Another exciting instalment ! I have been refused Avastin-all political , I am afraid. If I lived in England there would be no problem , but living in Scotland , things are different. Anyway, my oncologist said there is an appeals procedure and that we should go ahead with that , as he thinks the drug would benefit me. I have written a patient statement ( basically a begging letter ), and it is now in the hands of the gods , or the board , to be more accurate!

I met up with my workmates for a long overdue catch-up and lunch . I have said before that my workmates are the best , and I stand by that! We went to Zizzi's in Glasgow and had a terrific time , and a terrific meal !

Bill and I haven't had a holiday for about five years , and it is very expensive to get travel insurance when you suffer from a condition like cancer . I was quoted £1,500 for one week's holiday in Europe-no chance , sorry! I started venting my spleen on Twitter , and got a message from a company called Flexicover to contact them as they said they could help - they sure did ! I got a quote for Bill and me for £29 for the week - big difference- will definitely recommend them!
So , Bill and I went for a week to Dublin - not too far away as I am still on daily injections of Heparin  , after the blood clot , and don't want to do long haul flights.
Was amazing-had never been before . Stayed in The Doubletree by Hilton -well , we are worth it! Dublin was very busy , more geared up to younger folk , I would say , but was very enjoyable . There are a lot of landmarks as Dublin has a great history and some very famous sons and daughters. Got my photo taken with a statue of the late Phil Lynott .

 A highlight ( for Bill ) , was a tour of the Guinness factory , , or the Guinness Storehouse , as it is known . It is seven floors of all things Guinness !

Was very interesting and very busy ! We got a chance to attend a tasters masterclass , which means we can call ourselves

Guinness tasters - I can't stand the stuff , but Bill enjoyed it! He also found his new favourite pub!

Another highlight was a visit to Dublinia . Had never heard of this before , but it was very interesting , and lasted about two and a half hours . The city bus tours were great , with some of the drivers singing Irish songs along the way . There was so much to see , that I think we will go back soon !

A few days after we got back from Dublin , Claire and I went on a wee trip to Manchester ( Claire's treat-thank you ).

We stayed at the Hilton , courtesy of Paul H. ( thank you ). It was very grand , if a little high up .

Our room was on the fifteenth floor - the view was terrific though !



We went on the

Coronation Street tour - which was fun . I am a great fan of "The Street" and it was a real treat for me. Claire and I got a couple of photos together .....

 and you might be able to see her bump, as she is carrying my first grandchild - something lovely to look forward to in October x x x

While in Manchester , we caught up with Paul , who has made his home there and is enjoying his drive time show on RealRadioXS.

We also visited the Trafford Centre-never seen anything like it in my life - amazing place - you could spend all day there ! Claire enjoyed the shopping experience !

                                                  

There is a "tweet-up" next week (5th July) down at Southwark cathedral in London , with a lot of my bowel cancer friends going along. I dearly want to go , and just might! you never know! Watch this space x x x