And So - It Is Time To Accept Your Medicine And To Move On

When I was really ill and I had to have Chemotherapy I realised that I'd have to "accept my medicine" and as hard and as stressful as it was, I would have to go through with it if I were to combat the Cancer and if I was to give myself any chance of being well again.  There's a pay off for the pain you go through and whilst it isn't a measure of efficacy it is a re enforcement of "no pain no gain" sort of psyche.  

The reason that I'm taking all this so well is that it isn't the physical pain nor the mental pain that can get me - I know that.  I try my very hardest not to be affected but I'm not always successful at it.  Waves of self doubt wash over me but I know that my course is true, that my cause is just and that I am doing the right thing.

What I wish for myself right now, is not attainable which is unfortunate.  I will not end up with the person I wanted to end up with, in the circumstances I dreamed of and that met my dreams and overactive imagination.  So disappointment all around in many ways.  My dreams and my ambitions of many years lie ruined at my feet.   Or do they?  I cannot write off my marriage, my children nor my life up until now.  They are what they are.  I'm proud and love my children very much and they've turned out to be very nice human beings :-)  In many ways my wife and I were very happy for many years and built this life and all the material things around us.  

I say it is all in ruins but perhaps that's because at the moment it does look like that.  Beyond the veneer I expect it to be a lot different.  I see my life changing significantly and I do hope that Mrs. F. will grasp the opportunity to move on in her life too.  I so hope so.

An evening with Flocky was good tonight to sort of tune our heads again.  He had last year the Christmas I am about to endure.  My last family one, half the people around Christmas day will know what is going on and half will not.  It is difficult but once this is over - new opportunities arise and new horizons appear.  I feel that it is already taking place and acceptance is near.  It is awkward as we look back to about 24 years or more of family Christmas gatherings.  Presents on Christmas Day and the joy of being a family together.  I feel like the "baddie" in the Pantomime - all the audience hissing and spitting at me :-) Oh well - it wont last long and I can move on.  This time next year will be whatever life has in store for me.

How the New Year calls me on to greater things and how I look forward to being my own person again.  At the moment I am not really getting to grips with the business and other things because I'm still stuck here in the house which has "atmosphere" shall we say.  Roll on 2014 and a new leaf in my life. 

Christmas Starts Today

The Turkey and other bits will arrive courtesy of DHL if they can battle through the gales and rain that is (Update: Arrived).  The house looks ready, I've hopefully wrapped and am about to post the last of the eBay stuff (for a while).  I've managed to get up after an awful night's sleep.  Frankly I should have slept like a log but was having a number of things rattling around in my head mainly related to a phone call I am going to have at lunchtime today.

I haven't spoken to "my Angel" for over 5 months now and whilst we exchange pleasantries online we haven't spoken for real since I met her briefly for a coffee one day.   She means so much to me but in the New Year I need to be in a position where she meant so much to me.  That little change in tense should say why I was in a bit of turmoil overnight because it's a statement of moving on and letting go of my past and despite all that happened in 2013 and all that it meant, how I felt, how it enabled me to finally become self-aware and the great debt I owe, the only way to really repay that is to make use of it and move on.  

Because it feels ungrateful it gives me problems but also whatever thoughts and ideas I may have had about the future haven't happened, aren't likely to happen and cannot be forced to happen and anyway, none of it is in my control either.  It's like Tantalus and I will never be able to achieve what lies ahead if stay in the same place grasping for the same thing - it isn't going to happen.  Being human often means that you grip on and chase things that are impossible or can never happen.  If they were meant to happen then they would.  It's no use trying to force it.

I have no doubt that we will remain friends but I want today to be a turning point for me.  So much is changing around this time of year.  It's my last Christmas in this house, my last "together" so to speak.  It will be the last as a family unit and I have no idea what it will be like next year.  I have no idea of my situation.  The New Year is always a good starting point for resolutions etc, a milestone of sorts and I won't be able to go into 2014 carrying any baggage.  I'm sure there will be some and that there are regrets and of course everything isn't ideal.  I just made myself "poor" and of course made Mrs. F. the same but it isn't all about that by any means.  

