Days239 and 240

The overnight sleep patterns remain as erratic as ever. Sunday night into Monday Morning saw me get up at 2.20 with a mouthful of acid and coughing. When this does happen all I can do is sit up, sip water and wait for it to clear. On this occasion I was able to go back to bed an hour later. In contrast last night I had an uninterrupted sleep.

The weather continues to have an impact on what we do. We had originally intended to travel and see our friend Amanda who lives in the village of Shobdon in rural Herefordshire. The plan was that we would stay the night. However with bad snow forecast we decided to make it a day trip instead. It was nice to see her for the first time in over 3 years. The poor woman has had problems this Christmas with burst pipes.

In the event it was as well we came home on Monday Night because Ev has not been well. She has had some nasty swollen glands in her neck. She has had a quiet day and hopefully will be okay for the New Year.

As I type this Christopher is due to collect Jack and Lucy who live in West Yorkshire tomorrow. The forecast however is dire with snow falling across the whole of Northern England. We shall see how that works out in practice.

Personally my health has been okay over the last week. Let's hope this continues into the new year.

Days 234 to 238

I am typing this in North Wales during a very pleasant stay where we are relaxed and enjoying ourselves. Yet it almost didn't happen. On Day 234 it had been raining. There is of course nothing wrong with that except that the temperature waselow freezing. On my way to get the Turkey my normal route was blocked by a bus that had skidded on black ice. Fortunately I found another route and was able to do the business. When I got back I was filled with too much confidence and set about walking to the paper shop. This seemed a good idea at the time because a number of cars had skidded on the ice. Sadly I slipped and fell heavily landing on my hip. The only things I got were an internal bruise and hurt pride but not necessarily in that order.

We also discovered a downside of living on an Island with no fixed link. The news was filled with bulletins of roads closed due to ice and snow. We might well have put off our travel for 24 hours but we had already booked on the ferry leaving at 10 and there was no guarantee we could get another booking in time for us to make it for Christmas. In the event we missed the road closures. What we hadn't bargained for though was that a lot of people had put off their journeys because of poor weather earlier in the week and the whole world seemed to be on the move. It took us 6 and a half hours from Portsmouth to do a trip that normally takes 4.

We did however benefit from being at our destination at the start of Christmas Eve. The weather in Scotland was much worse than in England which meant that Gillian's parents Ian and Lorna had had to put off their travel until 24 December. They arrived shortly after 4.00PM. We were able to carry on one tradition in the Nove household namely listening to the Festival of nine lessons and carols from King's College Cambridge. This starts at 3.00 and for Ev and I Christmas starts with the sound of the Chorister singing the first verse of Once in Royal David's City.

Harry is 2 years old and of course Christmas Day saw some great presents for him. At that age he hasn't quite grasped the fact that some presents were not for him but despite that he has had a great time. His speech is coming along very well.

Given what has happened to me in 2009 this Christmas was something really special. We drank a toast amongst others to Mr. Byrne who not only operated on me in August but who did the dilatation which enabled me to have some Christmas Dinner. Thanks to Skype we could see as well as talk to Andrea and the Boyce Family. It was a great day.

St. Stephen's or Boxing Day was another good time for one and all. As I am off alcahol at the moment(I have enough acid problems as it is thank you) I offered to drive Christopher and Ian to a local pub to watch Newcsatle United play very badly and get away with a draw. Unlike some Football Fans for whom the game is a matter of life and death we just came back, had a wonderful Eveving meal and played a very clever card game.

As I type this we are waiting for some visitors to come and the weather is starting to improve. As far as sleeping is concerned, so far I have had 2 good nights and 2 not so good ones. I have however got to the point where I just take each night as it comes. Morale is high right now. It's also nice to see Ev able to relax though as those of you who know her can testify she never sits still for long.

Thanks to Christopher and Gillian for allowing us to spend Christmas with them.

