Wake up at 7am and have breakfast. Don’t go back to sleep 😴. Go back to bed but finish the Ian Rankin and start the sequel. To TheThursday MurderClub. It’s great: funny and original. Cast mainly from the original. It’s called The Man Who Died Twice. Urge you to read it.
Strength is great: I recommend this class as well. It’s just 30 minutes and we cover every part of the body. Time flies,
Speak to my psychiatrist who agrees with all of us and so I’m going to continue phasing out the cyclizine. He is pleased with me.
Have lunch, meditate and sleep.
After sleep: wake up . The panther is lying on top of the bed. I cry.
“I just want a normal life,” I say.
“,You’ll never be normal,” the panther says.
On my duvet, I see my Fluffy. He makes me happy. The panther will make me happy.
Wake up at 8.30am which is lucky as I’d assumed I was going to be doing Pilates at 10am. However, there must’ve not been enough people so I find myself doing Strength at 9am instead. It’s such a tough class, focusing on big weights: mine are four kilograms – and a set of fourteen exercises which is repeated. My teacher says that this half an hour weights class is all you need to stay fit: no slogging away for ninety minutes at the gym.
Am exhausted after the class and go back to bed with my special back cushion to continue Young Prince Philip. Am into the last bit now – the Coronation. Want to finish this book before my Jeeves books arrive on Saturday. I’m well ahead of schedule.
Have lunch, meditate 🧘♀️ and sleep. Wake up and read.
Gladioli in the living room.
Then it’s supper time and I come in for my supper and so does Fluffball. Mum gives him his pills wrapped in smoked salmon and he eats them. Good boy
Now I’m squashed at the top of my bed because when I come in, the lower half of the bed is occupied:
The panther is on the windowsill as he’s scared of Fluffball – due to the time that Fluffball launched himself, claws out, onto him.
“You’re so pathetic,” the panther sneers at me. “You haven’t been out of bed today, apart from loo breaks and mealtimes…
“I’ll do better tomorrow,” I say.
I’m just going to clean my teeth 🦷 and then sleep 🛌.
Munro Leaf’s enchanting story about a bull who would prefer to sit and smell the flowers than fight in the bullring was first published in the United States of America in 1936. The book became an instant bestseller and has never been out of print since. The story has been translated into over sixty languages and is now regarded as a classic throughout the world. Robert Lawson’s bold and witty illustrations beautifully depict the city of Ronda in Andalusia, Spain home to the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain.
This book was a childhood favourite of Mum’s as her father, my grandfather used to read it to her in – I realise now – an American edition, since the book wasn’t published here in the UK until 2017. It became a firm favourite of mine and my brother’s.
Talking about Ferdinand yesterday, we couldn’t remember what happened to our copy. Such is the magic of Amazon, it arrives today. Read it, and it’s still wonderful. A heartwarming read for people of any age, recommend buying it for children and grandchildren.
Wake up, and the panther is lying next to me with his head on my shoulder. He opens one amber eye.
“It’s too early to be awake,” he says.
“I have to be up now in time to have my breakfast for Pilates.” I say.
“There’s no point in you doing Pilates” the panther says. “You’re so fat that it disgusts me and you never get any better at it and…”
“Shut up!” I say. “I am getting better at it and anyway I love it.”
He turns his face away from me in disgust.
In the end: it’s just my teacher and me – people are so flaky in the hot weather. We do half an hour of Pilates then and I definitely feel better afterwards. Ah! The restorative power of Pilates!
We go to the cancer hospital for my blood test for this new treatment. Apparently, it will only work if my cancer has a specific mutation. So fingers crossed 🤞 that I do and can have this treatment. Thoughts and prayers welcome at this time. Won’t hear about the treatment until a few weeks have passed.
Come home, meditate 🧘♀️ and sleep. Finish Full Moon and start Service With A Smile. Order the books I’m missing from the Blandings Castle series.
We start watching Cold Comfort Farm which I love. Can only manage twenty five minutes as am so tired.
