Building up my strength

It's been a busy weekend. If I'd needed any evidence that my health has improved tremendously in the last week or so, I now have it! I have spent the best part of the last two days in my garden, digging, planting, weeding, watering, sweeping and admiring. I've also been hugely frustrated by trying to put together a) a hosepipe and b) a potato barrel, both without success. Both hosepipe and potato barrel have been waiting for attention for the last 12 months, so, despite my inability to assemble them (largely due to my lack of spatial awareness, I fear) I am greatly encouraged by the fact that I was even able to contemplate the attempt.

As well as this, I finally took down three hanging baskets whose contents have been dead for roughly 18 months. I have removed the dead things and replaced them with sweetly pretty flowers. At last, the house looks as though someone who cares lives in it. Again, until this week, I couldn't even have contemplated renewing my hanging baskets, let alone doing so.

I even went shopping, despite it being a public holiday weekend and thus immensely busy! I obtained everything I went to find - surely a first for me! - and have just spent a happy half hour using my newly obtained, industrial strength document shredder to shred the last 7 years' worth of unwanted, yet important documents. There is something strangely satisfying about destroying such things, I discovered. Not only that, but I now have sufficient packaging material to last for quite some time! However, given that I'd have to store it, I think this lot of shredding is going to the recycling plant.

As a final demonstration of my improved health, yesterday evening I suddenly decided it was so lovely outside that I'd take a walk. This is not an activity I have indulged in very much for the last few years. I simply haven't felt well enough, although I didn't realise that at the time. Rather, I thought I didn't want to walk. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I took another walk this morning, despite the strong headwinds!

So, three weeks after radiotherapy, I'm feeling really quite healthy, though today I've learned that drinking an entire carton of grapefruit juice to assuage your thirst is not a good idea. My digestive system may have settled down after being bombarded during treatment, but even so...