Tired,but calm within my mind,we fight on

Good morning journal,the time is 6:31am,I have been awake since 6:00am,when Buttons,our oldest dog,did her usual little,"I need to go",barks at my side of the bed.As usual,I got up,put on my robe,turned around,and she was fast asleep beside my wife;yes,she'd suckered me yet again.That dog is too smart for her own good,so rather than engage in unarmed combat to regain my place in bed,I trooped off to the kitchen and made some coffee,which I am now enjoying as I type.Two days ago,I called the benefit agency and spoke to a very nice young lady called Tina,who informed me that I had indeed been awarded something called the support group component,she thinks my benefit entitlement will increase by around thirty pounds a week,but she wasn't sure of the exact amount.She advised me that if I hadn't heard in the mail by the end of the week,I should contact them again;she also told me that I no longer needed to submit any medical certificates to prove I am ill anymore,her exact words to me were,"basically,we leave you alone for the next year,then we review you again",well thank you very much Tina,as the old saying goes,"you've made an old man very happy". Finally,the authorities accept that I am ill without me having to prove it,well,for the next twelve months anyway,which is a start,she also threw in a little bonus,my award was granted on March 15th,which means I should have a little back benefit to collect also;thank you Father.Now,if we can get the same response from the disability team,we might just be able to eat occasionally as well,my appeal is ongoing,and we are awaiting notification of their decision.We submitted a claim for disability last September,which was initially refused,we appealed,and it is this appeal which is currently being dealt with,if we are refused again,we will have to wait three or four months to submit a new claim with fresh medical evidence.As to my visit to the diabetic clinic on Tuesday last,it was interesting;I was expecting to be seen by the all knowing,nothing can be hidden from me,sister Beverley Riley,indeed I saw her in the corridor and she acknowledged me with a brief nod.Instead,when my name was called,I entered the treatment room to be met by a middle aged peroxide blonde,who was waiting with hands on hips and a grim reaper sort of smile which did nothing to put me at ease."Good morning",she said,"I'm after your blood today",and I thought to myself,"that doesn't surprise me in the least",I let my imagination run riot,and decided,not without some justification it has to be said,that she looked like a cross between Cruella De Ville and Lucretia Borgia,both women not to be tangled with if a man was wise.Her name tag on her uniform said sister Caroline Sharp,.....yes,....my thoughts exactly. She took my blood pressure first,the reading said 92/81,with a pulse rate of 106,"hmmm",she murmured to herself,"we'll take another reading",she informed me.The second reading read 94/82 with a pulse rate of 110;"well,your blood pressure is rising,along with your pulse rate",she said,with grim reaper like glee,"I'm not surprised",said I,but she missed the undisguised tone of impending doom in my comment,and carried on regardless.She examined both of my arms trying to locate a suitable vein to plunge the syringe she was waving menacingly around with sadistic anticipation into;"are you hiding your veins from me?",she asked with a smile,at least I think it was a smile;it reminded me of a cornered dog baring it's teeth,"yes,it's something I do occasionally at will,just to prolong the fun",I replied sarcastically,and instantly regretted my feeble attempt at careless banter,as she stabbed the syringe into my right arm with a quite unnecessary level of force,some people have no sense of humor at all. Once inserted,she jiggled the syringe around in an effort to siphon some blood from me,my vein refused to cooperate;as she continued to probe,moving the needle left,then right,then left again,she said,"your a very stubborn man,your not letting me have any blood",I replied,"I'm Scottish,it's in our genes not to give anything away for nothing". Once again,my devil may care attitude fell on deaf ears,as finally,with another twist of the needle,she managed to collect enough blood for the required tests,"there you go",she said,"that wasn't so bad now was it?". Well no,not if you consider five minutes of pain and a whacking great bruise on your arm a source of some pleasure."we should have the results in five working days,"she said,"unless we find something abnormal,you can ask your doctor next week",and with that,I made my escape gratefully.On the journey home,I recalled having seen a wedding band on the third finger of her left hand,and I was left with a grudging sense of admiration and respect for the man who went home to sister Sharp every night,you sir,are a braver man than I, and I salute you.As for sister Riley,Beverley,I apologize unreservedly,I shall never belittle you again,for compared to sister Sharp,you are indeed an angel. Well journal,the day lies before us,I have enjoyed my time with you this morning,but now I must depart,I am getting to be a little uncomfortable in my computer chair and my coffee mug is empty,until next time,may God continue to walk with us,and may peace and love be present in our home.