Simeon

Great nephew Simeon visited during the week with Rikki, Kristin and Joshua.

Kerran

Walking Linear Park

Although Rick is getting tired from the radiotherapy we have still been able to enjoy the fantastic weather walking in Linear Park.
This week we drove 10 minutes to the Paradise Interchange, left the car for a couple of hours and walked upstream along the Torrens. The further upstream one goes the more beautiful and quiet it becomes, especially on a week day.
Our days are largely governed by appointments, which have mostly been mid-afternoon, but it also allows Rick to have a rest at some point.
From today we have six appointments to go, so that chapter of our lives concludes on June 2nd.

Linear Park gardens

Torrens River on Linear Park

Linear Park

Views along Linear Park are spectacular in places.

Local councils manage the area very well.

Radiotherapy nearing an end

The end of radiotherapy treatment is in sight! Only 11 treatments by our calculations to go, then it's a waiting game to see how effective treatment has been. Rick is to have one more hormone implant in a couple of weeks time, then that should be it - fingers crossed.
Overall, Rick is feeling quite well, though he is noticeably more tired these days and he has had hormonal changes (due to medication) which are frustrating. We had to expect him to react sooner or later as the radiotherapy is cumulative.
In the meantime, life goes on as per normal, well as normal as can be expected living out of suitcases for such a long time. For the best part of 5 months we have been living like this - it will be so nice in about a fortnight to be at home in our own bed for an extended period of time.
However, it's been a bonus to share Jessie's, mine and Kerran's birthdays and Mothers Day with Jessie and Kerran - that wouldn't have happened had it not been for all this upheaval.

Ready for the Ball

Pete and Jessie ready for the Law Ball in the city and Kerran ready for the Walkerville Football Club Ball at the Bradman Room at Adelaide Oval. They had a good time by all accounts.

Mothers Day

Jessie and Mum.
Mum and Dad came for tea at the unit on Mothers Day.

Mothers Day

Lunch at the St Peters Bakery.

Treatment progress

Well...another week has passed. 16/37 radiotherapy treatments behind us and 21 to go - that equates to another 5 trips to Adelaide. We should have counted the trips to date but it must be around twenty since January. That's 120 hours of travelling. Plenty of time to get to know one another and for Rick "to rest his eyes" while I do the driving.
Apart from all of that, I chose to drive to Salt Creek - 2 hours 15 minutes - to teach my usual day of Music, Art and SOSE on Thursday - and to make it back to Adelaide just in time to get Rick to his 6.20pm appointment. Needless to say I'm exhausted.

Rick has worked for 3 weeks of the year and doesn't look like going back to work until at least July at this stage. Some side effects have started to appear but they are not debilitating and are under control. The oncologist says everything is progressing normally at this stage but we won't know how effective the treatment has been until some weeks after it has all finished, so I guess that means even more trips for checkups.

After consulting a physiotherapist and a personal trainer at SportsMed, and for the sake of his cardiac rehabilitation he has joined the Sportsmed Gym (for the next month), a 10 minute walk from the unit - more for some variety to his fitness regime than anything else. And the fact that the weather is now turning and he feels the cold dreadfully these days.

This weekend at home we are taking things very quietly - the travelling is wearing us down - so we might stay in the city next weekend - it's also Mother's Day, so we might be due for a rest.

May 1st 2007 - Congratulations Kerran

Having arrived back in Adelaide again on Monday afternoon for treatment we didn't have a lot of time to organise anything much for Kerran's 21st.
Rick, Jessie, Kerran and I met for lunch in Rundle Street's East End at the Felafel House, another of Kerran's favourite gourmet delights.
For May it was a very warm, balmy day - and evening for that matter.
Kerran invited 4 of his friends around for dinner - we took the Weber up to Adelaide to cook Kerran's favourite - turkey roll and hassleback potatoes. The rest was easy - salads and vegetables - and a cake from a cake shop just up the road from the unit.
It doesn't seem any time at all since the day he was born at 6.30pm May 1st 1986, weighing just over 3000gm and measuring 19cm! He looks and behaves slightly differently these days.

CONGRATULATIONS KERRAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Luke - Kerran's 21st

Shylie - Kerran's 21st

Damon and Michael - Kerran's 21st

Kerran's 21st cake

Being in the city makes catering quite simple - I ordered this delicious mudcake on the morning of Kerran's birthday. Not like in the country where it would've had to have been ordered at least a week in advance.

Table setting Kerran's 21st

Kerran and Jessie - Kerran's 21st

Rick - Kerran's 21st

Rick is feeling well - he's lost around 6kg over the last couple of months - the radiotherapy hasn't affected him too seriously as yet. There are 21 treatments to go - that's just over 4 more weeks.

Jessie - Kerran's 21st

Jessie
The four of us met in the trendy East end of Rundle Street on a balmy May Day afternoon for lunch.