Pain in the bum news, lots of visitors and beautiful weather

First the moany bit.  The last weeks weren't so good from a news point of view.  I was booked in for a colonoscopy and immediately afterwards received the verdict from the consultant, subject to biopsy results, that I had anal cancer.  I didn't need the results, I had felt that there was more to the very uncomfortable feeling I had than just a polyp.  I returned for the results with my oldest son who was visiting Brittany with friends.  The biospsies confirmed cancer of the anus.  I was told that depending on the depth of the tumour I would be treated by radiotherapy or by surgery, the latter almost certainly resulting in a permanent poo bag.  I had already been booked in for an echoendoscopie and an MRI.

On Thursday last I had the echoendoscopie (ultrasound up the bum) and afterwards the operator said that the tumour appeared to be only 5-6mm deep and that if the MRI confirmed this dimension then I might well get away with radiotherapy and not surgery. The MRI will be done this coming Wednesday, 1 July and the results will be told to me, with the suggested treatment, on 3 July when I return to Guingamp Polyclinic.  

Meantime I seem to have had a problem with my chest.  Initially I had thought I'd received an electric shock while lying on my ribcage fixing the pond pump.  Two days later the pain was bad in my last rib and I thought I may have cracked it.  Later my breathing became more difficult and I got radiating pain from the sternum area.  When I related all this to the consultant dealing with my cancer decided to send me to Guingamp hospital for a CT scan.  I had this on Friday last and it seems that there was nothing to untoward to see so that is good news.  Certainly my breathing is easier now and it only hurts when I lie on my front.

My oldest son, Matthew, and three friends have been to stay.   Their visit overlapped with a visit from my friend, June, and we were lucky to have incredibly good weather so we spent lots of time in the garden talking and drinking.

This was one evening at the Pizzeria in St Nicolas du Pélem.

This is our last lunch together in Roscoff before the boys caught the boat back to Plymouth.  

Here are Lesley, Fraser, Matthew and Brett on the long bridge at Roscoff - we had a lovely few days.

The garden has been lovely this month

This is a trough I bought from friends who were leaving Brittany.  I filled it with bedding plants from B&Q which I brought back with me in April, and some herbs at the far end.  It is huge and took 375 litres of compost!













Poppies outside my sitting room window

I've been collecting lots of seed heads for me to sow and for friends who always ask when they see how beautiful the poppies are here.

Roses on the pergola by the pond.  They aren't climbing so I have to tie them into the post.

On Thursday, June and I drove up to Dinard Airport stopping in the morning at Lamballe for the market and lunch.

Then we spent the afternoon on the promenade at Dinard, people watching, having a glass of wine and deliciously cool icecreams.  It was a gloriously hot, sunny day and a lovely way to make a journey day into something nice.

A tiny, tiny bird who I found on the ground outside the utility cottage.  It seemed unhurt but died about ten minutes later.  I'm not sure what type of bird it was.

My first Workaway of the summer, Leyslie from Las Vegas, but with French and US nationality, arrived at Guingamp station on Friday and is now working clearing nettles in the animal areas.  Hard work in this very hot weather - most days are now reaching almost 30°C and very little in the way of a cooling breeze.  Apparently next week will be heatwave weather so watering will become a priority.   When Leyslie leaves I have a couple of Irish Workaways arriving for ten days, so lots of help in the next few weeks.

Three things I like:

1.  The written and verbal support I have received from friends who know about my current health situation.

2.   The incredible wall to wall blue skies and very hot sunshine which I am enjoying while reading books.

3.   Having so many visits from friends and family this month.

Summer has arrived - bring it on!

Apart from an appalling four day visit from an incredibly irritating and boring man I met on an internet dating site, you know who you are, these last few weeks have been good.   I have had lovely visits too, thank goodness, from two lots of friends, Carole and Geoff and then Les and Roy. 

The garden, the veggie patch and polytunnel are all producing well and I can’t stop taking photos.  

The poppies outside my sitting room window have been gorgeous although the stiff breeze earlier this evening has scattered scarlet petals over the terrace.  

My geese have laid so well this year, or perhaps I should say, my goose, as I was told I was buying two geese but believe I may have a gander.  I have sold lots of goose eggs but finally allowed them to keep three and these are being covered by the goose so perhaps I may go up to the barn one day and find three goslings – fingers crossed.   One of my bantam hens has been a surrogate to three eggs and they hatched  about two weeks ago.

The ducks too have never laid so many eggs.  I am inundated - so  I designed and ordered two signs which I have placed at the top of the lane and opposite my house to encourage customers to buy from the honesty shelf I have at the front of the house.  

Yesterday, a Breton chap, who comes through the village twice a week on the way to his gardening job, came into the garden asking about goose eggs.  I only had two from two weeks ago which I wouldn’t sell as they aren’t fresh, but he insisted saying he loved them.  Today a Breton woman who has a horse in training in the village came to buy both duck and hen eggs and my first customers, only ten minutes after I put up the shelf, were French walkers who bought half a dozen hen egg.  None of them could understand the honesty system but seemed to approve once I’d explained it.

My Land Rover has been costing me a lot of money having repairs done.  A new power steering pump, radiator and door hinge have been necessary and the rear windscreen washer and service are still to be done in July.  There is a Land Rover garage an hour away over at La Chèze, run by an Englishman where I’ll get all work done now that I’ve lost my worker back to the UK.  

Luckily their building borders a lake so it's possible to have a lovely walk and sit and read by the water.

Onto medical matters now and it seems that I have another operation in the pipeline.  I have had rectal bleeding for a couple of months.  Two weeks ago I saw my GP and two days later had a consultant appointment.  After a very uncomfortable examination he said he’d found a polyp which would need to be removed in surgery.  I am going into the Clinic at Guingamp to have a colonoscopy on Monday when he will see whether there is anything further untoward to deal with at the same time.

A couple of weekends ago I attended Part 1 of a Beekeeping Course.  Luckily this is held only about 10 minutes from home so not a huge effort required to go.  I was re-enthused and have already received my bee suit, hat, veil and gloves from Simon the Beekeeper in the UK ready for Part 2 on 14 June.  There were about eleven people on the course and all were very friendly.  

I do hope that I shall be able to get a hive set up before the end of this year so that I am ready to go next year without delay.

 

More friends arrive from the UK next week and they are closely followed by another friend and my oldest son and three of his friends too so it will be a busy month.  Almost no bookings for the cottages yet this year – perhaps it’s just a slow start.

On Wednesday, a friend, Sally, had an impromptu birthday barbeque.  She lives about an hour from me.  I drove over and it was a beautiful warm, sunny evening, absolutely perfect for alfresco eating, well worth the drive.

It’s been a lovely sunny couple of days and I’ve enjoyed lying out in the sunshine reading and napping!

Three things I like:

1.    Good friends visiting and catching up.

2.    The prompt French healthcare I’ve received.

3.    The pretty filly and mare in the field behind me.