George Owen's blog

George's Funeral

2009-12-08T18:21:00.003Z

Thank you to everyone who has sent cards, emails and comments. It is lovely to know how much you all cared for George.

George's funeral will be on Monday 14th December at 2pm in Dalwood Church. He is being cremated, but he wanted the whole service to be completed at Dalwood, including the committal - he didn't want anyone to go to the crematorium. His ashes will be buried in the churchyard later, privately.

No flowers please, but if you would like to make a donation in George's memory please do so to either the Cancer Research UK project on malignant melanoma:

http://myprojects.cancerresearchuk.org/projects/skin-cancer 

or to Hospiscare, who looked after George with such care, in both the in-patient unit and at home:

http://www.hospiscare.co.uk/Support_us/single_donation_form.htm 

(There will also be an opportunity to donate to Hospiscare at the Church).

2009-12-04T17:09:00.002Z

I'm so very sorry to be posting this. George died yesterday, very peacefully, in the Hospice in Exeter. We went in there in the morning after his condition deteriorated, and I was with him.

Alex and Theo (and Jo) had visited the day before, and Anne also came round for a private communion.

I will post again in a few days.

Christine

2009-11-30T18:37:00.002Z

I'm afraid I'm still not feeling very well, and I missed another day yesterday. However, I'm a bit brighter today, which was good because the Hospiscare nurse and the District Nurse came round this afternoon and talked about whether we need extra help. Someone is going to come round in the mornings, which is good, and I'm getting more toys including a rope ladder to fit to the bed (me Tarzan)!

I've also been given some food supplement things which are horribly sweet, but said to be ok mixed with yogurt. Many thanks to Ray B for fetching the yogurt at a moments notice.

Once again Christine is typing this for me.

Wednesday 25th:a belated update

2009-11-25T15:00:00.002Z

I am sorry not to have blogged for a while, but I haven't been too well for a few days. On Monday we had a pretty full day at the hospital, where I met my new consultant. We had a very full discussion about chemo, a lot of which I didn't follow! Basically there is an option which sometimes knocks the tumours back a bit, but it has very serious potential side effects for people with brain mets. It is also heavy duty chemo rather than the pills the previous Doctor talked about (which are not likely to be effective either). So I need to think about this chemo option, but it is difficult to focus on at the moment because I am feeling ill and the pain in my leg is bad again. It might be because we had a full day on Monday, but I actually missed yesterday, beyond having a vague idea that the Hospiscare nurse visited and said that I should just be allowed to sleep, and would feel better tomorrow (ie today)!

I do feel better today, and Alex visited which was nice, but I still feel pretty lousy and the involuntary jerks are annoying. They are trying an anti-convulsent for this, so fingers crossed.

That's about it. I'll keep you posted.

Thursday evening: an update

2009-11-19T17:20:00.002Z

Evening all; for those that have been wondering what I have been up to after my recent new treatment, the answer is sleeping practically all the time. They did say I might suffer from flu-like symptoms but made no mention of sleepiness. I'm also finding it difficult to concentrate, so Christine is typing this for me. And there was something else, but I forget what it is - oh yes, forgetfulness!

Yesterday we went to Otter Nurseries, as Hilary mentioned on Sunday that they had a lot of helpful disability aids. New toys include a clever stick to pick things up, a fluffy neck pillow, a magnifying glass and a special LED reading light. Should keep me happy.

The wheelchair technician came yesterday to fit the new leg rest, and says that the lightweight wheelchair should be here soon. A man from Social Services came to measure for a bigger shower step this morning, and the District Nurse popped in to change the dressing on my leg. We are truly grateful to have these wonderful organisations - it all works so well.

Theo is visiting today and tomorrow, and has moved heroic piles of logs into the house for us.

Sunday, and then a day at the hospice

2009-11-16T18:57:00.005Z

Yesterday we went to the service in St Peter's, at which Morris from the Tuckers Arms was christened in front of his proud parents and family. He played his part perfectly until right near the end, when he made it clear that getting wet was not his favourite past-time.

We spent a day at the hospice today, mainly for an infusion of a drug called Zometa. This replaces the previous drug called Pamidronate, and is far more effective in causing bones to absorb calcium more effectively, and hence may be better at helping to control pain in my leg.

We also talked to the consultant about how to recognise the progress of the disease, and she said that the most likely scenario would be increased tiredness, and more prolonged periods of sleep. She felt that it would be possible to manage pain levels so that they did not become a problem.

Thursday - Alex's birthday

2009-11-12T16:23:00.005Z

Yesterday was very special, in that some friends in the village had organised an informal prayer meeting which took place in the morning in the village church. Anne Mills led about twenty-five of us for about an hour, and both Christine and I felt really uplifted. Thank you to all who could attend, and to those who were unable to be there but support us from a distance

Today is Alex's birthday (our eldest son) and he popped down for lunch in River Coffee Canteen, which was lovely.

There is no news on the medical front, but a lightweight wheelchair is on order.

Remembrance Sunday

2009-11-08T17:58:00.002Z

Our Hospiscare nurse Mary came on Friday, primarily with a view to correcting the fluid retention problem which seems to have developed as a side effect of the other medication. I now have to keep both legs elevated as much as possible. It has resulted in two more tablets to take each day! I have also acquired a very comfortable pair of slippers from Trinity House (a shop n Axminster); since shop was heaving on Saturday and the menswear department is upstairs the assistant came out to the car and we did the trial fitting in the square. Full marks to him for good service!

The consultant in Bristol is making enquiries about the suitability of low dose oral chemotherapy, and which consultant in Exeter would be responsible for arranging administration, which would hopefully be done at home.

We have also acquired more information about the clinical trial mentioned by Professor Dalgliesh; it now looks as if I may be ineligible on the basis of the number of brain metastases and possibly the presence of bone mets.

The physiotherapist came on Friday to review my mobility, and the the occupational therapist is coming on Monday to look at improving access to the shower. We will also see Mary from Hospiscare to check on overall medication yet again; it will be a busy week here yet again!

A bit of a hiccup!

2009-11-04T19:25:00.003Z

I'm afraid I suffered a hiccup yesterday in that I tipped a glass of orange juice over my portable laptop keyboard, thereby rendering me unable to post or email.

In summary, we saw a new oncologist who specialises in immunology, with a particular emphasis on new compounds which are going through the early stage approval process. He gave us some advice on over the counter vitamin supplements which help with some types of cancer.

He also identified a compound which is far more effective on bone pain than the one I have been taking via infusion at the hospice.

Lastly, he identified a compound which could well be effective on the skin lesions of my disease, and for which he is waiting for trial go-ahead in the next month; if it does proceed he sees me as an ideal candidate.

Overall the situation has not changed, as nothing mentioned can be regarded as a cure. Nevertheless they should have a positive effect on my quality of life, which is important.

The new week

2009-11-02T16:03:00.004Z

The new week is starting on an up after a visit at lunchtime by my Hospiscare nurse, during which we revised the medication levels and added two further drugs. I have had a pain-free afternoon, which has been wonderful!

Tomorrow we are off to London by train for my next appointment with a new oncologist. I am not expecting much out of this appointment as the chap specialises in very early clinical trials, for many of which I may not be suitable; however, there's so harm in asking.

We are staying at our usual hotel in Jermyn Street, and seeing some friends on Wednesday before travelling home.

I'm taking the PC so will probably post whilst there. TTFN

It's the weekend!

2009-10-31T17:06:00.002Z

Yesterday we went to Sidmouth, ostensibly for a trip out, but of course we happened on a Waitrose where we shopped. The weather on the front at Sidmouth was nothing like it was at home - cold, very breezy, and truly bracing! I forgot to mention that I'd had my hair trimmed the day before, and my poor scalp took the full force of said weather.

Today held one other unpleasant surprise, in that my morphine patches were due for changing at tea-time. Unfortunately they ran out five hours early, which apparently can happen. I have often wondered what would happen if my pain relief ran out completely, and now I know. That will not be allowed to happen again. It was absolutely excruciating, but fortunately the replacement patches took very little time to kick in - about twenty minutes or so.

Thursday: a step forward or back?

2009-10-29T16:00:00.002Z

We've had what feels like a roller-coaster day today; we changed over from morphine tablets to skin patches last night, in an effort to better control the pain in my leg. It certainly seems to have helped with pain control, but when I attempted to get in the shower I apparently passed out. I'm taking it very easy today, just to be sure. I'm also adjusting the dose for another painkiller to see if that helps. No damage was done to either me or the shower apart from a small loss of face on my part:-(.

Thanks to those who have already offered to provide lifts, or patient-sitting (me). I can already see that your offers will be well-used.

Wednesay Evening update

2009-10-28T21:14:00.006Z

Sorry to have been quiet for a few days, although some of you may prefer it that way. In fact we have been having somewhat of a battle with the pain in my leg recently. We and our Hospiscare nurse have revised the pain control medication, but the pain has been increasingly intolerable, to the point where we finally met her today and switched the morphine delivery to skin patches, and we have added local control of the skin pain using gel. It will take a day or so to switch over and judge the effectiveness of the changes.

We have also been giving some thought to how we can make use of the numerous kind offers of assistance that keep arriving. For example, our youngest son, who has no transport and lives in Glastonbury, is doing his best to visit weekly. This taking up about four hours of Chris's time per week (two trips times two hours). It would be really helpful if folk could step in and help with this. It would also be good if people could help with drug pickup from the pharmacy when theyare in Axminster. Offers on either front are welcome.

On the treatment issue, we now have an appointment next Tuesday evening in London with a consultant oncologist specialising in early clinical trials for melanoma. We have no idea whetherthis holds any promise for my situation, but it seems worthwhile checking out, even though it is unlikely to change the end game.

Sunday, a day of rest?

2009-10-25T18:51:00.002Z

Yesterday we went to Lyme Regis and took a leisurely stroll along the front, which took in an ice cream each. This is becoming a bit of a habit, but the problem is we know the road and its various potholes, whereas other places are not so familiar; of anyone knows the roads to other locations such as Bere or Branscombe and can vouch for their paving, please let us know and we can branch out.

Today we both seem to have been thrown by the clock change, and neither of us can keep our eyes open at 7 o'clock (was eight). Never mind, we've done some heavyweight Christmas shopping online. From a standing start we seem to have moved into an almost finished position on the Xmas present front! Scary or what?!

Tomorrow is busy too; we are off to Taunton to meet my sister and nephew at Brazz for lunch, and to collect our youngest in passing. Hopefully things will calm down somewhat after that. We are waiting for a medical appointment with another oncologist, but this may take a couple of days to filter through.

Thursday:- What have I been doing since Monday?

2009-10-22T21:08:00.002+01:00

Tuesday went as planned - a heavy shopping day! Yesterday started early but slowly with Communion at 0930 - believe me, the Church is cooling down for the winter - must take a coat next time. The afternoon was taken up with PC stuff for various folk so I will spare you the detail.

Today was a BIG day, though I don't suppose that most of you noticed? Yes, it's true, Windows 7 was released on time, and my three copies arrived on schedule, despite the post strike. You really have to hand it to Amazon for meeting deadlines and generally running a tight ship. Unfortunately attempts to install any of the copies have been forestalled by 'stuff'; better luck tomorrow.

On the medical front, it has been suggested that I ask for and obtain a referral to a further oncologist in London who is doing clinical trials; I am very unsure about the wisdom of extending the treatment scope further as there must come a point where enough is enough; I continue to pray about it and to turn it over in my mind.

Monday off!

2009-10-19T21:05:00.002+01:00

Just in case you thought I was taking it too easy...we met our youngest in Taunton today and had lunch at Brazz, the brasserie in the Castle Hotel. Unfortunately the main restaurant isn't open on Mondays, so we had to make do with the brasserie. That, however, wasn't at all bad - we had chicken liver parfait, goat's cheese with grilled vegetables, and smoked salmon with mixed vegetables, followed by pasta with mushrooms, burger, and Greek salad. We didn't look at the wine list, but I've no doubt it was acceptable.

Tomorrow we are taking him back to Glastonbury where, I've no doubt, we will have a look around Clarks' Village and other sales emporia within half a day's driving distance. I'll let you know how I get on in my next post.

Since my sister was the only person prepared to comment on my last post, I assume that the rest of you are all too well bred to say what you think!

I'm a lumberjack...

2009-10-17T18:07:00.007+01:00

...and it was good fun! It turns out that one of our lime trees has honey fungus, which is great because I've never liked it along with a few others that I would love to remove. However Chris demurs, and she is probably right. Of course if it spreads...

In any case it had to come down as there was a huge mass of fungus around the base of the trunk, so, armed with my trusty chain saw, we set out to deal with the offending article. So if anyone wants some infected lime wood before Ray Venn gets his hands on it, just let me know.

