One Life, Live it ....

The title is the catch phrase of the Land Rover Owners clubs and is used with good reason, here is my own Land rover looking over Afganistan from the Pamir Highway on a grand adventure

It is now 14 years since my first post and about 12 years since my all clear, thankfully I have been fit and well ever since that time. I only occasionally dip into this blog to clarify that I am still around and doing well, principally for those that read the story and wonder how the ending went.

To summarise the main points

• My family are all well, Poppy and Holly my two daughters are "all grown up" one just finishing her university studies and one is a trainee lawyer, so the thing I was most concerned about - not being around for them growing up has passed by happily.  Of course we are still close and there are still dramas and support needed but I am very happy to have been around for the last 14 years for them.
• In part influenced by my cancer journey I stopped work when I thought i could afford it, at 57, and since that time I have balanced time at home with time touring the world in my Land Rover with Lee my wife and a number of other friends.  I still occasionally do a little bit of consulting work from time to time to keep me interested but I am really mostly retired.
• My Land Rover travels are documented on the website www.celtic-rover.com, the enjoyment of writing which I discovered during this adventure with cancer carried over to my travelling so I have enjoyed sharing my impressions of different parts of the world with my little group of followers.
• As can happen after my all clear I did have a bit of a slump, there is a kind of survivors syndrome where you are concerned that every little symptom means that the cancer is back but that fades with time.  I did get too fond of drinking and had to take steps, with a lot of help, to resolve that so now I am sober and all the better for it and the friends I made on that journey
• I try to stay fit with regular running with a small group of friends, I need the group to push me along and for the social side of things as I am not a person who naturally likes exercise, but i have found myself enjoying it more than I could have imagined.

Today I am back in Edinburgh under lockdown like everyone else, I am very grateful to be here and to be with my family, it was a bit touch and go getting out of Argentina in time but I made it and now my only challenge is building up a routine and catching up with long overlooked tasks like updating and compiling this blog.  So far we are all well and no one I know personally has been affected by the Corona Virus and I hope that continues and the lock down strategy works for all our sakes.

So keep up hope if you are reading this as a new member of the cancer community, at least in some cases life goes on and we can grab it with both hands and sincere gratitude that we were one of the lucky ones.....

Gerry

Still here

I promised to occasionally update the blog just to let folks who read it later know that I am still around, I used to hate those blogs that just stopped when I was doing my research.  Oddly I was back at the Western General Cancer Centre today as Lee's Uncle is not very well and is in there for some treatment to help him be more comfortable.  This followed on from a chat on Friday with my friend Howard who is working his way through the early stages of a journey with a brain tumour, but in fine form and wondering if his chemo will slow him down on a 28mile run this weekend !

So all is well with us, it is 10 years since my cancer diagnosis on the 20th of Feb 2006 and then we had a dance with Hodgkins until Aug 7th 2007 when I got the all clear that stuck, the one in Oct 2006 turned out to be a false dawn.

I am in good shape physically, I do moderate amount of running with regular half marathons and have stopped drinking, so feel better than in the past, and much better than in the middle of chemo.  The girls have all grown up Poppy in New York for the year as part of her Glasgow based law degree and Holly driving around in the last year of school with an offer to uni under her belt so getting more independent by the day.  Lee has picked up an MBA from the Queen and is very happy with her work, even joining me in thinking about giving up full time work in a few years time.

My current project is to build an overland adventure camper based on a land rover platform and head off traveling and travel writing around the world, the company will be called Celtic Rover and I hope to start a blog and website about the travels in the next weeks.

I wish any of you who read this as a part of researching the path through your own situation all the strength and humour you will need to deal with your own journey, keep it in the day and be kind to yourself and the people around you.

Gerry

Update Feb 2015

Still here and still doing well

Snowy Christmas all is well.

Enjoying the snow in Scotland

Just a short update to say I have passed the 2.5 year point cancer free with no concerns and my next checkup will take me past the 3 year mark since the treatment. All is well with me and the family and life is good.

As my friend Jim used to say

Keep smiling

Gerry

Still rolling along

Just a quick update to assure the readers of this blog that I have happily passed my two year check ups and am still all clear of the dreaded cancer!

