Song of the day: Every little thing she does is magic - The Police
Another week, lets kick off week 6. I started to feel like the cold/cough symptoms were starting to shift, which was great as I wanted to be on top form for Wednesday. Today was a fairly standard day, I pulled out a good amount of time at work 13.00-18.30! Not too bad!
The great news of the day was that my medical insurance company finally agreed (thanks Karen @ Axa) that I could go to the Dunedin Hospital out of hours. Apparently it had been agreed on the Friday that they would authorise on a case by case basis but as Karen pointed out, when I needed the authorisation the Axa lines would be closed so she was a legend and got it pre-agreed. Phew. It was a big relief knowing that it was resolved. Fingers crossed that I won't need to use it but it's great to know that I don't have to worry about this.
Monday nights have traditionally been aerobics/ Zumba nights for me. As a result we tend to have the same dinner each week. Boring potentially but it's so satisfying after a work out and a shower. Not that I've done this for a while but the tradition seems to continue regardless. It only takes 10 minutes to make so is perfect when you've got limited time. The recipe can be found on Waitrose.com and from experience I only use Sun-dried tomato and Kalamata olive tapenade (rather than the recommended olive and anchovy tapenade), 1 shallot, feta cheese, fusilli and cucumber. The additional ingredients just aren't needed in my opinion.
Photo no.110 - Greek-style pasta salad (Waitrose recipes)
Tuesday 15th April
Song of the day: Break my stride - Matthew Wilder
I slept in this morning, as my body was really telling me that it needed more sleep...so I obeyed! Again I had a good stint at work 13.30-18.00. It felt good to get back in the swing of things, though slightly frustrating knowing that it was a short week. I guess most people were looking forward to the bank holiday weekend, which I was but equally I like the routine of going to work in the afternoon. It gives the day a good structure!
I definitely felt the benefit of the additional sleep so felt pretty perky for my evening visit from the delightful Becky Brooks! Of course I wanted to rustle up a feast so opted for Jamie's 15 minute vegetable chilli. He recommends using a chipotle chill, which gives a wonderful smokey flavour. I exchanged the chick peas for kidney beans as no chilli is complete without them! I'm definitely going to make this again and will potentially exchange the black beans for some meat but equally the veggie version is pretty darn good. The one thing I do not agree with Jamie on is using pre-cooked rice...ergh....so I knew 15 minutes was out of the question when I started to boil some basmati and wild rice! Another thing to note...only 1 lime required for the salad..boy does that man love his citrus fruit!
It was a great catch up with Becky, once I got dinner under control! Fingers crossed her naughty builders are now fully under control...knowing her I'm sure they will be!
Going to bed that evening I started to reflect on the day ahead....had I taken on more than I should have...mmn...got to live so no but it did build a bit of anxiety up! Of course I knew it would all be great but still it doesn't always feel like that in the middle of the night.
Wednesday 16th April
Song of the day: Off the wall - Michael Jackson...in fact make this album of the day!
Ping! A reminder from BA about checking into a flight to Gothenburg. We had originally planned to go to Sweden for Easter and typically it looks like the weather has been amazing there! Sunshine and over 20 degrees....hey ho it wasn't meant to be.
Instead, I had an equally amazing day planned, kicking off with a counselling session with Davinder. My lovely mummy also kindly agreed to be my chauffeur service for the morning...thank you! Today I had my first meditation session with Davinder. It was a really interesting process to go through, part way through my mind was thinking what the heck am I doing but then the other part of me was telling me to go with it. It was good. At the end the top half of my body felt like a lead, which apparently was good sign. The majority of it was around breathing and noticing the breath and focussing on this rather than the world around you. I would recommend it to anyone.
Leaving Davinder's all I wanted to do was to go and hit the sofa for some nap time but no chance, my chauffeur was taking me to Windsor to get the train to Putney for a wig wash! I had decided to wear a headscarf there as otherwise it would have been a wig wearing marathon day...so here goes with wearing a headscarf in public. I was actually feeling pretty good in it, as I had made an effort with makeup and my outfit for later. So it was absolutely fine. Pure and simple.
Photo no.111 - a philosophy I agree with!
As you know, I love Chez Staphan. Previously I had had a wig wash at Harrods and did consider this again but this time I wanted to go somewhere so that someone who knows my hair could style my wig accordingly. It was lovely and quiet at Chez Stephan's which made me feel more comfortable. I then had some company arrive in the form of Moira and Greta, which was lovely. Benoit did a brilliant job styling my wig and also confirmed that I should leave the cut as is...good reassurance. It was also good talking to Pepe, as his wife had had breast cancer 14 years ago so again another positive story to hang onto.
Walking out of the salon, I felt fabulous....literally like the 80s ad for Salon Selectives (Ian Foley, you'll appreciate this!). Good job Benoit!
Photo no.112 - train selfie post wig wash!