Day 233

Today has been somewhat manic mostly it must be said for Ev. There has been packing to do because we are heading to Christopher and Gillian's in North Wales for both Christmas and New Year. There's been some presents still to wrap. Ev and Andrea braved the traffic and shops in Newport(chief town here on the Island). Because we are not going to be at home this time, we had a pre Christmas afternoon and evening at Andrea and Martin's. This was followed by a carol service at their and Ev's church. It's always great to sing the carols and proceedings were enlivened by a sketch with an alternative take on the Nativity. It was very funny.

The benefits of the gullet stretch became evident today as I was able to tuck into some nibbles which previously would have been out of the question. As I have mentioned before I still have to watch it because the smaller stomach equals smaller amounts to eat at one time but believe me this is real progress.

Tomorrow for me starts early. We are buying the Turkey for Christmas Day and taking it with us to Wales. This means driving to Newport very early in the morning to collect said bird. We are booked on the 10.00AM ferry. How long our journey will take is any one's guess. It is by UK standards very cold and with the possibility of freezing fog and snow showers anything is possible. Having said that it is just as likely we shall get through no problem at all. Gillian's parents are travelling from Scotland. Their normal route is partly blocked by snow. We wish them a safe journey.

Though I am sure I can use their PC to keep my blog up to date, I can't promise a daily entry. Thus in case I don't get the chance a Happy Christmas to one and all.

Day 232

As promised on Saturday's blog I put down some thoughts on the NHS.

Quite what persuaded Jan a nursing assistant to take my pulse on the afternoon of 8 August I'll never know. Afterwards she said I looked a bit funny. She noted that it was all wrong and the next thing I knew I was in bed with various Doctors doing various things to bring my heart rate down. I am still not sure if it was a heart attack or not. Jan is one of those unsung heroes. When I call her old fashioned I mean by that someone who knows how to approach each patient. All are treated equally. Her skills in doing dressings etc. is superb. The other thing I noticed was her eyes are every where. If she sees anything on the floor or a bed that shouldn't be there she does something about it. I recall on the following Saturday she had started at 8.00AM. Apart from a 30 minute Lunch Break she never stopped until after 6.00PM. You wonder working so many hours how effective staff can be. I'm not saying any of the others are bad but Jan is someone special.

The next person in the role of honour is a nurse called Allan. A very quietly spoken man he is very attentive and clearly has the confidence of the Doctors. Being very methodical, you knew he would get to you in due course. Watching him at work, I was very mindful not to press the buzzer. Allan's tone was exemplary.

I don't know the Sister in charge of the High Dependency Unit at Southampton. She runs a very tight ship. We were told that at one management meeting when targets were being discussed she had said you can deal with targets my job is to look after my patients.

Dr.Judith Cave is an Oncologist. She is based in Southampton but once a week does a clinic on the Island. She brings her bike on to the ferry and then cycles about 6 miles to the Hospital. Words like honesty and integrity come to mind. Judith has a refreshing habit of speaking in plain English. She does not dodge awkward questions. When she promises to do something that something happens.

I have mentioned Joya Morris a lot in these blogs. Though not strictly front line she acts as liaison between patient and the medical staff. She told me she gets 100 referrals a year. Apart from that she does home visits, runs a support group and has also attended funerals for those patients who sadly have not made it. Such people should be treasured. I remain fearful that if cuts are to happen in the NHS her post might be vulnerable which would be a disgrace.

Who else? Well I must not forget Mr. Byrne who did both the long and complicated operation and the recent dilatation. Without his skill I wouldn't be here. I must also thank the Chemotherapy Staff at the Hospital on the Island plus the marvellous District Nurses. In a way it's sad that I feel the need to comment when people turn up at the times promised and have all the correct information and equipment with them.

My experience therefore once I got past the initial stages of the NHS has been good. For the most part staff cope very well in my experience with often very demanding patients. However no offence to anyone but I hope I can keep clear of Hospitals until my next check up in March.

Day 231

The freezing weather continues though here in the Deep South we have not as yet had any snow. News from further North however is very different.

The difference between now and last Tuesday when I had the "procedure" is quite extraordinary. I wouldn't say I am eating normally as I was before the Summer but you have no idea how great it is to have some food that does not immediately stick in the gullet. I feel almost liberated.

