One year ago today I was wheeled down to the operating theatre without knowing how many legs I’d have when I woke up. The surgeons spent about 6 hours trying to save my left leg, but the cancer had eaten too far into the bone and they had to amputate, right at the top. So I’ve had a year to come to terms with it. I started by making a…
The Best Thing I Ever Decluttered
It only took me 15 minutes and it reduces stress every day. Is your New Year resolution to declutter the house? If so, congratulations. Most houses are better for it. A clutter free home looks nicer, but it’s also faster to clean and easier to find things. I’m far from a decluttering guru, and our house is very much a work in progress, but one exercise in decluttering stands out….
Happy New Year
We had a rather quiet New Year at home, but still rather nice. In Spain it’s traditional to eat one grape for each “bong” of the clock. If you manage all twelve in the time it’s supposed to bring success and prosperity. This year we had small, seedless grapes and I scarfed them down in time. Then we drank champagne, watched the fireworks and went to bed. I’ve been rather…
Thanksgiving
I’m British, but I do like the nudge to be grateful.This year I’m desperately grateful to all the medical professionals who helped to cure my cancer:Both surgeons and the anaesthetist.The radiotherapy teamThe chemotherapy specialists.All the technicians who operate and maintain the assorted scanners and radiotherapy machinesAll the nurses. My goodness, I’m grateful to those nurses. All the scientists who found out which therapies worked best, and to the patients who…
Stourhead Garden
I’ve been on holiday to visit family in the UK. I was quite nervous about it, since it was the first time that I’d travelled abroad since being disabled. I still remember the time I arrived at “wheelchair-friendly” accommodation on Tenerife, only to be faced with a flight of 16 steps. That got sorted out, but it made me a bit of a worrier. It all went astonishingly well. The…
Stuck full of Needles
I seem to have had a lot of needles stuck into me this week. On Monday I had a CAT scan, which meant turning up without any breakfast. The nurses had to fit a port for the contrast dye. I have rather narrow veins, but the student nurse got me sorted on the second attempt. I had to do few gentle stretches before I could get comfortable with my arms…