A visit to the GP

I managed to fit in an early trip to the optician, before a 10 a.m. GP appointment. Having had some minor but annoying symptoms, it was time to take stock. 
Both were very helpful.
I always get fascinated in the waiting-room at our GP practice, watching  how we all cope with the lengthy waits and the various anxieties, pains or difficulties we're all harbouring silently - minor or not so minor. It's one of those spaces that's impersonal and intimate all at the same time. Scraps of conversation about worries and ailments float to and fro, sometimes between family members waiting together and sometimes at the reception desk. Mostly each person preserves a little private bubble around themselves, while all this is going on. You rarely hear an intrusive mobile phone conversation in there, for example.
So the image, while taken covertly, has been faffed with  heavily enough to mask its original subjects. For me it captures something of that mix of introspection and preoccupation in the waiting room.
After my wait, I had a long and useful conversation with the GP. To my relief she prescribed some antibiotics, in the hope that they'll see off the infection I've been failing to shake off for many weeks.  Apart from that, there are some blood tests and a chest x-ray to do.