Day 269 to 272

If you are still not sure well I can confirm computer is still on the blink. The bloke who was due to come and look at it yesterday didn't make it as he was held up by an urgent job he had to do in Newport. This sort of thing can happen but I do wish when it does people would ring rather than leave it to me to try and find out what is happening. He has promised to come today between 1 and 3 so we shall see what happens. What was particularly annoying about yesterday was that I finished my radio show early to get home and then nothing.

Yesterday and today were an early start for me. Martin and Andrea had to be away early so I went up to take the children to school. Emily and Adam were both models of good behaviour. Poor Emily is doing cross country today and it is both cold and wet. I think she will do it though since the event has been postponed twice once due to snow and ice and once when it poured down in torrents.

I have had a good week health wise. As stated before I do from time to time get a bit tired but if that means having a day time snooze so be it. Honestly the things you have to do to justify putting your feet up. I have only had one not so good night with the acid and bile so touch wood that is settling down.

I have on many occasions praised Joya Morris who leaves her post today. Ev and I wish her well. The good news is that the NHS Trust has appointed a replacement. With cut backs coming there was always a fear in my mind that the job is not strictly front line. However were this post to be lost it would be a false economy. Joya has fielded a lot of questions from worried patients and relatives which otherwise would have to go to Consultants who really don't have the time to spend doing this.

Finally and with apologies to those who have heard this before I end with a railway joke.

A woman(or man) goes to the train buffet car and orders a large Latte Coffee, a Cheese and Tomato Sandwich, a packet of crisps and a Kit Kat Chocolate Bar. When she comes to pay she says to the steward "I'm sorry I've only got a £20 note." The steward replies "you'd better put the Kit Kat back then."

More either when the computer is fixed or I can get back to the Library.

Days 266 to 268

If you are wondering where my blog has got to I am fine but our computer is not. I am typing this in our local library. It appears that we have been struck by a deadly virus which has knackered everything. Our protection system works to the extent that it won't load our settings but our computer guru says he will have to take our tower away to examine. I wouldn't care but I spent 5 hours working on instruction de bugging the thing yesterday. It seemed to work but now does not. Added to which my BT Internet is not recognising my password which is a right pain as they will send me a new one to my e mail address which of course not being at home it won't recognise. Never mind worse things have happened at sea.

On Sunday I had a very nice Lunch at the Smithy in Godshill. I was able to eat nearly all of a beautifully cooked Lasagna. I didn't try the bread that came with it but two Grand Children made sure it didn't go to waste.

Monday saw me trying to fix the computer with only limited success. I was then chief cook and bottle washer for Grandchildren. I made sure after school they both did their homework before the dreaded TV was switched on and I also made their tea. They were both very good. I suspect I am not alone in understanding how modern maths is taught because I didn't understand Emily's homework. However she seemed okay.

Today I did another programme for Angel Radio. We still don't know when we are going to be up and running on FM.

That I hope brings you up to date. I shall blog as and when I can over the next week or so.

Day 265

It was a very dull day as far as the weather was concerned. Dry it certainly was but also cloudy. Despite this I was tempted to try walking to the Beach. After my last efforts of just over a week ago, I was keen to see if I still felt out of both breath and sorts. The good news was that I felt fine.

Otherwise all continues to go okay. Keep your fingers crossed, long may this continue.

Day 264

I had one of those days when I realised that really I have not got anything to complain about. One of Ev's friends has hurt her back. She has been to an osteopath who is of the view that one of the discs has moved. The poor woman looked in agony. I could only sympathise having some years ago had some difficult times with the same complaint. However to day there is me up and about whilst someone else is finding standing, sitting and lying down to be very difficult.

This Evening I passed another test on improved eating. I well remember 2 or 3 months back attempting to eat Bacon, Beans, Poached Egg and a waffle only to give up pronto. Tonight it all digested well. From which you can gather my confidence has grown.

