Number 9

Blog 15 – Number 9

I was dreading Number 9. 

Do you know the Beatles’ White Album? That was the music of choice on Monday this week. It has some fine tunes; but more and more were dodging the radiation as I lay for longer than was comfortable under my green mask on the black carbon-fibre table in the treatment room.  Actually – and I mean actually – not literally – or like – I’d forgotten to put a CD into what Row calls my comfort bag when I set off to the hospital: Luckily I did have my ipod (PETE, another plug!) which I use to read the latest Stark novel while waiting for my turn on the spit-roast. I quickly picked an album and handed the device to the technician. They have a CD player, a docking station, an mp3 player and at the back of a shelf, even a cassette player for people to bring in their own tunes – I wonder what they’d say if I brought a Mario Lanza 78rpm 10” platter?

I covered last Monday (number 1) in the last blog.
For number 2, Bill drove me through quite heavy traffic. He was quite anxious that we were late – I was chilled. We got there with 5 minutes to spare. By the time he’d got the parking ticket (£1 for 12 hours as a special offer for cancer patients) and made his way to the treatment area, the technician had already ushered me from the check-in computer to the radiotherapy room. Deacon Blue kept me company on the couch.

For number 3, Wednesday 25^th it was Van Morrison. I drove myself. Today the machine malfunctioned, so they took off my mask and an unseen maintenance man re-booted it. Yes, re-booted. I noticed a small Microsoft Windows symbol on the display screen – shiver.
Number 4 brought the quite splendid Dixie Chicks and the quickest visit so far – the car was in the car park for exactly 30 minutes. I suppose I should mention the journey – it was brilliant! Thursday was gridlock day on the M1, A1 and M25 but only north-bound. There was one south bound holdup at Stevenage, but I shimmied round it on the A602 through town. There was a wall of red-lights in the distance on the M25, but they were waiting to stop anyone going beyond J18 (Amersham, Chorleywood, Rickmansworth) – and today that wasn’t me.

Number 5 – the end of Yellow Week – was Sam Cooke – ah, Sam, I first listened to him in 1969 when both my brother, Stewart and my sister, Trish, started buying music for the record player. (What’s Yellow Week? – you’ll have to see the Facebook M&M Photo to find out more).

Had a fine day Saturday – scored under a 100 in the Seniors’ Strokeplay competition – now that I’ve got no teeth I can justify being in a seniors competition. Then in the evening (early evening) friends came round to have fun watching the video I did of the entertainment from the Sutton Pantomime. Had a fine day Sunday watching Liverpool win on my shiny telly courtesy of Sky.

Week 2 – the start of Orange Week.

Number 6. (Does anyone remember those cigarettes? – I curse Sir Walter Raleigh. He was such a stupid git!) So why number 9? It was no joke. I hopped onto the machine at 10:30 confident I’d be off in time for my 10:45 consultant appointment and the Beatles blared. Back in the USSR – love it. Dear Prudence – calming thoughts, breathe deep, Glass Onion – the radiation peering through the layers of my skin searing through the cells of my self leering at the ills of my soul.....quiet now, shhh. It’ll be ok......... Oh-(b)La-Di, Oh-(b)La-Da – nonsense to bring it back to reality – and Wild Honey Pie – surely I should be nearly done by now. But no. In came the technicians and said they hadn’t even started yet as the machine was not dropping the lead leaves into the right slots for the Intensity Modification sensors to work. So today I had to hop off and do stuff (next blog) before coming back an hour or so later for a second session. More White Album – The continuing Story of Bungalow Bill – While my guitar gently weeps – Happiness is a warm gun – I really, really hope I don’t get to Number 9.  Martha My Dear – I’m so tired. But luckily, after Blackbird, the treatment finished and there was just time for a quick blood sample before a Moroccan Lamb Stew and then home.

Number 7 – the fastest run down the motorways to date – 51 minutes – I’ve never seen it so clear. The music was Train – I bought this one just before I started work at The RSPB in 1998. It’s kept me sane through many a project-replanning afternoon.
And finally Number 8 – yesterday. The Fratellis – it would take a while to explain how I got this album when what I was supposed to buy was The Puppini Sisters..... But I love it. Although again, I heard more of it than anticipated as we’d all forgotten that Wednesday is CT scan day when they add this on after the radiotherapy.
Popped into work afterwards to see lots of friendly faces.

So today IS Number 9 and I’m not dreading it at all. Chris Rea’s Road to Hell is in my comfort bag today. Not saying, like.

There. That was different, wasn’t it?

Cheers

Frank