Tuesday and this really is the day the tree men come, it is also the last day of Cycle 6 of the chemo. I’m still in my dressing gown trying to book a lunch slot at a local restaurant for tomorrow when the first of the tree folk arrive. I met them at the back door and point at the trees that need to come down and they then start to produce a prodigious array of chainsaws. I leave them to gear up while I finish my booking and then have breakfast. My partner has already got our house guest’s on the way. I do my vitals and dress, preparing for the day to come.
Soon there is the whirr of chainsaws and I am completing my blood pressure Excel spread sheet for the end of this cycle. My vitals are generally good so my cycle averages are good. My arithmetic continues to give good logic. Pretty soon I am working to the background whirr of an industrial chipper. I know how I would get rid of a body, the machine is a real beast and chips huge chunks of wood. A human would be wetter but no trouble for this beast of a machine. My partner makes them tea before going off for a birthday coffee with a friend. Once she has gone I wrap her presents and write the card in preparation for tonight. The post man brings a welcome letter from a friend which I read with coffee and a slab of fruit card. Then its my turn to go out as I leave I note the tree folk are pretty nimble.
I go to the post office to send my Christmas cards and then pick up my car and drive into town. As usual I park up in a town centre car park. I’m on the second floor and as I walk out I notice a young person curled up in the corner with the usual survival paraphernalia. As I pass by the young woman say hello. She look about fifteen. I walk down to the hospital and go to the pharmacy. One of the pharmacy workers takes my details and starts to hunt for my prescription. This is not a successful hunt for a vey long time. This pharmacy is just not organised, there are numerous people who are waiting for a long time for their prescriptions. Eventually they find my bag of goodies and hand them over. It feels a longer walk back to the hotel car park. I pay my fee and return to my car. I leave and drive to a Sainsburys where I acquire a birthday cake for my partner and then home.
The tree folk have left for the day leaving behind a giant set of draughts in the garden. Tomorrow they will return. The evening comes around and the family eat and then do birthday cake and presents for my partners birthday. I clear the kitchen and then settle down to watch a football match. A strange game where England thrash Scotland 6-0 and fail to qualify for the euro nations semi finals and the Olympics. My partner and I then watch a couple of episodes of Crossing the Lines before going to bed. I find time to draft the blog, which is probably a bit disjointed as I feel drained now.
