Nearly there!

Thought for Today:- To be accommodating, like the ocean requires a flexible mind, a humble heart, broad thinking and unlimited love. Be so full that you can accept whatever flows in - absorbing and giving without losing any part of yourself.

This was the view as we left Newcastle last year, heaing towards Ijmuiden, Holland. On Sunday we'll do the same journey again as we head for France. I guess this is the last time I will be writing in my blog as there are still lots of jobs to be done. Tomorrow I will assemble my masterpiece, ready for Katie and Andrew's wedding on Saturday. I have some Thank You cards to make for Helen and John. Wilma and Elsie have to be taken to their luxury kennels, Ella to the Hilton cat hotel. Arrangements have been made for the hens and goose to be cared for, oh and there's packing to be done. WE are all excited and it will be great to see our great friends Dorothy and Keith! The camera will be packed so we will record the whole expedition! For more skies, visit here.

BYB Sunday...A friend called Dorothy Askew!

Photo of the Day
25.11.07

"This quality which we call determination in our day-to-day life
is called will power in the inner or spiritual world.
Real will power comes from the inmost recesses of our heart, where the soul is located"

This week I was listening to the Radio whilst getting on with my DIY!
Like many people in the UK I was listening to Jeremy Vine.

I was suddenly aware of a voive I recognised, our good friend Dorothy, who moved to France together with her husband Keith.

Today I received an e-mail from Dorothy.

Read about the Keith and Dorothy in the French National Press

I am so proud to have them as friends.

I have been very busy since Keith came out of hospital on the 4^th November that was his 6^th major operation since 6^th June this year, he has had 3 other minor operations for abscesses that developed and next year the consultant wants Keith to have further surgery to reconstruct more of his intestines, we do want to stay in France but if we are not allowed continuity of healthcare then we must return to the UK.

Keith needs to be monitored for the next five years to make sure the cancer does not return

I've been busy causing a commotion in France . We are still trying to fight the decision made by Sarkozy and have put ourselves forward as guinea pigs to challenge the interpretation of the directive, we have been featured in the London Evening Standard and the Mail also an MEP will take the case to EU courts and Jim Murphy MP spoke to a French Minister the other week, I have even been live on the Jeremy Vine show this week to let the nation know what’s happening to us Brits in France. Keith’s plight is the topic of conversation on a few French web sites and MP’s blogs even Lynn Faulds Wood corresponds with us and will help us in the UK to get further treatment for Keith so their!!!!!!! I'm like a Jack Russell with a rat I won't let go till I get what I want.

Believe it or not Lynn Faulds Wood is opening the new endoscopy unit at North Tees and Lisa will be able to meet her as she is returning to work part time in an admin role as the nursing role will be to strenuous for her, she is awaiting a bone scan but is very upbeat at the moment as she has a new puppy to look after a miniature Yorkshire terrier.

Keith saw his consultant on Wednesday and he was very pleased with his progress, our daily nurse is very pleased with Keith’s operation wounds they are healing well, we now go for a walk every day to build up his strength he has started searching the web for Christmas presents and even wants to go shopping with me so he must be on the mend. He is now driving the car, his recovery from this last operation has been amazing.

We have booked our Christmas flights and will land at East Midlands on the 15th December and travel up to Stockton for a family celebration in the evening as hopefully Philip will be down from Scotland so we are looking forward to that, we return to France 5th January by which time we will know our medical cover situation, unofficially we have been told we are out of the system along with another 3000 British E106 holders on 6^th January, the rest of the early retired Brits (many more thousands) are out 30^th March 2008.

We intend to register with a doctor and claim UK residency to get access to the NHS and use the French house for long holidays (6 months). We will be looking for somewhere to rent as it’s not fair to impose ourselves on Andrew and Lisa even though they have offered us a home. We are up for house/dog sitting if any one is looking for someone otherwise I’ll be signing on at the job centre.

Keith & Dorothy

As my blog is quite highly positioned on Google I wanted to share the plight pf Dorothy and Keith with my many friends and contacts.

I will keep you updated of Keith's wonderful progress and will put links to any media stories too.

Watch this space!