Over-enthusiastic appetite

It's Sunday and it feels like the end of a successful first week at home. I'm moving about easily, walking a couple of hundred yards each day and have cut down the pain-killers to a minimum. Following the hospital hunger-strike week, I'm doing well with my food and am getting to grips with the habits of gut V2.0. I'm starting to regain some weight and now check in at 10 stone 4 pounds - up 4 pounds from leaving hospital but still a whole stone less than when I left work. I would have been quite delighted with this a few months, but it's not enough to sustain me through chemo or further operations -- beer might help (it certainly has in the past). The only trouble is the thought and taste of alcohol is quite abhorrent to me at the moment.

Had a good breakfast with a modicum of fibre (....!)

Before being diagnosed I made the fateful mistake of decorating the lounge. We gave the good quality but worn suite to a local charity and hung a dust sheet across the small end to form a small lounge with the remaining furniture a telly and a futon -- just in case the job took a little longer than advertised! I got as far as stripping it bare, re-wiring, repairing the smokey chimney, removing the nasty false coving and re-plastering the resulting holes and wire chases. The upshot is there is nowhere to sit comfortably downstairs.

I decided it would be nice to escape 4 walls and have a look for a comfy chair to recuperate in. I'd scanned t'internet and decided that the way to go was Norwegian quality in the form of an Ekornes Stressless recliner: stylish, extremely comfy, expensive and (hopefully) long lasting (we got 18 years out of the last suite!). There's a dealer in Shepton Mallet and that seemed like an achievable distance to be jiggled provided that we went in my car rather than Sarah's bone shaker.

Next step is to pack the emergency stoma care kit - this reminds me of packing the car to take the newly born children out for the first time - there are other similarities too - that I won't go into. Suffice to say - that a certain degree of liberty seems to have been removed and it will be quite a while before I attend another music festival.

We found what we wanted -- but there's a 10 week delivery time. I guess I'll have to get used to sitting on the floor! At least it will encourage me to take an afternoon lie down on the bed.

Hey - we're out. It's lunchtime. We can have Sunday lunch (....!). Our choice is dictated by proximity to where we are standing and the Shrubbery Bistro/Hotel provides a typically British only-just-about-adequate roast dinner.

Definitely ready for home after this major excursion.

I crash out on the bed -- while Sarah, desperate to escape from her loving family, goes off for a walk. Could this be a result from the helpful driving tips and direction advise from the non-driver in the passenger seat?

Sarah still not back and the (occasionally) delightful kids decide to make tea - while I take call from a well-wisher. I'm on the phone for ages and when I'm done - there's a complete spread including wonky-cut bread, cheese, crisps, hummus and crudities. The peppers and carrots have been peeled, cut an arranged fan-style on a plate with no severed fingers or blood-stains in evidence. I'm mighty impressed and it's too much to resist - I love hummus - surely a couple of carrots sticks can't hurt? (...!)