Day +112
Hello to everyone and we hope you have all had a successful, happy day. The weather here has been very strange today. It began with cold, rainy and windy, moved to cold and windy, then cold and finally very warm….all in one day. Talk about confusing!
Ella had a difficult night, which took a bit of sorting out really. Her red line was naughty again and chose the middle of the night to ‘pack in’, plus she had a temp. Of course that is her drugs line, so none could go through. Kirsty and Sister Andrea decided to call the Dr, who in turn put a canella in Ella’s hand so that the medicines could continue. ( she was so brave…not a flinch).
So, we began the day with an extra ‘tube’ and our left hand out of action. The physio appeared at the door about 10.30am when Ella was catching up on some zzzzzzzz’s, but I just shook my head and she retreated. It wasn’t the right time, if you know what I mean. We need everything to be a positive experience, don’t we? She did mention coming back later, which seemed a much better idea.
After Sally and I had showered(downstairs) we got on with housework, mainly washing today. We ‘spread it about a bit’ too, because the washer on the other ward is leaking now as well, so I took some over to the igloo. Nice to see the old place!! Oh well, we won’t have to worry soon, all the children’s washing at the new hospital will be done by staff on the ward.
We have spent quite a lot of the day watching videos and giving Ella the chance to relax completely. She has concentrated quite well on them, actually. I could see her peeping through closed eyelids! We also continued with our downsizing. Sylvania has moved to Ainsdale on Sea now too, together with one of the craft boxes. Honestly, the room seems quite strange already! We decided that our Egyptian friend was feeling the strain a little, so Sally had the lovely idea of changing the board, as you can see from the photo. It looks very summery. Well done Mummy.
When Dr Wynn came he really didn’t want Ella to have the canella in any longer than necessary, so he decided to have a go himself…….and it started to clear, in part. It took a bit of work over the next hour or so, by an experienced nurse, to finish the job. Actually, it was good to see him in gloves, in a ‘hands on’ situation. It is beginning to look more likely that Ella will be having surgery, and we are waiting for the surgeon ( of Dr Wynn’s choice) to come and see her again.
Ella and I are flying solo tonight. Mummy has gone home for ‘Sam time’ and we have been watching all the soaps, ready for B,G.T. later on. I’ll close now I think and start to settle us down. As my Mum used to say,
‘It’s the hours before midnight that count’. I’m not quite sure that applies here, but we’ll see!
Night night, and lots of love to everyone. Our usual thanks to you, for all your good wishes and prayers.
Ella and Annette.xx
PS Wow Heather, how fantastic. Lucky girl, hope you have a great couple of days. Maybe Mummy could be your very glamorous assistant?x

Day+111
Hi there from Manchester….trust you are all well and enjoying half term.
We had a very lively start to ours. It’s all in the photos if you look carefully….yes we flooded the shower. It’s known in our cubicle as ‘showergate’. It was quite innocent really…..I switched the shower on, to warm up, as you do, and 5 mins later water was all but gushing from under the bathroom door. The photo shows me baling it out before anyone ‘influential’ arrived. Ella reversed her chariot all the way down to the door in about 10secs to have a look, just as her lines started to beep. That of course brought a couple of nurses in and before we knew where we were the whole world knew. How embarrassing!! A plumber was called….we are still waiting.
Ella was up and dressed early too, in a snazzy little striped ensemble, ready for the impending physio visit. When Jan arrived she set a very daunting task…to walk to Muriel’s other toy cupboard, which is outside the unit. We took a nurse and a chair ( for rests ) with us and eventually we got there. Ella chose 2 games and we set off back. For this dear little girl it must have been like climbing Everest….it was a real struggle….but we made it back all in one piece. I know we have to challenge her a little bit more each day, but it is sooooooooo hard.
This afternoon has been a mixture of ‘snoozing and doing’. The first speaks for itself and the doing part produced a green bathbomb, 2 pizzas ( from scratch) and a fresh fruit salad. I’ve got to admit that most of the ‘doing’ was one sided, but Ella enjoyed watching and that’s the main thing.
Sally and I have been planning how we are going to down size all the treasures we have accumulated in here, over the last 4 months. Every one is precious, but we know that we have been very fortunate so far, in being allowed to keep so much in Ella’s room. It will be a very different set up in the new hospital, with only the bare minimum of possessions allowed in the cubicles. We’re not looking forward to that part of it….1 teddy, no snugglies, no towels etc and all the toys the children need being provided by the hospital....ummmmm! But back to the immediate problem of sorting out! Today we said goodbye to Annabel, her wardrobe and all the teddies, except Tiger and Geoffrey. They’ve gone on holiday to Ainsdale on Sea. Thanks Ian !! Of course it hasn’t made any difference to the clutter, but by next week we should be fashionably ‘minimalist’.
At the moment we are watching ‘Titanic’.( sorry all you football fans out there) and Ella is fast asleep. We are coming to the sad part at the end, so I think a cup of tea might be in order, to charge us up physically ready for the emotional trauma to follow! What do you think?
Nite nite to everyone, and as usual all our thanks for your prayers and support
Lots of love,
Ella, Sally and Annette.xxx
PS Who's blue spotty pj's are those?

