Saturday and I wake up feeling quite good and get up for my meds and a plain breakfast. As I am going to lunch with friends I take my time getting ready but find time to paint some red dots on the front flowerbed where I want the garden guy to plant the new Broom plants that we bought during the week. At noon I set off in Elsie (car) and found myself being taken a new and more countrified route than I was expecting. After about forty five minutes I arrived at the restaurant located at a waterside venue complete with boats and boat yard.
A couple of my friends were already there so we sat and chatted till everyone else arrived before going into the restaurant and starting the meal proper. There were six of us and we had all worked together at a particular prison therapeutic community, although some of us had worked together previously at another prison therapeutic community or psychology department. We all know each others histories in detail and where each of us are, so the conversations are pretty focussed and open. Part the way through we faced timed the other member of the group. He was in the sunshine of Bermuda where he has been working for several years. We were excited to learn that he is visiting England in April of this year, so we will of course meet up for a meal all together when he is here. Because I still have trouble tasting things I went for the spicy chicken curry, which in fairness I could taste, followed by a battered Mars bar and ice cream. Apparently the restaurant tried them for Burns night and they went down so well they have kept them on the menu. It was an experience, but I am not sure if the fad will last, its a strange sugar and fat combination. Where will it end, deep fried crème eggs?
I received some belated Christmas gifts, which were lovely, but highlighted how inattentive I had been over Christmas. I think starting chemo rechallenge on Boxing Day probably did not help. I find at the moment I think from day to day with the only longer term things that get attended to are invariably related to cancer treatment. It means that things like belated Christmas presents get lost altogether. Any way the meal progressed and eventually two of the group who have long drives to get to the meal had to leave and a third was due to attend a seventh birthday party some distance away. After some more chat and a coffee I paid my bill and drove home using the country route my Satnav chose for me.
My evening was quiet and punctuated by pizza and TV until I finally watched the football results, took my meds and went to bed. I was tired but in a good way. I enjoy seeing my friends but the effort required around that can leave me fatigued, but the effort is always worth it.
Sunday and I wake to my partner being up and readying herself to go and meet a friend for coffee at the gym. Of course I get up, drink my hot water and then move the car so that my partner can get going. With her gone I have breakfast and my meds and then set to to clear a few things away. There is a broken coffee cup to dispose of and the things that have fallen down the back of the kitchen draws to retrieve. I set to work on tidying the outside store cupboard that doubles as a cleaning cupboard and wine cellar. Since I do not drink and my partner rarely has the odd glass of wine or a bandy we seem to have a accumulated a healthy wine stock. Some of it came from my sisters expensive collection and the rest we have accrued via Christmas presents and dinner guests. By far the most brew we have is Prosecco, which probably says something about us and our guests. Any way I rearranged it and then organised the lower areas to accommodate the collection of vases that had clogged up the space under the sink. With that done I turn my attention to clearing the main sink of debris and ensuring that the drain was clear. While the Mr Muscle drain clearer gets to work I start to draft the blog and think about going to the shop to get a loaf and other essentials like chocolate. I am becoming chocolate resistant, as I resent paying more and more for less and less chocolate. I know the price of Cocoa has risen dramatically over recent months but I resent paying for less and less chocolate content in smaller and smaller bars. Crème eggs being my favourite grump, and I have already spotted Easter eggs that are a pail imitation of their former selves. So finding confectionary that is satisfying is becoming more difficult, however sometimes Tesco do an offer and I am able to indulge for a week. My drifts on with Dante, TV and eventually night meds. Tomorrow is 28 day injection day and hospital bloods day, so I have a testing week in front of me.
