Providing free online community support to people affected by breast cancer

Recent Entries

• The joy of routine mammograms

  by JoBattersby1961 November 2, 2013
  Routine mammograms not only saved my mother's life, they also saved mine. Both of us had breast cancers we were unaware of until they showed up in a routine mammogram. And we are both still alive to encourage others to have them. They could save your life too. Since that time I have spoken to many ...

• The joy of cold coffee

  by JoBattersby1961 November 2, 2013
  I'm not one for New Year's resolutions so I'm not giving anything up. But it's that post Christmas period and I, like most people, have overindulged. Short of going on a complete detox, I have been trying to eat healthily and cut down on the usual suspects - sweet things, alcohol, coffee etc. For me...

• The joy of soreness

  by JoBattersby1961 November 2, 2013
  There's an immense satisfaction in demonstrating to your teenaged children, and their friends, that at 51 you can still achieve physical feats - including some they can't or won't attempt. For some time now, a friend whom we've only met in the past year has been inviting us to go up to the river wi...

• The joy of clean sheets

  by JoBattersby1961 November 2, 2013
  I normally change our bed sheets every Sunday and since I have been with my husband I have been introduced to Egyptian cotton 1000 thread sheets - just like the ones you get in expensive hotels. I have discovered that, over time, they get silky soft. Yesterday morning, as it was Sunday, I changed o...

• The joy of shoes

  by JoBattersby1961 November 2, 2013
  My mother loved shoes. She had many of them, mostly with high heels. When she took her shoes off she had a habit of leaving them under the window of my parents bedroom instead of putting them away in the wardrobe. When enough pairs had accumulated there, my father would line them up in a trail that...

• The joy of beach walks

  by JoBattersby1961 November 2, 2013
  My husband and I were in the habit of going for a walk along the beach on Sundays but for some reason we haven't been doing it lately. Today we went to the markets, as usual, after which my husband suggested we go down to the beach. It was a perfect day for a beach walk. The weather was warm - bor...

• The joy of reminiscing

  by JoBattersby1961 November 2, 2013
  Last night I went to see Carole King in concert. At 71 she still had it. Her voice was note perfect, she had loads of energy, wore high heels that she could dance in, and played the piano with the confidence of someone who has been doing it for over 50 years - as she has. I went with two old friend...

• The joy of natural light

  by JoBattersby1961 November 2, 2013
  For the vast majority of my working life I have been a mushroom. I should have known that was my fate when the Law School library was in a basement and I had to study under fluoro lights for the four years I spent there. When I entered the workforce almost 30 years ago my office was an internal roo...

• The joy of a test

  by JoBattersby1961 November 2, 2013
  I am having trouble linking this to my Facebook account. It was working but for some reason my posts have stopped appearing and I can't work out why. In spite of my technological limitations I continue to try to solve the problem. If this posts on Facebook it will mean I have solved it. That will...
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• The joy of dining locally

  by JoBattersby1961 November 2, 2013
  Several years ago we discovered a little Sri Lankan take-away place not far from our home. The food was magnificent and we've gone back there for our take-away curries ever since. It’s run by a couple. He cooks all the food and she serves on the front counter. About two years ago they turned their ...