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| "Slippery" illustration by Bing AI |
Today was one of those days I would have preferred to just stay in - if not for the fact that I have a primary health care check-up coming up next week; and before that, they need a fasting blood sample from me.
I'd been keeping a close eye on the weather forecasts for a week, hoping for "a better day" to get that done - but just now, only worse seems to be expected. So this morning, and without breakfast, I ventured out not long after 8 a.m. Weather: Freezing drizzle falling on snow and ice...
I had actually intended to try and catch the bus half the way (two stops); but when I reached the bus stop, the printed timetable there was different from what I'd tried to figure out at home (using an app) - so not knowing when to actually expect the bus, I just sighed and continued on foot. (Probably both saved me time and kept me warmer...) I was of course dressed for the weather, including the right kind of footwear; but it certainly wasn't the most fun day to be out and about anyway. (But tomorrow might well be worse!) Anyway, once I reached my destination, there was no queue at the lab, so it was all over very quickly.
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| Image by Bing AI |
I had brought a small thermos of tea so then had some of that + a banana in the waiting room before I ventured back out again. And back home, more tea + a sandwich... But after that, I was so tired that I actually went back to bed and fell asleep for another hour or two; before I got up to make lunch!
PS-1: Walking down outdoor icy steps one step at a time (outside the health care centre), very slowly, holding on to the icy rail with one hand, and a firm grip on your walking pole with the other, being as careful as anyone possibly can, turns out to be a great way to get strangers smiling at you and saying: "Be careful now, it's really slippery..."
PS-2: When I asked Bing for a slippery illustration, cartoon style (see the image at the top), I did not ask for it to involve animals of any kind...
Below is a photo of "the real thing", somewhere along my way:
Since living here in Spain, I've almost forgotten what snow and ice are like. We have had two overnight snowfalls in all the years we've been here, and they vanished as soon as the sun came out. I don't think I could live in a cold climate now - my blood has thinned too much! This winter we have had very low temperatures (for us) of around + 3 or 4 degrees, and the weather has remained dry but bitterly cold.
ReplyDeleteCarol, +3 or 4 can certainly feel "cold enough", I find it also depends a lot on humidity and wind etc.
DeleteYour photo of icy footprints is very artistic. Makes me shiver though.
ReplyDeleteMe too, JayCee! ;-)
DeleteYou sure are brave...I think I would have re-scheduled. The slippery animal creation is so cute! And the footprints on the ice are almost like an art collage.
ReplyDeleteGinny, I could have waited until today or tomorrow, but that would have been worse rather than better, as we had more snow falling during the night to today.
DeleteHahaha, how "smart" some people are! If it had not been for them pointing it out to you, you'd never had known it was slippery... :-D
ReplyDeleteYou did well and got it all over with, then had the reward of a couple of hours of more sleep - wonderful!
Meike, no doubt their comments were well meant even if rather pointless... I think I've mentioned before that in Sweden, there's nothing like slippery weather to make people "chat" with strangers in the street! ;-) (...everyone struggling...)
Deleteboth images of so cute, and for some reason AI thinks the word cartoon means like for children. try the same command without cartoon, i use realistic sometimes. the animals make me smile and that is good. wow on the footprints, you are brave and i am glad you made it down those steps and back home. when i get blood labs drawn i take coffee and a slice of french bread. and get back in my car and sip half the cup while nibbling bread before i leave the parking lot
ReplyDeleteSandra, I tend to like their cartoon/illustration style drawings better than the so-called realistic. I also quite like the one I used here - I was just surprised to get animals when I hadn't asked for that. But then again I also had not specified that it was people I had in mind! ;) (I did better with the nurse/patient one, but then I did provide more specific instructions...) - Yes, like you I have found it good to bring a little something to eat/drink after, when I need to be fasting before.
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