Farewell, older sister!

Wow, how quickly has this week flown? My sister has been, attended her clinical training week, and gone. All that is left behind now is the memory of too much shopping and the foul taste of smoke and cigarettes in my mouth.

I will miss her dreadfully, it was fantastic having her around, to show her London, listening to her stories of her grand kids...yes, how shocking is that, I am a great aunt. What I won't miss is the fact that being around her for mmmh, maybe three days, has so completely messed up my chest it feels like I cannot breathe properly. I am gasping like a fish. It is godawful. I think I went through two inhalers last week - I forget completely how invase cigarette smoke is.

For that reason, I am glad to see her go. And I am dreading the reprise - around January or February. She is due to be back for her company's annual global meeting. She is planning a week with the company and a week with us - and she might bring her hubby, also a smoker with. Mark and I are petrified. We are wondering how to escape this. Maybe we fly back to SA when they are here?

I know, horrible. I am a terrible sister, but I cannot see past the filthy habit. It is what put both my parents in the grave, surely someone who has seen the effects of smoking will wake up and realise that it is killing them. I know it has already done irreparaible damage to me - my lungs are scarred, hence the sucking (unsexy) on an inhaler. I would love to be able to jog or run - I can't. I go down in a messy heap. Serious exercise flattens me. I do long walks, armed with an inhaler.

Oh well, I suppose that it is sort of spitting in the eye of death, isn't it? Anyway - the sister trial is over - we now don't have to get up at 4am in the morning for at least another erm...four months, at least.

Whoo hoo, a week of healthy food, smoke free air and loads of "runs" in the park with the LWD. Who even started sneezing when my sister lit up. How hilarious. I could hug him for it. She looked a bit peeved when he sat looking at her and just kept on sneezing. Grin.

Time for bed.