A Busy Weekend

Phil thought I was very hard on him in my last blog and maybe he's right, but my public moaning certainly did the trick. When he came home from work on Friday, he straight away got his gym kit on and did a whole hour on the exercise bike without me having to nag him. And, on Saturday morning he got up at first light and brought me a cup of tea in bed and then made me boiled eggs and soldiers which were cooked to perfection; this earned him lots of brownie points!

We had a very pleasant weekend, very busy and not without its stresses. Phil's need to pee had us awake very early on Saturday morning, which was just as well because we were heading to Suffolk and needed to be out of the house before 9am which we easily managed. Step Dad and Marie come back from spending the winter in Spain in a couple of weeks and I had to return their car in readiness for their return. So Phil drove the Land Rover and I followed behind in the Fiesta. All was going to plan, the roads were fairly clear and we were making good time. Then just as we were approaching St Neots, Phil slowed right down to 30 mph and then indicated and pulled into a Shell garage. I knew he had fuel and feared the land Rover was playing up and sure enough I was right. Phil said the engine had suddenly overheated which is a problem that we've had before. It's been in the garage several times and its obvious the problem has not been fixed. Phil checked the water, poured in some more oil and pumped up his tyres while we waited for the engine to cool down. It wasn't a lot of fun because it was raining and was cold and windy.

After half an hour we set off again only to have to pull over twice more on the A14. The original plan was to drop off the Fiesta in Ipswich and then head to Lowestoft to see Phil's Aunt Daphne in the Land Rover but we decided instead to drop off the Land Rover and travel to Lowestoft in the Fiesta. Whilst enroute, I received a text from Emma to say that she been successful on bidding on eBay and had won me the car! I think I mentioned last week that I had seen a car on eBay and had bid £2,500. I was winning on Friday but the bidding closed at midday on Saturday and as I knew that we'd be in transit with no access to the internet, I emailed Emma next door, giving her my user ID and password and asked whether she would bid on my behalf. Thankfully she agreed, and as Emma is an eBay expert, I knew that if anyone could win me the car, then it would be her. And I was right, she went online in the final minutes and only had to bid an extra 100 quid. Thanks Emma, I owe you one!!

The weather was horrible and it took ages to get to Aunt Daphne's house but we finally got there at half past twelve. We haven't seen Daphne in ages and although she looked well, we were shocked to see just how much of her mobility she has lost since her accident. She can hardly move around and even then she is heavily reliant on a frame and sticks. It is a worry as it's not like we live round the corner and if it wasn't for one good neighbour, her cleaner and her good friend Jim, who pops round 3 times a week, I don't know how she'd cope.

With a few difficulties and much patience, we managed to get Daphne in the car and into a local Harvester for lunch. The pub was packed but we managed to get a table relatively near the entrance which was lucky. Lunch was very mediocre, we didn't really want to eat much because we knew that Lou & Mark were cooking us supper. I had steak which was tough and Phil & Daphne had the chicken which was very dry and came with chips instead of the baked potato's they'd ordered. The best thing about Harvester's is the salad bar. After lunch we took Daphne home, stayed an hour or so and then said our goodbyes.

We arrived at my sisters house just before 5pm. It was an added surprise to see my other sister Julia and my nephew Jack who had also come round for supper. Louise had cooked a red hot chilli and rice, and bless her, she knew about Phil's diet and had made him a special chilli with Quorn. It was very tasty. After supper was cleared away, we sat back at the table and played the game, Logo's, at least I think that's what it was called. We played Girls versus Boys and much to the boys delight, the 3 sisters lost. It was lots of fun. Julie & Jack left around 8pm and then we went up to the lounge to relax. Well sort of; Phil mentioned his blocked up ear drums and Louise said she would do him some Hopi Ear treatment. Of course wimpy Phil was reluctant so I'd said I would have it done first so he could see what it involved. I had to lie down on the floor while Lou put some hopi sticks in my ear and then lit them. I had to lie still while she held them in place until they burned down. It was painless although I couldn't tell any difference in my hearing afterwards. Despite me being the guinea pig Phil still wouldn't have it done. Silly really, because I am sure it would have helped his hearing. A few beers and a few glasses of wine, we had a nice time and were all tucked up in bed by 10.30pm. Not late for some but certainly late enough for Lou & Mark and me.

