I will cover off any health related aspects first and overall, the week was mostly good. The side effects do seem to have settled down a lot, with just some intermittent tiredness towards the end of the week; one of those came along quickly and caught me unawares, resulting in me having to take a nap. The lower back pain is there, but more as a result of not having physio done in a while (he’s on holiday at the moment).

Left out of the previous week’s update, I did a walk, with a time of 13:40, which was done the day before Sandra and I went away. The weather has been very hot since, so any thought of another walk was out of the question. This week, I did a cycle on Tuesday morning, before the sun reached its peak, and that was enjoyable. On Sunday evening, I did a walk, with a time of 13:41, which I am happy with at the moment.

Health wise, after 3 weeks of intensity and variable side effects, nice to have some normality for the time being.

I have a couple of nights out this week and the first was Tuesday, with some of the girls. That was a postponement from about a month back, as I had just started my radiotherapy the same week as the original diary date. A nice evening catching up, although not everyone could make this one. On Thursday, I had a meet up with Howard and Matt, which was very nice indeed. We made the most of the weather and the food was superb. Time with former work colleagues and bosses, who have become friends, is a nice way to spend an evening and I am always appreciative of the personal time they give up, to spend with me; I am hoping for many more of these. I forgot to get photos of either meet up, as we were took caught up in, catching up…..

The book front has seen a number of advances and the main one is on the Munkemer book, with the Greek chapter photo captions complete; the majority of the surviving photos are from that 1941 campaign, so it has taken a while to work through. I had a superb piece of news in the early part of the week, when one of my fellow historians sent me a preliminary document that allowed us to confirm the 107th member of the original ‘117’ men. This may not seem significant to some of you, but when working on a project such as this, iron clad confirmation is a big find and I cannot wait to research him (his full colour scanned file arrived later the same day!). I also took delivery of the rare photo album I mentioned recently, and it was nice to have it safely in my hands. I am of the opinion that it is a great album that has some nice rare photos in it. I will scan it in, but not at the moment, as Münkemer is the key focus, If I want him ready for the end of August militaria show. I also did some prep for a trip this coming week, and getting excited for that, as it involves the release of the French language version of my Fritz Witt book.

On the ‘normal’ day to day life, I decided to give my car a deep clean and wash, which was a bit hard going. I have come to the conclusion that I have no further desire to spend 2-hours of my remaining time cleaning 1 vehicle. Therefore, with Karl’s help, I have been given the details of a mobile valeter and will be calling on him imminently, to sort Sandra’s car, then both of them moving forwards. Alanna and I got together on Wednesday, to cover off some key work aspects. As it was half-term hols for the kids, they came too, so we had to intermingle our in depth discussions with keeping 2 kids occupied. I undertook some light DIY / gardening activities on Saturday and during that, Karl and Rachel popped by, and it was nice to see them / the whole family in one week, as not always possible.

Sandra had her second week of shorter hours and it was Friday for her day off. We had made a preliminary plan to travel over to the other coast of Kent and have a day of walking around and site seeing, as the weather remained superb. However, as touched on above, after we had nipped out for some early morning shopping, we returned home and within a short space of time, I felt very tired. I had to take a nap, but thankfully, we did make it out for a bit in the afternoon, just not as far as originally planned; by that same afternoon, Sandra too had become tired, so we had a more relaxed day than initially planned. The important thing for these reduced hours is that we spend time together, and that is what we done.  

In summary, less health issues, more variety and time with family, friends and Sandra; more of those please!

The week leading up to it was a very varied one for myself. Health-wise, the easiest week I have had since the radiotherapy was done. The hardest aspects to handle were the psychological ones, as the impact of last Friday’s call continued to bite; I found it hard to motivate myself at the start of the week - to do anything. The side effects have lessened a lot, when compared to the past few weeks. The groin pain was more notable and the fuzzy head was there, but not as prevalent. The toilet aspects have also settled a little, which makes a big difference!

Despite finding it hard to motivate myself, the week unfolded in a very busy fashion, which helped ensure I had plenty to take my mind of things. I had been waiting on 2 key deliveries this week, via my good friend Colin and he rang me on Monday evening to confirm they had arrived. Thankfully, we were both free on Tuesday, so we spent a few hours together, immersing ourselves in the various historical items that he took delivery of, his and mine; a very nice few hours.

I had a busy Wednesday with data analysis and graphs, as part of my consultancy work. I always enjoy that aspect of what I do, as the analysis always unearths some key points - kinda like researching the book projects. Those book projects moved on a little, but not at the same pace, as I am in the midst of a very ‘busy’ biography for one of the 117 men - fascinating person! I also continued to fulfil the various book orders coming in for Volume 7 and other titles. I also agreed a deal for a very nice and interesting new photo album for my archive. I have seen a good selection of photos from it, but look forward to getting the album this coming week, so I can thoroughly peruse it and see what gems it holds - a rarity indeed!

Sandra had her first week of reduced hours and we had decided to have a plan in place, but waited until Thursday morning to see how I felt. Thankfully, I woke up mostly fine, so we kicked our plan into place, booked a hotel, jumped in the car and spent 2 days away. The first stop was Marlow - a very picturesque village on the Thames. The weather was terrible at the start of the week - like winter, but as we awoke on Thursday morning, the sun was with us, and it remained for the rest of the week (getting much hotter!).Thursday was a very enjoyable day, where Sandra and I had a relaxed drive, lovely lunch by the river, a bit of site-seeing, then we booked into our very nice hotel. Just what both of us needed and a great start to Sandra’s new working schedule, where we want to make the most of that extra time together. Friday rounded off that trip, but a bit more site-seeing, some reminiscing for Sandra (a jump back to a location she spent time at 40+ years ago!), then a bad journey home - Bank Holiday Friday on the M25 - what a great idea!

