Another picture from Jim and Ann’s visit: this one taken at the new boardwalk by Cockshoot Broad, close to Woodbastwick.
It’s still only 7.45am, but I couldn’t sleep after I woke about 6, though I slept very well till then. Have just finished listening to a conversation between Leonard Cohen and Philip Glass on iTunes, which was excellent – particularly Cohen on the subject of good poets who never get published. Last night I actually managed to win a chess game, though it was on a knife-edge at the end. I don’t know whether I should attribute the victory to the fact that the person I was playing had broken up with his girlfriend half an hour before we began, but I did actually play well, as I had done in the previous two games, both of which I lost. The second one – here on Wednesday night – was particularly annoying because I had a clear win on two occasions. This may have been part of the reason I was so down most of yesterday after barely sleeping on Wednesday night, but things generally seemed to get on top of me.
Dot was out most of the day at a training day for church school inspectors – one of these pointless exercises that administrators love to put on to justify their existence (my words, not hers). If people are already doing an excellent job on a regular basis, why waste time telling them what they already know? I was at home most of the day – which showed signs of becoming really summery – but went to get my prescription pills and to post a letter. A friend came round to discuss the Meditation website: we agreed the front page was pretty awful, but it need someone who knows what they’re doing to alter it. Spoke to David on webcam, and he has installed Twitter for me, largely so that we can see what each other is up to!
In the evening, while I was playing chess, Dot went to a DCC meeting which lasted a very long time: not sorry to have missed it.
Today is the day, of course. I see the consultant at 11.20 to see what state the cancer and I are in, and what should be done about it. More on that story later, as Kirsty Wark would say.
And here it is. We were actually called in early, but then had to sit and wait for a while, which was rather annoying. The good news is that the cancer has not spread out of the prostate. But I now have to make a decision on whether to have radiotherapy, which is long-winded but doesn’t involve cutting into my body; or to have the prostate removed. Both have similar risks as far as incontinence and impotence are concerned. An interesting additional factor is that I have a hernia that could be fixed at the same time if I have an operation. I also have something a bit odd to do with the wall of my bladder, which means I’m having a cystoscopy some time soon to check on it. Nothing to do with the prostate, apparently.
After getting the news from Mr Sethia, the consultant, Dot and I had a long chat with one of the specialist nurses, which clarified one or two issues. We then decided to go to Wroxham Barns to pick up the framed pictures for Vicky. We also had a baguette and ginger beer in the restaurant, all of which was very pleasant. A kind of muted celebration.