At the risk of revealing a career history somewhat chequered with roles as a public sector bureaucrat-type, this is the bit that would be headed ‘Background and Rationale’ in a report to Council. It’s basically the bit where the author scrabbles around desperately for some sort of convincing justification for the recommendations contained in the report and, more often than not, for the existence of the report itself. 

So, in summary (in a Council report this bit would be in a nice box for emphasis, but my WordPress skills appear not to be that advanced):

1. This blog exists because I’ve done a bit of half-hearted research, and it seems to be The Done Thing to set one up when you’re diagnosed with cancer. Far be it from me to stray from an established path.

2. This blog isn’t about cancer, it’s about me. This is because:

• Most of what I do has nothing to do with cancer, and everything to do with chatting; shopping; cats; ponies; cooking; eating; blagging freebies and other Very Important Things
• I really like talking about myself. Who doesn’t? So that’s what I’ve decided to do here. Because that way at least I can rabbit on inanely in a self-indulgent, navel-gazey way without anyone really having to listen. And unless I’m obsessively checking the stats page of this site to count my unique users, I’ll be none the wiser…
• Let’s face it, no one really wants to read about cancer

3. The name of this blog is ‘tits-up’. This is of course an incredibly sophisticated and well thought-through title, intended to convey at once the ‘tits-up’ nature of life following a cancer diagnosis, and the breast cancer equivalent of the traditional British ‘chin up’ response to adversity. Although on reflection maybe that should have been ‘tit-up’. Maybe I’m overthinking it. I’ve still got two for now… 

Or it might just be the first name that came to mind that hadn’t already been nabbed by someone else with breast cancer who thought they’d better set up a blog.