A very different week ...

I am trying NOT to blame my Banana Bread for this week's events.  Since Alex had his new chemo treatment last Thursday, life has been good.  Alex has been well but tired and his appetite has been quite good.  On Tuesday night we enjoyed dinner at home with Leon and Celina and we finished up with a slice of toasted banana bread.  I'd made it that afternoon.

Alex left to drive Leon and Celina home and returned home around 10pm very unwell.  The information sheets about the new chemotherapy treatment did list nausea as a very common side effect, but we had both assumed this would not happen 5 days after the treatment.  Alex continued to be unwell and so just after midnight we drove to the Emergency Department of RPA.  Thankfully we were admitted immediately and the staff on duty looked after him incredibly well.

On Wednesday morning Alex was sent up to 6E3 - the ward he had been on when he was in hospital the last time.  This time, he was given a private room.  He had settled down well after drips had been inserted to rehydrate him and he responded incredibly well to the treatment.  He had his laptop, movies and two books to read and this time one of the nurses even managed to buy him a newspaper to read, so he was very comfortable indeed.

He was allowed home on Thursday afternoon.  This was perfect timing because on Thursday evening we were due to be at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music at 7pm.  One of our friends - John Marhin - had won two tickets to attend the 'New Beginnings' performance by the Enigma Quartet.  John had given the tickets to Alex and I - thank you John!

A night out where people "dress up", at the Conservatorium listening to a string quartet play classical music is certainly something different for both of us. 

They played Joseph Haydn's String Quartet in Bb Major, Op.74, No.4 'Sunrise'; Philip Glass' String Quartet No.2 'Company' and Johannes Brahms' String Quartet No.1 in C Minor, Op.51 No.1.  Enigma has Marianne Broadfoot on the main violin, Kerry Martin as second violinist, Shelley Soerensen on the viola and Rowena Macneish on the cello.

It was a wonderful evening - they were all extremely talented musicians and I was very surprised at how enjoyable it was. 

We walked back to the car and then decided to head down to Woolloomoolloo for one of our "fine dining experiences" at Harry's Cafe de Wheels.

We had been here many times before - always on the bikes - so it was good to be back.  It is a Sydney Icon - basically a range of pies and pasties, and served with mash, gravy and mushy peas on a paper plate, complete with a plastic fork and seating is on a park bench.  It certainly doesn't sound much at all, but it is usually delicious and the views are always great.  I think knowing you are next to a series of restaurants where a single glass of wine is probably more expensive than our whole meal just adds to the enjoyment!
Alex had the pastie and I had a "Curry Tiger"

We've also had a very social weekend.  Kiwi Pete is staying with us for a week and on Saturday night we all enjoyed another ISG get together.

The ISG is from my school days - the 4 of us have been great friends since High School (although Marlene - on the left - and I have been friends since we were 5 years old).  So the ISG is now the 4 of us and our partners.  Margaret gave me a sign that sums it up perfectly:  "We may not have it altogether, but together we have it all."

This morning the weather was glorious, and so Pete and Alex headed outdoors.  Alex started de-nailing some of the timber getting it ready to recycle

Pete took one look at our very messy backyard area and decided he would help by tidying it up. 

With the recent wet and humid weather, our brick yard had sprouted. 
Pete did an amazing job, and our yard went from this

to this

The yard was spotless by the time our friends arrived this afternoon.  Hugh & Sue and David & Kaori came for afternoon tea and we all had a wonderful time catching up again.
With a clear yard, Archie was able to kick his ball around and being a strong boy who is "four and three quarters" he managed to kick it over the fence.  Hugh volunteered for 'Dad Duties' and opted to climb over the fence to fetch it, rather than walk around the block.

It was easy from our side because we have a well positioned table next to the back fence.  It was much harder getting back ...
A well earned drink and something to eat went down well and a couple of hours sped by.

Hugh & Sue's son, Archie, really enjoyed meeting David & Kaori's elder daughter, Emma, and they had been playing together really well.  Archie had spied a packet of Whizz Fizz (a powdery sherbet lolly in a small bag) and I will finish this entry with Alex watching over Archie sharing his Whizz Fizz with Emma.  Priceless.