Tuesday 8th March 2016: Yesterday was a fine, bright day, blue skies making the most of the snow on the moor …. but I didn’t make very good use of it; just a bit of shopping.
Today has been my first ‘Facebook-free’ day! I don’t know whether the two are really linked, but I like to think that whereas I might have spent time this morning, wondering whether to react to someting or other, and if so how, and trying not to get angry about something, but just hide it, I actually spent time sorting out some long-overdue paperwork, filled in a couple of forms, arranged to have my pre-payment gas and electricity meters changed to pay monthly, and so on.
Then this afternoon I had the latest consultation with the urologist at the hospital. I have a choice where the cancer is concerned: zap it or leave it. Treatment (I said ‘zap it’, but he went along with that!) would be radio therapy. A friend has recommended brachytherapy, and Mr. Harney was not averse to the suggestion, but said he thought it was unsuitabale for someone who has been taking tamsulosin for some years as treatment for a twitchy bladder; but he would mention that I had raised it in his letter to the oncologist, who would decide. The ‘leave it’ option would mean leave it alone for several years, but then treatment would be to control, not cure.
So that left the question of the hips – not Mr. Harney’s department – and I’m seeing the ‘Hippy Man’ next week. Mr. H. was sympathetic to the notion that the cancer isn’t actually affecting me, but the hips are, however he recommends cancer treatment first, if I choose to have it at all, as complications could be worse if I had hip replacement first. Of course, I’m assuming hip replacement is ‘on the cards’, which is yet to be confirmed.
Anyway, I left the hospital reasonably cheerfully, having spent very little time there, so passing a barber’s with a parking space outside and only one customer in the chair and none waiting (I could see that from the road, ‘helped’ by slow moving traffic) I stopped and treated myself to a haircut.
This is the chair I bought recently at Oxfam: (it swivels and reclines, and is a great improvement on the camping chair I came with!)
and this is a selfie with me in it, showing haircut – the least expensive haircut I’ve had for years – so it wasn’t really a treat!:
Next time out, I might ‘treat’ Franky to a wash –
Eee – that’ll be grand!
What? Franky? You’ve found a voice, then?
Aye.
Tha’s a reet Yorkshire lad, then?
Aye, I am that, Pal.
Don’t call me ‘Pal’.
Why’s that, then?
I’m not a Yorkshireman, and I don’t like it much.
Right-o, Boss.
That’s better. ……..
Stephen's space 
Wow! This is like old times!! Good to See a vehicle chatting. As for ‘Pal’ what is the Yorkshire equivalent? ‘Luv’? ‘Me Duck’? S’pose Franky has to talk to you if he wants a chat, ‘cos Harry’s not there. Good to see you’re gradually settling in. Keep up the news. Take care. Meg x
Aaaah! Didn’t mention the hospital business. How soon does the ‘zap’ treatment start? Definitely best to have that before hip treatment. Not wise to leave it. Would physio help the hips at all? When the opportunity arises, get the hips done. Well worth it, says me who has had one done so far. (no plans for the other yet) Keep me up to date. Meg x
Hello word press!!
Hello, rmc2016, and welcome! Next time in Hollyhead, maybe you could go through the same steps on Mum’s computer as you did on your own yesterday? Then you can sign in as yourself, Meg. If you want. But thanks for the advice; I don’t have a date for the start of treatment, but I do see the ‘hippy man’ on Monday. No-one has recommended physio, though I have thought of looking for it. Perhaps it fits in better a f t e r treatment.
As for ‘pal / mate / bud(dy), I thought ‘pal’ was Yorkshire, but I can’t find evidence for that. ‘Me duck’ is surely Midlands, maybe specifically East Midlands, whereas ‘wack’ or ‘wacker’ is Scouse and ‘Marrer’ is Geordie. We do get ‘bud’ and ‘buddy’ quite a lot here, mainly from (Asian) shopkeepers.
Oh – and I lied (untintentionally) about buying the chair at Oxfam – it was BHF;sorry, Judi! But thanks for the antique Esperanto picture dictionary I was given on your behalf yesterday; a real curiousity, never seen one like it before!
More about yesterday, with pictures, later.
Teacher’s hat on!! ‘Hollyhead’ it is not! ‘HOLYHEAD’ it is!! Once a teacher, always a teacher!! Spelling is one of my ‘things’ though I know I occasionally make mistakes myself!
Well, thanks for that! (I’ll get you back next time …) So why is it pronounced ‘Holly-head’ and not ‘Holy-head’? What’s holy about it? Does it have a different name in Welsh?
I have no idea!! That is, why it is pronounced that way. Think some investigation is necessary. Holyhead is actually on Holy Island, supposedly an island in its own right!! The Welsh name for Holyhead is ‘Caergybi’.
Thank you! ‘Caer’ in place names means ‘fort or stronghold’. ‘Gybi’ means ‘holy’ , so evidently ‘Holy-fort’ has somehow become ‘Holy-head’. BTW – in case other folk think I’m talking to myself, do put an initial at the end of each comment or reply, please! – SKT