04/05/21 (2) Sleep disruption

Fell asleep in my study chair last night so didn't get to bed until something after 03:15. Then woke up about 7:00, couldn't get back to sleep.... just like a dex morning but it wasn't one. Definitely a bit more sleep disruption recently. Interesting that my ring counted the sleep in my chair as part of the night, giving me some four and a half hours altogether. Usually if I nod off for a while that isn't counted. I'm not completely sure how the ring distinguishes sleep from being awake but I think changes in blood flow related to lying down have something to do with it.

A sleep score of 60 is not too bad by my standards. There's a lot more data available, that screen is just a summary.

04/05/21 COVID tests and boules stance

There is some myeloma content in this post. Be patient, we'll get to it. But first...

I did a government COVID swab test on myself earlier. All went well, negative result as expected. Then I went to report the result on the government website. You have to enter the reference number of the lateral flow test thingy - it's printed on it, and there's also a QR code. The print is small, so I used a magnifying glass to read it. Then I took a high-res photo and expanded it. I entered the number and the website said you can't use a test kit twice, that one has already been used. So I did the QR thing and that came up with the same code. I know I was reading the code correctly, which means that somebody else has mis-read their code and entered mine instead.

If that result had been positive, I'd have been called in for an antibody test for no good reason, although considering my immune-compromised and fully vaccinated state the result would have been interesting. Bugs, bugs, bugs... Result: test not recorded. I'll do another one tomorrow. Maybe that's why they include a "spare" in each pack of seven tests.

We had a good walk in Admiral's Park, including coffees (really rather good) and toasted sandwiches for lunch at the Central Park Cafe. Activity targets well met.

Boules. The conventional stance is with both feet together inside the circle, or (for a right-hander) with the right foot ahead of the left:

This man shows the feet-together stance as well as the crouch. I'm working on the crouch but have a long way to go to make it work for me. However, my instinctive stance is standing with left foot ahead, against all convention. Had a long discussion about this with a couple of other players last Sunday. I explained that I  have issues with both legs - left one had that huge osteolytic lesion and plasmacytoma at the start of my myeloma (see? Got there!) and right one had Achilles tendon surgery. So I think I'll stick with what feels natural for me, whether other people like it or not.

03/05/21 Dex #2 was better

Dex #2 was a much better night. Slept well and woke up with that absolute certainty of not going back to sleep at 06:40. That makes something over four and a half hours, which seems to be enough for me these days. We haven't yet decided where we're going today.

Finger splits are much improved - probably a combination of (gradually) improving temperatures and the Udderly Smooth cream. The few that are left are in the final stages of healing and no new ones have appeared (or re-appeared) for a week or so. I still take gloves with me for anything more than a walk down the garden but tend not to use them most of the time. The improvement in everyday life is out of all proportion to these small but intensely annoying splits.

03/05/21 Dex and Boules

Dex night #2 coming. Nothing particular to get up for in the morning, so hoping for rather more than two hours sleep!

Played boules yesterday morning - three proper matches and one fun/practice one. It takes me at least one match to get my eye in and start playing some decent throws. Have also entered the singles and doubles competitions - finals day (should I get that far) is in September. More realistically, I expect to be eliminated from both in the first round... Be that as it may, this has done a lot for my gradual emergence into the real world, and the discipline of regular sessions on Sunday mornings and Wednesday afternoons (although not this coming Wednesday when I have another commitment at a pub/restaurant in Saffron Walden) will give some welcome structure to my weeks in the absence of live music. Very pleased that we stumbled onto Ongar Boules. It's a plus both for COVID and for Myeloma.

Later today, if the weather is even half decent, we'll make a little expedition somewhere for the daily exercise. Yesterday I comfortably exceeded my target without a walk - it's surprising how much good walking up and down a boules piste can do!

02/02/21 Dex, dex, dex...

Went to bed 02:02, read for fifteen minutes or so, woke up at 04:05, gave up the fight to go back to sleep at 04:45. Total sleep time not a lot over two hours, which is as bad as I've been for quite a while. Possibly my awareness of needing to be up in time for an earlyish breakfast (by our standards) before boules in Ongar may have played a part - I can usually rely on my internal alarm clock whenever there's a real reason to be up early, but this has overdone it.

Back to sunrise photos. Red sky in the morning, and a light frost on the flat roof. Alexa reports 4C oside. Six hours to go until Sunday boules, should be time for it to warm up a bit.

Sun's up:

01/05/21 (2) Marsh Farm

Despite a stiff back from my mowing exertions yesterday we finally made it to Marsh Farm Country Park and then remembered having been there before a few years ago. Certainly pre-myeloma time. Got in quite a good walk along the River Crouch, at a very low tide when we started out after coffee and brownies from Phoebe's Pantry. Just a small food trailer, but all very well organized COVID precautions.

Did some boules practice on the newly-mown (but still rather bumpy) back lawn. Once a boule lands, there's no way of telling which way and how far it's going to go. Good for practising a high lob with lots of backspin, or a "yorker" shot aimed to bounce right on the target ball. Instead of getting better at those I got cold fingers and retired indoors... 

Now going to chop some beetroots....

And here's the result. Ny renowned beetroot and goat's cheese risotto, with parmesan and salad leaves:

                                                                          

01/05/21 Grass and Boules

Cut the grass at the back with the new lawnmower yesterday - first time I've done that job myself for a couple of years. It worked well,  and it can be slowed down to suit my walking speed. I always thought the old fixed-speed one was trying to get away from me, and that was before myeloma days.

Then went to Ongar for a little boules practice and a match. My team lost...

(photo found online. This isn't Ongar!)