On Saturday, we visited Alanna, Dan and the grandkids for a few hours and had some fun in their garden, making the most of the sunshine. Sunday see me drive over to Margate and take part in the annual Mod scooter ride out there. Sandra went with me, but I dropped her off at the nearby shopping area. I met up with some friends there that I have not seen in many years, so a nice surprise. The ride out was good enough, but with driving through the villages on the coast, it is a bit stop - start. When done, we returned home and took care of some home tasks.

In summary, the busiest week I have had in around 1 month and a very varied one, with many main interests covered in a few days. The highlight was time away with Sandra, where we had the chance to relax, following the hard impact of that past few weeks.

Thanks for your time reading and interacting with these.

Regards, Peter

The weekend finished off the medical aspects with two very variable days. Saturday was much better than Friday, but then Sunday morning seen me wake up but definitely not fully awake. It took me around three hours to get to a point of normality, after which we had a reasonable rest of the day. Later on Sunday afternoon I decided to undertake one of my usual walks, as I felt better. The first 75% of that was okay, but like the last one, the final bend on the steep hill proved the turning point. It is the third steepest part of the overall walk route and I felt it! The remaining sector of the walk became more and more challenging, but I did keep going, feeling very slow though. When I got to the end, my legs were heavy, but pleased to say I got a time of 13:51, so under 14:00 minutes. Sandra was kind enough to meet me at the top and drive me back home. I will try at least one more this coming week, weather dependent.

Due to the variable impact of the side effects, I did not have too much planned in and the focus shifted to more work on the 117 project, with a specific focus on the ‘big’ guys, which means the more detailed soldiers, who require more time to research in depth. There was a heavy focus on fulfilling the book orders and thanks to those of you who have added the new book to your collections - appreciated. In the second half of the week, I shifted emphasis to the Münkemer book project, where I have begun the process of captioning the photos.

The week ended on my birthday, with me now reaching the grand old age of 57. I know a lot of you do not like getting old, but I changed my views many years back and think we should all embrace every birthday that we get to celebrate; many people die way too young, or much sooner than what they would like. As touched on many times in these Blogs, the key dates within our close family, take on a much greater significance that they did in the BC world. Birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas and the like; my birthday weekend was variable, due to the side effects. Saturday was better than Friday, so we took a journey to a 1940s railway event taking place in our county. Unfortunately the event severely lacked the substance we have come to expect from WW2 / 1940s events, over many years. We did not stay there long and on our way back to the car, I gave our tickets to an elderly couple for them to make use of. We did have a nice drive out and back, but then chose to relax for the rest of that day, as Sandra was very tired. As touched on above, Sunday morning was challenging, with me waking to a deep lethargic and sluggish feeling, which lasted around 3 hours. I managed to rally mid-morning, finished getting ready, then we drove to Alanna’s for lunch (Karl and Rachel are in Cornwall celebrating Rachel’s birthday a few days back). We had a nice couple of hours there, then went back home and had a nice relaxing rest of my birthday.

This week’s photo shows Sandra and I just after we arrived at Alanna’s. Sandra has been by my side for 40+ years now, through all of our lows and highs. I am honoured to have met her and have her by my side every day of those decades of life together; her presence eases all of my struggles.

I will take this opportunity to thank everyone who took the time to send me birthday wishes on social media, texts or other comms channels. I appreciate every one of them and nice to hear from all of you across the globe.

Remember what we say to that pesky God of Death, “Not today!”.

Thanks for your continued tuning into these weekly Blogs - my family appreciates your time.

Regards, Peter

I spent Wednesday with Alanna, where there was part mutual person-sitting going on. Thursday seen me having my 3-month hormone suppressant injection, so the needles are very much part of my life at the moment, and not done yet. Over lunchtime, my friend Graeme called in for an hour or so. He has been a close friend for decades, from the history side of things and it was great to catch up, as he was on his way through and back up home in the Midlands.

Sandra and I managed a 30-minute sit by the sea session, on Monday late afternoon - 2 weeks indoors has not been very enjoyable. That was nice to do, and was followed later in the week with more activity pushes. On Saturday, I done the first walk for a number of weeks, which was challenging to complete and slower than the previous one, at 14:07; I have maintained my bi-daily exercise routine. The fuzzy head remains the main issue, alongside getting the leg muscles moving at pace again. We had a Nerf war on Saturday, with Alanna, Dan and the grandkids, as I felt that would give us activity, but nothing too strenuous, and the ability to stop and take a break, which we did, before completing the war a while later. On Sunday, I went to a militaria fair with Sandra, about 30 mins from us, which was nice. I had a few tasks to cover off there and alongside that, I even managed to pick up a few nice items. It gave me a chance to catch up with some good friends from the group, which is always a worthwhile expenditure of time. We followed that by a trip to one of our favourite haunts, to indulge in some waffles and a bit of retail therapy. We were both ready for home, by the early afternoon and our batteries ran out earlier in the evening, but nice to get out and do some normal things.

Volume 7 arrived, together with the Index booklet. There are some issues with the final print, around the tint / tone of some of the photos, maps and a handful of pages. Not ideal, but no choice. I begun the task of advertising that on the website and the end part of the week was spent fulfilling global orders, which came in thick and fast. Thanks to all of you who have ordered your copy (and other books), they are flying across the globe as you read this.

As mentioned previously, the completion of Volume 7 is much, much more than the completion of another book. It is the fulfilment of a vision that I had 20+ years ago and one that interested me (and clearly interested many of you!). It has been a huge undertaking, but I have increased my understanding of that conflict, immeasurably, as a result. With the changes of the AD world, it is a project that I thought may not be completed at all - but it’s here and Sandra and I are very pleased; the double pleasure is that it has been a truly family involved project, with me, Sandra, Alanna and Karl all feeding into it over those 20+ years, to make it a reality. This week’s photos shows Sandra and I enjoying a celebratory meal, to mark that milestone (we were out much less than we normally wold have been, but we wanted to ensure we marked the occasion).

The rest of the week has felt ‘bitty’ and less focused. That is not normally how I work through my tasks and I am trying to determine if it is treatment related, or just the nature of the tasks. I have worked on a number of small, necessary items, but I am more used to focusing on bigger tasks and getting them checked off; hoping that side of things is temporary, as I am well an truly immersed in the ‘117’ project.

