Thursday and after a reasonable nights sleep I go through my rising rituals of message checking, email reading and news feed reading. I measure my vitals and then contemplate getting up but before I do I jot a poem. I almost didn’t but I caught myself and thought that I should not miss the moment. Its only another ten weeks before the next collection of poems is due to be edited and published.

522
I mustn’t let
the moment pass.
Pressed to get up 
with a long to do list
I’m tempted not to
jot what comes.
I’m ugly
with my steroid football head
and dissatisfaction of self,
not the person I like
and frustrated with
my short comings.
It’s no use telling me
“its the treatment”
I remain irked 
with my late rising,
self limiting activity
and sloth.
Whatever this is 
It cannot be 
an excuse
to be 
lazy.
					522 30-04-2026

I finally get up and change into my training gear before cooking myself a cheese omelette and taking my morning meds. The first bits of the blog get drafted. I spend the morning listening to I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, reading and trying to relax. It was not until I took my morning meds that I remembered today is the start of the additional steroids. My partner returns from the gym and is soon on her way again with her brother to see their mother.

Early after noon and the garden guy turns up. I make him a coffee and then chat to him about garden related topics and his experiences with giant hog weed, a truly scary plant. He continues to cut the grass and I return to my listening and reading. After a while I wave the garden guy farewell and head for the garage and the rower. I usually train earlier so I am not sure how the session will go. In fact it goes reasonably well and I am pleased I made the effort.

I am quite pleased with the session.it means I get another session before I start cycle 7 tomorrow. Session done I finally get out of my training gear and return to drafting the blog. By now its early evening and I will negotiate the tricky balance of Race Across the World, A Europe football semi final and the final episode of In the Dark. All of which can be sorted after a late tea of salmon pasta. Basically I am looking for a quiet evening, and early night and a good nights sleep before I tomorrow afternoon go to start cycle 7. This is further than I have been in chemotherapy than before, last time it was six sessions and then a rest. Tomorrow I start the additional four sessions, so its new territory, I hope my training stands me in good stead.