Thank you Robbie!

Yesterday, the big day arrived! The Robbie Williams (and Take That) concert in the Amsterdam Arena! I checked the website all day. The 2nd concert in Denmark had to be cancelled last Saturday because Robbie had food poisoning. Thank goodness our concert wasn't cancelled!

Because we had seated tickets we didn't have to go early. We entered the stadium when The Pet Shop Boys had just started. I love those old songs, brings back memories. The sound wasn't very good though, but fortunately that was solved before the main act arrived.

Take That as a foursome opened the concert with some lame songs. Didn't really catch me until 'Patience' and then 'Shine'. I've never been much of a TT-fan, especially not the quartet. I like it, enjoy some of the songs, but that was not what I went for. Sorry, boys...

Then suddenly there was a familiar face and a familiar sound.... Robbie!!! The whole stadium came alive and the sound-level multiplied big time. He knows how to make an entrance and started with 'Let Me Entertain You'. Now that's how you open a concert! Followed by 'Rock DJ' and 'Come Undone'. In between Rob chatted. He looked very good, although sometimes there were little signs that he wasn't back to complete strength yet. That didn't stop him from giving it all. My all-time favourite 'Feel' was great:

Of course 'Angels' couldn't miss on the set-list:

After a break with dancers Take That returned in original setting with Rob leading them in 'The Flood'. The podium looked magnificent. It did so all evening, the set was really awesome! They started high up in the air. Rob was lowered upside-down like he started the 2003 concerts, spectacular! After some of the new hits they gathered around the piano for the old stuff. Unfortunately not 'Could It Be Magic', but still some great ones like 'Everything Changes'. Mark is my favourite person of the other TT-ers but his voice has changed and I really don't like the sound of it anymore. Gary has a wonderful voice of course. Pity he didn't sing 'Shame' with Rob. In the encore they sang 'No Regrets' (rather hear the original) and 'Relight My Fire' (sounded like a new remix, not bad).

Afterwards I was dog-tired, very thirsty and had a sore throat but man oh man was it worth it! WOOHOO!!!! Rob must have been exhausted, but I'm sure behind the scenes Ayda has received him with a lot of TLC and that's the best medicine for him. :-)

Here are my pics:

Concert Robbie Williams (& Take That)

What a vacation...

Thursday the 7th Ron and I were finally on our way, ready for a great two-weeks vacation in Lier, Belgium. We arrived late in the afternoon. I didn't feel completely fit, but it was just like having my period. Just what the doctor had said after the Adiana. In the evening we went for a walk along the river Nete. The weather was nice and the dogs were happy too. We noticed a lot of herbs, so we planned to pick them later in the week.

The next morning my back ached. Perhaps I had slept in a wrong position or something, I don't know. Every move hurt. Still we decided to go into town to do some shopping and groceries. It went okay, but I was exhausted when we got back. Little by little I was feeling worse: my back, nauseous, dizzy... I tried to eat something, but it didn't taste at all. In the end I went to bed early. Unfortunately I didn't feel better when I woke up, on the contrary. A few days I was feeling so ill... After that I felt slightly better, but that was about it. I didn't get better. In the end we decided last week to go home, in hopes of getting better there. I felt so sad to have to abort the vacation, but we really had no other choice. I couldn't stop crying though.

So, last Tuesday we got home. Ron called the gynaecologist, but he said it had nothing to do with the Adiana procedure. Perhaps only my strength was a bit low which caused me to get ill. He advised me to take paracetamol a few times a day and let the illness run its course. Gradually that made me feel a bit better, but it took quite some time. Right now I'm still not completely back to normal, but I feel okay. If the weather cooperates a bit, perhaps we'll go back for a few days. We'll see...

Done!

