shake

Today brought snow, the prospect of a trip to see the orthodontist, my good mate Steve coming to fix the leak in the kitchen ceiling (see fig.1) and my attempts to  whip up another one of bro-in-law Karl's super-ace-tastin-lip-smackin-thirst-quenchin-health-shakes, more of which later.

The snow (see fig.3) is a welcome change from the rain, but it was the wet stuff so didn't last long. Those of us that have the pleasure of living in the Newcastle-under-Lyme/Stoke-on-Trent area will be aware that even 1mm of wet snow will bring instant gridlock to the city, so I left for the orthodontists appointment early.

One of the side effects of my treatment is that it can do damage to the teeth, gums and jaw, and cause extreme soreness in the mouth and throat, to the point where you can't actually eat and drink properly. The orthodontist checks that the teeth are healthy enough to take the chemo/radiotherapy with a view to removing any suspect teeth before the treatment starts. Fortunately mine were ok. I had them cleaned up and have now started a regime of brushing/flossing/mouthwashing 3 times a day in order to keep my mouth as clean as possible to limit the soreness and ulcers as much as possible.

On returning home I whisked up the shake to end all shakes (see fig .2). Take a banana, a handful of spinach, some blueberries, some whey protein and a splash of milk and neck it. Looks like a blended frog, tastes tremendous. Hopefully further down the line when I am losing a bit of weight and it becomes increasingly difficult to eat much, these babies will keep me going. Cheers Karlos.

Anyway, onwards and upwards. The sun is now shining, the leak is fixed and the kids will be home from school soon. Hurrah!

fig1.the leak

fig 2. the shake

fig 3. the snow