Your time on these Blogs is appreciated and thank for that.

Regards

Peter

For me, the past week was another cautious one, as the unknown of the radiotherapy side effects remains. They have started to increase, but nothing drastic just yet. The right hip area has more pain than normal, and the tiredness is there, but not heavy, just notable that my ‘batteries’ are not lasting as long as usual. Despite retiring 2 years ago, I have maintained my routine and get up at the same time every morning, as I did when working. I then plough through whatever is on my list, as you read about every week. From Tuesday onwards, I am then finding I am more tired earlier in the evening, so we are going to bed a little earlier; will see how that unfolds. The ‘cold’ that arrived at the end of last week is certainly with me this week, but as stated then, impossible to confirm whether this is due to the treatment, or just a normal cold?

I had my 3-monthly blood test on Monday, then collected my tablets and had my first Zometa (bone strengthener) infusion on Wednesday. During that, I had confirmation that my PSA is at 32 - not really a surprise and expected it to be around that number-ish. That infusion takes around 20 mins in total - with a flush, then 15 mins of the actual infusion itself. A fair amount of new aspects to the AD journey lately, but it's a case of getting on with them and seeing if they have the desired impact and help me stick around a little longer.

On my way to bed on Wednesday night (about 12-hours after the first Zometa infusion), I started to feel very cold, The onset was very rapid and throughout that whole night in and out of bed (3 trips to the toilet), I experienced a long bout of shivering, high temperature and head to toe pain. That pain was muscular and made moving in bed a real challenge. That situation remained throughout the day, only eased through pain relief tablets and trying to move around more. It wiped out Thursday, which was spent on the sofa, with me sleeping on and off, alongside changes in temperature; it felt like a heavy flu in every respect. Sandra looked up the side effects of Zometa and that is one of those, which can usually arrive within 3 days of the delivery of the infusion - mine waited 12-hours. Sandra remained at home on Thursday and watched me like a hawk, alongside looking after anything I needed. For both of us, a hard day.

Friday carried on in the same vein, but with a reduction in the overall body pain. The one unmovable pain point is the centre of my sternum, in a very defined and small area. It is restrictive and makes rapid movement difficult, and as for bending over to pick anything up - now there’s a challenge! I have an intermittent throbbing light pain in the exact area where the new growth is residing. My appetite has been notably suppressed during Friday, Sandra remained at home on Friday too.

The weekend began with more broken sleep, a decrease in the sternum pain, but the introduction of a fuzzy head, which resulted in another sofa day. That evolved into a tightness around the top of my skull, together with dry / irritable eyes. The sternum pain eased, thankfully, but was then replaced with pain along the top mid part of my spine, since Sunday morning - directly opposite where the sternum pain is. So, the ‘bingo card’ for side effects from the Zometa infusion (or could be delayed radiotherapy) is being filled up nicely. The slight return of an increased appetite appeared on Sunday late afternoon; will see if that carries on.

Sandra remains on tender hooks and watching how things unfold / checking on me constantly.  She would much prefer to be with me more than currently, which is understandable. We are aware that my time is limited, so we want to enjoy what time we have together, as much as possible. Another challenge of living through this disease and the impact beyond the person who is receiving the treatment / fighting the fight. Sandra has already made the decision to reduce her working hours. A necessary change for her and a sensible one for us, when we step back and review where we think we are in the overall journey through this disease.

When we step back and take a look at what the past (almost 3.5 years) has brought, that has included the diagnosis, then the hard hitting prognosis. The follow on was the very impactful chemotherapy, then the minefield of assessing every small change and thinking the ‘end is nigh’. More up to date has seen the introduction of radiotherapy and the new Zometa infusion, which has brought this inescapable bout of side effects. All of those treatments have introduced ‘alien’ concoctions into my body and all with a view to extending my timeframe. The unknown at this stage is, will they work; we know the first combined treatment of chemo and Darolutamide tablets has produced favourable outcomes. We now watch and see what comes over the unfolding months of 2026.  

Besides the fun week of ‘wait and see’, followed by, ‘okay then, we’re in this’, I did work through more book related items, with some more key ‘117’ biographies being covered off; they’re fascinating and I know they will resonate with many of you who follow that same historical era that I do. I also received the recently mentioned ‘117’ items from Europe - great additions to the collection and a nice poignant set of items, directly connected to one of those former soldiers.

Thank you for the regular time you give to these.

Regards

The beam cannot be felt and it is just noise, during the administering of that beam. In the very immediate aftermath of the ‘zapping’, I could physically feel where the new growth is and the best way to describe the feeling is that it felt ‘defined’. Whether that is the high energy beam getting to work (I do not know). As the day wore on, that feeling increased and a ‘tightness’ developed, around that right hand side of my hip. The pain gradually increased too and up to now, whilst I could feel the growth and had some discomfort, pain was not really part of that; it is now. Thankfully, the pain levels have not reached a point where I feel that I need to take pain relief tablets, but we will see. The tightness and pain remained notable for the rest of the evening and was there when I woke up this morning. It is slightly debilitating, in that I have to think about how I move and cannot move my right leg too quickly.

In the morning of day 2, I went ahead and tried my usual exercise routine that I do every other day. Thankfully, I was able to do all of them normally, with just some slower movement between different exercises and positions. After the second session on day 2, I decided to drive home, in order to see if there were any issues trying to drive; there was not. By the evening, I was starting to feel a little tireder, but unsure if that was treatment related. As with the whole journey through this disease over the past 3+ years, I have aimed to live a normal life, where possible and I intend to carry on like that, side effects dependent.