The one thing that has to come about has to be for me to become happier and to live my life and start to rebuild and enjoy myself.  I find it a shame that I've been "unhappy" for such a long time and didn't do anything about it.  Soon, I'll be in a position to be happy and to have, as near as possible a clean sheet of paper to work with. Let's hope I make the most of my opportunities and just enjoy it every day.  Keeping the worries about the future at bay will be a challenge but I have the tools to do that - I just need to work on using them and keeping positive.

It's Too Easy

To do what I did today.  I went out for a walk, went to both pubs in the village and had just a few beers and soaked up the atmosphere.  Got an invite to New Year's Eve at the Woodman (maybe I'll go).  What was too easy was that on the way home I bought half a bottle of Scotch and I note that 3/4 of that is gone!  I don't feel particularly drunk - I've been drinking steadily all day I suppose.

Got another one of "those" moments as well when told I'd need to be in Monday as the food was being delivered - it was the first I'd heard as I was told that both girls would be in.  Let's hope it arrives early in case I need to be out!  Thanks for the notice.  I shouldn't be surprised either that people just go to bed without saying goodnight and people come and go and don't tell me.  I suppose that's just making me feel like I feel anyway :-)  It will soon be over and that's what I keep telling myself - in a month it will all be over and I can get on with a newish life and have none of these "pressures" and pains.  Well that's what I hope anyway.

It was interesting that things are being put in boxes for me - like all my Chinese crockery and other stuff of mine.  In a way I'm glad that it is beginning to be like that - much as it hurts - it does mean Mrs. F. has accepted that it is going to happen.

Sunday - Should Have Been Going Out

But wasn't certain that being set up with a blind date just before Christmas was actually a good thing.  It's like the body isn't cold yet and I'm really not ready for all of this again, not so soon anyway.  I am recovering from the shock and disappointment and I'm not sure how I would react or behave because despite saying it isn't affecting me as much as it may perhaps should I'd be a very cold fish indeed if it wasn't affecting me in some way.

I wondered whether to just jump on a Plane after Christmas - perhaps I will if it isn't nice.  Or maybe go hit some other bolt hole.  As usual though I really need to be here to have a look at the house but I suppose if that got sorted PDQ then maybe I could head off for a while.  But wait, I have a committee meeting to attend to as well!  And yet again once that and a few other things are out of the way perhaps a short break might be a good thing?  Who knows - I can work on that later no doubt.

Not to plan

Things haven't been going to plan all day today.  Was having breakfast well actually cooking it when Estate Agent rang saying had we had an appointment made to see the house?  Well no we hadn't.  She had an appointment at 10:30 apparently and Flocky and I didn't want to miss that for sure so we asked to see at 10:00.  Poor old Flocky was only just out of bed so he flew over here - I had half of my planned breakfast a rushed Espresso and off we went.  We got there to find that no one was in the house so we couldn't view it anyway.  

We headed back to the coffee shop and had a few coffees and I then had to head off for a lunch with a few of the lads.  That was quite nice and interestingly we went to the Chinese restaurant we had been to recently where I had over done the Sake!!  Pleased to say I didn't do that but we had a nice meal followed be a few beers but surprisingly - it was all over by 5:30 and so I was home at 6:00.  

Then Mrs. F. was dressed up to the nines ready to go to her company's Christmas Lunch - which is great - it's nice to see her actually in nice clothes and smelling good.  Shame she doesn't do it more often IMHO.  I hadn't recalled her telling me but of course, these days I have to do a fair bit of mind reading! :-)

Soon I'll be out of here and I won't need to worry about what is going on or who is doing what and so on.  In many ways I'm pretty glad about that.  It kind of hurts too somehow.  I'm going to have to do some more things that hurt soon as I cut away from the house.  I do need to work on a plan to make sure I don't lose touch with my children and so I will have to ensure that I keep in touch with them.  

This arrived in my inbox today - I thought it was rather poignant:

"You are not IN the Universe, you ARE the Universe, an intrinsic part of it.  Ultimately you are not a person, but a focal point where the Universe is becoming conscious of itself.  What an amazing miracle."