A BIG Thank-you to donors

2009-10-16T18:55:00.002+01:00

There's no real news about me today, so it seems like a good opportunity to say thanks for all the donations to Cancer Research. Having set a completely arbitrary target of £500, we have reached £713 including Gift Aid. You are all very kind. If it helps to prevent further experiences such as mine it will have been very worthwhile.

Wednesday: Home at last

2009-10-14T20:04:00.002+01:00

We've made it home today in more or less one piece - that is if you discount me tripping over and wrenching my tumorous leg this afternoon. The pain is somewhat off the scale, even after a double dose of morphine, but here's hoping that it will settle down overnight.

Chris and I have been talking about what to say about my prognosis in the light of the gamma knife treatment. Naturally we asked my consultant (I seem to have graduated to a professor); his opinion this morning was that the tumours in my brain have reduced as a mortality risk, but that tumours elsewhere mean that the overall time scale may not have changed. In any event I have a follow-up appointment with him on December 9th which will involve a further MRI scan, and should enable us to check progress in my brain.

I'm told that I will feel exceptionally tired over the next few days, so apologies in advance if the blog goes quiet for a while. A bientot.

Gamma Knife surgery - what a breeze!

2009-10-13T19:15:00.003+01:00

A breeze, that is, apart from getting up at 0530 to get to the hospital. After that and the usual messing around to give them the same personal details for the umpteenth time, the donning of the usual reverse robe which anyone except the wearer can tie,and the screwing of the metal frame to the skull. Ah, this last bit is different - the professor used four steel pins preceded by an ampoule of local anaesthetic per pin. Each one was screwed into the skull with considerable force, and much local anaesthetic was needed. The adjunct 'this will sting a bit' was never so true, but the frame once fixed was not going anywhere. Still, when the man was intent on frying my brain in seven locations, I was not about to complain. For those interested, the pins in question are just visible at the top of each vertical post on my forehead.

The planning MRI was done with me wearing the cradle, so that they could plot the co-ordinates precisely, shortly after which I was loaded into the linear accelerometer and treatment began. To my shame I can recall very little of the entire process, as I fell soundly asleep!

After treatment, I had to wait three hours on the ward before being discharged back to the hotel, where we relaxed for a another couple of hours before eating what for me was a healthy-sized supper of sausage and mash with a side salad. Needless to say, we were rather the talk of the kitchen, and had cause to meet most of the waiting staff during the course of the evening. On reflection, it did sound rather odd to have had brain surgery that afternoon, with nothing to show for it but a huge, relieved grin!

Monday 12th: Gamma Knife go-ahead

2009-10-12T21:22:00.003+01:00

Had the MRI scan today, and saw the consultant. He confirmed seven tumours, widely spread, but of a manageable size. We discussed the risks of radio surgery which include potential loss of right-side peripheral vision and epileptic fits - but this is unusual. On the other hand although its not a cure it may serve to damp things down in the brain, so we decided to go ahead. I have to be at the hospital tomorrow at 06.30 for a procedure that will take the best part of the day. Hopefully I'll be back home on Wednesday.

Quite a weekend

2009-10-10T18:42:00.003+01:00

Well, this is the weekend we go to London for my MRI scan at the Cromwell. They do something called 'Three phase contrast', which I suppose is superior to what we do down in the West Country. All I know is that there seem to be a lot of parking charges and hotel costs associated with it:-). We've decided to drive because we can take the wheelchair, although the leg support has just broken, and it should have been more comfortable whilst there.

The schedule is rather a whirl - we have the scan on Monday at 1430, then go next door to hear what, if anything, they can do. We think it will be rather sudden, but as the treatment is next day and takes most of the day including fitting a cradle to my head, there's no time for messing around!

It hasn't all been so frantic; yesterday we were invited to Michael and Sue's for a crab lunch with champagne - some excuse about being my birthday a while back! Still, who's counting when the food, wine and company are so elevated?

Full, Tired, Windswept and full of social history!

2009-10-07T19:54:00.011+01:00

One of my over-riding impressions is how small the hotel and it's facilities were. Whether this is due to the limited land available, or the relatively smaller size of the Edwardian frame, or both, I'll never know. Nevertheless, this did nothing to reduce the pleasure we derived from it in the slightest: the baths were deep and hot, the food was ample and good and the room we had sported an easterly view where we could watch numerous brave souls kite surfing in what I can only describe as life-risking encounters with the elements.

I wasn't allowed to use the sea tractor and was confined to using the Land Rover for transport across, but to be honest this was probably more comfortable than a John Deere on stilts.

Dinner sported suitably pink beef and duck for yours truly, and an ample selection of things vegetarian for madam, who looked as beautiful as ever in a period-evoking Droopy and Brown evening dress. I, in a moment of weakness, had surrendered to black tie and tails despite a previous vow never to dress as a penguin again.

Even the negative points had their virtues; hotel sourcing policy specifies Free Trade, Organic, Local all appear on the menu. Unfortunately this means that Darjeeling tea doesn't make it (no, not because of 'local', sillies; they just can't find a Free Trade version. We ended up drinking an Assam-based mix, which is very dark and 'in the face'!

Today was another kettle of fish altogether; the weather for the return journey was completely awful; since we've been home we have hunkered down and drunk our sort of tea! (Darjeeling, mild). I've also managed to spoil the paragraph formatting, but I'm tired, so it will have to stay as it is...

It's our wedding anniversary...

2009-10-05T13:15:00.009+01:00

...and we've just confirmed a reservation for dinner at the Burgh Island hotel. It is really on an island, which can only be reached at low tide or, if one is feeling extravagant, by helicopter! At other times one can use the sea tractor or a land rover.

Those of you of a certain age and above may recognise the architechture as the art deco background to much of the 'Poirot' detective series, starring David Suchet. It is a program that we watch to chill out some evenings, feeling it to be cleverly acted and wryly amusing.

This trip is a precursor to the visit next week to the Cromwell Hospital in London, where I will have another MRI scan and decide whether or not to have the Gamma Knife radiosurgery.

On a purely local note I am pleased to say that the Major/Owen team have finally managed to repair the church light half-way down the drive, with the generous assistance of many others along the way. We narrowly avoided defeat at the last minute by a long-life light bulb which had failed to live up to its name.

Update Friday 2nd October

2009-10-02T18:37:00.007+01:00

It is with profound relief that I can confirm that the answer is indeed 42; no, not the answer to life, the Universe, and everything; the fact that I did indeed pass my driving test 42 year ago today :-)

Anyway, with that out of the way, I can tell you the outcome of my appointment with the oncology consultant today. In essence, he had in front on him the scans from Bristol, together with the recent CT scan done in Exeter. In comparing the two he could tell that there are been no rapid change in activity within the brain; equally, there is quite a lot of oedema present, and this would account for my recent period of unwell-ness and its control by steroids. It then becomes a question of deciding which are the most active areas of cancer, and focusing treatment on those. It is true to say that my right leg is most troublesome pain-wise, but this is manageable with drugs and by limiting activity. I asked the consultant how he saw the disease developing within my brain, and he surmised that at the present rate of development I would expect to experience function loss (mental capacity/movement/sight/taste) possibly leading to drowsiness and coma, and that this could take place over the next two to four months. Like other consultants he was keen to emphasise that this estimate could be spectacularly wrong in either direction.

We asked his opinion about the Gamma Knife option at the Cromwell and he would not commit himself except to imply that he would probably decline the procedure were he in my position, subject of course to the fact that I haven't been there and had the specific diagnostic MRI that they use prior to surgery.

Year end

The turn of year seems like a good target to have completed any handover of responsibilities that I have on behalf of the village, so if you think you are aware of anything that I'm doing for the community please let me know in plenty of time. I'm aware that the website needs a handover to Ian Wallace, but other tasks are fairly small.

I hope you will understand that Christine and I will increasingly turn our attention inwards, so apologies if we seem less than usually responsive.

Ta-ta for now.

George

Tuesday 29th: Home Free!

2009-09-29T16:05:00.011+01:00

Much to my surprise I was allowed home this morning. We told during the doctor's round that the the Exeter CT report had been completed, and it showed approximately four lesions in my brain. Given that we have been told varying numbers from 5, to 6 , to 8, I'm beginning to wonder either about the technology involved or, possibly about the arithmetical skills of the people involved:-) Seriously though, it is possible that whole brain radiotherapy has reduced the number of tumours involved, or that the interpretation of the results is indeed a subjective opinion.

The plan now is to ask Bristol for a digital copy of past MRI and CT scans and to give these to the Exeter oncologist to whom I have been referred on Friday at 1100. What seems to have happened is that adjusting my medication, specifically steroids, has had the effect of stabilising some brain swelling which may have caused my past symptoms of nausea and instability. I continue to feel very tired and unable to concentrate but I doubt you will notice much difference in my day to day behaviour!

It goes without saying that a big thank you goes to everyone at the hospice and to everyone involved in the movement!

Monday 28th September: as planned

2009-09-28T20:28:00.002+01:00

Apart from a little deviation when I managed to bring back all my painkillers immediately after breakfast, today went as planned. I had the CT scan of my head, which I hope will be reported tomorrow. Providing nothing untoward has emerged, the plan will continue for me to see an oncologist later in the week. With luck I should be home mid-week.

Having a spare afternoon we decided to take a short trip into town, and did a tour of the cathedral. It's a lovely 10th century building where they were already practicing carols - at least the treble and descant parts, but I suppose that these give the most trouble so need the most practice!

Sunday evening: home for a weekend: now back in the hospice

2009-09-27T19:52:00.003+01:00

Rarely has a weekend passed so quickly: on Saturday morning Christine collected me from the hospice, PC bag, books and in hand. We had had a roast dinner with wine; by tea-time on Sunday I was back at the hospice (Danielle: wiki hospice) with the same paraphernalia under my arm.

In the mean-time we had gone home; visited Church where I had my favourite hymn (Psalm 23) sung in my honour; had a visit from a neighbour; and got back to the hospice by 1730.

On another note, a friend recently commented that Christine rarely rates a mention in this blog: I'd like to emphasise that this is at her own request. She feels that this is a description of my journey and that she does not want to influence its direction. Having said that, I'm extremely grateful for the prompt to mention her, because without her I doubt that I could make the journey at all, or that it would be a completely different journey altogether. The love, patience, support and outright courage that she brings to each new challenge that we face is just a wonder to behold and I cannot possible thank her enough for all that she does. I hope she knows, in fact I'm sure she knows that I love her as much as possible, and then some more.

Friday 25th update

2009-09-25T13:21:00.002+01:00

After a couple days adjusting medication and observing results it has been decided that I should come home from tomorrow morning until Sunday afternoon. I will have a CT scan in Exeter, and this will be compared with the one sent down from Bristol. If, as seems probable, the recent poorliness, is due to pressure on my brain from a tumour or tumours, the plan will be to set a level of medication to keep me stable and send me home.

The plan further on will be to visit the Cromwell in London for a MRI scan to assess whether Gamma Knife treatment is still appropriate. It is difficult to self-assess one's mental state, but I do know that my own typing and interpretation skills have substantially slowed down; witness the fact that it has taken me over an hour to complete the above text; going any faster merely results in many more typing errors. It is therefore difficult to give any prognosis about time or condition. One can but hope that my condition will improve with the love and prayers of those whom I know are supporting me. My communication skills are amongst those most precious to me, so long may they last!

Greetings from the Hospice

2009-09-23T16:58:00.005+01:00

As some of you may have heard I was taken into the Hospice yesterday after a sudden poorly period. I have had some tests and may have a CT scan tomorrow, so I'll let you know more when I know it myself.

I'm still quite confused and tired so I'd prefer blog comments and emails to general visitors please (having said which it was very comforting to see Alistair today, thank you).

New tyre needed!

2009-09-19T18:28:00.004+01:00

Despite the suspicion on our part that the recent tyre repair had failed, we were wrong. It was indeed the same tyre, but it had collected two additional screws.

Anyway, the above episode made us re-think the fact that we don't belong to any breakdown recovery organisation. If anyone has any recommendations, or horror stories, please let me know. At present the RAC seems like the best bet.

Apart from that, and managing a short walk along the lane, I seem to be going backwards at the moment. Here's just hoping that it's a temporary blip.

This afternoon I staged a late rally, and did a bit of gardening. This mostly consisted of pruning some box hedging.

Anyway, that's all for now folks. Apologies for the inconsistent formatting today - I seem to have broken Google's automatic formatting and have had to revert to laying out in html. Do you sometimes get the feeling the world is against you?!

