Astral zapping

My friend Neil was recently dreading minor surgery to remove a cyst, and, after asking friends to send him good vibes (he called it "astral zapping"), he was told the cyst had shrunk enough to make surgery unnecessary. I suggested I could use some astral zapping, so he sent me this doctored version of a photo he took while I was having radiation treatment:



I had a wonderful Labour Day weekend; my friend Hugh drove me up to Massey, my hometown. The weather was marvellous and we stayed at the B&B of my cousin Cameron McGregor and his partner Tanya Rouleau, called River House (I highly recommend it). It's just outside of town on the Spanish River, which was a real treat for me. I can no longer visit the river where my parents used to live, but not only is River House on an equally beautiful part of the Spanish, but Cameron's parents and grandparents live across the road, so I felt as though I was almost home. It was a bittersweet visit, hard to be there without my mom and dad. I was reminded of how, when I lived there, Massey seemed like a boring small town, but now all I see is how lovely it is, set at the convergence of two rivers. Here's a morning shot:



For the past months, while I went through treatment, I have managed to be pretty upbeat. Even when I felt like crap, the fact that treatment was ongoing allowed me to put fear of dying on hold. This week, the predicted post-treatment funk has set in, and I'm feeling a bit low. Thank goodness for the nice weather.

The small burn on my chest is coming to a head, kind of crunchy and a little infected. I hope it will clear up soon.