The weather has been awful today. It's either rained or drizzled throughout. Tonight the mist has come down and as I type this I can hear the foghorns sounding in the Solent.

Tomorrow Ev is off early for Chorus practice and I shall be taking her to the ferry so a slightly earlier night is indicated.

Day 263

It's amazing how the days rush by. Thursday is refuse collection day and it hardly seems any time since I put all the stuff out last week. Once again I have had a decent night's sleep.

I went into Angel Radio again today. Fortunately we have now heard that the new Radio Mast is to be delivered some time next week. That means we could be running on FM again in the not too distant future. For any listeners reading this blog I would like to say thank you to those of you who have taken the trouble to ring the station to tell us how much you are missing the programmes.

This Evening there was another good test of my improved health. Ev had made a very nice cauliflower cheese. Before the Dilatation I could not have attempted that. Tonight it went down a real treat. It certainly feels like I am turning a corner. I shall however not try to do anything silly.

Day 262

It's been an okay day. Though I woke up shortly before 7 this morning, this was not down to any problems with acid. We also had some great news with Ev being given the approval rating for songs the Barbershop Chorus are singing. I am very pleased she decided to go back to this chorus. I have not yet seen them live but they appear to be a caring group of people.

Back in Radio Land for the first time on Sunshine Radio since Christmas I was pleased that I got all my timings right. It's a bit like driving a car though. You dare not lose concentration for more than a minute. The only downside was that I had left my newspaper in the studio, turned my back for a minute and the Manager chucked it out into the Dustbin. He was supposed to be there to fix the computer for God's sake.

Going back to the subject of acid, I was watching a news bulletin about the dreadful events in Haiti. Evidently acid and bile are quite common side effects felt by victims who have been trapped in buildings for lengthy periods. Honestly I have nothing to complain about.

Day 261

Last night could be best described as a mixed one. I woke up at about 2.00AM with a mouthful of acid and made it to the Toilet before any accidents. After taking a Gavescon Tablet I promptly went back to sleep and didn't wake up until after 9.00. All I can remember otherwise in the night was a weird dream in which Ev and I were working in an hotel. No I don't know what thought process that brought on at all.

Today's music show I thought went well. I had spent quite a bit of time giving it a pattern to follow. For this I thank the BBC. It does its best on occasions to offer its backside for its many enemies to kick but it has certain disciplines and procedures that make a lot of sense.

In common with the rest of the Country the freezing weather has created pot holes which do your tyres and suspension no good at all.

The forecast seems to think the next band of snow will miss us. Let's hope the Met Office is right.

Day 260

I should write gloomy notes on this blog more often. Shortly after yesterday's epistle I went to bed and had over 8 hours sleep and more to the point no acid or anything like that.

As a result, I was able to put my next Radio Show together. Believe it or not I try and not stick things together any old how. Sometimes the process of selecting music comes to me very quickly other times it seems to take for ever. Fortunately today was one of the better days. It also serves as a wonderful distraction from thinking of health matters.

Weight wise I have put on another pound which is no bad thing. Roll on tomorrow.

Day 259

Everybody has good or not so good days. Today alas fitted into the latter category. To begin with I had not one but two lots of acid and bile in the mouth overnight. What makes me sigh somewhat is that there seems to be no pattern to any of this.

Frustratingly it was a nice sunny day temperature I guess around 6 degrees. In times past after I collected my newspaper I would have walked to the Beach(it takes about 10 minutes). However after Friday's problem I thought this was a bad idea so came home. Thus it was that I spent the day reading newspapers, watching TV and snoozing. In another life beside a swimming pool in the heat of Mediterranean Summer's day that would be wonderful.

Yesterday I was very forgetful and failed to mention that Grandson Jack got a Grade A for GSCE maths and an A* for English Language. These were exams he took before Christmas. He is doing extremely well and makes Ev and I very proud.

