h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Thinking of you both, and I agree, the outside stimulus is essential.

Keep up the good work,

Websailor

Hello Websailor, Christiane AR80, and everybody else!

My dad has been losing lots of hair to the point he was starting to look moth-eaten! Yesterday he had all his hair and also his mustache shaved off. I must say, he doesn't look too bad! He only should get a bit of a tan on his scalp, heh heh!

We've been having visitors. My aunt Lydia, the elder of my dad's two younger sisters (she's about two and a half years younger than him) came to visit on Thursday. She's a character! She also has her problems ... Parkinson's disease ... but overall not doing too badly. Her husband died recently, also of cancer ... he was 'slow' in dying; she said to us, she'd actually in effect lost him nine years ago already. This is the first time she's visited us in many years. She gossipped a lot and was quite impressed with my plant collection ... I gave her several botanic 'presents'! I hope she takes good care of them.

My uncle Nick, the younger of my dad's two elder brothers, and his wife Lena came over the weekend. There was a lot of nonsense talked but all in all, we appreciated the visit. I don't know if my uncle Nick had ever visited us here in Pietersburg before! We don't see him a lot.

My other uncle Willie, the eldest brother, is in New Zealand so I doubt he'll be visiting us any day soon. My dad's youngest sister, Lettie, has problems of her own: husband suffering serious sickness. But I think she'll make it here sometime soon.

My dad has received more chemo treatments yesterday and today. He'll go for his next tomorrow. There's art class this evening so I'll see whether he makes that, and how he does. Our art teacher has a birthday party tomorrow morning and if all goes well he might attend that also.

OK ... my dad is looking energetic and positive so I have high hopes. He might be hit hard by tomorrows treatment, though, like it happened before, but we are prepared for it.

Christiane, I will see about getting my dad into some more art stuff! As for the Bushman paintings ... I don't know about any in our part of the world ... I think the nearest place where there will be any, is the Free State. I haven't seen any actual Bushman paintings 'in place' yet. I'd like to - they fascinate me!

OK that's the news from here. All the best to you all out there!

Willem

Very dear willem,

How wonderful that all the family are rallying round and visiting you. That is great.

My darling husband Dick used to say that one was dead for a long time. !!. It is important to do all that one can possibly do in the time allotted to us. In any case with all the wonderful advances being made in the medical field there is hope for us all. I should know. !!

I also hope that your aunt cares for the botanical specimens you gave her.
Here the weather is up and down. We had Bushman paintings on our farm in the Karroo. If ever you go to the Cango Caves there are magnificent paintings in there.

With good wishes to you all and much affection to you.

Christiane.
AR80

Just popping in to keep up with the news. Fingers crossed all the time and wishing your Dad You too, glad to see you are managing to keep cheerful. It can't be easy.


Websailor

Hi again everybody! I just want to give an update. My dad has now completed the third course of chemotherapy - there was planned to be six in total, at first. At any rate, he is doing very well! At his last visit the doctor checked and some of his lymph nodes have actually shrunk. The doctor is very pleased. To me, he seems to be doing better as well. There are times that he is feeling very tired, but all in all, he's been up and active. He's made all our art classes and has even managed to do some painting at home. Pain has been controllable, and nausea as well. He's even managed to put back on 6 kg of bodyweight, after having lost it at first. Still three courses of chemo to go for this first round!

Like you'll know my dad also made it out for the visit to the nature reserve, and we just might have another outing in May.

My aunt Lettie, my dad's youngest sister, is visiting us right now. She's brought along a lot of new old photographs for me to scan in, including the best one I've up till now seen of my grandfather Willem van der Merwe and my grandma Susan.

OK that's the news from here! Hoping all's well at your ends.

Thanks Willem. That sounds like very good news to me

Enjoy your visitor. I am sure you will get a great deal of pleasure from the old photos. I have many, but no-one to tell me who they are! I wish I had asked years ago.

Websailor

Very dear Willem,

so pleased to hear how good the chemotherapy has been. all these advances in medcine are quite remarkable.

Also so pleased to hear that he has been painting and that the pain is less. That is really wonderful.

go well, my dear freind,

Christiane and K.

Hi willem,

Just check your entry no. 22 and see what you said about bushmen paintings. !!

En nou ou kerel! wat gaan jy nou doen? !!



CME,
AR80

Hello, glad to hear the chemo is going well for your dad. And glad to hear about the painting. I've joined a painting group -- see my latest journal entry.

Hello everybody and thanks for your comments!

Christiane, this (the Bushman paintings I mean) is an instance where I'm happy to have proved myself wrong!

Hi very dear Willem,

And I accept that for once - I was right, !!

Very proud of myself.

There seemn to be instances of primitve "men" drawing on the walls of Caves in other cointries as well.

Gosh there is still so mucn to learn - and I am so old. Botheration. !!

Go well,

Christiane.
Ar80

AR80