Ev took part in her church group's telling of the story of the nativity. It was well done with some good and varied music. Grand Daughter Emily also took part and all due bias noted was excellent. In many ways the star of the show was a young boy who never mind the choreography did his own thing on stage. The magic of Christmas indeed.

Day 230

As we head towards Christmas and the end of the year I thought I would write down some thoughts about these last few months. I hope you can forgive me a little bit of indulgence this frosty morning.

Throughout the year both Ev and I have been sustained by the cards, e mails, phone calls and other messages of support. There is a presenter at Radio Humberside Steve Massam who observed that the only plus side of a serious illness is that it tends to bring relatives and friends closer together. Steve aside from his excellent professionalism is a real Gent. In wishing all readers a Happy Christmas I would like to thank all of you. In my life I have gone through many periods of self doubt but the level of support I have received makes me think that somewhere along the way I must have done something right.

One of my constant thoughts is that until anyone is faced with a potential personal crisis none of us knows how we shall react. Throughout my life I have tended to shy away from confrontation. That in some ways is fine but it can result in my failure to make my feelings known. This is bad not only for my health but also for others around me. Thus when we were given the news that I had cancer my initial reaction was oh okay. On the drive home in the car I remember saying to Ev that I would believe I would get better unless and until someone told me different. I went on to say that if the news was all bad we would deal with it at that point. The first time I cried was when I had to tell Andrea the news.

I would not regard myself as an expert on illnesses of this nature but I did firmly believe that I wanted people to know and that it was important to say how I was feeling.It was with this in mind that Ev suggested I start this blog. Apart from being very therapeutic, it also has the merit of letting you all know how things are. When I have heard of folk being poorly I have often wondered should I ring or not. At least this way you know the state of play.

This may come as a surprise to some but I have never regarded myself as being mentally tough. Yet I do remember the Anesthetist at Southampton Hospital just before the operation telling me that was what I would need. Looking back I guess I have just got on with it. Mind you without Ev I don't know how I would have coped. She has been patient, encouraging and full of helpful suggestions. As I have remarked before in many ways it is easier for the patient than the carer.

Other funny things come back to me. During my stay in Hospital they gave me some morphine to take to ease the pain. The effect on me was to hear voices. I vividly recall sitting in a chair with my eyes closed(not asleep) and imagining someone was giving me a glass of milk. I moved my hand out to take what turned out to be a non existent glass. This was very unnerving and I can see how people can get hooked on drugs. The other memory was a student nurse trying to disentangle various wires hooked up to drips etc. so that I could change gowns. We did a kind of weird dance. I reflected that outside of Hospital such behaviour would probably have had me arrested.

You may well have noticed if you have been reading these blogs is what I see as the importance of setting goals or if you prefer something you can look forward to(Mr. Addison my English Teacher will be turning in his grave at my ending a sentence with a preposition). For a start living on the Island is good in that we can see Andrea and her family regularly but Christopher and his family live a long way away. Including the ferry you are looking at the better side of 6 hours and that assumes there are no hold ups on the way. So number one target was to get well enough to go and see Christopher, Gillian, Jack, Lucy and Harry. That was a magic weekend in November. There was also our annual visit with friends to the RSC and of course Angel Radio.

For 2010, number one is to continue to get better. Number two is to take the cruise to the North Cape on the Queen Mary 2 in June. Number three is to enjoy life which is very precious. No doubt other things will come along.

I also wanted on this blog to reflect a little on my experiences with the NHS but that will do for another day. Thank you for your patience in reading this.

Day 229

This morning the acid in the mouth didn't wake me up until 630. Rather than disturb Ev I decided to get up and sit in a chair with a glass of water until the nasty taste went away.

This morning (for the benefit of readers away from the UK shores) a bit of History was made with the retirement from his Breakfast Show of Sir Terry Wogan. The guy has with a break of 10 years been doing the business since 1973. I indulged myself by listening to the last show. To add to this, my brother Charles was reading the news on the show. Wogan had invited him and the other members of the crew to Lunch, which was still going strong at 5.00PM.

