Today I shall be Mainly...

[Stanley]

You're quite right Sue. I have spent so much of my life in jobs where I had to be up early in the morning that the habit has stuck. Those who knew the hours I worked in the old days often asked me how I could get up that early and I always told them the same thing, the trick is going to bed and sleeping eight hours before you have to get up and that's the really hard bit. When I was on the cattle wagon and doing two Scotch markets on Monday and Tuesday I frequently did 40 hours on those two days so bed on Tuesday night was a blessing and I never set the alarm for the following morning. I still love my bed and am lucky, I have my dinner at about 10:00 and then to bed. I am asleep in less than ten minutes. That was the way I survived, learning how to go to sleep. I think I'm pretty good at it. As an example, if I am waiting for treatment on a bed at the hospital for anything over 5 minutes I always go to sleep! The nurses must think I am permanently short of sleep. One of the doctors asked me about it, I think he suspected it was a symptom of something so I had to explain. He said he wished he could do it when he was on call so I gave him some clues......

[PanBiker]

Deploying our tent footprint out in the back street to get it brushed and swilled off, amazing how much muck it picked up in three days. Good day for drying it over the two washing lines in the back yard. I don't think we will be camping again until Spring so good housekeeping before storing it away ready for next season.

[Marilyn]

I could sleep on a barbed wire fence in a thunderstorm, Stanley...so I know what you mean!

[Stanley]

It's a very useful skill to have Maz. If ever I feel off colour bed is my first thought. It's amazing what a couple of hours sleep can cure!
Quiet normal day. Singapore qualifying beckons this evening.

[Sue]

Off to Coventry, leaving soon, back tonight

[Stanley]

I hope you had an uneventful trip Sue and enjoyed the afternoon with Briony.
I had a quiet but good day looking after Jack and me, F1 tonight so that's a treat in store! Otherwise nothing special about today.

[PanBiker]

Going to a christening in Skipton, one of Jack's mates daughter Jasmine.

[Stanley]

Going to Airedale where a man will look at the inside of my bladder and mark me out of ten. Fingers crossed!

[Wendyf]

Going to Airedale where a man will look at the inside of my bladder and mark me out of ten. Fingers crossed!

I hope all goes well.

[Marilyn]

Ditto....

[Stanley]

Thanks both of you, if how I feel is any indication all will be well. I shall inform the media afterwards because I will be told right away what, if anything, they have found.

[Sue]

Fingers crossed Stanley.

Yes a good afternoon in Coventry. They live just a short walk from Memorial Park, a large family centred and leisure centred park. There was a food festival on and the whole atmosphere was like a fun summers day with picnics on the grass and children playing. Later we went to see Eve swim as she had made the final of the 200 m Individual Medley for 10 year old girls. She was seeded 7 th and very narrowly missed 3 rd. it was great fun , those kids can swim. It brought back memories of Julia swimming in the same pool when she was about 13 and winning a silver medal in the National Age Group competitions for the 400 m Individual Medley.

It was a very hot afternoon, Julia had been an official working on the poolside all day and was exhausted when we got home. Eve had swum 5 times and was also tired out.We had an informal pizza tea, then Eve announced she needed to go to bed so we left them all to chill out and doze getting home just before 10.30 pm. Briony was still full of energy when we left and did not want to go to bed

Swim this morning, Cholesterol blood test this afternoon , art this evening.

[Stanley]

Thanks Sue..... I am optimistic!
Just bought my three small cartons of apple juice, they want me to arrive 'with a full bladder'.

[Marilyn]

Full bladder? Must be a scan??? ( hubby never needs a full bladder for a Cystoscopy).

[PanBiker]

Good luck Stanley, does sound more like a scan to me as well. Anyway, you will be finding out.

[Cathy]

You didn't say what time your appt is Stanley. I will keep checking in, and all the best

[Wendyf]

Back from a lovely, refreshing walk up Weets from the car park at Letcliffe. I was trying out my new walking poles and found they were a big help, giving me support over rough, uneven ground and taking some strain off hips and knees even though I was hardly putting any weight on them. Colin found me a bit of an embarrassment!
Weets House Farm is for sale again, it doesn't seem more than a couple of years since the folk with their alpacas moved in.

[Tizer]

Thanks Sue..... I am optimistic!
...they want me to arrive 'with a full bladder'.

That brings to mind the joke about the man who was told to bring a sample of his water to the doctor so he filled a bottle from his tap.
In the old days you might have arrived with an inflated bladder from a football! Good luck, we hope you get full marks for the quality of your bladder, whichever one you take.

[Stanley]

It was cystoscopy not a scan. I might as well give you the bad news here as on medical matters. You are going to have to put up with me for a bit longer. Mr Shaikh did the cystoscopy and I was in and out like lightning. Less than two hours door to door. I watched on the 42" monitor and the inside of my bladder is perfect. He was very pleased and he pronounced it as excellent but of course is not saying I am clear. I am to have three weekly BCG irrigations in January and another inspection in March. Wonderful service, no after effects and it couldn't have gone better. And before you ask, I am drinking lots of water as advised!
Nice to know I am on holiday now until January. Merry Xmas all round.....
Today I shall be taking it easy, surprising how tiring a simple procedure like that is. I was in bed at 9pm.....

[Cathy]

Great news Stanley. I detect excitement in your post. Keep on keeping on.

[Stanley]

"I detect excitement in your post."
Very perceptive Cathy. One thing I have learned is that in order to live with cancer you have got to ignore it, worrying never helped anyone! The converse is that when you get the best news, like yesterday, you don't immediately take it in beyond being pleased. It wasn't until I was home and sorted out with a brew and sitting quietly that it dawned on me that life is now normal until January. That was a good feeling but immediately I felt very tired. My take on this is that subconsciously I have been holding worries back and now I could let go. I took notice and was in bed before 9PM and slept like a log.
Still no after effects, all is well......

[Sue]

Excellent news Stanley, live life to the full worry free.

I had my flu jab yesterday, my arm is really hurting today, but better that than flu. I also had my cholesterol blood test to check where I am after three months without statins. We shall see!

Hospice shop this afternoon , pilates and yoga this evening.

I had some fabric left from my mock knitted dress so decided to make myself a warm sweatshirt for going back and forth to yoga etc in the winter. In the dim and distant past i had knitting machines ,in fact I still have. I used a set of basic pattern cards that are simple drawings with measurements on when knitting stuff, so searching through I found a simple round neck sweater and drafted a sewing pattern for the sweatshirt. It worked! So now I am thinking I could make more if I could get the right material . This creativity is fun!

[Stanley]

Thanks Sue, I shall do my best! I hope you get good news about the statins.
I thought for one minute you had invented a way of knitting already made fabric! But then I read your post carefully..... It always helps.

[Marilyn]

Good results ( as anticipated), Stanley.
Your Cancer likely disappeared in the early days of treatment. Now, just forget about it. Don't worry unnecessary about things. ( as hubby's specialist always says "you HAD Cancer. I have removed it and now you DONT have Cancer")....simple as that, dear boy.
Cancer is a word...not a sentence.
I would worry more about your smoking, than bladder cancer ( though the two are linked...I guess you know that)

[PanBiker]

Good news Stanley, always is when you get a load lifted off your mind. I was think the other day, I am coming up to my first anniversary of cranial surgery. Within the Meningioma circles known as a "craniversary". January should be my ride back on the roller coaster with my first 12 month contrasted MRI. Until then I'll just crack on.