Author Archives: The Musings of Spu

#TriggerWarning: This blog contains details about medical procedures & emotions before, & after cancer scan results. Alt Text: A pen & ink painting of shapes that resemble waves at sea.  The waves are outlined in black & filled in pink.  There are random spaces that have been left white to represent glimmers of hope. InContinue reading “The Scare“

#TriggerWarning for those with needle phobias. With my lifestyle, you’d be forgiven for thinking the obvious from the blog title, but I’m referring to a wholly different type of acid & not a pleasurable experience! Me photographed at 6 West, Charing Cross Hospital, London, 6th July 2022. Alt Text: A white woman sits in aContinue reading “Infused With Acid”

Part of returning to life ‘After B.C.’ (Breast Cancer) is going on holiday outside of the UK. Alt Text: A selfie of a white man & woman, taken at an intersection of the road with a statue in the background (it’s Bastille, Paris).  The man is wearing a grey, flat cap, tortoise-shell rimmed glasses, aContinue reading “Holidaying after Breast Cancer”

A rare moment where my personal & professional gig-going life comes together in one blog! Alt Text: A selfie of a white woman with long brown/blond hair, wearing red/brown rimmed glasses & a black puffa jacket with a fake fur hood.  She is outside a music venue.  Above her head is the venue’s sign whichContinue reading “Getting My Life Back”

I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not going to enjoy February & March like I used to.  Here I mark two years on from diagnosis & reflect on celebrating International Women’s Day as a disabled woman. Alt text: A white lady with brown-blond long hair, dressed in a black puffa jacket with a fakeContinue reading “Two Years On”

What’s it like having a mammogram when you’re a wheelchair user? Not easy! Warning: some of the frank descriptions within this blog may cause embarrassment or be upsetting. Alt text: Two lemons on a metal cooling stand.  One lemon is positioned straight ahead whilst the other is positioned side on.   Two weeks ago, I wentContinue reading “The Annual Mammogram”

Hello 2022 – it must be time for the 64 Million Artists’ Daily Challenge (again!) Alt text: a piece of corrugated cardboard roughly cut into a square.  There are 4 images drawn in black felt tip pen connected by directional arrows – a DAB Radio, a vinyl album, a turntable and two gig tickets. LastContinue reading “The January Challenge 2022”

“I still can’t believe that something as great as this came out of such a bad situation.  In March 2020, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, by February 2021 I’d had COVID-19 twice, but by December 2021, I was exhibiting a piece of art that I’d created in Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.  It’s theContinue reading “Adventures with ‘Grayson’s Art Club’”

A few of us in our ‘Writing for Wellbeing’ class turned 50 this year, so we each decided to write how we felt about it.  As I’ve only got a couple of months left before I officially become ‘over 50’, I thought I’d blog about it, alongside a photo of myself dressed up in myContinue reading “The Hawaii 5.0.’s”

“My consultant who helps me to manage my disability said that at first, it would be hard whenever I had a new pain, but in time, I’d get to understand again whether the source was my disability or whether it needed investigating for cancer recurrence.  I guess I’m not far enough into my years ofContinue reading “#Scanxiety”