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My Battle with Bowel Cancer

Adjusting to life with a stoma bag

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I could faintly hear a voice saying, “Wake up Karen, wake up,” and as I opened my eyes I could see I was in the recovery room. “Everything went well,” I was reassured, “and now we’re taking you back to the ward.” I nodded, feeling my eyes close once again.

Once we were back on the ward I could tell that I was hooked up to all kinds of machines and I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. It was around nine o’clock and so I fell back into a sleep.

I woke up in the middle of the night, something wasn’t right, I felt down my right side, it was sodden, well everything was, my gown and my sheets were drenched. I thought the worst, “I’m bleeding out,” and I looked for the alarm button but couldn’t find it. Luckily, the lady opposite me was up out of her bed and so I asked her to fetch somebody for me, which she duly did.

Two nurses came, one was a huge man, they took one look at me and gasped. On closer inspection they discovered that my stoma bag hadn’t been closed at the bottom and so all the waste was going straight through. So the male nurse gathered me up in his arms, (yes, he was that strong!) and sat me down next to the bed while the other nurse stripped the bed.

I was past caring as the male nurse wiped me down, carefully avoiding all the tubes and changed my gown, I just stood obediently half asleep, waiting to be lifted back in bed.

The next morning the stoma nurse visited me. I hadn’t really looked at the bag and to be honest, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to and when I told her about the leaking stoma bag she said, “Well, that’s a great introduction to having one!” She showed me how to empty it into a bowl while I was laying in bed and said she’d be back in a couple of days to show me how to change the bag. I wasn’t really looking forward to that, but I knew it was something I would have to get used to.

As the days went on I became more confident in handling the stoma bag, I still had to empty it in a bowl, so that the nurses could record the flow and sometimes it made me feel a bit queasy but overall it was okay.

The stoma nurse showed me how to change the bag, which entailed measuring the stoma and cutting a hole to fit it, cleaning it, cleaning the skin around it and putting it on so that it sat nicely on your stomach. It does feel good when you have a new bag on. (I never thought I’d say that!)

I spent the next two weeks in hospital (which I will go into more detail in a separate blog) and during that time me and my stoma got to know each other a little better each day. I was on a low fibre diet and things like sweeetcorn, peas, skins on potatoes, skins on fruits, nuts, seeds, spicy food, are all a total no no. The menu at the hospital was:

Hospital Menu
Sandwiches and Desserts

I was discharged by the stoma nurses after seeing them three times and showing I could change a bag by myself and it became routine emptying it, day and night.

I was given a bag of supplies provided by a company called Fittleworth, which are of no cost, so you just telephone them when you need some more supplies. There are lots of different stoma bags available, so if you can’t get on with one, there’s always another to try. I was having trouble with red skin around the stoma, so they changed the bag to a more raised one and that is much better.

So, when I was discharged from the hospital, me and my stoma went home, did it go well? You’ll find out in my next blog about Life At Home With A Stoma Bag…

My Battle with Bowel Cancer

An Unplanned Operation

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In the days following the colonoscopy, I began to feel unwell, having trouble going to the toilet, feeling very tired and having to drink all the time.

We went to a Carol Service in Winchester Cathedral but I missed most of it as I was sat on the toilet in the deep bowels (!) of the cathedral. I let Phil run wild with the Christmas decorations, putting up decorations that I normally left in the boxes, but I was too tired to argue and just laid on the settee watching him, biting my tongue.

I missed Christmas events because I simply felt too poorly to go and would lay in bed after I’d finished my work (I work from home) and take an hours nap, but still feel tired when I woke up.

I went for a CT scan, where they had the usual problem of inserting a cannula in my arm, my veins don’t like it and magically disappear at the sight of a needle! That went okay, the feeling of having wet yourself at one point during the scan sure felt weird!

Then the symptoms stepped up a notch, I felt extraordinary tired, I felt hot, I felt cold, I uncontrollably shivered, even though I was under the duvet fully clothed with a jumper on. Once I was tempted to phone for an ambulance, but I had an appointment with the consultant the next day so I decided that I would tell him instead.