 

After showers and a healthy breakfast of fresh fruit and home made bread, lots of cups of tea and fresh coffee, we packed up the car, bid farewell to Mark & Lou and were back on the A14 just after 9am. We dropped off the Fiesta at Ipswich and popped the keys through step dads letter box and got back on the A14 in the Land Rover. Phil had agreed not to drive the Land Rover over 55mph which amazingly he managed to do. We were going to head back to MK, pick up Harriet's car and then drive to Birmingham to collect my new eBay car but the Land Rover hadn't over heated so we decided to keep on the A14 and head directly to Birmingham. The weather was fine and sunny when we left Woodbridge but a couple of hours into our journey, the sky went grey and it rained all the way to Birmingham. The traffic was heavy and driving at 55mph made the journey a very long one. We eventually arrived in Walsall, at the sellers address, 4 and a half hours after setting off.

The seller, Angela and her husband were nice friendly people. The car was exactly as described and after counting the money we signed the V5 document. I have to say that being an eBay virgin, I was more than a little anxious about such a big purchase but I needn't have worried, my new car is perfect. It's only had 2 previous owners, the mileage is less than 8k and its got air bags, central locking, electric windows and is immaculate inside and out. I am very happy and also grateful to Emma for her help in sealing the bid. I know that I have got a bargain because I saw the same car advertised in the Citizen last week for £3,699 and the mileage was 30k higher.

 

It took an hour and a bit to drive back home from Walsall in the rain and I was a little nervous because I don't really do much motorway driving. But all was fine because Phil couldn't speed and stuck to the slow lane while I follwed behind. We got to MK at half 3 and as we hadn't had lunch, we dumped the bags and headed straight to the Ship Ashore for lunch. I hadn't been there since the refurbishment which has made it much nicer, just a shame they didn't update the toilets in the process. Still I can't complain, the service was good and the Sunday roasts were both excellent. We shall certainly go back again.

After all the excitement over the weekend last night was pyjamas and watching the remaining episodes of 24 and than early to bed. Poor Phil was exhausted from all the driving and I think he is returning to work today more tired than he was when he finished on Friday. Still life is living and its nice to get out and about now and again. Now its time for me to post and publish and then get off my lazy backside and get to the gym.

A week where my best is not good enough...

It was terrible learning about the earthquake in Christchurch New Zealand on Tuesday morning. When we came downstairs for breakfast and heard the news bulletins we both immediately logged on to our laptops to check to see if Derek and Maureen were okay. I don't know if anybody has noticed the link on the blog site but Derek & Maureen are on a round the world trip and are currently in NZ. Thankfully Derek had been on his journal an hour before and left a message saying they were both fine. They had picked up their camper van at 11.00am from Christchurch just 2 hours before the earthquake erupted. How lucky was that??? Just goes to show, There but for the Grace of God go I.

I know I can be a miserable cow at the best of times but this grey, damp miserable weather is starting to really get to me this week. So its just as well I guess, that we have booked to go away on holiday. It wasn't planned, honest to god, we were waiting to get the radiotherapy schedule for Phil but an opportunity just fell into our laps and we couldn't help but take it. It came about last week when Phil took a call from a company called Silverpoint Promotions telling him he had won a free week in Tenerife. We straight away knew that it was another 'time-share sell' but this time we knew the source. It came about as we were in Renia Sofia airport and were heading towards the departure gate when we were stopped by a lady that said if we answered a few questions then we could win a free holiday. I was all set to walk away but Phil (he who can't say no) duly complied. I think we must be prime candidates for marketing intelligence profiles. We're married, middle aged, own a property and have an income over £25k. It makes sense.

Anyway, of course it wasn't a free holiday; we have to pay a £69 admin fee, plus we need to pay for our own flights. We also have to attend a 2 and a half hour sales pitch. But hey ho, this is not such a big deal. I've reviewed the accommodation and its had some good reviews; the weather will be hot and I've found (and booked) return flights from Luton for £294.00 for the both of us including luggage. We get a VIP pick-up from the airport and I've also managed to wangle an extra night at the complex for 55 Euros. So a 9 night holiday with a fully equipped apartment has cost us about 400 quid. At least it's something in the diary and a goal to aim for. Plus, I think a week in the sun before Phil starts daily radiotherapy will be good for him. The sunshine will give him some extra vitamin D and the rest will help his immune system. I worry that he will fall off the wagon with the diet but we have a kitchen so I intend to cook most days.

Phil is still following the cancer diet and I am pleased to report that he has lost a whole stone. As promised at the weekend, he has done 30 minutes on the exercise bike each day after work all bar yesterday, which has definitely helped. I am still spending many hours (and money) shopping, chopping and cooking in the kitchen and at times wonder whether it's all worth it. I do get a little fed up especially when Phil complains. His needs are very demanding, and try as I may, he is not that easy to please. I do realise that the hormone pills are beginning to kick in but even so.

