Since my last blog we have had a few trips back & forwards between our two house (ooo, get me! 🤣) but spent a bit more time in the Borders sorting out the new house and getting our bearings…

We had a trip over to Hawick (pronounced “Hoyk” rather than “Har-wick” that Pete keeps saying to wind me up! 🤣) last weekend (17th August) to get some shopping… it’s about 20 miles away and takes approximately 45mins but is a lovely drive through the countryside.

Here’s what the Visit Scotland website says about the town:

Frequent winner of national floral awards, Hawick is the largest of the Border towns and internationally famous for fine quality knitwear.

Hawick has a long and colourful history which can be traced back to the 12th century, when King David I granted land to a Norman family, the Lovels. Today Hawick is part of the TextileTrail and the major centre for the industry in the Scottish Borders. The town therefore has many shops with a large selection of knitwear and cashmere.

Attractions include the Borders Textile Towerhouse in which the heritage of Scotland’s premier textile manufacturing region is presented within a restored 16th-century tower house. Wilton Lodge Park, on the wooded banks of the River Teviot, has 107 acres of riverside and tree-lined walks, and a walled garden.

Hawick is also home to the recently opened Borders Distillery. Housed in a restored Victorian industrial building, it’s the first Scotch whisky distillery in the Scottish Borders since 1837.

‘The Horse’ at the end of the High Street commemorates the victory of local youths over English invaders at nearby Hornshole in 1514. During the skirmish, the Abbot’s banner was taken and triumphantly carried back to Hawick. One of the oldest Border Common Ridings, held in early summer, honours this event where ‘The Horse’ becomes the centrepiece for this symbolic festival. Other events in the town include the Summer Festival and the Hawick Reivers Festival.

After a walk around & a bit of shopping, we made it a round trip by coming back along the A7 to Langholm & then heading over the tops back to Newcastleton driving through some of the community owned land adjacent to the village (more about that another time!)… The road was a 10-mile long, single road track with passing places through the most lovely countryside and, at the time of our drive, in the most fantastic weather!

During the drive back, we spotted some feral goats so stopped for a while to get some pics… the smell of the goats (lanolin) reminded me of when we did the last stretch of the Pennine Way with Mum and Dad from Byrness Village (English side of the border) to Kirk Yetholm (Scotland & the finish line!) back in 2003. This last stage of the whole walk was a 30-mile hike which required us, for the first time as we had completed it in stages, to camp out along the way… my brothers Andy & Steve, plus our friend Pete W joined us for this final leg to make sure we didn’t actually kill my parents with this final push! 🤣 The brothers, Pete & I and t’other Pete pitched tents whilst Mum & Dad stayed in the Bothies strategically placed along this stretch… on one of the two nights there was a bit of a gale & we woke to find all the smelly goats using our tent as a wind break!

Last Tuesday (18th August) we decided to have a bit of a break from unpacking / sorting the house and go for our first proper walk around the local area… leaving from home, we did a 4-miler up to Mangerton Tower and back down the road to home. The weather was great and it made us both feel like we have made the right decision to move here!

Wednesday 20th August – after another day at the Scotland house on Tuesday (19th August), we took a late drive down to Yorkshire (via Carlisle where we ordered our new bed!) so we could attend an appointment with the Oncologist on Wednesday morning, & get the results from Pete’s PET scan… sadly, it wasn’t the greatest news as it confirmed the cancer has actually spread to more places than originally thought… lower spine (Oncologist warned that Pete should not do any heavy lifting as if he injures his back, he could get an infection and then potentially be paralysed – Mr Jey (Oncologist) was horrified to learn we had just moved all our furniture ourselves to our new home… oops! 😬); 9th Rib (which we knew) and shoulder… Pete actually found this out before we met the consultant when the cancer nurse had called to make the appointment and he asked her for the results. At the time of the call with the nurse, I was really upset (Pete was more worried about me & my reaction than what the nurse had told him!) as I had convinced myself the scan would show they had made a mistake about it spreading outside the prostate… Ah well… It did mean though, by the time we met the consultant and he confirmed the results and that the cancer was stage 4 and therefore, incurable, I had got my emotions under control!

Looking on the positive side, we now know that further hormone treatment and chemotherapy will help stall the spread and that the prognosis is an average of 6-8 years – could be more (fingers crossed!) or less (better not be!)… as I say, at least now we know the score.

