Fronting up

I can't imagine how hard it must be to drag yourself out of bed one morning every fortnight and front up to the hospital to sit all day having chemicals infused into you that will make you feel wretchedly sick and utterly fatigued deep in your bones. Then you go home with a little bottle of the same stuff hooked up via a tube into a vein in your chest, which dispenses itself slowly into your system over the next 48 hours. Over the next few days you get all kinds of deeply unpleasant physical responses as your body reels from the onslaught. But you do it because you hope this will eventually be a pathway to life. This is what kills the thing that could have killed you. This is how you tackle cancer. What courage.

Mae does it doggedly and without complaint, every fortnight.

She has just completed her fifth cycle of chemotherapy. Nearly half way through. I make it my business to just be with her for those chemo days. Actually it's nice to be spending large chunks of time with her. I generally travel to Canberra on the Sunday, spend Monday with her in the chemo suite then try to take care of her and Nick over the next few days. When she's starting to come back to life, by the Friday or Saturday, I head home. In the "off-week" Mae is determined to make the most of her time. She lives as fully as she can, despite exhaustion and post-chemo symptoms. Last week, she and Nick went to Melbourne and spent time with Lian and Wim.  It was their half brother Christopher's birthday, so their Dad got to have dinner with all four of his children in the one place at the one time. A bit of reconciliation has happened in the aftermath of Mae's diagnosis. One good thing at least. 

Mae generally tries to stay in bed and rest or sleep late on mornings following chemo. So that is when I slip out and do other things. Such as visiting friends such as Anna (below) and her inspiring garden, including this home made pizza oven. Yes, we'll sign up for one of those in Diamond Beach. Also, thanks for the preserves, Anna. Delectable.

Also visited Sally to check on progress with her renovation. Its looking good! Love the story of how the bespoke Japanese bath will be lifted into place, following the removal of  a) one large window pane in the lounge room, b) one door frame near the front door and c) one bathroom window nearly one story up. No trouble at all!

Sally is just solving problems on the run and keeps on smiling!

Thursday morning I had the pleasure of rejoining my much-missed clinical supervision group for their final session for the year. This (above) is friend and colleague Malise. Maybe I will be able to rejoin via Skype in the new year.

While with Mae and Nick I generally take care of the cooking. My new favourite supermarket is this one in the carpark under the Hyperdome. But I actually had to ask where they keep their milk, as it plainly is not on these shelves. Turns out it is in the opposite corner of the place, in a smallish fridge. Well, its an Asian run supermarket. Maybe they are lactose intolerant?

Our old house at Fadden is up for sale again. Nick had never seen where Mae was brought up, so we all went to one of the open exhibitions.  http://www.allhomes.com.au/ah/act/sale-residential/5-decker-place-fadden-canberra/1316834935511  It looks much the same as it did when we sold it three years ago. The house and garden have been quite well cared for.  But this leaning tree near the door to the downstairs area has become even more spectacularly bent. Mae and Nick are standing on the edge of the property and the tree is actually on the reserve. One day it will fall on the house next door and then there will be Trouble. Let the record show, I disclaim having planted this tree. No idea how it got there, your honour.