Walked down to the pharmacy this morning, early for my vaccine. First time I’ve seen it without a queue. Pretty much straight in and out, job done. Funny isn’t it. All that work that’s gone into it behind the scenes, all those thousands of people who have been part of the trials, all that coordinated working that’s got to here.
Some people say they feel a bit dodgy after it, I’ve heard. Guessing that’s a good thing as our bodies recognise and respond, creating those protective antibodies.
I’m remembering how crap I felt after my typhoid and cholera vaccinations. Yep, that wasn’t great. Only lasted a day or two from what I can remember. Pleased that it gave me the protection I needed.
It’s a peaceful spring day today. Only one call so far today. Children off on Easter holidays.
We missed numerous calls while we were out. Did I mention the mental health Nurse phoned, said they’d call next week. It’s so annoying when I miss those important calls, always seem to happen when I’m tied up in the drama, like when I missed my appointment for my ankle. Forgot I even had it. It’s like there’s a contagion to the whirlwind of despair.
Fear of contagion is spoken about in whiteness studies. How areas are racialised and set apart. How land is valued or not because of this, people set apart. Fears of ‘matter out of place’ as James Trafford calls it. I reflect on the external and internal nature of this.
I’m lost in my part in this, this broken mirror of reflection that Dr Kinouani describes. Lost in language that has no impact, except perhaps to get me sectioned going forward. Daily discussions about whiteness met with confusion, hostility or silence. The name loses people, met with such confusion.
Someone mentioned that it’s systems and cycles of abuse. Yes from the top to the bottom, within relationships. Reflecting on how that shows up in work, what we buy, the resources we exploit. Did you know we’re running out of sand? The sand we have is the wrong shape apparently. People fear further grab of resources. We’re running out of experienced, life saving Nurses too. The response to advertise for ‘health professional’ rather than a Nurse. Sweep it under the carpet, it’s all about mental health…
My cousin isn’t family, she’s work sometimes. The fact that she’s not family down to cycles of abuse, some days are easier than others. And round we go again. Global, National, Community, Individual. How do we interrupt what’s going on, stop this abuse?
In other news, we’ve been talking about anniversaries 59 and 19 years. Getting trees to celebrate. Gone for a Cox’s Orange Pippin. We don’t have room to plant it, expecting we could do some community good. Chatting to our neighbours about what might be a right plan.
Easter holidays are busy here, not sure many of the group’s here are locals.
Friends are out, some recently out of hospital, looking pale in the sun. Made today’s physically distanced walk a little easier. Wondering if our visitors have learnt a thing. But at least it’s safer outside.
Perhaps the sun is helping a little, though even an ice cream was not welcomed, focused on when was the next call. We need help around these phone calls, I’m not sure it’s helpful life planned around them, preventing living rather than sustaining it.
No ice cream for one of us, too fearful of cross contamination with nuts. Allergies suck the fun out of life. Made do with the money, but it’s not really the same.
So on to mint tea tasting. Always a go to activity. Which one’s your favourite? Bless, hope we never grow out of this. Spearmint, chocolate mint or garden mint
