Faking It

A friend came round to visit me today and commented that I should start taking photo's again. I decided to take his advice but given the weather -- pouring rain and the fact that I've already got some kind of bug I feel restricted in what I can do. So you're getting a really boring and totally rubbish photo of some fake flowers.

These flowers have had an interesting life since I was given them, the friend I saw today brought them back from Amsterdam for me and since then they have been through five house moves with me.

I am not a well travelled person, I have been abroad once and I've been to Ireland but aside from that all of my holidays have been within the British mainland. I have favourite places within the UK but closest to my heart are Aberystwyth and Lochearnhead. I have so many happy memories of holidays in both those places but equally Bettyhill, Oban, Iona and Newton Stewart are special to me in so many different ways.

Later this year I will be going to Blackpool, I know people have mixed opinions of it but I'm going back for a special reason. I went there for the first and only time when I was sixteen. A friend and I went on a bus tour holiday with lots of older people and frankly we had a total ball. The adults were fantastic and really made us feel included but allowed us to do our own thing too. My parents were quite trusting of me letting me go there at that age but back then I was a whole lot more sensible than I am now! So this year I decided to revisit Blackpool and see it through adult eyes and as it happens I will be staying at the same hotel that we stayed at all those years ago. It is still under the same management so hopefully it will be similar in welcome and hospitality.

Health-wise things are at a standstill, I have been having follow up tests and things but as yet I haven't had a scan or anything that might indicate how the radiotherapy has affected (or not) the tumour site. My blood tests as yet are pretty much the same as they have been since before the treatment but as one of my consultants told me I have to resist looking for immediate results because that's not how radiotherapy does its job in this situation. So I'm playing the waiting game and meanwhile just pottering around trying to do what I can and not get frustrated when I can't.