2026 Diary - Page 71

Pauline is feeling better now than she has for the last four weeks but the cancer continues to grow, albeit seemingly slower than it has been. The palliative care team are surprised at the slowdown in her deterioration so have agreed to stop the regular consultations and suggested Pauline get in touch with them whenever she feels the need. There is no indication how long she has left but the weeks given in her early prognosis might have been a bit pessimistic. That said, the cancer is in all her major internal organs so could flare at any time or just happen to get to the wrong bit of one of her organs so she continues to live with a ticking time bomb.

In the meantime, apart from being tired, Pauline is her usual self and getting on with life.

I went to the building society on the way back to pay some money in for Mum (they were really helpful so that was easy).

Having got back to the hotel and recovered, I went for a walk round Valley Gardens. They looked lovely in the late afternoon sunshine.

I met Jonathon at Vivido for tea (yummy as always).

18 June

Another busy day. Gym first to get some steps and weights done then off we went to meet Andy in Boroughbridge. I can't think of the last time I was there but it wasn't how I remembered - far more upmarket than I had in my mind.

We met Andy in a cafe called The Hideaway and had a drink and a chat before he had to go back to work. Jonathon, of course, had to scour the charity shops before we left.

From there, we headed over to Pockington to get cheese for Jenny and Peter to thank them for looking after Oli (and more charity shop searching). I went for a walk while J did that.

Next stop was Christine's. All the jars and bottles that have been donated over the last few months are now in her office. It was a lovely afternoon so I took Bertie for a walk in the fields and then caught up with Christine's news

On our way back to Harrogate, we spotted this beautiful poppy field. We took a quick detour so I could take a photo.

We had snacks in the Club Lounge for tea because neither of us was particularly hungry.

19 June

I woke up early and decided to take advantage of the lovely, summer weather (before it got too hot and the day gpt busy). I walked through Bilton and ended up on Starbeck so thought I'd better get a train back to make sure breakfast wasn't closed by the time I returned to the hotel.

We called in to see Mum very briefly so we could put her passbook back where it lives then went to Harlow Carr Betty's for a drink and snack. It was packed. The car parks were as busy as I've ever seen them with marshalls trying to organise drivers. It's some kind of special event this weekend (Friday to Sunday) so that explains why.

From there we went to Fountains Abbey. We are life members of the National Trust and don't use our cards as much as we should. The bird feeders are not out in Harlow Carr in the summer months so there's not much point Jonathon sitting in the hide because there's very little to see so we thought we'd go here for a change.

It was even better than either of us remembered and we had a great afternoon.

I searched high and low for deer (there are three different kinds I was told) but they have their youngsters with them at present so they are keeping well hidden. Thankfully, a group of four bachelor boys were easy to find after I'd given up and was heading for the gate back to the meeting point with Jonathon. This one posed very nicely, the others were very busy eating.

We went to Tannin Lounge for dinner. It was as delicious as ever.

20 June

My early morning walk was across The Stray and on to Hookstone Wood. It's a while since I was last there and it was lovely to wander round the wood again.

I took a slightly different route back then met Jonathon back at the hotel for breakfast.

The journey home was fine so we got back mid afternoon; plenty of time to do all the washing, top up the bird feeders, water the veg, check the pond (level was fine but water was murky) and generally get things back to normal.

Peitra came to collect her keys and I gave her a set of mugs Christine had sent as a raffle prize.

It's good to be home!

21 June

Today is Father's Day - the first one without Dad. By happy coincidence, it was my turn to pay for the flowers at church so I asked Tina to include some white roses for Dad and Yorkshire.

Jonathon had a very frustrating morning. He went off to Barnes to collect something he'd bought on EBay, only to get most of the way there before the seller contacted him and cancelled the sale.

Mark phoned to chat about the options re his new car. The mileage is different to what he was expecting so he doesn't know whether to go ahead with the purchase or not. He'll decide tomorrow.

It was too hot to do much during the afternoon but it was our Summer Solstice Walk in the evening. As usual, I was in charge of bringing up the rear to make sure we didn't lose anyone.