Now that the weather is better, I shall be back at Angel Radio. We still don't have any FM transmission but we can be heard on www.angelradioisleofwight.moonfruit.com

As we are not on FM I shall be doing music shows until that situation changes.

day 258

I mentioned yesterday that I had been out for a long walk. I have to confess one of things I was doing it for was to see if I could go to a Football Match at Portsmouth. This would have involved a 15 minute walk from Fratton Station to the ground. Given that I felt very tired yesterday(which resulted in a late afternoon sleep of around 3 hours), I gave that idea up. This was just as well because the game was called off due to a waterlogged pitch. The irony of this was that earlier in the week there was snow everywhere. The club appealed for volunteers to shift the snow. It was piled up in corners where it melted and without heavy overnight rain that put paid to the whole thing.

One problem with taking a long nap during the day is that you don't feel much like sleeping though the night. Fortunately even though I woke up early there was no acid to worry about. I did venture out to Tescos but this time I took the car. Later on in the day I became the proverbial couch potato with plenty of Football to watch.

When it comes to meals I am pleased to say that I am really into knowing what portions to put on my plate. Now if only I could learn to eat more slowly it would be a perfect scene.

My newspaper has been continuing to carry letters from those who either have or have had cancer. The one thing that emerges is that people react differently. I like to think I have adopted a positive attitude through most of this. I have been helped greatly by support of family and friends. The feeling of not being alone is a huge motivating factor. It's coming on for 6 months since I had such a major operation. For me to be as far on as I am is bloody marvellous.

Let's hope for all of us 2010 is a positive year.

Day 257

I hate to sound like one of those whingers but this has not been one of my better days.

Last night was one of those when your head seems to be stuffed full of thoughts, images and just about everything else. This is when you can't go to sleep. I must have had some rest because I didn't get up until around 830 this morning.

The weather, being a lot brighter, tempted me to go for a walk down to the sea front. Everywhere there seemed to be evidence of the sand that was used to try and grit the roads. Cold though it was the sky was clear and the Solent had a nice colour. Unfortunately on the way back I started to feel very weary. I made it back and then had quite a lengthy sleep. It's not nice when you become disorientated like that.

There's an old saying that you wait ages and several turn up at once. Having waited for some years to see Jools Holland live we went in December to the concert in Portsmouth. Today we learn the band are to appear on the Island at a venue within walking distance in April. The snag is we might both be away round about then.

Hey ho.

Day 256

The unpredictability of the sleep pattern continues. Last night I slept for about 9 hours. When I did get up I noticed that the snow had virtually disappeared. There is much I miss about no longer living in the North but reading about more snow and disruption today made me realise that staying in these parts has some advantages.

I am sorry to report that the feeling of discomfort when swallowing seems to be returning. I tried very hard not to eat anything between Breakfast and Lunch and kept to that. Sadly when I had my Lunch I had one of those coughing fits which often make me bring up food. Despite having had a good night's sleep I did feel a little weary. However I have resolved to make the tea as often as I can so I cooked some salmon fillets, potatos, carrotts and broccoli together with a cheese sauce for us both. It tasted fine(though I says it myself) and I was able to eat my small portion. As I write this I am feeling a lot better.

Not then one of my better days but who knows what is in store for tomorrow?

Day 255

We have been dead lucky here on the Island. The predicted overnight snow never happened. It rained instead and with the temperature staggering up to 1.5 degrees a thaw has set in of sorts. In contrast less than 20 miles away on the mainland all hell was breaking loose with roads blocked and airports closed. Locally the only excitement was the old Fast Cat Boat hitting the pier at Ryde causing superficial damage to both and thankfully no injuries. As you will have gathered I am quite pessimistic about the future of that service but that will do for another day.

I didn't have the best of nights I'm afraid. There does not seem to be any pattern here which is a bit unnerving. If there was a routine I could get into which would give me an undisturbed night but every time I think I've cracked it there's another load of acid and bile the following day. Patience is the name of the game.

