Happy Christmas Everybody!
Hope you've had a great one?
We had a fantastic Crimbo Dinner thanks to Vanda. I contributed by carving the turkey breast, but that was the extent of my efforts and I'm very grateful to Van for producing such a nice spread.
I couldn't eat a whole lot, but I ate more than usual, and enough not to leave me feeling disappointed so that was great. I've also managed about two glasses of bubbles today, which is more alcohol than I've had for a long time - a special bottle of American Sonoma Valley Methode Champenoise from 1985 which I've been saving since about 1999, very tasty - some of the older Mercury folks might remember the trip up to the Sonoma Valley we took during a sales conference in San Francisco back in the days when we were given time off to take trips during the training schedule!
Anyway, thanks everybody for your Christmas wishes and calls, and I hope to see some of you soon!
Have a lovely relaxing Boxing Day, and I'll try to be in touch again soon!
Cheers
C x
Friday, 25 December 2009
Friday, 18 December 2009
Friday 18th December 2009
Wow, two posts in a week, it's almost like the old days! :)
I actually meant to post yesterday, but as usual got distracted and forgot!
A few bits of news from my various outings this week:
Tuesday - Oncologist
Dr Hofmann has been speaking to the main man in our region, and also with the UK expert in my type of cancer, based in London, and they jointly agree that more treatment would not be beneficial. They feel that the chances of any benefits are so slim, and the likelihood of side-effects so high that it is just not worth it. Even though I have suffered almost no side-effects from my previous treatments, they feel that I am a lot less strong than I was even when I had my last cycle that I would be less able to fight the effects and that might mean me ending up back in hospital. It's a blow, but I must say that I do agree with their way of thinking.
I am going to have one more scan, between Christmas and New Year which will show how and where things are developing, so at least I know which is going to be the troublesome area - liver, lungs etc. I'll get the results from that on the 5th Jan.
My oncologist also confirmed that a lot of my tiredness and loss of appetite will definitely be to do with the cancer and not just my inability to eat much. The tumour markers in my blood test show that the cancer is definitely active again, so this willl have a lot to do with the way I am feeling.
Wednesday - GP
Spent most of the appointment discussing the lack of effects of the Citalopram anti-depressants. I've been on them about 6 weeks now, and I can't tell any difference, so I'm swapping to a new one over the next week - Venlafaxine - we'll see if that makes any difference.
I've also been told that I can up the dose of the steroids I'm on over a short period to give me a boost of energy and appetite, so I will definitely do that over Christmas.
Thursday - Hospice
We had a tour around the hospice in-patients section, which looks very nice and is open to me at any time, but I don't want to think about that yet. I want to stay at home for as long as I'm able, preferrably until the end, as once you move to the hospice, you're never coming out again!
It seems they can do a lot for you to help you stay at home though, and the first step was for them to call in the District Nurse for an assessment regarding a hospital bed at home.
Friday - District Nurse
We've just had the nurse around and she has been explaining what is on offer. They can get me an electric adjustable bed with a pressure-relieving matress as soon as I want one. This will help me get in and out of bed and adjusts to a sitting position so that I can watch tv etc in comfort. I'm still ok with my bed at the moment, but I will go ahead and get this new bed in the new year.
Other things this week ...
Firstly, thanks for all the birthday cards, Facebook messages and texts etc - very kind of you!
Thanks also for all the Christmas cards so far. I have to say that we are doing our best, but we are unlikely to get all our cards done this year in time for the deadline on Monday, so please bear with me if you don't get a card this year. I do have the time, but it takes much more energy than you expect, so I hope you understand :(
Glad I didn't consider the Ferrari this weekend - widespread snow would have dented the fun a bit! Unfortunately that probably means I won't ever get it now, as I'm not sure my capabilities are up to it any more - we'll have to see how Christmas goes
Anyway, that's enough for now,
Speak soon(ish)
Col
I actually meant to post yesterday, but as usual got distracted and forgot!
A few bits of news from my various outings this week:
Tuesday - Oncologist
Dr Hofmann has been speaking to the main man in our region, and also with the UK expert in my type of cancer, based in London, and they jointly agree that more treatment would not be beneficial. They feel that the chances of any benefits are so slim, and the likelihood of side-effects so high that it is just not worth it. Even though I have suffered almost no side-effects from my previous treatments, they feel that I am a lot less strong than I was even when I had my last cycle that I would be less able to fight the effects and that might mean me ending up back in hospital. It's a blow, but I must say that I do agree with their way of thinking.
I am going to have one more scan, between Christmas and New Year which will show how and where things are developing, so at least I know which is going to be the troublesome area - liver, lungs etc. I'll get the results from that on the 5th Jan.
My oncologist also confirmed that a lot of my tiredness and loss of appetite will definitely be to do with the cancer and not just my inability to eat much. The tumour markers in my blood test show that the cancer is definitely active again, so this willl have a lot to do with the way I am feeling.
Wednesday - GP
Spent most of the appointment discussing the lack of effects of the Citalopram anti-depressants. I've been on them about 6 weeks now, and I can't tell any difference, so I'm swapping to a new one over the next week - Venlafaxine - we'll see if that makes any difference.
I've also been told that I can up the dose of the steroids I'm on over a short period to give me a boost of energy and appetite, so I will definitely do that over Christmas.
Thursday - Hospice
We had a tour around the hospice in-patients section, which looks very nice and is open to me at any time, but I don't want to think about that yet. I want to stay at home for as long as I'm able, preferrably until the end, as once you move to the hospice, you're never coming out again!
It seems they can do a lot for you to help you stay at home though, and the first step was for them to call in the District Nurse for an assessment regarding a hospital bed at home.
Friday - District Nurse
We've just had the nurse around and she has been explaining what is on offer. They can get me an electric adjustable bed with a pressure-relieving matress as soon as I want one. This will help me get in and out of bed and adjusts to a sitting position so that I can watch tv etc in comfort. I'm still ok with my bed at the moment, but I will go ahead and get this new bed in the new year.
Other things this week ...
Firstly, thanks for all the birthday cards, Facebook messages and texts etc - very kind of you!
Thanks also for all the Christmas cards so far. I have to say that we are doing our best, but we are unlikely to get all our cards done this year in time for the deadline on Monday, so please bear with me if you don't get a card this year. I do have the time, but it takes much more energy than you expect, so I hope you understand :(
Glad I didn't consider the Ferrari this weekend - widespread snow would have dented the fun a bit! Unfortunately that probably means I won't ever get it now, as I'm not sure my capabilities are up to it any more - we'll have to see how Christmas goes
Anyway, that's enough for now,
Speak soon(ish)
Col
Monday, 14 December 2009
Monday 14th December 2009
Hi again,
I should have posted yesterday really, as it was my birthday (46!), but I had a bit of a low energy day again and spent most of the day in bed, and what was left of it firmly glued to the sofa.
It's been mostly the same since my last post really - my only time out of the house was the weekly visit to the hospice on Thursday.
I did have some good news whilst I was there though - I had a blood test last week to check for a few things, particularly dehydration as I am unable to drink much at the moment. The results show that I am not dehydrated and nor am I showing any signs of anemia which is all good. There are a couple of results called "tumour markers". I'm not sure what they mean, but one is up on last time and one is down. I'm seeing my oncologist again tomorrow, so we should get some answers from her.
I didn't go for the Ferrari this weekend after all, as I wasn't sure I felt up to making the most of it, and instead I planned for this coming weekend. Unfortunately the forecast is for snow and ice in parts over the weekend, so this might not be an ideal weekend either. We'll see
So that's about it for now. I'll have more to say after tomorrow's oncologist appointment and my GP appointment on Wednesday, so I'll post an update then.
Cheers,
C x
I should have posted yesterday really, as it was my birthday (46!), but I had a bit of a low energy day again and spent most of the day in bed, and what was left of it firmly glued to the sofa.
It's been mostly the same since my last post really - my only time out of the house was the weekly visit to the hospice on Thursday.
I did have some good news whilst I was there though - I had a blood test last week to check for a few things, particularly dehydration as I am unable to drink much at the moment. The results show that I am not dehydrated and nor am I showing any signs of anemia which is all good. There are a couple of results called "tumour markers". I'm not sure what they mean, but one is up on last time and one is down. I'm seeing my oncologist again tomorrow, so we should get some answers from her.
I didn't go for the Ferrari this weekend after all, as I wasn't sure I felt up to making the most of it, and instead I planned for this coming weekend. Unfortunately the forecast is for snow and ice in parts over the weekend, so this might not be an ideal weekend either. We'll see
So that's about it for now. I'll have more to say after tomorrow's oncologist appointment and my GP appointment on Wednesday, so I'll post an update then.
Cheers,
C x
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Wednesday 2nd December 2009
Hi Folks,
How time flies at the moment. No sooner have I made a blog post than I am suddenly overdue for my next - sorry if I worry you with my absence, but thanks also for those reminders!
Quite a tough week with lack of energy - I'm losing the desire to get out and about so much and am preferring to rest at home as much as I can. I did get out last Friday to meet some mates I used to work with, and it was great to see everyone again, but tinged with a bit of sadness that it would usually be our annual drinking reunion, and I was unable to partake and could only last about an hour and a half.