A trip to Lyme and a flat tyre:-(

2009-09-17T18:13:00.004+01:00

I woke this morning expecting to feel somewhat more recovered than yesterday, whereas in fact my face is more swollen than yesterday, and I feel rather more limp. Still, not to be deterred, I suggested a trip to Lyme Regis for a customary ice cream on the Cobb. We had had a rear wheel puncture repaired recently, and you can imagine my displeasure when a kind citizen tapped on the window and informed us that...

Even so, we connected up the tyre inflator and brought the tyre up to 2 bar, where, fortunately, it seemed to hold. So we probably have a slow puncture, and it can wait until Chris goes to Honiton tomorrow. I didn't relish the prospect of changing a wheel on crutches, or from my wheelchair!

I could write at some length about a particular fascinating technical problem I'm playing with, but even I realise that no-one out there will be in the slighted bit interested in how to install and run an email server on a home network; so I won't. I'll just save this bit of knowledge to feel smug about to myself.

Tuesday: all over bar the sleeping!

2009-09-15T14:24:00.002+01:00

It's Tuesday lunchtime and I'm back home already. The surgeon didn't manage to remove all the lumps on my scalp, for the reason that it would have created too much tension and there would have been a risk of stitches tearing. Instead, he opted to take out those lesions which were probably the biggest stumbling block to fitting the Gamma Knife cradle. Of course he was having to guess as until they do the scan he couldn't be cure which ones these are.

I had planned to attach a couple of photos showing the surgeon's handiwork, but to be honest there's not much to see; I look as if I've gone a couple of rounds with Joe Bugner. I've fallen asleep at least three times, just in typing the last two two paragraphs, so I'm going to quit while I'm ahead!

Now the dust has settled...

2009-09-13T15:31:00.001+01:00

Well, the birthday is over, the medical plans for next week have been confirmed, and the cancer donation fund has reached its (arbitrary)target. We will be in Bristol for the first part of this coming week, although I will have my PC with me. I would just like to affirm my thanks to everyone for all their prayers, good wishes, cards, and donations in lieu of gifts; some of these were anonymous so I can't say thanks directly. I've had a truly memorable week, and, despite the prospect of yet more anaesthetics and surgery, I feel well set up to deal with what is to come. I couldn't really ask for more!

The weather is set fair this afternoon so the plan in to trim the rest of the lavender, the bay tree, the lawn, and sundry hedges surrounding the oil tank, the greenhouse, and the like. Of course I will have a little help with this; possibly to the extent that I'll be watching and instructing in the use of power tools...

Happy Birthday to me!

2009-09-11T19:22:00.006+01:00

Medical update

We saw the plastic surgeon at lunchtime yesterday and agreed a plan to remove the lesions on my lip, chin, eye, and as many of those on my scalp and he could accommodate without giving me the 'too much plastic surgery' taut and shine skin finish favoured by Hollywood elder statesmen and women. Unfortunately the location and time involved means having a general anaesthetic, which I prefer to avoid, but never mind.

Birthday update

We hadn't planned it to this level of detail but as soon as we arrived at the hotel I realised that the location was perfect. It's a Cotswold hotel (where I hail from); combined with supreme comfort, service and a Michelin star that even Giles Coren couldn't rubbish:see http://tinyurl.com/mydefm; and cognac topping out at £105 per shot of which our sons mercifully didn't avail themselves after we went to bed.

The Owen clan haven't been together for a while now, and the girlfriends haven't even met before so it must have felt quite strange for them. However they seem to have got along famously from the outset. Actually, given that, as one remarked, she couldn't believe how similar the chaps were to one another, it's perhaps not too surprising that their chosen partners got along too!

For those who would like a peek at what we got up to, have a look at http://picasaweb.google.com/lamarkii/60thBirthday#.

Donations to Cancer Research

Finally, to all those folk who kindly donated to my fund, and/or sent me cards and messages of good-will, can I say a huge thank-you. To my family, and most of all to my lovely wife, whose care, affection and organisational skills pulled off the above and so much more in our lives, a big, big thank-you. The whole day has been just perfect.

George

Busy, busy

2009-09-09T21:11:00.007+01:00

Medical update

As predicted, today turned out to be busier than of late. I duly went down to the hospice to have the infusion, and got into a major review of medication which led to upping some pain-killers, adding anti-biotics to counter a possible infection, and drawing lines on my leg and taking photos to mark the possible march of a red line up the aforesaid limb! We then hared back to Axminster where I had a leg x-ray to check for potential instability as a cause of the increased pain. I will say that the doctors at the hospice are nothing if not thorough! They also seem to share my scepticism about the advisability of amputation, and feel that they have lots more to offer in their chemical arsenal before we resort to the saw and knife. I know who I'm backing!

Anyway, it's the big day tomorrow (well, the day before the big day). Alex, the eldest and Jo arrived back safely from Vietnam in the last twenty-four hours and so are on schedule to join us for dinner at the hotel. Let's hope they are awake!

That's all for now. I need a good early night tonight!

Another busy period starting!

2009-09-08T20:20:00.008+01:00

Medical update

As most of you know things have been relatively stable, with increasing pain in my leg being the main source of concern. After going through this otherwise quiet patch, things are starting to hot up a bit. I had to arrange a blood test today to check my blood count, prior to having an infusion of a drug which is designed to strengthen the bone in my leg, which is where a major source of cancer is located.

So tomorrow I'm off to the hospice in Exeter for the infusion tomorrow morning. Happily they are also experts in pain control, so I'm hoping that they can advise me on reducing the pain with drugs, thereby hitting one bird with two stones!

On Thursday we travel to Bristol for an appointment with my skin specialist to look at removing the lesions on my eyelid, scalp and shoulders. However, the same evening we are staying at the Lucknam Park Hotel for my family birthday dinner (see 29th August entry in the blog). This should provide some welcome light relief from all the medical stuff!

Any surgery to remove skin lesions will take place on Monday 14th September in Bristol, which should give plenty of time for wounds to heal before the Gamma Knife procedure in London. on 14th October, which will hopefully remove the larger lesions in my brain. However we need to be careful about which ones are removed, as the Gamma Knife relies on a cradle being fixed to my skull to precisely locate the ray guns. I'd hate to have screws going into recent lesion remove sites!

This is becoming a regular jaunt!

2009-09-05T20:47:00.002+01:00

I think it's an indication of improving health that I feel up to taking a short trip out each day; today it was Axminster and Lyme Regis. We managed to buy a pill dispenser with which to manage my increasing stock of tablets. I freaked myself more than a little a couple of days ago when I could remember whether or not I had taken my morphine; doubling the dose could have had very exciting consequences:-).

We achieved no more than a double ice cream in Lyme, where we also watched a bride taking her first steps along the Cobb - very picturesque!

There is a downside to the increased activity; the pain levels in my leg have shot up further, so we are back into the loop of adjusting dose levels to bring it under control again. This is all getting rather repetitive, for which I apologise. I will have to think about reporting less detail, less often in order not to bore you again.

Another lunch out!

2009-09-03T18:08:00.003+01:00

Someone commented today that we seem to be going out to lunch rather often. In fact we did go out today - to River Cottage Cafe canteen in Axminster, where we took Michael and Sue to celebrate his birthday. It wasn't a particularly significant number - just a higher number than mine:-)

I've little to report on the medical front, apart from an increase in pain levels in my leg. We've embarked upon the now familiar juggling of doses of the two/three main painkillers, to try to stabilise it again.

Looking at Google Analytics I can see that the visit rate to the site is showing a slow but steady decline, which I regard as a good thing. My reasoning is that no news is good news, and the longer that lasts the better!

Monday Bank Holiday - a little trip out

2009-08-31T21:19:00.003+01:00

We went for a very lazy day today; getting up at around lunchtime (me, not Chris!); reading and generally 'going with the flow'; and then at 4pm deciding to take a trip to a tea-shop at Burton Bradstock. It's an easy and smooth half hour from home, with a navigable beach and beach path on which to stroll. It was a very pleasant and tiring walk, after which we refuelled with a Dorset cream tea and Darjeeling. Interestingly, it also serves freshly caught fish and crab of the day, both at lunch and dinner. I can see a very pleasant evening being spent there, suitably wrapped up warm.

I needed to wear my buff there today; the onshore breeze had an edge to it and I'm not as well-insulated as I was: hence the above picture!

Looking at the results of the Wikipedia poll, it seems to me that the key finding is that those who have heard of it but used it little could do some more of it and have some fun. I know at least a couple of folk who haven't been entirely open, in that I know you aren't from Earth, but didn't admit it:-) That does skew the results you know!

My 60th birthday

2009-08-29T19:39:00.008+01:00

I know that some of you know that it's my 60th birthday on 11th September. Chris and I have talked about a party or drinks at the pub for friends in the village, but to be honest I would find it much too tiring. We have decided to limit celebrations to dinner for our sons and their girlfriends at a nice hotel near Bath (Lucknam Park. See http://www.lucknampark.co.uk/ ). It's on 10th September to fit in with Hayley's shift patterns and a couple of hospital appointments in Bristol.

I'm sure that you will all want me to have a great birthday, but I do want to emphasise that I really don't want or need any presents / bottles of wine / flowers. There really is nothing that I need. In fact, my biggest birthday wish is that sooner or later someone will come up with something to fight melanoma, which so far has proved a hugely difficult disease to treat. To this end, my family are using this website http://myprojects.cancerresearchuk.org/group-giving/george-owen to donate money into a Cancer Research project on melanoma. If any of you really must buy me something, a few more pounds towards this vital goal would be much more welcome than a present.

Another day of almost no news, about me, that is!

2009-08-28T14:31:00.005+01:00

Chris and I were invited to join the Corrydales in their post-show get-together yesterday evening, in which they watched a preview copy of this year's video which is being put together by Michael B. It says nothing about the content, or about the video, that I managed to stay for only the first half! Indeed, I think it's fair to say that the show was up to its usual standard, with jokes falling thick and fast, some pretty fair singing, and some even fairer dancing:-).

Michael has done an amazing job of grasping the technicalities of the sound system, the camera equipment, and some new video editing software in order to come up with a product in record time. In the process he relieved me of a job I simply couldn't have done this year, and for which I'm supremely grateful.

Today I'm spending most of the time apart from doing this posting in sleeping, which is presumably due to the effort spent yesterday evening; still, it was worth it!

Wikipedia - Who has heard of it - Hands up?!

2009-08-25T15:36:00.005+01:00

I thought that for this posting I would pass on a tip about a web feature that I use so often that I never give it any thought, but which I realise may have escaped some folk who look at my blog. The feature I'm talking about is Wikipedia.

To read the formal definition of what a Wiki is please read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page. In summary, it is a public encyclopaedia authored by, well, anyone! The idea is to capture the knowledge of individuals about subjects in which they have an interest. Yes, it allows people to post wrong or misleading information. Equally, these issues are simple to correct, and each subject tends to be 'guarded' by a small number of people who care about the integrity of the information in a particular domain.

There are also private wikis, and they are used by academia and major multi-nationals for collaborative research (as in pharmaceuticals) where scientists can be spread around the globe.

For our purposes, we are interested in public wikis. To try it out, all you have to do if using Firefox browser is to type 'wiki search item' into the address bar. If you are stuck on Internet Explorer, type the same term into the Google search box.

Still unsure about it? Try typing any of the following into your browser search box :

wiki Formula 1
wiki Dalwood
wiki 'whatever your hobby or secret passion is'

This method of research is particularly useful for answering technology questions, and may help to explain why I appear to know so much about PC's!

If you feel you know enough about your subject matter to be able to contribute, go ahead! All you need to do is to create an account and follow the instructions provided, and you can be broadcasting your wisdom to the planet within minutes:-)

Health update

I may be wrong, but when I woke up this morning I thought I felt marginally better, for the first time since I had the radiotherapy. I've still been very tired during the day, and decisions such as 'what would you like for lunch?' still seem hard to answer, but I'm hopeful that the down swing has been halted.

Sunday lunch

2009-08-23T17:58:00.005+01:00

Had a surprise burst of activity today - lunch out with our two sons at the Lord Poullett Arms in Hinton St George. For a variety of reasons we haven't been together for a while, so this was a real treat.

As you will see from the link, it's a pub with attitude; check out the reviews page, if nothing else. Gastro -pub of the year 2008; National Dining Pub of the Year 2009 - Good Pub Guide 2009. Some folk - men - may vote in favour of the loos - but you'll have to go there to see what I mean!

One last piece of advice; don't go on the day they are holding a relic tractor ploughing competition next to the A303; if you do you can be sure that your fellow humanity will stop their cars on a major A route just to watch this absolutely exhilarating piece of entertainment that can surely only be beaten by the Cornish paint drying championships (white) category.

Health update

Health not improved by waiting in back of car for above delay to clear. Other than that, no change either way I'm afraid. I'm down by another twenty hairs, but still have more than some folk of a similar age in the village:-). The sleepiness is unabated, which I had hoped would be improving by now...