During day 2, I had a slightly amusing couple of phone calls. The first was from the Canterbury unit to book in the first of my Zometa infusions. That is the bone strengthening medication that Dr. Rahman suggested, to counter the impact of the radiotherapy. I asked if it could be done at the mobile unit, but Canterbury stated no and that they would do the first 2 (they will be every 3-months), so they can check for side effects (the info letter provided a long list of potentials!). I tried to get the appointment for this week, as it would save me another trip to Canterbury next week, but again, that was a no. So be it, it needs doing and I will get on with it. Not long after, the mobile unit rang (I have been under their care for more than 1 year) to tell me to ignore the Canterbury appointment for next week. I am under their care, Canterbury cannot ‘steal me’ and they will administer the 15-minute infusion next Wednesday, when I go to collect my tablets. I have known one of the nurses for 25+ years and she lives almost opposite our home. She was very annoyed and clearly very protective of me remaining with them. I did raise the issue of the side effects monitoring, but she told me they are rare and her team delivers those types of injections frequently, so they know what they are doing. Another key aspect of that Zometa is that I have to get a ‘fitness’ letter from my dentist, to confirm that no treatment is planned for the next 6-months, as the infusion can affect my jaw bone. I have put the wheels in motion for that and hope to have that in time for Monday’s normal 3-monthly blood test. For me, a funny and rapid series of events, but the plan is much more convenient for me personally and I do like being under the local team - they are very good.

Day 3 began with a slightly sore skeleton - the kind you get when a cold is beginning. I also had a slightly sore throat and a bit chesty, so could be just a cold related aspect. The trouble when in treatment plans like these, it can be very hard to distinguish the difference in treatment plan impacts and ‘normal’ illness impacts that we all suffer. Those overall feelings did increase the feelings of tiredness. The pain in my right hip bone area appeared to be less notable, from getting out of bed. The 3rd session was straight forward again and it gave me a chance to ask some more questions. The dosage and the duration are identical each day, so any variation is the duration that I am on the table, is down to them positioning, then taking the required imagery, prior to the actual delivery of the beam itself; great to understand the full workings of what is being done and it helps me to relax more and put my trust in the process. As the day wore on, I did start to feel a bit odd, but that may be down to the slight cold - impossible to say, but I will see what unfolds over the next 24-hours.

Day 4 did show a smidge more tiredness, and increased feelings of a ‘cold’, but nothing too bad. The session itself remained quick and easy, but once done, the area being targeted, did feel a little sorer - but not as restrictive as Monday evening / Tuesday. Apart from that, Thursday was a mostly uneventful day.

I have been thinking about the impact that the radiotherapy may be having on my body and the fact that, like chemo, it is not meant to be in your body. I made a joke with Sandra that I should use the name ‘Chernobyly Pete’ for the time being. That also led to me starting to rewatch the excellent drama series done a few years back, on the Chernobyl disaster on Day 4, a series that provides a stark insight into the extremes of nuclear science. Thankfully, mine is much more controlled and targeted, now a case of wait and see.

Day 5 began with a notable increase in the ‘body tiredness’, but unsure whether this was related to the potential cold, or whether the whole overall feeling is directly linked to the radiotherapy. Sandra and I had plans to go out first thing, to restock our food supplies, but I decided to remain at home, leaving Sandra to cover that chore alone. I took it easy up to the point of having to leave and undertake the final session no. 5, for radiotherapy. We had some superb weather during the week and after we got home, Sandra and I decided to undertake some light DIY, by replacing our garden lights.

Later in the evening, after we had eaten, we both sat on our garden benches and took time to reflect on the fact that I have just completed my course of radiotherapy. It is certainly very, very different to chemotherapy and for me, so far, no real notable side effects; although the team today did remind me that they can kick in during the weeks to come. Radiotherapy is quicker, easier and takes up so much less time. Neither Sandra, I, or my close family, have any idea of what impact this latest treatment will have on my overall health situation, but, as stated above, we feel strongly that we had to take this suggested treatment, in the hope that it does some, or all, of what Dr Rahman thinks it may do. For now, take stock, relax a little and see what comes next; the week to come is when I have my usual 3-monthly bloods and medication renewal, alongside the first of the bone strengthening infusions.

Besides this (deliberately) indepth medical focus this week, I focused mainly on my writing, as it was easy to rest, monitor what may unfold medically, but not remain idle (not something that I have a tendency to do!). Regarding the ‘117’ project, 10% of the biographies have been  completed. Alongside that, another notable quantity of the Munkemer photos have been placed into that book template, with the end of the photo laying phase in sight.

We had booked a night out with the girls that we meet up with regularly, but cancelled that, due to having the dates for the treatment confirmed. On Saturday, after ensuring that I felt okay, we drove to the farm to meet with the group guys and cover off the final tasks of clearing the last of the smaller items from the barn, plus a couple of other related tasks. Great to catch up with those that could come along and also for all of us (pretty much been the same group of guys who have attended) to see this project through to conclusion.

There was a slight increase in side effects later on Saturday evening, but more so throughout Sunday. All manageable so far, but certainly a change; one to watch for the coming week. We nipped out for an hour to get a couple of things, but made the sensible decision to go back home, instead of going on elsewhere, just to continue to be cautious during this unknown phase.

In summary, the radiotherapy is complete and a cautious week as a result.

Your time spent on these is appreciated.

Regards, Peter

The dates confirmation is welcomed, but as you may imagine, there is a large degree of apprehension. Dr Rahman told me to expect extreme tiredness and also to stay close to a bathroom. I have not undergone radiotherapy before, but some of those I know have had family members, or friends, who have and they have commented along similar lines. I do not know the exact impact upon me (personal physiology dependent - like the chemo?), but we have prepared as much as we can.

The psychological impact upon the family is there too and took a notable increase for my daughter specifically. The anxiety amongst the immediate family is palpable and despite trying to behave normally, that approach is not working as well as we hoped. Each of us are choosing different coping mechanisms, to work our way through what has unfolded over the past 3+ years and this new phase is no different. We are varying between hope, confidence, apprehension, fear and harsh reality that this disease is always there and constantly attacking. The plan and the hope is that this new course of treatment will buy me more time and allow me some more normality, after I get over the impact of the side effects of the treatment itself. Despite the deep apprehension and fear, matched with high hope and confidence, what is very obvious is, to do nothing is simply not an option. Whatever unfolds next, we just have to try this new treatment recommendation and hope that it helps to delay the disease a little more. To watch the physical impact on my family, is certainly not easy and sits along my own thoughts and physical / psychological processing.

