Recently, I’ve tried 3 times to get an appointment, via phone, for a GP appointment. Despite phoning early, I’ve had 14 people in the queue before me, 8, and this morning, 11 people. Talk about frustrating! So, I braved the rain, and walked over to our surgery which after 2 years is now open again albeit only in the morning. The nice lady on the desk spoke to me after me waiting only a few minutes because she was on the phone, and she booked me in for a routine appointment with a GP. Unlike the receptionist at the other surgery, she did not quiz me about why I needed to see a GP. She also gave me a form to request a prescription; I’ve tried this online, but never got the item. She then advised me of the blood tests that I’d had done back in January. In the past, I’ve had a letter with the results, though after waiting almost 2 months, I asked for them in person. To be honest, I was expecting a slight blip in my blood sugar levels. They were taken just after Christmas and we had the obligatory lol Christmas cake, mince pies, and some German gingerbread that we both love. Anyway, the results were ‘satisfactory, no further action’ so I was delighted! I keep telling them I feel fine and I’m the healthiest I’ve been in years, though being overweight, they are convinced I should be diabetic. Bah!

Final 2 days of work, before going on leave, were intense. I did my normal 4 hours on Sunday, then worked another 3 hours which will be overtime. Monday should have been a day off, but they were ‘desperate’, so I worked a 6-hour shift. So, that’s 8.5 hours overtime (allowing for breaks that we don’t get paid for) and each day, I was asked if I could work even more. I politely declined. Seriously, how much is enough? I felt okay on the day, though Monday night my leg was throbbing and kept me awake a good while.

I’m on leave for a week now, and on my first day off my son and I went to the local ‘tourist trap.’ It’s very nice, and a lovely place to walk around, though you do need to be careful of the prices. We’ve had an espresso maker – stovetop version – for many years, and recently it leapt off the draining board and did a swallow dive onto the stone tiles. The lid has warped slightly and doesn’t fit properly, and when it starts to boil, I must gingerly hold the lid down whilst avoiding being scalded. I checked out online prices first, then bought one whilst out for a very similar price. It’s so shiny compared to my old one. Shiny… lol. My son often jokes that I’m attracted to the shiny LMAO. I replenished my herb stock, had a new coffee pot, so I was a happy bunny. The only disappointment was that the large food emporium was no longer there. It was pricey, but it was fascinating and sold the most divine cakes. Sighs…

I have a lot planned for this week off including touching up paint, cleaning the living-room carpet and so on. We miss the dog, loved him dearly, though he did make a mess of things especially towards the end. Today, the landlord and his ilk will be meeting to discuss a rent rise, and if they’re happy for us to remain at the house. Fingers crossed…