Day +110
Good morning and welcome to Manchester. We have had a great day which I hope the photos will show you.
We got off to a positive start with tomatoes on toast….homemade, not shop bought, followed by showers and bed baths! I was first to go and it was great, then Sally disappeared and whilst she was in the shower I got Ella sorted out. She succumbed slowly, but by the end of the session she had her feet in the ‘little blue bath’ and really enjoyed splashing about. Who should arrive in the middle of it? Yes, Dr Wynn and his entourage…..oops. (I was wondering how Sally was going to reappear from the shower but she managed it gracefully, in a puff of steam!) He didn’t back off this time though and stayed to talk about Ella and her progress. Little will be changing for the present time, but there are lots of discussions going on, between the teams here and also Drs around the country, about how to treat Ella’s tummy condition. It may involve surgery, but we will of course keep you up to date.
Whilst we were on a roll with Ella we encouraged her to get dressed today, and suggested that she should try the chariot out, for size. Mummy demonstrated how to do a wheely in it, then it was my turn to do a three point turn. We must have inspired her, because when Ella got into it she was off! We were out of the cubicle and up the corridor before we could turn round. Honestly, if she hadn’t have had the lines up she would have been unstoppable. The best part of it all was that Ella loved it too….she was really proud.
It didn’t stop there either. When we got back Ella sat out on the bed settee and took a real interest in ‘pink and fluffy’ girly things….like her hair( she gelled it up) and her nails etc. Great stuff!
One of the OT team came this morning( to discuss home facilities with Sally). She had heard about Ella’s trip and suggested another trip out to Muriel’s ‘treats’ cupboard….walking this time. To our great surprise Ella agreed, so off we set again and Ella walked there and back, with just a short sit down while Ella chose her treat. Fab!
Eventually we got around to the highlight of the day….the bath bombs. As you can see from the photos it was very technical, and as you can see from the finished product it was very worth while. We thought that if we produce one bomb a day for the next month we should have enough to give all the ladies in our lives a half each!
What else have we done? Oh yes…we’ve had a nail painting session. Ella and I now have matching nails and it’s Mummy’s turn tomorrow, we are looking forwards to that!
We are at the end of a very good day. Ella is flat out and Sally and I are watching ‘Britain’s got Talent’. We are looking forward to a repeat tomorrow!
Night night from us here, with lots of love and thanks, for your good wishes and prayers.
Ella,Sally and Annette.xxx

PS In case you're wondering...the bomb is blue!

Days +108,109
Hope you all had a great long weekend…..with plenty of sunshine where ever you have spent it. I know locally the weather has been spot on.
Just a couple of days to catch up with, and both of them quiet and peaceful for Ella. She has had comfortable nights too, which is all better news. Ella is turning into the sleep fairy again…..she loves to just lie and drift in and out of snoozes during the morning. One good way of getting out of ‘the wash’ isn’t it? Mind you, it gives us a chance to take that extra nap too.
Tomorrow we are expecting Ann, the cookery teacher, to come and make quiche with Ella. I’m almost sure that we have the day right, although we don’t want to build any little hopes up, just in case. I managed to find some pizza base dough mix the other day, so if all else fails at least we have got that to fall back on!
When Sally took over from me ,yesterday, I headed straight back home to pick up Jack and Max. They came to stay with me for a sleepover. We decided on feeding the ducks first of all, then a quick visit to the beach. The boys wanted to ‘go to the water’, but you know how far out the tide is at Ainsdale sometimes, so we had to put up with digging down until we reached water! Anyway a good time was had by all. Thanks Reggie for taking us.
When I spoke to Sally this morning, Monday, the Dr had just been and he was pleased with Ella and was able to leave the medications as they are for now. Dr Wynn will be back tomorrow….stand by your beds.
We are going to finish now except to say BATH BOMBS!!!! Yes, the latest ‘to do’ thing scheduled in for tomorrow. The kit comes complete with goggles and safety helmet….
Night night and lots of love. Thanks as usual for all your prayers and well wishes.
Ella, Sally and Annette.xxx
PS Hi Martin....glad to hear you are hard at it! Love to all the family too.x

Days + 105,106,107
Phew, what a lot to catch up on guys! Where have we all been since Thursday?
Well, firstly of course, news of Ella. Ella has been more comfortable these last few days. Dr Wynn and the pain team decided that she should go back to I.V. morphine….which at first thought seems to be a backwards step, but at the moment, for Ella, is giving a better background relief. However, it means that for the time being she doesn’t have any time off her lines.
The last few days have seen a lot of coming and going, with lots of trips to and from Southport. We had a visit from Reg on Thursday, and then Sam came up with Daddy on Friday. Damian was staying and Sam came home with Mummy for the night.
Where was Nanna some may ask? Well I had an appointment at the dentist on Friday….which I couldn’t put off. My tooth broke whilst I was really enjoying a ginger biscuit, so I had to take myself, and it, to see Mt Stournton. I’m sure you’ll all be relieved to know that it’s been stuck back together….his words, not mine!
What else? Oh yes….we have two new additions to the family here in Manchester. First of all there’s Elizabeth and secondly there is Ella’s new chariot, as yet unnamed. Elizabeth arrived on Thursday in rather a large box. She is soft, smooth, just the right colour and has got her own stand. Have you guessed? Yes, Ella’s new hair. We decided that the name Elizabeth suits her ( if you know what I mean). She doesn’t look the type you would ‘rag’ round the bed and wash in the ‘little blue bath’. Seriously though, this beautiful wig has been given by a charity called the ‘Little Princess’ who devote their funds to providing tailor made hair for children in Ella’s position. Lizzie still has pride of place actually in bed though….which will take some beating.
The ‘chariot’ is fab too. It’s not pink….yet…..but rather a fetching turquoise,bluish sort of colour. Very cute though. It’s just a miniature grown up one, with the big wheels and all! Ella hasn’t sat in it yet, so we are still holding our breath as to whether it will be the right size. All it needs is customizing…..so thinking caps on guys!
I haven’t got any photos to put on today….having been missing for a couple of days…..but when Mummy gets back tomorrow we’ll take a few.
As you may have realised it is Saturday night and Ella and I are here watching a bit of TV. Well I’m watching TV( Pearl Harbour) and Ella is fast asleep. I’m going to finish now and give the film ‘a chance’.
We send our love and best wishes to Ian and Lincoln, on their birthdays, and also to Josh and Megan, Ella’s cousins. Hope you all had a great day today.
Night night, lots of love and all our thanks for your prayers and loving support.
Ella and Annette.xx
P.S. A big hello to Libby and all her lovely family. What have you got planned for the holiday?Enjoy!!!!x
P.S. Ooops Debs. Lemon is the new white, in sports wear, didn’t you know?
PPS Hi to the Waites….hope you all have a super weekend and are looking forwards to that lonnnnnnnnnnnnnng holiday?x