I shall give you some examples. On Monday I cooked a fish pie, it was a new untried dish for me and me not being a natural cook, anything new makes me anxious. Anyway, I told him at breakfast that he could expect left over Goan curry from the weekend for lunch but having gone to Waitrose to buy fresh fish I thought I may as well cook and serve it up fresh. Monday is always a depressing day for Phil so I thought fresh fish with fresh parsley sauce and a huge serving of mash might cheer him up. WRONG. He walked in at lunchtime and was seriously disappointed with my fresh fish pie, he wanted the old heated up curry. Moan, moan, moan. Tuesday was okay because he got to eat the curry. I thought I was safe with baked potatoes on Wednesday but oh no, I was in trouble again. Even though I cut my visit to the gym so that I could get back to put the spuds in the oven, the large one that I gave to Phil wasn't quite cooked in the middle. I'd given him 2 potatoes and the smaller one was cooked and I even offered him my potato, which he accepted but even that was slightly on the hard side. If uncooked potatoes wasn't bad enough, he then started to complain about the potato fillings. I'd heated up sugar free baked beans and made a mixture of tuna, chillies & chopped up pepper mixed with egg free mayonnaise. For a change I'd used tuna flakes instead of tuna chunks and Phil complained that the flakes smelt and tasted too fishy. There is no just pleasing him some days and if I didn't care so much about his health and his weight I'd certainly tell to go fourth and multiply!

Tuesday Lunch

Thurday Treat

Sugar Free jelly and pot of soya yogurt with blueberries and linseeds

Wholewheat spaghetti with tomatoe and basil sauce

It's been a mixed bag this week and I feel that I have had to drag myself to do things which is not like me. I finally got round to putting in an insurance claim for the bath replacement which took place when we were in India. I am not certain I am entitled to claim but its worth a go. Yesterday I got my eyes tested and ordered 2-4-1 glasses from SpecSavers, a job I've been meaning to do since I accidentally flushed my prescription glasses down the toilet way before Christmas.

This weekend is going to be a busy one; tomorrow we driving to Suffolk in two cars as I need to return the Fiesta to my step-dads. He and Marie return from Spain in a couple of weeks so they will need to have their car when they return. It's been a good little car and I shall miss it. I've been bidding on a Chevrolet Matiz on eBay all week and at the moment I'm winning. Its a 2007 model and has only done 7,900 miles and is a real bargain. The bidding ends tomorrow so fingers crossed that I win.

Prostate, Pills & lots of Chocolate

Thanks to everyone that called or emailed asking how we got on with Phil's hospital appointment on Friday. Well it was okay. We had a little bit of a wait before we got in to see Dr Camilleri
but we expected that because we knew the receptionist had to book us in at the same time as someone else. Phil told Dr Camilleri that he wanted to go with the radiotherapy treatment. We thought we'd made the major decision but Dr Camilleri had another question for Phil to answer. He explained that the prostate moves on a daily basis and they had just got a new machine in Northampton Hospital which can follow the precise movement of the prostate which makes the external beam radiotherapy more precise. This sounded good but then he explained that gold seeds need to be first implanted in the prostate so the machine can track any movement. Unfortunately the procedure for implanting the gold seeds is the same as procedure as the biopsy, the only difference is that there are 3 needles as opposed to 12.

I could see Phil visibly shrink in his chair and I explained to the doctor that Phil was traumatised by the biopsy, in fact I still don't think he is over the trauma and asked whether there was any chance of a anaesthetic. Apparently there isn't but Phil could be given something to relax him. The good thing about tracking the movement of the prostate during radiotherapy is that it can lessen the damage to the rectum and bladder. Once again, the decision has to be made by Phil alone and we have a week to let the doc know whether we are going for the gold seed implants or not. I suspect it will be the latter.

After our appointment, I dropped Phil at work and then he was back a couple of hours later for his fish and chip lunch, his weekly Friday treat. We share a portion of fish and chips between us so its not too naughty. Phil's weight loss has slowed right down. Only a pound last week and he is only one pound away from losing his first stone. He really does need to step up on his exercise. The new seat is now fitted on the exercise bike and the large gel cover arrived on Saturday so we are all good to go. Phil has promised me faithfully that he will do a 20 minute stint every day after work this week but we shall see.

On Friday afternoon I went to see Jan in Westcroft for a cup of tea. She gave me a lovely jewellery box as a belated Christmas present. It's quite lovely and even though it should really be in my bedroom, it now has pride of place on my white high gloss units in the lounge. On Friday evening Sandy popped over in her dressing gown and gave me a lovely bunch of flowers as a thank you for supper (silly girl, there was really no need) and also a box of eggs freshly laid by her chickens. We had these for breakfast on Saturday morning with soya bread soldiers and it made a nice change.