Cheeky quotes

By the way, not a soul commented when I replaced the fish with the Cheeky Quotes. I thought it would raise the tone and provide some amusement - you weren't all in a queue on the A303 watching a ploughing competition were you?

Friday 21st update

2009-08-21T18:55:00.003+01:00

Again, not much change to report. I have developed a small lesion on my lower right eyelid that I'm having looked at in early September. It isn't causing me too much of a problem apart from mild discomfort at this stage, but I probably need to have it removed before it gets too big else there won't be enough spare skin to heal over. One of the things I've learned that plastic surgeons worry about is skin tension - imagine if you will a stiff or rigid eyelid:-).

Thanks to everyone who has sent me messages, posts, or emails of support. It's nice to know you all care (enough to be rude about me, in some cases!).

Apart from sleep I've done little apart from read the first 'Inspector Wallender ' novel in the series. Why I decided to read a Swedish novel in my condition I have no idea - it must be the lack of daylight, or cold, or some Scandinavian gene, that makes the characters so unutterably miserable!

Wednesday 19th - shield your eyes!

2009-08-19T18:02:00.006+01:00

No change to report again - bumping along the bottom a bit?

I thought it was time I shared the hair loss issue with you all. Some of it is hanging on for dear life. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not?! Sorry about the facial expression but I'm barely awake. I'll spare you the back view for now:-)

Monday, Monday...

2009-08-17T12:26:00.003+01:00

Good afternoon, all. Well, I'm still in bed and it's 12.25, but there it is.

Not much to report as ever. I made it to the Fair Service, which was very enjoyable en plein air (very warm and with the odd wasp for added spice).

My main purpose in posting today is to wish the Corrydales the best of luck with the show, which is this evening until Thursday. We have decided not to try and attend as I know only to well that I will sleep for most of the evenings, and I'm sure it's far too good to miss:-)

Good luck also to Michael, and to Jason, with the filming and with the sound. Thanks to Michael , and to the availability of the technology, we should be able to see it in High Definition this year. Can you imagine close-ups of the cast in five times greater definition than last year? It doesn't bear thinking about!

Fair Day

2009-08-15T18:46:00.002+01:00

Made it! Well, only for a while. It was good to see some of you, but I admit that I'm paying for it now:-( Well at least the weather didn't hit us for a third year running, which is a relief! To all those that I didn't have a chance to speak to - apologies. Ruts and butts in wheelchairs don't really go too well.

I'm off for a very early night tonight, in the hope that I'll be clambering up the other side of the treatment soon.

George

Still sleeping...

2009-08-13T18:16:00.002+01:00

Sorry folks, but the sleepiness is still increasing. I spend a couple of hours or so 'awake' each day, during which I read. I'm not really cabable of interaction or any demanding intellectual pursuits (such as writing for such a high-brow audience). I just need to sit it out - sorry.

I had in mind all kinds of technical titillation - let's just hope I remember the ideas when I wake up - or perhaps not!

George

Update Monday 10th

2009-08-10T13:13:00.002+01:00

A relaxed weekend

We passed a pleasant weekend, with a visit by Theo, our youngest, and his girlfriend Hayley. He is currently studying a foundation OU course and is doing very well. Hayley has joined Thames Valley Police and is part-way through her training. She loves it - "I didn't know you could get paid whilst having so much fun".

They were very accommodating about my constant sleeping, and Chris managed to sort out some very divergent dietary requirements - I have no idea how!

Medical update

It feels to me as though practically all my hair as come out now - judging by the shower filter! However Chris tells me I've still got more than most men my age. I'll wait until the end of the week before updating the photo, and you can all be the judges.

One slightly less welcome development, which is probably due to the R/T, is that my typing has become rather more erratic. The consultant believes it is probably due to swelling in the brain, and that it should be possible to relieve it with steroids. However there seems to be a conflict between the need to take it for this purposes and the need to take it for pain control in my leg. I've trying to co-ordinate views between the various parties to get this sorted out.

I'm shy, hairy melon, I'm shy

2009-08-07T19:05:00.002+01:00

As the song goes. Anyway, this melon is getting less hairy by the minute. This may have something to do with the fact that Christine has ministered to me with the hoover, and also with a length of parcel tape. Of course, looking at it from her point of view I can see that piles of the stuff around the place is not ideal:-)

Other than this, I've become even more tired, and it's not even the end of the first week after treatment. If they are right and the symptoms will deepen until the end of week two then there really won't be much point in 'watching this space' at all!

On an unrelated note, I had a completely unexpected and welcome visit from Dr. Hodges. I had had to ring the surgery to arrange a change of medication, and he had kindly arranged this at nil notice. I gather that our own doctor, Sarah Ellis, will be away for a while and he thought it would be a good idea to put a face to a name (for both of us). Well done, Dr H!

Wednesday 5th: No change

2009-08-05T18:18:00.002+01:00

Sorry all, this is more of a Tweet than a blog: All I'm doing at the moment is being awake in the morning (If one can call it that); having lunch, and then sleeping until tea time); followed by an early bedtime; even I can see that this is less interesting than paint drying. If I were to guess I'd say that this symptom is rapidly deepening, so don't expect much real news in the next few days. Sorry about this.

George

Day 10: Finished!

2009-08-03T18:58:00.007+01:00

It's still a case of no news is no news really. This round of radiotherapy is finished, and there's little to show for it apart from increased tiredness, more loose hairs in my keyboard, and an odd red rash across my forehead:-)

The consultant popped down to see me in the treatment area, mainly to answer face-to-face an email I had sent her over the weekend. She really is a nice person. Anyway, the question was about medication and flying (yes or no). She thinks we will be fine if we stick within the EU, and advised a short course of steroids to counteract any swelling in my brain as a result of pressure changes during take-off and landing.

The EU point is a good one in case we had a medical emergency, and casts doubt on St Petersburg as a destination unless it's a stopping point on an EU-based cruise. What a nightmare!

Looking ahead over the next few weeks looks something like this; for the next two weeks the symptoms will deepen (tiredness, hair loss); from then on energy levels should improve - call this weeks 3 to 9; week 10 is Cromwell week. Apparently the procedure I'm having is "Stereotactic ablation of tissue of brain". If you don't use the word ablation every day, you may want to look it up. Anyway, the point of this forecast is to alert you to the fact that I sincerely hope to be boring for the next little while, so anyone who is an adrenalin junky is likely to be disappointed. However I'll do my best to include some riveting technical news, which I know you all love:-)

Day 9: News from London

2009-07-31T20:11:00.004+01:00

Medical update

Simple: none. I've still got my hair, although I've noticed that there are quite a few more extraneous loose ones in my food, on my clothes, and generally around the place; I'm sure Chris's hair looks thinner:-) I do also feel more tired, but this is to be expected. So, instead of coming home and sitting down, we went out in the garden and drank tea before I had a go at weeding the drive.

Cromwell Hospital

I had an email from the Cromwell this evening to say that I have to wait for eight weeks after the current treatment before proceeding with Gamma Knife. They have arranged for me to have an MRI scan on 12th October, and if I'm suitable for treatment that will take place on the following day.

And in the meantime...

...I've asked my consultant what restrictions there are on flying. If we have to wait eight weeks (less a couple to get over the worst of the current treatment).

Day 8: It (my hair) is still hanging in there!

2009-07-30T18:39:00.003+01:00

Medical update

Precisely nothing (thank goodness).

Anyone lost an Enya CD?

A while ago I repaired someone's laptop, and in the process took an Enya CD called "And Winter Came..." out of the CD drive. It has been hanging around here ever since while I try to recall whose PC it was. That isn't happening, so if anyone reading thinks it is theirs, please let me know.

Any now for something completely different

I've recently finished reading a book which was given to me by a friend, and it made a big impression; so much so that I've decided to share it here. The reason I have hesitated is because it is a work of Christian fiction, and until I received this book I didn't realise that such a genre existed. I'm also well aware that not everyone who reads this blog would describe themselves as Christian, and I've no desire to sermonise anyone.

The book is called 'The Shack', by William P Young. Be prepared for a plot which involves the murder of a young girl, the appearance of God as a large black woman, and an altogether unsettling read. I found myself upset, amused and challenged in equal amounts. Yes, it's very American; yes, the writing style can be a bit schmaltzy, yes, it isn't attempting to project true theology; For all that, it rattled some of my cosy preconceptions, and didn't take that much time to read. For details, and the views of other reviewers, have a look at the Amazon listing: http://tinyurl.com/nlvy63. If anyone would like to borrow my copy, just let me know.

George

Day 7: getting there

2009-07-29T18:12:00.002+01:00

Absolutely nothing new to report I'm afraid, apart from the fact that travelling in the back of Gwyn's car is something of a luxury experience; it certainly smoothed out the bumps along Seven Mile Straight!

Yesterday I threatened to start making stuff up - today I can honestly say I'm too tired; sorry about that.

Day 6: heading into the home straight

2009-07-28T19:38:00.003+01:00

Again, little to report. The symptom build-up is much more noticeable; feeling queasy and tired. Apologies if I nod off in the middle of a conversation with any of you (more so than usual, that is).

It's also nice to be back home in one's own bed. Tomorrow Gwyn is taking me to Bristol (what a nice man to risk his leather seats:-). If tomorrow is as straightforward as today I may well have to start inventing stuff to blog, as I know what sensationalists you all are!

Day 5: half way through!

2009-07-27T19:04:00.002+01:00

We are staying in Bristol tonight, and are making a bit of an occasion of it by meeting my sister and nephew, who hail from Banbury. They seem to have had great fun visiting the SS Great Britain, a rusty metal boat parked in the centre - so oddness does run in the family:-).

Medically, there's nothing to report. The treatment machine broke down so there was a 45 minute delay, but hey, what's the hurry anyway?

Thanks to all for your various emails and comments. You may not realise it but they are a great encouragement. TTFN.

A gloriously relaxing day!

2009-07-25T21:24:00.003+01:00

Today has been a real treat; we've done a bit of this and a bit of that; to be more precise; had another go at clearing the garage (which I love doing because it feels so worthwhile but has no end - and so is endlessly worthwhile:-); almost finished wiring up the outdoor Victorian pedestal light for the church; had a very enjoyable visit from Alastair, the vicar; and generally engaged in a variety of displacement activities (sorry Alastair, I don't mean you are...)

I've also submitted to having my picture taken with my buff - with a very poor grace, I hasten to add. Christine seems to think it will keep Danielle quiet - all I can say is that I thought her memory of teenagers would be better than that:-(

Day 4: It's the weekend!

2009-07-24T19:23:00.007+01:00

So, 40% complete! I can't say I'm sorry it's the weekend; the M5 only has so much to offer by way of variety; today it was dense traffic as people made their ways down to their holiday homes. I'm looking forward to a rest for a couple of days.

The first treatment symptoms have started to emerge; nausea, tiredness, and mild headaches. Still at least I've got my hair for a while longer.

I had a phone call from the Cromwell today following up on my referral from Bristol; they wanted me to go up for an MRI scan using their protocols, which I take as a slightly positive sign that I may be suitable for treatment with Gamma knife; there's no real reason why it should be positive, but in the absence of any other indication, it might as well be a good sign as bad! Unfortunately I can't go on Tuesday, and the consultant has gone back to Sweden for a few days, so this will be delayed for a while. This may be a good thing anyway, as the effects of this treatment need to settle before they can assess suitability for Gamma Knife.

It's interesting that yesterday's post elicited not a single public comment. I must have something to learn about judging my audience; perhaps you aren't all subscribers to New Scientist or Geeks Monthly:-)

Day 3: The good, the bad, the ugly!

2009-07-23T18:21:00.010+01:00

The Good

Every so often something appears in my mailbox that makes me think "I must share this with humanity" which means you, dear readers! The latest nugget came from a weekly newsletter from PC Pro, which I subscribe to, and which is partly responsible for some of the advice that I pass on to you. However, this particular nugget is not PC-related.

It comes in the form of a link to some videos made in 1974 for Cornell University, and features Dr Richard Feynman giving some 'classic physics lectures'. However, even if physics did for you at school like it did for me, please don't stop reading yet! This is how PC Pro describes the videos

What I find even more amusing is that Bill Gates and a friend were going on holiday together and wanted to take some videos with them - now I don't know what sort of stuff you take, and please don't tell me, but physics?! When Bill watched these he immediately bought the rights to them, and through a Microsoft project has posted them for all to see, which is why you can watch them now.

To watch the videos, go to Project Tuva. If you are prompted to install something called Silverlight, please allow it. Thereafter, enjoy! Even the introduction is worth watching, so if you go through it all you have about seven hours of material to plough through. I've watched the first one and certainly intend to view the rest!