Day +104
Hi there again. Hope you have all had a good day and enjoyed what little good weather you may have had? Ours here has been a real mixture of wetness and dryness…in all combinations!
We have had an ‘in’ day today, with Ella not feeling up to much at all. We started off very well, Ella gave us our breakfast,(cereal) and then she wanted to walk over to the bedsettee, which was fine too. However tummy ache kicked in and the rest of the day was a mixture of medicines and ‘tummy rubs’.
Sally and I filled the day in with housework….the never ending washing and the never ending washing up!
Oh, in between we did manage to watch the Ben Stiller film about the museum ( the 1st one, don’t panic ) and then whilst Ella snoozed this afternoon we watched ‘Step Up’. A very young and handsome leading man caught Sally’s eye…..not as hunky as Patrick S in ‘Dirty Dancing’ though. We watched that yesterday, and we still can’t get the footwork right in the final dance. You know the bit, girls, they all came dancing down the aisle towards the stage? I think Ella must have thought Mummy and Nanna had really lost the plot as we padded up and down the cubicle in our slippers.
Daddy arrived just about tea time, so that was good to cheer Ella up, but she really wasn’t in the mood at all. After the Dr had been to check her out it was decided to give her tummy an Xray. Dr Wynn was just on his way home when all this was going on and of course he came up straight away, when the Reg called him. He agreed an Xray was a good idea for tonight.
We thought at first it would be a ‘procession’,but no, the machine came to us! It’s a comical looking thing….it’s painted like a giraffe, with the crane part the giraffes neck! Sally put the apron on and stayed by Ella’s bed, and the radiographer suggested I should retire to the bathroom….charming!
Things have settled down since then and Ella is more comfortable at the moment. Sally has gone to the cave ,for the early part of the night, and will take over at 4.00am, and Ella and I are burning the mid night oil. She snoozing right now and I am able to write and keep you up to date.
There has been a lot of activity around the hospital again today….with removal firms packing and taking away lotsssssssss of paper work and files. We have noticed other things going missing too….a ‘bust’ of a Victorian gent is missing from the main corridor! Goodness only knows where he has gone to!
We are going to say night night now, and send you lots of love and all our thanks for your prayers and support.
Ella, Sally and Annette.xxx

Day +103
Here we are again, at the end of another happy and successful day in Manchester. The weather ,of course, has tried to put a damper on everything, with many heavy outbursts and even the odd roll of thunder. However, indoors it has been a different story.
Ella had a good night again, in spite of different treatments going on throughout the night. We certainly keep the night staff on their toes in here, but we have to say that they are so gentle and considerate, always, and it makes us all feel secure and well looked after, under difficult circumstances.
We began again early…with Sally and I attempting to shower up here, but it has given up again. It was stone cold. Soooooooo it was back to the ‘cave’ shower. At least it is lovely and warm even if you do have to hold it!
Auntie Rachael arrived, much to Ella’s delight, and then the cookery teacher came too and reminded us that Ella was making chocolate cakes today. We agreed on 15mins to get washed and dressed, which we stuck to, and then the cake making began. Dr Rasheed arrived in the middle of it licking his lips…we did promise him one though!
Ella sat out of bed on the bed/settee today and helped Auntie Rachael make some peg dolls.(if you look really closely on the photo you can just about see them) and later of course she made our tea. Honestly, it was like Master Chef in the kitchen tonight, with all the parents up here needing the oven for something out of the ordinary! We had started early though and got the first ‘go’.
We didn’t get to out today…Ella ‘s lines have been up all day, with one thing and another going through, but we have enjoyed being in. Actually Sally and I had a short trip into Swinton, to pick up the ingredients for tea. We drove back in a cloudburst and had to sit in the car for 10mins until it had gone off. When we got back Ella and Auntie Rachael had made us some lovely jewellery. It was great to find Ella able to join in and have some fun today. She did have a big snooze as well…..but mostly she has been awake.
Well it’s just turned midnight here. Sally and Ella are fast asleep and I’m going to join them soon, I hope.
So, we will say night night to everyone and thank you for all your prayers and support.
Ella, Sally and Annette xxx