Life is pottering along pretty smoothly and at a slower pace than the frenetic tendencies I had before the rude interruption of my disease. Phisically I am in moderate shape, still right on my target weight helped by long walks with our new dog Herclues a dalmation who drags me around the part two or more times each day. My work is going well, the economic recession hits all of us to some extent and we are not immune but compared to the average we are doing well and winning market share so its enough to keep me busy but not enough to cause real worry and stress which is helped by working in a very friendly and competent team. I do spend about one day a week working from home and two or three days each week in Munich or other European cities so I have a good variaty in my job.

Holly and Poppy are growing up quickly now at 14 and nearly 11 they are becoming independant, confident and capable day by day, and they still talk to us which is a bonus! In fact this week we heard that Poppy has won a writing contest for under 18 year old kids in Scotland with a piece about how my illness affected her and changed her view on life, it was a really nice piece so we are going to the prizegiving this week in the scottish parliment.

Lee is busy as usual but not as bad as she has been, some new help in her team has helped spread the load and her little spin out company is going well, my next computer task is to run her accounts for the month. My car collection is stabilised now with the Aston and the MG getting regular use, we did the dream rides thing again this year and raised 2500 pounds for various charities last week alone.

So I hope you all are keeping as well as can be, enjoying the days when we are still here and keeping your friends and family high up the priority list as we all should.

Cheers

Gerry

Merry Christmas to one and all

I am happy to report that all is well in Edinburgh this Christmas, we have had the normal Christmas that we dream of. We went to Ireland just ahead of Christmas for a few days and had a really nice time with my mum and brothers and sister. On sunday morning a lot of us plus multiple dogs walked for an hour along the costal path in Bangor had a nice breakfast in the Cafe and walked all the way back, kids throwing sticks, dogs swimming in the sea and gentle chatting - I even ran in to my teenage best friend Greg Donegan as we walked, he too was visiting his mum with his family for that weekend. I said to Lee that this was a Lou Reed day the moments you capture in your mind to sustain you through trouble in future. We were all happy and all well and none of the immediate family were unwell (though Lees dad had died earlier in the year and my uncle Harry has had a tough time recently, but is now on the mend). Unfortunatly we all got the flu in Ireland and so have had to take turns to nurse each other through Christmas and walking the dog Hercules but that has been fine.

So wonderful relaxing and unseasonably warm and still days have passed in a happy blur, long lists of things we should have done with the holiday lie undone as we actually chill out and enjoy the season. Over the next days we will try to get some clearing out done, go to Lees mum in Aberdeen and visit friends Avril and Duncan in Inverness before returning to Edinburgh in time for a nice new year party with a good bunch of friends. I may even get the chance to take the Aston for a long drive by myself up to Inverness via most of Scotland on my own, I am sure I can find a way along the coast the wrong way round for 10 hours or so!

So to those of you who stumble on this blog as part of your adventure into the world of cancer have hope, and value every moment, I have no idea how long my luck will last, but I know now how lucky I am since my illness, and I am happy with "the whole package" as a good friend of mine put it. We are even starting to make plans into the future, our holiday in Jordan was a great success and gave the kids a great sense of history, plans for the summer are for a safari in Tanzania, as the Bedouin taught us "ishna Allah" or god willing, or fate willing. For Lee it will be her first time back in Africa since just before we met (she worked in Kenya)

I know that it is random luck that I am still here to write this, and that many good people who faced the same challenge with courage, wit and humour much greater than mine are not here so I am a little awesome at being, so far, a survior, but thats the way it works, not on merit, not on courage, not on ability, not on worth but on luck. The cruelty of that is a lasting reinforcement of my personal non belief in a specific person oriented god, reinforced by the tailwagging devotion of our dog, who in that system "does not count" I still strongly believe in some connecting life force which draws us to the good even in bad situations, but believe less and less in the formulae of conventional religion founding in unaltered teachings of a bygone age. However faith is without doubt a great support to those who are lucky enough to have it so I do not disrespect its value to very many in troubled times, and the well intentioned and beliving people of these communities do really great and honourable things to help others, but sometimes you believe, and sometimes you do not, personally, without disrespect of those that do.

