Peter says:

On 30th of December last year I had a call from the hospital in Lerwick.

They wanted to stick television cameras up inside me and take biopsies using huge hypodermics.

For some strange reason I thanked the specialist when I arrived there on hog whatsname day. It did save me a long drag to Aberdeen.

He told me he had to sit me down for a couple of hours afterwards to see I had no adverse reaction. If anything happens over the next two weeks that makes me ill I will have to be shot back to Lerwick and put on intravenous antibiotics. Luckily nothing happened on New Years Day so no helicopter was called.

Before he let me go he said that in his view there was little doubt I had prostate cancer.  He decided to start treating me immediately!

I was glad I had thanked him for seeing me.

So I am now looking forward to next week when the local nurses will start sticking hypodremics in me as part of the treatment.

So everyone is happy.

So far no one had committed themselves to any timescale. The specialist said he wanted to see me in a month. I took that as commitment on his part.

Having told a doctor in Aberdeen that I had two ambitions-one to move into my new house in February and one to get a free TV licence in April he did not respond. Its nice to have someone planning ahead.

I may now have to get my appointments secretary to work on my events diary.

I have been feeling warm after the application of hypodermics to my backside but I think I am recovering.

Over the holiday I have checked that I can still drink champagne with no ill effect. Also (thank you Mark) Chateau Neuf du Pape.

In fact I would be trying beer at present but everyone is looking at pictures on our new TV, relayed from the computer.

I will struggle on with maple syrup coated cashew nuts until they realise I am starving.

We had venison, kangaroo, chicken and just to be different on one day, turkey over Christmas.

The days sort of merged together after Bah Humbug Day but now we are back to days of the week and a new year we will soon be back in the swing again.