Day + 102
Hi and welcome to Manchester. The weather has been ‘orrid….but inside here it has been sunny and warm. We have had a super day, following a good night! In fact the night was so good that I overslept and only woke up when Sally rang ‘the cave’ phone at 6.00am to see if I was OK! I hot tailed it back up here I can tell you!
We got going properly with Ella asking if I would make Mummy breakfast ‘in bed’, she wanted me to make something to do with eggs. So off I went, and decided to make boiled eggs and toast. So far so good…but then I realised we didn’t have any egg cups. Never mind, we made do and Ella was delighted to help us to eat it.
By now Ella was bright and breezy and we were drawing a picture for Dr Wynn at 9.00am. ( a motorbike). When he arrived, plus entourage, he had a good chat with us about Ella’s possible further treatment and she gave him her picture. She didn’t speak of course…but that didn’t matter....they were on the same wave length. As a matter of fact he did a drawing for us too. As you can clearly see it is an anatomically correct drawing of Ella’s digestive system! No wonder she has tummy ache sometimes! When Janet came later and we looked at it again, we just had to laugh.
Our day went from good to great when Simon arrived, to show us his medal and give us a cheque for some of the funds pledged. We were expecting him and after the ‘photo shoot’ Ella’s first question was
“Do you like chips?”
Of course, when Simon said he loves chips off I was sent to get some from the restaurant for him, which Ella prepared by ‘vinegaring and saucing’. Guess which pudding beginning with ‘N’ had to finish them off?
It was time for a quick snooze after Simon had left. We should have gone to physio, but Ella slept through her appointment. She didn’t really wake up when her lines came down either. We made up for it a little later though, when she had a walk up her room with nurse Alison to the window at the end, and back again. Then she had a cuddle with Ali, while Jane and I changed her bed etc. Real Princess treatment!!
Ella has earned another ‘Star’ prize….because she has had her naso/gastric tube fitted again. She chose a tiny ‘magic’ fish tank, where the fish grow when water is added. Sally was wandering if we had room for real fish in here…….Only battered and then fried crispy.
We are now watching ‘Gavin and Stacy’. ( memories of AMC ) Sally is in hoots and Ella is fast asleep, snuggled down, in amongst 8 pillows. We seem to be breeding pillows in here, but she deserves to be cosy and that’s the end of it.
Oh, we need to wish a very happy birthday to Colette today, Simon’s wife, hope you had a lovely day!
We are finishing now and then we can all settle down to get an early night. We send you all our love and as usual our thanks for all your prayers and loving thoughts.
Ella, Sally and Annette.xxx

Day +100, and +101
Hi to everyone and I must begin by singing……
‘CONGRATULATIONS AND JUBILATIONS’ to Simon, who completed the Manchester 10k run for the bone marrow unit yesterday. His time?,,,,a fantastic
1hr 02mins 43secs. Thank you soooooooo much Simon, for running for us all here, I know that all the money you raised will be put to great use here on the unit, and at the new hospital too. I can’t give you an exact total but it is well over his target of £500.
Ella had a quiet day on Saturday, after a buy Friday night. We didn’t do very much at all except snooze, but we did enjoy a lovely visit from Uncle John and Debra. We were able to catch up on news but best of all for Ella, they brought along a present from their holiday …a singing camel! (No, not a real one Rachael) It sings ‘Any Dream Will Do’….very cute. Where did they go on holiday? …..Devon…..Ummmm. Any ideas for names?
Ella had a good day on Sunday, following a much more peaceful night. I know that she was busy, in between snoozes, decorating some of the gingerbreads with Daddy, to share out. Only 68 left to go! They had a little walk along the corridors too, much too rainy to chance it outside.
Sally brought a game back called ‘Piggy Bank’, so teatime Sunday we three had a game. Needless to say Ella beat us, hands down, and then insisted that Sally and I carry on, to find 2nd and 3rd place. Well, 45mins later we were still throwing the dice! We finished………. eventually…….zzzzzzzzz
I’m going to get this posted off as soon as I can now. It’s early morning, Monday, and I know there are some early rises among you. There is more news to add on, but we can tell you that next time.
Oh, one of the night staff, Marie, went to visit the new hospital over the weekend and she has been describing it to us. She says it is absolutely fab, with every piece of the latest equipment you could wish for! I hope prospective parents and families get a chance to look around too….maybe we should suggest it?
So, lots of love to everyone and all our thanks for your loving support and prayers.
Ella, Sally and Annette.xxx
PS Hi to everyone at AMC, hope you managed to find us Janette.x
PPS Hi to Val and Kevin, my neighbours, so glad to hear you are still blogging.
PPPS Hi to OLOL and St John’s….hope you are over your SATS 6N/E and enjoying some serious relaxation.
PPPPS Finally hi to Auntie Margaret who is blogging in Spain and still struggling to leave comments! Good job we know how to use our mobiles eh?

Days+98,+99
Well the weather has taken a nose dive hasn’t it? It’s now Friday night and the wind is howling, the rain is beating down…..dear me…..lets hope it picks up for Simon and all the runners on Sunday.
The last couple of days here have been following the highs and lows pattern again. Thursday began well after a settled night. We found out quite early that Auntie Rachael wasn’t coming up after all so we needed to find something interesting to do! Ella did ….she went back to sleep until dinner time. Sally and I pottered about…did the washing etc and tried not to eat anything naughty. We even ate some fruit!!!!!!!!!!!!
I left for home after tea, and I know from talking to Sally later that Ella settled down eventually.
As you know Rachael is on a dress making course on Fridays and this week I’ve had the honour of looking after Sophie. I decided to go home Thursday night to have a good nights’ sleep, before she arrived. We had a lovely day together, and we even picked Max up from nursery so that he could join in the day too. ( it was the yellow peril at FHS Martin. Rachael and I swapped for the day.)
Today Ella has been for more investigations on her tummy, so she has needed another gastric tube, that went a bit deeper, before the dye was introduced. No results as yet though. She is such a good girl and so brave it makes you feel very humble.
I got back up here at tea time….just in time to hit the restaurant again. Chicken curry this time, and then Ella and I settled down to a quiet evening watching telly. Mummy has gone home to ‘Mummy’ Sam for a couple of days.
Oh, thank you Sally Ann for Ella’s lovely new top and book. It’s beautiful and we are looking forward to seeing it on….
We are going to finish now and get this posted. I’ve ‘had a bit bother’ trying to log on tonight, so I may have to wait until tomorrow morning to actually post it.
Night night to everyone and lots of love and thanks for all your good wishes and prayers.
Ella and Annette.xxx
PS Congratulations to Atsoi and Ian on the arrival of their new baby girl….Sophia…..and love to Chris as he becomes a Grandad for the first time.xxx
PPS I spoke to Simon today and he is looking forward to Sunday’s challenge. He is wearing his Everton shirt to run in, so if you catch the race you may be able to spot him on TV. I guess there won’t be that many Everton shirts around!

