Singing uplifts everyone! Neil and I went to our local community choir rehearsal, Voiceworx, last night, as we do every Monday evening in Kentisbeare village hall. I’m not the best of singers, but it’s such a great mix of abilities that I’m never embarrassed and my singing is improving! Our choir master, Alan Boxer, is our very own Gareth Mallone. We’re so lucky. He’s a talented musician, motivator, composer, rock band member, and dear friend. Voiceworx is open to everyone with no audition. There’s usually about 100 of us, so I try to hide in the Alto section. But you can’t hide with Alan as we all end up singing our hearts out. It’s such good fun and the feel good factor lasts days. Deirdre doesn’t get a look in.

Well, last night I decided on another goal! Voiceworx is performing on 8th December in a huge concert locally in Uffculme and I’m determined to be singing in it. So long as I practice at home before and after surgery to make up for missed rehearsals, I should be fine. And I’m determined to get back to rehearsals as soon as possible after my surgery. I know Alan won’t mind if I start off a bit croaky. That’s what’s great about this choir as all abilities are welcome.

Last night we practiced Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, then Handel’s ‘Hallelujah chorus’, then Coldplay’s ‘Fix you’, then Gaudete and so on. Alan’s co-choir leader, Sue Wilson, adapts all kinds of songs to exciting 4 part versions and now we are singing her version of Muse’s Madness track.

If you want to know more, here’s the link:-

http://mailchi.mp/49000d735f57/10th-anniversary-concert?e=66f6830a5d

Tickets for the concert will go on sale soon so let us know if you’d like come. It’s going to be such a big event and Neil and I are excited to be a part of it.

Right……..back to my current goal to walk up the beacon every day, so I’d better set off. It’s a beautifully fresh sunny day and I reckon I’ll romp up singing all of last nights songs.

I confirmed have a date for surgery! 20th October 2017. Wow!! Its almost bewildering to know that in less than 3 weeks, I shall be rid of Deirdre and starting the road to recovery.

It’s a 7-8 hour operation and so I need my heart and lungs to be as fit as possible. Thank heavens I made that pledge to myself 6 days ago that I’d walked up the beacon every day come rain or shine, and I haven’t missed a day yet. The first 20 mins are uphill and I still haven’t made it to the top without stopping, but once at the top I’m happy to stroll around quite quickly and enjoy the early autumnal countryside. Its not exactly a steady improvement as some days are more tiring than others, but I definitely feel most uplifted every time I get home and get some jobs done. I haven’t had a challenging rainy walk yet, but with nearly 3 weeks to go in October, the heavy rain will most definitely come!

Thanks to my googling last week, I’m far more accepting of my limitations and I’m not forcing myself to eat anything that is painful, even though it might be sensible food. I had a great chat with my surgeon brother David yesterday, who was most impressed that I’ve managed to keep my weight up since the wedding, despite being unable to swallow comfortably. He’d always wanted me to be trim, fit and healthy (you know what surgeons are like!), but now he applauds my absolutely appalling diet. We did laugh. I won’t be able to eat or digest food for little a while after surgery, which I why I need to pile on the weight before hand. I’ve completely given up trying to eat healthily and instead I eat whatever it takes to keep my weight up, like lashings of butter or cream on everything. Yum! Luckily I really enjoy soft berries with local honey and Greek yogurt, and I can eat most cheeses, with my staple drink 50-50 milk and hot water, so I am getting my nutrients in, along with all the naughty sugars and fats. David has been such a fantastic support, as have all my family, including of course my husband, the gorgeous Neil.

Speaking of whom, Neil has been swimming his heart out. Yesterday he swam 4km in the picturesque Whimbleball lake at the edge of Exmoor, for which he’s been training ever since his Port Issac swim. He left at 6.30 in the morning. He did gently invite me to come and watch, but I have to confess I wished him well, then rolled over and enjoyed a further 2 hours sleep in our comfy, warm bed. I can sleep for England these days, which feels wonderful after the manic time I had on steroids.

Neil has now swum 25km of his 100km goal he has set himself to swim by the end of the year. With all the generous wedding donations and more, he has reached his target of £5000 for OPA so we’ve added the local Force cancer charity who also deserve all our gratitude for the work they do locally. Both charities have helped me hugely and are such worthy causes.

Here are the links to the charities and the donation pages:

OPA: https://www.opa.org.uk

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/neilrushton1

Force: http://www.forcecancercharity.co.uk

http://uk.virginmoneygiving,com/CeriAndNeilwedding

I’m currently awaiting my CT scan in Exeter RD&E for the oncologist to review the results of my chemotherapy/radiotherapy treatment. I’ve been thinking about my diet. I ate and drank far, far more when I was fit and healthy without putting on weight. It just goes to show that eating lots of the right food maintains a healthy weight and it doesn’t take much fatty food to pile on the weight. So when this is all over and my weight is stable,  I shall look forward to getting back to a healthy diet. 

And to end, here’s a damp photo or 2 taken up the beacon this week.