Life to the full

Well my friends I have not been too good recently and for the last week, laid up most of the time. Unusual for me as I can often shake off a cold in a few days; however last Friday I went to see my Doctor (would he remember me)? more to the question could I find him? We have a new surgery with new systems and on entry you have to press the screen! It then asks if you are male or female, so far so good; then what month were you born, ok, so I pressed December, the next screen asked what day of the month - "still easy questions I thought" so I pressed first the 2 then went for the 1 and the screen threw me back to the first menu. This went on three times exactly the same. I walked to the nice lady at reception and quietly said "that machine does not like me and I have an appointment in 3-minutes". After she talked me through what I had just done, she said "you should have pressed the 21 not 2 and 1" evidently lots of people make that mistake! There were 31 keys on the touch screen and I was trying to use 0-9.

The doctor was very nice and gave me some Penicillin and we chatted for a while. I managed to press the right buttons to get me out of the surgery and on to the Chemist with my little prescription. "Friday's are always busy" said one to another, "frightened to be without medication over the weekend". I sat among children who were kept quiet with lollipops and a young man who could talk for England on his mobile phone; I thought they all used texts these days? Still, it sounded like he had a busy weekend planned. Back home, the thought of a couple of days laid up sounded inviting; I could write a little and ponder on a few more chapters, do a little research and maybe a Sudoko or two. Not a hope, this took me by surprise and I found it difficult to think anything at all and when I did, it scared me to think I could imagine such nonsense. Once the temperature went down things started to return to normality and it was nice to have support from the household.

We do not take kindly to illness as it often comes at a time we are most busy. I first laughed about the touch screen, at the same time I was annoyed with myself to think I could not see 31 keys in front of me. It is often the way when we are most intent on one thing; that we can't see the other options, particularly with myself, I get one thing into my head and can't see anything else - I need a pause key to hold, wait, check, before moving on - especially with the simple things I think I have already mastered.

Note to morning office: May I not presume to know anything but that I learn again each day.
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