Two weeks ago I switched to a new chemotherapy drug called Taxol. It was supposed to be easier than the four FEC treatments that had proceeded it. But, just to add to the continuing contrary nature of my body, the Taxol hit me hard with a combo of bone and muscle pain that left me feeling like an arthritic 90-year-old badly in need of regular naps for the whole week after treatment. Plus, I'm still dealing with the cold and coughs that haven't left me since December. Looking back over what I've been up to over the past fortnight, you'd never know it.
First, there's work. We're dashing toward the end of the financial year, which is my deadline to roll out the most comprehensive graphic design system my company has ever had. Really quite an enormous deal and one I'm hugely proud of, especially considering that I planned a wedding and got cancer at the same time I conceived and ran the project. Like anything this big, the weeks up to the launch have been crazy.
Crazier still was driving down to Eastbourne for a digital media conference the week immediately after the chemo. Obviously, I didn't expect to be feeling like a cripple. I soldiered through, with the help of an hour in the Grand Hotel's whirlpool.
By the next Saturday I'd recovered enough to get through a full day's cooking class at Newlyn's without too much trauma ... though standing up most of the day was a bit of a challenge. One well worth the effort. "Butcher it, cook it, carve it" was a meaty feast, focusing on understanding the process from carcass to plate and improving individual skills for meat preparation. We spent the day with Newlyn's head butcher, watching him take both a whole sheep and half a pig from carcass to all the individual cuts, talking us through quality, cooking and shopping tips as he cut and sawed away.
Moving to the "doing it ourselves" part of the class, Piers and I can now debone a lamb shoulder, stuff it and tie it into a cushion shape that bakes and yields cake-like slices. We can score pork crackling into a decorative diamond pattern. Slicing breasts off a pigeon hardly requires thought. My greatest new skill, though, is being able to de-bone a whole chicken with just one slice along the back. This leaves you with all the meat, still held against the skin, that can be stuffed, wrapped and rolled.
And that was just week one. Picking up steam, I rolled into a frenetic week leading up to the next Taxol jolt. More packed work days, of course. Punctuated on Wednesday by medical appointments and a business lunch at Orrery. (Foie gras parfait followed by pork medallions, tempted off my Lenten wine abstinence by an irresistible Mersault.) As delicious as ever and enhanced by the bizarre warm and sunny weather that found us eating outside, basking in the sun despite it only being the 28th of March.
By Friday, time for more chemotherapy. But the oddity of this treatment is that the side effects don't set in until Monday. The first 48 hours is a breeze. So I might as well keep busy, right?
Post chemo, it was off to Arbutus for the best Michelin-star deal in town. Pre-theatre, 3 courses for £20.95. Great Mediterranean food. Porchetta, ricotta gnudi, blood orange parfait. served with prompt and attentive service that gets you in and out before the curtain goes up. Then to the penultimate night of David Haig's critically acclaimed performance in The Madness of King George. Great stuff.
Saturday morning, back in Basingstoke, we piled in our first three potential house viewings. We're a couple of months away from buying, but the initial foray tells us that there's good stuff in our price range. Much optimism. A few hours' rest at home, then it was back to London for a reception at the Savoy for visiting Northwestern President Morton Schapiro. A delightful man who delivered a great report; the place is in good hands. Off then with Hillary to Terroirs, a French-inspired tapas place just off Trafalgar square. Delicious, but a bit meat heavy and probably not the best value for money. (The three of us shared five savoury tapas plates, one cheese platter, one sweet and two bottles of moderately-priced wine and came out at £50 each.) If we try it again, we'll go for more traditional starters and mains.
Trying to slow down a bit, we decided to spend the night up in town at our club. The first time at the Lansdowne since the wedding. I missed the bridal suite, but we compensated for that by a room service breakfast in bed. Off to St. Mary's Bourne Street for the dramatic Palm Sunday service, featuring a musical passion of Christ with three priests singing the lead roles and the choir as the Jewish crowds. Next, to Madsen's with the London Bencards for the traditional Scandinavian Sunday lunch. Herring, smoked salmon, Jerusalem artichoke soup, beer and aquavit. Much merriment. And the warm, sunny weather continued.
Quite a fortnight. Which could have produced ten separate blog entries: reviews of four restaurants, one play and one seaside hotel, an insightful look at the future of digital media in the marketing space, a full entry on the Newlyn's class, details on house hunting and maybe a bit of philosophising on cancer care. But I did all of that while, I now admit, being quite ill and completely exhausted for more than half of it. So you get a round up instead.
And for the fortnight ahead? I am admitting that the Taxol was a bit harder than planned, and promise to take it easy.
Well, easier. We're off to Devon for the Easter break on Friday...
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