65. Steps

You can tell how well prepared you were for your long distance race in the days that immediately follow. The principal test: can you walk down a flight of stairs?

After my first ever half marathon in Leicester, about 45 years ago, I went to visit Sue in her student bedsit afterwards, accessed via the fire escape. I remember I had to sit on the steps and shuffle down on my bottom.

I’m just back from the hospital after this month’s checkup. My bloods show I am doing fine, still comfortably in remission. My consultant’s plan is for me to have a further MRI scan in a couple of months’ time to check my bone damage. We are still waiting for the last couple of crowns to be fitted next month, then my dental work will be complete and I can recommence the Zoledronic Acid infusions.

He gave me a quick reminder of the purpose of the Zoledronic Acid, describing it as building a new structure within my bones which is hard, yet brittle. The fragility is what puts dentists off things like pulling teeth. In particular, there is evidence that the jaw can become brittle, in the same way that phosphorus in matchsticks in the 19^th century caused osteonecrosis of the jaw. I don’t expect it to be as bad as that, but I’ll be brushing my teeth carefully and not selling matchsticks.

Walking past the patients in the other cubicles at the hospital is a reminder of how far I have come, seeing some of them without hair, or in the middle of chemotherapy infusions. It is a powerful reminder that although, at the moment I’m feeling right as rain, I might return to some of those treatments later. Best make the most of my time while I’m feeling good.

—oOo—

It has been a busy few weeks since my last report. Every time I thought I’d post the blog, we have done something else. For a start, we visited Budapest for our first trip abroad since 2019. We had forgotten all the basics, like weight limits on bags on the plane, but we managed to weigh them with me standing on the scales with and without the bag, while Sue tried to read the weight and do some subtraction.

When we arrived there I was using my crutch, still limping, but over the course of the week we did plenty of walking and I was soon strong enough to go unaided, even down these steps.

The inspiration for the trip was to attend what turned out to be a fairytale family wedding at Fisherman’s Bastion on Castle Hill in Buda (west of the Danube). We were welcomed to the ceremony as Victoria married Zoltan in a spectacular celebration in this beautiful location. Champagne flowed, cocktails followed and the wedding feast was magnificent.

Victoria is Sue’s first cousin, once removed: Sue’s cousin Jane’s daughter. As well as the happy couple, it was lovely to meet Jane and her husband Brian, as well as Sue’s Auntie Elizabeth, as I’ve not seen any of them for years.

—oOo—

We met up with Sue’s sister and her husband Peter and, after we had recovered from the festivities, we stayed on for most of a week to explore Budapest together. Known as a party venue nowadays, it’s easy for us to forget it’s history as Nazi occupied during the second world war before being liberated by the communists. We took a couple of history lessons: first at the House of Terror, the former secret police HQ of the Arrow Cross, the Hungarian Nazi party, where I was struck by the quote “Last night I dreamt the Germans left and no one stepped into their shoes,” by Imre Kovács. It turned out that Stalin’s communists carried on the secret police business just as before, even in the same building, interrogating, torturing and killing people in the basement.

Next day we went to the Great Synagogue and learned about the fate of the Hungarian Jews during the war. There is a poignant memorial by the banks of the Danube – iron casts of shoes to remind us where Jews were shot and thrown into the river by the Arrow Cross, just before the communists arrived.

We did so much that I can’t go through it all – the market, the river cruise. I will mention the Art Gallery, where the over 61s discount didn’t apply because Britain is no longer in the EU – Boris didn’t mention that when arguing for Brexit.

We paid a visit to the hot baths at Gellert, a short tram ride away (which was free for the over 65s). They were wonderful.

Why doesn’t our local council pool at the Triangle have more classical sculpture? It’s something I’m thinking of taking up with our prospective parliamentary candidates while they are seeking my vote, although I can understand that not everyone appreciates art.

By our last day I was able to walk all the way up to Fisherman’s Bastion early in the morning to take some shots while no tourists were about. This castle has never seen a battle and, like most of the buildings in Budapest, was rebuilt after the war.

—oOo—

On our return home I had picked up a cough somewhere along the way, but I was pleased that my immune system could overcome it after a couple of days without having to resort to antibiotics.

—oOo—

Back home, we went to the local dog show where Bonnie won the Most Photogenic Pooch prize again (in recent years she has been 1^st, 2^nd, and now 1^st again). Lyra came too but unfortunately there wasn’t a prize for loudest bark.

—oOo—

We met up for beer and curry with some old friends, in the truest sense – we have known each other for about 60 years.

—oOo—

At the dentist I was sent to the radiographer for a CT scan. She sat me down and clamped my head into an uncomfortable position, with pads holding my forehead and chin still. The last thing she said as she left the room to press the start button was “don’t swallow!” It hadn’t occurred to me until that point but then, I could think of nothing else. Obviously, she had to try again, the first image was too blurred. What could she expect?

—oOo—

With the camera club, I visited Southdown Gliding Club to see how good my panning is, trying to capture a sharp picture of a moving aircraft. It needs some work!

One of the highlights was to see this classic Petrel take to the air. I understand it is the last of its kind.

—oOo—

Happy 30^th Birthday to my son Chris! We managed to surprise him by gathering the whole family in the kitchen at his house for a lunchtime party. The sun came out, enabling us to make use of his new decking (where I dropped a remote shutter release between the boards, giving us the further entertainment of lifting a plank to retrieve it).

—oOo—

Sue has left me unsupervised for a few days now while she visits her Mum, so I’m posting this extended edition without her usual proof-reading check. Let’s hope there are no smelling pistakes.

Thanks to all the people whose photos I’ve stolen for this post.

Thanks for reading and take care!