I also decided earlier in the week that I was no longer up for doing the gig on Saturday, so got my stand-in to play instead. I had planned to go over and see the first part of the show, but again I felt too tired to go out twice in a row, so I ended up staying in. Although I clearly wasn't up to the gig, it is a big shame because that probably sees the end of my gigging days, and after nearly 30 years, that is quite a wrench. However, it has definitely got to the point where the early start, late finish, humping of gear, strain of the gig itself and the associated waiting around has surpassed the fun factor that I used to get, so I guess now is the right time to pack it in. Maybe I'll be able to do one farewell gig at some point - we'll see.
On the health front, not much changes - I had my second session of acupuncture and the jury is still out. I think it would be easier to tell if I was having it for pain relief as the effects would be more obvious, but for nausea and breathlessness its much harder to spot any immediate benefit. I'll keep going though, in the interests of experimentation if nothing else.
On a reduced dose of the steroids now, so I'm not getting much benefit from them, and I'm not sure the effects of the Citalopram anti-depressants have kicked in yet (although some of the side effects like involuntary leg movements have). I'm told it takes a few weeks, but that's three weeks now with no discernible difference - again, I'll have to wait and see.
Other news is that I got my blue disabled badge today, so I am officially disabled and allowed to park for up to 3 hours on double yellow lines, as well as get free parking at lots of places like hospitals etc. I'm thinking of getting the Ferrari in a couple of weeks time if I feel up to it, and I plan to have fun parking it in disabled bays and waiting for people to start having a go at me until I show them my badge! Who says us disabled folks can't have fun? :)
Anyway, that's it for now - need to get back to the sofa for a rest.
As usual I will make a feeble and hollow promise to be more active on the blog in future, but if I fail it is because I have either little to say or little energy to say it, so bear with me :)
Cheers,
Col x
How time flies at the moment. No sooner have I made a blog post than I am suddenly overdue for my next - sorry if I worry you with my absence, but thanks also for those reminders!
Quite a tough week with lack of energy - I'm losing the desire to get out and about so much and am preferring to rest at home as much as I can. I did get out last Friday to meet some mates I used to work with, and it was great to see everyone again, but tinged with a bit of sadness that it would usually be our annual drinking reunion, and I was unable to partake and could only last about an hour and a half.
I also decided earlier in the week that I was no longer up for doing the gig on Saturday, so got my stand-in to play instead. I had planned to go over and see the first part of the show, but again I felt too tired to go out twice in a row, so I ended up staying in. Although I clearly wasn't up to the gig, it is a big shame because that probably sees the end of my gigging days, and after nearly 30 years, that is quite a wrench. However, it has definitely got to the point where the early start, late finish, humping of gear, strain of the gig itself and the associated waiting around has surpassed the fun factor that I used to get, so I guess now is the right time to pack it in. Maybe I'll be able to do one farewell gig at some point - we'll see.
On the health front, not much changes - I had my second session of acupuncture and the jury is still out. I think it would be easier to tell if I was having it for pain relief as the effects would be more obvious, but for nausea and breathlessness its much harder to spot any immediate benefit. I'll keep going though, in the interests of experimentation if nothing else.
On a reduced dose of the steroids now, so I'm not getting much benefit from them, and I'm not sure the effects of the Citalopram anti-depressants have kicked in yet (although some of the side effects like involuntary leg movements have). I'm told it takes a few weeks, but that's three weeks now with no discernible difference - again, I'll have to wait and see.
Other news is that I got my blue disabled badge today, so I am officially disabled and allowed to park for up to 3 hours on double yellow lines, as well as get free parking at lots of places like hospitals etc. I'm thinking of getting the Ferrari in a couple of weeks time if I feel up to it, and I plan to have fun parking it in disabled bays and waiting for people to start having a go at me until I show them my badge! Who says us disabled folks can't have fun? :)
Anyway, that's it for now - need to get back to the sofa for a rest.
As usual I will make a feeble and hollow promise to be more active on the blog in future, but if I fail it is because I have either little to say or little energy to say it, so bear with me :)
Cheers,
Col x
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Sunday 22nd November 2009
What can I say? Spurs beat Wigan today NINE - ONE!! It doesn't get better than that (except if it was Arsenal, Man Utd or Chelsea of course :) Well done chaps - RESULT!
I had my first experience of acupuncture on Thursday - I had needles in my left shoulder, the front of my neck and in each wrist and hand. The arm ones were for the nausea and the shoulder/neck ones for breathlessness. The needles are extremely fine - like a human hair really - so didn't hurt at all and didn't cause any bleeding, just a slight sensation when they went in.
I'm not sure I noticed any immediate change, but I will be having about six sessions, and the effects get more lasting the more sessions you have, so we'll see how things progress.
The steroids are still doing a good job. I'm still short of energy, but I'm able to get up the stairs without necessarily needing a rest at the top. However, I'm in the middle of the course now, so soon I will have to go back to normal, and at that point we can really see if the acupuncture is helping.
I've got a gig next weekend which I'm a little worried about. This might have to be my last, we'll see how it goes, but my strength is definitely waning, and there will become a point when I just don't enjoy it any more due to the effort involved. The gig is in a pub in Didsbury, so hopefully it might at least be ground floor which would help. It's not somewhere we've played before though so I'll have to wait and see.
Not much else to report this week. Just had a nice weekend with my brother and his girlfriend up here for a visit, and now looking forward to Top Gear and Match of the day (nine - one! Can you believe it!!?).
Speak soon whenever I've got something to say!
In the meantime, thanks as usual for all the emails texts and blog comments - I really do appreciate it!
Cheers,
Col x
I had my first experience of acupuncture on Thursday - I had needles in my left shoulder, the front of my neck and in each wrist and hand. The arm ones were for the nausea and the shoulder/neck ones for breathlessness. The needles are extremely fine - like a human hair really - so didn't hurt at all and didn't cause any bleeding, just a slight sensation when they went in.
I'm not sure I noticed any immediate change, but I will be having about six sessions, and the effects get more lasting the more sessions you have, so we'll see how things progress.
The steroids are still doing a good job. I'm still short of energy, but I'm able to get up the stairs without necessarily needing a rest at the top. However, I'm in the middle of the course now, so soon I will have to go back to normal, and at that point we can really see if the acupuncture is helping.
I've got a gig next weekend which I'm a little worried about. This might have to be my last, we'll see how it goes, but my strength is definitely waning, and there will become a point when I just don't enjoy it any more due to the effort involved. The gig is in a pub in Didsbury, so hopefully it might at least be ground floor which would help. It's not somewhere we've played before though so I'll have to wait and see.
Not much else to report this week. Just had a nice weekend with my brother and his girlfriend up here for a visit, and now looking forward to Top Gear and Match of the day (nine - one! Can you believe it!!?).
Speak soon whenever I've got something to say!
In the meantime, thanks as usual for all the emails texts and blog comments - I really do appreciate it!
Cheers,
Col x
Monday, 16 November 2009
Monday 16th November 2009
Hi All,
Quite a busy end to the week, so I waited til today to post an update - sorry for the delay!
I had a bit of a bad day on Thursday - I felt really tired and a bit nauseous. I went to the Hospice therapy session and met the doctor and social worker (she's going to help me get a blue disabled badge which will help).
The doctor recommended some drugs for my breathlessness and to help me through the weekend, and she is also going to start me on a course of acupuncture this Thursday to see if she can alleviate some of the underlying nausea I still get.
I got an appointment with my GP Thursday evening and she prescribed me the drugs the Hospice doc had recommended - OraMorph (oral morphine), which helps breathlessness when taken in small doses, and a course of the Dexomethasone steroids I was on during my chemo. These have both helped quite a lot and I've had a pretty good weekend on the energy front, despite suffering a bit from the nausea.
Friday I took delivery of the awesome Audi R8 for the weekend:
Saturday we set off for the MPH Show at the NEC featuring Top Gear Live courtesy of the Stig (thank-you kindly sir, much appreciated!). We had to wait for him in the foyer so he could come out and give us the tickets. When he came out in his civvies it was really funny to watch hundreds of people pass within inches of him with "I am the Stig" t-shirts on, completely unaware that the real thing was standing right by them!
The show was excellent - culminating in the Stig performing a loop the loop in a car - check out the videos ...
Clarkson, Hammond and May racing Reliant Robins - hilarious! ...
Stig doing the loop ...
Sunday we took the R8 out for a run to the East Coast - Scarborough, Robin Hood's Bay and Whitby. I'd been to Whitby before when I was about 9, but neither of the other places so it was a nice trip. I won't mention the speed that the R8 made on the York bypass :) Awesome car, just awesome ... I have to admit that I was pretty knackered when I got in last night though. Driving is still one thing I can do in relative comfort, but it is quite tiring in the end, especially when driving in the dark where my night vision is not quite as sharp as it used to be so I have to really concentrate.
Unfortunately the car was collected this afternoon, so its back to normality for a while - next hire will be a Ferrari F430, so looking forward to that already!
I did mean to post on the 7th Nov, as that was the anniversary of my diagnosis. I am now officially a Government statistic as a "one year cancer survivor". It's been quite a year, but as I've said before, I just seem to have gone along with it and got used to it.
It doesn't really feel any different although my eating and drinking, my energy levels and the fact that I look like one of those guys photographed in a concentration camp at the end of the war with all my ribs sticking out are really different circumstances to get used to.
I'll let you know how I get on with the acupuncture - that's my highlight of this week (and the fact that I officially go off work on Wednesday)
Cheers,
Colin.
