Okay. Jeez. What a crap month. My dad got cancer in the bowel. They've already sucessfully removed it which is great news. However, he has it in the liver as well. They'll do a few months of chemo, hack it out (the liver re-grows thank goodness) and then do some more chemo. Then my parents' little daxhaund got back trouble - really bad. Couldn't walk or control her bowls. $5000 later, they seem to have fixed that too. Little Lucy gets out of the emergency ward some time in the next week.

As well, about a week ago, I got toothache. Turns out I had split one of my back molars clean in half. Luckily it was filled so it didn't actually fall out in bits. Said tooth was removed, I got a bone graft of cow bone in my gum (yes, cow bone... mooo!), suffered like hell for a week but am now pretty much better.

Just before the tooth thing, one of my tied for eldest boy (I have two 22 year old step sons) ended up in hospital. It was a bit of a yukkie time but he really does now seem to be getting much better which is just wonderful.

So I'm still trying to decide if it is a really bad month or really good one. After so many screaming disasters... but then again we all survived! We are either really lucky or really cursed.

Oh.. Oh... but in some rare flashes of pleasing news:

1. Some of my medieval shots are likely to be published (jousting shots) in a magazine. Alright, it's Aussie Horse Downunder, but hey... fame and glory!

2. Enough people enrolled in my adult ed. photography course to justify them running it. It starts on the 13th of February. That should be a lot of fun. I still feel a bit like a fraud but it's only an introductory course.

3. Actually pulled a paid photography gig for some commercial shots for a friend.

4. But not least, I am a grandad. My other tied eldest step-son is the proud father of a baby boy! Little Lawrence is beautiful.

So, these are the minor reasons I have been a tad quite, insulted a few good friends by accident (boy, I am a grumpy bugger when I'm in pain), and generally lived for a month or so in a complete daze. (Shut up - I know I'm often in a complete daze, but not when I'm sober!)

Anys, I hope your month has been cheery and you and yours are keeping well.

Love

Duckie.