Final Chemotherapy Cycle Number Twelve

On the way out of the site at Peartree where K.F.C. was, we went into the Waitrose there as Carol wanted to get chocolates as a gift for the ontology nurses as the next chemotherapy cycle will be her last. They didn't have a particularly great selection. I know these stores in these places are small and just sort of convenience stores. Marks and Spencer have Simply Food stores at places like petrol stations, usually Shell. They're similar and sell basic items such as milk and the sort of stuff you need in an emergency, when you are on your way home and you realise you don't have milk or something for your evening meal. These service areas, on motorways and at roundabouts, as this one was at Peartree, (also right next to the park and ride carpark.) you can nip in for the odd item as you pass by on your way to the A34 or the M40.

Busy traffic on the way up the A34 and then onto the M40 until we came off on the road which goes into Buckingham. Outside Buckingham we ground to a halt. I'm not sure what caused it. I had an idea it was either a tractor or there had been an accident. Most people are decent and pleasant. They respect other road-users. As I've mentioned on several occasions I often encounter those who treat my badly, such as cut me up on roundabouts or drive too close behind. I generally drive at a safe speed. But as we were waiting in this queue of vehicles a white BMW came up close to us. He insisted in cutting in, to the right. Without so much as an 'excuse me.' Not polite. He wanted to get home presumably, to see the football match which was on that evening as part of the World Cup. He wasn't going to sit idly by and wait politely. He then over-took several cars and was then stuck behind a large H.G.V. lorry. Fortunately we lost him once we got through Buckingham and then on the open road into Milton Keynes. He kept sitting on several more vehicle's tails and as he was so close it would have been difficult to see to overtake, if he'd sat back at a distance he would have been able to see clearly what was coming in the opposite direction and so make it safe to overtake. Crazy and dangerous way to drive, not caring about other people's safety at all.

This morning (Tuesday) we had to get to the oncology department for around 9 o'clock. The carpark was virtually empty, saving some stress on the parking front. The crazy ticket machine at the barrier gave two tickets. Can't they sort these machines out? The first one was blank (don't ask me why. It defeats me, all this.) The barrier wouldn't rise, but then the machine decided to issue a second one which had print on and this time the barrier did rise.

The family of a former patient in the oncology department who died recently had requested that people at this person's funeral didn't buy wreaths or flowers but sent the money they would have spent to a fund to give to the oncology department at Milton Keynes hospital to buy a new observation machine. These machines are used by the nurses to take patients' temperatures, heart-rate, blood pressure etc etc. The person who died was shocked to find that the nurses were short of enough of these machine (not just used in the oncology department, but on all the wards. I was on a ward where the nurses used these machine to do the regular observations on not only myself but other patients during my time on this ward.) and insisted that any money after they died was spent accordingly. At lunchtime the manager of the department, nurses and doctors came into the department when a cheque for around £1600 has handed over. A fr better use for the money instead of spending it on flowers and wreaths and lining the pockets and so benefitting the staff in the oncology department and the patients.

Carol's chemotherapy was changed to a different dosage due to the fact that she is having uncomfortable feelings in her fingers. The doctor in the oncology department allowed this to be changed. At the end of her chemo on Tuesday when she has the pump set up to take home there was a delay with this pump. No doubt the pharmacy department made a mistake with it but I couldn't be sure but it delayed things by around 30 minutes at the end of the session.

Carol got to ring the hand-bell which is on the reception desk in the oncology department to denote the end of her 12 sessions of  chemotherapy. We're not certain how things will develop with her treatment but that is definitely the end that period.

Again the barrier was up when we came to leave the carpark at the end of the session in oncology. They must we loosing a lot of money with the parking ticket machines not working properly, but, let's be honest, who cares? It's still wrong to get patients and their friends and families to pay when they visit an N.H.S. hospital.

Appointment At Churchill Hospital

We had to drive to Oxford today because Carol had an appointment at the Churchill Hospital this morning (Friday.) We'd done our research because we've used the park and ride system when we've been there and we decided it was going to be far easier to park in one and then take the bus to the hospital, because there was the real possibility of not being able to park in  any of the hospital's own carparks.