So its late on boxing day, kids are asleep, Lee is reading her book and all is well in the world. My best wishes to you and those you love, sleep well, safe and healthy now and in the coming year. If adversity comes your way I wish you courage to endure what must be endured and the strenght to overcome what can be overcome.

Happy New Year to you all

Gerry

No Elysian Fields for me - not yet at least,... not yet!

I borrowed the title from Gladiator as I had been waiting for results with Lees mum and we had a nice evening watching the film. I liked the ending where Maximus' friend says he will join him in Elysia but not yet. Well the same is true for me thankfully, my tonsils have been extracted and they have been checked and found to be free of cancer, better than that they did find a deep seated infection which would have accounted for the hot spot on the scan and the nearby lymph nodes, bottom line I now have a firm one year all clear.

About time I had a break....

We did find this one a bit difficult mentally becasue it was very similiar to the situation that the girl in "Journey to Babeland" found herself but sadly it did not work out for her so that knocked my confidence. Then I saw the actual PET scan report at the ENT doctors and it was a bit firmer than Dr Scott saying that the lymph and tonsil signals "could be signs of reemerging disease", these lymph nodes were just above the last ones which had HD so all in all it was a worrying set of curcumstances. I tried to put it to the back of my mind but its very hard not to think "will it get me this time" specially as I know conventional treatment is now pretty much exhausted so if it comes back there is not much they can do. But it dident ! Just wanted to get that lot off my chest in case it helps others.

So life is back to normal, I have a very sore throat but hey I prefer that option, Lee is in Brazil at a series of conferences which are pretty big shows for her. I am recovering, working a bit and doing Dad stuff like getting ready for Hollys birthday party next weekend and the normal flow of domestic kids support and taxi service. In between I have had the chance to catch up with some old friends and next week I will be back at work full time.

So all is well here, the days are begining to feel more normal and to flow into each other as they did before this adventure. Life is good, I am lucky to be here and know that.

I will put something in around Christmas just so any of you who pick up the story, specially those of you on a similiar journey know how things have gone.

Cheers

Gerry

All clear but Tonsils coming out

Just a short update to keep the story rolling, I have now had my annual PET scan which was mostly positive. Essentially all the areas which had Hodgkins disease are now showing clear with no uptake which is great news.

However I am showing a bit of uptake on one of my tonsils which is probably due to an infection but could possibily be a residual bit of cancer so I am scheduled for tonsil removal on the 11th of September, once out they will be sliced up and checked for any signs of cancer. Hopefully my luck will hold and I will still have my get out of "jail free card". I will keep you posted in a few weeks. Fingers crossed !

Otherwise all is going well, I am enjoying my new job running a small part of our business in Europe learning the art of sales and marketing for a change. This allows me to work from home occasionally and a reasonably easy occasional commute to Munich. We have expanded the family with a dalmatian puppy called Hercules who is a really nice charchter (so far).

So all is well in the world, it is a battle to stop the worries about the future from preventing the enjoyment of the present, but until someone says otherwise I feel fine and I am having as much fun as possible.

Cheers

Gerry

Easter Update

Just to keep up the news for those of you who pick up the theme and wonder what happened (I used to hate the blogs which just stop) All is well here on the one year mark since my treatment with my health. I have gone back to work, done some stopgap things and have now settled into a really good job which is giving me a good work/life balance and a lot of new things to learn, but still in the same company.

I am fit and well and about to go to see the consultant tomorrow for my regular check up ahead of my one year scan which should happen over the next few months. Life is good and our little family is fine, childeren grow and blossom without any awareness this is happening and yet constant surprise and delight to me. In our own extended family, and that of my good friends, we have some difficult situations with the health of parents, we wish all as well as can be and as strong as can be.

Today I saw the sun rise over the Alps in Italy in a blue sky before flying back to home to chat and curl up on the couch to watch the apprentice with Lee and Poppy ( Holly being tucked in bed with after a sore tummy day)

Tomorrow I have to revisit the scene of my transplant, smell the hospital once again, and hope I have got away - my good intentions of not drinking at all at home, which have been holding up well, are excused tonight as my mind falls back into the isolation ward and the tree outside the window developing its leaves as I struggled from hour to hour and day to day.

