I gave my second speech at Windsor Speakers Toastmasters in January 2014. It was for Project 2 "Organise your speech" from the Competent Communication Manual.

Listen to my speech or read it here.

I talked about how cancer made my hair blue at BarCamp Berkshire in June 2013.

While waiting for radiotherapy in September, I picked up a booklet by Macmillan about what happens after cancer treatment. It said that, instead of feeling relieved that treatment is finished, some people feel abandoned.

I didn't expect to feel abandoned but I realised that there were aspects of going for treatment that I would miss. I resolved to make the most of the positives while I could.

Catching up on my RSS feeds yesterday evening, I noticed an unusual flurry of posts from the blog Ramblings of a Bad Fairy.

The Bad Fairy (BF) started her blog in March this year. She had been diagnosed in June 2009 with secondary breast cancer in her liver. That was when she first found out that she had breast cancer. There were also possible tumours on her lungs. She was 40.

On the way back to the waiting room area to change out of the hospital's green gown, I spotted a lady and her husband I met during chemotherapy.

I hadn't seen them for a couple of months; I sat down so that we could catch up.

After an hour, I was still there, nattering away with this couple, still in my green gown, just steps away from the changing booth.

One of the radiographers walked over to me; she had a long face.

I smiled, knowing what this was about asked, "are you here to ask why I am still here?"

I've just finished my first week (5 of 18 sessions) of radiotherapy at Reading hospital. I have no ill-effects to speak of.

I'm due to have two more weeks of weekday sessions plus three days of boosters for my surgery scar.

To be honest, I no longer remember what I thought about cancer before my own experience with it this year. Maybe people with no experience of it think that the only options are Never Had Cancer vs Will Eventually Die of Cancer.

I forgot that my mother doesn't have access to this journal. I wonder what it is that people imagine that I Am Going Through. Maybe they imagine me pacing the rooms in tears, worrying about dying.

As my birthday was two days before my last chemotherapy I asked the cake club ladies and my Facebook contacts to give me flowers to cheer me up after chemo and/or fruit and veg to use in my food dehydrator.

Here are some of the birthday presents I received. I love that Yvonne remembered I'd mentioned I'd never had a teddy bear growing up. My new teddy now sits on my pillow during the day.

In three days, I will have my last FEC chemotherapy.

It's my birthday tomorrow and I've asked for flowers to cheer me up during the period following chemo of nausea and glum. (The other request is for fruit and tomatoes to dry in my new food dehydrator).

As I write this, I have had four out of six sessions of FEC chemotherapy. This advice is based on my own experience of trying to manage nausea.

Nothing I suggest is harmful or woo-woo. If you're struggling with nausea during chemotherapy, these might be worth trying.

I have been finding the first week after each chemotherapy since my second session quite hard. The inevitable nausea and seemingly constant tiredness is very dispiriting.

I had my fourth FEC chemo (of six) a few days ago. The third had been a bit difficult because, although my veins are visible, they are giving the nurses trouble in getting the cannula in.

I'd not had a problem with needles before, but I've taken to squeezing Frank's hand when they try to get the needle in.

I wore my new turquoise blue wig outdoors for the first time today (although, I had to cut some of the long fringe first as I couldn't see otherwise.)

The wig is a gorgeous colour. It's not one colour - it's streaked - and so it looks like dyed hair rather than a synthetic wig. I have to figure out how to make it spikey. It got flattened in transit.