Step dad and Visitations

Blimey, it's been a while since I've written something in here. Suppose I'll have to rectify it

My mum and step-dad are on vacation at the moment, in a county called Dorset, which has a number of seaside resorts. Then they fly over here at the end of the weekend to visit me for a few days: this will be their first visit, so they're looking forward to it as much as I am! Then they'll fly back to find out what day John (that's step-dad's name) goes back to the hospital.

John has had the follow-up consultation after his operation; but unfortunately, the tumour hasn't disappeared. So there are now two more options. The first one is an operation where -- and I won't go into too much detail here just in case you're a bit squeamish -- they basically use a mini vacuum cleaner to try and suck the tumour out.

Failing that, it will mean a complete removal of the eye and a "glass eye" fitted (although I doubt they use real glass nowadays). So, we will just have to wait and see whether the vacuum idea works, and we'll find that out over the next month.

In the meantime, they're keeping in good spirits; they're determined to enjoy their vacation and it'll be good to see them over here in a few days' time!

Slaygon and Ziza are on their way back after a long trans-Europe trek. They'll be knackered but happy, and we shall no doubt meet up for a good old chat about it tomorrow.

Next weekend, of course, is the SLAY Radio Gathering, where all the listeners and DJs meet up together. I'm not doing my show next Wednesday; instead, Ziphoid and I are doing a joint show on Thursday. Then we'll have the "unofficially official" pre-Gathering drinks on Friday evening, after some of my English mates fly over. Then it's the actual day on Saturday. In the daytime we're having a barbecue at Keillers Park (weather permitting!), and then in the evening we have the private room booked at the pool hall (Biljard). More information here.

My step dad

My mum phoned me today, to tell me that John, her husband of two years and my step-dad (obviously) went for his yearly check up. About 10 years ago, they spotted a cancerous growth behind his eye, so they performed raiotherapy on it and it seemed to do the trick, albeit that he only has something like 10% vision in that eye.

He's been going for a check-up once a year from that point, and everything seemed to be going fine, until this year's. They found two tumours, offshoots from the original, one right behind the eye and one around the side. There were two choices: [1] Removal, which meant freezing the one at the back and laser-shooting the one on the side, or [2] remove the eye completely. After a consultation, they decided on surgery, and he had it on Friday.

He has the follow-up checkup in a month's time, so let's hope it did the trick. If not, then we hope at least that they haven't grown too fast, and they can just remove the eye (well, not "just" but you know what I mean).

Mum and John are visiting me at the end of July, and depending on when the hospital give him his appointment, he may have just had the checkup, or just before. But he's determined to come over anyway, bless him.

Fingers crossed... (or thumbs held, as they say here)...

I survived...

Well... I got through it The parental units turned up at 17:00 on Wednesday after checking into their hotel. So we had a cuppa, then met Linda in town for a meal. Yep, she's met them too!

On Thursday we went to the archipelago in Saltholmen, where you use the ferry system to visit the series of small islands off the main coast. Absolutely beautiful; I was awestruck myself as I'd never been here. Definitely doing that again when my mum and step-dad are coming (more news on that below).

On Friday we went to the botanical gardens (Botaniska Trädgården), had a meal, and then visited Slottsskogen ("Castle Forest"), a park just over the road from the botanical garden. Then we had a meal with Slaygon, so now they've met the guy that had me sleeping in his living room for 5 months!

On Saturday, we went on the Paddan, a boat trip that lasts 50 minutes and takes you around the harbour and some of the river system in Gothenburg. Well worth a trip as the tour guide points some of the city's more prominent buildings and features out.

And then it was Sunday. A quick walk around Keillers Park, a snack, and then they were off to the airport! Very enjoyable.

My mum phoned me on Monday, and has already booked her time; she's coming at the end of July, just before the SLAY Radio Gathering. So, it'll be time to do it all again soon!

While I'm here, have a look at this link, which is a news item reported by the BBC that some people are branding Superman as "gay". Have a look at the headline and then the picture they use to show how not gay Superman is. Well, it's convinced me...

Argh! Parents!

t's 15:50 in the afternoon, and my parents should have landed by now, and are probably in a taxi on the way here. Yes, they're visiting from today until Sunday. I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do with them. Obviously, there's places I can take them, but I really don't know what they like.

When I say "parents", it's actually my dad and step-mum. My dad and mum split up when I was 5, and I stayed with mum, seeing my dad at the weekends. It's a sad fact of life that, although he's my dad, we've kind of grown apart, so I don't really know their likes and dislikes. But, I do have a small idea, so hopefully it will all work out.

Anyway, I'm off to wait for the phone call to say they're here! I'll be back soon...