Post 311. HERE WE ARE AGAIN.

HOME.

Roz Barnden.

Current news of our Roz is that the lump in her breast was found to be a collection of small lumps for which a mastectomy will be required; armpit lymph nodes have also been effected.

Tests on her liver showed it to be clear.

She has been for her first session of chemotherapy and afterwards reported having her best night's sleep for weeks. To date she has experienced no adverse side effects that she has cared to mention, but she is now prone to bouts of tiredness.

She is determinedly upbeat.

We would expect nothing else. That is her.

We remain hopefully positive.

Our friends Ian and Jean - who have never met her - have told us she will be in their prayers, and other kind and reassuring words have come from kith and kin. People really can be nice.

I am at a loss to do more than proffer sincere thanks to all those who have so sincerely expressed concern: their goodwill does wonders.

Mo Barnden.

No picture of my Leader who right now has a shiner of a black eye and would welcome being pictured even less than usual.

How did it happen?

Well I wasn't responsible for it.

Proof of that denial is simple: I have not lately been treated at A&E or admitted to Casualty.

No, my dear girl (out of the goodness of her heart as usual) declined taking our Roz's dog-hair-infested car to a car wash as requested and, instead, brought it home to clean.

She made an impeccable job of it, too.

Then came the sponge too far.

When she had vacuum-cleaned it through she decided to wash the upholstery. She got a bucket of water, washed the front seats, turned to tackle the seat at the back, fell over the bucket and landed head first on the stony car park.

I was indoors making her a cup of tea and heard not a sound through the double glazing.

Derek next door became aware of her distress and came round to help.

Thank the lord for neighbours like that.

Fortunately she was not concussed (grazed temple) and suffered no damage to her eyes, but she does now have the pop star look when she goes out, even on overcast days, in dark sunglasses.

Enough said I think.

TELEVISION.

The Repair Shop (BBC2).

People take their ill-used/neglected/recently unearthed furniture/luggage/clocks etc. to a band of superb craftsmen who reassemble them for the people to come back and say “Wow!” about them.

It's an eye-opener and great fun.

Celebrity Eggheads (BBC2).

The holiday season off-piste quiz show where the hardest thing to answer is 'who are these celebrities?'

Proms Extra 2018 (BBC2).

Lovely Katie Derham is back to talk Proms with a weekly line-up of musical talent and to introduce a fascinating Chord of the Week session by piano maestro David Owen Norris.
Violinist Pekka Kuusisto is here again this year too (hurray!), has been on the programme, and on August 17th premieres a new violin concerto by Philip Venables. It will have to be bloody brilliant to match his rendering of the Tchaikovsky in 2016 or the hilarious encore. Now that's a hard act to follow.
The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco (ITV).
Those clever codebreaker women from Bletchley Park have been relocated to America, presumably in an attempt to resell the series over there. They're all good actors, but it is a bit formulaic, like those afternoon B pictures they show on Channel 5.
What?
Oh, it will probably run forever now.
They usually do if I knock 'em.

Cheers.