Yet another visit to the vet.

I noticed a while back that Penny had a lump on her flank. It was small – not even a quarter inch across – so I didn’t pay it much attention. It didn’t grow so I decided to let nature take its own course.

Last week, Penny started attacking it. She started with licking but by the weekend she was nipping at it. I had a close look and wished I hadn’t. The lump had burst and the consequences were the inspiration for the title here. I won’t go into any further detail in case any of you has just eaten.

This morning I phoned the vet. No problem. Bring her in at half eleven and we’ll have a look.

I arrived just a little late [fucking road-works] and had to wait half an hour. Apart from another patient [and its owners] we seemed to be the only ones there. The other patient was seen to and disappeared out the exit. I waited. And waited.

Eventually a woman appeared at the reception desk and scowled in my direction. I approached.

“Have you not got a mask?” she snarled at me. Her voice matched her appearance. A yappy little terrier came to mind.

“No” says I with a sigh.

She vanished and reappeared again waving a mask at me.

“Put that on and then wait in your car for the vet” she yapped.

I looked at her with my usual blank expression.

“Sit over there then” she growled and pointed to a chair.

A wee while later the vet appeared. He was very apologetic about the delay but apparently they are in the middle of a “Covid Outbreak” with several of their staff down with the lurgy. I had read all right that the Virus was back again [“Risk of reinfection for people who got Covid at Christmas, says expert“] but I wasn’t worried as I didn’t have Covid last Christmas so was in no danger.

Penny had her lump shaved. There it was in all its messy glory – a grand oozing pustule. So she had an antibiotic shot and a local anaesthetic.

On the way home we stopped off at the coffee shop for coffee for me and a fistful of chicken for Penny.

We needed that for our nerves.