A night away

Well the pre-operative assessment has been done. I went on Tuesday. When we got home, & the post was delivered, we duly got the letter with the appointment & directions to the outlying building. A bit late I thought. Just as well they had phoned me & I’d phoned back to try to make the appointment later & to ascertain exactly where Pointer Court was.

We decided to go on the Monday. It was a lovely afternoon & we arrived in time to go for a bit of a drive along to Cockersands, followed by a drink in the pub at Cockerham, both places we’ve never visited before. There’s a lot of Lancashire south of Lancaster we’ve not been to, or not for a very long time.

We had hoped to see the ruins of Cockersands Abbey. I remember talking about it with an enthusiastic fellow guest at a friend’s wedding down in Birmingham a goodly number of years. However, we couldn’t get there with a wheelchair. Instead we admired the flats of the sands, so different a landscape from that around here. I was very aware of the vastness of the cloud-filled skies, the horizontality of the scene before me, & of the silence & peace of this isolated spot.

The pub at Cockerham proved to be a typical village pub, with clients all knowing one another. The banter flowed, while we sat on the outside, but confident if we came again we would be included.

We stayed at theMill at Conder Green. We've often dined there & thought it would be worth a stay. That evening there was a fabulous sunset we enjoyed. We had a good meal. In the morning we relaxed over a full English breakfast, watching some ducks & swans on the canal just outside the dining room window. The drive to the hospital was effortless – just 10 minutes rather than the hour plus it would have been from home to get there for 9am.

We’ve decided if we have to have another so early appointment we’ll stay another time. It was quite a little holiday in which we could forget about cancer for a little while. We’re already feeling we’ve been home, done so much, even though the reality is we’ve not even been back three weeks yet & I’ve not had time to finish telling you of some of our adventures.

My next appointment will be next week. This time I should meet the surgeon, discuss what’s to be done & any possible side effects & post-operative treatment. I should also be given a date for the op.

Hopefully before then I’ll have chance to finish telling you about our holiday in France.