Sit with Fluffball whilst he eats his supper and now he’s under my dressing table. Just Tarot Card of the Day today and then it’s my pre-sleep-sleep.
Happy Friday everyone!
*1936. By Munro Leaf. Illustrated by Robert Lawson.
Mum wakes me up at about half past eight this morning as Liz my Macmillan nurse is visiting. It is good to see her.
Everyone else has cancelled Pilates so my lovely teacher puts on a session just for me. She knows I don’t feel well if I don’t exercise and yesterday’s Barre was cancelled too. It is really kind of her and I work hard.
It’s very hot again today – twenty nine degrees – and sit in the shade in the garden with Mum. We have lunch in the garden and then I meditate and sleep.
Wake up and have melon 🍈, a chocolate brownie and some ice cream 🍨. The coffee ice cream is now finished and I’m not sure when we will be able to purchase more: tomorrow we’re going to Whipsnade to see the animals – yay.
Fluffball just materialises in the garden whilst I’m having my supper, so we capture him and put him inside. He’s now resting under my chair. I’m going to put my fan on, do my Tarot Card of the Day and have my pre-sleep-sleep.
Happy Tuesday everyone!
*2020. By Miranda James. A Cat in the Stacks Book 12.
Wake up this morning and do Pilates. Unfortunately, am horribly and violently sick 🤮 in the middle of the class but retain my equilibrium and get back to it. It’s a tough class but enjoy it. My Zoom Barre, Pilates and Personal Training are really keeping me going at the moment.
There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to this sickness: sometimes it’s straight after eating, at other times it’s not connected to a mealtime at all. I’m taking my anti-sickness pills 💊 as prescribed but it’s exhausting.
Have lunch in the garden, meditate and sleep. When I wake up, read Blandings Castle outside in the sunshine. It’s hot: twenty five degrees. Have supper outside too. I keep banging into things and missing my footing. Despite eating a normal amount I’ve become quite weak.
Fluffball is sitting on my windowsill as I write this in bed. He is gazing out over the garden.
We go out to look for Fluffball a bit earlier and finally I meet Caleb the Samoyed puppy who is gorgeous and very fluffy.
Today I do a lot of sitting up in bed and reading. Fluffball is cleaning his face on the windowsill. He’s So Clever.
Fluffball is now under my blue chair, cleaning himself.
I’m just going to post this and then do my Tarot Card of the Day.
Happy Friday everyone!
*1927. By Dorothy L Sayers. The third Lord Peter Wimsey novel.
The big fuchsia who lives up on the terrace.Look at all the alliums in the rockery Calla Lily
Wake up this morning and continue reading Blandings Castle.
Personal Training at 10.30am and work hard and trainer is pleased with me. Sit in the garden with Mum.
We go for our drive: up to Shenley, past Sopwell and back via St Albans. We don’t see the donkeys: they must be resting in their shed.
Have lunch and then am horribly, violently sick 🤮. Manage to fall up the steps of the bathroom attempting to reach the loo. Manage this – phew 😰. Am upset as was hoping to make it back to the flat this weekend, but am not well enough to do this with all the vomiting.
Meditate and sleep 😴. Wake up and have a mango 🥭, coffee ice cream 🍨 and chocolate ice cream snack. Keep reading Blandings Castle: it’s so funny.
Mum sits with me whilst I have my bath 🛁.
Have supper: boiled romanesco cauliflower, cottage cheese, peas and mashed potato. This ought to be gentle on my tummy.
Fluffball has his supper and now he is under my dressing table, watching me. I love my precious angel so much.
Just need to do my Tarot Card of the Day and then can have my pre-sleep-sleep.
Happy Thursday everyone!
*2009. By Frances McNamara. Historical murder mystery fiction novel. C
Go for our usual drive with Mum: up to Shenley, past Sopwell and back through St Albans. We dont see the donkeys on the way back though: they must be in their house.
It’s another warm, sunny day. The garden looks beautiful:
Timeless PurpleGertrude Jekyll – a present from a dear friend to Mum.Not sure who this one is
We have lunch 🥗 and then I meditate 🧘♀️ and sleep.
