Natural bling...

A dazzling, frosty morning, just right for a walk along the river, for once without too much mud. It's odd how I never tire of the perfection of hoar frost, and the way it can transform the most ordinary of objects. I would have liked to linger, but there were pressing matters to be dealt with, so I grabbed a few images in passing, and then headed back to the car, just in time to see a wall of fog rolling in from the west over the Rowing Lake.

Then came the most traumatic part of the day. Ben has been on the waiting list for orthodontic treatment for over 18 montghs and recently came to the top.Today he had to have two teeth removed, one from either side of his lower jaw. They were baby teeth which had no permanent teeth below them, and were gradually sinking back into his jaw.

He has a fairly anxiety prone personality and was very nervous, particularly as he'd never even had an injection in his mouth before. The dentist and her nurse were wonderfully gentle with him, and he in turn was remarkably brave. The adrenaline in the injection (together with his own raised levels) caused him to shake uncontrollably for the first quarter of an hour. The first tooth came out relatively easily, but the second was trapped underneath a permanent tooth, and the dentist had to free it with the drill. It was really hard to see both Ben and the dentist suffering and not being able to help in any way. I would much rather have been on the receiving end of the treatment and can now understand why so many men faint during childbirth!

We were all very relieved when it was over, and Ben has spent the rest of the day taking it easy, having regular doses of painkillers as the dentist said that the bone would be very bruised after the struggle to pull the tooth out. He may be too old for the tooth fairy, but I think some sort of special present is called for!