Eckhart Tolle

Business Like

I'd say that Mrs. F. and I always did have a business like approach to things especially finances.  We actually sat down and worked out some financial stuff last night and we didn't get upset or tearful we just got on and sorted stuff out.  It was interesting as we need to cancel one lot of credit cards - well they want to charge us for the privilege of owning them and as I have another 3 or 4 cards that don't cost me - what's the point?  They didn't even argue the point...  You'd have thought they'd want to retain a customer.

It's the main credit card so I have to change all the people I have it registered with to my new one when that arrives!  Doh :-)  Actually it isn't too sad as long as I remember which one is which.  We are both going to now have our own accounts and of course that's fun too.  Who pays what bills and so on.  Mine is going to take a massive set of hits in the next two or three months.  Mainly with paying the rent for 6 months and any deposit and any other incidentals.  On top of that I have the investment in the business to make which whilst I can make in stages is still needed in less than 6 weeks start to finish I'd suggest.

For the first time in a long time, I found this morning as the sun shone in to the kitchen and I made breakfast that I felt a twinge of regret almost pain at what is about to happen.  Whilst I've felt bad all along, this is certainly a different feeling it was knowing that I'll be moving out of here, my home for all this time and that I'll be setting a new course and direction.  The main thing I suppose is not to worry about the future too much it will be what it will be and worrying about it will achieve nothing at all.  If I'm there for 6 months or 6 years it matters not, it's the journey, it's the ability to release and break free of the boundaries and barriers that were set and closed in on me over time.  

I see that over the years there was a general erosion going on.  When I first got married I managed to listen to and play music of all kinds on my guitars and keyboards etc.  I was able to look after an enormous garden, we made wine, beer and all sorts of jams and things from the gardens and hedgerows.  I played Golf regularly (my golf clubs are rusted, dusty sticks in the garage now).  I used to play Squash and Badminton - the latter to a good level.  I read books avidly.  Now more recently I've read more and more thank goodness.  I used to write creatively and again, recently have gone back to it. 

No wonder I felt claustrophobic, the walls of my life kept narrowing down on me and the straight jacket threatened to completely strangle me.  I feel much better having written these few sentences because in essence this is exactly why I am leaving and more so why I am excited too.  Of course I'm going to regret giving up what many would envy as being a good life.  I have everything I could ever need and almost don't need to work.  But at what cost to myself and also if I am honest, to Mrs. F. too.  What would it be like for me to be like I've been these past few years.  I've been depressed and moochy, I've been faddish trying to sort out what on earth was wrong with me.  I've flitted around trying to work on my general health and my mental health and if I'd stayed she would have had to deal with someone who wouldn't have been happy and who was sinking deeper and deeper into a depressive state.  

Well - that's quite enough from me this morning - I need to get a few things done - some more stuff to post off and my daughter L comes back from Uni later so that will brighten the place up and we can perhaps decorate the house and make it look a little like Christmas and see if we can get Mrs. F. cheered up a little.  She just can't be bothered to do anything and we need to step up to the plate and do something about that.  I also don't want everyone else to feel not wanted when they are round here.  It's unfortunate that since I've mentioned it, many people thought that they weren't really welcome when they came around here.  I know on occasion I've had to apologise over Mrs. F's apparent gloomy demeanour.  I suppose I'm used to not getting an answer when I talk to her or getting one of her looks.  At least no one need worry about that if they pop around and see me next year!

I feel better already - I have written all this down somewhere so I don't keep falling back into the trap of why did I do this and am I doing the right thing :-) 

Well That's An Education

Interesting place but a little smaller than I thought - it would probably do but the agent suggested somewhere else so we had a quick look at the outside and it does look good.  Flocky had a laugh though as it is opposite someone we actually know which is funny - of all the roads and all of the houses..... :-) It's strange how often that sort of thing happens and you bump into someone or something unexpected comes up.

Hopefully we will get to see it tomorrow or Saturday.  At least it isn't on a long contract and also looks like we might be in a bargaining position too on that one.  

Still no decorations up here - not sure if the girls are going to sort it out or not - I will wait for instructions before doing anything.  On the way back Flocky dropped me off nearby where there is an old fashioned Greengrocer shop - Mmmmm I have some lovely Chestnuts and have rescued my Chestnut Pan and will roast a few off tonight - yummy.

