6 months (plus) on

Well, i've had a week without nausea, despite snacking (for England) on all sorts of rubbish.

Have i learned anything?

Maybe the upper part of my small intestine is now working more like a stomach, or i've just beaten it into submission.

7 months+ on from surgery and my eyes are starting to twinkle again, i'm walking straighter and i weight about 75kg - which is enough... or else i'll start snoring again.

The mind is a different matter. Its quite hard to keep on top of my emotions at times. Work is particularly stressful. Not because of any pressure placed on me. Its just that i'm starting work again in a completely different place, mentally, to where i left off, all those many months ago. I'm a different person to the Pete of May 2009.
Is it a process of finding my way back to where i was or of finding out who the new me is? This question could be applied to many aspects of my life.

Heavy stuff.

GSCE maths - age 4?

Shrugging off the question "in Japanese, what title is used as a mark of respect, as a suffix to the given name or surname?"...

He went straight onto the bonus challenge "count to 10 in German".

This boy is truelly amazing (and 100% free of pushy parenting).

The Big Freeze..

Antarctica or the White Cliffs of Dover?

After driving 2700km in 10 days, half of it through snow and subzero temperatures, we were amused to see the wall-to-wall news coverage of Britain's arctic experiences, on the ferry crossing back to Dover.

Honestly. A few inches of snow falls and the government crisis group "Cobra" has a crisis meeting to decide what to do in this time of crisis. Admittedly we do get less snow than our continental counterparts, but to a large extent, the way we deal with it reflects the litigation-mad society we've become.

No-one clears the snow and ice from the pavements anymore in the UK, because if you tried to clear it away and then someone slipped over and hurt themselves, you'd be liable...
In Germany, the exact opposite is the case. Residents are obliged to keep the pavements clear of snow and ice in front of their houses. Otherwise, they are liable for any injuries. The result? Clear pathways, no injuries, the old and disabled are not stuck at home.

Schools close in the UK during snowy weather, because if a child or parent slips and injures themselves coming to school, they could successfully sue..

I won't go on with the "in Germany this and in Germany that" thing, but it is fascinating to see how differently 2 countries deal with the same conditions.

So we're back in the saddle again. Claudia started work today, i'm on 4 mornings a week and the boys had to go to nursery again. Poor little Louis' face was heart-breaking to behold, as he recognised the room he shares with the other "ladybirds". I think i'll pick him up early.

New Year - new anything?

I've done it so many times before.. promised myself that THIS year will be different. I will learn a new skill, become a better husband, read more bible etc
But this new year will be significant for me, in view of something i wish NOT to happen, but which is something i can do nothing about.
I don't want cancer to be a part of my 2010.
Its all happened so quickly. This time last year i had no idea i'd be diagnosed with oesophageal cancer.
Now its theoretically all over, bar the all-clear, inevitably the doubts linger. Is it really all over? did they really catch every cell? might it come back?
I'd like to think that the millions of cancer patients in my shoes, think the same way. Its seems so terribly cowardly.
Its just that New Year offers a unique opportunity to ponder on the next complete calendar year of your life, and what you hope might/not happen in it. Based on 2009's revelations, i think i'll be opting for the sober hope for 2010, that nothing too dramatic occurs.
Ask me how i feel in February. I hope i'll have a braver resolution ready by then!

Party Party Party

In bed by 10.45pm, woken at 12 by WWIII outside.
Half the neighbourhood, spends their Christmas bonus on fireworks for New Year or so it seems. Miraculously the boys slept through, while we grumbled our way into the next decade..

A salutary reminder

When you're at home, in your own environment, you develop a pattern over time. A daily rhythm - you know your limits, what works, what you can and can't eat, how much sleep you need etc.
Now that we're away from home, i've become disorientated from my straight and narrow path and i'm now learning how quickly all this steady progress can go to pot.

I'm lying in bed, feeling as sick as a pig.

Good food, great company and a familiar place (Claudia's sister in Bielefeld, Germany) is a potentially dangerous mix. Fine if you're particularly disciplined.
If you're like me, you get lost in the moment.
Conversation, croissants, coffee, cheese, nutella, salami, orange juice - NB this is a continental breakfast!
I'm forgetting things that have been carefully learnt - subtle mealtime choices that make the difference between a good day and a nauseous one.
I have to remember (and i'm reluctant to) that i'm not 'normal' anymore, in the eating-department. I cant just forget or i face the consequences.

Christmas

If you're still not getting into the spirit by now, its getting a bit late.

So if you're having trouble, this might even possibly sort you out...

Rejesus Website Karaoke Carols

Its so good, it makes the King's College carols service sound like dragging fingernails down a blackboard.

5 months on

Claudia and i were re-living some of the immediate post-op moments last night, over pizza in our fab newly opened local.
While she has a fantastic memory for the details of what happened in the day or 2 after the operation, i have only vague recollections.
Maybe its my subconscious suppressing that nightmare time. Maybe it was morphine saturation.

Well, 5 months on and the Beau's Lines - nail furrows - caused by the trauma of the operation have grown out. Look at this google link to see examples. Mmmmm!

As far as eating is concerned, my 6 mini-meals-a-day schedule has become a bit blurred. I now mostly fit in with the 3 main mealtimes at home with a fair amount of grazing in-between.

I always hoped that Christmas time would be a recovery threshold and it looks like it will be. Happy days!

Getting into the spirit - part3

The internet is amazing isn't it?
Slowly but surely over the last decade, it has snaked its way into our lives, to become an indispensible means of communicating, information gathering and gemming up on other people's mind-boggling trivia (like mine for example!).

Things like: did you know that its only 8 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem? - if you live in Pennsylvania (US), that is.
This was the first option Google Maps threw out when i wanted to know how far Mary and Joseph had to travel.

The recommended journey through (today's) Israel avoids the West Bank, is about 100 miles and will take 1hr 50min in a car.

Poor donkey.

follow the link below to see some academy award deserving nativity musical talent, in honour of our much-forgotten 4 legged friend

Little Donkey

aaaaah

Getting into the spirit - Part 2

Following my Advent rant, click on the link below to see:

A Nativity Play in the wrong hands

Banned after Ofcom received nearly 800 complaints, this commercial was deemed to be in breach of Advertising Standards Code Rule 6.1 (Offence)...

The Nativity Story... offensive material... hmmm.

I love it!