My tree is still in leaf, my strength is good and, apart from the eve of my return to the hospital, my mind is focussed on the future and the normal challenges of living. Long may it continue.

Cheers

Gerry

Christmas Update

For those of you who chance on this blog, perhaps because you have yourself started down the Hodgkins journey I thought it would be good to add in the occasional short update. It used to frustrate me when I read blogs from other sufferers which just stopped, but I am not intending to maintain the blog in any serious way so friends and relations will just have to revert to picking up the phone or email in the normal way.

In summary things are going very well, I have returned to work full time and have been consumed in a whirlwind of activity since I started back in August. This fully justified taking the time to get well properly before I returned and this has paid dividends since. I have not suffered any side effects of note and feel just as fit and nearly as energetic as I did in the past. Sometimes I do not have the same stamina as I used to have, but that only means I am a bit more normal and appreciative of others than I was!

Family life is pottering along as usual, Lee is very busy with her company and a promotion in her institute (not to mention tap dancing and wine tasting hobbies). My return to work and constant travelling for work has put a real load on her which we hope will get better if I can get a European based job early next year. Poppy continues to sing and excell at drama while Holly is charging over jumps on her horses both seem contented at school and have good friends so all the other small boundary testing which goes on is easily bearable.

Probably my next big medical milestone will be the scan around March which will check for the possible return of the cancer. I have had the two clear scans already so we have a lot of hope that it will be clear, but some worry occasionally when driving home at night that it might not be, fingers crossed on that one.

We plan an idylic holiday with Christmas at home just with the family and then New Year on a scottish island with some good friends, we all need the rest after this last year and plan to have a very relaxing time by some nice real fires without email or phone connections.

I hope you all are doing well, if you are reading this because you are in treatment take heart and be strong, there are a lot of happy stories out there. Every day the sun comes up and I see it is a blessing.

Cheers

Gerry

The Second end of Gerryscancerdiary

Seems like we have been here before on August 20th 2006 when I rather prematurely announced the first end of gerryscancerdiary, little was I to know that only three months later I would be facing a doctor and "we've got a problem", the problem being as you all now know that the usually successful treatment did not work. That was a real kick in the face, of the type you do not want too many of in any one lifetime, and came with a 40 percent survival tag that I did not like one bit as that moved me from the "probably be all right" team to the "probably will not be all right" team, so some dark days followed.

The dark days were tougher because all I learnt about the treatment was pretty scary. Having already been sick on and off for a year, I thought it was fair and necessary for me to give up my current jobs at Gore, so the teams would not be leaderless for a further year and so I could concentrate all my energy on the treatment. In essence while the first treatment I tackled as an inconvenience, which I could work through and be out of pretty fast, this next treatment was going to take all of my focus and even then was a 50/50 deal. Even if I got out the other side the damage to my body could be considerable and reasonably long lasting.


What a change since then....


In reality colleagues picked up the work at Gore smoothly and have grown and developed as a result, we buckled down mentally in our own ways, Lee used the statistically most successful strategy of denial and distraction with the Monster bike and hike and starting her business. I once again developed an obsessive interest in the treatment I was going to receive and the stories of other bloggers who had been through the same thing, the "full immersion" technique which studies show is the second most promising strategy after denial.


Once I got into the treatment I had researched the side effects and symptoms and coping strategies so well that I had a really "bring it on" head on, somewhat deflated when on the first day there was a problem with the chemo so I was sent home for dinner! Never the less the treatment was pretty ugly, but my experience was very much more positive than many of the others who were in with me, and I got through, partly because I was expecting much worse. I felt so relieved when my transplanted immune system started to work and I could escape home to warm soup and comfort in my "den" upstairs. I nearly broke the record for getting out of hospital and was determined to push myself to get better.

At this stage I could do a lot with food, walking, exercising and resting well to help my body recover and prevent dangerous infections. I was lucky that this worked out well, and I had some good advice and support from the hospital and friends on how hard to push. Fortunately I continued to surprise the doctors in a positive way, and now following a clear scan, which we waited for with some nervousness as you can tell from the post a few days ago. So now all is well, I have negotiated, mostly through good progress on the fitness front, the doctors back from October to the end of August to restart work and am keen to get back to the interesting work and many friends I have in Gore. Until my next scan in a year or so I am free to live life normally for a change, avoiding exotic infections and places with poor hospitals for a year being part of the deal.

