Zippa is learning to jump

As you can see, Zippa is on the way to becoming a show jumper. After Dan Jocelyn was let loose on the pair two weeks ago and had them jumping over their first spread with dice and colourful poles, all a bit wild and fun. Then it was being made to go in circles with Andrew Gould last weekend, honestly, enjoyed by both.

Today it was back to school for some real work, and don't he look grown up. Technical he'll be 5 next week so he's a big boy now and starting to jump bigger and bigger!

New Transport

Vernon, the red Volvo has finally passed on! His replacement is one of the fastest cars that Volvo ever made.... the T5, poor Labradors, they will have to hang on for dear life. Lucky Boos new transport does not feature all the righting down the side and I havn't tried this 2 wheel trick!!

The old Red Volvo does live on on Google Earth.....


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I survived the mediastinotomy!

That's a hole cut between the ribs to get a good sample of the nasty! Again no pictures as I didn't have a handy nurse in the OR to take photos!

Mostly resting now, back home and in one piece.

Wow, that is my chest!

Well I promised an image to go with the last post.... here it is. From what I can make out, the bit that shouldn't be there is the grey bit in the space where the lung should be on the left side of my body (the image is flipped).

The wobbly line round the outside is my shirt and jumper.... So there you go!

Hodgkin's not Hiburnation

Today's minute step forward was that from last weeks Biopsy, the docs have not recovered enough tissue to determine exactly which type of Lymphoma it is... The indications are that it is a Hodgkin's Lymphoma but to be sure I'm off to Guy's Hospital on Wednesday evening to have a surgical biopsy. Depending on what the surgeons find on the latest CT scans they will either enter at the base of my neck or between the ribs, ooh lucky me!

Then it's christmas, so everything seems to shut down in a most frustrating way so we have to wait until the 30th Dec to find out the results. Just for good measure, on the 30th the doc are also going to carry out a bone marrow biopsy. Hopfully on the 30th we will also find out what the full treatment plan will be?? The current plan is to embark on ABVD Chemotherapy at the bigining of Janurary, every other week for 6 months. Let the fight commence!!

Sorry no pictures until I get my hands on the CT scan images.

Gavin's Hibernation

Well at this time of year in the UK it's damp, windy and cold. So there seems to be only on thing to do.... Hibernate.

My hibernation is going to be somewhat curtailed this year as I have a fight on my hands, I've just be diagnosed as having a large (Guinea Pig sized according to Boo) tumor in my chest that turns out to be Lymphoma... No, I didn't see that one coming either!

Over the past two weeks the most fantastic doctors have been collecting blood, x-raying and CT scanning to find out why I've been getting short of breath and why my physio has not been able to cure my aching shoulder. Last Tuesday they performed a Biopsy that should let them isolate which Lymphoma it is and what to do with it.... all I do is wait..... it like sitting at he start of a roller coaster and not knowing what the ride is going to be, but it's going to be one hell of a ride.... bring it on!

My physiology seems to be slightly superhuman which should help. Even with the Guinea-pig residing in my left lung, I have currently have the lung capacity of a normal male of my age!! If this is what it is like to be normal, I'll take abnormal!! So I'm basically fit and well and sill riding most days, Bea is just getting better and better, if only someone could do something about the weather!

A sunny day in December

Post walkie pawkies at Silchester