Monday

We are all here for a certain amount of time; nobody knows how long that time will last. While you’re here, you should be the best person that you can be. This is Tony’s philosophy. Nobody embodied this philosophy better than his lifelong friend Olga, who died on Monday. Olga and her husband, Bob, kept Tony on the straight and narrow throughout childhood. It is said that it takes a whole village to raise a child, and Tony thanks Olga, Bob, and other Boulmer natives for their guidance in his wilder years.

Tuesday

Tony found himself unable to focus on Tuesday. The as-yet unknown results of Yvonne’s biopsy weighed heavy on his mind. Eager to hear the result, Tony wished the next few days away. At the same time, he was keen to enjoy the peace, just in case the worst scenario happened. For Tony, waiting for news is by far the hardest part of this ongoing struggle.

Wednesday

Wednesday brought no news concerning Yvonne’s biopsy. Hospital official June, who is in charge of such matters, was out for the day. In the meantime, Tony organised the Gallery in anticipation of Sunday’s Graham Short exhibition. Later in the day, a lovely Middlesbrough family visited the Gallery. They compared Tony’s paintings to Mackenzie Thorpe’s. This is high praise indeed for Tony, who has a lot of respect for Thorpe and his artistic vision.

Thursday

Thursday began with a press meeting concerning Kelso High School’s defibrillator fund. Tony is raffling one of his paintings, Inspiring a Nation, to raise funds for the installation of a heart defibrillator in Kelso High School. The fund, created by Kelso High School student Matthew Hall, is something that Tony felt obligated to contribute to after he discovered that hundreds of children die as a result of heart problems every year.

Later in the day, there was some fantastic news. The results of Yvonne’s biopsy arrived, and turned out better than anyone could have expected. The lumps inside Yvonne’s chest cavity and lungs (which indicated, at the very least, the threat of lung cancer, a very serious illness indeed) are not cancerous. This fight is not over, but now we have a definite chance of victory.

Friday

Friday was not a particularly eventful day, but Tony was happy nonetheless. For Tony, uneventful days mean uninterrupted painting, meeting and greeting Gallery visitors, and long lunches. A very good day indeed.

Saturday

A busy, fast-moving day punctuated by friendly faces and a decent lunch. Yvonne was busy organising the Gallery for the upcoming Graham Short exhibition, so this meant that Tony could paint uninterrupted, and even at one point sneak into the pub next door for a pint and fifteen minutes of the major rugby match that took place on Saturday.

Have a fantastic weekend, whatever you’re doing.