Sunday 24th May 2009

It's a Bank Holiday weekend here and we are blessed with warm, sunny weather - this is unusual stuff.  I think in my last blog I mentioned that Jane was going to have a scan; well, she did and we got the results last Thursday.  The news isn't great but I think it could be worse.  In a nutshell, the cancer in her liver has grown a bit (not sure how much but not hugely), there is evidence of colitis flaring up and the cancer in her hips and femurs looks to be on the up.

So, we are going to have some more checks and then consider the options for treatment.  This comes down to radiotherapy for the bones and pimidrunate (can't spell that stuff but it's intravenous and tries to preserve bone mass).  Jane says she hopes to avoid any treatment before October so that we can take a holiday with Lydia and Leo lat summer.  (She doesn't think she will feel like it once treatment starts).  I think we just have to take one thing at a time and see how it goes.

As I write, Lydia and Leo are in the garden playing swingball with friends.  Andy and Alison (getting married in September) called in for lunch.  I have known Andy more than 30 years and Alison I met for the first time 3 weeks ago.  Great to have them here and we really look forward to their wedding.

Looking to the immediate future, we are off to Italy in mid-June for 2 weeks - our 'winter sun holiday'.  Can't wait - Jane reckons last proper holiday was in Gozo back in September so this is long overdue.

Well, that's a snapshot of just some of our news - please pray for Jane.

Our love to you all.

God bless.

Peter and Jane  

Tuesday 28th April 2009

We haven't blogged since early March but Jane's trip to the oncologist has stirred us to action.  The news is not too bad:  Jane's tumour markers have gone up again but the rate has slowed - I guess that's what you'd call a 'bad news - good news' scenario.  She also had an x-ray done of her hip that has been causing quite a lot of pain recently - not sure if that's cancer or athritis.  Finally, she will have a scan in the next couple of weeks just to do a full check of other parts.  So, overall, pretty fair and certainly nothing dire or unexpected.

The rest of our news?  Jane's Mum came to stay for Easter - we really enjoy seeing her here and it gives an excuse to do things we don't normally do.  Jane and I went to the sunrise service at the cathedral on Easter Sunday morning - it's always a delight.  

We seem to have been really busy just lately.  Lydia spent the weekend making a small movie of the set construction at the Playhouse with a lot of help from Sharon and Andrew Cooper who came all the way down from Hitchin to help.  We went to see Leo's band (Taking Tiger Mountain - can be found on Myspace) play a gig at Madame Jojo's in Soho supporting Betty and the Werewolves (don't worry if this sounds like a parallel universe).  We are the only parents who hadn't seen them in action and, despite no sound check, we thought they'd dun good.

The bluebells are out now in Groveley Wood andso we have walked up there a bit to see this fantastic blue/purple haze of colour spread through the wood.  We have had really nice weather so it has really prompted us to get out a bit more.  An amazing contrast from the snow we had not long before my last blog.

My dear late mother's old friend Mary Morris came to see us for a night at Easter and kept us all spellbound over dinner with accounts of her trip to Yalta with Churchill.    What lives they did lead in WRNS.

Well, I must off to the supermarket to get some supper but I shall try and blog more frequently rather than just when Jane sees her specialist.  Please, do keep her on your prayer list because you can see the effect of her prayers with your own eyes.  Even the oncologist has stopped talking about "timeframes".

Our love to you all.

Monday 16th February 2009

We waited until now to blog for Jane's latest results from the oncologist. Her tumour marker count has gone up again - to 168. It's still pretty slow and so, for now, no further action and we'll see what the count is in 8 weeks' time. In the meantime we are trying to sort out the medication so that Jane doesn't suffer the dips and the fatigue that she seems to be troubled with at the moment.

As for the rest of our news; well Christmas and New Year came and went without too much event. Quiet family Christmas in Salisbury but early in the New Year, Kay's (Jane's Mum) 80th birthday bash in Canterbury. All the grandchldren performed for her and made it a memorable occasion. Since then we have had a rare taste of winter and a prolonged spell of real cold and a week or so of snow. One evening Jane and I just had to go out and walk in it - Jane even made a "snow cat" that stayed with us for an entire week. After getting quite cold we came in and had a sloe gin before heading for a warm bed.

We haven't been far yet this year. We missed our normal New Year trip to Cornwall and, instead, spent New Year with Alan and Jenny Bowen up at Ross on Wye. A couple of weeks ago we went down to Chepstow to see Ken and Verity Jackson and popped up to see Bruce and Brenda in the Forest of Dean with little Lottie and their new arrival, James. Great to catch up with friends. What we want now is some warm sun!!

Our love and best wishes to all our friends. Thank you for your continuing prayers.