I resolve not to go on too much about food except to say that with my Soup I tried a slice of toast at Lunch and this evening I had some slices of Pizza. The "procedure" has made a huge difference. There is still a tendency to be constipated but I am sure that can be rectified.

It was very nice in the hurly burly in the run up to Christmas to have a couple of quiet hours this afternoon. The next few days are going to be very hectic.

From time to time I have written about the ferry services and the difficulties when the Companies have no spare capacity. I heard tell of someone today who had booked on the 1030 sailing to the Mainland. This was cancelled. He was not able to get off the Island until the 12.00 sailing. He had a 100 mile plus journey to do as well. We hope the service will be fully functional when we next use it on Wednesday. The worst of it is these Companies are accountable to nobody.

Day 228

Things didn't start too well today. I woke up at about 630 this morning with a mouthful of acid and an accompanying cough. For the first time in a few days it was bad enough to make me get up and go and sit in an easy chair. Reflecting on causes we both felt this was due to me having my evening meal after 8.00 last night. That was due to circumstances beyond my control. Thus folks it looks like I am becoming one of those people who needs to eat early.

I had a good show on the Radio today. My guest had a fascinating story to tell and I hoped I helped her. She told me she had enjoyed the interview. It was nice as well to be able to play some Christmas Music.

The really good news of today though is that I was able to eat some Fish and Chips. Our local shop serves what it calls Light Bites which is a fancy name for half portions. I am here to report that not only were they delicious but I ate them all up. I could not have seen me doing that a week ago. Though the food does not stick, I still have to be careful because my stomach has shrunk. It's very easy to eat too much and I therefore need to gauge how much food intake to have at one go. However it's looking good for Christmas.

Ev is still far from 100% but she is hopefully going to be able to shake off her nasty cold before Christmas.

Onward and upward.

Day 227

The big question of today was whether the "procedure" would make a difference. I did wake up once in the night coughing a bit but in fact had a good night's rest not waking up until after 830.

As far as eating is concerned, I tried a piece of tosat this morning. It was fine. I had quite a big Lunch(well by my standards anyway) and some cream of celery soup for tea. The big difference that I noticed was when I had water with what I was eating. Up until today, when I felt food sticking in the gullet all that happened when I tried some water was that it sat on top of the stuck food. Today on two or three occasions when I felt food sticking the water actually helped to digest what I had been eating. However I do have to remember that my stomach is now smaller and whether anything sticks or not I need to eat relatively small portions but more regularly. The only other problem I still have is constipation but I remain confident that will be okay. The words I would use are cautious optimism.

I did my Hospital Radio Show today. That gave me a chance to play my favourite for the festive season A Christmas Song by Shawn Phillips.

Outside it is certainly getting colder though this evening here in the deep South we got rain rather than snow some parts of the Country experienced.

Day 226

We duly went to Southampton General Hospital. I had what is known in medical terms as a dilatation. The process was that initially the Consultant who operated on me in the Summer did a Gastroscopy to check that a dilatation was needed. This involved him sticking a small camera down the back of my throat. Having satisfied himself it was right, he then removed said camera and then set about widening the gullet. The whole process I am told took around 40 minutes.

I say I am told because they sedated me so I knew nothing of what was going on. In view of past problems with Endoscopy Units, I on my way to the Hospital resolved to go along with what ever was suggested. Bless then they apologised to me and said they recommended sedation where a dilatation was involved. I kept a straight face and said I was happy to go along with what was suggested. As a result I was blissfully unaware of what they did to me. Certainly a good job was done because I felt no after effects. In fact the only blot on their record was that the Nurse hadn't put the Cannula in properly so it had to be redone in the operating room. We were told that it was quite likely further such procedures would be needed one as early as 6 weeks ahead. We shall see.

They told me to take it easy as far as food is concerned for the next couple of days. I had some fish in sauce for tea tonight and coped with that very well. It is too early yet to form a judgement on whether this has made any difference or not.

