This post is very late, because I've been in hedgehog mode. Scrunched in on myself. Not in the mood for communication.

I talked last time about the less than optimal news that came out of a medical checkup in the first week of the month. The week after that brought another worrying result, this time from a routine eye test. Another potentially life-altering thing. Another word you don't want to hear. Another body part that can't be left to tick over for a year but needs to be monitored sooner. Another appointment in February. February. February. February. Fun-filled freaking February.

It felt as though my body had turned into a giant dashboard of red-flashing organs, a surreal game of whack-a-mole that I stood no chance of winning.

Then there was Nigel's recovery, which has been much slower than expected. His doctor says everything is fine. No problems. But the whole business has been much more painful than we anticipated.

The stars are all wrong, I think. In our various hospital visits, we saw so many people we knew. And a friend is going through a really tough time (a scenario that makes our worries look like a bagatelle). Then someone I knew from my Berkshire days passed away. He was old; he'd been ill for a while; and his faith would have meant he was looking forward to going. But it added to the reminders of mortality that seemed to be coming thick and fast.

Anyway, today's visit to the specialist at least brought somewhat better news on two of the beeping indicators. I'm scheduled for one more exam in August, just to see how a couple of issues are trending, but nothing needs to be done urgently, and I can wait until February (dear February) to pick up the cudgels again.


The other somewhat trying event of the last week or so has been Nigel's computer swap. Switching to a new computer is a bit like moving house. You get something more up-to-date and better suited to your needs. But the transition is time-consuming and tedious; stuff gets lost on the way; and ancient and no longer serviceable things float to the surface, clamouring for attention -- fix me, fix me, update me, update me...

All in all, NOT impressed with June so far. It has been a big pile of poo.

But let's turn to Kuching:
















Onwards and upwards. I hope.