The Bad

Have you ever wondered what PC repair shops get up to when you take your PC's in for fixing? Not me, I hasten to add! This story in the same email will make your hair stand on end!
The moral is, back up your data (where have you heard that before?!), delete it from your hard drive, and try to go to someone who is recommended!

I'm going to cheat and slip in another Bad, this time about premium rate phone numbers, which are often used for support calls (such as to HP, Gwyn!). There is a little-known way to circumvent these; it's not foolproof, but it's worth a try; go to this SayNoTo0870.com. Enter the 08nn phone number in the phone number box, and see what alternative landline numbers it throws up. You can also enter the name of the organisation and see what it throws up. We have certainly saved money using this facility, so good luck!

The Ugly

So here's the ugly - it needs little explanation!

Radiotherapy day 2

2009-07-22T20:45:00.004+01:00

Radiotherapy

I'm afraid it's more of the same today, thank goodness. The journey was uneventful, I went in for treatment early, and then went for a very pleasant lunch at Browns Restaurant.

A little Google tip

I know I bang on about Google rather a lot, but then it is a very clever business proposition. If you push me I'll start lecturing on the future of computing (it's called The Cloud) and Google are right at the front of it.

Anyway, I digress. On a more mundane note, I wanted to point out a feature of the Dalwood website. As some of you may know it now has a calendar on the home page. If, like me, you have a Google email address (and therefore account), you can also have a Google Calendar. By clicking on entries in the Dalwood calendar, or any other public calendar, I can opt to have them inserted in mine! So, no excuses for being late for church now! Just think of the potential if all Dalwood organisations had their own calendars - no more being late for Corrydale rehearsals; oops, must go and wash my mouth out...

Radiotherapy day 1

2009-07-21T22:14:00.002+01:00

There's really not much to report; we went to Bristol, narrowly missing an horrific accident in which a lorry ploughed into the back of a Highways Agency Incident Support vehicle; the tailback was still there when we came back five hours later.

The treatment was unventful; there had been machine problems so there was an hour or so delay, but we are used to that. I shouldn't start to notice side-effects for a few days, and the hair loss may take a couple of weeks. Still, in anticipation of that event, and because of the inordinate interest aroused by the hat issue, I've had some pics taken of the various items we bought. Unfortunately, due to the fact that they make me look like a barrel of lard with a handerchief on my head, you are going to have to wait a while longer before seeing them:-)

Pain clinic, driving licence, hats

2009-07-20T16:29:00.003+01:00

No, it's not a cryptic clue for some fiendish quiz - it summarises my life over the past few days.

Pain Clinic

We saw Becky Baines, a consultant at the hospice in Exeter this morning to review my pain medication regime. As you know I've been keen to make this appointment for a while, as I'm convinced there are better ways of dealing with the pain than amputation! It was a really useful session, but also quite challenging in some ways. Have you ever tried to describe a certain pain, in terms of location, nature, and what brings it on? Anyway, whatever I said seemed to make sense to Becky, because she looked at the current medication profile and suggested several changes that may help, and may also allow me to use my leg more than I have been at present - avoidance of use being perhaps the best strategy I've had available until now. I was amazed to hear that one of the drugs I started taking only recently (at her suggestion) has quite a lot of headroom in the dose. I'm on 300mg per day, and the most she has ever used is 2700 mg per day! She also looked at the morphine dose and recommended an increase, and also suggested switching to a larger dose tablet - 100mg instead of 20mg. You'd be surprised how tiresome it can be to take 11 tablets of a morning or evening, so cutting the number by 4 will be very welcome. Anyway, it will take a couple of days to phase in the changes, so I'll keep you posted.

Driving licence

Today we posted my driving licence back to the DVLA, as having a brain tumour means I'm no longer allowed to drive:-(. Furthermore, Christine checked the DVLA website, only to find that failure to notify them carries a £1,000 fine! That seems a bit harsh, on top of losing the licence! I've had a full licence since October 2nd 1966 - isn't it odd how useless bits of information like this stick in one's mind? Ah well, if the Queen can get used to being driven, I'm sure I can.

Hats
I'm now the proud owner of three new hats, or rather, two hats and one 'buff'. The hats are pretty ordinary skull caps, but the buff is amazingly complicated. At first sight it looks like an ordinary tube of cloth, but there are so many ways of wearing it that it has its own instructional video in the shop, and also a website! Please watch the video on this site - it really is quite mad! I'll consider posting some pics after I've had a practice with them all.

The man in the high-tech mask

2009-07-17T15:22:00.003+01:00

Life has been quite busy since I last posted on Wednesday. That evening we were invited around to Michael and Sue's for 'Gewurtztraminer and onion tart'. I took this as a small snack and drink before returning home for our supper; not a bit of it! We staggered the fifty yards home, hours later, under the influence not only of the Gewurtz, but another bottle and a lethal dessert later.

I'm sure I hadn't recovered from this by next day lunchtime, when we met at the Venn ranch for a Majorca trip reunion. Of course, the food and drink were themed accordingly, and yet again a good time was had by all. Unfortunately we had to leave to drive up to Bristol for an appointment first thing this morning and, in my role as back seat driver, I really couldn't drink much more than a glass of sangria:-)

When I had radiotherapy to my neck, at the start of this year, it involved making a plaster cast of my head, from which a plastic mould was made. This is used to keep the head and neck still and precisely located under the xray beam. The process took about half an hour with the plaster; about three hours and a couple of elapsed days in the workshop to make the plastic mould, and a second visit to check the fit before treatment could start. This time we were confronted by a perforated purple plastic sheet in a frame, which was immersed in water at 70 degrees for two minutes and then clipped to the table and moulded around my head . There was an eight minute wait while it cooled and set, and that was it - a mould ready for use next door under the planning xray machine! The new process saved a couple of elapsed days, a second visit, and hours of technician time.

I don't really understand the physics of x-ray but gather that these machines include a feature called 'skin sparing', whereby the radiation envelope is weaker at the skin than it is inside the body. However in my case I have quite a few lesions on the skin itself, which I was going to have surgically removed. The radiotherapy consultant suggested that, by wrapping a layer of material around the outside of my head to act as a false skin, the skin proper would receive a full dose, and hopefully the lesions would be removed at the same time as the internal lesions are treated. Obviously I couldn't see what was happening from inside the mask, but I could hear lots of tearing of material, and cutting of sellotape, while the extra layer was applied. I couldn't help but be amused by the contrast between the high-tech equipment and calculations being employed to calculate the dose of radiation required, and what sounded like the cast of Blue Peter having a field day with old egg boxes and sticky tape!

We also sorted out the appointment times for the next two weeks, which included slipping the start date to Tuesday, thus enabling me to keep the long-awaited and twice-postponed appointment at the pain clinic in Exeter.

The only thing left to organise now is a hat, or hats to cover my naked scalp when the hair comes out. This apparently happens about three weeks after treatment starts. I haven't been especially attracted to some of the ideas put forward by some of you, especially in pink; the problem is that everything I look at on the web is being modelled by someone thirty years younger and a lot more handsome than me - why don't they get Joe Public to wear this stuff, I wonder?!

Any old books? How to bypass Vista

2009-07-15T14:16:00.007+01:00

Sell your old books

Time for a little light relief after the recent heavy stuff, I think! Following a recent clear-out at home, in which we sold several books (mostly technical manuals) on Amazon, I wondered if any of you have heard of or used this facility to get rid of unwanted items? It really is quite easy, especially if you already have an Amazon account.

First, go through your bookshelves to identify items which may be saleable; enter the title or ISBN into Amazon, and check how many of them are for sale 'Used'. If it looks as if there may be a demand for the title in question, then decide on a selling price - I usually pick a number slightly lower than the bottom price - and then enter the details requested. That is basically all there is to it! Of course you may find that there are hundreds of copies available at 50p, you may decide that it isn't worthwhile :-) .

One category of books that apparently sells well is children's books. So, if you are hoarding things that you read as a child, you may find that they are in demand from others who also had them when they were young!

Amazon do take a commission on each item sold, but the main benefits of using them are that they handle all the payment administration, and books just sit on their site until they sell or until they are withdrawn.

Bypass Vista; go straight to Windows 7!

As some of you already know I have been running a pre-release test version of Windows 7 for some time now, and believe it to be far superior to Vista in many ways; speed, usability, and stability, to name but three. Today is the first date on which you can pre-order Windows 7,which becomes available on 22nd October. Microsoft have authorised a small number of retailers to sell W7 at heavily discounted prices, depending on the version that you are interested in. For example, W7 Home Premium, which will suit the majority of home users, is for sale at around £50, as opposed to the predicted full price of £150. W7 Professional can be bought for around £90 instead of £250. One good thing about these licences is that they are full retail versions, which means that they can be re-used on other PC's if you upgrade your machine. Most licences are OEM (Other Equipment Manufacturer), which means that they are tied to the PC you buy and cannot be moved to replacement machines.For more information about this offer, and about the features of each version, go to http://www.microsoft.com/uk/windows/buy/offers/pre-order.aspx. I should warn you that the number of licences available is limited; I tried to buy from ebuyer this morning as they were slightly cheaper than other places, only to find that their allocation of 300 licences had gone within a few minutes of being available this morning!

You are eligible for this offer if you already have a genuine copy of XP or Vista, and your PC meets the minimum hardware specification. To be sure, go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/upgrade-advisor.aspx and download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor tool, which will check your PC's hardware configuration.

Medical update

The Oncology Centre have confirmed that my planning appointments are this Friday morning at 0930, and treatment starts on Monday. All I need to do now is decide whether I want a wig (probably not), or what style hat I want to protect my head; I quite like those turbans which we see all the time on the news, although they are usually worn by the bad guys :-)

I’ve also just received by email in the past few minutes a draft copy of a referral letter to the Cromwell, asking them to consider me for Gamma Knife treatment. Presumably my consultant has thought about this since yesterday and has decided that this is the more appropriate of the two advanced treatments which are available. It sounds as if this could take place in early August, immediately after the whole head treatment.

Sorry for the length of this post, but, like buses, news seems to arrive all at once!
George

Results of today's consultation

2009-07-14T19:23:00.004+01:00

The consultant we saw today is a radiotherapy specialist with particular interest in skin and brain lesions, so could hardly be more appropriate for the current situation.

We first looked at the MRI results; of the six visible tumours the largest are in areas of the brain affecting speech, the sight of one eye, and emotions/personality. What effects these could have in combination doesn't bear thinking about, although some of you may think I've had them for years:-). I am currently symptom-free, and the size of the lesions is relatively small, which hopefully means we have caught them early.

We then discussed four treatment options:

Do nothing
Whole brain radiotherapy
High power, localised stereotactic radiotherapy or radiosurgery
A combination of options 2 and 3

Option 1: Do nothing

It is impossible to predict an outcome of doing nothing as any one of the brain lesions, or a fresh one elsewhere could develop.

Option 2: Whole brain

Because of the number of tumours present the odds are that others will develop in the same region. Whole brain treatment is the best way of preventing latent tumours from developing, but it only has a 50% success rate with larger lesions.

The main side-effects are hair loss and tiredness, which is occasionally extreme.

Option 3: Stereotactic radiosurgery

This is a relatively new form of treatment. It is available in Bristol under the NHS, but only for up to two tumours. This is because tumour numbers higher than this usually suggest that more will develop, and it is therefore not seen as cost-effective overall. I can but agree with this.

It is available privately at places such as the Cromwell in London, and also in Sheffield (although there it may be a similar but different technique called Gamma Knife radiosurgery.

Option 4: Combine options 2 and 3

I am very fortunate in having medical insurance, although 99% of my treatment to date has been NHS, and we cannot praise it too highly. We therefore decided to select this option, which will involve two week's daily treatment in Bristol, and to ask for an opinion at the Cromwell about the advisability of having option 3 thereafter. If we go ahead it is likely to start next week, and we will stay over in Bristol to cut down the impact of travelling.

We also asked at what point it would be appropriate to transfer to a centre nearer home, and discovered that Taunton will soon be staffed to cater for my needs. I intend to pursue this as the time, cost and wear and tear implications of travelling to Bristol are quite high.

Sunday 12th

2009-07-12T21:41:00.004+01:00

Communion at 0900 (made it!), followed by a relaxed day doing little except weeding an area of the drive under an oak tree. It has been bothering me for ages now, so it was rewarding to finally get out and tackle it.

Whilst at church we were invited to a barbecue in the village this evening, from which we've just returned. It was good fun, but we knew the time had come for us to leave when members of Corrydales started singing along to a 1961 pop compilation CD; after all, I was only 12 at the time, and Christine was 8, so we could hardly be expected to know the words:-).

Thanks to all who offered support and best wishes after my previous post. They were, and continue to be, much appreciated.

