Cancer 113

This is just a short post to let you know that I am all right again now. I feel as fit as a (rather decrepit) fiddle. No more talk of dying or pneumonia (at least for the moment), though my blood results are showing up some other issues. I have a slightly overactive thyroid, which they will retest later to see whether there is a problem. My potassium levels are a little low, so for the first time in four years I have been told to eat bananas, rather than be given drugs, so bananas it is. I am also running on the edge of Type II diabetes. That can’t have anything to do with eating too much cake and chocolate, as I have cut right down in the last few days. Apart from these minor issues, I am healthy. Well….

Only yesterday I would not have dreamed of going anywhere, but today we (I) drove to Birmingham, the big city. As some of you will know, I detest cities and spend my life staying away from them as much as possible with their buildings, their people, their smelliness, dangers, and noise. Today we went to the Birmingham art gallery to see an exhibition called Victorian Victorian Radicals, which focused on art from the Pre-Raphaelites to the Arts and Crafts movement. Being colourblind I know nothing about art, but I do quite like an exhibition. I have never been impressed by the Pre-Raphaelites and I felt justified in my views when I looked around at the paintings. Why did these people proclaim that a medieval approach to understanding the world through art was a good idea? There were a few pots and tiles that were OK, though I still prefer Andalusian tiles, and to be honest Denby Pottery. I know, I am artistically uncouth. I also thought that it was a shame that the people in the Arts and Crafts movement were influenced by these dullards. I love Arts and Crafts architecture but come on, their wallpaper is a bit dull.

Two general points about the exhibition, one good, one bad. The good point is that they supplied folding chairs for crips like me to take around and sit down wherever I felt like, which was a real benefit. One of my biggest problems now is getting around an exhibition without being able to sit down for a few moments. Well done Birmingham. On the other hand, and this is a universal problem, why oh why provide audio guides? At one level I don’t want people telling me where to look, but for those of us who do not want audio guides the constant noise from them is very irritating. Either cut the volume down or burn them in the street. They are a terrible invention. They detract from whatever it is the person is out to see, whether that is a painting or a castle. If you need further information buy a book.

We walked a little around Birmingham. I still cannot walk very far, so had to give up on getting to Waterstones, but we saw some magnificent buildings. Not just older stone and brick ones, but also modern edifices which blended well with the old. We went inside one, were confronted by reception staff, had a good chat and found out about an expensive restaurant on the 24th floor. Naturally, a certain person wants to go there. It won’t do any good to say I am a pensioner now.

Instead of that restaurant we went to Nando’s. Nothing wrong with Nando’s. Half a chicken, peas and chips, with hot peri peri sauce. Grand.