Quite a busy end to the week, so I waited til today to post an update - sorry for the delay!
I had a bit of a bad day on Thursday - I felt really tired and a bit nauseous. I went to the Hospice therapy session and met the doctor and social worker (she's going to help me get a blue disabled badge which will help).
The doctor recommended some drugs for my breathlessness and to help me through the weekend, and she is also going to start me on a course of acupuncture this Thursday to see if she can alleviate some of the underlying nausea I still get.
I got an appointment with my GP Thursday evening and she prescribed me the drugs the Hospice doc had recommended - OraMorph (oral morphine), which helps breathlessness when taken in small doses, and a course of the Dexomethasone steroids I was on during my chemo. These have both helped quite a lot and I've had a pretty good weekend on the energy front, despite suffering a bit from the nausea.
Friday I took delivery of the awesome Audi R8 for the weekend:
Saturday we set off for the MPH Show at the NEC featuring Top Gear Live courtesy of the Stig (thank-you kindly sir, much appreciated!). We had to wait for him in the foyer so he could come out and give us the tickets. When he came out in his civvies it was really funny to watch hundreds of people pass within inches of him with "I am the Stig" t-shirts on, completely unaware that the real thing was standing right by them!
The show was excellent - culminating in the Stig performing a loop the loop in a car - check out the videos ...
Clarkson, Hammond and May racing Reliant Robins - hilarious! ...
Stig doing the loop ...
Sunday we took the R8 out for a run to the East Coast - Scarborough, Robin Hood's Bay and Whitby. I'd been to Whitby before when I was about 9, but neither of the other places so it was a nice trip. I won't mention the speed that the R8 made on the York bypass :) Awesome car, just awesome ... I have to admit that I was pretty knackered when I got in last night though. Driving is still one thing I can do in relative comfort, but it is quite tiring in the end, especially when driving in the dark where my night vision is not quite as sharp as it used to be so I have to really concentrate.
Unfortunately the car was collected this afternoon, so its back to normality for a while - next hire will be a Ferrari F430, so looking forward to that already!
I did mean to post on the 7th Nov, as that was the anniversary of my diagnosis. I am now officially a Government statistic as a "one year cancer survivor". It's been quite a year, but as I've said before, I just seem to have gone along with it and got used to it.
It doesn't really feel any different although my eating and drinking, my energy levels and the fact that I look like one of those guys photographed in a concentration camp at the end of the war with all my ribs sticking out are really different circumstances to get used to.
I'll let you know how I get on with the acupuncture - that's my highlight of this week (and the fact that I officially go off work on Wednesday)
Cheers,
Colin.
Sunday, 8 November 2009
Sunday 8th November 2009
Hi Folks,
Sorry for my distinct lack of posts this week - just laziness I'm afraid, no excuse!
This week I've been ok - I've been to see my GP for a general catch up, and she's prescribed me an anti-anxiety/anti-depressive drug called Citalopram, just in case my mental dip the other week is a sign of something a bit deeper. I've had a re-occurrence of a bit of eczema on my feet which I had a few years ago. This tends to be stress-related. Although I've not really felt stressed at all, the doc thinks this might be my body telling me something, which is another reason she gave me the Citalopram.
One of the side-effects of this drug can be nausea, so I'm on a low dose to start with to see if I tolerate it ok - just one tablet every other day for the moment. I've only had two so far, so nothing to report yet (it takes a couple of weeks to kick in apparently).
I also took up the offer from the Macmillan team to join the weekly therapy session at the local hospice on Thursday. I was a bit daunted at first because it was full of people a lot older than me and had the feel of a nursing home. However, once I'd met some of the staff and other "guests" (as they call us) it was really nice - very positive and friendly atmosphere. They also provide alternative therapy treatments such as massage, reflexology etc. I had a "Theraputic Touch" session, which is a bit like Reiki, but with hands on.
The staff there offer all sorts of useful services - there is a specialist doctor who performs acupuncture and can provide advice specifically tailored to terminally ill patients, plus a social worker who can help with such things as getting a disabled badge for my car so I don't have to walk so far.
Other news - my hair is starting to grow back. Very thin and fluffy at the moment and only growing slowly, but definitely visible now, plus I now have to start shaving again - only every other day, but its definitely growing more vigorously. Nothing has yet grown enough to indicate what my hair will be like when fully grown, so we'll have to wait and see about that, but at least there is progress!
Last couple of weekends have been really nice, meeting up with friends I haven't seen for over a year in both cases, and had a rehearsal with the band today, although that was a real struggle as I've been totally without energy all day.
On my way over to Macclesfield last weekend, I had a chance to drop in on Alderley Edge where my family used to live. After my mum died in 1995, I planted a small oak sapling on the edge as a gesture, and I went to see how it was getting on. It's amazing how slowly oaks grow and I am always surprised at how small it still is after 14 years. It must have been about 18" when I planted it, and this is what it looks like now, bigger, but by no means big! ...
That's about it for today, except I can finally mention Spurs again after having to keep silent for a while due to an embarrassing run of defeats (Stoke at home for gawds sake! And Arsenal! It can't have been much worse!) Nice win over Sunderland yesterday to keep us in 4th spot for now. Just hope Man City lose their game in hand now, and we'll be fine!
Better get some rest now - good luck to Elspeth by the way!
Cheers,
Colin.
Sorry for my distinct lack of posts this week - just laziness I'm afraid, no excuse!
This week I've been ok - I've been to see my GP for a general catch up, and she's prescribed me an anti-anxiety/anti-depressive drug called Citalopram, just in case my mental dip the other week is a sign of something a bit deeper. I've had a re-occurrence of a bit of eczema on my feet which I had a few years ago. This tends to be stress-related. Although I've not really felt stressed at all, the doc thinks this might be my body telling me something, which is another reason she gave me the Citalopram.
One of the side-effects of this drug can be nausea, so I'm on a low dose to start with to see if I tolerate it ok - just one tablet every other day for the moment. I've only had two so far, so nothing to report yet (it takes a couple of weeks to kick in apparently).
I also took up the offer from the Macmillan team to join the weekly therapy session at the local hospice on Thursday. I was a bit daunted at first because it was full of people a lot older than me and had the feel of a nursing home. However, once I'd met some of the staff and other "guests" (as they call us) it was really nice - very positive and friendly atmosphere. They also provide alternative therapy treatments such as massage, reflexology etc. I had a "Theraputic Touch" session, which is a bit like Reiki, but with hands on.
The staff there offer all sorts of useful services - there is a specialist doctor who performs acupuncture and can provide advice specifically tailored to terminally ill patients, plus a social worker who can help with such things as getting a disabled badge for my car so I don't have to walk so far.
Other news - my hair is starting to grow back. Very thin and fluffy at the moment and only growing slowly, but definitely visible now, plus I now have to start shaving again - only every other day, but its definitely growing more vigorously. Nothing has yet grown enough to indicate what my hair will be like when fully grown, so we'll have to wait and see about that, but at least there is progress!
Last couple of weekends have been really nice, meeting up with friends I haven't seen for over a year in both cases, and had a rehearsal with the band today, although that was a real struggle as I've been totally without energy all day.
On my way over to Macclesfield last weekend, I had a chance to drop in on Alderley Edge where my family used to live. After my mum died in 1995, I planted a small oak sapling on the edge as a gesture, and I went to see how it was getting on. It's amazing how slowly oaks grow and I am always surprised at how small it still is after 14 years. It must have been about 18" when I planted it, and this is what it looks like now, bigger, but by no means big! ...
That's about it for today, except I can finally mention Spurs again after having to keep silent for a while due to an embarrassing run of defeats (Stoke at home for gawds sake! And Arsenal! It can't have been much worse!) Nice win over Sunderland yesterday to keep us in 4th spot for now. Just hope Man City lose their game in hand now, and we'll be fine!
Better get some rest now - good luck to Elspeth by the way!
Cheers,
Colin.
Saturday, 31 October 2009
Saturday 31st October - Hallowe'en!
So, Hallowe'en 2009 already! One of our imports from the US that I don't mind too much, apart from the overt commercialism!
I remember celebrating Hallowe'en as a kid, although we never did the trick or treat thing. We did carve lanterns, but they were from large turnips, not pumpkins as we didn't get pumpkins over here until quite recently. In a way it is a shame because I still remember the very distinctive smell that a turnip with a tea-light in it gave off - very different from a pumpkin!
And in those pre Nanny-state days (I would have been six or seven) we carved our own turnips, unsupervised and with a sharp knife - never did me any harm ...
Things for me have been a bit up and down over the last week or so. I have had a week of being very low physically and mentally, although I have perked up mentally in the last couple of days (unfortunately not very much physically). I re-engaged with the MacMilland nurse team on Thursday and they have promised me Oxygen as a next step for the breathlessness if and when I need it, although I found that my asthma inhaler which I rarely use came in helpful the other day, so I'll start to use that a bit more.
I'm also going to start visiting the Hospice on a Thursday where they offer free relaxation therapy, massage, reflexology etc, so that should be nice.
Abdominal pains have calmed down a bit, but they are still there. I now remember that they've been around at this level for quite a long time, so I think they are definitely to do with the cancer. I'm told this is normal, as the liver swells when it is diseased and puts pressure on the abdominals. I guess it is inevitable, and it's not actually painful, more a discomfort at the moment.
