Imperceptible change

Glorious day. Mum's car may be easily mended - we are waiting to hear from the garage. Dirt and moisture in the brake drum may have caused the wheel to jam.

I walked nearly 4 miles this afternoon. I took it very gently but I was fine.

Every year I go to see the snowdrops near Haughton Castle, about a mile from home. Behind the railings the snowdrops are packed tighly together. I realised today that the railings are about to disintegrate. They are badly rusted and in places pieces have fallen off. There should be another spear-head to the right of the picture, where the little twig stands proud.

This tied in with my thinking at a deeper level. When I moved here the railings looked fine and I had not noticed the change from year to year. This year, 7 of my friends turn 70. When we look at photos from 10 years ago, we can see how we have all aged. Week by week, we notice no difference.

In general practice, new young partners or trainees would spot patients with hypothyroidism (myxoedema) a mile off. The regular GP would not have noticed the patient changing very gradually from appointment to appointment.

This has just happened to a friend of mine who is married to a retired GP. Her thyroid function was in her boots before she was diagnosed.

My conclusion - keep looking closely at the people and places around you. Don't let familiarity breed contempt........