When we eventually arrived at the Thornhill park-and-ride carpark we walked towards the building where the buses dropped off and picked up passengers. We had to pay using a machine and a very helpful staff member came to show us how to use the machine. It cost £2 to park the car and then Carol had to pay on the bus, but because I have a local authority free bus pass (one advantage of being 'of a certain age.') I didn't have to pay. We boarded the bus and the lady driver was so helpful and told us exactly what we needed as regards where the bus would stop at the hospital. Other passengers on the bus were really chatty and friendly. Nobody using a smartphone, which might explain the friendliness of everyone.

We got to the hospital far too early. That's us. We're almost always too early for appointments. But that's far better than being late. As a result we invariably get seen before the time we're given. Which, of course, has it's advantages. We went in the main entrance and then had to ask as reception where the appointment was to be. As we had more than enough time to spare we browsed in several of the shops, a W.H. Smith, for example, where Carol bought a magazine.

We eventually found the department where the appointment was to be. A large area with seats in with many people waiting and a reception desk where Carol registered her arrival. I went off to the toilet and when I came out Carol was being escorted to a room by a nurse. Carol said it might have been to move her away from other people who might have been infectious, which was not a good idea, as she is undergoing chemotherapy. We were left in the empty room and waited.

A nurse came in. She said something about Carol having an operation. We were somewhat stunned. In all honesty we really had no idea what the appointment was going to be about. We were led to believe that we were there to discuss Carol having radiotherapy on her liver. Apparently not. The nurse went away and after about five minutes a whole gang of nurses and a consultant came in. It was quite overwhelming, being in a fairly small room with so many people. Almost intimidating. The lead consultant discussed the operation that Carol was to have, not just on her bowel, but on her liver. These people were specialists on liver cancer and Churchill Hospital specialised not only in cancer but liver cancer and operating to have it removed.The consultant said that it would require two operations, done separately, to remove any cancer, not done at the same time as the liver operation would take around five hours. No doubt the second operation would be done in Milton Keynes, as we had been told a week or so ago. It would mean that I would need to stay in a bed and breakfast nearby so as to be with Carol when she was convalescing after the operation.

What is somewhat disturbing is that we had been told one thing, when we'd met with the Milton Keynes consultant, but now we were being given a completely different story as to how treatment was to continue. Carol would have to stop the chemotherapy a good three weeks before any operation could be done. The whole thing has left us somewhat stunned and feeling negative. Mostly, because Carol was led to believe that she would be able to return to work in September. She has a telephone appointment arranged for Tuesday morning with an occupational health adviser, to discuss her eventual return to work. The consultant's appointment on Friday and it's outcome will definitely change things.

We left the hospital, feeling somewhat negative, as you might imagine. We went to the bus stop and when one came we were taken into the centre of Oxford. We had intended making a day of it, possibly visiting the Ashmolean Museum. We went into Marks and Spencer and Carol had something to eat, but the aftermath of the earlier hospital appointment put me off eating anything. I just had a cold drink. As we'd walked quite a way, and it was a hot day, by then I was quite thirsty. On leaving Marks and Spencer, we began to walk toward the Ashmolean, but Carol wasn't in the mood and we were both tired, so we decided we just wanted to return home, so went to the park and ride bus stop near Sainsbury's and boarded the next bus back to the Thornhill carpark to return home.  Not a particularly pleasant journey, well, at least the first couple of miles, due to very heavy traffic, but once we got well clear of Oxford the traffic eased up and we got home at about 3.25.

Annoying Cold Calls

It's a sunny and bright day. Mid-morning my mobile rang. It's not usual to get a phone call on it, unless it one of those calls to tell me I can claim P.P.I. They can be very insistent and don't intend letting you go, even if you tell them you've never had a loan or whatever to have paid anything of this nature. They hang on like a proverbial terrier with a rat. I have to slam down the receiver to get rid of the caller. Anyway, on this particular occasion it's not one of those sorts of call, but it's a lady wanting to speak to Carol. It's actually Churchill Hospital in Oxford, to say they've been discussing her notes and to make an appointment with a consultant regarding her treatment and radiotherapy. It's made for Friday morning, so we've been looking at car parking and using the 'park and ride' bus service which should make getting to the hospital far easier than going directly to the hospital as the parking there is going to be difficult otherwise.

