Sunday, 27th August 2006

A break away from it all

The surgeon, the nurses, the oncologist and radiographers have of course been giving me life-saving treatment; they have also been prodding and fiddling about with me in one way or another since November 2005. So it was with some relief that I looked forward to August. No medical appointments till the Autumn. No more fiddling about for a while. In the meantime, I have started to go into work more frequently and have a planned return date on the 18th of September. One of the small projects I have undertaken is a return to some form of personal fitness and have set myself a small goal: a sponsored walk for a homeless charity that I and others at work have supported in the past. Watford New Hope Trust is a charitable set-up that helps homeless people off the streets into community homes with the aim of helping them adjust back into a more normal way of life. Just Giving is the organisation we are using to help us collect the funds which makes it a lot easier for us and those people who are able to sponsor the project. Our sponsored walk takes place at the end of the month.

http://justgiving.com/walkinghomeforthehomeless

The subject of a holiday came up in conversation with Bryan and it didn't take long for us to agree a return to Scotland for five days in August would be just the ticket. Our little holiday there last year was wonderful. Our whole itinerary is planned by Robert Kidd of McKinlay Kidd. I used to work with Robert and Heather ( the McKinlay in McKinlay Kidd ) way back in the 80s at Thomson Holidays. A couple of years ago Robert and Heather set up their own travel business in Scotland. They have both been living there for some time and Heather's family is originally from the Kintyre peninsula, so the connection with Scotland for them goes back even further. They both evidently love being up there and their knowledge of the region comes through in the holidays Robert has planned for us. He prides himself with having stayed at all the accommodation he recommends to visitors and the attention to detail has paid off as the standard of the hotels is very good and, most importantly for us, reasonably priced. If this starts to sound like an advert for Robert and Heather it's because partly it is. They are without doubt Scotland's best kept secret so I'm hoping to put an end to all of that by encouraging anyone who wants to see the best Scotland has to offer to seriously consider booking with

www.seescotlanddifferently.co.uk

It was with some excitement that the package from McKinlay Kidd arrived including maps, the itinerary complete with directions of where to turn left and right, ferry bookings and hotel vouchers. We had decided to take a tour around some of the West Coast with a hop over to Mull.

However, our break from all things medical was short lived as, following complaints of tummy pains, Bryan rushed Joshua to the accident and emergency wing of our local hospital with suspected appendicitis. Joshua had his appendix, which had punctured, out the same day. Poor little chap had to have a canula fitted so that he could be kept hydrated and be given a general anesthetic. I know from my chemotherapy experience how horrible they are so it wasn't easy to reassure him as a doctor inserted one into his little hand. Anyway Bryan and I took it in turns and we spent a week with him in hospital as the medical staff were worried about infection and he had to take antibiotics intravenously for three days. Bryan's parents and my parents were brilliant and looked after Benjamin while Bryan and I stayed close to Joshua: we both wanted to be with him as much as he needed to be with us. Joshua lost his appetite and it took another week before he was up on his feet walking and eating properly. We had booked a Brazilian Soccer skills course for him but, with contact sports banned for six weeks, that had to be cancelled. It was not all doom and gloom however. Joshua's recovery to health was enormously helped by my Dad who has been teaching both boys to putt on the lawn at the back of Mum and Dad's house. My Dad was quick to point out to Joshua that now was the time he could practice his putting. Joshua has developed quite an interest in golf ( there's no accounting for tastes) and managed to complete a nine hole putt and pitch recently at a local mini Golf course. In fact such has been his enthusiasm that I have booked a golfing lesson at a local driving-range for his ninth birthday next month for him and nine of his friends from school.

The holiday to Scotland started to look even more attractive after Joshua's unexpected confinement in hospital and before we knew it we were in the car being driven to Heathrow by Bryan's Dad for our flight to Glasgow. Security measures have been significantly increased following renewed terrorist fears: we had to take our shoes off and place them in trays as we went through the barrier. I was not allowed to take any cosmetics, not even my trusty lipstick, in my handbag. A small price to pay to keep us all safe but I resented it all the same.

We picked up our pre-booked hire car at Glasgow and within minutes had left behind the hustle and bustle of suburban life. In fact in no time at all we were looking at mountains and driving through the Highlands and Glencoe national park. Talk about a sight for sore eyes. As we neared the location for our first night's stay at Port Appin we were greeted by one of the many castles en route, Castle Stalker. After a night in a lovely little hotel on the shores of Loch Linnhe we headed for Oban and caught the ferry that would take us to Mull.

We stayed at the little village of Dervaig on Mull for two days and made the most of what the island had to offer including visits to Tobermory ( the real life Balamory), the beautiful white sands beach at Calgary and an unforgettable trip to Iona, ancient burial place of Scottish Kings and Queens including Macbeth. Iona is also the historic site for one of Scotland's most important buildings the Abbey which commemorates the place were St. Columba apparently made his home way back in 563 AD and converted the locals and subsequently the rest of Scotland to Christianity. Robert and Heather described Iona as a 'deeply spiritual place' I can see why although we had little time to appreciate it with Benjamin and Joshua scrambling all over what, for all we knew, might have been important burial mounds. Many remain unmarked. Still we made it there and it was well worth the drive across the single track roads.

Our last day of the holiday was spent by Loch Fyne near Inverary. We enjoyed a visit to the magnificent castle there and the boys enjoyed the visit to the 19th century jail. In fact someone dressed as a warden offered to put them behind bars for a while. An offer too good to refuse and they didn't seem to mind a bit!



On the last night we met up with Heather and Robert at the Village Inn, a very nice restaurant in Arrochar by the shores of Loch Long: a beautiful spot and a perfect way to end a lovely Scottish journey. A journey that took us past waterfalls, mountains and lochs with old fishing boats quietly abandoned on the edge and gradually being reclaimed by nature.