparkle…if not from a bottle or as a result of the Little peoples personalities, then with more fireworks…regular readers will know I am partial to a firework or two!
So I hit Google & said “online search” informed me that Bristol (just an hour away) had a fabulous Fireworks show at New Year right by the bridge.
I felt smug in the knowledge that I had sorted the entertainment…The Mr was equally pleased when he booked a table at a restaurant in Clifton village which is just minutes from the famous Suspension bridge. We were even undeterred by the heavy rain forcing us sit in the car playing wordbrain for 30 minutes after dinner before our planned walk around prior to securing a good place to watch the display.
We found the perfect spot at 10.30….& stood…along with a couple of dozen other people as we gradually started to realise there weren’t as many people there as we expected. The bridge security guard (when sked after the penny finally dropped) advised everyone that there was no display this year & that he was surprised he kept being asked about it seeing as last year’s display was a one off!!
Disappointed we headed home…certain we would make it back before midnight…we could at least have a glass of bubbles in hand & watch the London fireworks on TV.
Well….we stopped for fuel and were delayed by 5 stoned teenage boys purchasing “munchies” from the counter with the spoils of the emptied piggy banks…..this resulted in such a wait that the Little People fell asleep in the car. The clock turned to midnight just as we drove back into our home town….and the only fireworks we saw were those through the car window!
New Year’s day is generally a lazy day….more often as a result of a very late nights & too much champagne (other beverages are available)….but as we had had neither, we decided a little bit of fun & something completely new was in order.
We spent the day at the Cheltenham New Year’s Day races! …It was bitterly cold, and completely sober, given queues for drinks in the bar were 20 minutes long & there was no chance the Little people were standing in the bar for 2 minutes let alone 20! The only real gambling that was done was by the Little People in spirit as they switched allegiances 5 times every race, certain they had always picked the best horse! Total family fun!
Since the fireworks entertainment (epic fail), followed by the races, there have been back to back parties with our closest friends, and a brilliant evening at an indoor trampoline centre. This part was just as eventful given I nearly broke my hand in a Ninja warrior/blonde mess style leap over a spinning assault course activity (The Mr has video evidence of my graceful splat!) If all that was not enough to squeeze into the last week I added a trip to London into the mix….and obviously I dragged the family along with me to end the holidays with a bang!
I had a meeting to attend that had been delayed since before Christmas…a meeting to do with that Melanoma project I have been hinting at frequently over the last few months.
I was meeting with Dr James Larkin the leading Melanoma Oncologist at The Royal Marsden hospital.
I left the Little People & The Mr to find a coffee shop and I found myself inside the tiniest office on the planet (I had expected a huge desk and salubrious surroundings as one would for the best of the best). The plan was laid out & the next steps drawn up….the allocated hour passed by and the meeting was over as quick as it started. As we exited the rabbit warrens’ that connect the various buildings of the hospital, I mentioned the extremely patient family of mine who were waiting to pay a quick visit to the Natural History Museum before dinner. I am not certain if it was a smirk or genuine confusion as he glanced towards my footwear…..I believe, once again, I may have dressed for one element of the day without really allowing for the rest!
This moment of self-mortification was only just tempered by the fact that The Doc was concerned that his lack of tie (for the obligatory blog photograph) might make him look scruffy!
The rest of the day passed in a painful (blisters on feet) blur of happiness, as the Little People rediscovered their love of ridiculous gemstones, and my email pinged constantly with messages of approval & commitment from the various Oncologists across the country that The Doc was including into the plan!
And the plan…..I know you have waited long enough…..
All going well…fingers crossed …I am organising a conference for June 2016….the first UK Melanoma Patient Conference.
I have sent out the first tranche of funding requests & am hopeful that they will be as enthusiastic about this event as everyone else that has been involved so far!
More details to follow very soon!

Melanoma Patient Conference Website Link