Twenty years on.

I celebrated my 54th birthday this week and it's a bit of a thing for me to be honest.

In 1997 and at just 34 years old I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma after visiting my GP with what I thought was a hernia. I'd even put off going until the end of the football season as I wasn't looking forward to the op. The GP did her bit and sent me for a scan the next day and the same day I was in front of a consultant being told I had the big C.

Treatment would be day visits to the hospital for Chemotherapy which I tolerated well often returning to work after the sessions. The glands started to respond and we thought we'd sorted things out after the years treatment but unfortunately the disease wasn't yet done with me and returned with more aggression.

My consultant started a more intense run of Chemo and during this I would stay in hospital and needed to as it was very testing on the body which had just gone through chemo already. We supplemented the chemo with regular radiotherapy sessions and when things became more stable I was taken to Cambridge and given a Stem cell transplant which meant quite a stay in hospital and a bit of prep leading up to the transplant with daily injections etc.

The transplant didn't work for me and the combo of Chemo/radio had only halted the disease and bought me time. The consultant at Cambridge sent me home and pretty much said that's your lot.
Back at Harlow and my consultant oncologist said that if I had the stomach and energy to try one more option he'd see if he could get the funding. Of course I said yes and he somehow managed to get the funding. Within an hour of his pitch for the funding he was putting the wonder drug into me.
This new drug was actually antibodies grown in a foreign body and transferred to me to assist my immune system in fighting the disease itself and the rest is kind of history.

I was due to take six sessions but the body had tolerated all it could after four so treatment was stopped and it was enough for me to beat the thing. I believe I was the first UK patient to try this drug and this additional support is now offered to other people in their own personal battles against this type of illness.

So having beaten that after having been told I wouldn't see my 40th birthday I now had a future again.

Then when things were settled and we thought it was all passed us I contracted Legionella (The old immune system had taken a beating at this point.) I visited my GP for the second time in my life thinking I had a bad flu within minutes she'd organised a crash team to be on stand by for me at Harlow and I was rushed in. I spent three weeks in an induced coma before my body found the strength to bounce back again.

So reaching this milestone of 54 means more to me than the 50th as it's now 20 years since that first visit to the GP.

My wife and family sat by my side throughout and gave me reason to fight but you'll understand why I'm such a fan of the NHS! and in particular the consultant who walked every step with me and who I could never thank properly save using the time he's given me well.

I chose to use that time taking in as much of the great outdoors as possible so thank you again
Dr Faris Al-Refaie for making this all possible for me.

Things like this!

and this 

and this 

and this 

and this

And this.....and so much more!

And they also gave me the opportunity to spend the last thirteen years with Tia and I'll be for ever grateful for that and still miss her madly.

My Girl!........trying to pretend she's not actually in the pond.

Getting the Jims on it!

Having missed the Rock Thrush on my visit with the Jims only to nail it the next day on my own it was only a matter of time before I headed back to see if the Jims could get the life tick so taking advantage of the clocks going back we headed off west this morning arriving at the quarry just after first light.

and yes they got on it!

Common Rock Thrush

Common Rock Thrush

Rock Thrush

Rock Thrush

The Jims watching a little bird of special interest.

Little cracker!!!!

Glad I went back?......OH YES!

Mad weekend with a certain Rock Thrush in Wales

I say mad but how mad?

With work commitments Saturday morning I had kept one eye on the news and with a mid morning sighting it was all systems go provided I could arrange things with my good lady. With that bridge crossed as I left work I contacted the Jims and arranged to meet them and we hit the M25 at 12.30 to make the 170 mile drive into Wales. As we drove up the news was still good and as we parked up the bird was again reported as showing well. On the walk down to the quarry  we passed people that had just left the bird and it wasn't until we arrived at the gathered group that we found out the bird had just flown.
We searched all over picking up a Black Redstart, Wheatear and a couple of Raven for our effort.
We hung around hoping the bird would return to it's roost site but only added a couple of bats to the day list before the long walk back in the dark followed by the long drive home.

Now this is the mad bit if the above wasn't mad enough.
I laid in bed thinking the weather would have kept the bird down and that there was a reasonable chance it would still be there but if I didn't go I'd never know. Having dragged the Jims up yesterday on a wild goose chase this time I'd go solo to keep the risk on just my shoulders. I got up at 4.30am and drove back up the M4 arriving at the Quarry for first light. The twitch was about thirty strong and with the group split and intent on searching it looked interesting. I searched the first Quarry then the rocky area beyond it then the second Quarry then as I was walking down to the third Quarry I saw two birders already down there showing signs of excitement with waving arms and running good indicators so I got another two birders interested and we set off with added pace.
As we approached two motorcross bikers came over the hill and spooked the bird before we saw it and it again had the feel of Saturdays dip but with a little work and the help of the gathering birders I eventually got on the target.

Rock Thrush 

Never close but showed well at distance

Rock Thrush and Robin

Rock Thrush 

I had decent views for an hour, enjoyed some good banter and was even gifted lunch by an especially friendly group from Yorkshire. I managed to get a string of other birders on the bird before leaving for the 170 mile drive home.

A great bird but with 680 miles covered in two days for it I suppose it needed to be good.
One I'll remember for a while.

Year list now 269
Life list now 382

Kingfisher and a trio from across the pond

A right little poser!

A fishing stone

What a bird!

American Wigeon at Rutland

Long billed!

Two Yanks in Kent

American Wigeon at Rutland

So the plan today was to get half way up the A1 hoping the Scops Owl reappeared giving us the chance to fly up north and connect with it after last weekends dip.

We started with an early arrival at Rutland Water and a brisk walk to Smew Hide looking over lagoon 2 and before long we'd found the American Wigeon. After a while and with no news on the Scops we decided to move on and visited an old haunt in search of Willow Tit for the year list. On arrival we heard one calling and the Jims picked one out in the willows too. The bonus for the day was stunning views of Kingfisher at a site we've been asked to keep quiet to limit disturbance.

Year list now 268

American Wigeon

Wigeon and American Wigeon

Kingfisher

Cracker!

A white Woodpigeon

Strange bird adding to my list of white birds that includes Starling at Capel Fleet and Great Crested Grebe at Dunge.

Pintail

Little Egret

Wilsons Phalarope and Long-billed Dowitcher at Oare

A run down to Oare so the old fella could connect with the Dowitcher gave Jim and I the chance to add the Wilsons to our year list.

Oare was alive with waders today.

Wilsons Phalarope
Long-billed Dowitcher
Turnstone
Greenshank
Redshank
Curlew Sandpiper
Ruff
Little Stints
Ringed Plovers
Dunlin
Golden Plover
Black-tailed Godwits
Avocets
and on and on!

A really great place to connect with a good variety and kind to us over the years.

Year list now 266

The Dowitcher with a Blacwit

The Dowitcher

Challenging light today.

The Wilsons 

The Luck ran out as we dipped the Scops Owl

Nothing to say other than next time I think it's a good idea tell me I'm mad and remind me of my two hour rule!

Spotted Flycatcher (not quite the target bird)