Phil came with me to the gym on Saturday and we both had a reasonable work out. It was a shame the weather was so foul; we were considering going to see a film but we were waiting on someone coming round. On Thursday I finally got round to putting an ad on the GumTree website offering Phil's 15^th edition of the Britannica Encyclopedia for free as long as the buyer collected. John from Aylesbury emailed me first and came mid afternoon to collect the books. I have been wanting to get rid of these books for years as I'm fed up of lugging them from house to house each time we move. The set is beautifully bound and even though I love to chuck things in the tip, I couldn't bring myself to throw them out. John, from Aylesbury, wanted the books for his dad as he collects them. I am just really pleased they have gone to a good home. Must use this GumTree website more often, I'd rather give away then chuck away.

After John left with the books, Phil got stuck into writing his book whilst I cooked for a couple of hours, broccoli soup minus the cheese because dairy is banned and a tomato sauce for pasta. I had a real urge for chocolate so went to the shop to get some. Saturday evening was sat in front of the telly watching loads of episodes of 24. I'm afraid to say I stuffed my face, 2 packets of crisps, a whole packet of munchies and I even started on the chocolate orange that I brought for me and Harriet to share. I rarely do this but still, it's not very fair on Phil who had to settle with a small bowl of nuts.

On Sunday Phil picked up G from Northampton and she drove the KA to Melton where they had lunch with Phil's mum and dad. I took myself to the gym for half an hour on the cross trainer as I really wasn't in the mood. Afterwards I went to the carvery at Peartree Bridge for roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Seeing it was such a grey day, I was surprised it really wasn't that busy. Lunch was good and I was sat next to a group of old folks who kept trying to engage me in conversation. I think they felt sorry that I was dining alone but honestly this doesn't bother me in the slightest. It's just nice to eat a meal that you haven't had to cook yourself. The rest of my Sunday was deliciously lazy; bit of ironing, Sunday papers, some telly and more chocolate.

Dr Camilleri gave Phil a prescription for the hormone drugs at our meeting which I picked up from the chemist in Newport. He will have to take the hormone 'Casodex' for 3 months and he started on Friday. I am a little worried because on reading the leaflet the common side affects are horrible. They include: hot flushes, nausea, itching, dry skin, impotence, feeling weak, loss of hair or hair regrowth and weight gain. The uncommon side affects are even worse. I suppose the common affect vary from person to person, its early days so we shall just wait and see.

Friday Feeling

Haven't really been up to much this week so not sure I have got enough words to warrant a blog but I'll have a go. Monday (Valentines Day) seems so far away now but I seemed to recall that I started the week off with my usual stint at the gym followed by a shop in Asda. Harriet had the day off work as she was scheduled to meet Jessica in London and accompany her to the hospital for her yearly check up. Afterwards they had planned to go shopping but as neither of them had much money, Harriet decided to stay home. I did suggest that we go to the cinema to watch a movie; at first she said yes but then decided it was too sad to go with her mum to the cinema on Valentine's Day. I didn't think this was a problem but I think she was afraid someone might see her and that would not be good for the street cred.

So I went to the cinema on my own and watched Black Swan. It was a bit of a weird film and not one that captivated me. There was a few scary parts but it didn't really rock my boat. Still, I enjoyed my crisps and my family sized bag of minstrels and was back home in time for Phil finishing work.

On Tuesday I made red berry vodka jellies from a recipe torn out from a magazine. It was in readiness for Sandy coming round for supper the following day but I knew that Phil wouldn't be able to resist having one so I only put in half of the caster sugar, one tablespoon instead of two. Phil tasted it and said it was very bitter; he really wanted to put on some of the half fat cream fraiche that he knew was in the fridge but I wouldn't let him. Funny though, the bitterness didn't put him off and he managed to finish off the whole glass!

I was early to the gym on Wednesday morning which was good because I wanted to do some weight lifting before going into my Body Combat class. The instructor explained that Body Combat is a combination of Kung Fu, Kick Boxing and martial arts. She wasn't wrong and after only a few minutes into the workout, I was struggling. Once again I made a right fool of myself. I've had a go but it isn't for me. I'd made a pact to myself that I would try all the different classes but having tried 3 and being crap at all of them, I wondering whether it is worth carrying on and I'm wondering if I am just too old? 

