Just playing

I was on patient check-in this morning from 8.15 at the surgery in town, registering people via an iPad as having arrived for their vaccination. Young people today, mainly in their twenties. First dose.

The shift was fairly quiet. Enough people, most turned up all right, just not such a constant stream as it was with the over-80s or over-40s having their second jabs. In March, the snow blew in my face. Today, in June, my face was bitten by gnats. A bumblebee landed on a bunch of flowers that had been placed in water, in what looked like a sharps bin. It seemed to be struggling to move. Eventually, I decided to rescue it and move it to some bushes nearby. This seemed to do the bee in entirely and I feared I'd killed it. After about an hour it began to move its front legs and feelers and was able to crawl a little. I found some bits of a cereal bar in my pocket and left them on the leaves, in case that helped. Eventually the final two patients for the final session arrived, and I checked them in, removed my hi-viz jacket, returned the iPad, and went on my way, leaving the bee to an uncertain future. You'll appreciate from all this that it was not a busy session.

My next stop was the cinema, where I'd arranged to meet a friend. She didn't show, and she didn't show, and the traffic was very loud. I contemplated taking the bus home. Eventually, I walked upstairs to the shopping centre, where I was amazed by the lack of social distancing. I'd spent all morning trying to ensure that people waited at least one metre apart from each other. No such thing here. Outside the cheap shop, I bumped into the friend J, who had forgotten our date. We got takeaway drinks and sat on a quiet bench, then checked out a couple of charity shops. She reintroduced me to the library. All the comfortable chairs have been coralled and covered in hazard tape. Surely we know by now that CoVid doesn't come from soft furnishings? Everyone was wearing a mask, so even if they wanted to sneeze on the chairs, they wouldn't have been able to. However, it was very quiet. I shall return.

Then I pootled off home and lay down because I'd got up so early, after a poor night's sleep. Ate far too many supposedly healthy biscuits, and attempted a general knowledge crossword. I really must get up soon, before it's time to go back to bed again.