Biggest change to come is that I have decided that it is time to stop work. I will go off on vacation mid-November to use up my holiday and then plan to switch to sick leave on the 2nd January. It will be quite difficult to switch off after 12 years working in this specific part of the IT industry, but I think now is the time that I need to start really focusing on my illness and recognising how debilitating it is. Work has recently become a bit of a burden when I've been feeling sick or low, and it's time to release that burden.
This also means that I will definitely not be making the trips to Stockholm or Hamburg in December which is a shame, but I just wouldn't have been able to contribute much from a work perspective, or join in any of the social side, so it would have been a lot of strain for little reward
Uh-oh, it's starting to get dark. Soon I will be invaded by a million kids knocking on the door. Wouldn't be so bad except Vanda has managed to find an excuse to be away tonight, so I will have to get up from my sofa constantly to distribute mountains of sweets. This will do wonders for my breathlessness no doubt! Still, its only for a couple of hours I suppose (although that is the disadvantage of living on a housing estate full of families - millions of bloody kids!)
See you later!
C
Saturday, 24 October 2009
Saturday 24th October 2009
Hi Folks,
Thanks for all the messages of support over the last few days - very much appreciated as usual!
And good luck to Olivia who is running 10k tomorrow in support of Cancer Research - you go girl! (And enjoy the pub afterwards! :)
Abdominal pains are still there, but I think they are a little better - its difficult to tell, depends how much sitting up I do really. Still not sure if they are muscular or a symptom of the liver tumours. Still, they are not serious enough for pain killers yet, so I'm not too worried at this stage.
Otherwise I am certainly noticing that I am being sick more often now that I have finished the chemo, but it's usually to do with slightly overeating rather than nausea, although being sick does sometimes induce nausea for a while (I usually find that I am sick twice, and I feel nausea for about half an hour in between. Once I have been sick the second time, I feel better). It has become a bit routine now though, so it doesn't really bother me as long as I am at home - it's less pleasant when I'm out in public.
On a positive note, I'm starting to plan the next weekend away - the Top Gear show at the NEC on the 14th Nov. Hiring another nice car to get us down there (Audi R8), so I'm looking forward to that.
Nothing much else to add today, again thanks for the good wishes though ...
Cheers,
C x
Thanks for all the messages of support over the last few days - very much appreciated as usual!
And good luck to Olivia who is running 10k tomorrow in support of Cancer Research - you go girl! (And enjoy the pub afterwards! :)
Abdominal pains are still there, but I think they are a little better - its difficult to tell, depends how much sitting up I do really. Still not sure if they are muscular or a symptom of the liver tumours. Still, they are not serious enough for pain killers yet, so I'm not too worried at this stage.
Otherwise I am certainly noticing that I am being sick more often now that I have finished the chemo, but it's usually to do with slightly overeating rather than nausea, although being sick does sometimes induce nausea for a while (I usually find that I am sick twice, and I feel nausea for about half an hour in between. Once I have been sick the second time, I feel better). It has become a bit routine now though, so it doesn't really bother me as long as I am at home - it's less pleasant when I'm out in public.
On a positive note, I'm starting to plan the next weekend away - the Top Gear show at the NEC on the 14th Nov. Hiring another nice car to get us down there (Audi R8), so I'm looking forward to that.
Nothing much else to add today, again thanks for the good wishes though ...
Cheers,
C x
Tuesday, 20 October 2009
Tuesday 20th October 2009
Saw my oncologist today, and it's not entirely good news I'm afraid (with a healthy dose of English understatement ...)
The results of my recent scan have showed that the last two cycles of chemo haven't really had much of an effect, and actually things have got a little worse since the scan before. There are signs of new growth in the liver, and expanded growth in some lymph nodes.
Whilst this is not major growth, it puts paid to any further treatment with these chemo drugs as it shows that the body has formed a tolerance.
As it stands there are no further treatment ideas on the table, although there will be further consultation amongst the experts just in case. This means that at this stage they are now firmly focused on managing symptoms and letting this thing run its course. Given the voracity displayed so far, I guess this means that I'm unlikely to see out next year. Of course nothing is set in stone, but based on the aggressive nature of the cancer so far, I have to be realistic.
The plan now is to have another meeting with my oncologist on December 15th and to see how things have progressed by then, and then to decide whether another scan is appropriate or not.
In the meantime, I'm going to have to get used to being worried by every little pain or sensation - whether it is normal or a symptom of something worse. I'm already a little concerned that these abdominal pains I still have are not just muscular. I hope they are, and if so I know that this type of muscle pains take a while to recover as you are using the muscles all the time, but I do hope they clear up soon, as it is now over a week since they started.
Anyway, not good news overall, but I'm not ready to give up yet - there's plenty more fun to be had!
thanks for listening,
Col x
The results of my recent scan have showed that the last two cycles of chemo haven't really had much of an effect, and actually things have got a little worse since the scan before. There are signs of new growth in the liver, and expanded growth in some lymph nodes.
Whilst this is not major growth, it puts paid to any further treatment with these chemo drugs as it shows that the body has formed a tolerance.
As it stands there are no further treatment ideas on the table, although there will be further consultation amongst the experts just in case. This means that at this stage they are now firmly focused on managing symptoms and letting this thing run its course. Given the voracity displayed so far, I guess this means that I'm unlikely to see out next year. Of course nothing is set in stone, but based on the aggressive nature of the cancer so far, I have to be realistic.
The plan now is to have another meeting with my oncologist on December 15th and to see how things have progressed by then, and then to decide whether another scan is appropriate or not.
In the meantime, I'm going to have to get used to being worried by every little pain or sensation - whether it is normal or a symptom of something worse. I'm already a little concerned that these abdominal pains I still have are not just muscular. I hope they are, and if so I know that this type of muscle pains take a while to recover as you are using the muscles all the time, but I do hope they clear up soon, as it is now over a week since they started.
Anyway, not good news overall, but I'm not ready to give up yet - there's plenty more fun to be had!
thanks for listening,
Col x
Monday, 19 October 2009
AU55OME Weekend - Last Day :(
What a beautiful day! Sunshine across the whole UK in October - who'd have thought it?
Had to rush to get back to Benny Hill Park for 11am to get the car back. Unfortunately it wasn't picked up until nearly 2pm in the end, so I missed out on 3 hours extra driving. Never mind, we had a nice relaxing lunch in the bar until the helicopter arrived to take us home.
This time Ali & Alan were coming with us on the trip back up north, and like the trip down, we had a scaredy-cat in our midst! Ali is not a fan of flying and had been dreading the trip.
At spot on 2pm, the copter flew overhead and circled the hotel and the nice folks at the hotel drove us down to the landing pad in the golf buggy.
After a few photos and a quick briefing, we were off again ...
We had a quick detour via White Waltham airfield for refuelling, then we were on our way. Because of the detour, our return trip took us directly over Henley on Thames, where I grew up, which was really nice. For those of you familiar with Henley, here you can see Hambledon Lock ...
Temple Island ...
And Henley centre, with the Town Hall and Falaise Square ...
Thankfully, by now everyone, including Ali, was thoroughly enjoying the trip, so we didn't have to worry about making an emergency landing!
In the end the trip up north was very similar to the trip south, except the weather was better, so the visibility was even clearer.
The pilot pointed out a very interesting and sinister-looking place - a lake surrounded by plots where buildings had obviously been in the past. It looked like the scene of a crime, where all the evidence had been destroyed ...
After some investigation on Google Earth after we got back, it turns out that this was the site of the old "American Adventure" theme park in Derbyshire which went out of business in 2006, so not really sinister at all, but quite interesting all the same!
From there we flew over East Midlands airport - directly across the runway again - then on to Chesterfield and the famous twisted spire ...
From here it was on to Sheffield again, then on towards Leeds, past the Emley Mast, which is a landmark around here - you can see it from just about everywhere ...
Finally we landed back at the heliport at around 4.20pm, and walked the 10 paces to the car to go home.
Never before has my Audi S8 seemed slow ... it will never be the same again. Much as I love it, it will never accelerate or sound like an Aston Martin :(
However, on a positive note - it has to be said that all the bags fitted easily into the ample boot, and the back seat passengers were treated to a luxury ride with plenty of legroom, so I guess at least two out of four of us would have chosen the Audi over the Aston!
Finally, a nice evening in my favourite local pub, the Shibden Mill Inn rounded off the fabulous weekend - an absolutely AU55OME experience from beginning to end, not to mention all the lovely time spent with so many good friends!
Now to start thinking about the next one! Any ideas how to top that? Send suggestions on a postcard!
Back to normal for a while now - diarrhoea and puking down the toilet ... (sorry to ruin your pleasant mental image!)
Cheers,
Col x
Had to rush to get back to Benny Hill Park for 11am to get the car back. Unfortunately it wasn't picked up until nearly 2pm in the end, so I missed out on 3 hours extra driving. Never mind, we had a nice relaxing lunch in the bar until the helicopter arrived to take us home.
This time Ali & Alan were coming with us on the trip back up north, and like the trip down, we had a scaredy-cat in our midst! Ali is not a fan of flying and had been dreading the trip.
At spot on 2pm, the copter flew overhead and circled the hotel and the nice folks at the hotel drove us down to the landing pad in the golf buggy.
After a few photos and a quick briefing, we were off again ...
We had a quick detour via White Waltham airfield for refuelling, then we were on our way. Because of the detour, our return trip took us directly over Henley on Thames, where I grew up, which was really nice. For those of you familiar with Henley, here you can see Hambledon Lock ...