We have a week in Ireland still to come before the start back, me to work and Poppy to senior school. I shall miss elements of being at home, specially the way I have become much more integrated into the kids life over the summer, but in all honesty I am happy to hang up my cooks apron, skip the solitary training in the gym, and put away the vacuum cleaner, with few regrets. I will need to work out how to fit some pretty solid exercise routine into my working day, the lunchtime running club may have a new recruit at the plant.

So once again, and hopefully for the last time, I would like to thank all of our friends, family and colleagues who have managed to make our cancer experience a journey of discovery, friendship, warmth, support and even quite a bit of fun at times. I have no idea why I am here and seemingly recovered, while so many are still sick or worse, though luck and chemistry has much more to do with it than attitude or any merit on my part. Those latter things help folk cope, which is really important, but have minimal or no effect on the outcome. Sadly the biggest learning is that sometimes the bullet has your name on it and sometimes it doesn't. Equally I do not know, as you all do not know, how my health will be in future years. All the poisons and chemicals and radiation basically half my life expectancy, but that's just an average, and a lot of folk fully recover. I think I will stack the odds in my favour with exercise etc while still having fun as much as possible in the meantime, just in case.

So as I get out my calender and think about holidays, car shows, weekends away and treats - things which have been out of my mind for a long time, I hope you also check the balance of your own time, sometimes you get a second chance, as I have, but sometimes your time is up, use it wisely.

As the point of this blog was to communicate with family and friends efficiently during my treatment, saving the repetition and phone calls so that a relatively normal life could be lived between treatments, and as the treatment is successful, this should be my last post on the blog while I continue to be healthy. Part of returning to normal life is returning to normal communication channels so I will have to learn to phone and email again one on one. That will be good too.

So hopefully, there it is, the end once again. I thank you all again and I wish you all once again every blessing in the world, and the strength to deal with the adversity that life will throw your way with good humour and perspective.

Cheers

Gerry

Clear Scan

As is obvious from the title the results of the scan have come back clear and I am very much relieved. The primary tumour still has some harmless residual scar tissue as before but the three lymph nodes which developed cancer in the relapse are all back to normal size. So that is essentially the end of my cancer treatment, and it has been successful. From here on in I am on a watch list, with regular annual scans to look for signs of its return or other consequences of the treatment which can develop. As long as these stay clear then I can live a normal life again, starting with my planned return to work on August 23rd. I will post a bit of a longer update, probably my final update on the blog, later, for now I just wanted to get the key news out as I know a few of you were sitting with your fingers crossed for me!

Cheers

Gerry

Elastic Time

Evening Bloggers,

A minor miracle of unpredicted keyboard dexterity not warranted at all this evening (for various reasons). Today is a day of elastic time where everything is defined and colours are vivid and time stretches.......mental photographic moments.

Awaiting results...

Have had good time out recently! Highlight the golden wedding celebs at the weekend at the cottage. S and G Khan 50 years married! Dad had brought out photos of the wedding which the children really enjoyed...cousin/neice Frankie quote " Grandma was really HOT!"

You cannot have too much champagne or too much space. I love space and always wanted to be an astronaut but was worried about travel sickness and the confinements of that space helmet.

Loved camping at the cottage, loved the sound of the rain on the tent and the sunlight in the morning and the sounds of the wood.

I'm off to the roof now to enjoy the full moon over Capomaestro towers! Tim by the way I think the 3 peaks should be the next challenge!
L


Lee and I have been out tonight for dinner, and too many drinks, and are listening to Motzart with the windows on the roof fully open and the moon shining down on us as the beautiful music fills the air. Sarah and Jim have the kids for the evening and we are in limbo waiting on the annoucnement from the medics tomorrow, my friend Neville introduced me to Requiem and to this day I feel it is the most complete musical composition I have ever heard. One time there was a Typhoon in Japan, where I was working, and this was on the car stereo when I stopped and watched the lighting crash into the paddy fields as I could not drive in the downpour. These are moments that define, one way or another, our life.