We arrived for the consultation and everything seemed to be going well until I mentioned the pain in my stomach and the feverish symptoms and the consultant decided that I needed an emergency CT scan to see what was going on.

I was admitted to a hospital bed to wait for my CT scan, it was about 7 PM at this time. We decided it was best for Phil to go home because who knew what time I would be taken down, so he left waiting for the call to come and collect me.

I went down for my second CT scan and then had to wait for the result.

I was told that the tumour had perforated and that was why I was in a lot of pain, I was to be transferred to the Surgical Unit and prepared for an operation. I was moved to the new ward at 2 AM, dozing on and off until the morning.

I was visited by the consultant, who I know now was Mr West and he explained to me what he was going to do. He was going to give me a stoma bag so that the poo will bypass the tumour and not infect it more, then they were going to pump me full of antibiotics.

I had a visit from a stoma nurse who marked on my stomach where the stoma was going to be placed, she explained what it did, but I didn’t really take it all in. Hannah, the Macmillan nurse came and spoke with me, but again, I can’t remember much about what was said.

Unbeknown to me, the consultant had phoned Phil and told him to come over to the hospital to see me before I went down for the operation as it was pretty serious, they didn’t know what they were going to find whilst operating.

After seeing Phil and putting those delightful stockings on, I was taken down to the theatre, I was shaking, not from a fever this time, but from nerves. The operating staff were lovely, making me relax before I drifted off…

My Battle with Bowel Cancer

The Colonoscopy

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The day before the colonoscopy I had to take some laxatives to clear my bowels, not that there was much in them as I hadn’t had much to eat in the previous few days. The Screening Programme sent me a package containing sachets of Klean prep to be taken at 9 AM, midday, 3 PM and 6PM with one litre of water.

I managed to force down the first lot, but at midday the thought of drinking another litre was frankly vomit inducing. But, I tried and every mouthful came back up much quicker than it went down. This wasn’t gonna happen, so I phoned the Screening Programme to explain what was going on. The lady informed me that there was another product I could try which was called MoviPrep and that it was more palatable than Klean, not a lot, but a bit. I was willing to try anything at this point and so she said she would bring it round to my house, which was unbelievably kind of her.

So, after some advice to dilute it with a juice (not blackcurrant) and drink it through a straw, I powered through and managed to complete the course of treatment.

The next day I arrived at Southampton General Hospital, said goodbye to Phil and ventured up to the Endoscopy Department. After filling in a questionnaire about my health (I had already gone through this via a telephone call a couple of days before), I was led into a room.

After signing a waiver in case anything went wrong, a cannula was inserted and I was taken to the treatment room.

I think it struck me there and then when I was laying on the treatment table that this could be serious. They asked if I would like to watch what was happening and I said that I would, so they moved the screen closer to me.

I watched and all seemed to be going well until I noticed a change in the atmosphere, things got a little serious and they moved the screen further from me, I guessed things weren’t as straightforward as I’d hoped.

After the colonoscopy I was taken to a recovery ward where one of nurses said to me that the doctor would like to speak with me and my husband about his findings. I knew then why this was and I laid in the bed staring blankly in front of me, dreading the moment when I saw the doctor.

We were led into a small room where the doctor, the lady from the screening programme and a Macmillan nurse were waiting for us. My heart sank as I saw the Macmillan nurse, confirming what my suspicions were. The doctor pulled no punches, he told us they had found a tumour and he had done this job long enough to know that it was cancer. They were sending off a biopsy but he was going to go ahead and get things in motion as there was no point in waiting for the result of the biopsy.

The doctor and the lady from the screening programme left and we were sat with the Macmillan nurse, I looked at Phil who was in tears and I started to cry as well, we couldn’t believe it was happening.

The Macmillan nurse was super supportive, explaining next steps and handing us some brochures, reassuring us and answering any questions we had.

We left the hospital in a bit of a daze, knowing that the hardest part was still to come – telling our children and family and friends what we had just found out.

My Battle with Bowel Cancer

The very beginning…

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I have thought long and hard about writing this blog about what has happened to me in the last six weeks, to be honest it seems like I’m talking about somebody else, it’s all still a bit surreal.