Steve brought his "fire" with him for people to jump over.

The sunset was amazing on the way back.

22 June

It was nice and cool when I got up so I watered the veg and got my paper then set up the seats outside and did my crossword with a pot of green tea.

Gilda and Mark came over and we walked through to Bromley, using a roundabout route.

Not sure what the helicopters were doing but there were two the same and one different buzzing around.

We met Jonathon at Da Raffaela for lunch.

Gilda took the charm that Christine gave us - her sister collects them. Alma took the boxes for her daughter so we only have the cocktail stick holder left and that will go to YMCA.

Jonathon spent a lot of today trying to sort out the pond pump. He's now liaising with Burtons, the suppliers.

Angela and I played tennis in the evening. When we arrived, there were four lads on bikes playing with their footballs in the tennis courts. I shoo'd them off but the lurked around so I stayed until the next players arrived before coming home.

23 June

We had a huge storm last night. It lasted about 2 hours with very heavy rain, thunder and lightning. Jonathon slept through the whole thing but it woke me up! We are the white round pin on the map so in the red zone.

Needless to say, all the water butts are now full again and the pond looked very healthy when I got up.

Jonathon and I went to the Odeon to see Mother's Pride. It was a lovely film and the cinema was air-conditioned which was a bonus on such a hot day.

We went to the Orpington for ice cream and a drink afterwards so it felt like a proper afternoon out!

24 June

Pleased to see one of my sunset photos in this week's local paper.

With the weather forecast to be scorching, I set off quite early and took Gilda's "free gift" baseball hat round to Judy for when she plays bowls. It fits her perfectly so all good. I tried to stay in the shade as much as I could while getting some steps done.

Oli was back at the vets again today because his eye has flared up again. Another few days of antibiotics and anti inflammatory medicine then back to see what's what. In the meantime, he hates the heat as much as we do and did shade hunting pretty much all day. He didn't even want to eat so we'll have to keep a very close eye on him.

Jonathon continued to work on the pond. We now have a filter pump running so, hopefully, that will help. Time will tell.

Went to Knit and Natter. Squirrels was cancelled because of the heat and Beavers were offsite at Downe Activity Centre so it was very quiet.

25 June

Nothing in my diary today so I went to the gym for a while and did a load of steps on the treadmill. There's been a lovely breeze today so that made living a bit easier even though the temperature was 30C+.

I took the latest batch of knitted hearts to Francis Chappell to finish off my steps then spent the rest of the day in the garden.

The Indian Bean tree (Catalpa) is in full flower this year - I don't think I've ever seen so much blossom on it before.

I bit the bullet and did my tax return. I don't owe them as much as I dreaded so not too bad.

Jonathon continued to work on the pond. The filter pump had taken quite a bit og gunge out but then decided it didn't really want to work any more - a job for tomorrow (or a cooler day).

I got rid of most of the big weeds on the patio ready for Alan to come and power wash it next Friday - it looks bigger without the weeds!

26 June

Oli seems a tiny bit better today and he's eating more but it's still too hot for him (and us).

I went for an early morning walk before it got too unbearable (thankfully, today is forecast to be the last very hot day).

Jonathon and I went to the GPO for lunch then he came home and did his tax return. HMRC owe him roughly the same amount as I owe them so it will balance out nicely.

I went to Tai Chi in the evening - the hall was lovely and cool and Louis kept it nice and simple for us so it was a pleasure to be there.

27 June

I didn't really go anywhere today - Tesco, the newsagent and the garden.

It was just about cool enough to do weeding provided I stayed in the shade so I got on with that. The path looks a bit tidier but there's still plenty more to do. I wandered round with my camera as well - there's quite a lot of colour in the garden at the moment. There were lots of butterflies and bees around as well.

Caught up with Mum on FaceTime - she's had more than enough of the hot weather and is fit for nothing.

28 June

Gym and church this morning - back to normal! It was "Sing a Song of Praise" at church along with crafts so a fun morning.

