Topic: Corner cafe for the UK girls...let's have a nice cup of tea...

May 31, 2012 08:25 PM, edited May 31, 2012 08:52 PM by Heyho

So I will start...with a classic one...cream teas are on offer at the Corner Cafe...so when it comes to stacking your scone, do you put the jam on first or the cream? I live in the West Country, home of the cream tea, and I'm a jam first girl myself but I know this is an area of hot debate. Your views welcome!

Also jam type? I prefer blackcurrant but am happy to go with Strawberry.

Not that I should be eating ay of this, you understand - I am grade 2, stage 2 but a whole armpit stuffed full of every single node full and busted open on one side, and fecking c on both sides so a BMX and the full treatment works to get me to where I am now...one year out, on hormonal therapy and working on my weight!  Trying to adjust to the WTF year I have just come through, and to deal with the fears of it coming back...I'm told that my prognosis is "guarded"...eek...pass the jam...

Hey Ho

Jun 2, 2012 01:02 AM, edited Jun 2, 2012 01:07 AM by Heyho

Hi Jayne, so glad that you could drop by for a nice cup of tea and a sit down. This cafe is a great place to recover from tough chemo like Taxotere, that is a big gun and I really hope that it has kicked the stupid reccurance to the curb. Please be sure to let me know! I am waiting on the results of a blood test and brain scan myself, and am looking for ways to distract myself until next Wednesday...which is why I opened this little cafe for business...

I am thinking of bringing in a shiny big Gaggia cappuccino machine as well so that we can offer proper frothy coffee here at the cafe, what do you think? May encourage a few more UK girls to drop by on their way out shopping or to or from treatment. 

I am sure I remember seeing it written somewhere that cream teas are really good for chemo side effects...and your damson jam sounds lovely!

Hey Ho 

Jun 3, 2012 06:39 AM Heyho wrote:

Hi Sam, nice to meet you too! I had FecT as well, but just three armfulls of each...I wonder why I only had six chemo doses when you had eight, and 20 rads when you got 25...I had ILC and loads of nodes. I guess the Honks know what they are doing and design our treatment to suit us all individually...

 Hormonals are a challenge in themselves. I took Arimidex for 6 months and it made my joints ache like anything and the fatique was something else. I was then swapped to Aromasin, started taking it a month ago and the joint pain has really dropped away and I have so much more energy...so glad that my Honk switched me over, 5 years of Arimidex would have been tough. However there is no way I am going to stop taking that little white pill...

Obviously it goes without saying that all cream teas served up in our cosy corner cafe are fat free...so come here often and eat as many cream teas as you like!

Hey Ho 

Jun 3, 2012 05:29 PM Heyho wrote:

Hi Jayne, thanks for explaining the rt and chemo dose thing, that makes sense. I am so sorry to hear about the reccurrance - and another trip through chemo. Hope you were able to tolerate it OK. Has the chemo kicked the recurrance to the curb? I do hope so. It is amazing stuff - my second tumor was found after mx no 1, during chemo, so it was measured for response and it was nice to see it getting smaller on US after each armful. So I am hoping that the chemo has had the same effect on your reccurance. Hope the Aromasin works too. I am sure you will be closely monitored to make sure all is as it should be? How did you find the reccurance? I did not realise that a hormonal may not work, that is scary but useful to know. Am so glad you have got on top of it and dealt with it.

Did either of you ladies take HRT? I took it for about 2 years and I am convinced that it was what kicked my sneaky ILC off. The Drs say there is no way of knowing, but the tumor size and grade woud indicate that it had been slowly growing for about 6 years...which would fit with when I was on the HRT. Ugh. To think I may have inadvertantly bought this on myself does not bear thinking about. 

 Well it is Jubilee Sunday and I am off to see Elton John in a live open air concert this evening..looks like it is going to tip it down...oh well, no surprise really, this Is England, and it IS a bank holiday. Of course it is going to rain, its traditional.

Despite the Bank Holiday, the corner cafe will remain open all the time, welcoming alll UK folk, any stage and any grade. The tea, coffee and cakes are all organic, fair trade and fat free. But quite delicious. Try my favourite - coffee and walnut cake. Yum! What is your preferred cake of choice?