Whilst I have accepted the situation now and plan to make the most of every minute we get, in quieter moments, my current emotions can range from being a bit scared about what the future holds and what I will do if I’m left on my tod… (Pete has always said that he would outlive me despite him being 15 years older than me! But now, unless I get run over by a bus… which is unlikely in Newcastleton as there’s not much traffic… more likely to be a tractor although not many of them either… that seems more unlikely!) … to completely forgetting that he has anything wrong with him as, apart from feeling a bit tired every now and then, he doesn’t feel ill and nothing has changed at all since his diagnosis – he still tackles every day & every job at 100 mph!

We told the consultant about our imminent finalised move to Scotland which does complicate things a bit with the transfer of treatment… he has agreed to start the chemo in Yorkshire and then he will personally write to the nearest oncologist to Newcastleton once we have registered with the GP up here (which we plan to do today – 25 August as, unlike England, it’s not a bank holiday !)… the only worry is that he has said, if during the treatment cycles Pete gets an infection, you have to get to the hospital straight away (within an hour…) and we think our nearest place will be Galashiels which is, if the roads are good, about an hour away! I think I will feel better once the treatment transfers to Scotland as at least we will then know what we are dealing with if this happens… That said, once Pete starts the chemo we are planning to go into our own mini lockdown and not see anyone until he completes the course (approximately 18 weeks as due to have 6 cycles, one every 3 weeks…) – which means cancelling family & friends visits to our new home and visits to see Mum until around Christmas time! But I think it’s a sacrifice no one will mind as long as Pete is kept safe…

Whilst we ended up coming back to Yorkshire to get Pete’s results, it also timed well with the planned visit from our buyers’ surveyor which was due to take place last Thursday (21st). Since we moved our broadband and phone up to Scotland, we no longer have a phone in Yorkshire other than mobiles but Pete hadn’t given the surveyor these numbers so, having stayed another night, we were not totally sure the surveyors were going to turn up… but then the door knocked just after 8am! We were still in bed 🤣🤣🤣 Pete answered the door in his dressing gown whilst I hastily got dressed! The guy was only there for about 20 mins max but at least that bit is now done and the sale will hopefully progress reasonably quickly!

We also managed to squeeze in looking for & ordering a new sofa / chair for the lounge & I got to see Mum for a few hours so pretty busy as usual!

On Friday (22nd August), after picking up a few bits for the new house in Keighley and a trip to the tip, we took a slowish drive up to Sunderland to watch the opening game of the Women’s World Cup Rugby at the Stadium of Light – a place I have not been to for many years! There was a fantastic atmosphere both in & outside the stadium – the build up to the game with drummers & singers in the “fanzone”, a community parade (lots of dance troops which our Niamh would have loved to be part of I am sure!), and then the “opening ceremony” which included a live performance by the singer Anne-Marie!

The match itself saw England smash the USA 69/7 – it was brilliant to be part of the 42,723 strong crowd! We are both now, for a bit anyway, officially record breakers as this is apparently the biggest crowd at a women’s World Cup match ever! Well done Sunderland and the Stadium of Light!

The drive home to Scotland was interesting and very, very dark! Although the bit through Sunderland and towards Hexham was fine, we soon came off the A roads and onto B ones through Bellingham and the Kielder Forest, over the border and home. It was a twisty route with added obstacles such as sheep sleeping on the road! Such fun! I was glad to get home in one piece 🤣🤣🤣

Since arriving back at midnight on Friday, we have had a fairly relaxing weekend sorting through bits & bobs in the house, taking a walk, going to Hawick for some shopping (& to buy a new dining table for our “sun room”), enjoying the fine weather… it already feels like home here and, despite all the current health challenges, it feels like we have made the right decision to move! We just need to finalise the Yorkshire house sale now, get Pete’s treatment transferred and jobs a goodun!

Today, as it’s not a bank holiday here in Scotland, we’ve been and registered with the doctors, had a nice walk, bought the most expensive cauliflower ever from the local Spar shop (the lady made a mistake and, being a newbie in these parts, I didn’t think to challenge her at the time! I will know better next time 🤣🤣), pottered in the garden and enjoyed a little sit in the sunshine… the perfect day!

Ciao Ciao! Xx