I spoke to friends and family who all encouraged me to share my experiences in the hope that it might help somebody else who is going through the same tough time as I am.

I can remember the very first time I was in terrible pain, my stomach felt like there were knives inside carving me up. It was the afternoon of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday, I was in tears with the pain and so we went to a walk-in clinic, but typically as I waited to see the doctor the pain subsided. When the doctor examined me he couldn’t find anything wrong, put it down to a virus and prescribed me some diarrhoea sachets.

A few days later my doctor phoned me up, he did sound concerned and told me that if I had the pain again to go and see him straight away, this did worry me a little but as I wasn’t in pain anymore I forgot all about it.

Skip forward three months and we are going on a cruise in America. I wasn’t feeling that great, I had a stomach ache and found myself sitting on the toilet far more frequently that I ever did before. My poo varied from healthy to slimy to containing some blood, but I put it down to stress: preparing for the holiday, getting work done before we went, etc.

I can remember that whilst we were on the plane the stomach pain got worse, I couldn’t face any food and couldn’t concentrate on watching a film or reading a book. For the first three days of the holiday I wasn’t feeling good, sticking to bland food (such a waste with the wonderful food that was on offer), but I felt it would be better for me.

Then the pain stopped and I started to eat the lovely food and I put it down to being able to relax on the ship and taking it easy.

Once home, there was a bowel cancer screening kit waiting for me, I wondered if this was a sign, of course I had Googled my symptoms and also the symptoms of bowel cancer, but I never for one moment thought that was what I had, thinking it would be IBS or maybe even piles.

So I duly did my sample, noting that there was blood in the poo and thinking to myself, “That’s a good one to send them, hopefully they’ll tell me what’s wrong.”

About a week later I got a letter from the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme to say that my kit result showed that further tests were needed. I had to have a colonoscopy to detect if it was bowel cancer or not, or whether it was polyps which would be removed during the colonoscopy.

I had the date of my colonoscopy: 22nd November, 2022, to say I was nervous is an understatement.

the walking dead

End of an Era – The Walking Dead

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Wow – I cannot believe that the FINAL episode of The Walking Dead is upon us. I remember watching the very first episode some ten years ago on the recommendation of a friend and it fast became my favourite TV series of all time.

I even got my husband into it and when I watched the first episode (again) with him, I felt jealous that he was able to watch all the episodes for the first time.

My favourite episodes

Days Gone By – Season 1, Episode 1

I have lost count of the amount of times I have watched this episode. It really is the perfect start to the Walking Dead, from the little girl walker, to meeting Morgan, our first encounter with a herd and the epic ending of Rick being trapped in the tank and the immortal words from Glen: “Hey you! Dumbass! Yeah, you in the tank. Cozy in there?”

It also gave us the iconic image of Rick riding horseback into Atlanta.

Better Angels – Season 2, Episode 12

An episode that highlights the fact that you do not need to be bitten to turn into a walker. When they find Randall and he has turned, they cannot find any bitemarks or scratches and of course, when Rick kills Shane with a knife, he reanimates and it is up to Carl to shoot him and put him down, unfortunately this draws the attention of a nearby herd…

Hard hitting episode with the demise of Shane, but there is also a heart warming scene between Rick and Carl about morality as Carl is feeling guilty about causing the death of Dale. Rick comforts Carl telling him that death is always inevitable and there is no way to prepare for it.

Killer Within – Season 3, Episode 4

An episode that saw us losing two main characters: T-Dog and Lori.

The prison is overrun by walkers as somebody has broken the latch on the front gate of the prison and then to add to their misery, the prison alarm is set off, attracting more walkers.

T-Dog is bitten on the shoulder and he then heroically holds off the walkers to save Carol, but ends up being eaten alive. His body is found torn apart and ravaged.

Meanwhile, Lori goes into labour and Maggie has to do a Casarean. Lori dies during this procedure and Carl has to put his mother down before she turns, by shooting her in the head. Rick searched for Lori, hears a baby crying and when he sees that Lori is not with Carl, he assumes the worst and breaks down.

