Job done

 Five days treatment over and done with, and the medics are very pleased with Pirate...the concensus being that he is fitter and healthier than many a sixty year old....mind you, being medics they won't be seeing the best of those!!

He is naturally tired, but glad that is over...and for another three weeks at least the radiation will be working.

We have just had one dry day this week...plenty of washing got done and even the towels dried well...the rest of the time it has been at the least, damp!

So as you can see, the garden is looking definitely green!!

Now Pirate needs a break..but we have to play it by ear and see how he feels. Something to look forward to.

Day one

 Pirate's treatment went smoothly, although someone else's driving was a bit of a shock to his system! The volunteer driver for the first two days used to be a bus driver...and drove a little faster and closer than I would...and the sat nav took them an interesting route!

I had some Me time..and went shopping...not very inspiring! I had the instruction to buy myself a new top....but I'm not one for flowery and fussy and non natural fibres...so that idea disappeared!!

After a nap, we went to the nearest garden centre for a cuppa and cake, then a little tour in the car to one of Pirate's favourite viewpoints on the Carrick Hills, with a view of the Isle of Arran 

One day we will get a non misty view!!

An ice cream on the way home....and a pizza from the freezer.....no making a meal from scratch on my birthday!

Lovely cards and presents, some texts and emails, hundreds of messages on farcebook...

But these are the best cards...

Waiting

 A low key day, just waiting for tomorrow. It has rained most of the day and been quite dark.

I took photos just now of the garden,  back....

The swallow still on the line..

And the front..

I must get some yellow rattle growing there to dissuade the grass and give all the other plants a chance.

On the Meadow side of the front garden, there is no moss....only where it is kept as lawn...

Frustrating

 Today's harvest for breakfast topping.

Today has been low key. Pirate's treatment can't come soon enough.

I moved much of the furniture around in the living room yesterday and did some final tweaking, before trying to download and print something from ancestry...I should have reacquainted myself properly with it before doing something..ended up a dead end not knowing how to get out....so, turn off and help outside!

We had fixed a heavy plastic sheet to stop a couple of leaks in the workshop roof..this had buckled and lifted a little in the heat and wind. We put some paving slab in sections over the bits that were lifting..that will do until we can get proper help.

Teabreak!

Robin news

 You can only just see it, to the right...a small head...we don't know how many baby robins are there, but they are hatched and parents are feeding them.

We had a long hot day yesterday, getting up to the Beatson cancer hospital in Glasgow for early lunchtime..Pirate went straight in and I crawled around looking for a space in the small car parks by the department.. luckily it only took less than five minutes and they waited for me.

(When I had to do the first week of Pirate's radiotherapy transport nine years ago, it took me half an hour to find a space..and then he came out to the car having finished!)

A good positive meeting, consent signed and new CT scan done..and start Monday for 5 days. Let's hope this works.

A late lunch in the one supermarket with a decent café, on the way home, then a rest..I didn't check, but I think the temperature was high 20s C...

And after supper I planted out the leeks, which was fortunate...as this morning it has rained !

Good news.

 Harvesting has started! After all the dry weather it isn't as big as usual..but is still just as sweet!

Good news too... specialist nurse is on the ball..after talking to Pirate yesterday she got things moving....and phoned him this morning.

Preliminary interview at the Beatson tomorrow.  Then 5 days radiotherapy starting Monday. Let's hope that this has a positive shrinking affect on Charlie.

I have been asked to make Strawberry jam for a neighbour...I think I will add a few redcurrants to make sure that it sets well!

Moth! And a steady day

 Another pretty moth that got disturbed..it should look a bit darker gingery brown..it was sitting on black plastic....so you get the idea.

Today I listed more items on fleabay..and sold a vintage saddle almost straight away!

Luckily I checked before going into town so I could pack it and go! 

First stop was to take some plants to our friend who looked after our tender houseplants over winter. It was good to have a good old natter, and just her and me and no Pirate there for a change!

Then parcel posting and paying money into my savings account....all the change I get apart from £1 and £2 coins goes into a money box until there is enough to pay in...you can't just pay in any amount now. The set amounts can be weighed in seconds..so that makes sense for the bank.