After lunch on Wednesday I made some tomato soup, this time with only one chilli instead of 2 because I knew that Sandy doesn't do spice. I also cooked simple Goan chicken curry from a recipe that Shirley gave us. It didn't taste quite as nice as hers but the end result was accepable. Sandy came over after her singing lesson and I think she appreciated my efforts. At least I think so, she said the soup was a little spicy but she ate everything I served her, which is always a good sign. Unless of course, she was just being polite.

The new Reebok cycle bike hasn't seen any action this week but with good reason. Last week I went into Roy Pinks Cycle Shop and brought a new seat for the bike. Unfortunately when I got it home Phil couldn't fit it because the fixings weren't compatible. When he took off the seat that came with the bike, he noticed that it was broken. Now, we're not sure whether it was broken when we first fitted it or whether it broke with the weight of Phil's 17 stone, but either way, it was obvious we needed a new seat. I phoned up the supplier and demanded a new seat which was delivered yesterday, which I thought was really good customer service. I also went online and ordered a super size large gel saddle cover, which when it arrives, should make it a little easier on the bottom.

Emma popped in for a cup of tea yesterday morning. Actually, I made her a cup of my special diet Cho Yung tea instead of the Typho. Emma is on a diet in readiness for her holiday in 17 weeks time and I thought my tea may help. She's doing really well and has lost a stone in 5 weeks which isn't bad going. The house next door to Emma has sold and we were curious as to who had brought it. It was only on the market for a few days before the sold sign went up but whoever has brought it, has certainly got themselves a lot of house for a really good price. No doubt we will find out in due course because they are bound to come back for a second viewing and a measure up. Emma, is particularly pleased that the house has sold because she fell out with the next door neighbour after a boundary dispute shortly after moving in. We haven't had any interest in our house recently so I think perhaps it's time for me to get out my paintbrushes for a spruce up. No forget I said that, need to get the units back up on the wall in the garage, that must be top priority.

Lots of friends who follow my blog have been asking me on email how Alan is doing. Well, the answer to that question is,not so bad, as far as I know. Sue phoned me last Monday to say that they were home after being discharged from Willen Hospice last Friday. I already knew that this might be a possibility but I hoped not, because Alan really wanted to stay at Willen and the thought of returning home was making him anxious. He is on a plateau at the moment, getting no worse but no better. The only treatment he is receiving is palliative pain relief which is good as long as it keeps on doing its job. Sue says that they had a reasonable weekend with no dramas and long may that continue. All being well, and by that I mean stable, I am hoping to meet up with Sue sometime next week. It will be good to see her.

My Friday feelings have started early, I have been up since 3.30am, for once woken by my need for a pee rather than Phils.  I went back to bed and tried to go back to sleep but it wasn't happening so I came downstairs, put the underfloor heating on, made a mug of tea and penned this blog.  I'm not quite sure of the reason for my insomnia but perhaps its got something to do with the fact that we are back at the Macmillan unit today to see Dr Camilleri.  Today Phil has to decide which treatment option he's going for.  Its no big deal I guess but some days I wish this cancer cloud would just disappear.

Mint Weekend

Our appointment with the radiotherapy guy on Friday took place at the MacMillan unit near Ward 16 at MK General. First impressions were good, friendly staff and we were seen within 5 minutes of arriving. I had to laugh because Phil had started with his ear drops earlier that morning so he was practically deaf in one ear, a fact which I had to share with the receptionist in case she thought Phil was ignoring her.

We were shown to a consultation room where we were introduced to the registrar and Dr Camilleri the oncology specialist. He seemed okay and had obviously read up on all of Phil's medical notes which is always a good sign. Unfortunately he did get my back up when I mentioned the prostrate cancer diet which he immediately dismissed based on lack of any proven scientific evidence. He said that life was for living and we should enjoy it. I decided to shut up but I was angry because he could see that Phil is a big guy and would benefit from loosing a few stone. The leaflet 'Diet & Prostrate Cancer' issued by the Prostate Cancer Charity states that the westerners have higher rates of prostate cancer than people living in far eastern countries such as China and Japan which researchers think may be be due to the Western diet. Anyway, the fact that Phil's PSA level has dropped and he's shed 12 pounds is proof that diet does make a difference; I rest my case.

Aside from the diet discussion, the rest of our meeting with Dr Carmilleri went well. He obviously knew his stuff and explained the differences between Brachytherapy and Radiotherapy treatments. He talked about side affects and survival statistics. Phil felt comfortable with Dr Camilleri which was the most important thing. We have a week to decide which treatment we're going for and are back on Friday to see Dr Carmilleri to let him know our decision. Obviously the final decision will be down to Phil because after all,it is his prostate, but at this moment in time, I'm thinking we should go for the radiotherapy. The reason for this, is based on the fact that Dr Carmillleri said that the MRI could pick up masses but it couldn't detect little micro cells not contained in the prostate. So if Phil goes for the radiotherapy, the high energy x-rays that zap the prostate gland will also zap the tissues that immediately around it. The surgery option won't do this and neither will the Bracherapy.