Day +97
Where is everyone? Have you all gone on holiday? We are feeling rather cut off over here from all your news…..
Anyway, back to ours. We had a super night, with Ella having a good sleep for quite a lot of it. We needed to be ready for Ella going back to Xray about 8.30, so Sally was up and showered etc. We got the call, off they went, only to be turned back….the Dr wasn’t there. We waited and waited, with Ella sat in her buggy, propped up with pillows, for ages. In the end we gave up and put her back to bed. Of course the inevitable happened! A Dr arrived in the here and another arrived at Xray…all at the same time. We did go to Xray, but there has not been any feed back yet. Dr Wynn has been a missing link for a couple of days. We are hoping to see him today. We know he oversees everything, but it’s not the same somehow is it?
Physio came along to make an appointment for 3.00pm and to say that the chariot will be ready in a couple of days! We didn’t get to the gym actually….Ella had a tummy moment…but we did keep going by making and baking! Actually we ‘maked and baked’ 105 ginger bread ‘thingies’.
Why 105? Because we had the good idea that if we doubled up the ingredients we would have enough to share around….we do….around the whole hospital!!!
Why ‘thingies’? Because they range from thin and very crispy(burnt) to thick and not crispy.
As you can see from the photos Ella was saving her nails whilst Sally glued herself to the mixture. They taste very nice anyway…only another 87 to go!
What else did we do? Oh yes we watched Mamma Mia, and did some housework. The dish washer on the unit has conked out now. Any washing up needs to go into the dishwasher to be sterilized, but of course that can’t happen now, so we have to just dry our pots and put them away. I’m thinking of becoming a professional pot washer…..everytime I go into the kitchen there is a stack of dishes in there already, to wash. (We have got some new parents up here and I don’t think they have got the hang of it yet.)
To round our day off Daddy came along for a couple of hours at teatime. He brought all the bits and pieces for meaty wraps and salad baps etc, so Ella had a last making session before settling down for the evening.
The ‘Soap Awards’ are on at the moment and Ella is beginning to settle more. The new lamp is on and changing colour beautifully, and all is well. We are expecting Auntie Rachael tomorrow, so we need to be organised early again. I wonder if the sewing machine will arrive once more?
We send everyone lots of love and as usual our thanks for all your support and prayers.
Night night,
Ella, Sally and Annette.xxx
PS Simon is running on Sunday, I need to find out the route etc. There maybe an opportunity for Ella to go down and watch him….who knows?

Day +96
Hi there. Just a quick update for you on today. We all had a fairly peaceful night and 8.00am saw Sally and I drinking tea and eating egg on toast. Mind you, we knew that Auntie Rachael and Little brother were on their way and we wanted to be ready.
Rachael brought her latest prize possession….her sewing machine. She has embarked on a dress making course at College, and so had brought all her ‘stuff’ for us to see, including a dress she is already making for Sophie. It wasn’t long before all the other dress makers on the unit were sharing notes, including Muriel, who is very experienced and gave a lot of good advice.
Sam brought his usual cheery self, and after a quick kiss and cuddle he was going up and down on the electric bed, with Ella at the controls of course, and then he went off to make a sequinned picture with Mummy, while Ella had her wash etc. When she was ready she sat out on the ‘throne’ (big brown chair), propped up with squishy pillows, looking very comfortable.
Ella got a special bravery award today……..a fibre optic lamp. When the Dr arrived late morning, he told us that Dr Wynn and all the other teams had met to discuss Ella and it had been decided to fit Ella with naso- gastric tube for two reasons. Firstly, so that she could be given a barium meal in order to Xray her tummy, and secondly to try her tummy out with a tiny amount of feed, 1ml an hour, to see if she can tolerate it. Sam and I went to see how the birds are getting on whilst it was fitted and when we got back it was all done. It meant quite a few processions, to be Xrayed, as you can imagine and we are going again first thing tomorrow to track the progress. As for the feed…..well her IV feed is still going of course, and this milk feed is to try her healing tummy out.
The new lamp is great, by the way, and has been glowing all night
I think I’ve told you all the news now. Unfortunately we had to miss physio because of the Xrays. Sam was looking forwards to going to the gym, but never mind , we can try again tomorrow. As for Ella’s cooking today….well she ‘constructed’ our pizzas for tea tonight. She had run out of steam by tea time and just didn’t feel like chopping or grating. But they were beautifully arranged instead!!!!
Oh! When the physio came up to see Ella she said that her new ‘chariot’ may be ready in a couple of days……so we had better get started on our designer armrests I think.
We are going to finish now and get this news posted off! As usual we send everyone our love and thanks, for all your prayers and support.
Ella, Sally and Annette.xxx
PS This shouldn’t really be a PS because it’s very important. Simon has broken through his target amount. We are delighted here, as I’m sure you are too. He still hasn’t let me know if Lizzie is coming along?

ALERT ALERT ALERT
I have given you the wrong address for Simon. It should read
www.justgiving.com/simonblackburn2
sorry about that
A.x

