Broken

I’m really taken by this adolescent cygnet floating on the river, head bowed in melancholic contemplation. I don’t know what’s happened to his wing, but it is clearly damaged, its skeletal feathers seeming far from functioning as normal. And adding to the sense of loss is the sprinkling of autumnal leaves, still looking crisply copper as they float upon the surface like a sprinkling of rose petals.  

But there again, this gloomy viewing may well owe more to my mood than the swan itself. It’s been a strange day, with long waits for a phone call from a Liverpool consultant (due at 11.00 am, eventually I speak to her after 3.00pm) - and basically it’s to say they’ve done all that they can. I don’t have TB or any identifiable tropical disease, so it’s over to the other specialisms who’ve been working with me. This is largely as expected, and the Tropical Medicine team have been amazing, but ….. I just want a diagnosis! Still, this is just the first of four further consultations before the month is out, so I’m trying to be optimistic…….

And of course, G does his usual good deed of getting me out of the house - a chocolate bribe is involved - and as usual, my camera and nature lift my spirits.