Thinking of those people who ring me expecting me to say 'yes I had P.P.I.' First of all, I'm keen to know where they got my mobile phone number. And not only that number, but also our landline number. I have registered with the Telephone Preference Service (T.P.S)  which means that we shouldn't get any of these unsolicited telephone calls. So, whey bother to register with the service if our numbers are still being rung for this sort of thing? Just a waste of time bothering with it. I don't give my mobile number out very often. Infact, very few people have it. Which makes this whole 'cold calling' thing so aggravating.

What annoys me most is that these calls come when you're settled down to do something, like watch a television programme you want to see, or you're about to start a meal or anything. The worst are those 'silent' calls, which means you pick up the phone and nobody answers and you just get . . . silence! What on earth is the point of them? Just a waste of time and effort and really crazy. What one EARTH is the point of them anyway? Has anyone got an idea??

Birthday Outing To Stratford-Upon-Avon

Saturday was my birthday and, the weather being fine, Carol thought I might appreciate a visit to Stratford-Upon-Avon. Actually, as we drove to the Shell petrol station along Grafton Street, we were greeted by a thin fog. It was dull and sunless, but that didn't prevent us having our day out. The first day of Half-Term as well as my birthday. I had found the postcode of the Stratford-Upon-Avon park-and-ride carpark and set the satnav, so it was just a matter of following the device's instructions and driving out of Milton Keynes. A wonderful invention which makes driving and particularly navigation so much easier and stress-free. There are some modern inventions which one can well do without (mobile telephones for one, although they have their place, obviously.) but a satnav is a brilliant bit of kit. Attempting to follow a large fold-out map in a car as you are moving along can be very difficult.

We drove out of Milton Keynes towards Buckingham and eventually to the M40. Our journey was fairly stress-free. Fortunately the fog began to lift as we approached Stratford. We got to the park and ride carpark and it was here we discovered that it didn't seem possible to use the ticket machines. You should have been able to use your bank debit card to either pay with chip and pin or contactless but the machine wasn't working. We ended up finding we had to use the bus without paying and the driver allowed us to pay on our return journey. I have a free bus pass and it was at this point that I discovered that it had expired, meaning I couldn't use it for a free journey. I will have to go to the Council offices in Milton Keynes to get it updated. I would have thought I would have had a letter from them informing me that it was about to expire. It not only means a trip into the centre of Milton Keynes, but that I will need to get passport photographs done to go on the card.

On arrival in the centre of Stratford-Upon-Avon we decided that we required some sort of refreshment so we went to a Caffe Nero branch in Henley Street. Carol ordered hot chocolate and I had caramel latte with a good topping of whipped cream and caramel sauce and we also had chocolate brownie and pecan pastries. For once there wasn't loud music playing, which is one thing which we both find annoying in many restaurants and cafes we visit, which means you can barely hear anyone speaking and restricts conversation. A very clean and tidy branch and the staff were friendly and helpful.

William Shakespeare's birthplace.

From Caffe Nero we walked along the street towards the Shakespeare Birthplace. I have a longstanding interest in William Shakespeare and have studied his plays at school and university, and this was one place I had always wanted to visit. We were going to visit on this occasion but were put off by the cost of entry, so didn't go inside. I realise such places need to be paid for and kept going with such payments, but it seems a shame that they are making money out of tourists which keep such centres as Stratford alive, but in another sense they are putting of others who might like to visit but wouldn't be able to afford such costs. We did go into the shop, further down the street, and bought some cards and other items. Much of the souvenirs are, frankly, very tacky and cheap, but in the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust shop there were some very worthwhile items, including books, pens, postcards etc etc.

Further along the street we discovered a shop which sold teddy bears. Carol has a love of these toys and has a wide collection at home. Several years ago I bought her a Steiff bear, which was sold as an offer in the Guardian newspaper. Outside this shop was a very large, more or less life size  bear dressed in Tudor clothes, no doubt to look like William Shakespeare. Within this shop there were all manner of bears, in all manner of clothes, large and small, some at reasonable prices but others very expensive. We have never been in such a well-stocked shop selling teddy bears!

