Chemo #2

When I was training for my qualified teacher status, one of the pieces of advice I was given was that if I was kind to the children, they would want to come back to my lessons. A small but invaluable tip. I adore my chemotherapy nurses and bounced out of bed this morning to make them cookies. They made me want to go back.

Despite resembling a pile of something less than tantalising, they seemed to go down well with Bianca, Hazel and Mags, all of whom took care of me today. Bianca was new to me but I liked her instantly: competent, firm and kind. Dr Jenny Hewitt had taken the day off to spend with me, to fill the hours while the drugs trickled into my veins with lots of chat and exercise advice. She probably doesn't realise quite how much her time means to me.

She walked me back through a sunlit Ruskin Park and like me, was glad to see the crocus in bloom. A fellow frustrated gardener. The park is lovely and provides a great view across the city. You can make out the Shard and the Gherkin on a good day.

I'm warm and well and despite the nausea, feel that I'm squaring up to the alien. But not without a little help.