Trip to Drumheller. Atlas Mine

The first week that Helen was here she was able to accompany me on my drive into Calgary for my Vitamin C treatment. It was good to have a companion for the journey and we were able to go grocery shopping for lots of greens, and ingredients for the raw diet that I am trying. I'm sure Helen was a bit overwhelmed at what was going into the trolley. She got used to our busy breakfast times, which involves, kids breakfasts, adult breakfasts, juicing and smoothy making and it is one noisy process ! We also have a lovely boost in the morning with a ginger shot, this is a shot of juiced ginger, lemon and apple and it knocks your socks off. Ginger is a great anti- inflammatory and Helen found that her joint pain disappeared during her stay with us.
Helen also got used to taking the kids to school. The first morning she wanted to drive them to school and off they went, bundled into the truck and then we waited to wave from the window...but the truck didn't move....."does your sister know how to drive an automatic?" I said to James!!! I think the kids were also giving her instructions to stay on the right side of the road. She quickly got the hang of things and enjoyed meeting Heather and Finlay's teachers and friends.
Helen was a great help around the house, just getting on with little chores and helping around the house.
The first week was quite intense for me as I was still doing lots of research into alternatives and looking at treatments and clinics in Us. It became very apparent that there are lots of clinics out there that will offer you the world and when you are in a desperate situation like me then it can be very easy to drop $10,000 because someone can offer you some treatment. So I had been wading through the info and discarding the crap.
One of my colleagues at work put me in touch with an Oncologist in Salt Lake City who told her of a clinical trial which was starting in the National cancer institute, Maryland. Another friend had contacted a retired Oncologist who had some information and I was amazed at there help, a stark contrast to my own Oncologist who had virtually written me off saying that there were no trials suitable for me. These Oncologists have been so helpful with giving me information, offering help and allowing me to call them at home.I felt somewhat priviledged, but also abandoned by my own team.

After a week of intense research and a couple of trips to Calgary. Oh and also a change in paint colour in the living room( Fantastic friends had come to paint my living room one day while Helen and I were in Calgary). I had chosen the colour, paler, neutral and also different that my lovely warm mustard yellow that I had had for the last 6 years. When i walked in I was a bit shocked at the neutralness off it!!! Everybody looked so pale .It didn't help that the old green sofa was reflecting a green hugh on the walls. I lived with it in the hopes that the curtains and new sofa would tie the things together. .......It took about 3 weeks to settle into my new walls!!!
On the Friday, we went out for Mexican food with Erika, Leslie, Cathy and Andrea, the "book club" girls. I had my first glass of red wine in 3 months and we had a good laugh as usual. It was lovely, usual topics for discussion, kids, husbands and teenagers, a great release for most of us.

Anyway, we also went for a nights trip to Drumheller which is 2.5 hrs from Canmore, a landscape of hoodoos, canyons, fossils and Badlands. The main purpose was to visit the dinosaur museum. It was a popular long weekend so all the hotels were booked, so I found a lovely guest house in which we all shared a room. Our first visit on arrival was to the Atlas |mine, where we took a tour of the mine tunnel. Hard hats and head torches adorned, we toured the tunnels. Heather was right up at the front asking all the questions.

At the end of the tour we were able to visit the old cottages, machinery and workings of the mine. that was when we had fun standing in the statues of the miners. the kids thought it was funny when auntie Helen was shouting Yoo, hoo do you think I'm sexy in earshot of two men standing by. Finlay thought this was hilarious later when we had our usual discussion at the end of the day about our favorite part of the day. Since then he has thought it funny to keep shouting out!!