The discomfort has been increasing and it is time to get something in place to hopefully shrink the new growth. However, on Sunday morning, following nearly 3 weeks of no walking, I decided to undertake one and see how far I got. Pleased to say that I did a full normal walk and the time was 13:21, which I was very surprised at, as I was not pushing myself, just trying to see how far I could get, without adding to the discomfort. I have missed the walks and it was really nice to get this one done prior to starting the radiotherapy. The Grandkids had also been asking to do a bike ride with me and the intention was to do that on Thursday, when they were with me. However, we had variable weather reports, so chose not to. We met up with them for a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon and I took my bike with me. I therefore also done some cycling with both of them, at a nearby enclosed field / park, which is nice and safe for them to increase their confidence on their bikes. Jameson and I went zooming around the large field a few times, so I got further exercise there too.

In between the call on Monday morning and the scan on Wednesday, I focused on the ‘117’ project with another indepth and complicated biography completed. Connected to that project, I have been liaising with a fellow collector in Europe and the result of those liaisons was me securing a hand signed letter and some related photos from one of the ‘117’ men; he was KiA during the war, so obtaining a signed item will go nicely with the other ‘117’ signed items in my own collection. Work was also done on the Münkemer project, but less so in the past week, due to the indepth nature of the above mentioned biography. I also gave some time to updated my signed RKT photos website, adding a number of new additions there.

With the upcoming treatment now confirmed, Sandra and I have been focusing on some key tasks and getting them covered off, as we do not know the duration or depth of the side effect impact to come. Besides some key home admin, I weeded the front and back gardens, plus gave the grass a cut, which should see us through the 2-3 weeks.

Due to what we had / have planned for April, our usual routine of seeing the Grandkids has been out of sync. Connected to that, I spent a few hours with Alanna and the Grandkids on Thursday. They came to me and the day included some retail therapy for all of us (plus some small gifts for Sandra and Karl), then some nerf wars and sword fights in the garden. Both Grandkids are certainly perfecting their aim and some crack shots came flying across the garden! During the sword-fighting phase, they combined forces and employed some psyops in their attempts to take me down. A nice fun afternoon, in good weather.

Sandra and I had booked an exhibition in London, before Christmas and the date for that was Saturday. The exhibition was showcasing items from Ramses II reign and that was at Battersea Power Station in London (this week’s photo shows us both outside that iconic former power station). Sandra had suggested taking one of the boat taxis to the event, so save us getting the train, then taxis, through the city. Thankfully the weather remained good and we drove to the O2 arena in the morning, parked there, then started the river journey at the nearby pier. There were multiple stops along the way to Battersea, with the journey taking around 1-hour. If you have not done that type of thing yet, we can thoroughly recommend it. A great way to see many of the sights of London, with the hustle and bustle of fighting through the throngs of people. We have visited many of the key sites over the years, with our children and family members, but seeing them from the river angle was a good experience. We have undertaken similar water journeys in Paris, New York, Rotterdam, Chimsee, Wörthersee, San Francisco, Hawaii and Dubrovnik; adding London was a great choice.

We rounded off the week with some time with the family, ahead of the unknown and key week to come. The cycling with the Grandkids was another one of those ‘do this before the unknown’ kinda things; important for me, and them.

In summary, another varied week, with key aspects confirmed and some new and enjoyable experiences undertaken.

Thanks for continuing to tune in. Do the same next week and I can hopefully update you all on what undergoing radiotherapy feels like.

Best regards

Peter

The phone call with Dr Rahman is what I was waiting for, since we last spoke to him, but I had a surge of emotion straight after that. It is a reminder that what is going on is out of my control, also that the treatment will have an impact on me physically (Dr Rahman went through what to expect), but also that whatever comes next is also an unknown, regarding actual physical impact in the short term, but also the impact on the development for the disease on my body. The next rollercoaster ride is underway…………….

Back to mid-week and the very warm day we had here, following the bike ride, I then washed and cleaned the inside and outside of my car, then when Sandra got home, washed hers too. I followed up the next morning with completing the inside cleaning of hers. That day equated to my ‘outside day’ for the week.

On the book front, I signed off the main front cover for Volume 7 and the printers have everything green-lighted, with no further holds ups. I hope to have the finished book by the end of the month? Watch FB and my other usual locations, for updates on delivery and how you can obtain your own copy to complete the series for you. Alongside that, further work was done on the ‘117’ project, which included some new files and potential personal material from one of those soldiers, as well as a very detailed biography completed on one of the more interesting former members and thankfully one where I have a lot of info to draw on. I also laid down more photos on the Münkemer book project.

We ended the week with our planned trip to Stratford Upon Avon. That is somewhere we had on our list for a while, but it came with the added bonus of meeting up Sammy and Sheila - friends of ours from the historical group - as they moved to that area last year. The car journey up was challenging and the M25 was jammed up for the whole length of our journey along it. We were very glad to get out of the car at the other end! By the time we got there, then had the call with Dr Rahman, that only gave us an hour or so in the town, before most places closed. Saturday was the main focus and we had a good walk around the town with Sammy and Sheila. The weather was variable, but we missed the showers, thankfully. We took a boat trip down the river and spent some time with Sammy and Sheila at their home, which is in a very nice area of Stratford. By the time we got to the early evening, Sandra and I were wiped out. The impact of our now (shared) cold, took its toll. We made the decision to leave Stratford after breakfast on Sunday morning and get home. Thankfully no hold ups on the way down and after getting home, both us spent the afternoon relaxing and charging our bodie’s batteries.