Our pond is definitely getting clearer and I now know how to clean the filter if Jonathon's not here when it needs doing.

Ginny, June, Anne and I went to have a look at the car show in the market place. Steve was there with his old Peugeot. My Shaun would probably fit in nicely but he'd need a full, professional valet before I would dare take him amongst the shiny cars that were there.

29 June

Didn't venture very far before Gilda and Mark arrived and we went for a walk. We did a similar walk to the one last night but took a longer route through Petts Wood and came home via alleyways.

Gilda was scheduled to start her radiotherapy so couldn't join us for lunch. We went to A Mano - very disappointing. My veggie pasta was pretty tasteless with far too much pasta and not enough veg. Unfortunately for Gilda, one of the radiotherapy machines had broken down so her treatment was postponed until tomorrow morning.

I went to tennis in the evening. There were a couple of people playing when I arrived and we invited them to join us. The girl, a real beginner, declined but Kieran had a knock up with Angela and me for a while which was fun.

30 June

No circuits today because the gym team are getting ready for the move back to the Walnuts on Thursday so I went and got my paper then joined Sharon for tennis. Thankfully, the showers had stopped by the time we played.

Jonathon, Oli and I sheltered under the big garden umbrella while it was raining - Oli was clearly not concerned at all!

The deep red clematis is starting to flower - it's darker and more velvety in real life and looks lovely.

I did more weeding and cut the cross in the grass so it looks tidier. I moved a lot of the Californian poppies from the path into tubs and put them on the grass in the hope that they'll spread and flower there next year.

The newsletters finally arrived at Steve's so I went round to help split them in the the rounds then Chris and I delivered the "Central" area ones to the road wardens.

I thought my last easy job for today would be cleaning the filters in the two pond pumps. Unfortunately, the new one had other ideas and the hose back into the pond went completely berserk, flew out of the pond and drenched me completely.

Next jobs, unsurprisingly were shower and washing - at least I'm clean!

1 July

Another busy day. First activity was a visit to the excellent M.C. Escher exhibition at Somerset House with Ginny. There was loads of artwork to admire and plenty of information to absorb. Jonathon and Derek are going to visit it in a few weeks - I'm sure they'll love it.

On the way back to Charing Cross station, we came across a couple of the Lions on the World Cup trail. We haven't got a date organised yet but we need to get on with it before it disappears.

Knit and Natter was the next thing in my diary. I could only stay and hour and forgot to take the jigsaws Gilda had given me for St. John's so had to come back, pick them up and take them to get them out of the hall.

Final activity of the day, by which time I wasn't feeling too well. I feel like I'm coming down with a really nasty cold - hope not but all the signs are there. Jonathon, Jo, Irene, Coco and I went to Da Raffaela for dinner. It was as lovely as always but I was ready for home by the end of it even though it wasn't late.

2 July

Did dog walking early today before it got too hot. The dogs were very keen to get out but equally keen to get back because they went out before they'd had breakfast.

Pond management continues and Jonathon was out photographing most of today so I've been up and down to the pond to clean the filters more times than I care to count.

The gym and pool reopened. It's lovely. So much better than before. I had my induction to the eGym - seems like something I can work with so I'm looking to make use of that. Pics are by George, local councillor, who got to see it before the crowds arrived!

Went to a Thrive presentation at The Cricketers in the evening. Whilst a lot of it was common sense, the talk was really informative and interesting. I didn't sign up for the initial programme but it seemed that quite a lot of people were doing so.

3 July

My main activity today was our usual Friday walk. We set off a bit earlier so it didn't get too hot for the dogs (three of them today).

I left the rest of the group at the cafe and came home for lunch, including the first courgettes from our garden for the year - yum!

Around that time, I got a message from the NHS confirming that I have bronchiectasis and referring me to a specialist physio. I just have to wait for the appointment now (or go private).

Alan came to clean the patio. The before and after photos below show how successful an exercise it was. It looks so much better.

When he'd finished, I moved the hostas and fuchsias back to where they live then did some weeding in the patio beds and finallty got the plants in that have been waiting for ages. I'll be amazed if they grow.