HeyHo

Jun 6, 2012 09:08 AM sam52 wrote:

Hi Jayne and Heyho -

Hope you both had a restful Bank Holiday weekend - I just about managed to cut my lawn and do a bit of pruning and a little bit of work on my allotment in between showers; on Sunday - absolutely nothing , and today was pretty much a wash-out too. Flaming June, eh! Hpoe you enjoyed Elton John, Heyho; did you go to the concert outside Buck House? I saw bits of it on tv yesterday.

Hope you get 'negative' test results tomorrow, Heyho......and all the best to you, too, Jayne.

Nothing is certain with this b........ disease - and we cannot start thinking we did something to cause it; as the Americans say 'it is all a crap shoot'.

Jun 8, 2012 12:29 AM Heyho wrote:

Hi Sam and Jayne...sorry to have been absent for a few days, I have been out in the real world ...however i really do fancy a nice slice of fruit cake and an Americano right now...I would like to be out on my small allotment like Sam, but it is absolutely tipping it down so I am sitting in the kitchen instead. I dread to think what havoc the slugs are wreaking on my seedlings.

 Jayne, thank you for sharing how your reccurance emerged and the treatment, that is good of you and very useful to know about, we all keep our radar up for anything out of the ordinary ...sounds like you are really vigilant and also that the drs have jumped on it straight away. Taxotere is amazing stuff, hopefully it will have melted all the internal feckers as well...it certainly did a number on my second primary and pretty much blew it out of the water. I hope you get a positive outcome too, I am sure that you will. Will you be able to have RT to the area after the chemo wraps up? Please do share with us how your meeting goes on 13th, I will be thinking of you and sending you positive support thoughtwaves.

Went to see the neurology consultant yesterday...all a bit complicated as I had peripheral neuropathy in my  feet that started six years ago, and could / could not be a side effect of neurological response to anti gens produced by the body to fight cancer invasion...the timing fits in terms of how long the medics think the ILC was lurking. However nothing definitive can be proved. Not sure that proving a hindsight link really matters anyway, as that ship has sailed...Blood tests showed one marker slightly elevated, but apparently that can be caused by ongoing effects of radio therapy, apparently that carries on having an effect on the body for years after treatment stops..who knew? I thought that by the time the sunburn had faded that the rt had done its job but clearly not. 

Anyway, I was not expecting to be told that the brain scan showed something up at the back of the cerebellum...but not a met according to the Dr. He did not know what it is (!!), but there is a small unidentifiable something lurking there. He is sending me for another MRI brain scan at the end of June to have a comparison scan to look at. Apparently it could just be an "artifact" which he explained as kind of the MRI version of dust on the lens...hopefully this is the case but means another month of not knowing and then waiting for scan results :-( I keep telling myself that there is nothing to worry about, but I kind of distrust the medics when they tell me that now, after I was told six uears ago that the neuropathy was idiopathic so not to worry, then three years ago when I was first sent to breast clinic that all I had was breast pain and not to worry, ha!  and then after the left boob tumour was found last year, not to worry about my right boob, nothing there at all, then ok lets take a biopsy but nothing suspicious on ultrasound, and then oops, there seems to be another primary on that side...so will have my fingers permanently crossed until this next diagnostic is over...

All I can say is thank heavens for this little cafe...so much nicer to be inside with a coffee and cake on a cold wet day... whatever has happened to our summer?

Sam, I went to see Elton John at an open air gig at Taunton Cricket Ground, the day before the Jubilee Concert. It was great fun despite the rain, he really knows how to work a crowd. Was so tired the next day though! Duvet day! :-) 

Cheerio, Hey Ho 

Jun 8, 2012 01:04 AM kayb wrote:

Ladies - I don't mean to invade your privacy here - I just have to say that if ever I go on holiday to the UK, I want to stop in your lovely little cafe for a chat. And to find out what a cream tea is!

Very nice for you all to have your own corner at BCO.

PS - please feel free to send all unwanted rain to me. I live in the desert and we could use whatever you don't need :-)

Jun 11, 2012 08:53 AM Jayne_in_UK wrote:

This cafe is looking very welcoming today, and the smell from those fresh herbs is wonderful. In fact it's making me want a cup of herbal tea to go with my carrot cake. That sounds quite a healthy choice, doesn't it?