Day +95
Hello and welcome back to Manchester. It is lovely and sunny here….well not right now because it’s 10.00pm….but it has been, today, Monday.
I think the last three days have been what could be described as ‘turbulent’ for Ella. Highs and lows ….but I think we should talk about the highs don’t you?
We began Saturday well, with a visit from Dr Wynn who has been on duty for the weekend. Again he told us how pleased he is with Ella, and especially to Ella herself, which is great to boost her confidence.
Ella and I got her ready and dressed…pretty in pink…for Sam’s arrival. I hope you like the photo of Ella and Sam shortly after he arrived. They were full of hugs for each other. Naturally it didn’t last long. You know what little brothers can be like….they don’t like kissing too much in public. Sam brought a new remote control car, which kept us busy for a while, then he played another ‘shooting arrows’ game, with Daddy. In fact he was very busy, until it came time to leave for home with Sally and I.
As for Sunday, well I know that making biscuits with Daddy was high on the agenda because there are some left here, and very beautiful they are too. I think the day was an ‘in bed’ day after a busy night.
Today, Monday, I came along to join Sally at lunch time. The two of them had had a busy night again, so I was fully expecting Ella to be snoozing all afternoon. However, she wanted to go to physio, so Sister Andrea rang to see if there was a slot for us…and along we went. In the photo you can see Ella patiently waiting to play balloon tennis, with one vital piece of equipment missing…the balloon. None could be found, and truthfully Ella was ready for home by now, so we came back and guess what? Ella, and Mummy, did fall asleep for the rest of the afternoon!!!!!!!!!! ( peace at last to get on with my painting).
Right now both of them are asleep…I’m on early duty….and it is quite peaceful.
Machines are behaving, TV is off and all is well. We’ve got to wake Ella up later though, to take her medicines. Sometimes we feel like taking them ourselves and leaving her to sleep! ( if any Drs or nurses are reading this I’m kidding…OK?)
Well, it’s not long to go now until Simon competes in the 10k run. I spoke to him today, and I know he is training hard every minute of his spare time. ( that’s right isn’t it Si?) But seriously, we really do appreciate you doing this, with all your sponsorship going to the Bone Marrow Unit. You only need to spend half a day in this hospital to realise just how much help can be given to these children, in non clinical ‘extras’. When I checked out the website Simon only needs a few £’s more to reach his target. That’s great news, well done Simon! If you want to join in the ‘sponsorshipping’ without going on line just let me or Sally know, if not Simon’s Web address is
www.justgiving/simonblackburn2
Anyway, we are going to say night night to everyone, and as usual pass on our love and thanks for all your prayers and loving support.
Ella, Sally and Annette.xxx
PS When I got back today Ella had been busy baking with Ann. She had made carrot cakes. The photo shows just how delicious they were……

Day +92
Hello and welcome to Manchester. At the moment I think we are in the middle of a cloud burst. It is about 11.30pm and Ella’s tree is really being whipped up by terrific winds, not to mention the torrential rain battering on the windows. Good job we are all snug and protected in here.
Well, we have had a great day. Ella had a comfortable night….she is always awake many times throughout the night, but the last few have been pain free and she has gone straight back to sleep again.
We started off by planning our menus for the day, and as Martin was coming along for a visit we wanted to include him too. As you can see from the photos Ella soon roped him in as her second in command. They were making wraps….and I must say they were very delicious, with every filling inside them that could be squeezed in! I think we have converted Martin to garlic mayo!
In the middle of all this Grandma and Grandad arrived. Of course they were delighted to see Ella joining in and looking so much better. By now we had quite a roomful, but it didn’t stop there….Janet arrived next! Poor Janet valiantly read to Ella and did some Maths, with all this food and stuff and people around. I think at one point there were 7 of us in the room, not including Ella. After Martin had left for home Ella then went on to make a jigsaw with Grandma and Grandad, so she had a really full afternoon. She deserved the big sleep she had.
Whilst Ella was asleep Dr Wynn arrived and had a chat with Sally and I. He is very, very pleased with Ella’s scope results, they show a definite improvement in the gut, and the virus levels have fallen too. We are going in the right direction, slow and steady. We know that he measures his words carefully and this news is very encouraging indeed. We asked him about whether or not we would be moving into the new hospital with them and he said yes. This unit closes here in the middle of June….so at least we have got time to hire the low loader, which we will need to move us in.
Our ‘ home economics department’ was out later on, because Ella woke up remembering that she was making stuffed peppers for our tea. So all the organising began again with Ella lovingly layering courgettes, mushrooms, cous cous and cheese, and by 6.00pm they were in the oven looking gorgeous. They tasted gorgeous too…..a real treat while we were watching Corrie.
Tonight we have really just been watching TV. We tried to have a bit of a tidy round, but we have got so much in the room now, it doesn’t look much different to be honest. Still, it is an extension of our home at the moment soooooooo it is homely!
The unit is quite empty at the moment…just 4 transplant patients in, so the children have almost got a nurse each. Sometimes if they are short of beds on another ward they may send the patient here. At the moment the cubicles are empty though.
Right now it is my turn to sit up. Sally has gone down to the cave to have a proper sleep and I am going to settle down on our ‘big brown chair’. Ella has taken the last of her oral medicines and is fast asleep, so it seems really quiet and still. Just me and the fairies awake. We only have one set of fairies up at the moment. The white ones fluttered down last week and wrapped themselves around nurse Rachel’s neck as she was coming in during the night. We have been promising to fix them back up, so that will be a job for tomorrow. Maybe Damian will fix them when he comes. He is bringing Sam to see Ella and then Sally and I are taking him back home for some ‘Mummy’ time.
We will say night night now, and send you lots of love. As always our thanks for your prayers and loving support.
Ella, Sally and Annette.xxx

The concentration says it all!