This afternoon the Adiana procedure was done. I wasn't really nervous. The gynaecologist was very nice and his assistants too. We chatted about our upcoming vacation and in the meantime we could watch everything on a tv screen next to me. The doctor explained what he was doing. It didn't hurt, but sometimes it felt awkward and strange. He informed me when the feeling could be worse. The moment of releasing the insert was uncomfortable. It made me feel dizzy and nauseous. Luckily this doctor gives a shot of atropine before the procedure, otherwise I would have fainted. The feeling disappeared when the delivery catheter was taken out. The whole thing lasted 15 minutes maximum! Right now it feel okay, quite normal actually. It can hurt like a normal period at best. In 5 weeks I'll get a consult and an ultrasound scan for control. After 3 months a test will be done to confirm that my tubes are completely blocked.

At first Ron and I planned to have kids some day, but then my depressions and eating disorders got in the way. I couldn't take care of myself, let alone take care of a baby. When those problems were more or less behind me, the chronic fatigue became the next spoil-sport. Now, 10 years later, the fatigue is still there. We don't want to put a child in this situation, doesn't feel fair to the little one. Plus meanwhile I'm almost 43. It's for the best, it wasn't meant to be. Regrets? Not really... I guess over the years we got used to the idea of having no kids. We enjoy the freedom and are at peace with it.

Adiana procedure

I'm still trying to get off as much medication as possible. Last year we talked about birth control. I'm still using a contraceptive pill. The hormones in it have influence on my body and the other medication, so I'd like to stop taking them.
The best option is sterilization and the easiest way would be for Ron to do it. But that never felt good for me. If anything happens to me, he can still have kids for the rest of his life while my biological clock has almost run out. Of course we don't presume anything happening, but the consideration stands nevertheless. On the other hand sterilisation for me meant surgery, not very appealing either.

In a women's magazine I read something about the Adiana procedure, a safe and minimally invasive procedure for permanent contraception. I made an appointment with a gynaecologist that specializes in Adiana and Essure (another, similar method). He advised me to stop with the pill for some months to see whether my menstrual bleeding pattern would return and be regular. That turned out to be the case, so the appointment could be made for the procedure. Unfortunately that had to be rescheduled several times, but tomorrow afternoon it will be done.

There are four simple steps to the Adiana procedure:

Step 1: A slender, flexible instrument (delivery catheter) is passed through the body's natural openings (i.e., through the vagina and cervix and into the uterus) to deliver a low level of radiofrequency energy (i.e., energy that generates heat to create a superficial lesion) to a small section of each fallopian tube.

Step 2: A tiny, soft insert - about the size of a grain of rice - is placed in each of your fallopian tubes, right where the energy was applied.

Step 3: You must use another form of birth control over the next 3 months, while new tissue grows in and around the Adiana inserts, eventually blocking your fallopian tubes.

Step 4: At 3 months, a special test is performed (hysterosalpingogram or HSG) to confirm that your tubes are fully blocked. This test will ensure that the procedure has been successful.

Or you can watch an animation of the procedure here.

All text, images and the animation are property of Adiana / Hologic Inc.

House blessing

Our friend Maralynn got a new home some weeks ago. She planned a house blessing and asked me to help her with the ritual. Some people asked me what we did and with her permission I'll give you an idea.

Yesterday friends gathered in her home, varying from experienced witch to newcomer. First I explained what we were going to do. Then we cast the circle from hand to hand. I love that way of casting a circle, because everyone has an active part and it literally binds people together for the ritual. I called the quarters and Maralynn invited the goddess and the god.

The heart or the working part of the ritual consisted of three parts:

1. cleansing the house with a smudge stick (white sage, lemon grass and cedar) by Maralynn and me
2. blessing the house with the elements by Maralynn and three others, each with an element (incense, candle, water and salt)
3. making a witches' bottle together for home protection - Maralynn decided not to bury the bottle but place it on a shelf above her front door

For the cake and wine Maralynn had biological apple juice (she doesn't like alcohol, yay for me!) and self-baked pentagram cookies. Of course we saved some for the libation (offering to the gods and local spirits).

After thanks and closing the circle we had a delicious barbecue to celebrate!