Weekend Edition....CONFIDENTIAL

Now bloggers, it is important to get the rules right...this is very confidential.

On Saturday we had some leaks. Someone has been speaking to the media!

Oh my God! Woke up to a text from Lew (Toop) saying "Good Article, definitely not a tiny snippet buried in the back of the paper!!! Lovely photos..." and so, because we were at the Farm and didn't have access to the paper, I asked Lew to send a pic. Front page alright.

Anyway, on a serious note I do have mixed emotions on just how private we would like to keep things. This blog was to let friends and our team at work follow things and make it easier for them. In reality it has helped me too.

As for front page of the State's Advertiser, wow...that is about as public as you could possibly get. So much for confidentiality or keeping things to work, family and friends. Failed spectaculary!!!

Like so many events in life, once it was done, the paper printed and delivered, in a wierd way it is a relief. Rather than word leaking out over months, all the rumours, all the misinformation all dealt with in one hit. Literally it is now old news already. As I mentioned to the team, truth and facts take power back and gossip mongers loose their power.

Having had a chance today to reflect, full marks to The Advertiser and Journo Karen Cross (a long time mate), for the way this was handled. Given the subject, my cancer, and given I so NOT wanted anything in the paper yet ended up with every thing, the matter has now been dealt with. Looking for the positive in this, I have taken it as a back handed compliment that The Advertiser would consider it worthy of a Saturday front page article.

Just for the record, even though I felt on Friday that I was being put in a corner, Genevieve Megan who started the ball rolling Friday morning with her SMS was only doing her job, and she was so very very gentle about it. Apart from the fact a story would run with or with out my input, Gen was respectful. So thank you Gen, and also to Karen, and all at News. I was relieved and grateful for the way the pictures looked (how good did my girls look, sorry Suz, missed you) and the accuracy and sensitive way the story read.

For the record, Suz finished at AMP Capital on Friday, and Gen (Toop) is flying to Sydney Tuesday morning to help her Tuesday afternoon to start the drive home in Suz"s Yaris, jammed full with all her worldly goods (it's a small car). Gen took some tickets last minute to the real estate industry's biggest national conference and joined Arabella C at AREC on the Gold Coast today and tomorrow.

So both Suz and Gen will be home to join my new fight, help me get through the next few months and of course, support Sylv and the Team Toop (& help us further crank the business). Plenty of passion with those two, and I must say, the team at work are just incredible. Some extreme depth of talent there at Toop's...what an opportunity with me out of the way again!! Go Team Toop, you are awesome.

The real story from this weekend was the insane number of messages and phone calls. Insane! And so humbling.

My iPhone totally ran out of battery by lunchtime, I fully charged it using it while plugged in until it read 95%, it was totally flat by mid afternoon, charged again by around 4.30pm, and by 10 pm it had gone totally silent, yeah...because the battery was totally flat again, DEAD flat! Reminded me of the old days when I used to carry 4 Motorola Mobile Phone batteries every day, anyone remember those radical flip phones....they were very smooth.

Saturday was a memorable day though. Started of course with Lew's SMS, then Sylv and I headed to Willunga Market to get some organic everything (so into healthy food at last), had an organic egg, organic bacon organic bread roll for breakfast, good healthy fattening material, just what the Doctor ordered. Saw the Klobas's swanning with friends at the market, Mia ( our adorable dog) met lots of new friends, and of course we shopped so fresh it felt like I would be well in no time at all.

Up the hill and home, phone going insane from about 10am till finally the "3 Batteries" died at the neighbours, the Fogarty's. Yes, it was a special evening of drinking to celebrate active taste buds.

Last night was an occasion with vineyard manager Simon and his gorgeous wife Cecelia (they run our vineyard) and Peter and Ginette Fogarty (our immediate neighbours who were not named last week, they also hosted the BBQ), and it was a night celebrating fine food senses and our activating those taste buds with fabulous wines. Figured they will be nuked, blown up by next weekend. Kidneys will be happy chappies though.

Anyway, it was a hilarious night, amazing food thanks to Ginette, and we were laughing all night, they reckon
laughter cures cancer so I should be fine by tomorrow.

Not late home, being a very good boy.

Today Choc (Alister and Sue Haigh) came through with my favorite Haighs chocolates, nealy nailed them all so Doc will be happy that I am fattening up, Naturopath will be grumpy with too much sugar, best to please the Doc I reckon.

Raffens joined us, they live not far away (hills VERY social for those city dwellers reading this)... Huge brunch... just fattening up remember.

Today after brunch and guests left it was sleep, cuddles with Sylv and a really chilled day. Read 2 more of those cancer information books, about 100 to go. I seriously don't like reading of all the shit that is coming, I recon there is a lot to be said for ignorance.

By the way, I have been asked twice about that PICC Catheter. Yes, it goes into your vein about 450mm, YES YES about 18 inches. How exciting, 8.30 am let's get that PICC in, can not wait. I won't feel a thing because I will faint...I hope they do it before I come around.

While I am on this, I have had a lecture from the Hospital about Blogs. MMMM, nearly got in trouble, not a good time to get these wonderful and amazing people off side. If you wonder why I stopped putting the medical people's names in, it is because the medical people are keen to retain privacy....Blogs are a new problem and NO ONE has worked out how it should all work. So I get that. Don't blame them at all. I'll be sure to use secret codes. From now on it is a guessing game.

Here you go. First guess. Tomorrow I check in at BH at 8.30 am for 5 hours and then go to TC for being Zapped. My ink goes to work for the first time tomorrow. No one gets this ink thing. Yeah, a tiny dot that is the reference point for the radiotherapy machine, they align the laser beam on the dot so the machine hits the target, all calibrated by the radiologist.

So tomorrow morning the fun begins in earnest. I have been warned numerous times, the first few days seem like it will be a walk in the park but don't be fooled, it is cumulative treatment and it builds and builds and builds. Can't wait!

To all who have called, messaged, or just sent some positive thoughts our way, THANK YOU.

Remember Sylvia and the kids will take this pretty hard, and for those Team Toop, I am so very appreciative of all you guys are doing, you have been simply amazing and your friendship, your kind words and amazing passion for what we do is so so important, and appreciated.

That's it for now, hope this is not too boring. When the pain sets in I am sure it will get interesting...Gen may take over?

Oh yes, and remember it is all very Confidential!

ACE x