NOT DEAD, JUST RESTING.

One of the disadvantages of trying to post weekly updates, is that every now and then the battle between Arthur and Rupert leaves me debilitated, exhausted and pretty much knackered. The two weeks since my last Chemo have been by far the most testing period I’ve been through since diagnosis. and the only difference between the Pet Shop Parrot and me was that I actually was sleeping, nearly 24/7. My body seems to be screaming at me, “give me a spell mate” so thats what I’ll be doing. I’ve already broached the subject with my dedicated Oncology Nurse, Allison, and will be speaking to the Specialist about suspending my next Infusion for three weeks. In Baseball terms, I’d equate this three week recovery time to the Seventh Innings Stretch. In Baseball the Ground Crew come out half way through the seventh innings and redo the infield in preparation for the last few innings. I’m not checking out of the Game – just getting ready for the next few innings.⚾️

I switched up my Play List for my last Chemotherapy session and had a couple of hours listening to The Killers. The choice seemed a bit of a no-brainer. The words in their Land Of The Free really resonate with me.

For the first time since I commenced Chemo, the dreaded vomit reared it’s ugly head this week. In the middle of the night it struck and unfortunately I forgot that I had a bucket strategically placed beside my bed for such emergencies and instead bolted for the loo with all the speed of a Usain Bolt. To understand the significance of my little dash, it should be looked at through the lens of two things: firstly for the previous 10 days I had barely sat up let alone raced to the bathroom and secondly, if there is one generic trait that runs right through the Edwards Male line, it’s that none of us were graced with any leg speed. Johnny, Barry, Brendan, Mark, John, Mitchell and myself all would be kindly referred to as plodders. Haven’t seen enough of Rory, Brayden, Jakob, Andrew, Jett, Billy, Oliver, Angus and Lachlan to know if they managed to overcome the Edwards speed (or lack of it) deficiencies but at about 2.00am, last Wednesday morning I’m pretty sure I would have had them all covered. Which brings me to another important bit of Edwards Family history that needs to be recorded for posterity’s sake.

I can Imagine my son John will be choking on his coffee at being included in the Loiterers List but let history show, John has never beaten me in a race. In his early teens he insisted he had me covered over any distance so in the Winter of 1991 the stage was set for The Edwards Gift over 100 metres to be ran on one of the main streets of Kiama, NSW. After Dad passed away in March of 1991, we tried to include Mum in our Holiday Plans and while her refusal to board a plane restricted our options, in the Winter of that year, we headed off to Kiama for what actually became a really nice time that I think helped Mum cope with her grief just a little bit.

In 1991 my playing days in the State League were winding down, ultimately being brought to an end by a severe case of Glandular Fever diagnosed on Christmas Eve, 1993. John was developing a real passion for the game and worked hard on being the best he could be. So the stage was set, 37 year old Dad versus 13 year old John, in the Grudge Race of the 20th Century.

The start of our race may or may not, have borne a striking resemblance to the start of “The Race” in Seinfeld Season 6. The only difference was I didn’t need Kramer’s car to backfire to give me a fast getaway. After 30 metres I had an unassailable lead and coasted through the finish line with the Judge not having to reach for his Camera. All Gamblers have to “know when to hold them and know when to fold them” and that day I officially retired as the undefeated Edwards Family Sprint Champion. An acknowledgment I would like included in my Obituary 😄. John, to his credit used the experience as a spur to work on his running and about 4 years later he was the youngest Member of an Australian Touring Team that went to the USA and shortly after that he had signed a Professional Contract with the Minnesota Twins.⚾️

This Final message in this post is for my beautiful Granddaughter Ainsley who celebrated her 7th Birthday just two weeks ago. At some time, long after I am gone my Darling, I would expect your Mum and Dad will sit down with you and you and you’ll go through Living With Rupert together. They will probably delay sharing the Blog with you due to the occasional swear word I may have used but little do they know, that your capacity to swear rivals that of my good mate Wayne Pollock and in fact your spelling of swear words is far superior to mine. I just think it is important that you know how much it means to me when you make sure no one is looking and you sneak me a kiss on the cheek. For that instant, all my health issues just melt away and I’m filled with love for you. I wish I could be there to watch you grow but i know you have the complete and total support of the Fredericks and Edwards Families and you will be just fine. Love you my Girl. Pop❤️⭕️❌