The Grove – Season 4, Episode 14

An episode that concentrated on the complex behaviour of Lizzie, whose obsession with the walkers was at best odd. She thought it was okay to kill people so they could live on as walkers and she kills Mika to prove her point, almost doing the same to Judith.

Carol and Tyreese decide that Lizzie is a danger and Carol has to put her down, saying the infamous line, “Just look at the flowers, Lizzie.”

No Sanctuary – Season 5, Episode 1

At the end of Season 4, they are at the cannibal capital of the world, Terminus being held prisoner in a train car, but we have faith when Rick states, “They’re going to feel pretty stupid when they find out they’re screwing with the wrong people!”

They are taken to the human slaughterhouse, where the bludgeoning and throat slitting takes place. Rick stalls for time and they hear an explosion, Carol has set off a rocket into the gas bottles. They all escape and the group reunites, where Rick and Carl are overjoyed to see that Judith is still alive. (Lump in throat time).

The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be – Season 7, Episode 1

The build up to this episode was epic, with everybody asking the question, “Who did Negan kill?” There were many theories, many suggestions, but in this episode we found out that it was Abraham and Glenn. (I do feel that in future episodes it was always about Glenn, they seemed to forget that Abraham was the first one and Glenn only got killed because Daryl kicked off!)

Negan is played brilliantly by Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the psychotic but somehow charismatic leader of the Saviors. Rick is given the choice, either cut off Carl’s arm or watch his group get shot down. But at the last second Negan tells him, “You answer to me. You provide for me,” to which Rick agrees, thus setting up the rest of the season…

The Calm Before – Season 9, Episode 15

A disguised Alpha infiltrates the Kingdom’s community fair and after selecting her victims, they go missing, to later be found with their heads on pikes. The victims include Enid, Tara and Henry. Siddiq tells the remaining people how they put up a fight, as he witnessed it and managed to escape.

So, that’s my pick, there are other episodes that I simply adore, but if I listed them all then this blog would be far too long.

There will be a Walking Dead void in my life, but we have the spin offs to enjoy, hopefully they will be just as heart wrenching, amazing and gory as the TV series!!

Royalty

Our time in London to see the Procession to Westminster Hall of HM The Queen’s coffin

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14th September, 2022 was our 37th Wedding Anniversary and we were due to go to London and treat ourselves to a cream tea at the Savoy at 14:00 hours. However, our circumstance changed on Thursday, 8th September, 2022 when it was announced that Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II had died.

We decided at that moment to cancel our cream tea and instead go to London to pay our respects. We then heard that the Procession to Westminster Hall of HM The Queen’s coffin was to take place on the Wednesday and so we amended our plans to a much earlier start time, so hopefully we could get a good view of the procession.

Alexa woke us up at 4:30 AM and we set off for our hour and a half hour journey to Richmond, where we always park our car at Old Deer Car Park as it’s not so expensive as further into London and at Richmond you can catch either Underground or Overground trains to the centre of London.

We caught the overland train to Waterloo, which was quite busy and got us into central London at 7:18 AM and we made our way to Westminster.

The Cenotaph where we were standing

We found a spot right next to the Cenotaph and decided that would be a good vantage point and so dumped our rucksack and began our long, long wait.

Not long after, a couple of men stood behind us and explained that they had been waiting further up but were moved on by the police as the area was going to be cordoned off at 10.00 AM. We bunched up a little bit and let them stand next to us as they had been waiting for a while already. They introduced themselves and we were surprised when we found out that they didn’t know each other, they just started talking to each other whilst standing by the barrier, their names were Michael and John.

After introducing ourselves, John stated he was off to the Chelsea match later on and then hubby said he was a Spurs fan and Michael stated he was an Arsenal fan, we decided not to talk about football after that!

Police sniffer dogs
Road sweepers
Dust cart

Although we had assumed our position at around 7.45 AM and the procession wasn’t leaving Buckingham Palace until 2.22 PM, we found there was plenty to keep us amused. We talked about what we all did for a living, which imagine our surprise when John and Michael found out they both worked for the same phone company, at the same headquarters, but because of Covid they were both working from home! It is a small world indeed!