In the last months I have become reluctant to post much on the blog, as it seems that things will probably be OK, whatever that means, but for sure it is different from short term death, which was the alternative.

This evening, in the spirit of the blog which was to be honest and create a record of my feelings about the situation, I am scared and apprehensive about tomorrow, I hope that Dr Scott will confirm the expected result of an all clear scan, but I am scared about my own strength if that is not the case, which is just as likley as the last time I more confidently and arrogantly faced this situation. Humility is a lesson learned in the fire of reality and I have learnt this lesson.

I hope and feel things will be OK tomorrow, I wish for it to be true or confirmed, but in reality this last year has taught me that the beauty of Motzart is still beautiful, camping in Logie Coldstone where Hollly and Poppy rescued the camp fire from embers can never be bought or sold, every day that we live, and all the people we touch and warm are privilages to be treasured and held close.

Lee has decided that she wants to go to the moon before she dies, and has instructed me to say so in the blog - I think I should pay less attention to the computer and more to her....

Anyway hopefully I will post tomorrow on the result, which the medics are confident about, and then normal life can take over from blogworld, chemo, IV plumbing, hospitals and big scanners, for how long no one knows, but every day of it will be precious, of that you can be sure.

Hence time to stop typing and live

Cheers

Gerry

Loch Rannoch

This week my get fit campaign has taken a step up as the whole family set up camp at Jim and Sarah's lodge at Loch Rannoch. The plan at the moment is to push hard to build up stamina and to challenge my body with small infections to exercise my immune system. This has taken the form of fishing from a boat on the lake for a day, climbing a monroe (3000ft mountian) called Ben Lawers with the kids including the youngest, cycling round the lake (23miles) a couple of times and fishing a river for the day. With all this exercise comes a barrage of insect bites, scratches and fatigue which is testing me pretty well, so far all the damage seems to amount to one sore elbow due to over use of a heavy casting rod and some aching muscles in my legs from the trips round the loch on the bike.

I have also managed to fit in a couple of phone calls to colleagues who I may be working with when I return to Gore in four weeks or so, this all seems pretty positive and interesting so my mind is starting to exercise in that direction as I cycle or fish my way back into rude good health. One of the good developments in this year is that the kids have got to an age where they can climb up the mountians under their own steam and land a fish without my help. Poppy is very keen to get a fish of her own having seen Jim and I land fish in the boat but so far has not had the luck, we will see if another session today in lighter winds can get her anything.

Next week we are moving to a cottage near Skye in a village called Applecross which is on the beach, this is a pretty remote spot so my mobile internet access might not work. The plan is for beach jogging or coastal cycling to keep the fitness program going while the kids build sandcastles and we do a bit of fishing off the coast. So we hope you are all well, the final stages of the recovery program are going well and providing some great fun holiday memories for us all.

Cheers

Gerry

Camping in the rain

The weather continues to be wet and cold here in Scotland somehow summer has not yet really arrived, never the less I set off camping with Holly for a few days last week to further test my stamina and immune system. Thankfully both held up well for the three days though I did sleep until 11am one morning after overdoing it sawing wood for the fire the previous day.

We set up camp in the woods near Lee's parents cottage, this is a great place for us as the kids can roam around the woods and the streams safely, we can do things that we would not be able to do in a regular campsite like have a wood fire, cut down dead trees, build bridges over streams etc. Its an excellent place for Holly to push the boundaries by going off exploring and joining in all the work of the camp. In addition the grandparents get to see a good lot of us and can spoil us with cooked breakfasts when we are too lazy to start the fire in the morning.

The weather was mixed but we did not mind and in some ways reading books at night while the rain fell on the tent was a bonding time for us. I find when I am away on a trip with one of the girls we chat a lot more than when we are away as a family which I really enjoy.

I had to go looking for my comb the other day as my hair has got to the point where it sticks out on the side I sleep ! So combs, shampoo and razors are all back in my life after a gap of three months in many ways the baldy look was a lot easier to maintain.

My other treat for the week was getting driven round a race circuit in a new Aston Martin Vantage by one of Astons test drivers, very scary, I have been convinced once again that I could not drive as fast as a proper race driver, they just brake impossibly late from 100+mph straights and fling cars sideways through corners all four wheels squealing in protest yet just hit the apex of the corner every time, amazing!

