Seen with different eyes.

I asked for another telephone conversation with my GP this morning, to report back on how I have been since completing the last course of antibiotics. I can't say I'm happy with my progress. My blood pressure is still frighteningly high on times, and my pulse can be very variable. I'm unused to dealing with this. It saps my confidence. Nothing new came from the conversation, except a promise to chase up a hypertension cardio specialist appointment asked for a month ago, and another chase up letter of concern to the colorectal surgery team, from whom I have heard nothing since mid November last year. The only remedy for the acute pain in the soles of my feet after walking my daily 10k is paracetamol, or not walking as much. No suggestions about prevention or cure. Maybe I can reduce the impact by not walking the whole distance quota in one go. As I had to wait at home to receive the doctor's call, it came too late for me to got to St John's for today's Eucharist, but it couldn't be helped.

I'm sure the open wound is deteriorating and impacting on my central nervous system, because of where the wound is located, plus the stress of fighting infection and the complex muscular movements entailed in every aspect of movement daily. Being old, I doubt if I'm going to be a priority. A fifty percent success rate with this treatment, I was told. Unless you die before completion. I should have been operated on by the end of June, by the department's own estimation. Five months on hold due to covid-19, and more crisis management to come. Chance of death before completion of the treatment is bound to increase. There could be thousands of others in the same position as me, and some will already have lost their lives, not due to covid 10, but for lack of treatment, which won't appear on death certificates, and only vaguely reflected in excess deaths statistics.

I tried out my new Olympus camera with different lenses today, in the garden, and walking around the park. The 40-150 lens works differently from the other telephoto lenses I use and isn't as flexible. It's necessary to stand a lot further away to fully frame a subject, and then zoom in for detail. It's fine you're picking a subject at a distance, say a ship off-shore, and then want to home in on its flag, or the bridge. The wide angle kit lens, however is very good, but this too will call for a more practice to get the best from. I like the colour quality and sharpness of the images I get with it, and the lightness of the camera, which is robust as well. That's a real bonus.

A super sunny autumnal day with lovely colours developing, crowned in the evening by a showing on BBC Four of the classic award winning 1942 black and white movie 'Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Berman, and Doolie Wilson as Sam the jazz singer, plus many other actors who went on to have distinguished careers. I listened carefully throughout. Bogart never actually says 'Play it again Sam' but similar varied phrases referring to the move signature tune 'As time goes by'. The photography is superbly atmospheric and the wisecracking dialogue remarkable. It's perhaps the third time I've seen it in my lifetime, I could watch it again tomorrow, as it's laden with powerful yet almost understated themes, which are sill relevant, given that Casablanca is a bit like contemporary Calais, and staging post for refugees in transit, except most of these refugees are monied, though just as desperate and helpless as the poor masses.