Day +91
Good morning….just been for my jog and limber up….have you? The weather here is quite bright and sunny right now. It’s about 6.00am, Sally and I have just changed over and ‘Superstar’ is just about to have a ‘lolly’.
I say Superstar, because, as you can see from the photos, Ella really shone in the gym yesterday. The physios were delighted with her….she showed real determination. I know that Ella’s ‘best bit’ was playing balloon badminton. The effort to stand up, let alone swing a racquet is fab!!!! ( and yes, she did actually make it up and down those steps ) More today!!!!
Two more exciting things have happened to us! We are now the proud owners of a ‘big BROWN chair’ and Ella has got a new ELECTRIC bed….. It’s great, not only can she make it go up and down, she can also fold herself in half on it too!
Ella has had 2 settled nights, with plenty of sleep, and they have made such a difference to her days. Hopefully she will be awake when Janet comes today. Ella has missed a couple of her morning lessons, but I know that she enjoyed a story yesterday afternoon, before physio. I hope Ella hasn’t got a case of ‘sixtimestableitis’!!
Hello to everyone at St John’s today, if you log on. I went along there yesterday afternoon, to see everyone and look around the new school. It is absolutely gorgeous and you all look so happy and settled. I couldn’t believe it’s only been a few weeks since the move. Good luck with SATS Yr6 and see you again soon.
We are going to finish now and get this posted. It’s coming up to 7.00am, Ella is just having her bloods done and I’m glad to say that her white line is working…..so no IV visitors today.
Hope you all have a great day and as usual we send you our thanks, for your much needed continued support and prayers.
Lots of love from Ella, Sally and Annette.xx
PS Hope you enjoy the photos today.

PPS Jane, how lucky are you going to see Enrique? I'm definitely, positively sure that he will take your mind off your loss! Enjoy your trip to Kingswood too!!!!!!!!

Day +90
Hi and welcome to showery and very windy Manchester. We are well into the evening, in fact it is just turned midnight. Ella and Sally are both fast asleep, so I am going to use this quiet time to keep you up to date with all our news.
When Dr Wynn came this morning we had a long talk about Ella’s progress….he is pleased with her results. They do show improvement.We know there is still a very long way to go yet, but we are heading in the right direction! His main concern is still the pain control, which has to be right, in order for Ella to make progress in any daily routines….socializing, school work, physio….not to mention having fun, relaxing and being confident herself that she is getting better! Soooo, there has been a ‘rejiggle’ of how and when the morphine is given ( now in tablet form) and a rethink about how all the other drugs are given too, and Ella is now using the ‘lollies’ again when she needs them. Also the physio team have started in earnest.
One of the physio team came along to see Ella and she ‘invited’ Ella to go along to the department to have a look….this was met with a little frown, as you can imagine, after so long in bed. Anyway, we all built ourselves up to it and at 2.00pm sharp we were ready to go! Ella in her new tracky top and shorts( thanks June) and in her buggy. The department is very nice, with all the facilities, and the staff are lovely.We went into the gym to ‘have a look’ where Ella glumly, and I mean glumly, had a go at throwing and catching, and then knocking skittles over. She very reluctantly got out of her buggy for a short stand, but did show some interest when she saw a three wheeler…which she can have a go on when it has been adjusted for her. A glimmer of a smile even! Poor little Ella, it must seem like torture at the moment, but with lots of encouragement and support we know she will get there. She needs her trainers for tomorrows session, so she knows that ‘they’
mean business…which is good motivation in itself. Oh, more news. She has been measured up for a wheel chair….her buggy is not only getting too small for her, but she can’t manage to get in and out of it herself at the moment. Those bambi legs! I don’t think that they do a pink model….but we will soon customize it in the ‘making department’. Pink fluffy arm rests, maybe, with a built on tray at the back for handbag and Lizzie? After such an exciting afternoon what else could we do but watch a DVD, ‘Bedtime Stories’ and have a snooze!
Sally and I have filled our day in a very calorific way, having munched our way through sweet ‘n sour, rice, beef stew ‘n dumplings and baked potato with beans and cheese. The most exercise we have done is to walk backwards and forwards to the restaurant, and to take the washing to the other ward! I think it will be a race to the gym tomorrow!
Ella looks so comfortable at the moment. She is completely relaxed….lying on her side, with Geoffrery to keep her tummy warm. It seems as if the new routine is working very well!
We’ll say night night to everyone now, and send you lots of love and thanks for all your prayers and good wishes.
Ella, Sally and Annette.xxx
PS The biscuit making is definitely on the agenda for tomorrow and we are looking forward to Janet coming as well. We missed our session today…too many zzzzzzzz’s!
PPS I’m just about to look on ‘justgiving’ to see how Simon is going on! Have we got to limber up Lizzie or not?
PPPS Hi to the Sotherns...lots of lovexx

Day +89
Good morning everyone. It’s around 6.00am here and the weather looks ‘wettish’ out there, although it feels a little warmer….in here anyway.
Yesterday was a mixture of highs and lows, as usual. Ella and I began the day tired, after a ‘busy’ night. The bleepers had a mind of their own all night and I seemed to wear a pathway between the bed/settee and Ella. ( When we sit by the bed now we have to use the hard chair again, since the demise of the ‘big blue chair’). However, we began with an early wash for both of us and we even gave Lizzie a shampoo and set. Dr Wynn came along and is going to change things around again…..the pain control still needs sorting, so I think that is a priority once more. Results wise, he is waiting for the full histrology from last week.
We were expecting Mummy back later in the day and Ella was really looking forward to it. She has missed Sally…there’s nobody quite like Mummy is there?
We had a lovely visit from Auntie Dianne, who came along with a fab new teddy, complete with birth certificate etc, then low and behold Auntie Rachael appeared too. A real girlie morning! Ella was not really up to joining in though. She was very sleepy…but couldn’t quite get there…..too many interruptions. We did get ready to make biscuits (thanks Reg for the kit) but were missing some vital things…..2 eggs, butter and flour!!! That idea fell flat so we compromised with chatting instead.
Looking around our room I can definitely see signs of ‘market stall’ cropping into mind. It’s tidy , if not homely. The added little ‘extra’ doesn’t help. What is it, you may ask? A second huge TV, on a stand! Why is it in here, along with the first huge TV on a stand, you may ask? Simple….it has an integral video player. When Peter and I celebrated our 25th anniversary we went on a Nile cruise, as you do. We videoed for 2 whole weeks, as you do, and Sally asked me if I would root it out to show Ella, ( Egyptian topic in mind) along with any others tapes I could find. I came back armed with birthdays, nativities, holidays….it’s surprising what you find in the loft isn’t it? So, after battling to get the huge TV in, we sat and watched Sally’s 18th. Quite a trip down memory lane for us, in lots of ways, as you can imagine. Not the least of which were how we all looked in those days. Lots of oohs, ohs and plenty of ahhs! (We didn’t get round to the Egyptian extravaganza….saving that one for today)
We asked Sally to bring back the much needed ingredients with her, stressing a small bag of flour would be tons, as it was only for dusting the surface. The smallest bag was a kilo…….umm! So we may be making more biscuits than we thought today.
Ella is sleeping soundly at the moment, so that may be a good sign that she will have lots of energy to join in today. She really, really deserves to have some days of fun and true relaxation.
I’m going to finish now and get this posted. I could ramble on for longer but I need to get started in here, if we are going to be organised for Dr Wynn’s visit. Sally is catching up on zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz’s too, so I think I’ll make her a cuppa, and me too, to get us going.
As usual we send you lots of love and thanks for all your prayers and well wishes. We love reading your comments too. Love to everyone at OLOL and at St John’s, who are following us, I know. Hope we can link up soon and special love to Simon, who I know is limbering up as we speak……stretching, bending, jogging to work….in readiness for the 10k. Your pledges are flooding in, we are really grateful. Simon has officially refused to wear Sally’s tights….so maybe he could wear Lizzie instead?xx
Bye for now,
Ella, Sally and Annette.xxx
PS I promise some photos tommorow
PPS Simon's web site is
www.justgiving.com/simonblackburn2

