For whom the bell tolls, know this it tolls for thee!

This is not mine, but it is what it feels like to me!

Went with my daughter Rachel to the Royal Marsden Hospital to get the result of my latest CT scan. I was pleased when I realised I was going to see the top lady consultant, Dr Mary O'Bryan, rather than one of her support team. I thanked her for delaying my chemo so I could attend the family holiday. She kindly let me show her pictures of the family on holiday at Center Parcs and then she got down to business. She said that the CT scans showed that the chemotherapy was not stopping the cancer from spreading and sadly there was nothing more that the Marsden could do for me. 




Wow, there is nothing quite like calling a spade a spade! 




On reflection I was not all that surprised at the scan results, as I had felt pain-wise there was a deterioration, but I did think there might have been a plan B! Dr O'Bryan made it quite clear that there wasn't a plan B that involved treatment at the Marsden and that I should look to support from the Hospice for pain control etc.  Both Rachel and I were a bit upset at this news as there didn't seem to be any room to manoeuvre and we appreciated Karen, the specialist nurse, who popped in to see us and offer her condolences.




Rachel agreed to phone round her siblings with the news but later that day I called them as just speaking to them cheers me up. The following morning I Face Timed with Dan and Holly in the States. If I call them at 09.00 it is 01.00 their time and they are usually up! Dan really cheered me up. He told me about a colleague who's wife was ill with lots of pain until she discovered the medicinal use of marijuana! Apparently it's legal in WA. I was wondering if I could get the doc to prescribe it for me, that and a Jimmy Hendrix CD. 




Then Dan said that an advantage of knowing that your death is fairly imminent is that using modern technology you could arrange to speak at your own funeral! I must say that might appeal to me. Maybe I could even sing and play the guitar? No on second thoughts knowing my ability I think that might be pushing it a bit too far!




On the positive side I am getting slightly better at managing the pain some of the time. People calling, e mailing and visiting help a lot, not only is it nice to have contact and hear their news it also distracts me from thinking about myself. When my neighbour Rick drops in we end up laughing our socks off and a few days ago an old friend Beverley came right out of the blue and brightened up my day.




I enjoyed watching the last night of the BBC Proms Saturday night and I said to Rosalind that this is probably the last time I shall be able to watch it!  A sobering thought!




Thanks for visiting the blog and reading the posts, I am amazed at how much it gets viewed all over the world. I really appreciate the kind comments and it reminds me that I have so many good friends. I truly am blessed.

When I am famous!

Desert Island Discs is a very long running programme on BBC radio 4. It was invented in 1942 by Roy Plomley. The format is simple, a famous guest is asked to select eight records they would like to have with them if they were stranded alone on a desert island. Then they are asked about their life and why they have chosen the records, excerpts of which get played. It is interesting to hear their life stories and why their particular choice of music is important to them.




So in anticipation of a call from the BBC I thought I would prepare my list of records!




1. I Get Around (Beach Boys). This appealed to me in my teens and reminds me of when I saw the Beach Boys live at Tooting Broadway. Years later when I use to drive mini buses full of teenagers to summer camps playing it over the vehicles sound system always got everyone in a holiday mood.

2. MacArthur's Park (Richard Harris). I enjoy the tune and the imaginative lyrics, most famously lost love being likened to an iced cake being left out in the rain! It is long, loud and emotive.

3. Morning Mood, Pierre Gynt (Grieg). This is used as the opening music to the film "The Vikings" and it enhances the amazing scenery of the fjords. Every time I hear the opening bars I can visualise the beauty of the fjords.

4. Rainy Days and Mondays (Carpenters). Almost any one of Karen Carpenters songs could be chosen. I have selected this one because it reminds me of when I would stand at the bus stop on a wet Monday morning and sing it (quietly) to myself. It also reminds me of her untimely death.

5. Killing Me Softly (Roberta Flak). Being a romantic I enjoy the lyrics and would play this, via headphones, whilst working at my drawing board in Gibraltar taking care not to be spotted by my boss!

6. Come, Come Ye Saints (Mormon Tabernacle Choir). This was the first LDS hymn I really got to know. I like the words "And should we die before our journey's through, Happy day! All is well! We then are free from toil and sorrow, too; With the just we shall dwell!"

7. Telegraph Road (Dire Straits). This was introduced to me by Clive Mormon, a splendid fellow who I helped to develop his career as an engineer. I have played it a lot over the last few months usually late at night when I can't sleep. The lyrics are meaningful and clear and the guitar riffs amazing.

8. Jerusalem (as sung at the last night of the BBC Promenade Concerts). I find this inspiring and always try to watch the last night of this amazing British institution.




After the music has been introduced and played the presenter advises that you are stranded on the island with copies of the Bible and the works of Shakespeare and you can select one other book. This is a no brainer for a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and so I would select "The Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ."




You are then asked as to what luxury would you like to have on the island, my choice will be no surprise as it is Salt Water fly fishing tackle! Equipped with that I would not want to be rescued! Hey ho we can but dream!

CONFESSIONS OF A FLY FISHERMAN!

Well I started this blog really as a diary to keep track of my fishing adventures, but recently domestic challenges seem to have eclipsed the fishing. However, that has not stopped folk from all around the world from viewing the posts so I feel I ought to confess why I have gone a bit quiet and why I have not been fishing.  The first distraction was my former company asking me to come out of retirement and help them design a training presentation for Facilities Managers.  I enjoyed doing this as it brought me into contact with former colleagues but it did take up twice as much time as I thought it would.  Then at the same time my youngest daughter, her husband and their two children, who had been living with us for nearly two years, moved out so as to be near dad's new job.  My wife and I spent two days at their new address making and hanging curtains etc.  So back at home we finally had the chance of making good all the wear and tear that two little fellers and five adults can produce.  To make it more challenging, my youngest son announced that he had his new girl friend arriving from Finland in a few days time and could we get the house sorted?  To give him credit he did help but his, and my wife's expectations were high and involved us redecorating the hall with new stair carpet, giving a face lift to the front garden and jet washing the drive (and the rest)!  Then we had to order a new double bed as we had now got our guest bedroom back.  The bed arrived on the same day that the Finnish girlfriend arrived and I was frantically assembling it only to find that two rather large components were missing so Finnish girlfriend ended up with the new (rather expensive) mattress on the floor!  The bed issue is likely to be the subject of a further post!

On the positive front let me tell you about two bits of technology I really enjoy.  First of all let me explain that when it comes to dealing with the latest technological gizmos I am a bit of a troglodyte (cave dweller)! However, I am a fan of satellite navigation systems and would not be without my Tom Tom especially when abroad. 

 

 

I really like my Tom Tom and was pleased that my son who works for Voicebox in the USA project managed the development of voice recognition for the Tom Tom systems in the USA and Europe.  The other bit of technology I enjoy is the BBC's iPlayer which enables you to catch up, at anytime, with BBC TV programmes you have missed over the last seven days.

 

 

It is absolutely brilliant and enabled me to watch the amazing fifty year anniversary tribute to the Dr Who TV series as part of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.  To see the look of wonder on the faces of the children as the alien figures moved about the audience was a treat.  If you have missed it on iPlayer you can view parts of it on You Tube.

 

 

Yes, the Daleks have finally taken over London!  So that's all for now but hopefully next week I will be on the chalk streams with my brother teasing a few brownies!