Gosh, this is the longest blogging break I've had since I started blogging some 17 years ago. It's not that I've been a digital hermit. I have been engaging a bit on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. But my life has changed somewhat - in the words of John Lennon, 'Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans'.
The short story is that my elderly Mum became ill about two years ago. Last year she got a bit worse, sufficient for the doctor to run tests. And our worst fears were confirmed when we were told that Mum had advanced cancer in her breast and lungs. This is not unusual in the very elderly. I think I read somewhere that half of very elderly women will get cancer with breast and lung cancer being the most common. That said, your metabolism is a lot slower as you age and that also means that tumours tend to grow much more slowly too. That means Mum is thankfully still with us, and is still trouncing me when it comes to solving cryptic crosswords. However, she is getting more poorly. I feel we're now on borrowed time with her now so trying to make the most of what we (as in the family) have and keep Mum as comfortable and supported as possible and enjoy what time we have.
I'd been spending a lot more time with Mum anyway since my father died 7 years ago but since the diagnosis, that's more or less become a full-time thing. So no gallivanting on speaking gigs about mobile technology, no leading of workshops, no mentoring of students or clients, no writing, and a day to day life that is about as far from my London life as it could be. So dear reader, that is the reason for the hiatus on this blogging lark.
Having spent the last year or two as an accidental carer (most carers seem to be accidental carers), I've learned a lot about dealing with lung cancer and learned a lot about what it is like to be very elderly, how challenging it can be to be a carer and also the joy that can be found in the small things. I've also realised how fortunate I am to be spending these precious last years and months with Mum. Not everyone gets the chance to do this so I know I really am one of the lucky ones.
So, I'm not sure I'll be writing very much about the mobile industry in the short term, but there might be some posts about being a carer, living with lung cancer, being an accidental carer, and maybe some things about how Mum and I are using technology (or not) and whatever else comes to mind as and when I get the time.
P.S. Hat tip to Martin Bihl and Lloyd Davis and the Tuttle crew for helping me out of my shell recently and to Mum's medical team (NHS and St Richard's Hospice) and my family for giving me a week's respite to regroup and re-energise.