Temple Island ...
And Henley centre, with the Town Hall and Falaise Square ...
Thankfully, by now everyone, including Ali, was thoroughly enjoying the trip, so we didn't have to worry about making an emergency landing!
In the end the trip up north was very similar to the trip south, except the weather was better, so the visibility was even clearer.
The pilot pointed out a very interesting and sinister-looking place - a lake surrounded by plots where buildings had obviously been in the past. It looked like the scene of a crime, where all the evidence had been destroyed ...
After some investigation on Google Earth after we got back, it turns out that this was the site of the old "American Adventure" theme park in Derbyshire which went out of business in 2006, so not really sinister at all, but quite interesting all the same!
From there we flew over East Midlands airport - directly across the runway again - then on to Chesterfield and the famous twisted spire ...
From here it was on to Sheffield again, then on towards Leeds, past the Emley Mast, which is a landmark around here - you can see it from just about everywhere ...
Finally we landed back at the heliport at around 4.20pm, and walked the 10 paces to the car to go home.
Never before has my Audi S8 seemed slow ... it will never be the same again. Much as I love it, it will never accelerate or sound like an Aston Martin :(
However, on a positive note - it has to be said that all the bags fitted easily into the ample boot, and the back seat passengers were treated to a luxury ride with plenty of legroom, so I guess at least two out of four of us would have chosen the Audi over the Aston!
Finally, a nice evening in my favourite local pub, the Shibden Mill Inn rounded off the fabulous weekend - an absolutely AU55OME experience from beginning to end, not to mention all the lovely time spent with so many good friends!
Now to start thinking about the next one! Any ideas how to top that? Send suggestions on a postcard!
Back to normal for a while now - diarrhoea and puking down the toilet ... (sorry to ruin your pleasant mental image!)
Cheers,
Col x
Sunday, 18 October 2009
Sunday 18th October 2009
A quick "normal" blog entry today. I'll finish the weekend series tomorrow, as it is quite late and it takes a lot of time to assemble all the photos.
Since last weekend I've not had a great week because I've been suffering from abdominal pains most days. I think it is muscular - either caused by sleeping in a funny position, or maybe getting in and out of a sports car, although I didn't feel any discomfort at the time. However, it has meant that sitting upright has been painful most of the week, affecting my ability to do much, including work.
The pains were much better yesterday, although they have reared up again a bit today. I don't think there is anything to worry about, they really do just feel muscular, but I hope they clear up properly soon just to reassure me.
I get the results of my last scan on Tuesday, and if these pains haven't cleared up by then, I'll certainly mention it to my oncologist and see what she has to say.
Had a bit of a shock today when a pigeon flew straight into the [closed] lounge window. It seems to have survived because it flew off, but I bet it got a bit of a shock itself!
Very tired today, so off to bed now.
See you tomorrow!
C
Since last weekend I've not had a great week because I've been suffering from abdominal pains most days. I think it is muscular - either caused by sleeping in a funny position, or maybe getting in and out of a sports car, although I didn't feel any discomfort at the time. However, it has meant that sitting upright has been painful most of the week, affecting my ability to do much, including work.
The pains were much better yesterday, although they have reared up again a bit today. I don't think there is anything to worry about, they really do just feel muscular, but I hope they clear up properly soon just to reassure me.
I get the results of my last scan on Tuesday, and if these pains haven't cleared up by then, I'll certainly mention it to my oncologist and see what she has to say.
Had a bit of a shock today when a pigeon flew straight into the [closed] lounge window. It seems to have survived because it flew off, but I bet it got a bit of a shock itself!
Very tired today, so off to bed now.
See you tomorrow!
C
Saturday, 17 October 2009
AU55OME Weekend - Day 3
Day 3 started with lovely breakfast again, and the recollection of Vanda's drunken renaming of Pennyhill Park as "Benny Hill Park" as which it will now forever be known!
We checked out of the hotel today as we were staying with friends this night, so more fun ensued as we tried to get three of us plus three suitcases into the Aston (tiny back seats and because it is a convertible, tiny boot too!). Somehow we managed, and set off for Weybridge.
Time for a few more photos first though ...
Nice trip to Weybridge. Without incriminating myself in writing, it is incredible how, in theory, the Aston Martin DB9 accelerates from 100 to 125 just as quickly as it does from 0 to 60. Absolutely incredible. I just wish I'd tried it! ;) ...
Ali & Alan live beside the river in Weybridge ...
so the afternoon was spent taking a trip up the river to the pub for lunch in their lovely new boat ...
However, it was about now that the first seeds were planted for the evenings events ...
And once in the pub, the slippery slope continued ...
We got back from the pub about 3 o'clock, then we had to drop Colin #2 off at Weybridge station as he was heading back to York.
Back at Ali & Alan's, we prepared for a night out at another Michelin star restaurant (this time two stars!) in Newbury.
We were absolutely convinced that there was no chance of fitting four adults in the car, but after a few wines (not whines), the girls managed to somehow fit in the back - I still don't know how they did it! So after an hour in what must have been agony for the back-seat passengers, we arrived at the Vineyard in Stockcross for another very nice meal.
This time the tasting menu was only 8 courses, and I'm please to report that I managed them all. Apparently the chef had changed in the last two weeks, and although they are still allowed to remain a 2-star restuarant, I don't think the food was quite up to the standard of Friday's meal, although it was still delicious. This was the first 2-star restaurant I have tried and I wanted to see if I could tell the difference between a 1-star and a 2-star. Unfortunately I don't think this was a valid comparison, which means I'm going to have to try another 2 or 3-star at some point. Shame ...
Anyway, back to the story ... It should be known that Ali has a thresshold when it comes to wine. She is fine up to that thresshold, but beyond it she turns extremely quickly into a gibbering wreck (sorry Ali, but you know it's true! :). We nearly made it to the end of the meal, but not quite. All the preparation from earlier in the day kicked in and she tipped over the edge. For Ali's sake, I'll spare you the details in the restaurant, but we then moved into the lounge for coffee and petit fours. I know she's going to kill me, but I can't resist sharing with you the fact that Ali preferred to stick the petit fours to her face than to eat them ...
Sorry Ali, but it had to be done. So funny! Finally, heading home, Ali decided that her legs just wouldn't fit in the back anymore, so she spent the journey back to Weybridge with her legs over Alan's shoulders in the front seat!
We finally got home, and somehow managed to extract the girls from the back of the car. Just time for a quick nightcap ...
How nice it is to be the reformed drinker - you wouldn't catch me behaving like that! ;)
Last installment tomorrow if I get time ...
Cheers
C
We checked out of the hotel today as we were staying with friends this night, so more fun ensued as we tried to get three of us plus three suitcases into the Aston (tiny back seats and because it is a convertible, tiny boot too!). Somehow we managed, and set off for Weybridge.
Time for a few more photos first though ...
Nice trip to Weybridge. Without incriminating myself in writing, it is incredible how, in theory, the Aston Martin DB9 accelerates from 100 to 125 just as quickly as it does from 0 to 60. Absolutely incredible. I just wish I'd tried it! ;) ...
Ali & Alan live beside the river in Weybridge ...
so the afternoon was spent taking a trip up the river to the pub for lunch in their lovely new boat ...
However, it was about now that the first seeds were planted for the evenings events ...
And once in the pub, the slippery slope continued ...
We got back from the pub about 3 o'clock, then we had to drop Colin #2 off at Weybridge station as he was heading back to York.
Back at Ali & Alan's, we prepared for a night out at another Michelin star restaurant (this time two stars!) in Newbury.
We were absolutely convinced that there was no chance of fitting four adults in the car, but after a few wines (not whines), the girls managed to somehow fit in the back - I still don't know how they did it! So after an hour in what must have been agony for the back-seat passengers, we arrived at the Vineyard in Stockcross for another very nice meal.
This time the tasting menu was only 8 courses, and I'm please to report that I managed them all. Apparently the chef had changed in the last two weeks, and although they are still allowed to remain a 2-star restuarant, I don't think the food was quite up to the standard of Friday's meal, although it was still delicious. This was the first 2-star restaurant I have tried and I wanted to see if I could tell the difference between a 1-star and a 2-star. Unfortunately I don't think this was a valid comparison, which means I'm going to have to try another 2 or 3-star at some point. Shame ...
Anyway, back to the story ... It should be known that Ali has a thresshold when it comes to wine. She is fine up to that thresshold, but beyond it she turns extremely quickly into a gibbering wreck (sorry Ali, but you know it's true! :). We nearly made it to the end of the meal, but not quite. All the preparation from earlier in the day kicked in and she tipped over the edge. For Ali's sake, I'll spare you the details in the restaurant, but we then moved into the lounge for coffee and petit fours. I know she's going to kill me, but I can't resist sharing with you the fact that Ali preferred to stick the petit fours to her face than to eat them ...
Sorry Ali, but it had to be done. So funny! Finally, heading home, Ali decided that her legs just wouldn't fit in the back anymore, so she spent the journey back to Weybridge with her legs over Alan's shoulders in the front seat!
We finally got home, and somehow managed to extract the girls from the back of the car. Just time for a quick nightcap ...
How nice it is to be the reformed drinker - you wouldn't catch me behaving like that! ;)
Last installment tomorrow if I get time ...
