Tuesday and I am awake and taking my vitals early as today I am off out for coffee. So I down my morning meds, take a shower and drive off only to find the one and only direct road to the road I need is closed. So I double back on myself and start to navigate a new and novel route to Ashby-de-la- Zouch. As a consequence of my detour I arrive about ten minutes behind schedule. I pick up my friend and we head for Staunton Harold where there are craft shops and most important today a café.

I eat breakfast and chat with my friend and that is me until late afternoon. We exchange books and talk about how we are and what we are doing. We also talk about things or people that have caught our attention. One in particular, an organist, Anna Lapwood who is making the organ sexy in the world of music. At the end of the afternoon we stroll round the garden centre looking for bargains bit find none so go and sit by the lake and watch the signets float around and the herd of cattle drift across the field on the other side of the lake. It is quintessentially English.

I drive my friend home and head for home myself. I get close to home only to find the road into my village is still closed. This truly is a pain in the arse as I have to drive miles out of my way through at least two other villages before I can get home. I have a sandwich and and settle down for the evening and of course the Great British Sewing Bee’s fashion icon episode. At the moment there is no standout sewer, it all seems a bit a patchy. I take my night meds, put the bins out and go to bed hoping for a decent night’s sleep.

Wednesday and today is the last day of Cycle 27 of the chemo. My partner is up and away to visit her mother with the brother before I have taken my vitals. My vitals are good this morning. I get up and get into my training gear but before I train I have breakfast and get my blood pressure spread sheet up to date and tomorrows new cycle page ready. My spread sheet calculates the average blood pressure over the latest cycle, which is 119.9/69.3. This level is good and means I am fighting off one of the main side effects of my chemo. As long as I can control this and keep my PSA from rising I will be able to continue on the current chemo, which is definitely my preferred option.

I get myself together and finally get to the garage and the rower. I elect to go for a 45 minute session. The machine is set up and I get with the row. I start off quite sharply and keep going and in the end surprise myself by rowing over 10 kilometres, my standard for 45 minutes is 9 kilometres. So I am pleased with myself and feel I am becoming fitter despite the interruptions of the 28 day injections.

I achieved this whilst listening to the Dr Who Promenade concert from this year. It was okay but I clearly did not have the visuals. Shower comes next and then I drat the last two days blog while listening to Elgar’s Cello concerto being played at this years proms. By late afternoon my mind turns to the show the family are going out to see tonight at the theatre, it is the Addams Family, which should be fun. Unfortunately my youngest daughter is unable to come with us as she has a cold, but I’ve sent her cake and rascals to help her through it. I think they are enjoyable sources of energy when someone is ill.

So on this last day of Cycle 27 I am doing okay and I am hoping to continue in that vein tomorrow when I see the hand specialist for the last time tomorrow and I can cast my night finger splint away. Tonight I shall wear it for the last time and then true to this section of the blog I shall be moving on.

This is Anna Hopwood showing that organ music can be sexy and fun, just like life really.