Cheeky girl Wills was straight up on the picnic bench today - according to her mum this is what she does at the pub! Did two group walks on my own today with the general mix of dogs and coped ok. I have a couple of big dogs who pull when excited at the start of the walk so I was a little worried how I'd manage them but it was fine and feels good to be back.

Eva had a friend to play after school. It's the little girl who lost her mum to bowel cancer recently so it feels extra sensitive right now. We went down to see Jack and she loved helping to mix up all the feeds. She told me she had riding lessons and could gallop and jump but when I got her on I had to show her how to hold the reins! It's very awkward with other people's kids!! I kept her on the lead rein which she wasn't happy about!!

We did homemade pizzas and she was really happy and smiley. I was meeting some friends for dinner so Mike had to walk her home but she got upset on the way home and initially wouldn't tell him where she lived. I felt terrible that I had not been there. Poor little sweetheart. I couldn't stop thinking about her all evening. And part of me doesn't want Eva to be exposed to her grief when I'm going through my own cancer battle and I don't want to see up close what it does to a child to lose their Mum. But another part is very proud of my daughter for being a good friend and looking after her. It's only very recently that they have become closer friends even though they've been at school together from the start.

I suppose it acted as a stark reminder just how lucky I am that I've got treatment options and that at the moment it looks like I'm winning the battle!