Monday and its a day I am on the road to York, I wake up to find my partner getting busy to meet a friend for a walk, so I do my vitals, they are ok, and then I breakfast, take my meds and get ready to train, I wont have a chance again till Thursday. So with my packing done I get to the garage and the rower. Its a session that I do not feel like and it is reflected in my performance. A 30 minute row under 6 kilometres’ is not good.
Post row I shower and load the car, as I am doing so the post person brings me my next oncology review appointment letter and a blood sample form. My next review will be November the 12th, two days after my 28 day jab, so that will be interesting. I now wait for the scan appointments to arrive. With a couple of chores done and the car loaded I say a brief farewell to my partner, climb into Elsie and drive off.
The drive was bright sunshine and dry which meant Elsie had a good run to York, stopping only for the driver to have a pee at Leeds and buy travel supplies. The hotel has changed, its been refurbished in the reception area and the bar and dining area. The room is basic so the hotel is the equivalent of all show and no knickers. Thankfully my room is on the ground floor looking out over the car park so I can see Elsie. Having driven and unpacked I take a nap and listen to The Infinite Monkey Cage. I message my friend and find despite a cold she is well enough to have dinner tonight so I arrange to pick her up and go into town for a meal. All went well until we walked to where I thought the restaurant was, it wasn’t so we had to look for it further down the road where it had taken over the site of another restaurant that had gone out of business. The meal was good, but the restaurant was noisy, which I hate, but as time went on the refuelers and those with no conversation or appreciation of good food left. I dropped my friend off home as she was flagging, this was a rare outing for her as she still battles against long COVID, so although she is making progress she still tires easily. I return to the hotel and turn in, having taken my meds and set my alarm for seven o’clock. I am not sure why, but I always set my alarm for seven o’clock when I am on my own in a hotel, I think I fear missing out on breakfast.
Tuesday and my alarm wakes me, so I get up take my morning meds and shower trying to avoid getting my hair wet as I had forgotten to pack my shower cap. Feeling unusually clean and refreshed I go to the restaurant, I don’t bother to check in with the “host” and settle down to muesli, orange juice and hot water. With breakfast done I take time out to rest and organise the rest of my day. Its a quiet time and I enjoy the relaxation of it before I start to draft the blog. I’m having lunch with another old friend and mentor and have had to message her for her post code having forgotten her postcode, which the Satnav in Elsie will need.
Lunch is salad and deli delights as I and my friend catch up, both of us have things to share and to talk over, all much easier over good food. Our time goes by quickly and its soon time to leave. Having had the foresight to put the hotel post code into Elsie’s Satnav the journey back was relatively straight forward. Once back I draft more of the blog and listen to more Infinite Monkey Cage while reflecting on my conversations up till now. My evening takes me to the hotel restaurant for a meal and then I am back in my chilly room to watch a football match on TV, tucked up in bed. I take my meds and then an early night for me.
