Week 277: An annual inconvenience

I gave blood on Wednesday. I usually go to Stratford, but they’re currently refurbishing the donor centre, and the temporary replacement (a van in a car park) has far fewer slots. And, of course, it’s a van in a car park, which is not such a pleasant experience. But on Tuesday, as I was looking for slots for Friday, I noticed that there was a session in Peckham the very next day, only a minute’s walk away from where I rent a desk. I booked in for mid-afternoon and spent a relaxing hour reading (A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, loved it) while I waited, donated, and ate crisps afterwards. Maybe it doesn’t sound like a relaxing afternoon break to most people, but it was for me. I started trying to tidy up my office at home, which has been a disaster since I dumped everything in there after our house was renovated. There’s a long way to go, but it’s a start. Everybody loves the London Marathon except for those of us for whom it’s an annual inconvenience. We don’t live near the…