Come Away With Me to the Netherlands & Beating Cancer

Hello everybody, how are you rolling? I hope not off the sofa because you had too many snacks or pasta :-). My weight is still ok. Currently, I am basically living on natural yogurt, dried and fresh fruit, vegetables and the odd piece of bread and potatoes. Chemo-side effects can be quite filling if you get my drift.

Later on today, I am going to have my second round of chemo, and I am not looking forward to it. The first one was definitely easier to deal with because I did not know what’s in store for me. Now, they say the first is the worst, and if that is true, then I’ll be absolutely fine. However, I had a chat with the oncologist, and he mentions something that the side-effects might get worse.

So who to believe?

Who knows. I just roll with it 😉

The above video shows quite well what I have been told how to get about having chemotherapy and what side-effects I might encounter. However, we are at different times, so some things are different at the moment. I have to take my temperature in the morning and in the evening, and I have to call the Acute Oncology Department in my hospital if I have a temperature under 36C or over 37.5C because both can indicate an infection.

Everything today goes through a phone call first, and they try to avoid patients having to come to the hospital. So anything that can be dealt with via the GP’s should be done via the GP’s. And I can’t have anyone with me while having treatment because of the virus.

But now to something more positive 🙂

Let’s come away to the Netherlands, a country that I know a little as I used to live in Germany at the Dutch border. When the European borders opened in the early 2000s, it was heaven for me because we could go over for a coffee or do some shopping which in some cases was cheaper than in Germany. I started to learn Dutch because I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to learn another language and actually use it. But I didn’t get far. I am currently using my time to learn it again via Duolingo.

We usually went to places closer to the border for our shopping but I thought it might be more interesting to have a look at Amsterdam which is definitely worth a visit.

I have travelled the canals on boats with friends. No that’s not us but gives you a good insight on what that means.

Traveling on canals is a beautiful way to relax. You absolutely have to slow down, and if you do not have steering duties, you can literally let the world go by. You can see a country from a totally different angle, and if its a country that is built on canals like the Netherlands, you can often stop smack bang in the middle of towns and cities and enjoy everything you usually have to do by car. Absolutely gorgeous.

And we had a look at the sights like Fortress in Bourtange

This video gives you a good insight into the area I used to live. It is lovely if you like it flat and wet 😉 . The fortress in Bourtange was one of my favourite places to go on a Sunday afternoon and have a cup of coffee and take some pictures. However, that was just at the beginning of the digital revolution, and no mobile would have made any good pictures. Amazing how far we have come in the last 20 years.

The artist that I have chosen isn’t a new one nor one that isn’t famous. She had a couple of hits in Germany around the time I was leaving for the UK. I used to listen to her all the time.

Her name is Anouk, and she sings in English and in Dutch. I find her voice incredible, and her straight-talking lyrics often make me laugh. But they are not for soft-spoken people. Just to warn you 😉

Come Away With Me 2020 Musical Challenge Country for Monday June 8th, 2020

I am taking a rather random route around the world, but sometimes it makes sense. Next week we are going to visit Belgium. Find out about interesting musicians from Belgium on the Medium.com Page: 5 world famous Belgian musicians you should listen to

As for the suggestions to take part:

1. Join in! No matter where, when and with what. You missed the first week? Don’t worry. Just jump in when it suits you.
2. Send us the link! The ping-back option does not always work so please leave a link in the comments of the post on the day you take part. Or leave it at the “Come Away With Me 2020 FB page“
3. Tag your post either with ” Come Away With Me Musical Challenge”/ #CoAwWiMeMuCh” / “Come Away with Me 2020 Musical Challenge” o/“CoAwWiMe2020MuCh” / . You can also use these as hashtags for Twitter and other Social Networks to give your post more exposure. If you add #blog and #music with your hashtags it will get you more readers.
4. No matter which music or country the prompt favours you create with it whatever you please. This is supposed to be a fun challenge and no chore.
5. I post a prompt for the next week with every “Come Away With Me 2020 post” I write.
6. If you like, use this picture for your readers to find the posts.

Just one more thing before you go: The hospital that is treating me is fundraising for a dedicated breast cancer unit which would allow same-day diagnosis and better premises for patients and staff.

Please, if you can spare a little money hop over to their Just Giving Page and give as little or much as you can. Or share the page on your social media. Your support means a lot to me! Thank you very much.

Thanks my dears, for staying with me until the end. I appreciate your presence. Please stay safe, stay kind and remember that you rock!