One week on.........Cycle 5, day 21

Where has the last week gone?  It's been difficult to keep track of the days with no hospital visits to measure the passing of time. Although it's been a "rest" week from chemo, Steve has still been taking anti-nausea tablets and had the odd afternoon nap to keep up his energy levels due to the cumulative impact of the chemo side effects.  I've been down with a cold and cough, so keeping my distance and blowing him kisses to avoid passing on germs (seems to have worked). All this meant that we were taking things relatively easily until the end of the week.  However, things have been rather more lively in recent days! 


Steve and I enjoyed the Private View of the Radley College Christmas Cracker event on Friday night, our mood enhanced no doubt by the sale of two pictures by the time we left.   My girlfriends arrived in Oxford on Saturday lunchtime, bringing with them blue skies and bright sun for the start of our get-together. 


It's fun being a tourist in your own city, for a change.  Over the last couple of days we have walked ourselves silly taking the long, interesting ways around the back streets and waterways to arrive at our chosen destinations.  We've been sight-seeing around the University area, the Thames, the Canal and the Botanic Gardens; toured the re-vamped Ashmolean Museum (excellent), visited Modern Art Oxford, enjoyed a bit of retail therapy, and watched the big firework display and bonfire in South Parks on Saturday night.  As usual, Oxford was buzzing with locals, students and visitors; we passed a crew filming the latest episode of Lewis at the Divinity Schools yesterday and sat next to Melvin Bragg and his sound man today at lunch today....

Meanwhile, Steve enjoyed a rugby fest on the TV on Saturday, then became an honorary woman for the rest of the weekend, joining us for a Thai meal out last night at the Chiang Mai Kitchen and at the Grand Cafe for lunch today. What a thoroughly enjoyable few days.  Thank you so much, Chris, Prue and Jenny for bringing the girls' weekend to me this year.  Much appreciated!

Photo courtesy of Chris W - thanks, Chris!

Although we let off a few fireworks on 5 November, we didn't feel in the mood to set up the big ones in the park so decided instead to save them to celebrate the end of the last cycle of treatment.  After so long, I can't quite believe that will start tomorrow....

In many ways, it's such a relief to be in the countdown to the end of treatment.  Just one more dose of Cisplatin and four more doses of Velcade to go. However, we know it's going to be hard getting through the next few weeks and then what?  Hopefully a happy Christmas and New Year once Steve's body recuperates from the attack it's been under since July, followed by a long period of continued stability, interrupted only by occasional hospital visits for regular scans to keep an eye on Leo.  

We won't know what to do with ourselves, will we boys and girls?......Oh yes, we will!