Cheers
C
Friday, 16 October 2009
AU55OME Weekend - Day 2
Day 2 started with a bit of a rude awakening. The curtains at Pennyhill Are so substantial that when my alarm went off, I thought I had set it wrong and it was still the middle of the night - absolutely pitch black!
Once I got over the shock, we went over for a delicious 5* breakfast (they use all the best ingredients so everything is gorgeous!), including champagne for Vanda's birthday (not for me of course), then we saw Nova off back home on the train (unfortunately she could only stay for the one night). After that, Van went off to the SPA again, and Colin #2 and I took delivery of the hire car ...
As correctly guessed in the comments by someone (who I suspect might have been there), it is an Aston Martin DB9 Volante convertible. Colin and I took it (or should I say "her") out for a spin, and despite speed cameras and police speed traps, we managed to do slightly more than 70 on a few occasions. What a noise - gorgeous!
We got back to the hotel and visited the SPA again to calm down for a bit. After a bite of lunch, we went visiting some folks in Farnham and Worplesdon, which gave us an opportunity to test the 2 + 2 seating configuration of the Aston. I was somewhat nervous when I ordered it that it would be tight, but I hadn't realised it was only designed for two adults and two double leg amputees. We tried Vanda in the front first with Colin in the back, but this was somewhat ridiculous, so poor Vanda was consigned to the back for most of the rest of the weekend! We took Vanda to friends in Farnham to drop her off, and Colin took a bit of footage on his phone on the way:
Nailing it on the A331
Colin's head was above the line of the windscreen when the roof was down, and he had to duck down to breathe when we were nailing it!
While I mention that the roof was down, we were unbelievably lucky with the weather - it was actually warm, not just sunny, all day. Incredible for October and most welcome!
After dropping Vanda at Sue & Stuart's, Colin #2 and I headed off for Simon & Olivia's place in Worplesdon. They are restoring a lovely 16th century house. I don't envy them trying to fit modern wiring into a listed building part of which was built in 1504 - good luck!
It was great to see Olivia's limited edition Ferrari-red Fiat 500 too - very nice, and actually eclipsed the Aston for looks, although it couldn't compete on the sound!
By now I think we had annoyed most of Surrey by revving the Aston outside people's houses, but we couldn't resist hearing the exhaust burble and the tasty backfiring when the engine was cold - that's what a 6 litre V12 does (cover your ears environmentalists! Well at least I haven't got kids I suppose!)
After a couple of hours we went back to pick up Vanda, only to find that they had polished off three bottles of wine between them, so things were going downhill very fast! :)
Next it was off to Ade & Krish's, where all my Guildford friends had gathered for a bit of a do - about 25 of us in all I think, which was fantastic as I hadn't seen some of them for a long time. Thanks A&K for hosting, and thanks everybody else for coming - great to see you all! I can't remember exactly what Sam was chewing my ear off about, but I'm sure it was important! :)
A really nice evening all-in-all, and just enough time for a round of "bum or boobs" before setting off back to the hotel (aren't digital cameras great things!):
Most amusing part of the night was back at the hotel, and the first installment of "how to extract drunken girls from the back of an Aston Martin" - Parked outside the main entrance of a 5* hotel, with the doorman waiting to valet park the car, howling with laughter as Vanda failed miserably to extract herself from the tiny space in the back. I'm sure they've seen it all before ... unfortunately no pictures of this part of the weekend though :(
Best birthday card of the day for Vanda from Jean & Fred:
"Have you seen my designer sandals?"
"Cool, who designed them?"
"Phillipe Phillop"
Very good ...
That's all for Day 2 - more tomorrow!
C
Once I got over the shock, we went over for a delicious 5* breakfast (they use all the best ingredients so everything is gorgeous!), including champagne for Vanda's birthday (not for me of course), then we saw Nova off back home on the train (unfortunately she could only stay for the one night). After that, Van went off to the SPA again, and Colin #2 and I took delivery of the hire car ...
As correctly guessed in the comments by someone (who I suspect might have been there), it is an Aston Martin DB9 Volante convertible. Colin and I took it (or should I say "her") out for a spin, and despite speed cameras and police speed traps, we managed to do slightly more than 70 on a few occasions. What a noise - gorgeous!
We got back to the hotel and visited the SPA again to calm down for a bit. After a bite of lunch, we went visiting some folks in Farnham and Worplesdon, which gave us an opportunity to test the 2 + 2 seating configuration of the Aston. I was somewhat nervous when I ordered it that it would be tight, but I hadn't realised it was only designed for two adults and two double leg amputees. We tried Vanda in the front first with Colin in the back, but this was somewhat ridiculous, so poor Vanda was consigned to the back for most of the rest of the weekend! We took Vanda to friends in Farnham to drop her off, and Colin took a bit of footage on his phone on the way:
Nailing it on the A331
Colin's head was above the line of the windscreen when the roof was down, and he had to duck down to breathe when we were nailing it!
While I mention that the roof was down, we were unbelievably lucky with the weather - it was actually warm, not just sunny, all day. Incredible for October and most welcome!
After dropping Vanda at Sue & Stuart's, Colin #2 and I headed off for Simon & Olivia's place in Worplesdon. They are restoring a lovely 16th century house. I don't envy them trying to fit modern wiring into a listed building part of which was built in 1504 - good luck!
It was great to see Olivia's limited edition Ferrari-red Fiat 500 too - very nice, and actually eclipsed the Aston for looks, although it couldn't compete on the sound!
By now I think we had annoyed most of Surrey by revving the Aston outside people's houses, but we couldn't resist hearing the exhaust burble and the tasty backfiring when the engine was cold - that's what a 6 litre V12 does (cover your ears environmentalists! Well at least I haven't got kids I suppose!)
After a couple of hours we went back to pick up Vanda, only to find that they had polished off three bottles of wine between them, so things were going downhill very fast! :)
Next it was off to Ade & Krish's, where all my Guildford friends had gathered for a bit of a do - about 25 of us in all I think, which was fantastic as I hadn't seen some of them for a long time. Thanks A&K for hosting, and thanks everybody else for coming - great to see you all! I can't remember exactly what Sam was chewing my ear off about, but I'm sure it was important! :)
A really nice evening all-in-all, and just enough time for a round of "bum or boobs" before setting off back to the hotel (aren't digital cameras great things!):
Most amusing part of the night was back at the hotel, and the first installment of "how to extract drunken girls from the back of an Aston Martin" - Parked outside the main entrance of a 5* hotel, with the doorman waiting to valet park the car, howling with laughter as Vanda failed miserably to extract herself from the tiny space in the back. I'm sure they've seen it all before ... unfortunately no pictures of this part of the weekend though :(
Best birthday card of the day for Vanda from Jean & Fred:
"Have you seen my designer sandals?"
"Cool, who designed them?"
"Phillipe Phillop"
Very good ...
That's all for Day 2 - more tomorrow!
C
Thursday, 15 October 2009
AU55OME Weekend - Day 1
The weekend started at the Heli-Jet Aviation base at Leeds/Bradford Airport. A somewhat easier and less stressful environment than the airport itself - here's us in the waiting area, complete with cool dog!
The pilot simply asks "are you ready then?" and off we go - none of your messing around with security. So as you've probably guessed from the name of the place we are at, it's off to the helicopter for our trip down South ...
In case you're interested, its a Bell Longranger III by the way. We took off at our leisure, when it suited us and not before (my kind of travel! :) and passed over the runway at Leeds/Bradford. Air Traffic Control kindly kept a scheduled Jet2 airliner waiting on the ground until we'd passed. Again, the sort of treatment I am coming to expect in my 5* lifestyle (tee hee!)
We had a bit of a headwind due to bad weather in the South (for a change!), so our ground speed was only about 95mph. However, as we were flying as the crow flies, we still covered the distance quickly. We flew directly over such places as Sheffield, Chesterfield and Leicester on the way down (this is Sheffield) ...
One of the best views we had on the way down was flying directly over Silverstone at about 700ft (we stayed about this height all the way down, which was great for visibility) ...
The weather, which had been pretty clear all the way down, deteriorated a little around the M40 with a bit of rain, but it cleared up again before the end of the flight. We arrived at our destination after about 1 3/4 hours in the air. We were staying at the 5* Pennyhill Park hotel in Bagshot (some of my ex work colleagues will know this well), and we landed in the grounds, which was definitely the best way I have ever arrived at that hotel. Here's a pic of the hotel from above ...
You can see the helipad just by the rugby pitch. Why is there a rugby pitch at the hotel? Well this is where the England rugby team stay before any match at Twickenham and they use the pitch for training.
Here is a link to a video of us coming in to land:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaprnGgDD_U
When we landed, the hotel already had a golf cart waiting to take us to reception - nice touch!
Overall, an excellent experience and definitely the most convenient way to travel. Here's pictures of the excited passengers ...
Colin #1
Colin #2, who, it should be mentioned, is terrified of flying! (he did enjoy himself in the end!)
Vanda and Nova, doing what they do best :) ...
After arrival, we spent a few hours in the award-winning SPA, including the outdoor heated spa pool (43 degrees - lovely!) and the 11 different heat (and cold) rooms. I could easily spend all day there ...
