Snow and a visit to the doctor's in The View from the Terrace

We had our first snowfall of the winter on Thursday evening. I opened the back door at about 9pm and everywhere was white and shining beneath the full moon, it looked quite magical. Friday morning was cold but sunny and very beautiful, but by lunchtime the snow had gone except on the Black Mountains, it is almost gone there now. Further north there have been heavy falls causing the usual chaos, and there were warnings of flooding on the east coast.

I went to the doctor’s on Thursday. I was a bit nervous because my usual doctor has left to have a baby. I don’t like change, although I am happy for her, she is a lovely young woman who came to this surgery just over a year ago and married shortly afterwards, her baby is due soon, the receptionist said she is coming back after maternity leave so that is good. However, the other doctor I saw turned out to be very nice. When I told her about the problem with my migraine meds she gave me a prescription for the tablets I used to take but suggested I talk to their pharmacist again to clarify the whole situation. I did and it seems that either Hubby misunderstood or was given the wrong information as the meds are not being discontinued, it is a problem with supply. The pharmacist explained that every batch of raw materials is tested and occasionally found substandard, when this happpens they have to wait for a new batch to be made and sometimes the supply runs out in the meantime. The manufacturers hadn’t explained all of that, just said they were not discontinued and left me wondering why I couldn’t get them. I feel better now that I understand. I wonder why it is such an effort to get a proper explanation about things, I wouldn’t have been so upset if I had known that all along instead of just being told there is a problem with supply and the manufacturers telling me they hadn’t discontinued them. The other tablets are not so good but now I know it is inevitable and only temporary I can adjust to it again.

So I am spending more time in bed in the mornings on ill days resting my head and neck and reading as it’s the only thing I can do lying down. I am reading A Thousand Splendid Suns again. It is by Kahled Hosseini who wrote The Kite Runner. I love his books. He has only written three so far and I have them all. I read this one several years ago and decided to read it again. The first time I read it the book completly changed my outlook on a lot of things. I had always felt that wars in distant places like Afghanistan were not our affairs and that we should keep out of it and let them sort it out, but after realising what the people of Afghanistan have gone through over the past half century or so I feel that would be like walking by while someone on the other side of the road was being assulted. Of course I realise that is easy for me to say when my sons are not in the services but safe near home. The book follows the lives of two young Afghan women from the early 60s to the early 2000s, and how their paths become entwined against the backdrop of the invasions and wars in the country. It’s a very beautiful, if often sad story.

Next Thursday we are going down to Bristol to see the Russian State Ballet. I am looking forward to that. I love ballet. For a year and a half in the 70s I worked in the box office at the Royal Opera House and we often got free tickets as they liked the house to look full. I once actually bumped ino Rudolph Nureyev at the stage door. I was going in to the staff restaurent and he was coming out. He was really polite, gave a little bow and said I am sorry. I’m afraid I didn’t answer as I couldn’t believe who was speaking to me! I hope we don’t get heavy snow on Thursday.