Spent an hour or more this morning sitting in the doctor’s waiting room in Xania. Finally decided to do what Chris has been wanting me to do for a long time and that is to have a thorough check-up. Well that was certainly started as we left her office with no fewer than six pieces of paper and headed for the IKA building in Souda. I was very glad to have Douglas do all the enquiries as his Greek is certainly better than mine and when I am spoken to in Greek I can tend to get a wee bit confused. Directed to that part of the building where all the medical bibs and bobs happens, a charming lady who spoke perfect English said we could see the cardiologist immediately and the rest of the tests – X-ray, kidneys, liver, thyroid, prostrate and goodness knows what else could be on Sept 2^nd. So up to the second floor we went and to room 22 where, on Douglas knocking and opening the door, we were faced with Dr Billy Goat Gruff seated behind his desk and with, until our entry, nothing to do.. Very naughty for a cardiologist to be at least three stone overweight which maybe is why he is a Billy Goat Gruff. At least there was no hanging around for an hour here although there were a number of people in the corridor but obviously not for him. It took him a while studying my IKA book and the doctor’s note for him to agree that okay he would do as she requested and yelled “Eleni!” at which I was ushered into the next room and the administrations of the charming Eleni, after the doc himself had listened to my heart for quite a long while through his stethoscope. Eleni plastered my chest, arms and ankles with all those multiple electrode things. “Breathe normally,” Eleni said, ‘and don’t move.’ We were then ushered back to Billy goat gruff to read the resulting tape. Would you believe that, apart from a couple of hiccups at the start, my heart was, as Gary would say, as sound as a bloody pound! It couldn’t have been beating at a steadier rhythm. There’s nothing wrong with your heart said Billy Goat Gruff and ushered us out. He is the second cardiologist to come to this conclusion, the first being at the Xania hospital when I had that dose of pneumonia. I think what they mean is there is nothing needing drastic treatment so it’s just a case of continuing with the Tildiem – twice a day according to my good but naughty lady doctor. Just as BGG is three stone overweight, she smokes. This is a country of smokers, that’s for sure. Didn’t notice whether BGG does. We popped straight across the road to get the stuff with the prescription but did not buy the blood pressure thingy the doctor recommended – not at over 90 euro! And then home, starving hungry. It’s been a day for medical treatment. Douglas has just gone back into Xania with Betty the cat with her wretched skin infection. Hopefully she won’t need any more treatment after today.