In hindsight, it may have been wiser not to undertake the trip. However, we discussed the trip on Friday morning and despite Sandra’s obvious relapse, we both agreed that we did not want the health situation (hers and mine) to dominate our lives and prevent us from trying to do some things. This is part of the journey we are in now - trying to do things / get out and about / enjoy new places, but that has to be worked around how I am (mostly), with how Sandra is too (remember, the impact is not solely on me). Nice to see Stratford Upon Avon and its beautiful historic buildings; a place we can recommend. For us, that added bonus of time with Sammy and Sheila made the journey even more worthwhile.

In summary, another very varied week, with lots of ups and downs, but one where we went somewhere new, had time with friends, but also obtained insight into what comes next.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, we are very grateful for that time of yours.

Regards

Peter & Sandra.

Health updates first and the week started with our usual 4-weekly physio, which was straight forward enough for me - some stiffness in the usual lower back, but also on the right hand side, which he got to work on; I did feel a little tired after that.

There are still no updates on the planned radiotherapy, but I did eventually get to talk to Dr Rahman’s secretary. He is off for the Easter weekend, but she will ensure he gets the message, which will hopefully get some activity going.

Whilst I await that, I had a flare up that started late on Wednesday night and lasted through to Friday. Thursday was the crescendo, regarding pain levels, and they started in the early hours of that day. You may know, from previous updates, that I am not a medication taker and avoid basic pain meds, unless really necessary. In a 24-hour period, I consumed 8 tablets; that is probably as much as I would take in a normal year, which hopefully helps illustrate the impact of whatever ‘flared up’. The pain was emanating from the new growth area, but also across my prostate area. That overall ‘central’ location meant that the impact was very debilitating throughout Thursday. Sleep was shot to bits during Wednesday and also Thursday night. I do not know the cause, but certainly felt the impact. By close of play Sunday, the pain had dissipated notably, but was still there.

I did manage 1 walk at the start of the week, with a slow time of 13:32 - the growth is starting to make itself felt, when doing the walks. The arrival of the pain flare up on Wednesday night put paid to any more plans for walks; I did not see sense in exacerbating anything further and will see how the coming week unfolds.

Regarding non-health aspects, the majority of the week was book-shaped. Monday saw me approve the WSS Knights series Index booklet cover, as well as the next non-English language translation of one of my books. I focused on various aspects of both of my new current book projects, the Münkemer book and the ‘117’ book - 3 full biographies completed there!

On Wednesday, I spent the day clearing out the garage of junk and tidying things up a little. Great to get done and Karl helped me do a dump run on Friday, to dispose of that junk. There are a few residual aspects to finish off, but they involve going through items that have a resell opportunity. That was my ‘outdoors day’ for the week and is an evolution of my usual Thursday, when Karl would have come around. His working pattern has changed, but I have kept my mindset on retaining one day (weather driven) for that sort of DIY / outdoors type of stuff.

As I started to feel better, Sandra developed a cold, which hit her over the whole remainder of the weekend. We therefore rested up over the weekend, which did neither of us any harm.

Late on Friday evening, Alanna, Dan and the grandkids called in. It was my grandson’s birthday and we helped him celebrate that, after they had spent the day at Harry Potter Studios, north of London. Great to be able to take part in another family birthday celebration; key dates like these really matter to us all.

In summary, an enforced slower week, but as always, adjustments made and progress achieved in other areas. The impact of the disease is not under my control, but how I cope with what it brings, then try to adjust, is.

Regards, Peter

Alongside that focus, I began the week with the usual back and forth tweaks with the publishers, around the cover for the WSS Knights Index booklet, still to be completed. This aspect is always like that, with various back and forth - one book took a month of liaison before we had it nailed. In the afternoon, I took my scooter out for a jaunt, but the weather was cooler than it looked, so I did not remain out for long. After lunch I conducted a deep clean of that scooter, ahead of a planned event at the weekend.

Tuesday was an ‘activity’ day that started with another trip to the farm. That was to load 2 vehicles and 1 anti-aircraft gun. They were being picked up by a German collector, another collector from the west country and another well-known UK collector (whom I count as a very good friend). That multi-person pick up required a fair degree of ‘herding the cats’, but pleased to say that everything went well and I was departing the farm at 11:00. Whilst in that area, I covered off a quick, but necessary, scooter related task. In the afternoon, I finished off the garage roof job, undertook 2 more DIY tasks, then cut the grass. Just as I finished that, it started to drizzle - so perfect timing. Wednesday was my usual consultancy day, with Thursday and Friday being book focused days - work on the ‘117’ and also the Münkemer projects.

Saturday morning seen Sandra and I travel to the Worthing area to attend the Worthing Scooter Custom Show; our first time there. I had booked my Vespa in as one of the show scoots. Some great scooters on show and very varied on how each owner has tackled their concept, using the same basic Vespa or Lambretta. My personal favourite was put together by another owner names Peter. His vintage Lammie LD was superb and contained a myriad of period accessories; it rightfully won one of the awards. A nice opportunity to meet many other scooterists and talk about our shared interests, alongside telling people about the story of my scooter and its restoration. Whilst in that area, I managed to find a nice establishment to have an evening meal. That was located within a picturesque gardens and nearby valley walk. We took a short stroll around the gardens, as it was closing soon after we arrived, but then went and enjoyed our meal (yes, ice cream was consumed - 2 varieties by myself……..). The drive down and back, was a pleasant one, through some lovely countryside, but more importantly, gave Sandra and I a nice day together, that covered a variety of enjoyable aspects.

We finished off the week with some chores catch up, then in the afternoon we had some childminding with the grandkids, as Alanna and Dan went out to enjoy a movie and a bite to eat.

Another very varied week, with some key, time-critical, tasks covered off (the group vehicle collections was the - almost - culmination of a 6-month project). Hopefully, those of you reading this, whilst dealing with your own health situations, are seeing that those health impacts do not always mean a halt to enjoying life (I appreciate that some situations absolutely do!). Keep fighting the fight, keep forging ahead and keep trying to enjoy this life. Whilst doing so though, remember the impact of your situation on those closest to you. That impact is very deep, intensely visceral and can take longer to adjust for them, than it does for you. Unless you are literally living alone, without having anyone that cares deeply for you, be mindful of how your personal situation extends beyond you personally.

