So, here we are deep in to our first week of chemotherapy. It’s Monday morning. A couple of months ago, Monday mornings would have been a busy time being the first day back in the office after the weekend and all that. The business has now gone and the office where I am now typing this blog is a quiet peaceful place where the phone has now fallen completely silent. Today I have woken up feeling good again. A couple of friends called round last night for drinks, Michael my lifelong seafaring friend and David who is the Practice Manager from the doctor’s surgery over in Port Erin. We had a few beers and of course, put the world to rights. However, it all seems to have fallen apart again over night, as listening to the news this morning most of the things we righted are still pear shaped.

I have not begun my day with a walk today. My wife Barbara has deemed the weather to be too bad, so she has taken Skipper alone for a wander around Poulson Park. It’s blowing a gale from the Southwest now and they have given heavy rain to follow later. I was looking forward to a trip out to Fort Island this morning. I love Fort Island. Mind you, I love everywhere. One of the wonderful things about living on this island is that every walk is my favourite walk, whether it’s strolling along the banks of the Silverburn River, out to Langness, Fort Island or, just a stroll around Castletown quayside.

At the front of my house runs the main road into Castletown. At the back is Poulson park, the Silverburn river and the steam railway. I do not need eyesight to know that the days are growing longer. The birds are singing deeper in to the evenings and closer to the dawn. Soon the sound of the steam train’s shrill whistle will be heard again as its rattles its way from Douglas to Port Erin and vice versa. The swallows will soon return. The boats that have wintered on the quayside will soon be back in the water and the harbour will come alive with a hive of activity, boats coming and going, swans and signets, ducks and ducklings. Warm summer breezes will replace the harsh winter gales. Sunshine will bring smiles to people’s faces and the shrieks of happy children will echo from Poulson park again. The winter will melt away in to remission. Hopefully the cancer will too. One or both may return. But between them the sun will shine, and I will live and enjoy today and not waste energy on yearnings for tomorrow.