Murphy's Law.

   Basically, what can go wrong, will go wrong. And that, of all days, is exactly how the day began.

   After sitting on tenterhooks this past three weeks, today was the day all my results would - I hope - be in. As my first appointment was for 08:30am, and Tuesday being laundry day, I decided to do my first load on Monday night, hang-it inside, then, do a second load Tuesday morning (the forecast was for rain). All went to plan. That was until the laundry pole collapsed, just as we were leaving, and we had to rush around and re-hang it on another frame. We were only delayed by 5-minutes and, as it was a 20-minute drive to the hospital, it was felt we still had tons-of-time. Wrong. Very Wrong. As it was raining, other commuters decided to take their cars to work, and the 20-minute drive turned-into a 1-hour drive. 

   08:30am at a Japanese outpatients clinic can be pandemonium and my first queue seemed to stretch for several meters. I managed to cheat and went to another desk to check-in. Then to the Ophthalmology department, where I was given the news that the doctor I was booked to see, was off due to a family situation - the day before the hospital phoned my wife but, as the number wasn't registered in her phones directory, and they couldn't leave a message, the number was ignored. I was asked if I would like to re-book. By now I am looking skyward and thinking "I'm Doomed". But, all was not lost. There was another equally-qualified doctor on duty and would I like to see him?

   But, as the saying goes - 'Every cloud has a silver lining'. After going through the preliminary tests - eye-drops, eye-test, eye cleaning, x-ray - I walked-into the doctors cubicle. First the x-rays and, when compared with the same images taken 3-weeks ago, there was an obvious improvement, which I confirmed from my experiences of this past week. Then the biggie - the blood test results. All checked-out and was well-within all limits. The cause? To quote something we all say, at my stage in life - I'm not getting younger. Although my blood results were good, I need to take-on more fluid so my blood doesn't get too thick and, as a consequence, not cause problems like the sort I experienced. 

   But, even better news, I'm okay to resume my outdoor activities. And, within moderation, enjoy a beer from time-to-time.

   Tonight, I sit here trying to take-in all that has occurred this past 3-weeks. I'm not entirely out-of-the-woods. I still need to return to outpatients for regular check-ups. Now, after three weeks with limited exercise, I need to get back on track and back in condition before the onset of winter. But first, I need to wait for this damn rain to stop.

Sayonara.