We watched as the road sweepers and dust carts patrolled Whitehall up and down, up and down and once again, making sure the road was spotless and we watched the Police dogs sniffing around drains. I did get a bit worried when one of the dogs lurched towards me, but I think that was more to do with the ham sandwich I was holding!

London was eerily quiet, there were no cars, taxis or buses on the roads, the crowds weren’t noisy, everyone seemed to be in a very thoughtful and respectful mood and when the time approached for the parade to leave Buckingham Palace, the crowd grew silent, there was not a noise to be heard anywhere.

When we strained our ears to hear the music approaching, I had butterflies in my stomach, I couldn’t believe I was going to see this historic event first hand.

The Queen’s Coffin
King Charles III and Princess Anne
Prince William and
Prince Harry

The whole procession only took a matter of minutes to pass, but it was incredibly moving and we felt so privileged to have seen this event.

I have uploaded the video I took onto YouTube:

When the procession had passed, we said our goodbyes to Michael and John and made our way to Buckingham Palace. It was very crowded around here and so we didn’t stay very long and we made our way back to Waterloo train station, tired after such a long day, but very pleased we had done it!

The next morning, we woke up to watch the news and saw the queues for the Lying of State of HM Queen, we both looked at each other and we decided that after work the next day, we would go back to London and join the queue – I will let you know how we got on during our 12.5 hour queue….

Poetry, the walking dead, Walking Dead Poetry

THE WALKING DEAD: S1 EP 5– WILDFIRE

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After the attack of the walkers the previous day,
Rick calls Morgan on his walkie talkie he needs to say
That Atlanta has fallen, it isn't safe at all,
But he gets no response, another time he'll call.

Andrea is with Amy, she is very upset that Amy is dead,
Amy reanimates, Andrea cries, "I love you" and shoots her in the head. 
Jim is acting very strange around the campsite,
Jacqu discovers that he's hiding a bite.
Rick trying to speak with Morgan
Jim 
Daryl tries to kill Jim, but Rick is more forgiving,
He reminds Shane that, "We don't kill the living."
They then argue about the right course to take,
Rick wants to head to the CDC, Shane thinks this is a mistake. 

Shane tries to talk Lori into going to a military base,
But Lori backs her husband, the CDC seems the right place.
Whilst on a sweep of the woods, Shane has Rick in his sight,
He thinks about shooting him, but Dale is watching, it's not right.
Morales and his family
Shane taking aim at Rick
The group pack up their supplies and are to leave this home, 
When Morales says that his family will be heading off on their own. 
Dale's RV breaks down and they search for parts from cars nearby,
Jim asks that he be left under a tree, to be by himself to die. 

Edwin Jenner is in a high-tech laboratory, his progress is poor, 
It's been 63 days since the virus went global, he has no cure.
He has destroyed some diseased tissue, he really has tried,
Perhaps the only solution is that he commit suicide. 

Rick and his group arrive and there are walkers around,
They manage to get to the front door, where it's found
To be locked, so Rick seeing a moving camera, bangs on the door,
After a while the door opens, they enter, hoping they're safe once more.
Entering the CDC
Dr Edwin Jenner
Reviews

Are You Being Served?

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When you have so many different TV channels and different streaming platforms to watch, it is sometimes difficult to settle on a choice, but when I have a half an hour to fill, I find myself gravitating towards Are You Being Served?

From the catchy signature tune…

Ground floor: perfumery
Stationery and leather goods
Wigs and haberdashery
Kitchenware and foods
Going up

First floor: telephones
Gents' ready-made suits
Shirts, socks, ties, hats
Underwear and shoes
Going up

Second floor: carpets
Travel goods and beddings
Materials and soft furnishing
Restaurant and teas
Going up

…to the ever plentiful innuendos, farce and slapstick, to the weird and wonderful shop floor displays and the relationships between all the shop staff, this programme was a gem amongst sitcoms in the 70s and 80s.

