July’s Blogette.

Regular supporters of my blog will have noticed that July’s edition is a little late this month.  I had to do a mini blog, which I’m calling a ‘blogette,’ because I’ve been rather busy!

Photo credit: Anjan Saha.

Alt Text: A black and white photo of a white-skinned man & woman (Stephane & I) sitting at a large, mahogany table in a Registry office.  They’re both smiling & looking towards all their family & friends (not pictured in the photo).  The woman is wearing a long, summer dress with embroidered flowers on it & a garland of dried flowers in her hair.  The man is wearing a light-coloured linen suit & shirt.  There is a small buttonhole of dried flowers on one of the suit’s lapels.  They’re both wearing glasses.  Behind them are vases of fresh cut flowers & a large mirror.

I’ll tell you the nice thing first – Stephane & I got married at Chelsea Old Town Hall, London (yep, move over Pierce Brosnan and Kim Cattrell – for context lots of celebs & actors etc get married here!) on Saturday 27th June 2026.  It was a magical day filled with love, fun & laughter.  After marrying in front of a small gathering of our family & closest friends, we travelled on to Maxilla Social Club, our local venue, for the Wedding Breakfast & then we had a big dance-off in the evening with more of our friends & colleagues, two excellent dj’s – Chris Tofu & Alan May – & my brother’s band ‘Evolution Of Fisherman’ played a legendary set.

Stephane is French so as french weddings last two days, we hosted a summer picnic on the next day, the Sunday, for more of our friends & it was the perfect way of relaxing after dancing the night away.  I’m going to write a future blog dedicated to the wedding, but I want to let the beauty of it sink in first.

Now I’ve got to tell you something that isn’t so nice.  It’s something that I raised in my last blog but it’s of a delicate nature.  As I try to avoid speculating what it is, or what it isn’t, I won’t go into details now. But I’m waiting for a biopsy under general anaesthetic which should take place within the next two weeks.  It’s something that was seen on an ultrasound & definitely needs further checking.  I’ll have that biopsy done by ChelWest Hospital & any outcomes will be reported back to Oncology at Charing Cross Hospital.  As always, all of my consultants spread across the hospitals have been liaising with one another, including my respiratory consultant at Royal Brompton Hospital, who has provided a recent Lung Function report to the anaesthetic department, & my wonderful GP who is absolutely ‘on it!’

I knew about the likelihood of needed a biopsy at the time of my wedding, but my GP rang me to urge me to put the biopsy out of my mind & focus on my wedding day.  Which I did.

Then there’s another thing which isn’t so great.  I’ve been getting really tired during the day with more headaches & a metallic taste in my mouth when I wake up. I asked for some further help from the Royal Brompton Hospital & the recent Lung Function tests revealed that I’m not releasing enough CO2 at night. In a few months’ time, I might have to go on a breathing machine (often prescribed for sleep apnoea) .  That’s a whole other blog right there to describe this situation so I won’t go into details right now!

As always, my body isn’t quite the temple that it should be but nonetheless, onward.

Returning to my wedding, I wrote a piece about the family that we miss & how sometimes our imagination fills the spaces when we can’t quite express what we’re feeling.  Largely it’s about my mum – her wedding anniversary (17th) is today & her birthday is on Sunday (19th) so its publication is timely.  It’s not just about her though, it’s about both sets of my grandparents & my great aunts & uncles who provided the backdrop to the perfect childhood.  Of course, there were tears when I read the piece, but I also repeated the piece in French, thanks to my niece Jeanne-Marie for helping me with the translation. Here we go:

“Sometimes you’re a shadow that passes across my face,

A light tap on my shoulder,

A tiny spot on the corner of my eye.

I blink.  I don’t quite catch sight of you.  But I feel you.

Sometimes you’re a white feather that lands gently at my feet when I step out onto the porch.

In recent years you’ve become a robin who comes to sit with me when I’m drinking tea in the garden.

I’m always so reassured by your presence.

But then you’ve never really left.  

I see glimpses of you reflected in my dad, my sister, my brothers, my nieces, my nephew & baby Ralph.

The way the laughter dances in their eyes.

The things they say, how they walk.

Lately my mirror reflects back more of you than it does of me.

The tiny flecks of grey in my hair,

The liver spots on my hands.

I’ve got dozens of moles now, & endless freckles on my face.

I wonder what you’d make of me now.

I have so many, many things to tell you.

But I have this feeling that you already know about them,

Because you’re watching from another time and space.

One day, my daydreams will cease & I’ll join you in a place that time forgot.

We’ll drink tea in a garden somewhere.

One day, we’ll get to linger in the sun.”