Finally, we went off to dinner at the hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant, the Latymer, for their 11-course Tasting Menu. I was very nervous about this, due to my eating difficulties. Although the courses are very small, I was worried I'd only manage a few and I'd have to waste the rest of the experience. I managed the first seven savoury dishes, then had to leave the table for a lie down. However, I felt better in about half an hour, and made it back for the last two desserts, meaning I only missed two courses. I am very pleased with myself for that as the food was absolutely gorgeous. Here's a couple of the courses ...
This one is Grouse, with lots of other bits I can't remember off the top of my head
And this one is scallops - all absolutely gorgeous. If I had a Michelin-starred restaurant at the end of my road, I'd be in there every night!
So that's the end of Day 1 - Day 2 to follow tomorrow hopefully (if I get my act together!)
Cheers,
Cx
The pilot simply asks "are you ready then?" and off we go - none of your messing around with security. So as you've probably guessed from the name of the place we are at, it's off to the helicopter for our trip down South ...
In case you're interested, its a Bell Longranger III by the way. We took off at our leisure, when it suited us and not before (my kind of travel! :) and passed over the runway at Leeds/Bradford. Air Traffic Control kindly kept a scheduled Jet2 airliner waiting on the ground until we'd passed. Again, the sort of treatment I am coming to expect in my 5* lifestyle (tee hee!)
We had a bit of a headwind due to bad weather in the South (for a change!), so our ground speed was only about 95mph. However, as we were flying as the crow flies, we still covered the distance quickly. We flew directly over such places as Sheffield, Chesterfield and Leicester on the way down (this is Sheffield) ...
One of the best views we had on the way down was flying directly over Silverstone at about 700ft (we stayed about this height all the way down, which was great for visibility) ...
The weather, which had been pretty clear all the way down, deteriorated a little around the M40 with a bit of rain, but it cleared up again before the end of the flight. We arrived at our destination after about 1 3/4 hours in the air. We were staying at the 5* Pennyhill Park hotel in Bagshot (some of my ex work colleagues will know this well), and we landed in the grounds, which was definitely the best way I have ever arrived at that hotel. Here's a pic of the hotel from above ...
You can see the helipad just by the rugby pitch. Why is there a rugby pitch at the hotel? Well this is where the England rugby team stay before any match at Twickenham and they use the pitch for training.
Here is a link to a video of us coming in to land:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaprnGgDD_U
When we landed, the hotel already had a golf cart waiting to take us to reception - nice touch!
Overall, an excellent experience and definitely the most convenient way to travel. Here's pictures of the excited passengers ...
Colin #1
Colin #2, who, it should be mentioned, is terrified of flying! (he did enjoy himself in the end!)
Vanda and Nova, doing what they do best :) ...
After arrival, we spent a few hours in the award-winning SPA, including the outdoor heated spa pool (43 degrees - lovely!) and the 11 different heat (and cold) rooms. I could easily spend all day there ...
Finally, we went off to dinner at the hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant, the Latymer, for their 11-course Tasting Menu. I was very nervous about this, due to my eating difficulties. Although the courses are very small, I was worried I'd only manage a few and I'd have to waste the rest of the experience. I managed the first seven savoury dishes, then had to leave the table for a lie down. However, I felt better in about half an hour, and made it back for the last two desserts, meaning I only missed two courses. I am very pleased with myself for that as the food was absolutely gorgeous. Here's a couple of the courses ...
This one is Grouse, with lots of other bits I can't remember off the top of my head
And this one is scallops - all absolutely gorgeous. If I had a Michelin-starred restaurant at the end of my road, I'd be in there every night!
So that's the end of Day 1 - Day 2 to follow tomorrow hopefully (if I get my act together!)
Cheers,
Cx
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Tuesday 13th October 2009
What a weekend!
Everything came together 100% to plan, and delivered everything expected - certainly one of the best weekends of my life.
I'm gathering photos from various participants, and I will submit a post for each of the days once I get those through, so look out for a phototastic blogsperience to come!
Suffice to say I enjoyed myself thoroughly, and kept enough energy level etc to ensure I survived intact too.
Here's a sneak preview ...
You'll have to wait for the details, but now I have to start thinking how I'm going to top it ...
Cheers,
C x
Everything came together 100% to plan, and delivered everything expected - certainly one of the best weekends of my life.
I'm gathering photos from various participants, and I will submit a post for each of the days once I get those through, so look out for a phototastic blogsperience to come!
Suffice to say I enjoyed myself thoroughly, and kept enough energy level etc to ensure I survived intact too.
Here's a sneak preview ...
You'll have to wait for the details, but now I have to start thinking how I'm going to top it ...
Cheers,
C x
Sunday, 4 October 2009
Sunday 4th October 2009
Wow! It seems my future hairstyle is a popular subject!
Mohican seems to be the order of the day, but I think I will go for something that covers all of my head in the short term as we move towards Winter. Had the gig last night with the New Originals and the aircon was right above the stage so I had to do the second half in a woolly hat!
Gig was ok - crowd were a bit lifeless - we got a few of them going towards the end, but most of them just wanted to chat to each other - who knows why they bothered booking a band, a string quartet would have been more suitable! Anyway, against all the odds we were treated pretty well last night - I think the hotel has been taken over which would explain a lot.
I was really tired yesterday which didn't help. I had to have a quick sleep in my car just before we went on stage just to get the energy together to do it. I was ok in the first set, but struggled a bit with the second. It might have something to do with having a flu jab yesterday morning.
I don't know if I mentioned that before, but I asked my team about the SwineFlu vaccine and I have been advised just to have the normal flu jab for now, which I had yesterday. Not sure what will happen regarding the SwineFlu vaccine now. I meant to ask yesterday but forgot. I'll give it a while and ask my GP.
I've got a big weekend ahead next week. I'll let you know after it happens just in case anything goes wrong, but I'm desperately hoping my energy levels perk up a bit as I've got a lot planned. Look forward to plenty of pics if it all comes off!
Otherwise not a lot to report. Lost at chess AGAIN the other day. I need to get practicing I think - anyone know any good online chess games?
See you later!
Colin
Mohican seems to be the order of the day, but I think I will go for something that covers all of my head in the short term as we move towards Winter. Had the gig last night with the New Originals and the aircon was right above the stage so I had to do the second half in a woolly hat!
Gig was ok - crowd were a bit lifeless - we got a few of them going towards the end, but most of them just wanted to chat to each other - who knows why they bothered booking a band, a string quartet would have been more suitable! Anyway, against all the odds we were treated pretty well last night - I think the hotel has been taken over which would explain a lot.
I was really tired yesterday which didn't help. I had to have a quick sleep in my car just before we went on stage just to get the energy together to do it. I was ok in the first set, but struggled a bit with the second. It might have something to do with having a flu jab yesterday morning.
I don't know if I mentioned that before, but I asked my team about the SwineFlu vaccine and I have been advised just to have the normal flu jab for now, which I had yesterday. Not sure what will happen regarding the SwineFlu vaccine now. I meant to ask yesterday but forgot. I'll give it a while and ask my GP.
I've got a big weekend ahead next week. I'll let you know after it happens just in case anything goes wrong, but I'm desperately hoping my energy levels perk up a bit as I've got a lot planned. Look forward to plenty of pics if it all comes off!
Otherwise not a lot to report. Lost at chess AGAIN the other day. I need to get practicing I think - anyone know any good online chess games?
See you later!
Colin
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Thursday 1st October 2009
Blimey - October already!
This time last year I was lazing by a pool in 36 degrees in Dubai before hopping over to Cairo for a bit more lazing (oh, and some working of course! :). My last trip abroad actually - I came home specifically so that I could have my initial consultants appointment for my "swallowing problem". How things have changed since then!
Not to dwell on the past, today's big question is ....
Now that I've finished my chemo, my hair should start growing back soon. So, the question is ....
Grow it back or carry on as a baldy heed?
Votes on a postcard please ...
This time last year I was lazing by a pool in 36 degrees in Dubai before hopping over to Cairo for a bit more lazing (oh, and some working of course! :). My last trip abroad actually - I came home specifically so that I could have my initial consultants appointment for my "swallowing problem". How things have changed since then!
Not to dwell on the past, today's big question is ....
Now that I've finished my chemo, my hair should start growing back soon. So, the question is ....
Grow it back or carry on as a baldy heed?
Votes on a postcard please ...
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
Tuesday 29th September 2009
Happy birthdays Annie and David! Have a good one!
I guess the main news today is that I've finished my chemo treatment for the forseeable future and maybe for good. I've been at the hospital today for my post chemo CT scan which all went as per normal - pint of pernod-flavoured water, and injection of stuff to make me feel all warm inside (well, it's not designed for that purpose - that's just a pleasant side-effect of course!). For some reason I also had what I call the Tequila Slammer this time too. I've had 5 CT scans now and only had this for two of them. I had to swallow a fizzy powder, then wash it down with a shot of lemon juice which makes the powder fizz up. Apparently it is designed to inflate your stomach to get better results.
I don't expect the results of the scan until I see my oncologist again on the 20th October, although there is a chance she may phone me beforehand.
I also had my usual blood test while I was at the hospital, so I've got holes in both elbows at the moment. I need to get the results of that checked tomorrow, so they can let me know whether I am fit enough to have the flu jab which I have booked for Saturday morning.
I asked about the SwineFlu vaccine the other day, and at the moment they are just recommending the normal flu jab, although I am hearing more and more about the vaccination on the news. I think that people with cancer are one of the "at risk" cases who will get the first doses of the vaccine, although I haven't heard this confirmed recently - they usually just mention the pregnant when they talk about it - I'll have the flu jab (assuming I'm fit enough), then I will talk to my GP about the vaccine which they are now mentioning in the November timeframe.