Hi Gill, fancy meeting you here, it's lovely to see you.

Welcome Kay, I'm trying to think of a way to give you some of our unwanted rain to take home with you as a memento. It has rained virtually non stop for most of the past week where I live.

Hey Ho I'll keep everything crossed that your 'artifact' from the scan does turn out to be dust on the lens. I can see why you don't trust the medics when they say it's nothing to worry about, although I hope that turns out to be the case. It's a shame you have to wait to find out. I often think all the waiting is the worst part of this business. No matter how much waiting I do it doesn't make me any more patient.

I have been told that I won't be able to have any more RT as it is the same area that was radiated before. Mind you, I thought radiation was supposed to help prevent a recurrence, well it didn't work on me so I'm probably OK with not having any more. On my CT scans now something shows up on my lungs that is described as being  'consistent with previous radiotherapy'. I assume it is damage of some sort. My onc said she would be concerned about it if I hadn't had the RT, but I don't have any symptoms from it and if I hadn't had a recurrence and needed a scan I wouldn't even know about it.

For the first time in ages we have had a day without rain. I took the opportunity to get a few things done in the garden, got some washing done and out on the line and also went for a walk. I'm tired now but I had a good day. I hope all you ladies had a good weekend.

Jun 11, 2012 01:34 PM gillyone wrote:

Hi every one. Jayne, we have been having horrible weather here. (Idaho) We still have the heating on and have had lots of rain. Tomorrow, the weather is supposed to improve. We are ready for some warmth and sunshine. My poor tomato plants etc are just sitting there doing nothing - waiting to grow.

A good friend of mine returns from a trip to England tomorrow. Her Dad's cousin lives in Halifax and she and DH were visiting and walking the Dales Way from Bowness on Windermere to Ilkey in Yorkshire. I am so hoping they had decent weather doing the walk - I think over seven days, and look forward to hearing all about it.

I will invite her over for tea, and might even make scones!!!

Jun 11, 2012 11:18 PM, edited Jun 11, 2012 11:21 PM by Heyho

Hi Jayne, I have some lung scarring from rt too, so hopefully that is a normal position and nothing for you to worry about. Fingers crossed, stupid cancer. I also have rubbish tomato plants, in fact my whle allotment is just sitting there in the rain looking miserable. So frustrating! 

KB, will be seding you lots of positive vibes on tuesday - I need to work out the time difference as when you have morning I think we are a few hours ahead of you? Anyway good luck and be sure to come back to the cafe and tell us when you got the results on wednesday. We will put a scone by for you.

 Gill, I will go right now and dig out my favourite scone recipe and stick it at the bottom of this post. If you cannot find clotted cream in the shops, serve them with a nice thick double cream, that will do just as well.   And some lovely jam. Yum! 

This is a recipe that one of my best friends shared with me, it is very easy and works every time. Makes about 10 - 12 small scones, depending on how thick you roll out the dough and the size of the cutter.

4 fluid ounces of buttermilk, or 50/50 milk and natural yoghurt if you cannot get buttermilk. (I always use milk and yoghurt as always have some in the fridge!)

9 ounces self raising flour

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 tablespoons castor sugar (or less if you do not want the scone too sweet)

2 ounces butter

pinch of salt

Rub the butter into the flour till fine breadcrumb consistency, add the salt, cream of tartar and sugar. Mix in the liquid.

Turn onto a floured board and shape / roll out to about 3/4 an inch thick. Cut into scone shapes to the size of your choice. Small and dinky scones are very elegant but you can get more jam and cream onto bigger ones!. Place on a baking sheet and brush on some milk or a beaten egg. If you like a crusty top, sprinke with a little sugar.

Bake at oven pre heated to 220 for about 15 minutes until risen and brown on top. Take out of oven, ut on a baking rack to cool and see how long you can go without eating one...usually about 20 seconds... 

To serve...place on a pretty plate and say Tah Da! as you present them to guests. Spit the scone accross the middle then stack jam and cream onto each half and tuck in... 

 Options: add sultanas, glace cherries, mixed spice or apricots to make variations. For cheese scones, leave out the sugar, add some grated cheese into the mixture and pile more on top before baking. Or add a few chopped herbs. Nice.