Having left the teddy bear shop we walked towards the river. We found where the bus would leave to return us to the park and ride carpark, just outside McDonald's. We walked on and got to the Waterside, which is where the R.S.C. (Royal Shakespeare Company) has it's theatre. We visited Stratford a few years ago and it was at the time the theatre was being redeveloped and was under scaffolding. It is now open (it has been for the past few years.) and now has a tower as part of it's structure. There is also a recently-opened permanent exhibition inside which is about Shakespeare and called 'The Play's The Thing' which we ought to visit when we next come to Stratford. All part of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death in 1616.

 Canal boat at Waterside, Stratford-Upon-Avon

Along the Waterside were barges and boats and one which took passengers on a cruise along the River Avon and part-way along the canals. We thought it would make a pleasant and relaxing afternoon's experience, having spent several hours walking. We then saw a barge further along which sold food and bought ourselves baguettes which we took on board the boat, after we'd bought our tickets. So we spent around 45-50 cruising on the boat and went through the lock and into the main part of the river. It was from the boat that we got a view of the theatre you don't normally see and then, further along, the church where William Shakespeare was buried.

Falstaff statue at Shakespeare Memorial

Hamlet statue at Shakespeare memorial

When we got back to the Waterside we walked round to look at the statue of Shakespeare, which has him at the centre, but high up so you unfortunately can't see him at very close quarters. Around the four corners, but at ground level, are statues of some of his most famous characters, Sir John Falstaff, Lady Macbeth, Henry V, and Hamlet. I took photographs of each.

We then wandered back into the town centre and visited Marks and Spencer, buying lasagne and salad for our evening meal. We returned to the bus stop outside MacDonalds and waited for the bus which would take us back to the carpark and our car and drive home back to Milton Keynes.

Oxford Outing

We haven't been to Oxford for quite a while. There is more than enough there to keep us busy. A good shopping centre, several good theatres (The New Theatre and Oxford Playhouse, along with Creation Theatre which doesn't have a theatre building of its own.) The Ashmolean Museum is the oldest public museum in the world as well as the Pitt Rivers and the Natural History, all enough to give anybody who visits them hours of amusement. We left home early on a bright and not particularly sunny morning in order to make the most of our day. Carol has only two more days left of her summer break (going back to Milton Keynes Academy on Friday for a training day.) so we wanted to make the most of the day. We stopped off at Morrisons petrol station at Westcroft as they seem to have the cheapest petrol price at the moment and then drove out on Standing Way towards Buckingham. We eventually arrived at the Water Eaton park-and-ride and parked the car and then boarded the bus and rode into the centre of Oxford. This is all so much easier and stress-free when you know exactly where to park the car and arrive at the centre of a town or city knowing you don't have to hunt for a parking space or pay out something astronomical to park. Well, at least it's better for the environment to have people use a bus rather than have so many cars travelling into the centre of towns and cities. It was a very clean bus and the journey was no more than ten minutes at the most.  We got off opposite the New Theatre. Interesting to see what's on there at the moment. 'The Rocky Horror Show.' Not actually something I'd want to see. We had coffee in a Costas and then walked the short distance to the Ashmolean Museum. It opened at 10 o'clock and as we were early we had to wait outside. Pleasant enough, sitting on convenient benches. We then spent just over an hour browsing the museum. Saw an amazing Chinese screen, with lacquer-work all over it. Also went to the Victorian galleries and saw many well-known paintings by Pre-Raphaelite painters such as Burne-Jones and others. It's interesting to be able to see these works of art at such close quarters rather than in a book. A couple of quite spectacular painted pieces of furniture, one a bookcase and another a sort of wardrobe. I think you'd need a very large room to house both items. We also saw the lantern that Guy Fawkes was holding at the time he was arrested in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament as part of the Gunpowder Plot. Amazing to see such a simple item from a major  incident  from history. It just surprised me to see how basic it was and to think it was thought important enough to preserve in a museum collection.

We spent time looking in shops and at lunch time we went to Prezzo, an Italian restaurant near the Castle. We had been given a gift voucher by Kendra as a 'thank you' for when she had stayed with us earlier in the year. This was in a very pleasant spot and we sat outside under a beautiful wisteria and ordered spaghetti carbonara. It was virtually empty of customers when we arrived but as we left it was really filling up with people.