Had my hair trimmed - it had hardly grown at all since last time so that was very quick.

4 July

Gym first - my BioAge has been calculated at 57 years so I'm very happy with that! Really pleased that my Strength is that of a 41 year old and not too disappointed that my flexibility is 68 - I thought it would be worth than that.

Our walking group went to Keston Common and Ponds today. It was a lovely day for strolling about in that area and it wasn't too busy apart from all the fishermen around one of the ponds.

Jonathon and I went to Xi'an for lunch then I did a bit of garden tidying.

Carole phoned to let me know she and Pauline had been talking to Mum about a week in respite care. I'd intended to suggest it when we meet in York later this month but they're ahead of the game. They are visiting a Methodist home this week to see if it's suitable / if they can accommodate Mum.

5 July

A quieter day today - good job because I was really tired after yesterday.

I went to the gym (just for treadmill) then joined / organised the litter pickers for this month. Amelie and I paired up and got a bag full of rubbish.

I spent the rest of the day at home, cleaned the bird baths (the starlings made the most of them), topped up their feeders, did yet more pond management.

I caught up with Mum (far more perky with the prospect of a week somewhere else) and Christine (much better with her new insoles).

6 July

We had the saddest news ever today when we took Oli to the vets. We'd realised he wasn't getting better despite the anti-inflammatory and antibiotic meds so got a quick appointment. Unfortunately, he appears to have oral cancer which is not curable. The vet offered (but didn't recommend) a biopsy with the possibility of chemo and/or radio therapy but it wouldn't cure him, just prolong things and put him through more stress so we declined and brought him home. The vet says as long as he's managing to eat, drink and have a decent quality of life we should let him live as normal a life as possible and call them when that's no longer the case. Needless to say, we are devastated.

Gilda came and we over to Richmal Crompton Fields before joining Jonathon at Masala Dabbas for lunch. Gilda went to hospital from here for her final radiotherapy session so she's all done now.

Tennis was pretty hot in the evening. George is back from China so he gave Angela and me a good run round. Dinesh, a new player, joined us. He hasn't played for a long time but has good hand eye coordination so he should be fine in time.

7 July

What a busy day!

Circuits to start with then tennis with Sharon. It was really hot and sticky but we stayed the full hour and survived with plenty of drink breaks.

In the afternoon, Ginny and I followed the Pride in the Quarter trail - 17 lions and lionesses, painted and placed around Westminster, Victoria and surrounding areas. AI estimated the walk would take about 90 minutes but I think they must have flown round because it took us 3.5 hours, including getting to the start and the walk back to Victoria station at the end.

As the train we came home on was due to stop at Bromley South, I messaged Jonathon and suggested we meet at Da Rafaele for tea. Despite both of our train journeys being delayed we arrived in Bromley within minutes of each other, enjoyed our food and came home on a diverted bus!

Oli trotted out to meet us when we got home. If you didn't know he was poorly you wouldn't guess apart from the excessive dribbling. We've arranged to see the cat specialist at Anderson's vets on Thursday for a second opinion just to be sure.

8 July

Oli seems to be a bit more poorly today but he spent a little while with me by the pond and then a little time with Jonathon on the opposite bench. He's still purry and eating his yoghurts. He'd eaten some meat / wet food overnight and we think he'd even managed some biscuits. Needless to say we are dreading the trip to the vets tomorrow.

I went to the gym this morning and Jonathon ventured into Bromley but we spent most of the day at home.

Gilda brought a load of books on Monday so we took those to church today but I didn't stay for Knit and Natter.

I went to the GPO quiz but Jonathon decided to stay home so one of us was here in case Oli wanted anything. All he seemed to want was food, fuss and attention so Jonathon was more than happy to provide all those. We came 4th in the quiz with 53.5/70 so not a bad effort.

9 July

We took Oli to the vets and saw Charlotte, the cat specialist. She gave him a good check over and has suggested that a biopsy is needed so that's set up for Saturday. In the meantime, we have enough meds for him to set up a pharmacy but they are all liquid so, hopefully, he'll lap them up with his yoghurt.