Having gone straight in to the preparation area to get ready for the"procedure", I left Ev at 10.00. It was after 130 when I was reunited with her. This was partly due to the fact that I had had to wait my turn to go to the operating room. This didn't in fact happen until after 11. I was left to sleep the effects off until about 1.00. I was then given tea and a biscuit. Unfortunately Ev at 1215 was told that I should be out in 15 minutes. Consequently she missed Lunch and had to eat a sandwich almost on the run and we headed back to the ferry.

Strange world continued when we saw this taxi outside but we couldn't get in it without going back into the Hospital and making a free phone call to the Company to book it. We don't half have some weird laws in this country.

We got home shortly after 4.00 after crawling home through heavy traffic between Cowes and Ryde(14 miles in 40 minutes).

I'll report on progress on the next few blog entries.

Day 225

Definitely winter draws on. Now for any readers in North America this statement might seem somewhat ridiculous. We are talking here of daytime temperatures of around 4 degrees Celsius or 39 degrees in old money. It just feels cold and I suspect many will know the feeling of once you get cold it's difficult to get warm.

I went to bed early last night. The only problem with this is that you wake up early. Fortunately the acid and coughing weren't too bad so when I did get up I didn't feel too shattered. Ev's heavy cold still was much in evidence but it was not as bad as yesterday. She remains confident that she can come with me to Hospital in the morning.

Today we had the pleasure of Emily and Adam's company. They were both very good. To help augment their Lunch, I drove to Tesco. Bearing in mind there is still over a week to go until the big day, the queues at the tills were something else. To do this sort of shop, you need shin pads plus wing mirrors on the trolleys not to mention a one way system for the aisles. Still at least we are not due to fly British Airways at Christmas. If the strike goes ahead apparently BA won't offer refunds on the grounds that it is the Union who is responsible for no flights and not the Company. That could form the basis of an interesting legal challenge.

I must away to bed now as it is a big day tomorrow. Watch this space.

day 224

Well last night I had the best sleep in ages. I woke up once but that was to go to the bathroom. There does not seem any pattern to this. However it does make me appreciate the better nights when they do happen.

Whisper it not too loud but swallowing seems to be getting a little better. I still have to eat small amounts at one go but I am finding it a little easier to have snacks as well. I still find I get tired quite easily but I suppose this is only to be expected.

Ev is still far from well but bravely has been wrapping presents today. We are both hoping she will be better by Tuesday so we can both go to the Hospital. More on that tomorrow.

Day 223

Saturday was so good a day health wise for me that I have delayed posting until early Sunday Morning. From a health point of view the same alas could not be said of EV who has a nasty chesty sounding cough. Past experience has shown that the best cure for that is to inhale a load of steam. This literally brings tears to your eyes.

I went up into Town yesterday. It is a good idea to use the over 60s Bus Pass whilst it still exists. All the talk about Budget Deficits suggests that whoever wins the election will either abolish or severely curtail it. We are also quite lucky here on the Island in actually having a 7 days a week Bus Service.

In the evening I went to a presentation by members of the local Methodist Church. The first half was a very light hearted look at some of the Christmas Traditions including a potted version of Snow White. The Methodist Minister made a splendid Pantomime Villain. The second half told aspects of the Christmas Story. The whole thing was a pleasant evening.

On a very positive note I have been to two events on successive evenings and have been able to control my coughing. I approach Tuesday's Hospital Visit in a much more positive frame of mind.

Day 222

Last night was yet another poor one from the sleep point of view. What is particularly annoying is that during the day time the cough is so much better. I went downstairs into our sitting room and was able to have 2 hours of disturbed sleep whilst sat up in a chair. This is not satisfactory. Let's hope the "procedure" on Tuesday will help.

Today was really the first really cold one of the Winter. Unlike other parts of the country we didn't have fog but there was a definite chill in the air. This evening we went to a classical music concert given by some professional musicians under the Direction of Richard Studt who was born on the Island. All was not note perfect but it was worth going. Mr. Studt played the solo part of Lark Rise Ascending beautifully. And I didn't cough at all during the concert.