Scan results

2009-07-10T13:11:00.003+01:00

I had a call this morning to give us the results of the scans earlier this week. The results are mixed. As far as my trunk is concerned, there has been little change, and one lung lesion has gone altogether. Unfortunately the brain scan was not so positive: I have about six nodules in the brain, which were not evident on the previous January scan.

If there were just one or two lesions then the usual treatment would be surgery. However given the number present the proposed treatment plan is for me to see the radiotherapy consultant in Bristol on Tuesday, with a view to targeted radiotherapy, possibly followed by surgery. There is no point in pretending that this is not a set-back; brain lesions can develop slowly, but can also turn aggressive very quickly, which can, depending on location, lead to sudden loss of function or senses.

From our point of view, Christine and I feel that it is important to take each day at a time, and to listen to what the doctors have to offer by way of treatment. The prognosis and outcome are little changed by this news, and I feel are best left in God's hands. I know you will all continue to send us your best wishes and prayers, for which we thank you. I should have more to tell you after Tuesday, but am unsure that there will be much to add before then.

On a more positive note, I am hopeful that the addition of the latest nerve painkiller is having a beneficial effect, as the pain has been noticeably reduced in the last couple of days. I won't really know if this is the case until I've built up to the full dose by the middle of next week, and have reduced the extra morphine that I'm currently taking down to the planned level.

An unscheduled trip to Bristol

2009-07-08T22:25:00.002+01:00

This morning at around 11 I arranged to have my MRI and CT scans in Bristol next Monday. Shortly thereafter I received an appointment to see the Orthopaedic consultant (also in Bristol) next Wednesday. By 12 the Chemotherapy consultant had confounded the entire plan and brought the scans forward to this afternoon so that he could see the results before going to California on Friday! So, despite having visitors arriving this evening who couldn't be contacted, we made the familiar trip north yet again.

The scans themselves were unremarkable, if you discount the fact that an MRI head scan feels and sounds as if you've got your head in a cement mixer which is being cleaned out with bricks, and the injection they give you for a CT scan makes you feel warm all over and leaves a funny taste in the mouth. The doctor who put the cannula in my arm clearly needs practice, preferably on an orange, before I let him near me again. Trouble is, when you are on the table, arms out-stretched, with no-one else to appeal to within earshot, you are rather at a disadvantage.

Anyway, we are home now, visitors suitably greeted and tucked up in bed, so I can drivel on to you about my disrupted day. The plan from here is that I should get the scan results on Friday, and the Wednesday appointment should give me more information about the orthopaedic options available to me, including amputation.

Not content with the above, we've also received an update to my pain control prescription and I now have another potion to take. The capsules look an innocuous grey, but it takes a week to build up to the full dose so I suspect their bite is stronger than their bark! I've also received my referral to the pain control consultant in Exeter, and can ring tomorrow to make an appointment.

This all feels like progress, and the prospect of being able to get control of the pain has bucked me up somewhat. As ever, thanks to all who contacted me with good wishes after reading my recent downbeat entry. And now, good night!

Another insight into Google

2009-07-06T21:14:00.004+01:00

I never cease to be amazed by the power of Google. In this case, it's the Insight facility, which allows one to look at what people have searched for, by date or period, by country and/or sub-region of said country! To have a play with this, go to the Google Insight Search page and, well, play! It's good fun and it's free - and possibly quite scary! Tell me what you think.

Turning to yesterday's posts, I'd like to thank everyone for the various emails and other supportive responses. For some reason I'm reminded of a Tony Hancock sketch from the 60's. Tony was acting the role of an aircraft mechanic who was servicing a plane when it took off with him clinging to the outside of the cockpit, yelling blue murder. The pilot (Sid James or Kenneth Williams?) pulls the canopy back and asks "Where's your stiff upper lip?" "Under this loose flabby chin!", came the response.

No-one commented on the fish-tank, or realised that by holding the mouse over the tank you can get the fish to swim towards it. You can even click the spanner to change the number and colour of the fishes! This is a one example of many 'gadgets' which can be attached to a blog, but perhaps you're all too busy to play with the fish. I won't bother to switch them for Soduku...

So what DO you want to hear about?

2009-07-06T19:32:00.005+01:00

I've been mulling over the absence of news, which still seems to upset the adrenaline junkies amongst you, and wondering what I could write about. In the end I decided to ask you if any of the ideas that have occurred to me would be of interest.

Today, for example, I've spent researching various technical things which interest me. I may have mentioned to some of you that it appalls me that computers which are thousands of times more powerful than when I started in the profession should run so slowly because of the sheer inefficiency of modern software. A lot of this is down to $icrosfoft and Windoze. I have been looking for a suitable alternative, preferably free, and have settled on something called Ubuntu. The software it is descended from was invented by a Finn called Linus Torvalds in the 60's. He has since been named as one of the top 100 Finns ever - can anyone (apart from George Marshall) name any of the remaining 99? :-)

Along the way I've had to look into various technical details, such as how to create 'virtual' CD/DVD drives, which run hundreds of times faster than real ones; and how to store the large number of passwords and account details which I've stored on your behalf when rebuilding your systems - let's face it, most of you don't know them!

Now I can accept that such stuff is way too geeky for normal folk, so I wonder if instead you might be interested in something like using an alternative browser to Internet Explorer. I use Firefox for the most part, because it's quick, reasonably secure, and can be customised in all sorts of ways to suit my way of working. For example, I can block all pop-ups and unwanted adverts, automatically delete my browser trail at the end of a session, and add features that I find useful. One that I'm experimenting with at the moment is Stumbleupon, which lets me set my areas of interest, and then compare the sites I've found useful (or not) with those of others who share the same interests. It looks like a great way of harnessing the help of lots of people to help me with my research!

If neither of these are interesting, I may have to fall back on telling you how I am. To be honest, I'm a bit down at the moment. I think this is because we seem to have run out of treatment options. Up to now life has been one long round of appointments, treatments, and waiting to see whether or not the cancer responds. We now know that nothing out there has any effect, which is both a relief - chemotherapy and radiotherapy are not in the least enjoyable - but also rather dispiriting. Having said that, today we have decided to ask for a referral to the Exeter Pain Clinic, which is easier to get to than Bristol; and to have a few of the more irritating scalp lesions removed for the sake of comfort.

On one level, I'm not unhappy about the situation; I'm confident my immortal soul is in Good Hands. On a human level however, I worry about my nearest and dearest, and the group of friends that we have come to value during our time in Dalwood.

So there you have it - a choice between the absurdly irrelevant stuff with which I choose to distract myself, or the very un-British practice of being open about one's thoughts and feelings. If neither of these appeal, other ideas are welcome!

Nothing to report...

2009-07-05T21:06:00.002+01:00

Have you ever had writer's block? Have you ever suffered from a complete failure of imagination? Have you ever had a couple of days where nothing much happens? Then you will understand the feelings of this blog-writer. Unfortunately he has received several messages from readers who deem inactivity a crime. I've decided that the only thing I can do is to point out that, from my point of view, having nothing to report is A GOOD THING! It's true! - no new aches, no new pains, lumps or bumps.

However, bear with me. I'm expecting a new round of scans and other diagnostics in the next couple of weeks. It is my firm intention to continue to bore you rigid - wish me luck!

Thank you!

2009-07-02T20:56:00.002+01:00

I haven't got anything of note to report today, so I'll limit myself to saying thanks to all who emailed, rang and/or posted in response to my last couple of posting. Even amongst a fairly small readership I am amazed how many people know others in a similar situation, or have a friend who is a pain control specialist, or some-such other useful connection. For one thing it helps me not to feel quite so medically isolated, and for another it gives me avenues to pursue before having to decide on something quite so drastic as amputation.

Somebody else wrote to say that reading the blog helped them to put their own worries in perspective - which also helps to make the effort worthwhile. You really are a great bunch of folk!

If tomorrow is as news-free as today then I'll give you all a break for a day or two. The only alternative is to post about topping and tailing the blackcurrants kindly donated by Mr Major, or about my home-grown technique for repairing the workshop ceiling. Interested? No, I thought not!

Is anyone there?!

2009-07-01T21:35:00.003+01:00

It's not often that I've known the readers of this blog to be lost for words, but the last post seems to have achieved that! To be fair, several of you have responded by email, and your comments have been useful. Some of you have even known people in a similar situation, which is amazing.

From our point of view, we intend to take our time, investigate all the options, and only decide what to do after we feel we understand the situation as well as we can. In the meantime, please don't go quiet on me or I'll think I've offended you!

If you all need cheering up, why not go and have a look at the Darwin Awards? There's something there for everyone. You can even leave me a comment telling me which is your favourite award (please?).

'Bye for now.

An eventful day in Bristol

2009-06-30T20:45:00.003+01:00

As expected, today's consultation was anything but routine. I'll try to summarise as briefly as possible:

The current chemo regime appears to be achieving the opposite of what was intended, which was to reduce pain. Based on two cycles, it seems to be responsible for a substantial increase, but no-one is able to explain why
Whether or not it is helping to control spread of the disease elsewhere, the increase in pain is not acceptable, and could get worse with further cycles. We have therefore decided to discontinue it for the time being
Xrays of my chest and leg taken today suggest that it is progressing very slowly in other areas (ie chest), but more quickly in my leg
We decided to check progress in the other areas (head, trunk) by having MRI and CT scans in the next two weeks
In parallel with these scans I have been referred to the Bristol Orthopaedic team to review what may be causing the increase in pain in my leg (loose pin?) and to review what options they may be able to offer as a solution
When we have an up-to-date picture of overall disease progress, and the input of the orthopods, we should be in a better position to decide a way forward
If the disease is progressing slowly then one option I have been asked to consider is amputation of my right leg above the knee. Apparently melanoma has been known to be particularly active in a primary location, whilst developing much more slowly elsewhere. Removing the primary area of activity can further reduce development in other locations, although this is not guaranteed.

We don't know enough about the amputation option yet, but the decision is clearly influenced by how much good quality time I am likely to have left after the rehabilitation process. If, say, it takes six months to recover from leg removal, and I only have a couple of months thereafter, it would not be worth the trauma and recovery associated with amputation. If the period could be a year or more it may be worth considering.

I'm sorry for the length of this post, and the amount of detail. As you can imagine, I'm trying to come to terms with what feels like a very big decision; writing this is helping to clarify my thoughts. If anyone has any knowledge or experience of this area, I would love to hear from you!

To end on a lighter note, we did make it to the Banksy exhibition and it was well worth going. After all, where else will you see a chicken nugget hatching from its egg, or a fish finger swimming around a goldfish bowl? Furthermore, the picture of MP's in the House of Commons is so timely one could almost imagine Banksy has second sight! Go and see it - you won't be disappointed.

Off to Bristol

2009-06-29T08:32:00.002+01:00

Woke up this morning in considerable pain, and am mystified why this has happened. Yesterday was a very quiet day, with church at 5. Even Alastair quoting the Archbishop of Canterbury shouldn't cause an allergic reaction of this magnitude! I did sweep and weed the front path in the afternoon, but I did this in my wheelchair and definitely didn't put any weight on my leg. I'm not one to anthropomorphise but I do wonder if said limb knows where it's going and what's going to happen tomorrow - it does get poked and pulled about a bit.

We had hoped to make a bit of a jaunt out of the trip to Bristol, by arranging to meet our youngest for lunch, and then going to see the Banksy exhibition at the museum. If you have five minutes spare, do have a look at the website for this event - amazing, isn't it!

Tomorrow is quite a big day, because we should get the results of my x-ray and, more importantly, hear whether the consultant thinks the current treatment is showing promise or not; perversely, I hope it is, despite the side-effects. The prospect of trying different combinations, or of trundling around the country looking for relevant clinical trials, seem rather daunting by comparison. Anyway, I know you all wish me luck, and now seems like a good time to thank everyone for the positive comments about the blog; it certainly makes our life easier than trying to remember who we've spoken to on a daily basis!

I'm also pleased to report that I can end this post on a positive note - before I started writing I took a large dose of Oromorph, and backed it up with a quick 'glove anaesthesia' session - both of which seem to have worked! So, TTFN...

Back from the brink...

2009-06-27T19:21:00.003+01:00

Evenin' all,

As you can see I've clawed my way back from the brink of technology oblivion (Windows 7, loss of data, backup not working quite as it should have) to be with you tonight. In fact this may be something of an exaggeration, but a little drama doesn't hurt...

Lunchtime found me in the Tuckers Arms in the company of Mike McAlpine and Gwyn Rosser, who had invited me to join them for a pint before adjourning chez Gwyn to watch the rugby on his new Sky HD set-up. I have to say the detail was amazing; when, two minutes in, a Springbok stuck his fingers in the eyes of a Lyons player you could SEE the tears exuding in appalling detail. Minutes later a fight erupted on the pitch, and blood pressures in Brook Cottage rose accordingly. I decided that it was lunchtime and repaired home before either of the others caused me further injury in their very physical expressions of support for the Reds.