Today has been okay though. I walked into Town on pavements that had a mixture of mud, sand and ice. There's been talk of panic buying but here that seems to have subsided. Certainly the local Supermarket was well stocked with all kinds of stuff. This evening I watched Slumdog Millionaire which of course won numerous awards. I can see why. It was very well made and told a good story.

The forecasters are telling us that the worst of this cold spell is coming to an end. This will be good news for the Government as we are in danger of running out of salt. One of the experts on the use of salt to counteract Ice is called Dr. Sellar(I kid you not).

Day 254

The forecast may say it's starting to get milder but it's still very cold and also very slippery. When I went out today I was very grateful for the walking boots but even then on some stretches it was less dangerous walking on the road. The forecasters are hedging their bets somewhat but there is the possibility of another heap of snow falling overnight. We still haven't got any mail and we are not too sure when the refuse collectors will call. Still as someone pointed out at least in the cold weather it's unlikely anything will go off.

Health wise it's been an okay day. As far as an undisturbed night is concerned you never know from one day to the next. Thing with food is that as I become more hungry I succumb to the temptation to eat too fast. This causes digestive problems. I need to discipline myself better.

The big excitement here this evening was a burst water main. The road was closed but fortunately we must be on a different set of pipes to the one affected.

And err that's it for today.

Day 253

Today was a big test. For the first time since the gullet stretching, we had Lunch out. There is a nice Restaurant called Olivos in the town. They served me a small Spaghetti dish with Broccoli and pieces of smoked fish. I have to report that it was delicious and I ate it all. For the record Ev had a small Pizza Calzone which she said was very nice as well. This is another sign of progress.

Speaking of progress we actually took the car out today for the first time in a week. Our road is still a bit icy but the main roads are okay. The real problems remain the pavements which in many instances are very slippery. There was no snow today but it was the what I call damp cold which almost seems to seep into your bones. More of the white stuff is forecast for later on this week.

I watched a TV programme tonight which suggested that a lot of people had rallied around here on the Island to help those living in areas cut off by the snow. Drivers of 4x4 vehicles were happy to help community nurses to get to vulnerable patients and took people shopping. I suppose living on an Island does perhaps generate a community spirit that might not exist elsewhere.

By the way, on yesterday's blog I may well have given the impression that two of my Grandchildren had worn me out. That was not my intention. I really enjoyed playing hide and seek with them. They are both old enough and wise enough to know if their Grandad gets tired and then they back off.

We shall see what tomorrow brings.

Day 252

I've just been watching part of a Hockey game between Carolina and the Ottawa Sens. Well having spent so much time looking out of the window on to ice it made sense to look at it on the TV screen as well.

I had a bit of a setback last night. I was just dozing off when I felt a whole mouthful of acid and bile come up into my mouth. This brought back the familiar pain in the throat. Fortunately having a Gaviscon tablet helped but whether it was because I was worried or not I kept waking up through the night.

Martin, Andrea, Emily and Adam walked down to us today and we had Lunch together. Martin hung some pictures for us which gives the house a more homely feel. Whilst Ev and Andrea got on with the Lunch, I played hide and seek with the kids. Needless to say they are both much better at that sort of lark than me. The only problem came after they went and I suppose I should not really be surprised. All of a sudden I felt very tired. This would be a combination of having a bad night plus entertaining the little ones. Fortunately after an hour or so having a rest I was back to what passes for normality.

Whisper it not too loud but the weather does slowly seem to be taking a turn for the better. The forecasted snow didn't happen today and there was evidence of a slow thaw. The pavements round us are still very icy but perhaps the worst is over.

Tomorrow we are both going out for the first time in about a week.

Day 251

Today didn't happen. Sorry I'll correct that. You may have read yesterday that tonight we were due to go and visit some people for Dinner. We wondered a bit with the state of the roads so Ev rang up our would be hosts. Turns out they hadn't put us in their diary which kind of made our minds up that we weren't going anywhere. Ev pointed out today quite correctly that she hasn't been out since Monday. She normally goes to Church on Sunday but that services tomorrow have been cancelled.