Enough of cancer, onto the weekend. It was a last minute idea but on Friday we made the decision to go to Birmingham for the weekend. Phil has been wanting to see the new Bull Ring centre for ages. I'd already been so I wasn't particularly bothered but I saw the forecast was good for Saturday so I got on the net and booked us a hotel. By chance I found the Mint Hotel in Birmingham which was advertising a bargain rate. £69 for a room, breakfast wasn't included but a £20 love-to-shop voucher was thrown in which I thought was a good deal. http://www.minthotel.com/birmingham/birmingham-hotels.htm

 

We had a few jobs at home to sort before we left but we parked in the multi storey and were standing in the hotel reception at 11.45am. Check-in wasn't until 3pm but when I asked the receptionist if we could leave our bag she kindly said we could check in straight away. This was great and we got our keys (and our voucher) and went to check out room 538 right away. Phil fell in love with our room as soon as he stepped inside. And when he spotted the iMac entertainment system, he was over joyed and could barely contain his excitement. Boys and toys hey. The room had everything we could need, it was a bit on the small side and didn't have a bath but it had a large bed and nice modern decor. I didn't think I'd be able to entice Phil out of the hotel but it was approaching lunchtime and the boy was hungry so it wasn't too difficult.

We made our way to the centre via the canal which was only 5 minutes from our hotel. It was a lovely walk with lots of bars and restaurants all the way along to The Mailbox Centre where is where we decided to stop for lunch. We found an Asian restaurant offering a fusion of Thai and Japanese food. http://www.theoriental.uk.com/ We had 2 courses, the food was good but the service was a little on the slow side. That didn't matter though as we weren't in any hurry. Phil wanted to eat at Purnells, the restaurant owned by Michelin starred Birmingham chef, Glynn Purnell but unsurprisingly, when I phoned to book they were fully booked up.

 

After lunch we walked up through The Mailbox Centre, down the main street by Birmingham New Street station and found ourselves right outside the main Bull Ring Centre. The streets were buzzing and the place had a real vibe. We didn't go inside the actual Bull Ring Centre though mainly because I'd been before and also because Phil doesn't do shopping. Phil had a browse in Waterstones and I had look in Lypsy and then we walked back to our hotel along the canal side. We were lucky with the weather, it was a beautiful day, the sun was shining although it did get a little chilly as the day was closing in.

 

We'd brought DVD's and wine and scooby snacks with us so decided to make ourselves comfy and stay in for the evening. This makes us sound like a pair of boring old farts but with Phil on the diet, I didn't want to push it and go out for dinner and besides we had everything we needed in our rooms. It was a pleasant night, wine and movies and only slightly spoilt by the noisy people next door and the fire alarm going off on our floor just after 9pm. Luckily it was a false alarm and we didn't have to evacuate. Amazingly Phil slept through the fire alarm which I suppose just goes to show how chilled out he was.

 

I can thoroughly recommend the Mint Hotel if you need to stay overnight in Birmingham. The location is great, parking isn't a problem and great walks along the canal side especially in the summer months. Only downside is that the restaurant seemed rather expensive. A continental room service breakfast would have cost £28 if you factored in the tray charge which seemed crazy to us. We didn't bother with the hotel breakfast, I sent Phil out to find a café and he came back with fruit for him and a sausage sandwich for me. There was tea and coffee making facilities in the room so we were sorted.

 

We checked out just before midday and drove back to MK in the rain which wasn't much fun. Lunch was turkey byriani and afterwards Phil went over to Northampton to take G out for some driving practice. Her 3^rd driving test is on the 17^th March so she needs to get some practice plus its good for the old KA to get a run. Unfortunately Phil said it was playing up when they got out on the road and they had to go to Halfords to get a replacement gasket. It would be a shame after all the money that we've spent if the KA dies before G gets a chance to drive it.

My Sunday afternoon was spent doing domestics, first up some cooking, pea and mint soup and a potato, spinach and cauliflower curry and rice in readiness for the start of the week. Cooking duties over, I sorted the washing and got on with the ironing. I feel good when the washing and ironing baskets are empty, its a good way to start the week and frees my mind, which at the moment is overflowing with all kinds of worries. Still, aside from coming back to domestics, we had a good weekend and it was just nice to get away and do something different for a change.

