My husband doesn’t really like doing his washing in public, but for me – well I think a trouble shared is a trouble halved, apart from that I love clichés.

It’s that horrid “Cancer” word that does it you know, not nice to say it in relation to anyone close to you….you do get used to it, and when people kinda gulp in the fresh air and spew forth apologies you have to feel for them, they often don’t know what else to do or say.

I know it sounds harsh but I feel better for talking about it, but then, it’s not me that’s got the damn disease. Life is complicated and then when you think it can’t get any worse then …hey ho, bugger me if it does. Oh, hang on by the way, this is not a hard luck story, so don’t you go disappearing just yet. Far from it.

Don’t you dare feel sorry for me and mine, we are just doing fine, we don’t want sympathy we need support in life’s great tapestry of interesting and challenging events. There is always someone else with more to complain about. My husband has Cancer and we fight it together tooth and nail, I havn’t got as clue how much it hurts but gauging by his face and the amount of drugs, it’s a lot. He won’t be wanting me to say much more, so that’s the background to this little story, with all due respect.
I have a shop, it’s a beautiful shop, lots of lovely people come through the door for more reasons than to buy my wares. The amount of people who have come in to share their stories with the Cancer theme, especially since we have been stricken by it, is unbelievable, it’s like little pathway to common ground.

Tell me now that this is just in my imagination and I will tell you different. I sell lots of mystical and magical things both at the shop and online, I tend to give lots away as well. For goodness sake I’ll never be rich in money but wealthy in friends. So there you go, it seems only the right thing to do to have one of these Macmillan Coffee Mornings, and where better to have it than in the best meeting place I know.

It’s a busy place The Wishing Tree, but not half as busy as when there’s coffee and cake on the go.

I just so happen to have the best little pudding queen in the land on my part-time staff, so a day in the kitchen did she so spend. Some wicked cakes did she produce and we made the people of Long Stratton and surrounding areas, smile like they never did before.

Oh and in so smiling did they dip into their pockets and part with some hard earned cash.

It made us smile too.

A sum of £300 was raised for our efforts, as well as a few extra inches on the waist line. Well you have to try the cakes out before you let the customers have any, don’t you?

The cash we raised is destined to be well spent, I dare say we will be needing some of it to come our way, in the form of nurses visiting and caring for my husband, and advice being given, support for the kids and indeed for the pair of us. We face each day with a new smile and a great deal of hope, we laugh a lot and shed a few tears too from time to time.

For all you take be sure to give some back.

I dare say you will be hearing more on this subject from me, some may make you smile and some may not. But I guarantee it will all be food for thought.

Blessings
Olivia