Another friend had the SwineFlu recently, which brings the total up to three that I know of so far - all in different areas of the country. No-one too close to home so far though.
Unfortunately my Segway riding adventure I mentioned a while back was cancelled at the last minute. The company helpfully went bust on us. Really annoying as I was looking forward to it, but nothing we can do except go through the grief of trying to get a refund etc ... :(
Nothing special to look forward to this week, but the band (the New Originals, not The Distractions) have a gig on Saturday in Manchester. I'd like to say I'm looking forward to it, but it's at the 5* Lowry hotel in Manchester (where all the footballers stay) - we've played there quite a few times now and they treat "workers" like poo - they even expect us to pay for parking! Rather than being treated with respect like most places we play, this particular hotel seems to think we are something to be scraped off their shoe. Still, little do they know that their treatment of someone who they think is inconsequential, has led to me crossing them off my list of places to consider staying at any time in my "strictly 5*" future, so it goes to show that you should treat everybody with respect, not just those who you think are valuable to you!
Thanks to those who have listened to the songs we recorded (see last post below) - good feedback so far!
That's all for now. Hope you have a good week,
Col x
I guess the main news today is that I've finished my chemo treatment for the forseeable future and maybe for good. I've been at the hospital today for my post chemo CT scan which all went as per normal - pint of pernod-flavoured water, and injection of stuff to make me feel all warm inside (well, it's not designed for that purpose - that's just a pleasant side-effect of course!). For some reason I also had what I call the Tequila Slammer this time too. I've had 5 CT scans now and only had this for two of them. I had to swallow a fizzy powder, then wash it down with a shot of lemon juice which makes the powder fizz up. Apparently it is designed to inflate your stomach to get better results.
I don't expect the results of the scan until I see my oncologist again on the 20th October, although there is a chance she may phone me beforehand.
I also had my usual blood test while I was at the hospital, so I've got holes in both elbows at the moment. I need to get the results of that checked tomorrow, so they can let me know whether I am fit enough to have the flu jab which I have booked for Saturday morning.
I asked about the SwineFlu vaccine the other day, and at the moment they are just recommending the normal flu jab, although I am hearing more and more about the vaccination on the news. I think that people with cancer are one of the "at risk" cases who will get the first doses of the vaccine, although I haven't heard this confirmed recently - they usually just mention the pregnant when they talk about it - I'll have the flu jab (assuming I'm fit enough), then I will talk to my GP about the vaccine which they are now mentioning in the November timeframe.
Another friend had the SwineFlu recently, which brings the total up to three that I know of so far - all in different areas of the country. No-one too close to home so far though.
Unfortunately my Segway riding adventure I mentioned a while back was cancelled at the last minute. The company helpfully went bust on us. Really annoying as I was looking forward to it, but nothing we can do except go through the grief of trying to get a refund etc ... :(
Nothing special to look forward to this week, but the band (the New Originals, not The Distractions) have a gig on Saturday in Manchester. I'd like to say I'm looking forward to it, but it's at the 5* Lowry hotel in Manchester (where all the footballers stay) - we've played there quite a few times now and they treat "workers" like poo - they even expect us to pay for parking! Rather than being treated with respect like most places we play, this particular hotel seems to think we are something to be scraped off their shoe. Still, little do they know that their treatment of someone who they think is inconsequential, has led to me crossing them off my list of places to consider staying at any time in my "strictly 5*" future, so it goes to show that you should treat everybody with respect, not just those who you think are valuable to you!
Thanks to those who have listened to the songs we recorded (see last post below) - good feedback so far!
That's all for now. Hope you have a good week,
Col x
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Wednesday 23rd September 2009
Chemo Cycle 4 Day 16
Just a quick one today. I've uploaded some recordings the band (newly named "The Distractions") did the other day in case you want a listen.
They're on MySpace for the moment. I'm not sure if they are allowed to be on there as they are cover versions, so they might disappear, but take a listen if you like:
http://www.myspace.com/thedistractionsbanduk
Enjoy!
C x
Just a quick one today. I've uploaded some recordings the band (newly named "The Distractions") did the other day in case you want a listen.
They're on MySpace for the moment. I'm not sure if they are allowed to be on there as they are cover versions, so they might disappear, but take a listen if you like:
http://www.myspace.com/thedistractionsbanduk
Enjoy!
C x
Sunday, 20 September 2009
Sunday 20th September 2009
Chemo Cycle 4 Day 14
A bit brighter today, both outside and within myself. Gradually regaining some energy after the "down" week.
Managed to go out for lunch yesterday which was a nice change, and managed to eat a reasonable amount without overdoing it and being sick which was also a benefit.
Now that I've got over the slump week, things should be generally upward for a while. It will definitely be interesting to see how things go after this week, with the end of the chemo - into new territory for a while!
Hi to Jeff who posted a comment during the week - how's things? As regular readers will know, this blog seems to be bringing a lot of people out of the woodwork - I last saw/heard from Jeff probably in 1987 when I moved back up North from Guildford. Part of the legendary "Holy Durex!", here taking Guildford Civic Hall by storm back in '86 (Jeff is dressed as Madonna for this one - I think your finest look!) ...
Great to hear from Gill too, from the same era, who contacted me out of the blue recently - things seem to be going well for you - I was thinking of you today whilst watching a bit of the Great North Run coming into South Shields!
Yes, definitely feeling brighter today - even losing to Chelsea, after a shocking mistake by the referee to deny us a penalty altered the course of the game, can't dampen my spirits. I guess I wasn't expecting much from the Chelsea or United games, so hopefully we can pick things up again over the next few matches.
I've been researching a few things to do over the last few days. I haven't made any committments to anything yet, we'll see how the energy goes, but I did find the offer of a trip to the North Pole! You fly to Svalbard (island north of Norway), then get a helicopter up to the Pole. You get an hour or so to run "round the world" then you come back. It's a pointless three-day trip which somehow piqued my interest! I'm sure I'm just humouring myself - probably a bit too much like hard work, especially with the food situation, but I reckon it would be a good laff! One of my best trips in the past was up into the Arctic Circle in Northern Finland, where we ate a lot of reindeer and saw the Northern Lights (I think I mentioned that before - never mind), and I'd love to go back.
I'm really in two minds about travelling again though. I have the opportunity to go to Stockholm and Hamburg in December, both places I have been before and really like, but I'm just not sure I can handle the work when I'm there. This would involve standing on an exhibition booth and walking around large conference centres (no electric scooter for me there!). I'm forever in two minds - half of me wants to just go for it and grin and bear it - I'm good at getting on with things when I put my mind to it - the other half is asking me why I want to put myself through it, when I don't have to. I guess the next few weeks chemo-free will give me my answer. Would need to renew my passport though, and that would mean looking like Kif on my passport photo for the rest of my life! :)
Anyway, enough rambling for now
Col x
A bit brighter today, both outside and within myself. Gradually regaining some energy after the "down" week.
Managed to go out for lunch yesterday which was a nice change, and managed to eat a reasonable amount without overdoing it and being sick which was also a benefit.
Now that I've got over the slump week, things should be generally upward for a while. It will definitely be interesting to see how things go after this week, with the end of the chemo - into new territory for a while!
Hi to Jeff who posted a comment during the week - how's things? As regular readers will know, this blog seems to be bringing a lot of people out of the woodwork - I last saw/heard from Jeff probably in 1987 when I moved back up North from Guildford. Part of the legendary "Holy Durex!", here taking Guildford Civic Hall by storm back in '86 (Jeff is dressed as Madonna for this one - I think your finest look!) ...
Great to hear from Gill too, from the same era, who contacted me out of the blue recently - things seem to be going well for you - I was thinking of you today whilst watching a bit of the Great North Run coming into South Shields!
Yes, definitely feeling brighter today - even losing to Chelsea, after a shocking mistake by the referee to deny us a penalty altered the course of the game, can't dampen my spirits. I guess I wasn't expecting much from the Chelsea or United games, so hopefully we can pick things up again over the next few matches.
I've been researching a few things to do over the last few days. I haven't made any committments to anything yet, we'll see how the energy goes, but I did find the offer of a trip to the North Pole! You fly to Svalbard (island north of Norway), then get a helicopter up to the Pole. You get an hour or so to run "round the world" then you come back. It's a pointless three-day trip which somehow piqued my interest! I'm sure I'm just humouring myself - probably a bit too much like hard work, especially with the food situation, but I reckon it would be a good laff! One of my best trips in the past was up into the Arctic Circle in Northern Finland, where we ate a lot of reindeer and saw the Northern Lights (I think I mentioned that before - never mind), and I'd love to go back.
I'm really in two minds about travelling again though. I have the opportunity to go to Stockholm and Hamburg in December, both places I have been before and really like, but I'm just not sure I can handle the work when I'm there. This would involve standing on an exhibition booth and walking around large conference centres (no electric scooter for me there!). I'm forever in two minds - half of me wants to just go for it and grin and bear it - I'm good at getting on with things when I put my mind to it - the other half is asking me why I want to put myself through it, when I don't have to. I guess the next few weeks chemo-free will give me my answer. Would need to renew my passport though, and that would mean looking like Kif on my passport photo for the rest of my life! :)
Anyway, enough rambling for now
Col x
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