Thursday I pottered around in the morning, then set off at lunch time to drive to Lincolnshire. This ended up taking far longer than it should have done, even by the pretty roads, but the beauty of being retired is you can take all day to do things that used to have to be done in a rush after work! Then Friday to Monday were spent exploring the far North of England and the Borders. Great fun and some superb company. Much to learn. The drive home on my own was initially lots of fun (Teesdale) but a bit of a trudge from Kendal onwards. Still, home in about the same time as it had taken to drive to Stamford on the Thursday.
Tuesday was spent cleaning the Boxster which had come home absolutely filthy. No surprise really, but it highlights the futility of cleaning it in the first place. Quite therapeutic, though.
Then on Wednesday it was time to head over to Mike and Casie’s, picking up a very large (to me) van on the way, and load it up with the remaining stuff from their house. It fitted – just. Wednesday evening I had a great time catching up with Nick, Ian, Karl and Michelle (x) and we drank copious quantities of some Argentinian wine or other. Luckily on Thursday there were other helpers to disgorge the contents of the van and wheel/carry/drag them into the house/garage. We also dismantled and destroyed some rather nice but unwanted wardrobes – the bits came in useful later.
Friday morning we did some more little jobs including the pet door, but then it was time to clear off to the hospital for bloods, ready for Zolendronate on Saturday, which duly happened. The lovely Phyllis took some time to get a cannula inserted, but eventually it was there and the dosage took place – unfortunately to the background of England losing to South Africa in the rugby World Cup final. Saturday afternoon I was employed assembling Mike’s workbench in the shed, where some of the wardrobe hinges came in useful for fastening the doors on underneath.
On Wednesday it was clinic time again. Shivali and I talked of my side-effects and the thrush infection and so on, and Dr. Davies popped her head in for long enough for me to wish her well in her new job – sadly the thread of continuity is being cut and I won’t see her again. My paraprotein is relatively stable at 3.5 or so despite a higher blip last month. It feels a bit like walking a tightrope, but still under control, just.
Not much to report for the rest of the week. Saturday I took out my new associate, Michael, and we had a good session. On Sunday Gareth, Hanna, William and I went for a little drive up through the Cotswolds ending up at the Touchdown Cafe at Wellesbourne, always a fun place for a stop – lots of activity including fixed-wing and helicopters. Finally on Sunday and Monday nights I started sleeping properly again – the Dexamethasone is playing havoc with many aspects of my life, including sleep, so Monday I was well rested, and apart from some minor work on Monica’s chair, I didn’t do very much.
Tuesday morning it was time to set off for South Wales and a date with Clive, for some more coaching. I seem to have performed reasonably well. We focussed on some remaining sharp edges and generally had a good time exploring South and mid-Wales via some of the prettier roads. Good feedback as always from Clive, and things to work on for the future.
Wednesday I finished the first of Monica’s chairs and started on the second one, and Mike came round, as he mostly does, bless him, for an evening of food, beer, and male bonding. It’s food for the soul. Thanks number 2!
Here’s a finished chair:
Nick's Chemo Diary 