Thumbs Up

Negativity is not good for the soul and after all my whining this week, I am glad to be able to end the week on a positive note. Phil went to get the results of his blood tests on Tuesday after work and it was really good news. His PSA level has dropped from 7.5 to 5.2. It's true that I was really hoping that his level had dropped as a direct result of the cancer diet but I wasn't expecting it drop so significantly, so I was really pleased. Of course his level is still high because his cancer is moderately aggressive but without having had treatment and without changing his diet, his PSA levels would most certainly have continued to rise. The results of his blood sugar levels were also encouraging, he's gone from 7.2 down to 6.7. Not a drastic decline and they are still high I know, but nonetheless a drop in the right direction especially with all the fruit that he has been eating which is full of sugar. A very good result indeed and we shall be continuing with this prostrate cancer diet because it obviously making a difference.

 

The diet; I won't lie, is hard work and an awful lot of effort. But I am so thrilled with Phil's blood result tests that I am committed to making it work and improve upon it. Actually this week, I have had it quite it easy with the cooking. Perhaps I am getting used to it or I am getting better but it hasn't seemed too laborious this week. The whole wheat noodles with the chilli sauce did us a couple of days. We had baked potatoes on Tuesday with sugar free beans for me and tuna, sweetcorn, red pepper and home-made mayonnaise for Phil and he quite enjoyed it. Yesterday I did Thai Green curry but substituted the chicken for one breast of Turkey which I grilled instead of frying. For soups, we had vegetable at the beginning of the week and yesterday I made a saucepan of sweetcorn soup which Phil really liked. I am not big on corn, its not my bag but its one of Phil's favourites. Today I have nothing prepared which is most unusual. As a Friday treat we had planned to share a portion of fish and chips with a side of mushy peas but I'm not certain this is going to pan out. I hope so because Phil has been fantasising about this meal all week long.

 

Phil's done so well on the 'cancer' diet but he needs to make more effort in the exercise department. He hasn't been on it once this week, well not since Sunday, he says the saddle is too hard so yours truly went out to Joe Pinks in Newport yesterday and bought a new saddle for twenty quid; I wasn't happy forking out but then I guess its worth it if encourages Phil to exercise during the week. Harriet tried the bike out on Monday evening for a 20 minute session and afterwards said her bum was sore and she felt faint. Perhaps she will use it more when the new saddle is fitted.

 

I had to laugh at Phil when he went to the doctors surgery because he went armed with a long list of things to ask for. Phil has spent the last 10 years avoiding going to see the GP but now he is demanding prescriptions for every single one of his ailments. He came away with a years supply of metformin, statins and ear drops to mention only a few. He was disappointed that the doctor couldn't give him a blood sugar tester; this has to be issued from his diabetes nurse whom he can't get in to see until March at the earliest. I don't know what the issue is but he has got a real bee in his bonnet about getting a tester on the NHS. If it were me, I'd pop into Boots and buy one over the counter and save myself all the stress.

The other good thing that happened yesterday is that the Dishwasher is not broken. When we pulled the unit out, we saw that the fitting to the water pipe was loose. Phil tightened it up, I put the dishwasher cycle on while the unit was still away from the wall and it was absolutely fine, no leaks so problem solved. I don't know why it is these days but when something goes wrong, I always assume the worst. Another example of glass half empty syndrome I guess. We've still got to sort the kitchen units in the garage but that's a big job and a job for the weekend or another time.

 

The hospital called yesterday and they have had a cancellation and asked if Phil could come along to see the radiologist today. He said “yes” and so we're off to the hospital for an 11am appointment. I am a little apprehensive because I don't like the thought of Phil being zapped but hopefully we will ask the right questions that will enable us to make the decision about which treatment is best for Phil. Either that, or we will come away even more confused that we were before we went in.

A week where it's all going wrong

Well the week certainly started off with a bang. When I got up on Monday morning and ventured into the garage to put some washing on, I found a complete mess. During the early hours sometime between going to bed and awakening, the wall mounted kitchen cupboards had fallen off the walls. We use these cupboard to store our stockpiles of food and the entire contents were scattered all over the garage floor. I even found tins behind the washing machine! My first impression was that we'd been burgled but on closer inspection I saw that the fixings had come right out of the wall. The fittings were not strong enough to support the cupboards and over a period of time have obviously come loose and finally given way. One of the units looks fairly smashed up so lets hope Phil can repair and make good and restore my garage to its former glory. Lets hope so.