History

The pilot episode was originally filmed as part of the Comedy Playhouse series for the BBC, but it was not broadcast. It was broadcast though when the 1972 Summer Olympics was interrupted by the Munich massacre and the BBC used it as a filler while the games were off air and this led to a full series being produced.

Unfortunately, the first series was scheduled opposite Coronation Street which was being shown on ITV, so the viewing figures weren’t very high, but the series was repeated later on in the year and this time the ratings were much higher.

The series lasted for ten seasons and 69 episodes between 8 September 1972 and 1 April 1985 and they also recorded five Christmas specials. There was a 1977 film and a spin-off series called Grace & Favour in 1991/1992.

Original Cast:

Mr Wilberforce Claybourne Humphries:

John Inman – Sales Assistant in the Gentleman’s Department, he often used double entendre in respect of his gay lifestyle. His reply to, “Are you free?” with a high pitched, “I’m free,” and an exaggerated walk was a highlight of the programme.

Quotes:
  • “I’m free!”
  • (In a deep voice: “Menswear.”
  • “Mr Grainger, are you free?”
  • “It’s unusual for me.”
  • “Before you say anything…”
Mrs Betty Slocombe

Mollie Sugden – With her brightly coloured hair, Mrs Slocombe was the Senior Sales Assistant of the Ladies Department and was always telling double entendre stories about her pet cat Tiddles, who she referred to as “my pussy.”

Quotes:
  • “…and I am unaminous in that.”
  • “Ooh, you’re as weak as water. Weak as water!”
  • “Oh, that does suit madam.”
Mr Dick Lucas

Trevor Bannister – The Junior Salesman in Menswear, always had a put down to Mrs Slocombe and was a bit of a womaniser, always making suggestions to Miss Brahms. He was, in fact, one year older than John Inman.

Quotes:
  • “I can see it all now…”
Miss Shirley Brahms

Wendy Richard – the cockney-speaking middle class Junior Sales Assistant to Mrs Slocombe, who went on to play Pauline Fowler in the long running tv soap opera, Eastenders.

Quotes:
  • “Ooh, they’s dead common.”
Captain Stephen Peacock

Frank Thornton – Grace Brother’s floorwalker who reminds everyone when he can that he fought in the North Africa Campaign of World War II but rumours were that he served in the Service Corp and never saw combat.

Quotes:
  • “Are you being served, sir?”
  • “Mr Humphries, are you free?”
Mr Ernest Grainger

Arthur Bough – One of the oldest serving members of Grace Brothers having worked for them for 40 years. Senior Sales Assistant in the Gentlemen’s department and prone to falling asleep whilst at work. He was in series 1-5 as he unfortunately passed away before filming series six.

Quotes:
  • “And don’t worry about the sleeves, they’ll ride up with wear.”
Mr Cuthbert Rumbold

Nicholas Smith – Floor manager of Ladies and Gents Department, bumbling and incompetent and prone to taking the praise for other members of staff’s ideas.

Quotes:
  • “It was a boardroom level decision.”
“Young” Mr Grace

Harold Bennett – Always surrounded by attractive secretaries and nurses, he was very rich, but also very stingy which led to some entertaining episodes.

Quotes:
  • “You’ve all done very well.”
Mr Mash

Larry Martyn – The maintenance man who installed the mechanised displays and was always in trouble with Captain Peacock for being on the shop floor during opening times.

Quotes:
  • Blows raspberry at Captain Peacock.
  • “It must be awful for you, to keep telling me off.”
Other cast members:

After Mr Grainger leaving the shop, his position was taken over by Mr Percival Tebbs (James Hayter) who retired after only a year in the men’s department, to be replaced by Mr Goldberg (Alfie Bass).

After Mr Mash’s departure, his position is filled by Mr Beverley Harman, (Arthur English).

Mr Bert Spooner (Mike Berry) replaced Mr Lucas as Junior Sales Assistant and “Young” Mr Grace was replaced by his older brother, “Old” Mr Grace (Kenneth Waller).

There were lots of secretaries during the show’s run, both for Mr Grace and also for Mr Rumbold, the longest serving was Miss Belfridge (Candy Davis) who was in series 9 and 10.

