The kids have had a great time and illness is not top of the agenda. I'll be enjoying myself this week and will not entertain the next session of chemo until it looms large at the beginning of next week.
A visit to the "Thatchers" is always a treat and it gets the kids into the open. The Thatchers have children slightly older but in the same age band as ours so they can be left largely to their own devices to enjoy the wide open spaces.
Mr Thatcher is the only person in our circle of friends to have been diagnosed with cancer. He was unfortunate to be put through the mill a few years ago but came through with flying colours. He was also treated by the same oncologist as me.
He was able to offer me a few pointers not least an honest appraisal of what to expect from the third session of chemo (which was pretty much in-line with my expectations). His general take on my situation was also the same as mine and those close to me i.e. that although there are risks ahead the likelihood is that this a bad year rather than life-challenging. He expressed his feeling of relief when I was given the all-clear from any secondaries, which is the reason for our shared optimism. However, I think that you can only fully feel the significance if you have experienced the raising of that big flag during the initial investigations. Of course, I refuse to be presumptuous as the future hasn't been written yet.
It was refreshing to see Mr T as he always is, itching to do something. This time it was to try out his new contraption (a mower attached to the back of his tractor). He had permission to try it out on one of his friends fields so of he went whilst the rest of us went for a walk across the fields, in the rain, with my family unsuitable attired. Kitten was in open toed shoes!
The Thatchers are friends of Kittens from before I knew her but I have always enjoyed their company. Kitten's bond with Mrs Thatcher originates from their nannying backgrounds and days spent in the bars of Chelsea.
Anyway our thanks to the Thatchers for a relaxing Saturday afternoon and an enjoyable BBQ.
Unfortunately the Koobies had to abandon their hopes of a BBQ on Sunday due to the inclement weather. The hard fact was that there were 23 children due to attend and that is not manageable indoors! We popped along for a few hours on Sunday evening as we have not really got together with them since my diagnosis despite them only being a few doors away. Yesterday was assigned as a day of chilling for me so I wasn't the most energetic but we had a very enjoyable afternoon. Again the children were in their element and the Sky Sports theme continued from the Liverpool v Chelsea match that was viewed earlier in the afternoon. Many thanks to the Koobies
So off we went to meet the Italian Clan for some ice-skating on Monday. It should be noted that there is no chance of getting Kitten on the ice. In fairness, she has tried it once with the family and the look of fear is yet to leave her. She entertained herself in conversation with "Mrs Tirimasu" (one of her many culinary delicacies) whilst we all skated. Boogle has lost nothing by her absence for a couple of months and the fact that the Italians are good skaters immediately puts her in a position of aspiration. Our regular rink will be open again soon, so I will be making Sunday morning efforts to get her back into regular lessons.
A good appetite is always built with a couple of hours on the ice so the party continued the food theme of the weekend with an American Diner style lunch.
So despite the odd precaution not to overdo it the weekend was as if I were not ill at all. That is good for the spirit. I even sipped away at a bottle of nicely chilled Peroni beer on Saturday afternoon. Although moderate alcoholic consumption is perfectly acceptable, that was my first full bottle of beer this year.
Yum.
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