Monday 8th December 2008

We didn't blog last month because there was not much news to report. However, Jane visited the doctor today and got her latest results. The blood tumour marker count has gone up again slightly but there was no exponential growth and the Doc seemed happy to stay in a monitoring mode. This is more great news; no treatment now for more than 12 months. Jane still gets tired and needs plenty of rest but we realised last week that she had missed her vitamin B injection. She had the jab this morning and so that should relieve some of the tiredness too.

Other news. Well, like most of you we are into Christmas preparations. This year we are more organised than usual but we can't think how or why. The puds are made and we have made homemade mincemeat too. We have done the first batch of Christmas cards and the spare bedroom is becoming a bit of an Aladdin's cave. Jane's Mum is coming for Christmas and Sheila, who lives just behind us, will join us for lunch. We shall go to Canterbury for a short stay after Christmas. Leo comes home from university next weekend. Lydia, meanwhile, is mid-panto season (oh yes she is!)

More and more we are convinced of the power of prayer and we thank all of you for all of yours; they bring great strength and comfort and, tangible results! We wish you all a very joyous and peaceful Christmas and a very happy and fulfilling New Year.

Love from us all.

Monday 6 October 2008

We didn't blog earlier because we knew that Jane was going to get some test results. She had a soft tissue scan last week and the results today. We were a little worried because the results appointment seemed to come so fast on the heels of the scan. However, good news!! The tumours in Jane's liver have shrunk in size significantly. She will have another blood test in about 6 weeks' time and see the oncologist in about 2 months. So, there we are, your prayers continue to work; praise the Lord!!

We had a great time in Gozo and this photo comes from that holiday. We went to the beach most days, read a lot and even went to a healing service in the local church. We found some wonderful restaurants and the whole experience was really relaxing. We had stayed at our friends, Barry and Denise's apartment. They joined us for the last few days and made a real fuss of us. The sunshine really lifted our spirits after the complete failure of the English summer.

The weekend before going to Gozo we celebrated our wedding anniversary in Paris and so there's a photo of Jane enjoying a water ice in Marais too.

Leo's back at university now after a great summer. He and I went to see Seasick Steve in Southampton last Friday night (fnatastic swamp blues) and I drove him back to Cardiff with a double bed on Saturday. As I type Lydia's at the gym and life goes on as we race towards Christmas.

Thank you all, for your continued prayers - they mean so much and they have such effect.

Last, I am running the Salisbury 1/2 Marathon on 19 October for Salisbury Hospice where Jane was an in-patient in January 2007. If you would like to sponsor me visit :www.justgiving.com/peterstamps

Thank you!!!

Sunday 10th August 2008

Jane is upstairs taking a nap. She still gets really tired and achy and needs a lot of sleep. Those who know Jane also know she only has 2 speeds; full ahead and stop. Yesterday she was baking scones and then helping at Bemerton church doing teas in the afternoon. Today, after church, she was straight back to bed.

Leo has come back from a 3 gig tour with Taking Tiger Mountain. He loved it and they even sold some merchandise; he has a taste for more now. If you want to listen they have some songs on Myspace I believe. Next he is working at Reading Festival and then off to Amsterdam (with the band I think) and then Barcelona (without the band I think) - hard to keep up. I have asked him to put some dates on the calendar so that we know how many we are feeding.

Lydia is back from holidays in Tenerife looking very tanned. This weekend she is in London with friends. Jane and I will take our holidays in September - we had hoped to enjoy an English summer at home and I suppose that is just what we have got. Last weekend we walked up in Groveley Wood - even when it rains the canopy of trees allows us to stay pretty dry. We haven't been able to sit in the garden much but we have enjoyed a lot of wild strawberries and some raspberries and recently we have had masses of mulberries and now the balckberries are starting. There is always something to be thankful for.

Our love to you all.

Sunday 20th July 2008

There is not a lot of news at the moment so I am just indulging myself with this blog. At the last visit to the oncologist Jane's tumour markers were up slightly but the Doc seemed to think within reasonable tolerances and wasn't at all alarmed. It was a little disappointing but, I guess, not altogether surprising. Jane stays pretty well so long as she gets plenty of rest; but those of you who know her also know she only has two speeds - full ahead both and stop. She doesn't do pacing herself!! Jane is now in the prayer ministry team at St Paul's; I am sure she is going to be just brilliant at that. The picture is from the archive - taken in Siena about 3 years ago.

Leo is home intermittently. I have just boooked tickets for me and him to see Seasick Steve in Southampton in October. Lydia, meanwhile, has gone on holiday with friends to Tenerife for a week.

My work goes along - I am just happy to be here.

Our love to you all and continuing thanks for your prayers.