Thanks for your time with reading and feeding back on these Blogs. I know you find them helpful and I will continue to aim to make them interesting.

Regards, Peter

The middle of the week is when I made the most of the very nice weather we are enjoying at the moment. I focused on some much needed, but intensive DIY. I have a small 2-metre roof extension to the garage / workshop at the bottom of the garden. The existing one needed a more effective and durable solution. I had to measure and design a pent frame, then fit the new roof panels. An intense couple of days that required a lot of awkward positioning, which left me with lots of aches and pains, but 99% of the task is done, with just two smaller follow tasks to undertake.

On Saturday, I travelled back to the farm where our historical group stores their vehicles. It was a key day and the culmination of 6-months worth of prep and countless conversations with group members and prospective buyers. We sold off 3 of our key vehicles and the core team from our group, who have been onsite with me for those past 6-months, were on hand to load those vehicles and see them off for the final time. An emotional day for all involved, as it is a true ‘end of an era’. Those vehicles have been part of our group for more than 3-decades and we have had a lot of enjoyment in them. Everything from participation in Saving Private Ryan, Fury, countless documentaries (included the London Invasion series, where the halftrack drove around Parliament Square, up Whitehall and Horse Guards), plus a long list of public and private events. We have reached this natural evolution now and it is nice to see them go to a good home, where the public can continue to see them (Jersey War Tunnels museum). Not an easy decision to make / stage to reach, but certainly a necessity for us now.

That, added to the 2-full days of DIY, brought out the aches and pains, but nice to be in a position to do them and push myself, against the health backdrop. As mentioned at various times, living in the AD world does not mean life is over, it just means life has to adjust and I continue to do that. The key focus is to go with how I feel and make the most of time / weather / opportunities and what life has to offer.

I rounded off the week by completing some of the book tasks, alongside Sandra and I taking a nice drive out to the countryside and along the coast, to get some provisions.

Thanks for all of the very recent supportive words. I have also had some 1-to-1 messaging that focused on how helpful my ramblings have been to others. I write these weekly updates for precise reasons and it is very nice when I can see those reasons resonate with others in the most personal and helpful manner.

Regards, Peter

In comparison, the past week was a fairly uneventful one - deliberately. The Consultant meeting coincided with the completion of Volume 7 of the WSS Knights series of books. Both of those things have dominated my life for, what seemed like, forever. As a result of the news and the completion of book, I have taken my foot off the pedal, so to speak and focused more on variety and doing a bit of what I feel like on the day.

As per normal, the health situation does not stand still, just because we await the treatment date confirmation. The discomfort continues to increase and driving can be more challenging, due to the location of the identified growth. I also had my first dental appointment in a long time. That first became complicated during the 2020 lockdown and then the aftermath of not being able to get a medical appointment for ‘normal’ aspects (in the UK at least). I did manage one a couple of years ago, but against the backdrop of the AD world, impact on the bone structure and focus on the main chemo treatments, sorting a dental check up was wayyyyy down the list. Thankfully, my normal routine has ensured no dental issues have been added to the my health list. A fairly straightforward check up, with another one booked for 6-months. This aspect of my body may seem an odd thing to focus on, but at the height of chemo, and knowing what my prognosis showed, I expected notable impact on my bones and therefore, teeth, as a knock-on effect. The dental aspect has just not been high on the list, because I had much more important considerations to work through. For those of you in similar situations, you will know and understand that the main prognosis has many tentacles and this is just one potential.

I managed 3 walks with variable times of  13:34, 13:14 and 13:20. One of those was last Monday and the same day, I left a sunny Folkestone and drove down to the nearby Hythe / Sandgate promenade for a cycle. When I got there, there was a heavy sea mist and the temperature was a few degrees lower. I did not undertake a full cycle route (done around 3 miles instead of the usual 4.6 miles), but did focus on a sustained rate of pedalling and my breathing too.

Besides the all-present health side of things, I done a spot of DIY, spent time working on 2 different book projects, whilst also helping with another - all at a much more select pace than normal. I also had a hair cut towards the end of the week. Saturday was my daughter Alanna’s birthday and we spent some time with her and her family (this week’s photo shows Alanna and I on the train coming home from London the week before). Then Sunday was a mostly relaxed day and in the UK, was Mother’s Day. Sandra and I undertook a mid-morning walk, then had a relaxing afternoon at home - self-indulging and recharging our mental batteries from the recent onslaught.

In summary, a distinct change of physical and mental pace, by choice, which is a very nice place to be; I intend to carry on as such, until we get the confirmed treatment dates.

Regards, Peter

If you are regular readers, you will know that we had the latest face to face meeting with Dr Rahmen on Friday late-afternoon. That was to get the results of the scans done around 6-weeks ago; those results have shown 2 main things. The first is that the medication and treatment regime over the past 3-years has resulted in some of the initial bone cancer being removed, which is great to hear! The second is what is pushing up the PSA and also causing my discomfort. That is a new growth on the right pelvic bone area, which is jutting out, pressing on my bladder and prostate area. Whilst it is good to know what is going on, it is not ideal that a new growth has appeared. After discussing this with the consultant, he confirmed that the reduction in the old lesions is not uncommon, as is the new appearance. As it is localised to one spot, the treatment plan is straight forward. He plans to zap it with targeted radiotherapy, either through 3 sessions of higher dosage, or 10 sessions of lower dosage. They will be done in a short duration, rather than drawn out. The expected outcome is a shrinking of that new growth, with the corresponding reduction in the PSA level. He will hold discussions with other experts in the coming couple of weeks, to determine the best treatment, then he will contact me to get that booked in.