The day started well with me not waking up until 845 this morning. That's very encouraging. I also weighed myself and found that I have put on 3 pounds. This is good since I seem to be settling into a 13 stone 7 to 14 stone routine. This means I am a stone lighter than when my GP told me I should lose a bit of weight.

The cold weather continues. At Ev's suggestion I dug out a pair of old walking boots to go out for the newspaper this morning. As a result I felt a lot more confident walking along some extremely icy pavements. Because I have been with the local shop for a couple of years now I felt confident enough to ring them this morning and ask if they could put some milk to one side for me and this they did. Sadly our regular milkman didn't deliver to us yesterday for whatever reason. I was told he was out on his rounds but clearly that didn't include us though to be fair I don't envy him his job looking at the state of some roads here.

Tomorrow we are promised more snow so it's time to batten down the hatches.

Day 250

Readers of this blog who live outside the UK will perhaps not quite understand how it is that we struggle so much with the cold. The lowest temperature last night was - 20 degrees. Here on the Isle of Wight it was probably more like -10. This is probably the coldest weather experienced for 30 years. It's not that in the intervening period we haven't had cold days but in recent times this has lasted for 2 or 3 days. The cold weather set in here round about 18 December and shows no sign of lifting we are told for at least another 10 days. The novelty of schools closing and roads covered with Ice and building snowmen is starting to wear off. It's becoming very clear that the powers that be are only going to grit the main roads. This has been confirmed by Central Government ordering local authorities to reduce treating the roads by 25%. Mr. Brown is facing charges of not acting decisively earlier. People are starting to panic buy food from the shops. The Supermarkets that offer home deliveries are suspending the service in view of the state of the side roads. One of the reasons many schools are closed is because they are on side roads untreated. In last night's blog I posed the question what if this lasts for another 3 or 4 weeks?

Here on the Island I would say traffic on the roads is down by around 80%. I have never seen so many folk out walking. I hiked it up the hill to the High Street. Conditions underfoot are not very pleasant but on the plus side I wasn't out of breath at any time whilst out walking.

All of the above makes me even more thankful I did not choose to have any more chemotherapy. I was reading through some of my earlier blogs and I was reminded how cold you feel whilst being treated and that was with temperatures of around 15 degrees above zero.

The diet continues to be okay. For tea tonight I had fish plus carrots, cucumber and new potatoes and very nice it was too. Tomorrow night we are supposed to be going out for Dinner. We shall have to make a decision about that in the morning.

Day 249

After another good night, I woke up to another day of freezing temperatures. Amazingly this part of England has been the coldest part of the country.

I am determined not to remain totally housebound bad weather or not so I did my usual walk to the paper shop. I have never seen so many people walking and so few cars on the road. In common with a lot of Authorities, the local Council has tried gritting the main roads bit has left all the side roads to God and Good Nature. It's a bit of a mess. The Island has a lot of hills which the Bus Company judge to be too dangerous. As a result large parts of the Island have had no public transport for over 2 days. Schools have been shut and will also close tomorrow. This is all very well and good but if this weather persists for another week or so you do wonder what the powers that be will do. Today for the second day running no mail has come here from the Mainland.

In view of the weather the meeting I mentioned yesterday didn't happen. I hope it can be rearranged before Joya leaves her job at the end of the month.

Despite the weather I feel okay. The range of stuff I can now eat is growing even though I must always remember to have limited portions. At the moment things are moving along just fine. Long may this continue.

I read an interesting piece in the newspaper this morning. It was an article written by someone who has cancer. He was remarking on the line that you often here namely so and so has died following a brave fight against cancer. The writer remarked you never read that a person is no longer with us following a pathetic weak and puny fight. Looking back to my own situation I don't feel I was particularly brave. I always felt I just had to get on with it though how I would have coped without Ev I don't know.

