I woke up early after a poor night's sleep, and posted today's Morning Prayer YouTube link to the Parish WhatsApp prayer thread before 'Thought for the Day' started. This is the first day under the new regimen to miss taking a statin at bed time an alternate days. My head was clear and sharp before taking my blood pressure pill. Then I became light headed. My reactions, thought processing and concentration were much slower. I didn't have the usual 'toxic head' sensation, and retained a clear awareness of my condition. Is it simply a result of sleep loss? I felt as if I floated to St Catherine's for the Eucharist. There were eight of us today. I was steady on my feet, not dizzy, but a bit apprehensive about my concentration failing and leading to an accident.
After coffee and chat I called into the Coop to buy porridge oats. There was a single packet remaining on the shelf, but when I picked it up, the contents leaked from a small hole in the packaging all over the floor. I had to double back and buy a packet in Tesco's before going home.
I had a text message from the Local Health Board notifying me of a digital letter awaiting my attention on the NHS Mail Portal, with a clickable link to the site. It must be something new. I'd never had a message delivered like this before, and wondered if it was genuine, so I didn't open it. After lunch I went to the GP surgery, showed the staff the message and asked if it was genuine. It was quickly apparent that I'd received other medical SMS notifications from the number displayed. I accepted the reassurance given that it was an authentic message and safe to open. I should have double checked, as it's easy for a number displayed to be false.
I tried unsuccessfully to open the link on a computer when I got home. I don't know why, as I couldn't make sense of the error message. I opened the link on my phone by accident. It led to a genuine web page that delivered a cardiology appointment letter on the day before my next birthday, and placed a copy of the details into my Google Calendar. Clever stuff. It would have been reassuring to be forewarned of an unsolicited SMS using the new delivery format. It arrived faster than snail mail. It was unexpected and attracted security scrutiny because it was unusual. I mentioned this to the surgery staff when showing them the message. You can't be careless at a time when cyber attacks are increasingly commonplace.
Mark dropped by for tea and a chat. We went out for a circuit of Llandaff Fields as the sun reached the horizon in a cloudy sky. So much more pleasant than when it was overcast yesterday.
Shipping is coming under attack again in the Straights of Hormuz and in the Gulf States, disrupting traffic not only in oil but in other ship borne commodities, sending shock waves through the global economy. Stocks of oil held in reserve are being released to market in an attempt to curb price rises while the Straits are under attack. The UN reports that 950 missile and 2,500 drone attacks have been launched by Iran and its allies so far. Trump's belligerence and his ill-considered war aims and objectives make him increasingly unpopular and a target for criticism. Israel continues to wage war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, in response to missile attacks against Israel. So far, over six hundred killed and a million people displaced. Israel has turned their home territory into a battlefield.
Early to bed tonight in an effort to counter sleep loss
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