20 FEBRUARY
I had rather a trying time at work today, what with a machine seizing up, one of the girls being difficult and old Ferguson more or less implying that the whole thing was my fault. I didn't say anything I might regret, but I could feel the throbbing start up in my neck and a definite twinge in the right lobe of my liver. Fortunately, I had taken the precaution of booking an appointment to see Dr Brenda in the late afternoon — only for a check-up really and to renew some prescriptions for Hilda and myself. Not that we are great believers in medicines and tablets — I'd cheerfully throw the whole lot in the bin, if only it were possible. But I've got to have something to help me sleep, and for giddiness, and my bowels have always needed fine tuning. And of course it's only sensible to keep some betnovate on hand in case my skin flares up unexpectedly. As for Hilda, she needs her diclofenac and her osteoporosis tablets once a week and she's been on numerous vitamin supplements for her nervous system for years. I suspect a certain dependency has crept in there, her mother was just the same, but I'm not going to say anything.
As I made my way to the surgery I was beginning to feel calmer. It's so much nicer to feel that I'm going with an appointment ready booked, so there will be no undignified arguments with Mrs Flagg or any of the junior dragons. In fact, I arrived half an hour early, but that didn't …