under another sun

Continuing my health-themed week. Walked down to Specsavers for a nine o clock eye test. I told the optician that I had seen white lines in my eyes so she insisting on a full retinal scan with those eyedrops that make you look like an opium addict. I had two  pressure tests, long bouts of examinations, the pinpricks of light to test peripheral vision (100%) I was told. Luckily, it seems my eyes are perfectly healthy and I have an unusual but benign area of pigmentation around one optic nerve. Quite fascinating to see photos of inside your eye. Nothing to be done about all the floaters in my eyes though. She said she could see I had loads of them. I chose two pairs of new reading glasses as I needed a slight prescription change, but dazzled as I was I could have chosen anything. At least I was better than the man who I noticed who had been agonising a full 40 minutes as.  Dracula-like I was released at 11 am, flinching from traffic lights and the brightness of the 11am overca...

So up with the sparrows this morning, the sky still threatening rain. I mooched off the doctors to discuss blood pressure, gout, a persistent ear infection and a weird lump in my chest. Came away reassured, and with a few routine tests lined up. I like my doctor very much, and we tend to have a bit of a laugh. I told him its not you it's me, on my white coat syndrome. Off next to get my haircut as it was suddenly unruly and sprouting sideways like a clown. This dealt with, off to the ideologically unsound Starbucks where I celebrated with large cup of coffee, and fiddled with some poems. Then to Specsavers for an eye test. I need a slightly stronger prescription, but my eye health is good. Together we compared the red photos of inside my eyes to last time and it all looked healthy. Then the difficult business of choosing specs with a woman called Raquel, whose head I did in by rebuffing her suggestions. We had quite a laugh about it. Then a bus home, and I sorted out the last o...

Happily beeswaxing new bookcases that have arrived from the recycled wood place. Less happily cleaning the Augean Stables of the cat litter trays, a labour that is necessary due to the inability of fat Basil to squeeze through the catflap. This leads to having to have a litter tray in the house, into which all three defecate with copious abandon. Minimal writing done as I mind mapped and wrote lists of things I need to do, which is far easier than actually doing anything. Eye test this afternoon by a loquacious optometrist. Interesting to see photographs of the back of my eye on his screen, which I was told are in decent shape. Better shape than the feeble jokes the man was creaking out. Still he was friendly, and told me that despite recent eye strain, I don't need a new prescription, a boon for the Kenny coffers. Home and a quiet night, listening to my Audiobook of  Ulysses , which has got easier when I realised I was listening to it on 1.5 x normal spe...

Brainwaves, muppets and mince pies Eye test first thing today. Set off after working for a hour or so. After going to North Road rather than North Street I made it just in time only to discover I had left my wallet at home. However a woman let me in to have my test, which later created a furore of stifled bad temper afterwards, as she shouldn't have done as they've had people running off having had their eyes tested. And they were eyeing me as if I'd do the same, despite me offering to leave my camera as security. More importantly for me was that my mince pies had not further deteriorated and also my eye health appears to be okay too despite my floaters. I have loads of these dratted things, drifting in lines and curtains over my vision. Infuriating, but nothing to be done about them apparently. Then back to work on Skeletons. I unravelled a thorny part in the plot today, which allowed me to create a spurt of progress. Much better even than this, however was a chat I had w...

A sorry spectacle Hard to get out of bed this morning. Work, once I got there, was a slog, trying to get everything done before my holiday. Also I got my eyes checked. I had told the optician about the migraines and the strange light shows I have been getting. The test proceeded as normal, until he started shining the light onto my retina. Suddenly he stopped talking, and began to get rather nervous. He told me there was nothing to worry about but that he needed a second opinion - especially after my migraines. Ten minutes later, another person was shining lights into my eyes. Fortunately she said all was well - but it gave me plenty of time to imagine a catalogue of horrors. Instead I just need stronger glasses. Phew. Went back to work and, after imagining having my eyes scooped out, everything seemed rather easy.