I turned over for a few more minutes in the warm this morning and my second alarm didn’t go off, so a “few” minutes ended up as nine minutes.

I couldn’t find the cover for my windscreen last night as we cleared the car out a few weeks ago. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to lose it as winter approached. It took several minutes to scrape the screen and my fingers froze as I cursed the cold and my stupidity.

I arrived at Phlebotomy at 7.30, when I’d been aiming for 7.10ish. I was ticket number 20 and they were only on number 8 when all the staff seemed to disappear. They do that sometimes.

Three staff members, fortunately not phlebotomists, argued in a corner about lost keys.

I forgot my book but it didn’t matter as I also forgot my glasses.

When ticket 17 went in for testing (eventually) the man with ticket number 18 stood up and started to twitch like a longdog with a rabbit in view. He was very thin. I could probably have put my hands around his thighs, assuming we were formally introduced at some stage, and had bags with him so he was either in for an overnight stay or he was homeless.

Number 18 seemed to take a long time. Number 19 went in. Number 18 came out. I thought I was going to be punctured soon, but he kept the phlebotomist engaged in giving him directions to his next stop. Then in asking her to repeat the directions. And a third time just for luck.

Moments later she was trying to find him because he had left his coat behind.

My blood test went well. Too well, because it took a lot of pressure to stop the bleeding. I’m hoping that is a good sign.

Then number 18 came back to ask about his coat and blocked the doorway as I was trying to get out.

Bear in mind I am trying to get out before 8.00 to get Julia to work.  And to avoid car parking charges by being less than 300 minutes.

I may have sounded a bit irritable. He said: “I’m sorry, I’ve been getting in everybody’s way this morning.”

I thought of his words as I walked to the car, and I decided that I should be a nicer person.

Even as I paid £2 into the car park machine I held that thought.

On the way home I flashed a car to let it move out into traffic. It didn’t move. So I flashed my lights again. It didn’t move. I was holding people up. So I started to move forward. Then they moved and nearly took the front off my car.

Some people don’t deserve niceness.

So I reverted to my normal self.

I could probably do four more pages of this, but you deserve a rest. However, I have to say that it was a very irritating day.

I bought Julia some chocolate yesterday. It might be a good time to go and remind her that sharing is a good thing to do. I’ll make a cup of tea and look wistful in a way that implies chocolate might be the answer. She doesn’t like white chocolate so I should be able to pry that from her vice-like grip.

The gull picture is from earlier in the year – the day I broke my windscreen.It is, however,

Cold grey heron on a cold grey day