Suddenly things changed. For the better. From cloudy to clear. It was nothing I did. The brilliantly sunny morning began unequivocally. Upon awakening I simply answered duty. Mainly, I had an early morning appointment with a dermatologist, the doctor who – upon referral to him by my GP months ago – identified a malignant tumour associated with skin cancer. He commented today while peering through his fancy dermatoscope that we fortunately caught it early enough to ensure it hadn’t spread rampantly through the lymph nodes. I’m booked again in six months.  If I make it that far, he speculates the subsequent return will be a year afterwards. Clearly he’s unconvinced that the initial problem has completely evaporated. Not unlike a philosophic meeting with an undertaker.

Yet the intelligence was sufficient to invigorate the day and to delay the inevitable dress rehearsal in a medical gown.