Out And About

Hello, dear reader!

And welcome to a busy old week.

Yes, it’s been a week of much activity, of reasonable long drives (for me), and jobs crossed off the list.

It’s one of those weeks that lends a strange sense of satisfaction to go alongside the creeping fatigue the unseasonably seasonal weather is failing to help. You will therefore, I hope, not mind too much if I keep this one on the short side. Oh, you do? Unlucky.

I Don't Like Mondays
Now, unlike most weeks, this one didn’t start on Monday. Not properly. No, thanks to a certain football game and a drop or two over the recommended dosage of bourbon, Monday didn’t really count in any meaningful way. Hours passed. That was about it.

Tuesday, though? Well, Tuesday began early and with a mission in mind. My brother-in-law had a hospital appointment to attend and, as there was no-one else to get him to the clinic on time (Cue song? No?), my driving skills had been gladly pre-offered.

So it was that I awoke at 7:45 and quickly supped an unhealthy amount of coffee, as I waited for my wúnderwifey, Tina to get ready ahead of our trip to Wakefield. It’s not a long trip, by any imagination, but with the threat of early morning traffic, hitting the road with plenty of time to spare seemed logical. As it was, we picked up the patient just before 9:00 and were at the hospital by 9:40. Not as bad as I was dreading.

So why not do it all again, eh?

Kneecapped
Yes, this morning saw another 7:45 alarm call, and another round of patient transportation, this time of the canine variety.

For those of you mystified by that last sentence, the patient in question was our ten year old Labrador/Springer Spaniel cross, Bonnie. I mentioned the reason for the trip last week, in a post you can find here.

This particular journey was to nearby Bradford, a major (for the U.K. outside of London) city in its own right. Once again visions of rush hour queues spring readily to my mind, but once again I was pleasantly surprised (in the main). I even managed to catch the correct turn—missing it led us on a merry chase around two estates last time—and got us to the clinic with ten minutes to spare and only a half hour wait before being seen. Once in with the vet Tina felt compelled to point out a lump she’d identified on Bonnie’s leg but had her mind put to rest when she was told it was her kneecap.

Dog Days

The actual upshot of the visit is that Bonnie has some mixture of arthritis or tendonitis (the previous vet indicated the latter, this one the former), and needed more of the anti-inflammatories she got last time we were there. This is now on repeat prescription. A dose of gentle, but regular exercise was also recommended in the form of two ten minute walks a day. Something I’ll be happy to reinstate.

And that’s it. It might not sound a lot, but as the after-effects seep into my mind, I can feel the creeping, MS weariness building. It’s not something an early night or a nap will necessarily take care of, more a sapping of my get up and go (it got up, It went). Hopefully, the long absent sun will top up my vitamin D levels, and some non-brain related non-activity will ease the drag. Until then, I’ll take it easy (and yes, that is something I’m good at), stay hydrated, and, who knows, maybe even treat myself to a lie in.

But first—Tea!



Until next time.


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Hey, there! If you enjoyed reading any of the above, why not take a look at some of my published work? Below you’ll find links to a number of short stories I’m lucky enough to have included in anthologies. I’d love to know what you think.


New Tales Of Old


Death Ship


Pestilence: Drabbles 1


Reaperman: Drabbles 3


The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu


Eldritch Investigations