Yesterday afternoon I sent for a flu jab. The company I work for offer these as a free ‘perk’, but all it involves is a voucher to take along to a Boots the Chemist. where a pharmacist does the deed. they have a little booth with a curtain, but it’s not a terrible pleasant experience. Last year when I went along, I was a bit perturbed when the young pharmacist was very nervous and managed to touch the tip of the needle on the wall of the booth before sticking it in my arm. OK, I should have said something, but somehow I just kept quiet and let her jab me. The worst didn’t happen and I was OK afterwards, so there can’t have been any major germs on the wall.
This year, I was determined to watch out for that happening again. This time, the staff hadn’t seen any of the vouchers before and didn’t want to let me have a free jab without a lot of fuss. Eventually, they realised what the voucher actually said and I was sent into the booth to wait for the pharmacist. He was very young again, Chinese this time with very little English, but very smiley, albeit nervous. He had to manouvre the chair around the booth quite a lot until I was in a position he felt comfortable with, not a bad thing as at least we were away from all the walls. He kneeled on the floor, carefully measuring the exact distance from the top of my shoulder so he could jab me in the perfect place. He looked terrified. With trembling hands, he jabbed me hurriedly, pushing the plunger in super fast. It was all over in a second and he anxiously inspected my arm. Beaming up at me, he said ‘no blood!’ as if that was an achievement worthy of my praise.
‘Now stay in shop for 5 minutes in case of allergic reaction’ he grinned at me. I wandered around for a minute, before the idiot on the counter tried once again to get money from me for the injection. Explaining AGAIN, about the company voucher, he accepted it and I left the shop.
I think it would be easier to get flu.
Today I went for a haircut and get it coloured also. At my age, the grey is too advanced to just leave it, so I’m afraid vanity demands a colour other than grey. This pallaver took two hours and involved tin foil, mixing, brushing, waiting, washing, cutting and blow drying. I have decided to get it cut short again, like I used to – to avoid having to use hair straighteners and to make it quicker to wash and dry in the mornings before work.
It looks OK, I guess, but at the moment i am quite fat in the face, so there’s no hair to hide behind and it show off my jowls beautifully.
Ah well, can’t have everything!
Barbara Murray Art 