I hope you enjoyed this brief look at this long running comedy, set in a fictitious department store, with over the top characters and lots of innuendoes, I’ll leave the final word with Mrs Slocombe….

Reviews

Marriage TV Show

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Warning: This article contains spoilers!

As my husband spends a lot of time in his car with his job, he listens to a lot of radio and sometimes he comes home saying that there’s a new TV show that people on the radio have been raving about and we should definitely watch it. This was the case with Marriage, a BBC bittersweet programme about a couple who are in a long-term marriage.

We have been married for 37 years, so I had a mix of emotions whilst settling down to watch it. Would it reflect our marriage? Would there be scenes which are uncomfortable to watch? Or would we celebrate the parallels in our marriage reflected in this programme?

Well, the answer is yes, to all our questions.

Sean Bean plays Ian, who we find out has been made redundant and is by himself during the day left to his own devices and Nicola Walker is Emma, working in a law firm with a boss who has dubious ways to run his office. By day, Ian goes to the gym or the supermarket, trying to spark conversations with people and Emma is trying to bring the law firm into the 21st century by going online.

Just as a thought… maybe Ian would enjoy an episode or two of Game of Thrones?

Ian and Emma

We see them hug each other, give little kisses and hold each other’s hands, they have niggling arguments like the one about the jacket potato at the airport and we also see that they have experienced the heartache of a child dying, which obviously had a tremendous effect on their lives.

There are long silences whilst they clear up after a meal, each getting on with the duties they have performed repeatedly during their marriage, like a well oiled machine.

Even though there’s no fast-paced action, the couple are constantly at the beck and call of their family, whether it be Emma’s dad calling to see if she can fix the oven or Jess, their adopted daughter, moving out of her boyfriend’s flat, they are at the stage of life where people depend on them.

There was a lot of things we could relate to: the long silences, the household chores, the jokes which we have between ourselves, looking after older relatives and the younger ones and most importantly, just the every day emotional support we give each other.

You can look on Instagram and see the ‘perfect’ marriages, the fast-paced lives that people purport to be having, the tropical holidays, the wonderful children, but if you want to see what married life is really like, then watch this programme.

Walking Dead Characters, Walking Dead Poetry

Dale Horvath

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Dale
When the outbreak starts, Dale is on a trip in his RV,
His wife has died from cancer, he rescues Andrea and Amy.
They were in Atlanta and in the outskirts of the city,
They find a group of survivors who are very gritty.  

After a walker attack when some survivors die,
They pack up their bags and head for the CDC nearby.
Dr Edwin Jenner lets the group enter, it has hot food,
A shower, real beds, they feel safe,  not screwed. 

But the group finds out that the CDC is about to explode,
Dale tries to flee with Andrea, but she's doesn't want to go. 
He's not going to leave without her, this isn't what she wants him to say, 
At the last minute they run out of the doors and then drive away. 

They stop on a highway where there are lots of cars and trucks,
To search for food, for clothes, anything, they need some luck. 
Dale spots a herd of walkers coming straight towards where he's stood ,
He hides on the top of the RV, Sophie panics, and runs in the woods. 

Dale and  the group  meet up with Rick and Lori at a farm,
It is owned by Hershel and his family and it has a certain charm.
They set up camp  where they can continue in their search,
To find Sophie and not to leave her in the lurch.

Dale is told that Hershel keeps walkers locked up in a barn, 
He confronts Hershel, who says they are sick people, they mean no harm.
The group decide that the barn is unsafe, they must put down the dead,
They open the doors, a zombified Sophia emerges, she's shot in the head. 
 
Rick captures Randall, who is from a dangerous gang of men,
He says he needs to be killed, but Dale disagrees and then,
He patrols the farm and he spots a cow that is making no sound,
Dale turns around and is attacked by a walker, he falls to the ground.

He can't fight the walker off, it digs in and scoops out his insides,
The group hear his screams, "We can't save him," Hershel decides, 
"His injuries are too severe," and after saying sorry, Daryl shoots Dale,
He's buried the next day and in honour of Dale, they release the male.
Dale’s death