If we do go out tomorrow we'll probably join the throng and walk into town.

Day 248

It finally stopped snowing at about 3PM. It had started at about 6 last night. We had about 10 inches of snow here which is virtually unheard of. People here say it's the worst for 20 years. We aren't used to this sort of thing here. The Buses got taken off the road and stranded passengers had to spend the night in the Bus Station. They were allowed to stay in the waiting room and the staff bought them some chips. There'll always be an England. What we now have clearing skies and plunging temperatures. We have no intention of taking the car out first thing in the morning.

I went to the paper shop this morning through the snow only to discover that my normal rag was not delivered on the Island. The truck carrying the papers had probably got stuck like the rest of humanity on the A3. There were more people walking than in their cars. Otherwise the most sensible thing to do was stay in and keep warm.

My health continues to improve. Last night was the 5th in a row without incident. For teat this evening I was able to eat two sausages without mishap. I feel a lot more confident than before.

We are due to to meet Joya tomorrow for a meeting and a sad farewell as she is giving up her post at the end of January. I shall report on that assuming the meeting goes ahead in view of the state of the roads.

Day 247

Oh the joy of Satelleite TV. It's snowing like crazy and just as we we were settling down to watch part 2 of a thriller when the TV packed in. It would appear that it is affecting everyone round here and unfortunately terrestial reception round here is rubbish. I am listening to the local radio and several places are having power cuts ..... so here's hoping we stay on.

Last night was another good one from a non acid point of view so that's 5 in a row. Otherwise today has very much been a stay in one. Fortunately we have this efficient heating system that is keeping us warm.

More tomorrow.

Day 246

I hesitate to write this but I have now gone 4 nights in a row where I have not woken up with acid and bile in the mouth. In the past when I have noted an improvement in this area things have gone wrong but I am starting to feel more confident. I weighed myself this morning for the first time since Christmas and believe it or not I have actually lost 2 pounds. Now I suspect there are many who would love to be in that situation. For me it's not a source of worry because my eating has improved beyond measure but it is something I need to keep an eye on just in case.

By British Standards the very cold weather continues and we are promised more snow by the end of the week. We are pleased that we took the decision last Spring to have a new Gas Boiler which so far has worked very well.

Otherwise both main Political Parties have started their pitches for our votes at the forthcoming election. As this is likely to be in May, the thought of 5 months of this is very depressing. There was a time when elections were conducted with genuine passion which whether you agreed or disagreed with the person or not was a source of inspiration. These days it all seems to be about sound bites and who is better at running Great Britain PLC. Gosh I sound like a BOF(Boring Old Fart).

Days 241 to 245

Fortunately Ev's health showed an improvement. Wednesday saw Ev and I looking after Harry for the day. I have to say he was very good. His speech is remarkably clear. One TV Channel that fascinated him was Baby TV. This was mercifully clear of adverts. It featured a lot of stories, music and fascinating cartoon characters. The Channel was a good rival to Harry's current favourite Postman Pat.

My eating remains okay provided I have small enough portions. I managed okay but didn't want to chance my arm with a Pizza Take Away meal having something else instead. The one meal where I came unstuck was on New Year's Day. Ev had cooked a delicious Ham Joint. Unfortunately I picked out a thick slice. This stuck in the throat rather and I was sick. On the plus side I have had three good nights in a row without having to get up to clear any acid.

New Year was greatly added to by the presence of Jack and Lucy. They really are very nice Grandchildren. Both are sensible and polite. I know I am biased here but I am proud in fact of all 5 of our Grandchildren.

On Saturday we drove home as it was Son in Law Martin's Birthday. Courtesy of a quiet day on the roads plus Wightlink Ferries we made it in time for his Birthday Tea.

As I type this we have come to the end of the Christmas and New Year Break. After all that happened in 2009 our thanks to all who made it very special. Whilst on the subject I would like to wish everyone a Happy 2010.