Jul 11, 2012 02:54 PM gillyone wrote:

hey Sam - thanks for posting.

Heyho, and thanks to you for your scone recipe - different from mine.

It's night time  here and I'm having a cup of tea with a couple of digestive biscuits!!!! Not something I can easily buy, but we have this place called the Grocery Outlet and I think it's a place for products to go to before they expire. Anyhow, things are incredibly cheap and we found thise small packets with just 12 biscuits in for only 99cents. So I bought a ton of them.

It is very hot here. Bu we have been waiting a while for some heat so I won't complain, though I'm not really a "hot" person. It means the veggies are finally growing and flowers are looking well. DH and I and oldest son are off to California at the weekend with 2 cars in a mini convoy. Son is moving there in search of a job. He has just graduated with a degree in art. We have family in California to help him out. He has a lot of stuff to take!!!! I didn't have much when I finished college and starting m first teaching job. Took the train with a couple of bags to Carlisle and that was it.

Hopw you all wake up (shortly) to sunshine. I've heard there's been lots of rain.

Jul 11, 2012 07:24 PM Jayne_in_UK wrote:

Hello ladies. Thanks Sam for getting this thread going again. It's lovely to hear from you Gill and Hey Ho. I suppose I have been hibernating in a way, just not had much energy to spare.

Last week I had an appointment with my oncologist. I still needed proper feedback on my latest scan and to see what is next treatment-wise. As far as the scan goes, the good news is that the blood clot I had on my lung has been dissolved and vanished. The chemo generally worked well but since my last round of Taxotere some of the remaining skin mets may have got slightly larger. There is still no sign of cancer in any internal organs. So, what to do about the pesky skin mets that won't go? My oncologist phoned my surgeon to see if she was free to come and join us. She was, and soon the tiny room was full with my onc and her registrar, my surgeon, two medical students, Nick and I! I was taking my kit off and covering up again every couple of minutes. It was a really good, useful appointment though.

We are all agreed that it is best to shrink the skin mets as much as possible before doing any surgery, so I will keep taking the Exemestane for now and give it a chance to work. We are aiming for remission, just not quite there yet. Meanwhile my surgeon will consult one of her colleagues and seek a second opinion and possibly a third opinion from someone who has worked on similar cases. She is keen to keep the surgery to a minimum, so as not to impact too much on my quality of life. We also want to avoid another recurrence in the future if possible.

Lots has been going on at work; basically the college had a massive cut in funding and has to make some savings. To achieve this they are making lots of people redundant, including me. I have had to attend several consultation meetings about this and I finally got my letter last week saying that I will finish on 12th September. I loved my job and will miss my colleagues, but I can't worry about it too much just now.

Take care ladies. I'll pop back again soon to catch up with you all.

Jul 17, 2012 02:35 AM Jayne_in_UK wrote:

Hey Ho that pancake sounds delicious! I really should make pancakes more often. I hope all goes well with your appointment this week, do let us know.

I had my appointment with my second opinion surgeon this morning. It was an interesting morning. We took the opportunity to get my mammo done, since it is due about now. They fitted me in straight away. He examined me and could feel an enlarged lymph node on the opposite side. This could be cancer, but he said if it is, then where has it come from? He couldn't feel any lumps in that breast, but as I was having the mammo anyway he had an ultrasound and biopsy done as well. He suggested that I may be a good candidate for electrochemotherapy and that it would remove all the remaining skin mets in one session. He seemed positive that they can all be removed. I would have to travel to Manchester for this treatment, but it could be worth doing. I don't know much about electrochemotherapy yet, I'll have to investigate further. 

It has been another day of rain here, just for a change. I have done my daily Clexane injection and now I am taking a break to enjoy a cup of tea. Hope you are all well and enjoying the summer, whatever the weather.

Jan 4, 2013 05:57 AM gillyone wrote:

I thought I'd try revive this thread!  Happy New Year everyone. I have to brag I made real mince pies for Christmas. No Mr Kipling for us! Of course I bought the mincemeat (Crosse and Blackwell) but made my own pastry - a rich sweet version where you use eggs to bind the dough instead of water. I also made "sad cake" and flat jam cake if anyone knows what they are. They might be a northern thing, or even just a family thing.

Who did baking for Christmas?