Thursday May 1st 2025 "Don't ever turn up at your doctor's office in a Mrs Blobby costume will you!"

Don't ever turn up in at your local surgery in a Mrs Blobby costume, that is, if you've got, say, an appointment to take a routine blood test during your appointment there, say, or have to endure the embarrassment of having to strip, or even roll your sleeve up a little.  Just saying! 

For other 'doctor' business - to report on ailments, whether genuine or feigned (!) - fancy dress is perfectly fine, and no doctor worth his salt will utter a word of complaint. On the contrary, he or she will be delighted that you're trying to make the occasion a bit less tedious, and much more entertaining for the both of you, so no worries there (!).

dressing as a zombie or as a cookie-monster for a stay in hospital can

"lighten the mood",  and make the experience more relaxed for patient and staff alike

Not for blood tests however! Hilarious as you may think you're being, if you turn up as a monster or a zombie, you're just going to end up being wrestled to the floor, with your nurse or paramedic tearing his or her hair out, and possibly your hair too, so 'don't even think about it' is my message to you today!!!!

And yet, so many make this mistake - see this Onion News story from this morning's late editions!

[That's enough whimsy! - Ed]

It's almost a text-book example of "How not to do it", isn't it! And when I'm going to have something stuck in me, like a surgical needle or whatever (!), Yours Truly goes suitably dressed in a short-sleeve shirt. 

It isn't exactly rocket science is it !!!!!

These pictures of me this morning give you a simple, concise guide to "best practice" on these occasions.

Lois and me in our NHS surgery waiting-area this morning: it's my pictorial 

mini-guide to "best practice" if you've got to have a needle stuck in your arm:

note my bare forearm and semi-nude upper arm [not shown]

It's not exactly rocket science is it - be fair !!!!!!!

After my "ordeal" of an annual health review is over, Lois and I "escape" to the shade of nearby Radford Park. There's nobody much about, so Lois can "debrief" me about my experience with, and "of" (!) the nurse, or "Nursey" as I affectionately call her (!). 

on our post-surgery walk in cool, shady Radford Park, there's nobody

much about and Lois can fully "debrief" me about my experience with the nurse 

And as I explain to Lois during today's semi-official "debrief", I can only "caveat" by advising that full results of my so-called annual review are still to come, of course, although "no news is always good news". However, within literally minutes of the review being complete, I am able to reveal exclusively to Lois, and later to the internet (!), that Nursey said she "liked the colour of my urine" (as preserved in the sample bottle, I hasten to add (!)). People have told me it's my best feature - but on reflection, is that a bit of a "back-handed compliment", maybe?

I wonder....!

14:00 It's the hottest day of the year, so far, in rural, semi-leafy Liphook, Hampshire where Lois and I  live. And in bed this afternoon for "nap-time" we throw caution to the winds by opening a couple of windows. Well it's about 82F (27.8C), so fair enough, we say! Phew what a scorcher !!!!

[Is that all you two "noggins" have done today, Colin? Spent half an hour at your doctor's surgery, taken a walk in the park across the road, and spent another afternoon in bed? - Ed]

Well, at least we didn't lose anything today, although we did continue the hunt for some missing items that still haven't turned up after our recent move to Liphook from our previous address in Malvern Worcestershire, in January this year.

flashback to January: we pack up our stuff and move 100 miles

south east from Malvern, Worcestershire to Liphook, Hampshire:

some items from our "stuff", however, still haven't turned up

- what madness !!!!!

However, we're not the only ones still searching for missing items today, apparently. An email later this afternoon from Steve, our American brother-in-law reveals that a similar hunt for missing items is also going on at the UK Ministry of Defence and other government departments today.

What madness !!!

"Wouldn't have happened in my day", is what I tell Lois! 

Let me put my cards on the table at this point. In the days when I used to earn my living, as a desk-bound, medium-to-top-secret-agent on the "Foreign Office" payroll (!), such things were frowned on. 

flashback to 1988: me, in the days I used to work for my living -

as a deskbound medium-to-top-secret agent. You see me here 

disguised as a "deadbeat" for a medium-to-top-secret Government mission

And when I finally retired, in 2006, all I came away with was my unclassified "leave cards", logging my periods of absence, and giving my leave address where applicable, the leave having been fully approved, and signed for, by my various line-managers, so all leave taken with official "say so" (!). And I'm proud to say that I didn't come away with one single government computer! 

a typical government computer back in the day

So absolutely no "scandal" here! Daily Telegraph please note!!!!

I just took a few personal "annual leave cards" home with me, on my last day - honest!!!! 

And this particular "leave-card" reminds me that our temperature of 82F (27.7C) today is nothing in comparison to what I experienced back in July 1993, when I took our two daughters Alison (then 18) and Sarah (then 16) to see my dear late sister Kathy and husband Steve, over in Norristown Pennsylvania.

flashback to July 1993: (left) us with my dear late sister Kathy outside the

house in Norristown, Pennsylvania, where she and Steve lived, and 

(right) the three of us cooling off in the basement with a game of cards

Norristown, Pennsylvania USA - and it was in the mid-nineties Fahrenheit, I remember. They know how to do heat-waves there, and they would laugh at our measly UK "82F", that's for sure!

Phew what a scorcher that was !!!!!

Happy days !!!!!

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! And do me a favour - open a window! - Ed]

22:00 We go to bed, and go to sleep, and we open a window (not necessarily in that order (!))  - zzzzzzzz!!!!!!