Back to the garden centre on the way home. I looked at the water butts.....£60...no way!!

But a plus to balance that...they have a Waitrose deli in the garden centre...I found two boxes of eggs, three vege pizzas and a litre of milk....all nicely reduced. Then an impulse buy by the till...something that most of our friends had in NZ, a fly repellant...simply two soft plastic blades which spin and deter flies from landing. Not only does it do that well, it manages to move the air a little...just enough...to make sitting indoors a little more comfortable.

While I was out, Pirate mowed the grass where we do mow it...not all at once, he is getting sensible in his old age!!  I was glad that we could put most of the cut grass on the compost heap, the rest which has Mare's Tail in it went in our green waste bin which gets collected on Friday with the recycling collections.

I think with the discomfort of his symptoms, Pirate may just be inching towards choosing to have the Big Op....it is a hard choice, and only he can make it. However he is due to discuss matters again before too long..so we shall see.  He wants my birthday over...and his younger daughter's in October. I hope that leaving decisions that long won't be too long.

If they do scan him again to see how Charlie the Tumour is growing...that will give him an idea of what and when....

Life goes on....

our garden assistants...I think that they are outnumbered!

The kumera was being disturbed by cats using the bed as a litter tray...the fence will do for now!

There will be supports for the squash to climb....

Pirate decided to relieve the broad beans of their slug attackers!

 The garden is thankful for the rain...and the waterbutts are full! We are heading for Ayr tomorrow so I might pick up a couple more...and some guttering!

I looked at the " gallery " and it is getting full of bike bits portraits!   

Mainly seatposts and saddles at the moment...but still a lot of work cleaning and researching. The second one is probably American, an early triathlon model. Unfortunately no company name or logo.

Yesterday evening we returned to the Glasgow Velodrome, for a mainly Masters session..with the national championships nearing, riders are honing techniques and trying best kit to ensure all will go well.

Pirate did two two lap efforts, enough to get him feeling good...and he wore the shirt that his Australian coach, Harry Shaw won twenty two years ago in the world championships, then gave to Pirate as a present.  (Harry lives near Noosa above Brisbane and is ten years older)

It was good to see clubmates and friends..the two in the photo drive four hours to do this three hour session...then four hours home to near Elgin and Forres!!

Back to cleaning today...Pirate did the living room and I did my study! 

Bike bits were taking over the living room...not a good look! Now we can relax a bit better with a tidy room...and not worry about what visitors will think!!

Life progressing

 The orchids are flowering in our front meadow... excuse the washed out colours..I couldn't tweak the photos to show them properly.

Yesterday I helped persuade a swallow who nests in next door but one's garage that being in next door's living room was not a good idea!

Today after yesterday afternoon's welcome rain it is a little cooler and overcast, and the fledglings are on the phone lines. The weather should mean that the insects are lower down making it easier foraging for the parent birds.

Pirate's gardening progresses!

His sweet peas will hopefully grow over the fruit cage netting... and his tatties are growing nicely...all except one, but that isn't bad going.

A quiet day so far, which I am glad of.  Pirate is up a few times every night, which doesn't do my sleeping pattern much good either..but he is getting a handle on things with the right meds.  He is having a siesta now...and I am having a quiet sit and read and blog....

When the kids were young and had a nap the temptation was to get busy and wear yourself out doing things you couldn't when they were awake....now, mostly, I am resisting doing that!! 

I think I will go and quietly do a bit more tidying in my study....creating a useable Me space... especially as Pirate is doing more in our garden, that is now a shared space....

He needs another focus from what is ahead. So gardening is good.

River Ayr walk

As shopping was done at lunchtime, I decided on adding rolls salad and cheese to the list....then four miles out of Ayr to Auchencruive (properly spelt Auchencraobh) the site old the old Agricultural college..like so many, closed and sold off. The name means Tree field..and it's exactly that. 

We parked by the unused gate and picnicked before our short wander up the River Ayr Way.

This has the look of a Rimu? There are many imported trees from the original owners of the estate over 200 years ago

It is so dry....not water running down the path, but a flow of dry leaves