Hugs !

I attended clinic again this week and I'm pleased to say my results remain good; still no detectable paraprotein and even an improved Kappa reading. Thus, as the end of the year approaches, I'm still in remission.

During my clinic visit I needed to visit the day care unit.  Just for once the ladies who so kindly fed me during my stay on the ward (four years ago) were in their kitchen.  It was wonderful to see them again and to receive such amazing hugs.  I then went to the Trials Pharmacy to collect my medications.  I'm not content to walk through the streets of Bristol with a bag that is labelled "NHS Pharmacy".  It seems to be inviting trouble.  I therefore always repack the contents into my backpack. In so doing, I discovered a Christmas card from the pharmacy team - charming.  I never find my clinic visit a chore and this one was so enjoyable.

Christmas started for Margaret and myself with our customary attendance of Handel's Messiah.  Again, we went to the Colston Hall in Bristol.  We have learnt that, although those held in Cathedrals such as Bristol or Wells can be quite wonderful, we struggle with the cold and draughts!  This year's concert proved to be truly superb; a small but very professional orchestra, an excellent choir, and four wonderful soloists. Yes, we stood for the Alleluia Chorus (a tradition first started by King George II).
Next will be the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College Cambridge.  Over the festive season we will be visited by both our sons, their wives and our grandson; traditional and oh so enjoyable.

I was born "a little while ago" and I recall that in my childhood Christmas trees were always real.

They smelt fantastic but as they dried out they started to drop their needles.  They also became increasingly inflammable.  It is therefore extraordinary that instead of the lights we now have, trees were decorated with real lighted candles.  .


I wonder how we survived !





No quote from me this month.  Instead I wish you a very happy Christmas and a peaceful, prosperous and healthy New Year.

Stephen

Remembrance

It is becoming almost routine to report that I have visited my consultant and again my results are fine. Because of this I've been wondering whether this blog is more about my everyday life rather than my experiences of myeloma. In the new year I will probably make my posts less frequent.

Looking at my diary, I've had a very busy month.  Having previously decided to retire from private flying, I never-the-less attended the Military Civil Aviation Safety Day at RAF Halton.  It proved to be most informative though I was reminded just how cold and draughty an RAF hangar can be !  The following day (again don't forget I've retired from flying) I visited an aviation importer to look at an aircraft type - very, very interesting !

I've had two days in court this month and also attended my annual continuation training.

Perhaps most significant was my annual attendance, as a JP, of Bristol's Remembrance ceremony. This year's was somewhat different than previously.  It would normally take place around the cenotaph in Colston Avenue but the area is currently undergoing significant building works.  A new venue was thus arranged in Queen Square.  This proved to be most suitable.

Picture Bristol Post

2016 has also been the year when we remember the WW1 battle of the Somme.  Bristol hosted an extraordinary art installation comprising 19,420 figurines, each in a burial shroud, which had been laid out on College Green and signified the number that died on just the first day of the battle.  I can only describe the sight as deeply moving. 

Picture Matt Cardy/Getty

This months saying was especially easy to choose:

Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?

Terry Pratchett

Keep well, and remember, YOLO

Stephen

Travel and Honour

Firstly I attended my routine clinic yesterday and, again, my results were excellent.  I still have no detectable paraprotein and my Kappa continues to slowly reduce.  My consultant seems so confident in my situation that I was actually seen by the Myeloma Pharmacist thus saving the precious resource of consultants for those patients less fortunate than me.

I didn't need to refer to my calendar this month to know we had been busy.  Margaret spent the early part of the month attending many book-related events.  We then travelled to Cyprus for 10 glorious days.

The view is west towards Aphodite's Rock which is nearly on the horizon.  As you can see the weather was just superb. Our first day was rather too hot at 32 degrees but thereafter it calmed down to an average of 28 degrees.  The lowest temperature at breakfast was 21 degrees !

The wonderful weather also brings problems.  Cyprus has not had normal winter rainfall for two years.  We visited one of the reservoirs and its level was precariously low.  We can only hope that things will improve this winter.

We flew back to Bristol arriving in the early hours of Sunday.  Then on Monday we travelled by train up to London.  We were honoured to attend the Light Aircraft Association 70th anniversary dinner which was held in the RAF Club in Piccadilly in the presence of HRH Prince Michael of Kent.

It was wonderful to be amongst so many like-minded people (pilots !), to eat and drink from RAF crested china and glassware and to be treated to entertaining speeches in such wonderful surroundings.

We stayed overnight in a London hotel before an early start back to Bristol for my monthly appointment.  I shall relish a few days of rest before a planned visit to an air safety meeting north of London !

Collect moments - not things

Ankit Mishra

Keep well, and remember, YOLO

Stephen

A Busy and Rewarding Month

Firstly, this week I've seen my consultant and yet again my results are fine: no detectable paraprotein and improving Kappa.

Again, the title says much of the character of this month.  The month started with a trip to Bletchley Park (now our third visit).  You will recall that BP is famous for its wartime role decoding our enemys' secrets.  The following day we went to the Light Aircraft Rally at Sywell in Northamptonshire.  Sadly for the organisers, the weather was not kind.  Never-the-less I saw much of interest to me - (maybe more in the months to come?).

The highlight of the month was a tiring but very enjoyable trip to Italy.  We flew from Bristol to Pisa and took the coach into Florence, staying for three nights.  Margaret had always wanted to visit this beautiful city.  The photograph shows the Ponte Vecchio bridge.

During our time in Florence we were especially fortunate to meet up with some Italian friends who live in Florence and we first met three years ago.  They treated us to an excellent meal in a genuine Italian seafood restaurant away from the multitude of tourists. (Yes, we were tourists!)

From Florence, we traveled back to Pisa airport by coach and picked up a hire car.  In this we now drove up to the resort of Lerici.  Margaret had chosen our hotel well.  Although it was something of an effort to walk up and down to the harbour, the view from our balcony was just fantastic.

From Lerici we were able to take a ferry and view the Cinque Terra.  The trip took all day and we could see the five villages that make up this extraordinary coast.

The next day we drove first to Genoa and specifically to the Staglieno Cemetery.  This is the location of my Uncle Stephen's grave.  He was killed along with his four crew members during WW2.  You can find more details at my website www.hf694.org.uk.

The picture shows the five Commonwealth War Graves on which I planted five memorial crosses.

After Genoa we drove to the village of Polverara and I walked once again into the hills to where Uncle Stephen died.  I placed a further cross here before we drove to the village church where I placed a poppy on the memorial plaque I had presented in 2013 (70 years after the crash). Given my myeloma, I had not expected to return to Polverara.  I am incredibly fortunate.

Now it only remained to drive back to Lerici and then the following day to drive back to Pisa airport where I handed the hire car (undamaged) back.  After a night in a local hotel we flew back home.  It had been a very busy week but oh so enjoyable and rewarding.

Perhaps only Confucius could have said of travel:

Wherever you go, go with your heart

Keep well, and remember, YOLO

Stephen