Spring

Spring is springing. Yesterday was the first pleasantly mild day. (It’s back to rain again today.)

 

My heart goes up as I look out away from my jigsaw to see the heathers in the front garden. And there, at the back, a few snowdrops. In between the heathers there’s some tiny daffs & some purple crocuses.

 

As for the back garden I keep seeing splashes of white – snowdrops - scattered throughout. At the foot of the small pergola, there’s some golden crocuses. In other places, particularly in the pots by the garage, the small daffs cheer us up. Even the pulmonaria is sprouting white flowers despite not producing many leaves yet.

 

Yes, the signs of spring are definitely here. A couple of weeks ago, when we last went north up to Kendal hospital, the lambs were in the fields. Since then, despite heading south to Preston & usually milder weather, we’ve seen no lambs. The Cumbrian breeds are obviously hardier than their southern relatives.

 

 

Still alive & kicking

This is just to reassure you I’m still alive & kicking.

 

The radiotherapy has been absolutely exhausting. Time at home is about doing essential chores – washing, ironing – eating & sleeping. The Fox has done most of the cooking. It wasn’t helped by our central heating boiler going on strike last weekend so much of the weekend was spent worrying about that. We finally got heat back on Monday. I can’t quite decide what is so tiring. One of the side effects of radiotherapy is supposed to be fatigue. Or is it just driving down to Preston at odd hours for appointments from 8.45am to 5.45pm?

 

I am assured at the review that I am doing exceptionally well. Certainly Lump has gone down considerably. All I’m aware of is that I seem to be oozing everywhere. The radiotherapists have to take all the dressings off before giving me treatment. Unfortunately they’ve never been given training in how to put them back on again, with the result I wake up to find all this horrible sticky gunk that has oozed out on sheets & nightwear. Sometimes I’ve had to patch myself up before I’ve even got to bed!

 

So Tuesday I will finish treatment on Lump. On Wednesday I will be looked at with the possibility of starting treatment on the tumours between my breasts next. All depends on how my skin is coping. I suspect it will be fine. There’s a certain advantage to having skin that has never burnt no matter how the strong the sun is or how long I’ve sat out in it.

 

Preparation & co-operation

I’m busy making a main course soup for dinner tonight. That way it will only need warming up when we get home after visiting both Preston (radiotherapy) & Lancaster (collection of new knee braces) hospitals. It also means we can save on car parking as the Fox can pop along to Booths for some fresh bread to accompany it & park free in their car park.

 

Today’s soup is a beef, barley & mushroom one. The beef is shin so it needs a long slow cook which it’s doing at the moment. Soon I will add the barley & cook for a further hour & a half. The caramelised onions & mushrooms I will add later, possibly just before I warm it all up.

 

There was a fair amount of beef fat from dicing up the meat. Needless to say that went out to the birds. I couldn’t help being impressed by the level of co-operation being shown. The gulls arrived almost immediately but they weren’t given a chance. First to get its beak on the fat was a lone starling while a magpie stood guard against the gulls. While the starling digested his booty, the magpie fed & the starling stood on guard to attack the gulls if they tried to bully their way in. And so they alternated until both the starling & the magpie had had their fill. Only then were the gulls allowed any scraps left.

 

I stood watching. I often feel the need to intervene to scare the gulls off - they are such big bullies - but not today. There was no need. Even I cannot deny the gulls any last bits on this sub-zero morning.