The keen eyed may notice that at the time I took the screenshots the estimated time of earliest delivery was actually before the packet had even left the depot - clever if it were possible. At 2.45pm I went back online and rechecked, and this time it just blandly said "before 9pm".  Incidently, the mention of "age restricted delivery" refers to a bottle of whisky that was part of the order, but came separately a week ago. To almost conclude this section, the package was delivered at almost 7pm.

  I was feeling quite paranoid when I went to the surgery for my 4.20pm appointment for my 'flu jab. I was convinced my package would arrive while I was out. It didn't and so that was all right.  The nurse I saw was the same one I saw towards the end of August for my diabetic checkup. I can't say I like her that much, but she did a very good job of getting that vaccination needle in 99.8% painlessly. It might have even been better than that.

   I knew it was the same nurse in advance, and so I took along a post-it type note of my monthly blood glucose averages for the year so far. I pointed out how high it had been in May when I was originally supposed to give blood samples, and how I sat on the blood sample request form until I was happy I would get a good result. It was a better result than expected, and I was praised for my diabetic control.

  I then pointed out that the average for last month, September, was even lower than when I had submitted those blood samples. She was rather excited about it, and asked how I did it. I told her that it was all done by being very careful what I eat, and taking morning readings every day so I could see what was happening. I had to argue with one doctor that the test strips should be on my repeat prescription. He gave in, but said my condition was not bad enough to really warrant it. That was silly because it is only by constant monitoring that I can myself safe. The nurse asked if I could leave the post-it note so she could add those figures to my medical record - presumably to demonstrate that I take my diabetes very seriously.

  It was while walking back from the surgery that I got caught in a moderately heavy shower. Fortunately I had put a coat on. I had considered going without because it had been almost sunny when I left home. I think it was possibly the first time I had done up that coat since sometime last winter or spring. I had been thinking I had been putting on weight, or at least that my gut size had increased, but that coat did up easily, and was comfortable to wear (apart from feeling a bit too warm when I got home).

  There was no particular reason for it, but since having some fish fingers for breakfast I had eaten nothing more. Of course that is why I now tend to have a breakfast if I am not going out anywhere (beyond the local shops or the surgery). That breakfast does tend to reduce any hunger during the day, but after the 'flu jab, and getting caught in the rain, I had a strong desire for something to eat. I had 4 Marmite flavoured rice cakes with cheese and chopped chillies.

  It wasn't much more than an hour before dinner time at that point, and I managed to wait until 6.30pm for my dinner, half an hour later than usual. I had a fairly nice, but not all that filling, dinner of cod in breadcrumbs on a bed of wild rocket dressed with balsamic vinaigrette. I had one and a half mouthfuls left when there was a ring at my doorbell. It was my package from Amazon.

  I finished my breakfast and opened the packet in a state of great excitement (or something like that). It was all a bit of an anticlimax. I thought I had ordered two packets of 2 eye cups for my Nikon cameras viewfinders, but there was only one, and on checking the original order that was all I had ordered. No matter, two spares should be enough for a long while unless I am very careless. The other item was a sunshield for a Sigma lens. It was a bit tricky ordering the right one. What I got was a lovely lens shield, but sadly it doesn't fit any lens I have. Oh well, we live and learn.
  I think I mentioned that the very strong winds we had some days ago had really rattled the scaffolding on this house out the back of me. The scaffolding survived perfectly OK, but the tarpaulin on the side facing me got badly ripped.
  The strong winds tried to topple my tallest sunflower, but I had given it a bit of help with a bit of string tied to the fence, and it remains upright. It has reached as high as the top of the fence, but I think it has stopped growing up now. One significant change is that the flower bud has now bent over to face horizontally instead of up. That is what the sunflower that is currently flowering did. It is now seeming to be possible that I will have another flower soon. There are also a couple of shorter plants that may flower if it doesn't get too cold, and we get more sunshine.
  I feel sure I didn't manage to capture last night's sunset at it's best, but this picture give a fair idea of how nice it was at the time I took the picture (6:15pm). I think it got a bit redder later, but it still seemed to herald a good day today, and that is certainly how this morning is.

  The back pain I complained about yesterday gradually faded during the day. The last discomfort was some lower back pain. That was probably caused by sleeping awkwardly. I still felt "delicate" when I was going to bed last night. I can't quite remember what time it was, but I think it may have been after the last wee I had before going to bed. I don't know how I did it, but I experienced a lightning bolt of pain when I tried to flush the toilet. My toilet is very weird in that to flush it you have to pull a handle upwards (don't ask !). It was as I pulled upwards that the pain occurred, and I momentarily lost all power in the muscles I was using.

  The pain was in the upper arm muscle, and centred around an area where I had my second covid jab. For a month or two there was a sort of lump there. I have no idea what happened last night, but I attempted to flush the toilet again, and this time there was no problem. Since then I have tried to avoid the stance I used when I did get that pain. The trouble is that I have no real idea of how I was trying to do it differently from normal. This morning there is still some tenderness, and I cringe every time I flush the toilet. I am sure it was will soon fade from memory.

  I was actually quite comfortable in bed last night, and I am sure I might have slept better than I did if only I had been able to remember a dream I was having when I woke up at 1am. The dream was something to do with Covid, and probably vaccinations. All I can remember is something couldn't happen unless something was 10 miles away. I think I puzzled over this for well over an hour before I managed to fall asleep again. At 3am I turned the heater on low because I was feeling too warm and too cold.

  I had better explain that. I felt too warm when under the duvet, but it was far too cold to stick an arm or leg out. A bit of mild heat made that possible. I guess my sleep felt a bit patchy after that, but it was partly an illusion because time was passing far faster than it seemed to be. Suddenly it was just gone 7am, and time to get up.  Initially I felt very creaky, with some assorted discomfort, but nothing out of the ordinary. I did wonder if the aching joints were a reaction to the 'flu vaccine, but I think it was just the effect of sleeping that made joints sieze up. I feel mostly OK now, several hours later.

  The best thing about this morning was that my blood glucose was down to 7.8mmol/l. I still haven't hit my target of 7.5mmol/l, but at least it has lowered my running average, and gives some hope that I might be able to end the month with a record low (although saying it is probably the kiss of death to that idea). I have to admit there is a temptation to celebrate by having a few forbidden fruits, but at this end of the day I am resisting the idea.

  I've heard from Angela this morning. She sent a message saying she didn't think she would be able to get to the pub for "a little while now". There was no explanation, but she did say she would let me know when she can get there again, and she ended it with 4 kisses. I can think of some possible explanations, but none of them are that her work has got too busy. I guess I will probably learn why in the future.

  Fortunately this doesn't really affect my plans because I was thinking of not seeing Angela unless she called me to say she was going to the pub at lunchtime - which I doubted she would do. I have two things I want to do today. One is to pop along to the hospital vaccination centre and enquire about the so called Covid booster shot. The other is to collect my latest repeat prescription from the pharmacy. The pharmacy is on the way back from the hospital so I shall do both as one walk. There is just one other thing that I nearly forgot. It is to take advantage of the sunshine, and wash just one t-shirt, and three pairs of underpants so they can dry on the washing line. They are soaking right now !