Later this afternoon we held a very much more sedate and seemly cream tea under the apple tree in Michael and Sue's garden. It was by way of a 'welcome home' to him after his stay in the Wonford, and I imagine he was as pleased to be back as we were to see him!

While I was out at lunchtime Chris had been catching up on medical news on the various cancer research and related sites, and had unearthed a potential treatment that I'm trying hard not to get excited about. It's not a cure, but rather a palliative treatment for bone tumours which is aimed at substantially reducing pain and increasing mobility levels. Basically, it involves injecting some kind of epoxy resin into the affected bones. This is allowed to harden, and then provides structural support instead of the current metal pin, which I think has become loose due to tumour activity around the fixing points. I won't bore you further by posting the relevant paper, but using a 'standard' pain scale of 1-10, it seems to bring a score of 8-9 (typical deep bone pain) down to 1 or 2; now that would be worth having! I'm looking forward to raising this with the consultant on Tuesday.

Famous last words!

2009-06-26T22:10:00.002+01:00

Yesterday is the last time I post smugly about the need to switch off routers to protect equipment against the weather. I did of course follow my own advice, but that didn't stop my PC from refusing to play this morning. I've spent most of the day recovering my data from a disk that seems to have failed spontaneously, and the process still isn't finished:-( I may get round to reading my emails before bedtime, but it's doubtful.

On the other hand, I did have a very enjoyable and fruitful hypnotherapy session this afternoon. I'm learning a technique called 'glove anaesthesia', which involves deadening the hand through concentrated effort, and then transferring the feeling to other parts of the body which are less comfortable. Today is the first time I managed to overcome the soreness in my leg using this method, so now it's a question of practising so I can do it to order, and in a wakeful state.

I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, if you come across me in the village, watching my right hand sink slowly in the air, eyes closed and head drooping, you'll know that I'm still practising...

Have you heard the weather forecast?

2009-06-25T21:51:00.003+01:00

I hope you haven't already gone to bed this evening? If so, you will of course have turned off and unplugged your routers, modems etc. Every time we get thunderstorms here I have to replace at least two or three of these through lightning strikes;-)

Not much to report today; the house is now fitted with ramps to enable me to get around in the wheelchair - from the garden room to the dishwasher, as Chris has smugly pointed out!

Dave's PC is now back with him and working, so the next issue of the Parish Mag is now safe, I'm sure you are all relieved to hear. And now I must go - things to unplug...

A mixed day

2009-06-24T20:49:00.003+01:00

The day started really well, with me making it to Communion at 0930 - I think it's OK to be proud of that?! The main reason, apart from wanting to go, is that I had a leg x-ray booked at 1030 in Axminster. The rebuilt department there has only been open for three weeks, and it looks very spacious and welcoming. I did manage a peek at the pictures, but the screen was not really big enough to check anything other than that they were correctly positioned and exposed. They are immediately upload to Exeter for reporting back via my GP, but Bristol will also have access to them so I expect to hear the result next Tuesday at my regular pre-chemotherapy appointment.

Pain hasn't been too much of a problem today as I've spent most of the time sitting down trying to work out why Dave W's PC won't boot. Those in the know will realise that this is the machine that is used to produce the Parish magazine, and hence is priceless. Unfortunately the software on it is also complex and expensive, and has previously proved prone to problems. It is all backed up in accordance with the way I recommended earlier this week, but even restoring from that takes a lot of time and is best avoided if possible. Fortunately, I remembered late this afternoon that I had installed some software to back up the Registry (aka Windows brain). I've never had to rely on this before, but I took a risk and tried it - and it worked! By trial and error I figured out that something unpleasant had happened on 21st June, so rolling the machine back to 20th did the trick. This little piece of (free) software will appear in future on all my PC rebuilds!

The day ended so warm and fine that I decided to cut the grass with our tractor mower. This was not a smart idea, as it definitely upset my leg. I suppose the trick is to learn to live within the bounds of what I can now do, but this does require a certain amount of trial and error.

OK, so not all of it was true...!

2009-06-23T21:54:00.003+01:00

I hope you enjoyed yesterday's piece about the information Google collects on us all. I'm afraid that the last bit about being able to see you on Skype was a wind-up - well, one must have a little fun:-). The remainder was real data from the blog.

I thought we had solved the pain problem yesterday, but it has continued to break through, so I'm having an x-ray in Axminster tomorrow just to check that it isn't broken.

Little else to report of note today, except lunch at River Cottage cafe. It's very pleasant and good value too; I did manage to smuggle home a small piece of Stinking Bishop cheese, so if you think the Lawrence pigs are out over this way, you may just be mistaken! I rang Michael Bradbury to invite him and Sue, only to find that I'd missed a text this morning say that he was in the Wonford for investigation into his back problem. As if that's not bad enough, their broadband connection is broken. He is able to send and receive texts, so those of you who know him pile in and help cheer him up please!

Big Brother IS watching you!

2009-06-22T17:40:00.003+01:00

It has been a bit of a slow news day today, so I thought I'd let you know what Big Brother (AKA Google) knows about you - the visitors to my blog. These are statistics which can be collected for any website, not just my blog.

Since the blog started on 11th June there have been:

228 visits
each person spent an average of 2 minutes 27 seconds on it
there have been 110 unique visitors
people are using five different browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Opera)
Of the 228 visits, 118 have used US English as the default language, and 100 have used UK English
Given that 210 out of 228 visits originated in the UK, this strongly suggests that several of you have your language defaults set to the wrong type of English!
Of the 20 people running Skype with webcams plugged in, at least one of you needs to put on a little more before reading the blog!

I could go into much more detail, but I suspect it would only worry you more than you are already!

PC maintenance

My email has been very silent today, so presumably all of you are very confident about your PC's future reliability. I'm relieved about this, as I can spend time in various restaurants and pubs instead!

Fathers' Day and more

2009-06-21T21:44:00.004+01:00

I got a call from my eldest son at the unusual hour of 0930 this morning - apparently he was on his way to a fund-raising event held in Bath every year. Local teams play boules in aid of a local charity and this time it is a shelter for homeless men and women in the area. I asked him what he knew about boules; he thinks he has to throw a big ball at a small ball. I'm not sure they will raise much this year!

Maintaining your PC's

Someone asked me recently if I could recommend someone else to repair their PC, because Windows had picked up a gremlin. As it happens I've been giving some thought to how your PC's can be looked after in future. I did a quick count and it seems that the number of people I help is now well over fifty - and yes, I was surprised too!

One of the general problems I face when someone's machine fails is that they often don't have backups, and taking them adds about an elapsed day to the repair time. I propose to kill two birds with one stone, and to suggest that in future if you'd like me to fix something, you will agree to buy some backup software and a hard disk which I will recommend. Then, your repaired machine can be backed up to your hard disk, and repairing it in future is a simple question of running the backup/restore program yourself. This will return it to a clean, working condition, and all you need to do is update the anti-virus. All other updates should be automatically applied. I will even provide simple instructions for the process. Not only this, but all your precious photos, music and documents will be backed up daily!

I estimate that the cost of the software is about £25, and the hard disk is about £50-60, depending on the size you choose. Given that the average cost of a Windows rebuild in one of the local repair shops will be £40-60, this seems like a good investment. Some of you already have external hard disks which can be used for the purpose.

Perhaps I can ask you all to think this over, and to contact me by email if you are interested in going down this route. I can then get this set up over the coming weeks, and hopefully prevent failures from happening.

Be aware also that if you need a PC fixed from now on, this is the arrangement I will want to use.

Trances, Flowers, festivals, and invalid buggies

2009-06-20T17:59:00.007+01:00

It's been a busy twenty-four hours since I last posted, but that reflects the improved situation so is a good thing.

I left off the hypnotherapy appointment from yesterday's post - too much excitement isn't good for you all. I had to admit that my homework had suffered last week as the pain and medication had rather got in the way - which is why I'm doing the hypnotherapy in the first place. We've agreed to concentrate the learning in the next two good weeks, in the hope that I'll be good enough to apply the skills if and when the next chemo session happens. No pressure, then...

We were planning to pop in to the Axe Valley Festival today if I felt up to it, but it was proving difficult to pin down a time when we would go. Often, when this happens, the day somehow passes and the plan never materialises. All became clearer when the doorbell rang and a delivery arrived for Father's Day, complete with chocolates (being saved for when taste buds recover) and a beautiful flower basket, ordered by youngest son and his lady whilst he was in Vienna earlier this week. What is happening to me? More moist eye moments...

We were then free to visit the Festival, which was a much drier event than last year. We passed a pleasant couple of hours, partly due to hiring an invalid buggy a la Sue Giles (but without a lid). To be honest, even the Kath Kidston shopping bag in the front basket could do nothing to futher undermine my image, so complete was the transformation. Still, I could get around in relative ease and comfort, and receive not a few comments suggesting that I was the lucky one! If they only knew... Alas, despite taking the camera we forgot to take a picture, so you'll just have to use your imaginations, or ask Owain and Alison, whom we encountered near the beer tent.

Day eight - survived!

2009-06-19T18:49:00.004+01:00

Well, here I am back from the brink of self-destruction (aka rebuilding Windows). It went reasonably well, but then I have done it a few times:-).

I also feel quite a lot better myself, as the chemo side-effects start to reduce. In summary, yesterday lunchtime was a real pain low-point - you know, the unmanly moist eyes stuff - but from then on the swelling started to diffuse, and so the discomfort eased. We managed to go out into the garden in the evening, during which I managed to dispense some horticultural advice; "is that a weed, there, darling?"; "why are you throwing that flower pot in my direction, beloved?". You get the idea. Anyway, as proof of my presence there I took a picture of the rose arch from the compost bin side - hence the arch!

Unfortunately I didn't take a photo of us moving the two tons of logs which arrived this afternoon, so you'll just have to take my word for it that Chris is stronger than she looks!

In times of stress...!

2009-06-18T12:10:00.003+01:00

Hi everyone,

Yesterday and today have proved to be pretty much on forecast - tired and very sore. So, I'm going to do what all geeks do at times of severe pressure - rebuild my PC - more specifically, re-install Windows. However bad one feels, doing this is the quickest way to remind one that there are worse things around than one has already! In two days or so, when I re-emerge with a quicker, cleaner laptop than I started with, my new bete-noire will be $icrosoft. In the meantime, you really don't want to hear reports of events chez Honeysuckle.

For those of you (none) who really want to know, I've already junked Vista and have been using its early release replacement, currently designated Windows 7. It is quicker, cleaner, and easier to use despite not being due for release until October. I don't recommend that you all do the same however, because I don't want to spend all day and night supporting you all in the process!

On the subject of online shopping, which I wrote about recently, I should point out that by going to the Waitrose site via http://www.hotukdeals.co.uk/ you save £5 off your first shop, £10 off the second, and £15 of the third. This will of course not interest those of my friends who only shop at Harrods (Mrs B!)

More of the same...

2009-06-16T17:47:00.003+01:00

...unfortunately not fast cars though. This day last cycle was a bad pain day, and it's the same this time. Still, at least I'm learning to keep my feet up and sleep through it.

We have had one small achievement today - thanks to Richard and Vanessa (again) I checked the Waitrose website and found that they have indeed started home deliveries in our area; the amazing thing is that I looked over the weekend and our post code was 'out of area'. Well, it's not exactly the done thing to have Tesco deliver so close to River Cottage, is it? Furthermore, I understand that Sainsbury are also opening a store in Chard, so soon we will be spilt for choice for home shopping.

If things carry on as they have been for the last couple of days I'll leave posting until there's something brighter to report - so here's hoping I'll be back soon.

Now how about this for a set of wheels?

2009-06-15T21:20:00.005+01:00

I'll confine the medical update today to a couple of lines: more tiredness, and more bone pain, but both were as forecast. Oh, and no sense of taste - but then most of you knew that anyway!

Instead, I'll tell you about my ride in Richard and Vanessa's Ferrari F430 - now there's a way to get around! I had already decided that a wheelchair isn't my thing; had dismissed the usual invalid buggy (well, there are so many around already!); rejected a motor-bike, even though our trendy young vicar is set on bringing them into vogue amongst the Five Alive squad. I spent around a year in hospital following my last encounter with one of these; and settled on a quad bike as being the correct blend of speed, style and cool. But wait, doesn't every farmer around here have at least two? Even Jags are represented twice.

