The Long and Winding Road

It's just a year since I started the aggressive course of radio and chemotherapy treatment I had for throat cancer. I'm still here, but according to my doctor, the cancer isn't. They tell you what to expect, but nothing can prepare you for the months to come. It's the recovery from the effects of the brutal treatment that are so hard to cope with. They say about 18 months, but I'm told some after-effects will never go away. My energy levels are increasing but eating is still a real battle - it's painfully slow, and some foods I simply can't manage, so it's a triumph when something new goes down the hatch, then despair when the same thing won't the next time.
It's a joy to be able to drive up to Longshaw for a couple of hours. Today I took a short walk with my camera onto Lawrence field where do my butterfly survey but I mostly just sat in the afternoon sunshine and watched the insects buzzing and a pair of Meadow Pipits defending their territory The view up Burbage Valley is, I think, very beautiful, and it's no wonder it is one of the most popular walks for visitors to Longshaw and the Dark Peak - up along the pathway under the Edge and back over Higger Tor and Carl Wark across the other side of the Valley. After the busy Bank Holiday and Half Term, it was much more peaceful today.