Next stop...Waterloo to met Lisa B for a catch up! I had to not eat too much as I knew what was coming later that afternoon. We met at Las Iguanas and I ordered what I thought was going to be a small tapas dish of chorizo....of course it was huge and you know once you start eating chorizo, it's extremely difficult to stop. Oh well....Lisa had bought me the most beautiful bouquet of flowers, which are the most brilliant spring colours (photo under Thursday's post). We had a great natter and the time flew by, as I too quickly had to leave to get to Waterloo East for the last 'appointment' of the day!
Time to meet Kim and Emily for Emily's birthday gift....afternoon tea on the 32nd floor of the Shard!!! Woohoo!!!
We could have not picked a better day (good work Kim for arranging!), as it was a crystal clear blue sky and wonderfully sunny. Good times.
Photo no.113 - Shard (but think of the song Shaft as you say it!)
Photo no.114 - bath pearl....
This cheeky spoon contained a chocolate ganache with an espresso shot and a caramel sauce plus popping candy! The pink ball was just a white chocolate ball...slightly disappointing but we all commented how it looked like the popular 90s birthday gift of bath pearls from The Body Shop...we all gave and received them! Blast from the past!
It was brilliant to spend a quality afternoon with these lovely ladies. The view from the 32nd floor was spectacular and I'd probably recommend staying at this height as the view was just as good as from the the top...plus drinks are readily available to help anyone with vertigo!
However, we had booked to go to the top so that's what we did! It's surreal seeing London looking so small, like a model working city. The panorama is magnificent from all four sides of the Shard and even though I knew I was perfectly safe behind the glass my legs definitely started to wobble!
Photo no.115 - mini London from floor 69.
Photo no.116 - up to floor 72..knees a knocking - cling onto the centre quad!
Photo no.117 - soundtrack - Kanye West - Touch the Sky
I love this tune, as it uses one of my favourite tunes (Move on up) as it's base. I remember our jeep driver in Dubai putting this on as we started sand surfing in 4x4 in the desert...good times!
Photo no.118 - 3 gorgeous gals!
We all agreed it had been a great experience but none of us would be running back to head to the top again anytime soon. I would definitely go back to Aqua for a drink though, so let me know if you fancy joining me!
As we had afternoon tea relatively late, we decided to split paths and head home. I was to meet my other chauffeur (DW) to head home...but this young man needed feeding to avoid grumpiness! Mmn think of speedy food locations near Charing Cross...Ich weiß...Herman ze German for Currywurst! Needless to say I had a very happy DW on my hands after the Currywurst, fries and a Spezi (coke and fanta)!
Wow what a day! And yes of course it had been nothing but wonderful!
Arriving home, I took my armour off. It always feels strange doing this...I do feel like a clown post show....not for long I hope.
Thursday 17th April
Song of the day (LH): Firework - Katy Perry
Song of the day (VW): Mr Wendel - Arrested Development....and Niggas in Paris - Jay Z & Kanye West
A morning of working at home as I was heading to the Haven in the afternoon. I had such a productive morning, though did miss seeing my workmates. I also tried to get a GP appointment to see how my body was doing from taking the antibiotics....no appointments available but Dr Ford gave me a call! He's such a legend. We decided that even though I was feeling a lot better it would make sense to keep taking the antibiotics until the Monday morning before the next chemo round. Good plan!
Time flew by and I had to race to get ready to leave so that I could pick up my prescription and get to the Haven for my Shiatsu appointment. Thankfully the M4 and traffic were on my side, despite people travelling for the weekend and I had time to park in Parsons Green and have a leisurely walk to the Haven. It truly is a haven as you step in from the main road, the calming affect is remarkable. I wasn't sure what to expect from Shiatsu but it was really good. A crude way to explain it is like acupuncture without the needles, as the practitioner uses pressure points to help the body. Trish was brilliant and made the experience really relaxing...I could have drifted off! But back in the room VW and off to meet DW!
I stopped via Whole Foods to get a juice...time to try the much mentioned kale....so I think my juice contained kale, spinach, orange and pineapple juice and I'm sure a few other things that I can't remember. This is either going be delicious or not....thankfully it was the former! In fact it was really good, so I'll be definitely be having more of these!
I drove up to Hyde Park Corner to meet DW. The Shiatsu had relaxed me so much though that I was really sleepy, so wanted to head home rather than go out for dinner. But it's the holidays so you have to embrace it! We both fancied a pulled pork burger from Pitt Cue & Co but as always the queue was humungous so went to an old favourite, Brindisa, for some tapas. Thankfully a table was available so we had a great supper with a couple of glasses of wine. Shamefully we were finished just gone 8pm and we both wanted to head home...unusual for us. To cling on for a bit more time we walked through Liberty's and came across this....for all of the Blades of Glory fans!
Photo no.120 - Mane 'n Tail
We were such party animals that we were home just gone 9pm...oh yeah! Time for joggers and the sofa. I also embraced the 30 minute rule with no TV before bed. It definitely relaxed me. Another good day and aside from feeling tired it seemed that this bug was on its way out.
Friday 18th April...Good Friday
Song of the day (LH): He wasn't man enough for me - Toni Braxton
Song of the day (VW): Your woman - White Town...for Eoin!
