Today has been so stuffed with adventure, I am quite unable to rest until I have cleared it from my brain.

I must apologise in advance if my language is particularly flowery tonight. It isn’t my fault, blame Mr W. M. Thackeray. You may recall on Sunday last I mentioned that I had some 400 pages of Vanity Fair to read before my book club meeting today. I had ten pages left when I arrived at the library. My fellow members indulged me and I finished it. I loved it, I would have loved it more if I could have continued to savour it. There are wonderful words, sentences and the characters are so well-rounded (Jos especially! ho ho!).

BUT! Let’s start at the beginning. The five minutes of walking up and down the stairs has made my calf muscles very angry. I’ve been limping about all day. Thankfully, cycling wasn’t a problem as that is more thighs. My arms are aware that the shake weight was used, but not too bad. I am pleased. My plan is every-other-day so I shall go again tomorrow.

I put my steroids up again on Saturday and last night I realised my ear had calmed down. I called the clinic this morning to cancel my ENT appointment and to ask what I should do re: steroids. I had one doctor tell me I had to be on a lower dose before I could have the rituximab and another tell me to up the dose until I saw the ENT. I was told the former was incorrect, I didn’t need to be reduced to have it and I could stay on 10mg until the infusion. She offered to chase that again for me.

Weasel and I cycled to the hospital for her appointment. It isn’t my place to say for what or the results, suffice to say she is okay. While we were with the doctor, my phone rang. I couldn’t answer, but it was Ellie. I listened to her message and since it wasn’t urgent headed home.

At home, I ate a sandwich I made yesterday and read the book. My vasculitis clinic nurse called, I apparently had dates for my rituximab infusions, just no one had told me. I go on the 24th and the 7th. It’ll be an all day thing.

I decided to head to the library early and had 15 minutes to finish before the others showed up. I did my best, but as said I wasn’t quite there. They chatted for a moment and let me finish. Technically, I was the only one who read it. Three people were unable to attend, one of them had read it, the other two hadn’t. Of the two who were there, one had read it before years ago so had flicked through and then watched the film and the other had just watched the film. It was still fun to discuss though. The book I had had copies of the original illustrations so I showed them a couple of my favourites and read one sentence I’d really loved:

“Our luck may fail: our powers forsake us: our place on the boards be taken by better and younger mimes – the chance of life roll away and leave us shattered and stranded.”

Home again, I called Ellie and arranged to meet following yet another appointment. Happily, another order of clothes had arrived. This time it was two coloured camisoles. They were lovely and I’m delighted. Suspiciously, everything I’ve ordered so far has not only fit, but looked good too. Shocking to have both. We’ll see what we think of the rest as they arrive.

I headed off to the GPs on the scooter again [still awesome]. It went well, but there was some confusion about what to do with a slightly elevated liver function. There’d been some crossed wires and now I’m not sure if I should be doing anything or not.

Ellie, her husband and their wonderful new daughter arrived around 6pm. Baby is absolutely gorgeous. So tiny, smells of new baby. I got to cuddle her a bit, was amazed when she gripped my middle finger and her whole hand could just hold the top knuckle of my middle finger. I got to give Ellie the baby blanket I’d edged [in crochet] for her and the cinnamon rolls I’d made Christmas Day for her. Ellie wants to cross stitch a little thing for the baby and I’ve offered to guide her through that.

After they left I had a spot of dinner, talked to Horatio, talked to Mal and realising my wired condition resolved to get it out of my system here.

So concludes my day of adventure.