Saturday 30th October - make like an ostrich...

https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/do-ostriches-really-bury-their-head-in-the-sand/

 I've been a bit pre-occupied this week, even though it was half-term and supposedly clear from all engagements (hahaha, remembering the old joke 'if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans').

I've a red spot on my shin, which has been slowly increasing from a small, negligible mark to a circle heading for an inch in diameter. So, back in September, the consultant looked at it while doing a routine rheumatology check up and thought I ought to be referred to a dermatology clinic. 

However, it took four weeks for her letter to reach my GP. They referred it on promptly, but I was getting a little anxious. I looked on the website to discover 'most patients are seen within 15 weeks'. What?!? I rang the clinic 'have you received the referral from the GP?' After a couple of calls, they found the referral and added me to the list. 

Learning Point number 1; it's always worth making a pleasant and non-argumentative enquiry of the clinic admin staff! 

While on the phone I did let them know that I was very happy to be offered a last-minute cancellation - half an hour's notice would be enough. Well, they rand back ten minutes later - was I free tomorrow afternoon? - was I indeed!

Learning Point number 2; it's always worth offering to take a cancellation!

The result is that the malevolent-looking patch is nothing serious; the sort of thing that people with fair skin and spend too much tie in the sun are liable to. Very occasionally the patch can develop into skin cancer, but there's no suspicion of this in my case. I have been prescribed some cream to apply which will make it much worse before it gets better, and 'I'll see you again in about 5 or 6 months.'

I had no idea how much this had been bothering me until we got back home after the appointment, and sagged into the armchairs with a coffee and chocolate biscuit apiece.

So; if you have fair skin, and have been exposed to the sun (I lived in the tropics for a few years), and have a funny red scaly patch on your leg, get it looked at, rather than worrying!

I do tend to play the ostrich game over things that are over-facing me. Like, 

finishing my tax return, (not done)

sorting out the boxes of stuff brought down from the loft which need the keep/chuck/donate decisions, 

working out packaging and posting and customs declaration for parcel to be sent to 'foreign parts'

I'd much rather create a little holder using an empty box and pictures from a bulb catalogue to store my glasses in overnight to stop them falling to the floor when I will tread on them in the morning

 or scroll through twitter looking for jokes

Today, however, there has been progress; the parcel has been packaged up, several keep/chuck/donate boxes have been sorted so that two crates have been emptied and three more bags have been filled for a charity shop run (poor devils - I always feel a bit sorry for whoever is on the receiving end at the shop to do the 'keep/mend/chuck process all over again).

The heap does look a whole lot worse, but it is actually a whole lot better, and will improve further once the parcel is posted, the contents of the green bucket handed over to the charity shop and the orange bag taken to church for adding to the Great Christmas Shoebox Packing event tomorrow. Then we'll justs be down to the blue 'pending' crate, and several crates of photographs. With any luck it will be clear by Christmas...

Oh, and ostriches really do stick their heads in the sand....

Happy Days!  .