Had a call today from the Oncology doctor, the new meds have been approved, and my blood tests were fine. I have to change blood thinner for the med, but no issue. PSA now down to 0.19, and the doctor said it will reduce further on the new med. I’m a bit concerned about the side effects, as the fatigue I already have is rubbish. However, fatigue is better than the alternative.
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I am so looking forward to seeing the final results of your labours
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Just left the wonderful city of Kanazawa after 2 nights there. Instead of another hotel , our tour company ( the amazing Inside Japan) arranged for us to stay in a beautiful, renovated old 2 storey townhouse in the centre:
Kanazawa is a great, compact city of half a million people that avoided bombing during WW2 so it is v well preserved. We had a full day guide yesterday so we saw the beautifully preserved geisha and samurai districts and Kanazawa castle. We also saw the Kenroku-en garden which is reputed to be one of the finest gardens in Japan
The city also has amazing restaurants and we had a superb 8 course Kanazawa cuisine meal. One of the dishes was a sublime tempura that just melted in the mouth. We were told it was made from ‘fish milk’. Looked it up today and it seems fish milk is actually the sperm sacs from cod 
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I imagine that it is extremely difficult to do, but you must try & adopt the same positive attitude shown on this forum by @Dan_M that you are probably already aware of.
His mental fortitude is some else & has won him many supporters here & much admiration.
Just one thing. Please try to avoid Russian Techno….
Best wishes.
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Making apple
jelly, it will go with a jar of chilli jam as presents.
Not expensive but people seem to appreciate the thought behind it.
The chilli jam is not only home made but home grown
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I think that we are all in awe of Dan, he’s pretty amazing. It’s strange how different cancers are treated. I’ve been told that I will have to live with the cancer, as at the moment it can only be controlled by the meds, and after a number of years they may not work as well. That’s fine, hopefully they will have come up with other alternatives by then.
My immediate problem is waiting for a hip replacement, which has left me somewhat disabled, and helping my wife in her stroke rehab.
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I have a friend who was told she would do well to be alive in 5 years. This was about 12 years ago. Now she is on a newer treatment, which her consultant believes could work for many years to come, possibly longer than her life expectancy for people her age. So I think it is very likely another treatment will come along by the time you need it.
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Last Christmas I bought Mrs C a Virgin Experience Voucher. (Sounds a bit dodgy)
This morning we got up early to give some cats some breakfast at a small Zoo in Shropshire. Mainly Lynx, Bobcat, and Caracal. Impressive to see these animals close up, many rescued from private homes/collections. Some bred at the zoo. The biggest Lynx weighed in at 37kg and looked a powerful boy. It was easy to see they all had different characters. Interestingly the Caracal, although not very big, is the cat the keepers are most wary of and will not enter the pen with it. Personally I wouldn’t like to mess with any of them although they were very beautiful.
I’m trying to remember how to post a video clip.
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One of my bucket list items is to see a caracal in the wild
Missed it on my very first game drive and no possibility since then
Been lucky enough to see a serval and some other smaller cats , but not a caracal
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Had my blood test results through, and they showed a lot as being abnormal, but the Doctor said they were good, I get that they understand what all the meds have done, but it does worry a bit.
Went for a pee, and as I went to flush, saw that the water was cloudy and dark, oh dear. After dinner I mentioned it to Sarah, and she said that she had poured the remains of her mug of tea down the toilet earlier. Aah, thank you dear, that gave me a bit of an unexpected shock.
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Arrived yesterday at this hotel in the countryside in the plains to the north of the Japanese alps. A very special place - it only has 3 rooms. The food and level of service are off the scale. Mrs Duck and I went for a long walk today and asked for some sandwiches to take with us. This is what was provided:
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You’ve been amazing Max, in the last 12 months you’ve had three bloodymajor life issues to deal with and you’re handling them really well. Never undervalue your own strength, and the fantastic way you, Sarah and Ben support each other.
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Just got back from the NEC Classic car show. No Granadas except the Sweeney Consul GT.
Had a chat with Matt from Practical Classics magazine and I’m pencilled in for a feature once the car is done. I’d provided a couple of A4 pages of prose with background and crap restoration etc. I also gave him my blog QR code so he will see what a bodge and mess they made.
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Have seen a few in South Africa - on one drive near Paarl, I saw one sitting on a rocky outcrop. I stopped, got the camera ready and then shouting started, a mob of loud cyclists were coming down the road and the Caracal just disappeared.
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I have been in with many cats - picture of me and my wife lying down head to head with Cheetahs, haveing a lion sit on your lap, or a tiger cub suck on a finger …
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Hey Eoin, thanks, it has been a bad year, but I suppose we all have to dig deep when bad stuff happens, can’t exactly share it out. However, I seem to remember that you had a serious op earlier this year, then managed to move house while recuperating, and followed it up with not quite dying, followed by you recommissing a MB SLK. I think you edge it on class by a long way.
Best wishes and health
Max
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Picked up my new passport today from the post office.
I’ve got to say, the passport renewal service is so efficient. Fantastic service.
Applied online on Sunday.
Interview Wednesday.
Received passport Friday.
Paid for 1 week delivery from date of interview, but arrived in 2 days. Ridiculously fast.
Even the phone advice line is on a different level.
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Yes it’s a bit like the “I’m not racist but….” line
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