Mr C

Wednesday 25th April 2012
Red Sky In The Morning...
peeing it down all day from 8 o'clock.

No smallholding and no birdy talk today. Much more serious things to contemplate.

Mr C
Those of you who have been visited by Mr C will know exactly who I am talking about. I had nothing to do with him until he sneaked up on my father about 8 years ago. Apparently he'd been stalking him all his life, and what's more it's a family thing, so he's stalking me too!
My father fought him off, though he's been back for another go since, but again without success. When he came for me in 2006, at the tender age of 39, I was ready and waiting. I knew he would come one day, so I wasn't about to get taken by surprise. But still, when he did knock on the door, the effort of fighting him off meant that things were touch and go for a while.

Why do I write about this now? Because I am hungry! And I can't eat or drink for another six hours! For today, I have my annual trip to the hospital where they prod and delve for a while to check Mr C is not there. He's always in the background these days, but as long as he keeps his distance. These annual checks are not something I look forward to. All I'll say is, thank goodness for sedation. But you always have to be on the lookout for the return of Mr C.

Let's hope that, come 4 o'clock this afternoon, everything's OK for another year.

Dealing with Mr C
It' a bit of a shock when you suddenly realise you are a mere mortal. It makes you appreciate the life you have so much more. To begin with, I couldn't decide whether I should be reckless and just go for everything, or whether I should play it ultra safe and cherish everything I have. In the end, I think I've settled for something in the middle. Don't miss out on new opportunities just for the sake of safety and security, but learn to appreciate everything you've got and everything around you. Don't let other fools spoil your mood, just let them be fools. Accept things for what they are, but pick your moments to stand up for yourself too.
I have one big thing to thank Mr C for. Because, without him, I would have continued to tolerate my claustrophobic, stressed and hectic life in London. Mr C forced me to step back and undertake a big reappraisal. This resulted in taking the big leap and moving here, letting go of financial security and jumping into my dream, following my beliefs and convictions.

Lastly, a word for my constant companion, Sue. For without her my fight against Mr C would have been all the more difficult. She has given me the reason to fight and has been there always when I have needed someone to lean on. Mr C has changed her life at least as much as mine. When we're old and grey (no comments please!) we'll look back on our current venture with great pride and affection. We'll never feel the same about Mr C! He may, in some strange way, have helped us to get here, but it's been in spite of him. We've doubled and redoubled our resilience and our determination to get here, and now we've done it we're damned well going to make the best of it!



ed - Back from hospital now. Still a bit in the dark. Totally incompetent doctor. NHS Services farmed off to Private Hospital. Nice to see they've managed to lower their standards so efficiently. Anyway, back next Friday for another check. Ho hum.