It's been not been a bad day health wise. I have much to be thankful for.

day 221

Apologies for not posting last night. There was nothing wrong other than I was very tired. This was mainly due to me waking up in the middle of the night swallowing some acid. It tasted foul and of course brought on the dreaded cough.

Mind you I have no cause to complain. I got word that an ex Colleague of mine who had contracted the same type of cancer as me has died. Evidently the cancer had spread so there was little the Doctors could do. The fact that I am still here and that the medical team think I can be helped with what sounds like a straight forward procedure shows that in lots of ways I am lucky.

On my Radio Show, Joya was the guest. She spoke with great conviction about the work she does. Mercifully she was free of jargon.

As to the Telly last night, Question Time was devoted to Afghanistan. The programme was so riveting that I fell asleep after about 10 minutes. It's not that I don't care more that the same arguments were being trotted out. Later on having woken up I did see a discussion about climate change that was well different.

day 220

Last night I had one of my best sleeps for some time, a fact for which both Ev and I were most grateful. Today was weigh day and I find I have lost one pound and now tip the scales at 13 stone 10 pounds. I have not heard from the Hospital so I assume the vitamin deficiency tests came out okay.

We went to see Adam in the school Christmas presentation of Sleeping Beauty. It was good fun. I presented my Hospital Radio Show today without any hitches. I am looking forward to Angel Radio tomorrow when the splendid Joya will be my guest.

Day 219

Thankfully it was a much quieter day. Having said that it was still a busy one. Ev has been writing Christmas Cards. We posted most of them today including ones for Overseas which we hope will arrive on time.

My studio guest was fascinating today. I learned a lot about East Cowes. Listeners always like finding out about the history of the Island. I hope to invite David Burdett will be back in the Spring.

I was able to eat a reasonable amount at Dinner today. Everything now looks to be on hold until next Tuesday.

Days 216 to 218

We are back from London. Normally I would do this journal in date sequence but today was an important one.

When we got back there was a letter from the Hospital in Southampton which suggested I was going to have another Endoscopy and nothing else. As we were due to see the Oncologist Judith Cave today we took the letter with us. We were delighted to see that whilst she was reading the letter she was as puzzled as we were. With help from Joya we worked out that what would happen was that the Endoscopy would be accompanied by a Dilatation. This will involve a widening of what I call the feeding tube. I should within 48 hours be able to swallow much better. This means whisper it not too loud that I may well be able to join in Christmas Dinner. The "procedure" can be done with me as a day patient.

I described how I was feeling to Judith. She looked at the notes and also checked chest, pulse and heart rate. Her view was that all the problems I have currently got are related. Because I am not eating proper meals I am frequently getting constipated. Because I am constipated I am passing a lot of wind. Because of wind there is a build up of acid. Because of acid I am coughing a lot. Because I am coughing a lot(particularly at night time) that is causing problems with the feeding area. The feeding area is narrowed anyway by scar tissue In short this is one giant circle.

Judith was concerned about my weight loss and possible vitamin deficiencies. I was sent for a test. This is one of those no news is good news stories in that if anything untoward is found I shall get a phone call. I suspect that were it not for next week's "procedure" I would be prescribed some supplements.

It wasn't the best of days because one of Judith's colleagues was off sick so she was having to run two clinics. As a result we were seen an hour later than advertised. However at the end of it all there is nothing wrong with me that can't be cured.

Going back to the weekend, we had a nice time in London. We saw my brother and sister in law Charles and Jess plus my ex sister in law Anne and her partner Gerry. We went into the West End to see the 39 Steps which was very funny and well worth going to see. The only down side of that was on the same day there was a big climate change demo in London. Piccadilly Circus Station was packed and the system couldn't cope. There was a crush and being London of course nobody gave way. Police and London Underground stayed the escalator side of the barriers instead of marshaling the queues. Thank goodness we don't have to put up with that every day.

Hopefully tomorrow will be uneventful. On Angel Radio my guest is going to be talking about the 150th anniversary of the floating bridge linking West and East Cowes.

