Fo Restante

Day 65: Resting 

Today, I have been in theory been resting, as per the instructions of my oncologist, so that those now rather scarce neutrophils in my blood will start regenerating, and I will become strong enough to withstand more chemo. They can give you injections to help this process along, but I’d much prefer to do it naturally, if I can – there are more than enough drugs in my system already, and the drugs they inject you with bring, of course, yet more side effects…  

My lovely friend Andrea Gillies was coming to visit me today, and I probably should have cancelled it, but she is only in town briefly from Scotland and I have been so looking forward to it, so I didn’t. 

We had the BEST time. 

Andrea surprised me with all manner of pink-themed presents, it being Valentine’s week, including some quite outrageously beautiful flowers (which proved very difficult to photograph- this really does not do them justice)

strawberry cupcakes, cherries and rosé wine.

As I was still coughing rather a lot we decided, for purely medicinal purposes, to try a little of the blood orange vodka I gave R for his birthday; combined with strawberry cupcakes, it proved quite extraordinarily soothing, so we tried a little more. By the early evening, when we had set the world to rights, and laughed a great deal, and Andrea was well overdue to meet some friends down town, we were both feeling very soothed indeed.

And now I really must rest, but I'm sure the level of my neutrophils is shooting up already: the mind and body are so closely linked, and nothing improves your spirits better than laughter, and the company of good friends.