The medical report continues to be fine, the doctors are now encouraging me to go gardening and camping to get small infections as part of getting my immune system exercised and remembering how to defend my body, so far it has thrown off some sniffles and tummy bugs pretty quickly so I am feeling a lot fitter than even a few weeks ago. We are now setting up for a few weeks of travel, next week to Loch Rannoch for some hillwalking, the following week to Applecross near Skye for beach walks etc and finally a week at the campsite in Aberdeen though that last week will be broken up for me as I have to return to Edinburgh for my scan and to meet the new First Minister of Scotland for breakfast, Alex Salmond, on behalf of Gore.

So all continues to be well, any suggestions for Alex let me know in the comments!

Cheers

Gerry

Glorious Goodwood

All continues to be well here in Edinburgh medically, my hair has moved on from stubble to tennis ball, to nearly looking like a marine cut now, so my body continues to recover well. I do still get fatigue a bit but the times when I feel pretty normal are stretching out and the fatigue tends to follow a late night out or a long drive so is becoming more normal in its pattern.

The highlight of this week was a trip I made to a car show at Goodwood House just near London, I had promised myself this trip since I had been in hospital for my stem cell transplant, as this is the premier car event in the calender and I had never been. It was fantastic. Every car I have ever drooled over in magazines was there, being driven by the famous racing drivers of the era, and the public are allowed to talk to the drivers, walk round the paddock, peer in the cockpits etc. It was petrolhead heaven, only enhanced by the supermodel quota being off the scale. At one point I saw four world rally champions chatting to each other before runs in the actual cars they won the rallies in!. Sadly I could only stay for one day as Poppy had decided to have her birthday party on the Sunday, so I headed back up the road for that - but I will be back!

Poppys party went well I took her and some friends climbing and then they all took turns on an Ariel assault course 150 feet up which excited and scared them in equal proportions. Tonight was her end of term dance so dad was pressed into getting the Aston out of the garage to take them to the dance - they even have dance cards and much angst about who will get the last dance!

I see that the fishermen have returned from the ritual break in the wilderness of Walleye camp and Bill has kindly sent me some photographs of big fish I did not let go, I am sure the average has gone up a lot in fishing pounds caught without me there. Never the less its one of my targets to get to Walleye camp next year if the medics will let me that far away from civilisation by then.

Needless to say after the trip to Goodwood and Poppy's party my energy levels fell well off but only for the morning I seem to be feeling OK again tonight so my stamina is really beginning to improve a lot.

As before no news is good news at this stage, just keeping you posted !

Cheers

Gerry

Isolation and flowers

Just a low key update today as things continue to go well here. Poppy and Lee have both developed sore throats and general flu like symptoms so I have retreated to my study and segregated bathrooms, towels etc so that I avoid catching the bug from them. Poppy missed a day at school today from being too poorly to go but she seems much better now so my enforced isolation should not last too long. She is still very pleased with herself having won the school singing cup but is worried her throat will not have cleared up enough for her to sing at the award ceremony as planned next Wednesday.

I am still doing well medically with a visit to the doctors due next Thursday and my critical scan now set for the 26th of July, and then a week of waiting while they work out what the results mean, hopefully that will be the all clear which starts my move back to work in August as I am getting pretty bored with exercise, cooking and more recently a bit of gardening. I was not allowed to do any gardening other than push the lawnmower for the first six weeks out of hospital due to all the bugs in the soil etc. Over the last few days I have managed to clear the accumulated six months of weeds from our flowerbeds carefully using gloves and antibiotic hand wash afterwards, although I am not a gardener at all its nice to see things pretty tidy in the garden and sit outside for coffee in the sunshine after a day in the garden.

The news at the moment has me in despair as you may guess given my previous blogs in favour of a fairer settlement for the Palestinians - to see them implode as a group into factional fighting is just exasperating. As I have said before they have shown very poor unity and common sense as a group over many years plucking defeat from the jaws of many victories.

