A bientot!

Our French family are safely back in Tours – it’s been a delightful visit. The children: G a 16 year old boy – a keen chess player, hoping to study medicine, D a thirteen year old boy – noted for his one –liners (‘but you are going to be dead’ , when I asked him if he would come alone to visit when he was a big boy)- now a pianist who wants to be a cosmonaut and E, an eight year old little girl with long, soft curling hair and an angelic demeanour – perfectly capable of holding her own if she feels her brothers are invading her space.

I shall miss the sight of Papa and son playing chess, of little E writing a journal of her holiday (and in French too – joke) and the neat row of boots scrubbed by Papa after a visit to The Tropiquaria, the local Zoo with very muddy grounds. We ate out with them twice – lunch at The Blue Ball where D was given permission to play the piano, and dinner at the Bistro where we are now recognised and treated royally.

Eating out with the young can be a trial but the conduct of our French three was exemplary. What helps is the two brothers enjoy each other’s company – unlike two of their uncles- and E enjoys being one of the grown –ups and when she’s had enough just curls up on one of the sofas and has a zizzzz.

G still adores Mr Kipling’s apple pies. They all love salt and vinegar crisps – which they don’t have in France, HP sauce, tomato ketchup and Marmite and I suspect the clothes shops in Minehead and Taunton have had one of their better weeks. I still have the beautiful roses they brought and the champagne was sublime.

I had a phone call from the doctor I saw about my shoulder/neck. The x-ray showed some erosion of the cervical bones and disc but as # 1 son says you’d expect it at my age. I think she said the pain makes the muscle go into spasm – or was it the other way round? She was pleased when I told her the pain had stopped after the massage/manipulation and we agreed I should drop the anti inflammatory tabs etc but keep them to hand. The pain killers I dropped days ago. I asked her if there was anything to worry about and she said only if I get pins and needles or numbness in the arm. I intend to continue with the physio and exercises.

Tomorrow we go to Taunton for MTL’s CCT scan which should show what effect the chemo has had and then a week later we see the oncologist so – everything crossed.