I've tidied up downstairs and have loads of junk now in my office - not quite the plan I had in mind when I started.  I still have loads of CDs and LPs and Singles lying around - I will just have to work out what to do about them once I get to a point of knowing what I'm doing.  I suppose I could continue to sell them but it is getting tiresome now.  I may well offer these out to someone if the Charity Shops don't want them.  

I'm trying to get into the mood by listening to Christmas songs but it isn't working at the moment.  I think L will be back from Uni tomorrow so that will cheer the place up as she's as mad as a box of Frogs and so at least the house will be happier than it is now - not difficult I have to say.

So, an Education?  This rental malarkey is all a bit different and it's easier to be a layabout and get a rental property than Flocky and I who have no debts, no mortgage and no credit "history" as such.  How funny that it is difficult for us and we have no problems actually paying!  You gotta laugh!

So onwards and upwards.  They say moving house and divorcing are the two most stressful things you can do and we are doing them at the same time :-)  It isn't so much the stress although I can feel the tension but it's the upheaval and suddenly after 25 years here I've got so much junk - still - and I've cleared a load of it out.  It is funny that I have loads of stuff like guitars, amplifiers, piano, two keyboards, a trumpet and music stands and books.  Two huge exercise machines and suddenly space starts to be at a premium.  Luckily Flocky has a house full of stuff so I may get away with a small move now and then have to work out what to do later in the year and dependant on what happens with this house will determine what my next move may be.

Reality Bites

I told Mrs. F. that Flocky and I are starting to look at property - and there's one that looks good we are seeing in the morning.  It's just about ideal in terms of what we can see on the photos and description.  Quite nice and far enough to be out of the way from here but not too far.  I know the area a little too so that's good.

Spoke to Mrs. F. tonight and she is quite business like about the finances and we are going to adjust some of our finances especially Credit Cards and the like.  I have some in my name and have applied for some others to give me a bit of flex really.  There's stuff all over the place so we will rationalise that but I have a lot of things that are set up to come out of the credit card so I need to go and adjust that pretty quickly.  Things could all go pretty quickly by the looks of it - we will see tomorrow when we go view the property.  Hopefully it is still available as they had some other people there earlier.  Mind you they also had another property which was a little closer to me - 15 minutes walk I suppose.  That is also a good back up.

Anyway - will see in the morning but I suddenly feel very different tonight than I have before because it is now the business end of leaving the house and I can see that Mrs. F. appears to be able to discuss, in short measures, what is going on.  Bless her.  Let's hope that this can be done as painlessly as possible and that we don't hurt each other more than we have to.

Well let's see how it goes.  It's exciting and daunting all at the same time.  After last night I really felt that I wanted to be out after Christmas - just because it is so depressing here at the moment.  We don't know how to deal with each other being here and if I am out of the way at least we can text or email each other and sort stuff out like that.  I can come back to the house when she isn't here and take it from there.  I think I will be quite sad to leave this house in many ways as it is where the girls grew up but life moves on and change is a constant.

I think I've squared a few other things in my head as well now.  It isn't surprising that my head is awash with details and loose ends and I think I said that I'd lose some friends and in some ways I'm going to have to do the losing of some myself.  By that I mean - put them into the distance and not to proactively encourage them unless by some miracle they decide to continue the friendship.  I feel sad that this will be an outcome but I need to give myself every opportunity of this being a clean break and a new beginning and I need to "divorce" myself not just from Mrs. F. but also from much of the flotsam & jetsam that washed up on the shores of my brain.  Some relationships are dead and over, some are on life support, some aren't as strong as they could or should be, some are imaginary and some will never fruit let alone blossom.  Hard as it is, these have to be cut out of my life and cast aside as they aren't helping me move on.

This hard pruning sounds drastic but I'm guessing you just have to do it.  These people are part of my old life - if they bring something new to my new life then maybe, just maybe we regrow the relationship.  Let's see what happens.  

If it is possible to be excited and apprehensive all at the same time then that is what I am.

House Hunting

It's taken a while but here we are near enough to smell the coffee.  Seeing Flocky in a short while to go through a couple of places and maybe to see if this place which is local to us might be worth having a look at.  It certainly looks doable and covers both of our requirements.