We were both feeling lethargic so it was good that we had a walk date planned for that afternoon! So much so that even though we got up around 9, we both were napping by 13.30! Oops!
We had a wonderful walk along the river with Leonie, Phil and Arthur and ended up having some relaxing time at the Odney Club. The girls had some tea and Simnel cake, a first for me, and the of course boys (excluding Arthur) had some cheeky afternoon pints. It was a fantastic way to spend Good Friday and get the blood flowing!
Photo no.121 - when you've gotta go....
Photo no.122 - five way selfie!
That evening we had a wonderful dinner at Rob and Ces', complete with some melodic bodily notes from Mr Hamilton!
I don't know if it was because I was tired but getting ready for bed that evening I felt really lonely. Silly, I know as I'd spent the day with loved ones and I had the most loved one of all in the house with me. It must be the daily routine of spritzing my hair (partially in vain) with hairloss remedy and having to do exercises for both arms...still. It can feel with my wig on I'm lured into a false sense of security and then when it comes off I fall into a world of vulnerability. It will and is getting better but I want this to end. You may think that my positivity is being zapped...it's not...I think I'm just resigned to this being my daily routine for the next couple of months. So no negativity...it's just the way it is. Suck it up and get on with it. You have no choice.
This blip aside, it had been a great not good Friday!
Saturday 19th April
Song of the day (VW): Conga - Gloria Estefan....shake it!
The melancholy vibe of the previous evening seemed to continue into today. I was tired of doing the arm exercises and it felt like time was dragging slightly. You see, probably with everyone going through a treatment plan, you just want to fast forward to the end. I suspect feeling tired had brought these feelings on and I need to bring back the Rocky theme tune and perk up!
We drove into Chelsea to have a bimble about and get some inspiration. The Conran Shop is always good for this even if you can't afford many of it's products! Here's a few things I spotted...
Photo no.123 - I like this...
Photo no.124 - yes please!
After a couple of hours we decided to head home, as we were nothing feeling tired. I even napped in the car, which rarely happened in a pre chemo world but it seemed to do the trick.
Arriving home, I started to prepare my purchase of the afternoon...my new kettle! I've wanted this kettle for ages and we decided to disregard the price and go for it. It's beautiful. There's something relaxing about putting it on the stove and waiting for the whistle....
Photo no.125 - kettle love
Following on from the previous Friday's fajita night, it was time to have them again but this time I obeyed DW's preferred meat option and went with chicken. They were finger lickin good!
Photo no.126 - fajita night take #2!
Sunday 20th April
Happy Easter!
Song of the day: This old heart of mine: The Isley Brothers
Traditionally DW and I have not exchanged easter eggs but this year felt different. I had covertly picked up a Godiva egg the previous day but I was completely trumped....
Photo no.127 - egg love!
Photo no.128 - the contents...mmn!
Again the weekend lethargy seemed to continue for both of us and the weather really didn't help. After lazing around the house, we went on a recce to find the Dunedin Hospital in Reading, just in case....We then had a nice drive around some of the villages in that area, especially Sonning. I dropped DW off at the gym and headed home to start preparing an Easter banquet for my family. Perhaps slightly ambitious but I was making 2 types of burgers (Hugh F-W's Spice Lamb burgers and Lorraine Pasacale's Old Fashioned Burger), Nigella's Greek salad (with a large reduction on the amount of olive oil recommended!) and for dessert Jamie's Pineapple, blueberry and crushed mint salad.
5pm...on your marks, get set go!
We created a new work station in the kitchen for DW for him to help with the endless amount of chopping and pestle and mortaring!
Photo no.129 - the man from del monte...
Thankfully just before 7pm the rain stopped and DW was able to light the BBQ....very lucky!!! My parents, Luke and a post NYC Natalie arrived for a BBQ feast! It was a great evening and we were all stuffed particularly as we made a start on my easter egg! Yum!
So here it is. Another week done. Check. My Easter Monday post will be next week, so I'm guessing you're wondering how I'm feeling ahead of round 3. I'm apprehensive about the potential side effects that might hit me..particularly day 3 always tends to deal something interesting. Fingers crossed not this time. However, at the same time I am resigned to the treatment. Please do not think this is a negative but it's strangely just being resigned to this being our life for the next few weeks. As someone today put it, we've come a long way since the 4th February so there's not too much more to get to until 23rd June (touch wood the last chemo session). I'm feeling tired of fighting but equally I'm determined to keep going to kick this thing's butt. I wish my swedish nurse was coming over but appreciate that it's not a fair ask every time. Tomorrow will represent 50% of the treatments done so I can be on countdown until the last. I wish that that there aren't any out of hour episodes so that the week is as easy as it can be for DW. I've got a different chemo dream team tomorrow, with Ces taking Daniel's place, which will be great. So all to play for...bring it on!
As always, thank you to everyone who has made me laugh, driven me around (sometimes the bend) and sent songs of the day to me. I appreciate every element that each person brings to the week...huge love to you all, particularly DW (it will be over soon). xxx
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