As I have detailed over the past while, the psychological impact of knowing something was changing and the thought processes of trying to work out what it could be, then how that would impact me, has been tough. The strain it has placed upon me has been notable, as it has for my immediate family. It has particularly impacted Sandra, Alanna and Karl, more than at any point in this journey through the AD world to date. I have taken a pragmatic approach, as I am very conscious that whatever was at play, I could do little about it. Whilst the past while has been far from easy, what has made it harder is watching the almost subliminal, but visual impact on my family. That has extended into the wider close circle of family and friends. Many of us a breathing a sigh of relief for the time being. My personal journey through this disease continues, with this next development providing clarity and a plan to improve the health situation a little. We will absolutely take this ‘win’, if that is the appropriate terminology. There were countless alternative outcomes swimming around my brain, and those of the people closest to me. This is a manageable development, according to Dr Rahman, so now we wait and see what unfolds. I do not know what the impact of what is coming will mean to my short term health, but the fact that we are discussing a treatment plan, can only be viewed as a positive part of this overall journey. I am certainly feeling much more buoyant  about the short to mid-term future. Both Sandra and I took time to relax over the weekend and indulge ourselves with nothing strenuous, just enjoyable music and letting our heads clear somewhat.

You may also recall my references to Game of Thrones recently and the aforementioned God of Death. That has really resonated with me of late, since starting to rewatch that epic fictional work. I consider those fictional words very apt for my thought process at this point in the journey. Whilst doing my walks, I even took the time to embellish the words from the book / series. That ‘God of Death’, it is factual to state, cares not for which faith we may choose to follow, what type of house we live in, what mode of transport we have picked for ourselves, how much money we may possess, nor how our physical appearance is. If we are lucky, we do get to say to that ‘God of Death’, “Not today!”. For me, as this past week came to a close, I felt I could say that, with a degree of mid-term confidence.

Other health related aspects this week were; physio on Monday, where he done a lot of muscle work. I managed 3 walks this week, with slightly improved times of 13:09, 13:12 and 13:14. I also done my first bike ride in many months and that was nice to do; I hope that becomes a regular occurrence in the coming months - but let’s see what the weather does!

The rest of the week was busy with Sandra and I meeting up with Martin (our former work colleague) on Tuesday evening. Great to see him after so many months and the catch up was good. I went to London with Alanna on Wednesday, where we indulged ourselves by visiting a wide variety of bookshops, viewing everything from the brand new, to the antique classics. The weather improved during the past week and that allowed Karl and I to get out for a bike ride along the coastal promenade near us. I had done one of my walks just before lunch that day, then the bike ride after lunch, then went home and done the first grass cut of the season. That evening, I met up with Howard and Matt, where we all discussed our latest respective situations. A lot of health related conversations, which was to be expected, but cathartic for us all, I think. The grandkids visited us on Saturday, with Dan and Alanna, which was welcomed; Time with Howard, Matt, Martin, my children and grandchildren  is always welcome. Not just for the free time they give up, but for the positive impact it has on the mindset.

Alongside all of the above, I also managed to complete Volume 7, with a small list of important adjustments undertaken. I wanted this done prior to having the consultant meeting, as I was unsure where my head would be after that. I have also begun the base work on preparing a book title to be printed by my publishing brand, for another author - the first of someone else’s books I have done for a number of years.

In summary, a busy week and one that was mostly filled with apprehension, but one that finished well.

Thanks to all of you who also give up your own precious time to read these and comment on them, you provide a key part of my battle and I sincerely appreciate it.

Regards

Peter

On Friday, Sandra and I celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary. We took some time and went away for three days. Day One was to the Duxford aircraft museum and somewhere I have not been to for more than 40-years. Back then, I was a member of the Air Training Corps (RAF Cadets) and we went there as a day trip from our nearby summer camp base. The set up of the museum is different now and many of the surviving aircraft are more packed in, especially the USA hanger. Great to see some of them again and amongst them was an SR-71 - the second one I have seen up close. The B-52, Warthog, Concorde and Victor were amongst the highlights. We stayed nearby and enjoyed a very nice Thai meal on Friday night. On Saturday, we spent a few hours walking around Saffron Walden, before making the journey back southwards, into our second hotel. That was next to the Excel exhibition hall, as we had booked a couple of tickets for the immersive Pompeii experience for Sunday. The hotel was very nice and as we had made them aware that it was our anniversary weekend, they upgraded us to a full waterside suite, plus some other small benefits. Our Saturday afternoon and evening was enjoyable, as we had time to relax, before going down to the restaurant to a superb meal. We rounded off the weekend with visiting the Pompeii experience. It uses a mix of artefacts, replica artefacts and VR headsets, which makes for a unique insight into what took place in 79 AD. We got back home on Sunday mid-afternoon, but en-route, we stopped in with Karl, Rachel and Grace to say hello.

On the book front, the main focus was the corrections for Chapter 8 & the Appendices, plus some final clear up of a couple of aspects. This book is very close to completion and may be done by the end of this coming week.

In summary, great to be able to celebrate another key date in the story of Sandra and I, whilst doing so in pleasant surroundings.

Thank you for the ongoing interest in my story of live in the AD world.

Regards
Peter

As I awaited the final chapter of Volume 7, I continued the ground work on the Malmedy project and connected to that, I received some key research from fellow historians within my network. Those additional elements have helped ensure the project is accurate, but also has more depth to it. That final chapter arrived with me on Friday afternoon, but due to a busy weekend, the main focus for that will be in this coming week.

As part of my vintage scooter interests and my annual partaking in the Skabour event each September, I met a fellow scooter enthusiast called Davy, a few years back. We always have a chat at the event, but on Friday, we got together for a coffee and longer catch up. That was a very enjoyable few hours and something different to break up the week. Hopefully we can repeat this in the coming weeks.

Sandra and I made another trip to the farm on Saturday, where we were joined by a number of our group members. More tasks were ticked off the list, which was great, but we also had another visitor who had come to peruse the remaining vehicles. We squeezed in some retail therapy on the way home, which was nice.

The weekend was rounded off with some time with the grandkids, due to us being busy on the usual Saturday.

A quieter week, compared to recently, but one with key tasks being moved on / ticked off the lists.

Thanks for the ongoing input to these posts.

Regards, Peter.