We walked back towards the main shopping streets. Carol had compiled a quite extensive list of things she needed before she returned to work on Friday. This required visiting Blackwell's book shop in Broad Street. We visited Waterstones as soon as we had arrived in Oxford. She wanted a copy of E.M. Forster's novel "A Room With A View" but the only edition they had was paperback. She wanted to get a hardback copy and Waterstones didn't have one. We walked towards Blackwells and saw hoards of people being taken on walking tours of the city. Similar sights in Cambridge the other week when we were there. Fortunately, none of those people attempting to sell punting on the river which we found somewhat aggressive in their tactics.

We spent quite some time in Blackwell's. We discovered that the shop contains what is supposed to be the largest room in a shop in the world, with several miles of shelving. Well, this is according to their website. I was also unaware that Heffer's bookshop in Cambridge is part of the same company. We visited a branch of Blackwell's when we went to Newcastle last year to help Daniel, my stepson, to move flats. A considerable amount of time was spent in this shop. We love books, so it's hardly surprising. There was a great offer on Oxford Classic paperbacks: buy one and get one free. We Bought "Emma" by Jane Austen and we got "The Secret Agent" by Joseph Conrad free. This novel has recently been adapted by BBC Television and so I was keen to read it. It was somewhat amusing when Carol asked an assistant 'Do you have "A Room With A View"?' Well, we thought it was quite amusing and I think the assistant got the joke. It turned out that they had the same paperback edition that Waterstone's had.

We walked back towards the centre of Oxford and decided that we were in need of a cup of tea and went into Debenham's, principally to use their toilets. A long queue for the 'ladies' but that's what you get when you don't provide adequate facilities. Sat and drank our tea in a rather cramped area near the escalators. It was a branch of 'Patisserie Valerie.' There is a branch in the Milton Keynes Central Shopping Centre. It's quite expensive but they have a great range of food on offer.

By the time we'd finished in Debenham's, after Carol bought some ear rings, we decided that, because we had walked so far and it was exceptionally warm, we would catch the bus back to the park-and-ride carpark and return home. 

Trip to the Swiss Garden

We haven't had a particularly good couple of weeks due to the weather. Our week in the cottage in East Sussex was abandoned due to the extreme weather, as recorded in a previous post. We did, however, go to visit Carol's mum and dad last Wednesday in Southampton. We booked rail tickets on-line and drove to Oxford in order to journey down via train. It was a long day, as we left Milton Keynes around 7.30 to get to the park and ride at Water Eaton and then catch a bus into the main station in Oxford. The journey down was straightforward and took around 90 minutes. Carol's parents were on the station platform when we arrived and we spent the day wandering around the city, including having lunch in a Weatherspoons pub, always good value. We came back on the train which left at around 3.45 and got back to Oxford at about 5.15. It seems to be the most convenient way to travel down to see them, avoiding the long car journey down to Bournemouth where they live.

Today we were determined to get out somewhere as the weather had improved. As a result we decided to go to the Swiss Garden at Old Warden in Bedfordshire. We have been before, but that was a few years ago. The car park was virtually empty when we arrived, but as the morning progressed it gradually filled up. The sun shone, but it wasn't too hot. In fact, the right sort of mild weather making it ideal for walking around outside in a garden. The Shuttleworth collection is pat of the place, but we didn't visit that and may return at a later date. Perhaps when some of the planes are flying. I have seen it, but that was years ago. I seem to recall a school visit so you get some idea how long ago it was. There is a restaurant and shop as part of the complex, where you pay to enter.

The Swiss Garden is deceptive because it doesn't occupy a very large space, and the way it's laid out means you turn a corner and discover something new each time, such as a pond with a delightful wrought iron bridge over it, or a folly or other building such as the thatched  Swiss Cottage which is in the centre of the garden or the Indian Kiosk which has seats in it so you can stop and sit and enjoy the view. There is now a woodland walk which include a sculpture trail which wasn't part of things the last time we visited. It has a decent path to walk on.

When we had completed our visit we had coffee and very nice chocolate cake in the restaurant  before leaving. We drove on to Jordan's Mill which is a mile or two up the road at Broom, just off the A1. I'd heard about this and was interested to see it as you get to see the workings of a water mill which has been in operation on the same site for centuries. We didn't pay for the guided tour but walked around the adjacent garden before driving back towards Milton Keynes.