Day +88
Hello and welcome back. Hope you all had a great weekend break and that you managed to get out somewhere in spite of the rotten weather today, Monday.
I need to pick up on a couple of missing days, don’t I? So briefly. Ella has spent a comfortable weekend with Daddy, who came on Saturday afternoon. Nothing to report about Saturday….Ella was well and up and dressed in her new frock, looking as pretty as a picture, when Daddy got here. Soooooooo, Sally and I were all set to leave and I put the laundry etc in the boot and came back in to say bye to Ella. Then the thunderbolt hit…..where were my car keys? In the boot , of course. To cut a long story short, after Amy’s dad had tried to get into it using a coat hanger, I phoned the RAC. When the chap turned up about 75mins later he had to jack it up, to get the ignition, then climbed through the window to get to the boot! ( by now I was praying that the keys really were in the boot!). They were….and we set off home. We got back home about 7.00pm!
Never mind though….we all had a nice evening, and I know that when we spoke to Ella and Damian their night had gone quite smoothly too, and that the Dr was happy with Ella yesterday.
I think Sunday was a quiet day for everyone, with Mummy and Sam spending a lovely day together, ( I know they met up with Auntie Rachael, Uncle John and the boys). Reg and I went for a drive, as us ‘oldies’ do, but we did have a very nice lunch out too, followed by cheese and wine for supper. Great! It was lovely to catch up with friends at church in the morning, so hi to everyone at AMC. Sorry to miss you Martin.
That just about brings us to now. It is 7.25pm on Monday, and Corrie is just about to start. I’m debating whether or not to wake Ella…she hasn’t been asleep for long, but I did promise to wake her up in time.
We have had a good day together. I came along to relieve Damian about midday, which has left Ella and I an afternoon of chatting, popping out to the canteen ( twice), finishing off some ‘crafty’ things we started last week and me managing to demolish almost 1000 calories worth of cheese salad!!!! I know from Damian that Ella had an unsettled night last night, and so did Damian……the front of the ‘big blue chair’ has collapsed….so we are back to the hard one again!!!!!!! The Dr today was quite happy with Ella, so we are just carrying on and trusting that she will have a more settled night tonight.
Well, Ella’s lines are back up for the night, Corrie has just started and two little eyes have opened at the sound of the theme tune….
Night night to everyone, lots of love and thanks for all your prayers and well wishes,as usual.
Ella and Annette.xx

Day +85
Well,it’s not first thing tomorrow…..it’s last thing today….just to confuse you, or keep you on your toes.
We have had a successful day, so most of the day has been built around that, as you can imagine. here again. As you know Ella has been down to have another ‘scope to see how things are progressing
We began really early with a visit from Janet, before 9.30am actually. We decided on a ‘chat’ today, rather than a lesson. I think we had other things on our mind. Anyway, the session ended with Janet taking our hospital school computer to the ICT technician, who couldn’t get it working either. Later she came landing back with a newer one, so now we are back in business again! No sooner had Janet left than Uncle Gav and Auntie Dianne arrived. It was very nice to see them and we all had a good chat.
Ella has been really tired all day, but as soon as she had a chance to close her eyes either the bleepers would ‘go’ or someone would walk in. This carried on until, finally, the trolly arrived to take her to theatre, about 2.15pm.
She was gone for about an hour in total…just enough time to change the bed and have a quick drink, before going down to meet her out. One of Ella’s main anxieties is that Mummy has to be there when she wakes up, so Sally always makes sure that she is there….spot on time….or should I say half an hour early. Ella isn’t the only anxious one!
As we waited in the corridor Sven went in , and when he came out later he gave us a hint that the surgeons were pleased with what they found. Later on, when the Dr came to see how Ella was, he told us that the condition in the gut had improved. Wonderful news for us all!!!!!!!!
We have been settling Ella down all evening. She can’t get to sleep yet, but we keep trying…..lots of cuddles and tummy rubs seem to do the job.
Hope you like our new room mate?
Lots of love to everyone, and our thanks for all your prayers and support.
Night night Ella, Sally and Annette.xxx
PS Simon is nearly half way to his target already…..thankyou….

www.justgiving.com/simonblackburn2