I had a funny old night, my friend was over so we went for a beer and very nice that was too and then for some reason I got all hung up on something trivial (it happens) and tortured my mind and didn't catch it quick enough to stop it going around in my mind.  I thought about it this morning and dismissed it in a second!  Stupid brain, I hate the way it does this.  I know what it is all about - it's the coming Christmas and New Year and it is also about turning my back on one part of my life and moving off in a new direction and I couldn't see beyond the sadness of it and of course it is just a change that's going to happen.  I think some of the these thoughts are reactions are just unexpected - you know that they are coming but you can't "experience" them until they happen.  But there you go.

It's all about change and moving on and it's also a bit about leaving behind many things and that was also about realising that I'm "letting go" of more than the marriage it is also the life I had and in some way I think I'm going to lose some friends too because maybe that's the way it rolls.  I should be used to it because that's what happened when I got ill.  

I know once I am out of here and onto my new venture that I will be able to spend real time building something and also not "feeling guilty" about things - I certainly note that I am whether by accident or design taking on that sort of mantle.  I feel really bad for what I am doing and I'm the one being contrite and humble all the time.  That too will fall away and go I'm sure.  

I know I'm bound to be upset, confused and the like - it is going to go with the territory without doubt.

Lonesome Day

Well no one has come back yet so it's been a quiet (apart from my music) day so far.  I had to reset my mobile phone yet again - must be the 4th time in 2 years! Damn thing so it is back to where it was and I've had to upload Apps and type in huge huge passwords - I tend to use massive passwords to help security - it is a pain in the arse when it comes to this sort of thing though.  

I'm almost free of posting stuff out now - have some non-payers which is annoying to say the least as they just waste your time and who wants that?  I have had one of the deliveries I was waiting for arrive bang on 1 pm so that was good but of course I missed the funeral.  These things happen of course!  I'm waiting for my festive coffee pack to arrive - that will cheer me up as there are some speciality coffees in there which will be nice to have over Christmas.

I have finished, just about, all the Christmas Cards now and just need to arrange with Mrs. F. which are to be dropped off (I can do a number on Saturday) and which need posting and that's the lot then.

I think there's some cleaning up of the house to do - I've arranged to see the Asthma Nurse in the New Year so that's all OK and she can do my Blood Pressure at the same time.  Will have to see if I'll need an inhaler or not :-(  Don't fancy that but as an ex-smoker I may need it.  

I think that's most of the stuff under some sort of control now apart from working out what I am going to take with me, how to resolve and split bank accounts and so on.  That's my next job. 

A Taste Of Things To Come

I'm in a strange place at the moment.  Home alone, Mrs. F. and the girls have been out for some sort of birthday bash in Cambridge and they are staying there overnight I guess.  I was hoping someone would be here to pick up some of the deliveries arriving so I could go to one of the Lodge member's funeral.  That looks unlikely so I will have to stay here for the deliveries.

I've got some posting to to do too and a load more eBay stuff probably the last major posting the rest can be done piecemeal.

The house is empty so I have my music on a little louder than I would normally at this time of night listening to Steven Wilson and Drive Home - featured on an earlier post (and below again).  It pulls me back to listen to it's message again and again.  It's about breaking free from the past and moving on and it is one of my tracks of 2013 alongside so many others I could list - perhaps I ought to do that.  Perhaps I ought to come clean with you all and tell you what really has been going on in the background unless you've read right in between the lines and got past the innuendo and false trails.

Life is so simple and so complex for me all at the same time at the moment.  I feel great excitement and anticipation at the opportunity to turn the page and write a new history, a new chapter for myself.  I do however look back at some wonderful moments this year that have slipped through my grasp and pulled me up short of my dreams and desires.  Such my friends is how 2013 was for me it has been a momentous year.  How I wished I'd known what I know now - 20 or 30 years ago :-) 

Oh, Right, That's How It Feels

This separation malarkey is very strange.  There's some extra "stuff" to deal with - especially today as it is Mrs. F's birthday.  The first time in 36 or maybe more years we've not been out or done something on her birthday and it feels very strange indeed.