My first foray into stocks and shares happened this week, I have always been a bit wary of debt so have concentrated on paying back money owed on houses etc rather than investing, perhaps this is an overly conservative view but there it is. Anyway I had the chance to put a bit of money in a stock ISA (which is tax free in the UK so a good idea). After 24hrs I had managed to lose 100 pounds so not a brilliant start ! Lets hope things go in a more positive direction in the future.

We had two artistic highlights this week one was poppy's singing and dance role in the end of school performance of the senior school and the other was Lee's aunt graduating from the Edinburgh art school and being a part of the final year exhibit. She has taken up the art class since retirement and is doing really well selling some of the works she was showing. Well done Dorothy!

So no big news from here, no news still continues to be good news, hope you all are looking forward and enjoying the summer.

Cheers

Gerry

Warp 1

This last week the boredom of being convalescent finally got to me and I sneaked into work for half a day to catch up with two colleagues who were wrestling with issues I could help with. I did have to face deputy blogger, who was concerned that I was taking unnecessary risks, but in reality I did not meet any more people than I would in the street, and I only went in for half a days chat, so the stress level was very low. In any case all went well, no infections were caught and other than feeling a bit washed out the next day I was fine. My plan is to ease into making connections with colleagues over the next 8 weeks, so that I am not starting from scratch when I go back in August. So this week I have having two pub meetings with other colleagues to continue getting in touch, and have a few email type interactions planned. So I feel pretty comfortable about the level and the progress on this front, and it breaks up the tedium of exercise, rest and household chores.

My recovery continues to go well, my hair is starting to grow back as stubble, which is now black instead of wispy white, shaving every few days is now necessary, which is not welcome, but in a paradox the remaining hair on my arms and legs (and other bits) has fallen out, perhaps pushed out by new growth starting under the old hairs. I am still eating well, and exercising fairly solidly, which means I have lost a bit of weight around my tummy, just from the exercise, which is not too bad. So far I have not got a set date for my scan but I will see the doctor next week on Thursday for the next check up and see what is happening there. I do still get "fatigue" days or half days where I just crash out, but the gaps between these are growing, and I feel basically well, as you would think of it, ie with energy and some enthusiasm for getting things done, about half the time. The other bits are taken up with resting, pottering around the house, or having tummy upsets as my body learns to cope with the normal bugs in the environment. Interestingly my hay fever has not yet come back, which could be a nice positive side effect, as my new immune system may not recognise pollen as a problem.

Family wise all is going well, Poppy has won the school cup for her singing and is off to the big school today for her induction. Holly continues to be horse obsessed and has plans for going riding everywhere we are heading this summer. Lee is worried about her business, which I think is normal for a start up once lawyers get involved, but should die down once the deals are signed and she can get on with selling and developing the products.

So overall nothing exciting to report in the blog, first connections with work have been made successfully but gently, health is on course for improved stamina, and family is muddling through life towards the summer holidays. I hope things are well in your part of the world.

Cheers

Gerry

The joy of a tap-dancing Tea spoon......

I definately missed out when I did ballet and highland dancing when I was a child.....I so want to do tap-dancing..it is absolutely and definately, brilliant. Holly and Poppy wowed us tonight with all their friends in their dance show at the Churchhill theatre. The tap-dancing Tea spoons and playing cards stole the show.

I am inspired! and am going to contact my long-suffering girl friends to suggest some tap and jazz dancing lessons for us this summer.

G has turned into the domestic goddess with attitude......I'm rather enjoying the cooking obsession he has at the moment as I arrive home fom a hard day in the Dragon's Den to a chilled glass of Chablis with my cheese souffle and then a rather lingering and intense Merlot with a Morrocan lamb cassarole, finishing up with a rather indulgent Calvados with poached pear and a cinnamon and ginger compote. hmmmm I could get used to this.

I am planning to distract G a little to help me with some costings for our second product line for the business, I'm still on a really steep learning curve and am in need of Gerry Harvey Jones to
cut through the ..ap!! for me and be Mr Spock at a couple of business meetings at work.

Looking forward to the summer hols and some indulgent times! A few parties to organise first though....one for the Monster challengers and one for Poppy before the end of term...so watch this space.
Catering should be no problem now that I'm married to the Domestic Goddess.

Have a good night.

Deputy B
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