Category Archives: health & happiness

going to málaga!

17 Friday Jul 2009

Posted by in health & happiness, holidays, tapas, travel, trips

≈ 11 Comments

malaga
… at least, I hope so.

I got a phone call from my friend/student Manolo yesterday saying he was going to be away on holiday all of August and he offered me the use of his apartment in Málaga. He has quite a nice place there right on the beach and near the centre of town. And so I got all excited because it really would be nice to get away for a few days and, other than train fare, this would be a “free holiday” as it won’t cost any more to stay there than here. So if I can arrange for someone to feed & water the boys I think I’m going to take Manolo up on his offer. Nog will come with me and I’ve also extended an invitation to my friend Lizzie in Bristol as there is plenty of room for three at the apartment and there are cheap direct flights Bristol-Málaga. Still waiting to hear back from her, but it would be wonderful if she could make it.

Quite looking forward to walks on the beach and dipping my toes in the Mediterranean …

do-it-yourself doctor

16 Thursday Jul 2009

Posted by in cancer, chemo, food & drink, friends, health & happiness, hospitals, tapas

≈ 10 Comments

diy doctor

Just call me Dr az.

I went to see the oncologist yesterday. Dr Ana is on holiday so I saw one of my original colon cancer oncs. As I mentioned in my summer holidays post, I’ve had very bad reactions to the last three infusions of Oxyplatin and so I decided that for the sixth and final round of chemo I’d just take the Xeloda chemo pills and forgo the infusion. When I told my friend/student/GP Agustín this the other day he went all doctory on me and said this wasn’t a decision I should make without the advice of my oncologist. So I gave that a shot and I’m not surprised at all how things went…

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forgiveness

14 Tuesday Jul 2009

Posted by in change, friends, health & happiness, life stuff

≈ 24 Comments

forgiveness

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”
~ Lewis B. Smedes

Mudhooks posted that quote on Twitter this morning and it really resonated. With my personal history of family violence and abuse as a child I am left with a lot of trust issues even after all these years, which is probably not surprising.  And so I got to thinking about how crap I am at actually forgiving people.  And then I wondered if forgiveness is always the best policy. I know that harbouring grudges does no good, but does one always have to forgive in order not to feel bitter or resentful about a past breach of trust? Does everyone actually deserve to be forgiven? Is it possible to truly forgive and forget?

What are your thoughts on forgiveness?

breathe!

07 Tuesday Jul 2009

Posted by in cancer, fitness, health & happiness, life stuff, philosophy, yoga

≈ 5 Comments

yoga_stretch
It’s a conspiracy I tell ya.

Ever since I made the decision to take time out to heal so many positive things have happened to me that I feel sure that I made the right decision. And the main recurrent theme has been remembering to breathe. First “Bob” sent me some good advice about yoga breathing and described a good one for me to practice that would help me focus on the present.  And of course we do various breathing exercises in yoga class. Then the other day I read this lovely quote…

Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

I’ve been doing that one a lot since then and it really feels good. And then today someone on Twitter linked to a blog called Zen Habits and this wonderful post called (you guessed it) Breathe. It’s as though all of a sudden the universe is intent on getting me to breathe properly. And also to work on personal growth stuff. I had a quick look at the archives on Zen Habits and think I will do quite a bit more reading there. I really like the simplicity of the posts.

food porn

06 Monday Jul 2009

Posted by in cancer, food & drink, health & happiness, photos, restaurants, sevilla, spain, tapas

≈ 15 Comments

romero prawn nests

I don’t know how many calories these babies have and I don’t care.

After doing some Saturday morning errands and a bit of grocery shopping the other day, Nog & I stopped in for a tapa at one of our favourite bars, Bodeguita Romero. Everyone there knows about the cancer so, as I hadn’t been there in a few months, a full health update was required by the bar staff and Pedro Romero, the owner. After that was taken care of we tried something new on the menu – these really fabulous prawns wrapped in crispy fried potato threads. Then Pedro gave us a free sample of another new tapa they are trying out (see below). Little brie-filled pastries, kind of like spring rolls. The one on the left has spinach and the other one leeks. Also very nice.

All of this reminded me that I have been neglecting my Sevilla Tapas site, which still needs a lot of work done on it. So that is going to be one of my projects this week. In between yoga and breathing and walking and healing…

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