Even more strange as she announced this morning that she was off - which I knew about - but that she was staying overnight and wouldn't be back until tomorrow.  I know roughly where she is going but that's about it.  the girls haven't told me and so it remains a mystery.    Oh well, so be it - I was surprised how that stung though.  In a month or so it wont matter what I do or what she does or where we go as we won't be under each others feet.  Somehow I did find it a bit shocking though.

Oh well - roll with the punched old chap! :-)  I really didn't expect myself to be affected quite like that.  There you go.  I imagine then that when I move there'll be other wobbles like this.  Also I ought to expect similar at Christmas time.

Mrs. F's Birthday

Well I got a card and I got the book - I think I will sort of leave the book lying around somehow for her not give it to her for her birthday.  I feel awful about it but there you go, it cannot be helped and today I've done the newsletters to friends and family announcing to the world what is happening.  It should be cathartic but it isn't at all, not in the slightest, it actually makes me feel a bit sad really.  Mrs. F. was out for the majority of the day and I came back up here to let her watch Sports Person of the Year in peace in the main room.  She was watching it in the kitchen.  She is out tomorrow apparently going to Cambridge for the Day so L may be involved in that too.  The girls are taking her out for the day - I'm pleased about that and of course, I feel empty and upset that I won't be taking her out for her birthday for the first time in about 40 years :-( 

But I have the opportunity now to move things on and go hunting for a place this week.  There are a couple that strike my attention and I'll be seeing Flocky in the morning for some coffee and a chat about the strategy to go find a place.  We don't have long and of course with Christmas in a mid week situation and New Year the same it doesn't give much available time to find and sort a place and arrange moving although that shouldn't matter too much as I don't actually have to be out of here on a certain date.

It's amazing what things I need to sort out so - that's my next job to work out what accounts need sorting out and so on.  Also I need to start considering - although not too quickly changing my emails and other stuff.  It's all great fun.

Christmas Cards, Newsletters and Goodness Knows what else

Yes it's that time of year folks.  I've done nothing but Newsletters and Christmas Card writing all day and I'm only about half the way through it.  Also looking at houses at the same time and taking phone calls in between.  Feels like I've been at it all day so far.

I have a load of orders from eBay to fulfil and can hardly believe it but have got through 100 padded envelopes and just had to order more to arrive on Tuesday!  The Post Office is a nightmare on a Monday and so I will try and post all the things that I can print and post from here first and then sort the others out after that.  The post boxes are also getting stuffed full too this time of year!  Crazy you'd have thought they'd up the number of collections but they don't.

House hunting later this week if there's time and the headlong rush towards Christmas has started.  

A Day Out

This time last year 4 of us ventured off for a grand day out.  We went to Gillingham for a Lodge meeting and just had a ball of laughs all day long.  On the way home we had jokes on our phones and read them out one after the other and the journey took no time at all.  

How we laughed on the way home.  Just one of those really great days out so this year 3 of the 4 are going and we've dragged another mate along too.  I am looking forward to it but also to just being circumspect with the booze too.  I noticed that of late I've just slightly overdone that.  I know why but just need to be aware, I don't want my Sunday wiped out as I have plans to get on with Christmas Cards and Newsletters and getting them out of the way in one hit.

L is back from University for the weekend with her boyfriend so that's nice.  She's great fun and livens the place up and cheers up Mrs. F. and me.  I spoke to Flocky earlier today and it looks as if we will be ready to go look at houses as of next week which will be good.  I spent a few hours today having a look and there are some suitable places on the market - two though have open days tomorrow which is a bit drastic as we aren't around.  Anyway - we can see next week and there's a number than can be viewed some local (but not too local).

Mrs. F. is out on Sunday, I am out Tomorrow and this all seems to work quite well.  We aren't getting on each other's nerves or rowing we just try and keep out of each others way.  Sad.

Well must get some shut eye - big day tomorrow and looking forward to spending some time out with my friends. 

No Internet

No Internet for a day makes you extremely productive :-) Internet is back but I really do need to leave this machine and go and sort out the Christmas Cards.  I think I will try and have them all done by Sunday night if I can.  It is ridiculous how much the postage is these days - it would be far easier to send electronic cards (impersonal as they are).  I used to send thousands of them at one time when I ran the business.  

