Looking forward

It's been a while now since things have gone totally smoothly at St Luke's. Nothing to do with the treatment itself or anything like that, it's just that the machines have been acting up a lot lately (even immediately after coming back on line after 'service'), all of which delays things for us poor sods waiting to go in to be zapped. Today was particularly frustrating, because the breakdown happened just as it was my turn to go in. I was told it would be another half an hour before the usual machine (in good old Unit 6) would be operational, and was given the option of holding on or of moving to another unit and 'beginning again'. I opted for the second, so had to go through another forty minutes of water-drinking and sitting around waiting to be called in. I'd left home at 9:00 am and didn't leave the hospital until 12:15.

Still, that all pales into insignificance compared to the fact that I now only have ten sessions left to go. Hallelujah! The end is in sight, and that's something to look forward to. Something else to look forward to is the concert in Baden-Baden on 27th May, my final night away. I ordered the ticket at the beginning of April and asked for it to be sent out to me (alternatives were to print it myself or to collect it at the concert hall on the night). There was still no sign of the ticket by last Friday, so I sent off an email enquiring. The staff at the Baden-Baden Festspielhaus handles things wonderfully well. An email reply later on Friday told me the ticket had been sent out the day after I placed my booking and said they'd try to trace it. Another email arrived this morning, telling me that an attempt had been made to deliver it, but that I hadn't been home to sign for it. I was told to contact my local post office.

Usually, there'd be one of those 'missed you' cards left, but I didn't come across one, though now I suspect that it was there all right but had been covered by junk mail which had later been stuffed in the letterbox, and that I threw both junk and notification card away. Anyway, off I went to the local sorting office (or whatever it is) with the tracking reference which the Baden-Baden people had given me. Sure enough, a delivery attempt had been made on 10th April, and my package was there waiting for me to collect. This is it, all very nicely presented, complete with an information booklet about facilities at the concert hall and a voucher for a drink after the concert.

All sorted for the concert. And I'll be sorted in terms of radiation treatment before I know it. Lots to look forward to indeed.

Back-blips begin here.