Clinic Day (T.78)

The day before we were due to make the trek to the Glasgow clinic a couple of inches of snow fell.

The landscape was transformed into a thing of great beauty....... while the already frozen roads became even more treacherous.





























The following morning the alarm went off at seven. The bedroom was pitch black and it felt like the middle of the night. Our transport was expected at eight so we had to be up and ready. Christine had made a picnic lunch the night before but there was still a hot flask to pack. We were ready with our bags and overcoats at eight but our ambulance/taxi never appeared. It was -12 0 C outside. There was no one on the other end of a hospital phone line to contact. Should we drive ourselves to Glasgow or sit tight and wait ? It was 9 days since my ciclosporin (anti-rejection) levels had been checked and it had been an odd result. To miss this clinic could have consequences. To get there in time to be seen and checked, with the local roads snow covered and icy, we had to leave before 8.30 am. We decided to go for it.

As we slowly approached Dumfries the surrounding snow covered hill tops were tinged pink, bathed in the first rays of sunrise. We were unable to drive safely above 30 mph until we reached the gritted motorway. Then came the next problem - the screen wash was frozen. We peered through an ever darkening windscreen until after 15 minutes we had to pull over and clear it by hand. This became the pattern for the rest of the journey but we got there. The clinic was quite crowded - everyone was late, having had similar travel problems.

I had hoped that a warm engine would defrost the screen wash for the return journey but the air temperatures were far too low. We left the Beatson clinic a good hour later than usual and headed back South under cloudless blue skies. The low winter sun shining straight into our eyes made the drive back even harder but the snow-clad border hills looked gorgeous. A few miles from home they took on that same pink in the setting sun that we had seen as we left. Dusk closed in around us as we unlocked the front door and emptied our bags, glad to be back safely. Another clinic day over.