Good Luck ALFI

We managed to get together again on Wednesday night which is our last one before Alfi goes into hospital. Poor Alfi has been suffering for a couple of years now, first with Diabetes and now with a brain tumour. He wondered why his vision seemed to be deteriate so quickly and it became impossible for him to drive. The tumour that they discovered is about the size of a pigeon’s egg and on the base of his spine. If this had happened anytime over 5 years ago there was nothing that could have been done but a medical breakthrough now sees this operation regularly and has a great success rate. The operation is done through the patient’s nose by drilling into the scull through the nose and inserting a camera, scalpel and vacuum tube to hover up the bits cut off with the scalpel. They then drill a hole in the roof of the mouth to gain access to patch up the hole in the scull and then patch up the hole in the roof of the mouth. It sounds awful, but apparently has a much better success rate than going in through the scull leaving an open wound and damage to the brain. Alfi goes into the Radcliff hospital in Oxford on Sunday in preparation for his operation on Monday. We will all be thinking of him, and good luck, it might even improve his intelligence if that’s possible. On the down side, it might be the tumour that gives him his intelligence like in the film Phanonamum (I can never say that).

Talking of films, Jim and Tom said that the new film about the Muslim suicide terrorists called “Four Lions” was the funniest film ever. Claire and I had another walk along the canal to see it on Thursday afternoon but as we were there early we had a quick look in the snowdome first. Well, we are all different and we didn’t find it particularly funny. I know that it make a real difference to how you perceive a film from how the audience reacts and we saw it virtually on our own. I guess that when Jim and Tom went it would have been a good crowd in there which would have created some form of atmosphere. The only bits I found funny were the clips that I had already seen to advertise it.

Friday morning was nice and sunny although quite cool so we decided to have a canal walk again. Some years ago, we started walking from Milton Keynes along the canal towards Birmingham. We would walk for a few hours there, stop for lunch somewhere and then walk back to where we had parked the car. Next time we would drive to where we got to and continue our trek. We didn’t go at all last year but I could remember where we got to because it was where the canal splits into 2 and there were no roads around so it would be difficult to drive to our starting point this time so we looked at where we would walk to and drove there and walked back to our ending point of our last trip. Our starting point was therefore Braunston which must be at least half way there I guess, and we parked outside a pub which served food so thought that we could eat upon our return. Unfortunately, the tow path was blocked by the tunnel for maintenance and it wasn’t possible to get to where we intended to so we walked back and tried to find it in the car. We didn’t have any luck and were now hungry so decided to find a nice place to eat on our way back down the A5 choosing the Red lion. Not bad and it was all home cooked food rather than that microwave stuff that lots of places seem to be doing these days.

Tomorrow evening we are over to Ian and Jane who came to stay with us while we were on holiday in Berwick, Victoria. They have now moved house and we are going over for the first time to see it. Luckily we are staying over so I guess that a few drinks will be had by all. I must remember to take Claire’s camera as it fits lovely in my top pocket. Claire can carry the wine in her saddle bag.

Anyway, good luck Alfi!