I don't think the heat is helping any of us. Certainly neither Oli nor the foxes like it at all. At least, the gym is air conditioned so working out is pretty comfortable.

Delighted to see that our Crocosmia Lucifer is flowering this year. It doesn't often so it's a treat when it does.

We had our monthly chit chat gathering at the GPO today. The turnout was pretty good on such a warm afternoon.

Jonathon and I went to The Orpington afterwards for ice cream then back home for the rest of the day.

10 July

A vet free day - I think we were all relieved but are, naturally, dreading tomorrow. Oli had been around and about with us on and off today which is quite normal for him. He's not at all keen on his new meds but is managing to eat a bit of meat, well chopped up, and yoghurt.

I decided not to go to the gym today but delivered some stuff to Peitra and had a lovely, local walk (checking the route for Sunday). Thankfully, it wasn't as hot but, sadly, it was really sticky all day.

Terry and Dean came to work on the pond and put up some outside lights and camera. Unfortunately, the wiring for the camera was too close to the garage door and broke when we tried to close it. It will need to be redone.

The pond will need to be emptied and power washed before the pump / filter will work properly so that's on the list for Terry's next visit, along with painting my shed.

I cancelled my space at Tai Chi - didn't really want to be with other people much.

11 July

Today was all about Oli because he spent the whole day at the vets.

Unfortunately, Charlotte (the vet) discovered that he had scratched his bad eye as well as everything else so he has to wear a cone unless he's eating or he is being supervised by one of us while. His biopsy went to plan and he recovered well from the anaesthetic but he is clearly unhappy with the cone and the fact that he can't go outside for a few days. We are back at the vets on Thursday but should have the biopsy results before then. Sadly, we are both expecting them to confirm what Charlotte thinks - oral cancer.

To try and help him, I went to Pets at Home and bought a harness and lead but whether he'll wear the harness is seriously doubtful. He was still quite spaced out when we brought him home so we'll wait until tomorrow before we try and put him in it. If he won't wear it I can take it back with the receipt.

12 July

Oli has been quite sleepy today - Charlotte said his pain killers would make him drowsy so that's probably why! He's been eating well and, occasionally, trying to get out but without toomuch conviction.

I went to the gym first thing then popped to Tesco to get some more cat yoghurts then stayed in for the rest of the day until it was walk time.

Mum and I reverted to normal phone call today - she couldn't get FaceTime to work but I suspect the problem is at my end rather than hers.

We stayed local for this week's Knoll walk. Coco had a lovely time paddling in the Cray.

13 July

We were really concerned most of today because he didn't seem able to eat and that's how we get him to have his meds. We finally managed to syringe some pain killers into him and he had a good scoff when they took effect. Phew!

In other news ... I took the dogs out this morning because it was the coolest morning forecast and we are back at the vets on Thursday. I only had two dogs to walk today because Mia was at the groomers.

We let Oli back outside at lunchtime and he had a good prowl round. I think he's pleased to be out and about and keeps coming home for snuggles which is lovely.

Jonathon went into town to pick up a new lens from Grays of Westminster and I stayed home to do some work in the front garden.

Knoll tennis this evening and it was good that Dinesh came back for the second time and we had two new people. Neither of them were great tennis players but both were enthusiastic. One was a teenager called Mason who was watching us play until I invited him to join us. He phoned his mum to check and seemed to have a good time.

14 July

We managed to get Oli's morning meds into him today so that was a good start. I went to circuits then joined Sharon for tennis. We were both supposed to go to the cinema to see "Project Hail Mary" but I chose to stay at home in case Oli needed anything while Jonathon went to enjoy the film for the umpteenth time.

Oli seems to be struggling when the pain meds wear off so we'll need to speak to Charlotte about either spreading it out across three times in the day or increasing the dosage a bit, again over three doses.