Day 215

The Christmas Lunch with the support group went well. First of all when we arrived we were given little cards not only with our names on but what we had ordered as well. This was just as well because I for one couldn't remember what I had chosen. It was a nice touch by Joya and her team of helpers. We had two courses there first being fish pie with pureed carrot and broccoli. It tasted very nice but the potato topping was very dry. I was able to eat about 75% of what was on my plate. This was followed by some plain vanilla ice cream. The Restaurant in Bembridge had a very nice atmosphere. Many people there had the same sort of eating problems, which is important in helping me realise I am not alone.

Joya asked us if we had heard from Southampton and we said no. As is with the way when we got home we had an e mail saying that Mr. Byrne wanted to do an Endoscopy himself on 15 December. What will happen after that we know not but at least whatever takes place will be in Southampton.

We are going to London for a couple of days so my next blog entry will be on Monday when I shall be able to report on my visit to the Oncologist.

Day 214

Continuing on a down beat, last night was the worst in terms of me waking up coughing in a while. The problem is when that happens neither of us gets much rest. There is no way of knowing whether the coughing problem is related to my very recent eating difficulty. It may be or it may not. As mentioned yesterday, I am due to see the Oncologist very shortly and hopefully get some questions answered. I don't want to bore you too much with news about food but I have had two lots of soup today one of them being Campbell's Condensed Mushroom. This went down okay but I can't permanently manage on that. Tomorrow is the Christmas Lunch for the Upper GI Patients support group to which we are both invited. Joya has organised this and apparently the Restaurant know all about small portions, which may well suit the patients but perhaps not the carers. I shall report on that tomorrow. I forgot to mention by the way yesterday that my weight at 13 stone 11 pounds(193 pounds) is unchanged from last week.

Today otherwise has been fine. I got a very nice text from my Grand Daughter Lucy at Lunchtime. She tells me she is looking forward to seeing us at New Year. Certainly when I spoke to her she sounded in good form.

The Radio Show was very enjoyable. I had a good guest who once again had a good story to tell.

Hopefully tonight will be a little less fraught.

Day 213

Not such a good day on the eating front I am afraid. I struggled with all meals today including Corn Flakes, soft boiled eggs and small pasta in cheese sauce. It does worry me somewhat that up until now I have coped with these no problem. We haven't heard anymore from the Hospital but we are due to see the Oncologist in 5 days time. It would be nice to know what if anything they intend to do and when they intend doing it.

A large chunk of my morning was taken up with a telephone questionnaire. We had received calls from a market research company claiming to be acting on behalf of the Isle of Wight Council. A phone call to the Council established that the company was on the level. Thus someone had arranged to ring me at 9.00 this morning but guess what they hadn't. I decided to ring the Council to say I was not happy. You will not be surprised to know that I got a call and an apology within 30 minutes. Most of the questions were about how highly or otherwise I rated the Council's Services. The one problem area came with questions about priorities with Council Spending. I reeled off Social Services, Education, Refuse Collection, Road Maintenance and Public Transport as the 5 main priority areas as I see them. Nothing however is that simple because they want to know if I think they should prioritise care for the elderly over care for Disabled Children. You could I suppose argue that the Council is seeking our views. My contention is that they are trying to duck their responsibilities by claiming cuts in some aspects of Council Activity are as a result of majority opinions expressed in a survey. You will not be amazed to hear I refused to answer these questions. Just because you are in a minority does not mean you are necessarily wrong.

The Monsoon rains continue. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day all round.

day 212

The Radio Show went really well. Guests were interesting with a good story to tell. I made one of them's day by playing the first record he ever bought.....the ballad of Davy Crockett. Hands up all who can remember those hats. The music selections worked well and I found a wonderful story about farmers in Australia trying to get their sheep to burp less to help combat climate change.

My health definitely seems to be improving. I am due to see the Oncologist on Monday next where I could find out more. I had a good night waking up only briefly. The food thing is becoming easier to control.

Living on the Isle of Wight I am constantly fascinated by different ways you can be held up on the roads. Today was a selection of skip lorries, scaffolding contractors, removal vans and the usual utility vehicle nonsense.

Patience is indeed a virtue.