Finish reading my book and start Blandings Castle. I seem to be reading the books out of sequence but that doesn’t matter: am still enjoying them A Lot.
Have supper in the garden and then go out with Mum to look for Fluffball. He is sitting in the hedge at the front and needs to be enticed out with his food bowl. He comes in for supper and is now sitting on my windowsill 🪟, looking out at the garden.
Fluffball climbs down from the windowsill and is now settled under my dressing table. He can keep a good eye on me from there.
Just need to post this and today’s Tarot Card and can then go down for my pre-sleep-sleep.
Happy Wednesday everyone!
*1935. By PG Wodehouse. Book of short stories, mainly set at Blandings.
Wake up after a long sleep at about nine o’clock this morning.
Work hard at Pilates: it’s a tough class but need it as have been feeling stressed.
Have lunch, meditate and sleep. When I wake up, I read Pigs With Wings. It’s so wonderful and funny.
Catch Fluffball in the back garden. This is not very difficulty as he’s rolling and stretching on the paving stones.
It’s a pleasant evening so have lunch in the garden. See lots of baby blue tits and our baby blackbird.
Fluffball has his supper and then comes into my bedroom. He’s now under my dressing table: keeping an eye on me from there.
Am sitting up in bed, writing this. Am sad that the tennis 🎾 and football ⚽️ are over: don’t know quite what to do with self now.
The Olympic starts soon, but I don’t feel excited it: all the athletes from all over the world, meeting to exchange coronavirus variants. Still: I’m bound to end up watching it.
It’s quiet in my bedroom as I write and the fluffy monster sleeps.
I’m just going to post this and then do my Tarot Card of the Day.
Happy Tuesday everyone!
*2017. By James Patterson. Serial killer thriller.
We are watching the tennis recorded earlier: Ash Barty vs Karolina Pliskova. I’m writing the blog whilst sitting up in front of the television – so when I go to bed with my Fluffy, I won’t have to write it then.
Wake up this morning and have my breakfast. Work hard at Pilates but am then horribly, violently sick 🤮. Really need to sort this out: I thought we had sorted it out but it seems not.
Spend some time with Fluffball in the garden: he just potters around sniffing the flowers. He doesn’t seem to feel like being away from us today.
Mum helps me with my bath 🛁.
It doesn’t rain today but it’s not hot.
I had thought that I would feel better since stopping chemo, but that doesn’t seem to have happened. So I’m not sure what to do. So I’m making sure to sit up for a while after meals as I’m supposed to.
Fluffball is in my bedroom now waiting for me so I’m going to join him.
Happy Saturday everyone!
*1996. Martina Navratilova and Liz Nickles. Murder mystery with the action set at the French Open.
After I go to bed last night I am horribly sick. This is the first time for a while, but I vomit up my supper and lunch. Fall asleep curled around my precious Fluffball.
Mum brings me my pills at nine o’clock when Fluffball goes off duty. Unfortunately, vomit 🤮 up all my pills so have a bad night of sleeping.
This morning: work hard at Barre and talk to my teacher and chums. Then speak to psychiatrist who thinks that the sickness is a one-off. Let’s hope he’s right.
Good news from my Agent who wants to go ahead with the Memoir. She wants the Editor we used to copy-edit it too, which seems a good idea. After all the struggles am having with my health, it’s great to have some Good News.
Watch Angelique Kerber beat Coco Gauff which is a good match. Now I’m back in bed with my furry nurse. He’s sitting under my dressing table and I’m sitting up in bed, using my special cushion so I can post this, then Tarot Card of the Day and then read Something Fresh for a bit. Hopefully, if I can sit up after meals for a bit, I won’t feel sick.
Mum helps me have my bath 🛁 for the first time in a few days.
Parents are watching Roger but I can’t stay up any longer. Fingers crossed that am not sick tonight.
Happy Monday everyone!
*1951. By Bernard Newman. Tennis Murder mystery novel.
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