This post was going to be about my progress with the Estonian Lace Christening Shawl, and a little bit of spinning and gawping at my new Golding Cherry Tsunami spindle. And a little about how my left hand is getting on... That will all come, but sometimes, Stuff Happens.
Firstly, and importantly, READ THIS POST on The Yarn Yard Blog by Natalie. Go on, scoot over there and have a look. I'll be here when you get back (and if you happen to slip and anything falls in your shopping basket while you are there, I take no responsibility - but if you've never been there before - yes, it is all even better than it looks!).
To my shame, I used to be a blood donor. I started when I was in my first job - they put on a mini bus, and took you to the local power station, where you had a wee bit of time off work, a lie down, a cup of tea, and a biscuit. In return, you had a needle stuck in your arm and had to play with a squeezy ball. And possibly, someone lived. Or at least was given a fighting chance.
The statistics are horrifying. At current levels, in England and Wales, there are only 3 days of stocks of some blood groups. If, for some reason, blood donation had to stop tonight, by Thursday, people who were having operations, having babies, or (heaven forbid) were in an accident, would have reduced options if they needed that blood group. And, if there was a major emergency somewhere, those stocks would disappear very, very quickly.
I stopped giving blood after I was on a medication for a short while which meant I wasn't allowed to. And, to my shame, I never went back.
That has changed. After I read Natalie's posting, I went to here, entered my postcode, and found when the next session was, near to me. It turns out it's on October 17th, so I requested an appointment (you can do it all online, it's very quick and easy) - so I'm back. Heaven forbid I or anyone I know needs it, but I've been and gone and done it.
I appreciate not everyone can give blood, and not everyone wants to. That's fine, but if you're OK with the ethical side, and reasonably fit and healthy, and all that's stopping you is that you've never got round to doing it, please give it a go. And I'm speaking as a squeamish person who has a fear of needles (shall we say that when I had to have a General Anaesthetic for a minor operation, they gave up and gave me a tablet after 3 people were having trouble restraining me - I find it proper scary) - when I have given in the past, the person setting me up has distracted me.
Let me just get off my soapbox...
And now to my poorly hand. I have been getting Rather Annoyed in the past few weeks. I had a nerve conduction test on August 12th (I remember it well - it was my birthday, however, I took the appointment, as they're busy people). I should have had the results within 2 to 4 weeks. Nearly 7 weeks later, after 2 weeks of chasing and being Rather Annoying, I have a one paragraph letter dictated by, but not signed by, the Registrar who saw me in July, and was absolutely convinced I had Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. The good news is, I don't. My test came out as normal. The bad news is, he now thinks it may be in my shoulder or neck, and I am going to be booked in for an MRI.
Speaking to his secretary (a lovely lady), I found out the delay was due to him being on holiday. And being behind with his work. Charming. I have got progressively worse over the past two months, to the stage where I am not sleeping, and am in a reasonable amount of pain and discomfort. I didn't book a holiday, as I thought that I may have an appointment that clashed, or that I may get worse, and didn't want to ruin it all. I am keeping all the letters, and notes on my treatment, and shall be complaining bitterly when this is all sorted out. I know that the NHS is overstretched. I know I am small fry. But it ain't free. I've paid my stamp, as has my employer, and let's face it, if I had to wait for a mail order delivery for nearly twice as long as I had been told, and had had no communication from the vendor, I would have cancelled the order. What annoys me isn't the time it takes, it's the attitude.
All I can do is knit and spin, and keep my powder dry. But they've upset the wrong person now...
Hopefully, some pictures of knitting and spinning tomorrow...
