UPDATE and my little picnic Wednesday after work in my front yard

UPDATE: The difference between my energy/stamina levels yesterday and today is shocking. Today both are at an even lower level than they were on Monday and Tuesday. I've had to lean on exterior building walls and/or handrails to rest before continuing to walk on the sidewalk to get where I'm going. I even had to rest a bit at work when going to check the fax machine, one of the things I do twice a day--I stopped and rested on the locked shred bin that is near the fax machine. After such a great day on Wednesday when not only my muscles felt more normal than I expected, but also my brain seemed filled with clarity, I'm working hard at not being down in the dumps about how I feel today. The thing to do is take these side effects one day at a time, maybe one hour at a time, deal with each one the best that I am able. And to not give up! Here's to Friday, y'all!



Wednesday after work the weather felt perfect. So much so that when I got off the bus around 3 p.m. and walked by the Subway, I thought to myself, "I'm gonna go in there, buy myself some food and drink, and see if I can get it in my front yard with my folding aluminum lawn chair and my wooden snack table. I'm having a picnic!" If I hadn't been having a good energy/stamina day, I would not have been able to get everything outside without dropping something or spilling something. Here you see my food, a six-inch tuna on wheat with an extra scoop of tuna, shredded lettuce and tomato. Plus Lay's original potato chips and a cup of Coca Cola with no ice. I know it's boring, but that's what I always get when I go to Subway. It's reliably the same which I find comforting.

To say that I enjoyed my little picnic would be an understatement. I loved it! Plus, I got to visit with my neighbor Matthew and his dog Birdie. Then, Lamont found me out there when he came over after work. Sweet! He told me later yesterday evening that it made him feel real good to see me enjoying myself outside.

Today, I was in the recliner by 4:30 p.m., about an hour after I got home. Like my little Mama used to say sometimes, "I just don't have it." That's today, Thursday. We'll see what Friday brings. Next round of chemo is one week from today, Thursday, October 1.

Lunch in Bath on Wednesday, October 8, 2014 - doggone good food and great service at the Cafe Retro, and I survived the stairs!

Ah, my ice-cold Coca Cola and a glass with some ice cubes. Mighty fine--the only sort of pop I drank while in the UK, and then just twice. Those poppies enhance the paint color on the wall. I like the look of this still life photo, especially the curve in the wall beside the round table top.



Juliet's lunch, nachos. She reported that they were delicious.



My lunch, the Retro Breakfast. Doggone good, every single thing on the plate, doggone good. There was very little grease on the sausages or the mushrooms--they're just shiny in the photo.



The menu board out front which lists all the items in the All Day Retro Breakfast--that's why I wanted to eat at the Cafe Retro. Juliet went for the "Gluten Free Options Available!!!"




Great service from Jazz and Monika--so happy that they agreed that I could take their photo and put it on the blog. Thanks, ladies!



The view of the cafe from our table, a very pleasant place at the back of the room. Juliet came back to the table in a few moments and stated, "You're not going to like those stairs to the bathroom."



After walking down them, I decided they deserved a series of photos, starting from the bottom 'cause I'd be too afraid to take photos looking down. The first few steps back up to the ground level floor.



The next few--turning sharply and steeply. I couldn't get over how Monika rapidly walked up them, carrying plates of food in both hands!



You can get a better idea of the tightness of this turn and the steepness of these stairs in this photo.



Looking out onto the ground floor. Not quite there yet.



Looking back down the stairs. I took one photo, quickly. Whew. I walked down there and back up twice, once before we left after eating lunch and once before getting back on the coach--the ladies said it would be OK when I came back inside and asked them, since I'd already eaten there. Thanks, ladies!



One more photo. Thank goodness for the handrail which is solidly attached to the wall. And I held onto that narrow ledge of wood there on the right, until I could get my had up onto that pole attached to the wall.



Here I am in Bath after lunch--wearing my Blue Diamond PDX T-shirt (the Blue Diamond is my neighborhood bar where I thoroughly enjoy myself with their doggone good food, great service, and live music.) The red awnings in the background are on the windows of the Cafe Retro. And you can see the tower of the Bath Abbey in the background. I wish that we'd come straight to Bath from London instead of stopping at Windsor because we would have had more time to walk around and take in the sights of this lovely city.