Today was a great day. The very amazing Consultant Allergy had emailed me last Friday to invite me for Covid19 vaccine 1 . Vaccine Day 1. VD1.

What a relief since GP had said he was not allowed to authorise it locally on account of ‘allergies’!

A trip to London then, lovely snowy fields for all the 5 people on the whole train to see as we chugged into London.

Dr Allergy greeted me across the clinic area like a long lost friend…well I guess we have spent many hours together over many years since Jerome first suggested seeing her. It turns out today is in fact her birthday. Even better reason for me to have remembered long promised cakes, well this time it was brownies, from our local amazing coffee shop.

She organised going through all the protocols and signing forms and getting observations done then the jab itself. An absolute breeze. I stayed there for a few hours being monitored and was passed good to go.

I managed a distanced hello to Daughter 2 who is working on Covid ward T9. So so good to see her. We in fact literally bumped into Dr Anaesthetist. She and indeed Jerome have looked after me since 2011 . I hardly recognised her, mask and bike ‘helmetted’ as she was. She is working on ICU. Those patients must be so relieved, I guess they may not be well enough to know, but their families too, that she is there. So calm so lovely such a heroine. How are your children I asked. Coping just about she said. I just leave them to it! I scrabbled in the cake bag and found two more brownies for her. The least I can do …I said…please look after yourself too.

With Dr Allergy I chatted about schools, my kids have gone feral she said! We agreed they would be ok, in the end. The children will be fine. The parents maybe greyer. We chatted about indecisive leadership from the govt. Saving lives not stopping pandemics seems to be the vaccine plan. The elderly over 90’s were called in first then the 80’s and now 70’s and clinically extremely vulnerable. That’s all the people they do not want in hospital. We chatted about her volunteering in ICU. She, like Jerome goes in to help with ‘proning’. The tallest like her take the heavier end. I cannot imagine what hell in must be in there.

She laughed and laughed when I told her my friend Sarah had explained to the virtual pilates group that I was having the vaccine: ‘ Those of you who do not know Jacq‘ said Sarah, as I worried what the hell she was going to say. ‘she’s off to get her vaccine, not bad for 90 eh?’

I am so very lucky . Phew. Thank you scientists and everyone in NHS trying to sort this all out. Vaccine 2 within 10 weeks unless the government changes plans, again. At least in the UK we each have our unique identifier. Our NHS number is what keeps us on the vaccine ‘system’ some vast data base. Hopefully they have moved on from the excel . ( A debacle last year!) . In other countries finding the patients is an issue. Not here. At least we have that plus. We are data. We are identifiable and traceable.

We’ve got this. Wonderful. Amazing. There is light at the end of this tunnel. Let’s Keep to the rules. Get the vaccine. We can do this.