I went into London in the evening to meet Gilda, Nicola and Julie for dinner at Haz, Plantation Place. Wendy-Jo and Anabelle also popped in to say Hello which was a lovely surprise. The restuarant is just round the corner from the Walkie Talkie so the journey was a bit like going back to work and it reminded me that I don't miss work at all!

15 July

I joined some of the other Flamingos at the gym this morning before we all wandered across the square to Jo's to celebrate Judy's birthday. It was good to be back in the gym together and we had a fun time over breakfast.

I'm pleased to have earned a Bronze award in the EGYM, especially with being so new to it. Not sure what I have to do to get Silver but I'll find out and give it a go.

I took the latest batch of hearts to Francis Chappell and went to Knit and Natter to start the next pair.

We bought Oli a new tag because the old one had become illegible and we don't want him to wander off and get lost in his drugged-up state.

Thankfully, Oli seems to be coping quite well so far. He's still eating which is a good sign. I think the pain from the op is easing but he's still uncomfortable when the pain meds start to wear off.

About 9.30 p.m. there was a real commotion outside and I saw Oli shoot across the road. It seems he was being upset by a fox. We found him on top of one of the big water butts so brought him inside and kept him in overnight. Until recently, he's been quite able to deal with foxes but his ill health and the meds have slowed him down and made him vulnerable.

16 July

Our main job for today was taking Oli to the vets so Charlotte could check him over before she goes on study leave for two weeks (her exam is on the 30th). She seemed OK with his progress. His eye hasn't got any worse (or any better) so we have an extra treatment for that and appointment with Keanu next week while Charlotte's away. The growth in his mouth doesn't seem to have grown since the weekend which is good news but it's disappointing that the biopsy results aren't back yet because of a backlog in the lab.

I took the cat harness and lead back to Pets at Home and got my money back, went to Sports Direct to get some new tennis balls, got some bits for lunch from M&S and Pret, took the old tennis balls to Rev, a dog who lives in our street, paid Amelie her sponsorship money for her swimming challenge and went to the gym! I didn't have time (or the inclination) to do any gardening but I did have a wander round - back and forwards to my shed becuase we decided to try and tidy up the garage a bit and I found some shed stuff in there so it was put back where it lives.

Peter came round in the evening to let us know that Oli was with them so I brought him home for some of his meds. We let him back outside until just after 9 p.m. then brought him in for the night - we don't want a recurrence of last night's fox incident. Oli was definitely not happy about staying inside but we think it's better for him at the moment.

17 July

Charlotte called with the amazing news that the biopsy shows that Oli doesn't have cancer. He has granulomatous inflammation which is a fungal problem and is curable over time. The next step is to go to North Downs Specialist Referrals for more tests and a CT scan. Our insurance will cover quite a bit of the costs but we will definitely be dipping into our rainy day funds. In the meantime, Oli has spent the day round with Peter and Jenny, trying to stay away from me and his meds.

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In other news ...

I went to get my paper then joined June and co for our Friday walk. We had Benji and Poppy with us today and they seemed keen to sniff everything.

It was lovely and cool in the woods so we spent most of our time in there.

I spent some time in the back garden, clearing the paths to make it easier to get around (and trotting to and fro to P&J's to give Oli his meds round there).

I went to Tai Chi in the evening. It's the first time I've been in one of the studios in the new gym - very impressed.

18 July

I think it's safe to say my day was front-end loaded today.

First up (after the usual meds, watering, etc.) was tennis with Joe and George - great fun. I came home after an hour so I could get to the "Save our Green Belt" walk on time.

There was a good turnout and the weather was kind (not too hot) but everywhere was really dusty and dry.

By the time I got back, Jonathon had gone to Priory Live to fulfill a photography obligation so I was home with Ol for the rest of the dayi, or would have been had he deigned to spend any time with me. I got most of his meds into him one way or another but I don't think I'm his favourite human right now. I could hear quite a lot of the music from our front room - not the best acoustics but I don't feel I missed out too much.

Caught up with Mum. She's looking forward to going into respite care on Friday but also a bit apprehensive.

Christine and I missed each other last weekend so had a long chat this evening.

To 2026 Diary (Page 72)