 

Phil managed to get the shower to work on Sunday afternoon by simply turning on the hot water tap upstairs while I turned on the kitchen taps. He then tried the shower and whoopee it worked. Maybe it was air in the pump, I don't know but thankfully the pump hasn't been making anymore whirring noises since but me feels its only a matter of time before the pump burns out . But so far, so good, especially as we've had Christine staying for a couple of nights and it would have been a little bit awkward not having a working shower. Christine arrived at ours just after 7pm on Monday evening, Phil went to bed early so it gave us a chance to catch up. However, she had an event in London on Tuesday evening so by the time she got back, we were all just about to go to sleep.

We got an invite in the post last week inviting us to Mads 50^th birthday celebrations, a dinner-cum-dance at Robinsons in Newport. The invitation requested that the ladies wear pink and the gents dress to compliment their partners. Basically I do not have a pink dress in my wardrobe so I decided to dye my cream (wedding) dress bright pink. It wasn't an expensive dress, although very sentimental to me, but to be honest I haven't worn it since my big day so if it was a disaster then it wouldn't be the end of my world.

 

I haven't done any dyeing for years and had forgotten what a pa lava it is; actually its come a long way since I first tried my hand at changing the colour of stuff and after all the dipping and stirring it worked and the pink looked very even. The trouble was, I didn't like the vibrant pink as much as the cream. I cut the bows and stuff off with nail scissors (bit of a bodge job) and now its dry but the pattern in the material looks like an old fashioned pub carpet thats been vomited on by someone that's drunk too much red wine. I don't know whether I can convince myself that it looks good enough to get away with but if not I shall have to buy a new dress; Cinderella will be going to the ball!

 

Sue emailed me and then followed up with a telephone call on Monday afternoon. I was pleased to hear from her and happy to hear that Alan had actually managed to get out of Willen for an hour last Thursday. He expressed a wish to go to M&S for a sticky bun and Sue managed to get him in the car and they parked up in a disabled space right outside M&S using their newly acquired disabled sticker. Sue wheeled Alan into the store for his treat but they got back to the car only to discover they'd been issued with a parking ticket. It was the first time they'd used the disabled permit and Sue hadn't realised she'd put it in the wrong way round. Naturally, this didn't make them very happy especially in the circumstances and as Sue told me, later that day they were able to laugh about it. As she said, if you don't laugh you'd cry.

I nearly cried myself on Tuesday afternoon; I'd put on the dishwasher on a normal cycle when I got back from the gym, meant to do it first thing but I clean forgot. Anyway, after Phil went back to work after lunch I noticed some strange brown liquid underneath the dishwasher. I got down on my hands and knees and because our machine is in a raised unit, I could see and feel a pool of water underneath. I then noticed that the mat by the back door felt damp and after mopping up the water underneath the dishwasher unit I lifted the map up and underneath was soaking wet. I promptly slung it out the back garden to dry and then cleaned up the water. Once it was all dry I felt the pipes and they were dry but lying out vertical on the kitchen floor, I could see that the base of the dishwasher was seriously split. My suspicion is that the dishwasher itself is leaking underneath and its a big job to get it out, we know from the last time, when we ended up having to replace the dishwasher the day before we moved out. That's why I am surprised because the dishwasher is not that old. What with the shower pump, the kitchen units and the dishwasher leaking, I feel that this house is falling apart. Bit like me really; lets hope we can sell up and move out before it all comes tumbling down around us.

On Tuesday afternoon I had to wait in for Phil's delivery, a box of tools being delivered any time after 12pm from Tool Box. As my bad luck would have it, Fed Ex didn't turn up until quarter to four but I don't suppose it mattered that much as my afternoon was busy tidying up the debris in the garage and mopping up the water in the kitchen. Both my garage and kitchen tiled floors are so squeaky clean that you could eat your dinner off them. I was knackered and after a late night on Monday evening and all my exertions from cleaning I went to bed at 7pm to read.

 

Oh dear its all moans and groans this week and the week is not yet over. This morning after removing all the bottles of booze from the top off the dishwasher unit and cleaning that and then all the sticky bottles, I went to the gym and tried my very first ever Zumba class. It was, as Emma recently commented, very up-tempo but great fun. I managed to keep up no problem but my technique was way out. Try as I did, I couldn't co-ordinate, bum wiggling, rotating the hips and jumping around the studio and don't even go there on the arm movements. So much for sexy Latin American dancing, when I saw myself in the mirrors I looked like I was doing a modern version of the Funky Chicken dance! I think had I of had several glasses of wine before the class, myZumba technique would have been perfect but that would defeated the object. I won't be doing Zumba dancing again in a hurry; next up for experiment is Body Combat. There must be something out there in the exercise class universe that I can do, surely?