We sat down and had a long (for us) talk last night about money and our future.  Poor Mrs. F. was shaking as we spoke I feel so sad for her, it certainly upset me to see her so affected still.

Mind you we did move things on and it sort of started the conversation off about how we will sort out the bills and standing orders, the credit cards, the various bank accounts and the like.  It was difficult because it needs logical and mathematical sides to be applied and it doesn't help when you are hurting and sad and upset.  I find it quite difficult myself these days, it makes me feel bad, not about what I'm doing, I'm comfortable that I have made the right decision.  No I feel terrible about being the person who has inflicted so much pain onto Mrs. F.  

In fairness we actually inflict our own pain onto ourselves and it's worth remembering that you can choose to beat yourself up inside when you can switch that off.  Your own mind (your pain body) is happy pouring and heaping misery  on to yourself, just like mine is now making me upset because Mrs. F. is upset.  I'm not physically hurting her at all.  I'll let you think about that for a while.

At least we have a way forward and in fact it is a bit more practical than I thought she would be so that too is good.  Small steps, easy steps are the way forward.  I didn't think I'd be tearful but I have been these past few days I guess because I see Mrs. F. like that and I don't hate her I just feel sad about it all.  For her as she sees no future and everything is a problem.  Whatever I say about it, of course, isn't right.  It just makes it difficult to rationalise some of these crazy pain body type thoughts especially if she feels that there is no future, no way out, there's not enough money and so on.  She is finding it difficult to come to terms with having to get a smaller house and that it may not be in this area.  Where her parents live and where we have lived for a good part of our married lives, where the children were brought up and so on.  The house has an emotional attachment I guess.  But I've tried to show her the maths but of course, it too proves difficult to apply logic when combated by emotion (sounded Mr. Spock like there).

Well at least things are beginning to move on - I am out Saturday, Mrs. F. is out Sunday, it is her birthday on Monday - I've got the card and the book - not sure if I will give her the book for her birthday it may not be appropriate or for Christmas - we will see...  

Even Made Mrs. F. Laugh

eBay - sold some of L's Dolls House Furniture and a very nice dining table and chairs and all the cutlery and crockery.  With me so far?  Good.  She got £7.50 for it + £4 P&P.  

I just got a message in  pidgin type English saying that they weren't expecting it to be this they were expecting a full dining room suite to sit people at :-) LOL  WHAT?!!!

Once I got over the shock and finished laughing I see that they'd like to return it for a refund which is even funnier really - what were they thinking it was all labelled as Toys and Dolls House Equipment and who could deliver a dining room suit for £4.

So I've started to write a measured response to see if they really do want to send it back, it isn't covered by the distant selling regulations and so I'm not obliged to give them the postage back and pay for it to be returned as well.  They'll be lucky to see half the money returned by the time they've sent it back (as they will have their own expense).  Anyway - it gave us all a laugh here and the language is something else to behold bless them :-)

Oh well - I will have to use all my skills to word it without sarcasm and lead them to consider what is the best course of action for them.  What a crazy world we live in where anyone thought they could get a dining suite and all the stuff to go with it and get it delivered for that price - so funny and even Mrs. F. smiled and was amused.

That's eBay settled - now for Christmas

It is one of those things I planned to do was to leave the listing around about now and clear the decks ready for Christmas.  Mrs. F. really hasn't got the inclination to do much so I said that I'd do whatever she wanted me to do.  Of course I haven't got a clue what has or hasn't been done so today I'm tidying up my office and putting stuff (Vinyl records and CDs) into boxes to store them for a short while ready to sort and dispose of in the New Year.  I think I can off load the CDs easily enough but the records may be a difficult one. 

Once that little lot is cleared I can get onto tidying the downstairs rooms and move it on from there.  I have things like the cards to write, the newsletters to post and email out.  It's all difficult I have to say.  Mrs. F. still doesn't want be to tell people that might by some convoluted route get the news back to her dad, her brother or her sister.  Don't ask me I don't get the logic either :-) 

I have a few more meetings to go out to - I was meant to be up in London today but I feel I've been on the booze for weeks and yesterday was a very long session indeed and all that beer has put a few pounds on me already - I can see it - that's how quick the damn stuff works :-)  I am also contemplating what to take with me or not when I move as I have things like guitars and the like and I think I'd like to take my musical instruments with me - if nothing else I can pick them up and start to play again.  