But then I remembered the Sharland's kind invitation to look at AND ride in their beloved new machine, so off I toddled in our grubby Golf to see it. The questions came thick and fast:

Could I get into it - yes!
Could we go for a ride in it - yes! Lyme Regis never seemed as close as it did today.
Could I get my drugs basket into it - no!
Would theNHS consider supplying it with a much smaller engine, down-rated suspension, and glove box? Probably not.

Ah well, it remains a superbly engineered piece of kit, and I have to admit that Richard and Vanessa suit it much better than I do. Still, my heart-felt thanks to them both for a very bright spot in an otherwise slightly wet and woozy afternoon.

And no, I did forget my camera. so I can't even prove I'm not hallucinating. Still, here's a pic of one quite similar!

Round 2, day 4

2009-06-14T22:41:00.003+01:00

You know you are becoming institutionalised when you start adopting the language of the institution in question - hence the title! Anyway, it has pretty much lived up to its forecast. Apart from church this morning I've slept most of the day, but during that time I've managed to lose my sense of taste; yes, I did once have one. Now everything I eat tastes metallic, or odd. I know this passes in a few days, but it's a nuisance while it lasts!

On a couple of occasions I have wondered whether yesterday's injection has caused the pain associated with 'tumour flare' again. I'm hoping not, as this was really unpleasant last time. I'm off to bed now, and hope this this passes overnight.

Goodnight all!

Chemotherapy round 2, day 3

2009-06-13T19:21:00.006+01:00

Today consisted of a single injection of something designed to keep up my white blood cell count (and hence infection resistance). It has numerous side-effects, one of which is sleepiness - guess what I've been doing most of the day? The second, which I'm keeping a close eye on, is bone pain. I rather suspect that this might be the cuplrit that has put me into a wheelchair, rather than the chemotherapy itself. However one can't be sure as they are administered so close together. The waiting game now begins in earnest; the consultant will decide in three weeks whether or not this regime is working. I do hope so because there are few alternatives.

The sleepiness I referred to above may last a day or two, so I'm not sure there will be much to post about for a couple of days - however please don't give up checking on me!

On another note altogether, I don't know how many of you have seen the video of the motor-cycle cortege accompanying Simon Batten's hearse to his funeral. I've corresponded with Bren so I know she won't mind me pointing this out to you. It's an amazing show of support by his fellow bikers, who came from around the world. See the relevant story under http://www.midweekherald.co.uk/midweekherald/flatfiles/video/videos.aspx

Round 2, day 2, and hypnotherapy

2009-06-12T17:47:00.008+01:00

Chemotherapy

Today took less than two hours, but the drug involved is the most scary of the three so the nurse watch me like a hawk - how is a man meant to concentrate on anything with that level of attention aimed in his direction?!

Side effects thus far are limited to tiredness and mild nausea, but it's a day or two early for the stronger reactions to manifest themselves. I promise to spare you the details if and when this happens!

Hypnotherapy

Today was my third session, and I had already briefed the therapist that I wanted to bring forward the work on pain control. I found it really interesting. Basically, the approach can be summarised as follows:

Change the label! Pain is after all, just one of a number of sensations. We are programmed to think of pain as 'hurt', so stop calling it that. I have a sensation in my leg? Well, you must admit it is a neutral term!
Using another part of the body (in my case the back of the hand) envisage it getting heavy and numb.
Place the hand on the painful part (leg) and envisage the sensations in the hand being transferred to the leg.

I don't recall all of the theory behind this approach, so won't risk mis-describing it now. However I will read up on it over the weekend and possibly post more on this topic. I'll also let you know how I get on in practice.

The therapist is dropping off a book over the weekend on the subject of how one's state of mind affects the healing process. This covers the second and possibly more important goal I have with this therapy. I know from past experience that attitude can be a powerful shaper of outcomes. I an not saying I can 'think' myself well, but I do believe that I can improve the situation by being realistically positive.

Day 1 of chemo round 2

2009-06-11T19:43:00.004+01:00

Today was the long day - about eight hours of infusions. A lot of this is saline solution to ensure that the two drugs involved are flushed out of the system before they cause damage to the kidneys. Apparently mine co-operated well, judging by the measured amount I collected throughout the day.

As of this evening, the side-effects are minimal - just a tendency to fall asleep in the middle of a sentence! They usually start in earnest around day three, so hopefully I'll make it to church on Sunday morning, and then sleep for the rest of the day (if round 1 was anything to go by).

I now have another five drugs to take in addition to the eight I'm already taking for pain control et al. You won't be surprised to hear that this involves a second page on my spreadsheet!

I'm afraid I haven't got much to report about the rest of the day - it has largely been dedicated to researching a couple of technical issues that interest me - but almost certainly won't excite you all in the slightest. However, if anyone does want to know about running Ubuntu under Windows 7, or mapping wireless network adapters to a virtual machine under XP, just drop me an email...

Obtaining sympathy under false pretences?

2009-06-10T10:38:00.003+01:00

Good morning campers!

After all the build-up of yesterday, I'm not now starting chemo until tomorrow. They forgot to include the main anti-sickness drug in the prescription, and won't start without it (neither will I, come to that). Still, your best wishes aren't wasted, as I'll just save them for tomorrow.

Instead I'll tell you about a mobility aid which every home should have - a shower seat! What unimaginable luxury it is to sit directly under the water, with no fear of slipping on the dreaded soap. The only downside is that it takes longer to shower because it's hard to tear oneself away from such a warm and comfortable spot! It occurred to me that you don't need crutches or a wheelchair to justify the use of such an item - merely a hedonist streak. Go on - spoil yourselves!

A day out in Bristol

2009-06-09T19:48:00.003+01:00

Well, more a lunch with our eldest son (really nice, as we haven't seen him for a while), followed by a hospital appointment (nothing like as much fun).

On an irrelevant personal note, the place where we ate is now Brown's, at the top of Park Street. I lived in Bristol during my twenties, and for a short while had a temporary job at the University while I waited for my immigration visa to come through from Australia house; I never went, but that's another story involving a Swiss au pair... However, I digress. Back then Brown's was a much less salubrious (and expensive) University Refectory. Many a cheap meal was eaten there without me ever suspecting that I'd be frequenting it thirty years later in the company of wife and grown-up son!

The main purpose of the hospital appointment was to check my blood count and readiness for the next round of chemotherapy, which starts tomorrow. Since I haven't heard to the contrary I think it will be going ahead as planned. We did learn that it should be possible to tell after this round whether or not it is working, and therefore whether it is worth continuing. That is quite sobering, as the next step would probably be to try to get me onto a clinical trial of something which has a very mixed press at present. Good results are reported on some people, although the side-effects (not specified today) can be considerable. All told, a collective prayer, or positive thought, would be most welcome at this point.

I don't know if I'll be posting for a couple of days as there may not be much to report - being attached to a drip is not the stuff of which great blogs are made; however, one never knows.

TTFN.

George

Have you seen 'An Inconvenient Truth'?

2009-06-08T22:40:00.006+01:00

This is a TV program which I recorded not long ago featuring Al Gore talking about global warming. Quite frankly it is both riveting and truly scary. I've spent a couple of days working out how to get a copy off my Freesat box onto my PC so that I can burn a DVD. Having finally achieved this, if anyone would like a copy please drop me an email. I thoroughly recommend both the content and the presentation.

It's off to Bristol for us tomorrow for blood tests and a meeting with the consultant before chemo on Wednesday. It's not my favourite past-time as I never know what news to expect. Still, it has to be done.

TTFN

PS If anyone reading has lost an Enya CD which was in a PC I fixed recently could you please let me know - anonymity guaranteed!

Two very useful websites for saving money

2009-06-07T20:18:00.007+01:00

I thought that today I'd give you all a break from medical news, and tell you instead about two websites that I use regularly to save money whilst shopping online. If you are lucky you can combine them and save even more!

The first is HotUKDeals, at http://www.hotukdeals.com/. This site has two main features. Members of the site post deals that they have come across for a wide range of goods, so if you are looking for almost anything it's worth checking this site first, as all the research leg-work has already been done for you. However, deals which feature on this site do tend to run out quickly, so you need to be prompt! The second aspect of this site is that it lists voucher codes for a range of suppliers. To give a simple example, I was due for an eye-test last week so I looked on HotUKDeals and found a half price discount code at Dolland & Aitchison. I printed it out and took it in and saved £13.50 just for taking the time to visit this site.

The second site worth book-marking is Quidco, at http://www.quidco.com/. Quidco is a really clever idea which makes use of the fact that every time you use Google or another search engine to find something which you subsequently buy, that site is paid commission (called referrer commission). It is basically one of the main mechanisms that search sites use to fund themselves. The neat thing about Quidco is that it acts as a member's co-operative and the commission earned is paid to you, less a small annual fee (about £5), which is deducted from your earnings to cover costs. I was staggered to find that last year I saved over £380 from using Quidco. That's quite a lot for a small amount of effort, I think you'll agree?!

Musical Vicars, Relaxation, and Fish and Chips

2009-06-05T22:06:00.004+01:00

Sorry not to have written anything for a couple of days - I offered to rebuild Windows on a local vicar's PC. I've never met anyone with over 70 days' continuous music! I've no idea how much it's worth but I'm not about to lose this collection, so it has been carefully backed up. Anyway, the job was almost done by this evening so we ventured out to Lyme Regis for fish & chips a la wheelchair. There's a lot to be said for a soft seat and a cushion rather than sitting on the new concrete front!

I did take some time out this morning for my second hypnotherapy session. The focus of this one was a self-hypnosis technique. I have to practice this two or three times a day for the coming week. Next week we will be practising a pain control method - that can't come soon enough for me!

We had confirmation today that round 2 of chemotherapy will take place Wednesday, Thursday and Friday next week. If things follow the same pattern as last time, 'side-effect week' will start the following Sunday, and 'avoid infections week' will follow the week after. Ho hum.

I have wheels!

2009-06-03T21:31:00.005+01:00

As you can see, the temporary chair arrived as planned today. Being able to sit with my leg up is a considerable relief, as the pain usually occurs when I'm standing or walking.

We've had to reduce the amount of furniture on the ground floor, as I need quite a turning circle - hopefully I'll improve with practice.

Over the last day or so I've been playing with web albums - a way of uploading photographs to the web. Invitations can be sent to friends and family , who can view them when and as often as they choose.

The tool I've chosen to use is Picasa, as it has all the facilities needed to take the pictures from the camera, upload them an album, add a caption, and reduce the photos to web size without any technical knowledge on the part of the user. I can have multiple albums covering, for example, holidays, family, the garden, and so on.

If this isn't enough, each picture can be 'geo-tagged'. This is just a fancy name for noting where it was taken. However, the feature which I could hardly believe exists in free software is the facial recognition. Ask Picasa to scan the album for faces, and it picks out all photos of each person in turn, and asks you to name them. Where a photo contains multiple faces, these are also picked out as a separate group. Once the photos are named, hovering the mouse over a face displays the person's name!

I'm sure that this is a facility which many people will find useful. Friends who would like a demonstration are welcome to give me a call. I would love to let you all see the album I've created as a test, but at present I haven't worked out how to do anything other than send single invitations! I rather think you'll be hearing more about this topic in future posts.

If it ain't broke...

2009-06-02T12:08:00.005+01:00

Audrey C asked me if I'd have a look at her printer. Expecting this to be a simple job - probably cleaning the print heads - I popped down late on Monday afternoon. As I sat down I noticed a surge protector on the desk, unopened in its packaging. It's the type that also protects the phone line, and she has a good quality wireless router, so it needing fitting sooner rather than later. Would she like it done while I was there? It should only take five minutes. Yes please.

As is the case for most folk, the wiring under the desk was doing a fair impression of spaghetti, so it took about half an hour to trace where the router was plugged in. At this point an alarm sounded in the house, and a disembodied voice said "Are you OK, Mrs C"? Weird, but nothing to do with me. This happened twice more, and I had visions of ambulances screaming sirens as they kicked up the gravel on the drive. Perhaps it did have something to do with the fact that I had my hand of the phone socket each time the voice said "Are you ok"? It seemed increasingly likely.

Unfortunately the socket for the phone alarm is behind a big bookcase. Undaunted, we moved the books, but all appeared in order at that end.

Back in the study, closer inspection of the suspect socket showed that that one wire was loose. Waggling it set the alarm off! As I said, if it ain't broke...

By now my timetable was completely wrecked, but at least I only had to fix the printer. Cleaning the heads did nothing, but it was asking for a change of cartridge, which Mrs C had helpfully provided. Read instructions (yes, really). Remove tab at top and tape from underside. Tab removed. Turn over to remove tape, and wonder why hands feel wet. Turn back to reveal pools of ink in several colours. Recover just in time to prevent drops wrecking carpet...

Condemned printer and offered to obtain another one. Now all I need is someone to pop down and fit it for me. Anyone fancy the job?!