Monday 13th March 2023

Terrible night's sleep....swallowing became very uncomfortable, and as a result it took me 3 hours before I nodded off. Woke again at 0300, and took another half hour to get back to sleep. Alarm went off at 0750 and I got up and made tea. Porridged, then showered. Took a Covid test, which came out negative, then walked round to the GP. Abdominal hernia was confirmed, and I was referred for an ultrasound scan, and I booked an appointment with the nurse to chat about a diet plan that would see me lose some weight and take the pressure off the abdomen. Had a long list of ailments to flag up, but the doctor ushered me out shortly after I mentioned my rectal discomfort...presumably he didn't fancy spoiling his lunch! Walked back home via Tescos and Sainsburys in an unsuccessful search for a bottle of skimmed milk....surprisingly windy out there this morning! Did a couple of hours work at the laptop before lunch. Aki had a meeting at another tile showroom, so I was able to work on the computer in the afternoon. Popped round to see the practice nurse at 1530...all she was good for was handing me a leaflet for a weight watchers type group that meet up the road in Camden! I cooked a simple mushroom and garlic sauce which we had with tagliatelle. Watched "An Irish Goodbye" on iPlayer, which won Best Live Action Short at the Oscars last night. Very nicely shot and lit, and it was great to see the inimitable James Martin in action after all the hype. I hadn't known it was on iPlayer...I booked tickets on Saturday to go see it at the Barbican tomorrow night!!! Aki decided she needed a well deserved break from having her sleeps disturbed by my coughing, and set up bed in the spare room. I'm surprised she took so long about it!