Lots of things to think about and do - I feel a list and a mindmap coming on this afternoon to capture and plan it all out.

I'm still feeling a little emotional - a little fragile after the weekend - it really did strike into me the pain Mrs. F. has and the difficulty I am having talking to her.  Such a shame.  Hopefully it will get better in time.  

Trying To Stop It Being Nasty

Met a bunch of people at lunchtime who know of me but don't know me.  We spoke about my split and after all these years and they sort of said well couldn't you save it and could you not be reconciled and I wondered afterwards why they'd say that.  They hardly know me but I suppose the number of years involved, that we had brought the children up and so on all added to the mix.

Well I did think about it after I'd done the basic defensive "well we tried" and the other bland basic statements..... :-) But do you know what?  I can't see it.  I lived with it and ran along with it on a premise that it would all work out OK in the end and unfortunately it didn't.  There's nothing here that I can see other than familiarity and just letting me get away with it that would be remotely enticing to me.  The thing that hit me this year and stop me if I am being a little sickly sweet here, is that there's this thing called love.  Define it as you will but, I finally found out what it was all about this year and I'd lived my own lie for years and years.  It was always going to get better when the kids left or were old enough but in hindsight that never happened in fact it got worse because the whole reason we HAD stayed together was for the kids - that was what held the whole thing together - our gravity if you will.  They going off and doing their own thing was great but when we finally got back together after 20 odd years of bringing up the children found that we were completely different people.  There in lies the problem.  We did everything right for the "unit" and came out the other end two separate and individually independent people. 

It's not a failure but it isn't as repairable as everyone blandly expects it to be.  How can that be so?  I find it slightly tragic almost Shakespearean that we did everything right, did everything as we should for 'the family' but ended up where we are.   It is sad but it is where we are and reconciliation is fine but after 4 or 5 goes at it and it still not working when do you get to a point and say enough is enough?  I think the optimist in me says OK, let's give it one last try but the realists says, you said that last time, you tried to achieve that and you ended flat on your face (again).  

I hate the idea of us ending up in some slagging match some nastiness and I just hope that it never comes to that.  Solicitors and Lawyers make enough anyway!   Have to say though that I can't see a reconciliation.  I see that Mrs. F. would jump at the chance but what would be the conclusion to that?  It gets neither of us what we truly want - or does it?  :-) 

So - Cancer - How Does It Change You?

I wondered whether I should introduce this now and of course it is probably appropriate to examine again how life changed after the diagnosis.

1. you're going to die.  Whatever you may think about this is the one that materialises right up there at the very beginning.  I recollect being upset that I may not see the girls live to become married, graduate, have children etc. 
2. It will hurt.  Yes it did but not in the way I was expecting.  The cure hurt more than having the Cancer - which didn't hurt at all really.  It was yukky and nasty but it didn't actually hurt me.  Having the treatment afterwards was a severe trial but grimacing through it meant that it was probably doing me good :-)
3. Self Esteem - forget it - gone - smashed up and thrown outside in the rubbish and cast aside as useless :-(  Absolutely wrecked and pulled down leaving no signs of the original
4. Confidence - yes destroyed and smashed up and generally trodden into the ground as 3 above...
5. Relationships - tested to the very edge and in my case over the edge.  A great seeker out of character of your friends and family.  Those you though were closest disappear - unexpected help comes from those you least expected it.  

These were the quick ones I could think of.  Looking back I took such a pounding I can hardly believe it.  Only now, recently, do I feel physically and mentally able to deal with it and move on.  You can only imagine that the physical shock to your body can be immense but it's dealing with the Post Traumatic Stress that really takes it out of you.  After you get through this and find you are drained of all energy (mentally and physically) you need to recharge yourself.

It has been 8 years now - and finally I am getting back to some sense of normality.  I don't have a problem with fitness and I don't feel sick anymore.  I don't feel as if I need to lie down and take it easy and I don't feel like I'm a victim.

The major change is that I finally got to a point in my life where things mean nothing anymore.  Life is what it is all about and that's where I'm heading in the next few months.  It will be an interesting journey no doubt.