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Graffiti. #10yearchallenge
10 year challenge
18 Friday Jan 2019
Posted in cancer, health & happiness, home, hope
Category Archives: hope
birthday 2019
07 Monday Jan 2019
Posted in birthdays, casa azahar, food & drink, friends, gastronomy, hope, sevilla, sherry, spam, tapas, tapas bars
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So yikes! I am 62 years old today. Like, how’d that happen? 😉 It’s a total cliché and absolute truth about time flying. And especially with all the cancer stuff, ten years ago now and hopefully completely in the past, it’s amazing I’ve made it this far. Unlike a lot of people, I’ve always loved my birthday, even though the getting older thing comes with some drawbacks (KNEES for example) it certainly beats not getting older! So I do like to do something special to celebrate still being here.
Today I met my friend (and colleague) Cinta @cintaromero75 for a fabulous seafood lunch at Cañabota. Great food and wine, and even better company. It was great catching up.
By chance Charlie & Sam, co-owners of @vinoveroleigh were arriving in Sevilla this afternoon, though too late to join us for lunch, so I met up with them afterwards for a penúltima.
I first met C & S in 2016, when mutual friends Phoebe and Ollie invited me to a rooftop dinner at their place in London. They came to Sevilla a few months later that same year, and are back for a quick getaway. After our cava I headed home, delighted to see the Christmas lights were still on! An excellent birthday.
hope 2020
03 Thursday Jan 2019
Posted in hope, life stuff, love
Back in 2009 my first ever Photohunt entry was on January 3rd. The theme that week was “hope” and I put up a photo of my battered old daybook turned to January 3rd 2010 with the words “STILL HERE!” written on it. Having just finished a second stint of chemo a few months previously this felt like a very bold – and hopeful – thing to do.
Since then I have continued the “tradition of hope” and have posted a similar photo on this date each year. So, as always, here’s hoping that I will still be here January 3rd 2020, and will see this page in my book… and smile just like I did this morning.
more no news is good news
25 Wednesday Jul 2018
After having my oncology appointment postponed a couple of times, I finally got in to see my doctor. And the news was kind of the same as the last time. The good news is that the inflamed area is a bit smaller than it was in March, so that seems hopeful. The “bad” news isn’t actually bad. But they still want to keep a watch on this, so another CT scan is scheduled for November, at which time they will probably also do another endoscopy. Meanwhile I am to get in touch if any of the scary symptoms return (abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss).
Anyhow, after leaving the hospital we stopped in at Las Teresas for a celebratory glass of cava with jamón. So until November… am really going to try to just get on with things, but it is difficult for me to just relax about all this. Still, very glad that it wasn’t actually bad news.
more suspense!
05 Thursday Jul 2018
Aaaargh. So after wasting a morning of my life at the hospital two weeks ago (but getting a cool ride in a Jaguar!) today’s oncology appointment was also postponed because the results weren’t signed in time. So now I have an appointment on July 12th… BUT… it turns out my oncologist is going to be away on holiday (!!) so I will end up seeing someone I don’t know and who doesn’t know me. I could put it off until August – and maybe I should? – but I would really like to know what’s going on. Meanwhile I have recklessly booked my summer trips thinking that if anything horrible had shown up on the last CT they would have called me in sooner. Anyhow, that’s me at the moment. Not too thrilled about things, and still quite nervous, but hoping for the best.
