Life Science

An eventful day compared to most!

After a disastrous start (don't ask!), and a couple of chores, it was good to catch up with Jacqui on the phone. But it was a hasty goodbye when the landline rang, and I assumed it was the garage. MrM had dropped the van off there a couple of days ago so that they could replace the back door, badly damaged when someone reversed into it a couple of months ago. We were due to pick it up this afternoon on the way to Newcastle for my Covid vaccination.

Not the garage! It was the receptionist from the surgery inviting me to go for a Covid vaccination there next week. A surprise as my GP indicated that she wasn't expecting any more vaccine at the surgery until at least mid-March when I spoke to her recently. Not really thinking straight, I said that I already had one booked for this afternoon. Of course walking to the surgery 5-minutes away would be hugely preferable to a 90-mile round trip, but by the time I got through to the surgery, less than 5 minutes later, the vaccine clinic was full. Never mind, we had to go to Alnwick to pick up the van anyway, and it's almost half-way to Newcastle.

After lunch the phone rang again, and this time it was the garage. Very apologetic, but the van won't be ready today as they had been sent the wrong handle. We should be able to fetch it tomorrow...

So late afternoon we set off for Newcastle. When I booked the appointment we had talked about going for a walk en route, but it was raining and everywhere is so wet at present that it no longer seemed a good idea. MrM drove us in the the courtesy car, very careful to avoid any of the huge number of cavernous potholes on the way to the A1, and we managed to find the vaccination hub at the Life Science Centre fairly easily. The vaccination centre was very well organised with a one-way system, and the young man who gave me the injection (the AstraZeneca vaccine just for the record) is obviously an expert, as I hardly felt it and tonight neither MrM nor I could see where it was!

We stopped for fish & chips and by the time we set off for home it was almost 8.30pm. It was then that we discovered that a long stretch the A1 was closed from 8.00pm for maintenance! No choice but to follow the diversion signs for miles through the suburbs, adding about 30 minutes to the journey...

Never mind! First vaccination done, and there was time for an hour's TV and a wee dram in front of the fire before bed.
Tomorrow is another day...

Lockdown 3, day 51