Bad start to the year, Better end to the week

All the way through high school in Stafford the back 4 of the football team more or less stayed the same. Me at left back the short one, playing off the wrong foot. The centre backs Stephen Wright and Andy Boucher, Steve will always be the tall lanky one , Andy the solid stopper. Patrick the mercurial one who could get away with murder and If he was still alive would claim he’d invented the wing back role sadly Paddy died on NYD 1988, and sadly Andy died on Friday last week. We had been reunited recently on the close world that is the terminally ill. Now there is just me and Steve who is actually the Bishop of Walsall (Steve’s ruddy good health and proximity to God, is I’m sure just coincidental)

But in my mind when I think of us all, I still imagine four 15 year lads, fresh faced with many adventures to come. Well Bouch and I got many more than Paddy and I’m not ready yet.

So in slightly better news, I went into my scan last week with a tad more anxiety after my recent hospital visits. I don’t know how she managed to do it but the beautiful tenacious Jen managed to persuade my oncologist to follow up next day. Hello liam, she stridently said, always good sign if their voice is happy. Still a nice little hole on your brain. A few years ago if you’d told me that is what I wanted to hear, I’d have laughed you out the room. So onwards we go..another scan in 3 months

I’m going to be pestering you again on behalf of Brain Tumour Reseach the main projects next year will be

10000 steps a day in February. A bike based thing based on oncologist advice and Toft have invited me to have another awareness day which will the last weekend of the summer holidays.

So a mixed week, the loss of a friend and quite selfishly a reminder of my own fragility and through the reaction of Andy’s partner a insight to how it hits a family

Had a lovely end to the week with an old fashioned Saturday afternoon early doors at Reasons to be Cheerful, which I still consider to be my local. Where is was joined by Joe Jack Bergin and all the lovely locals