I went to my local medical practice today, to get vaccinations for the trip.
I had a pretty good idea what I needed, but was advised to go to the pharmacy around the corner from the surgery to check. “I’d like to check what vaccinations I need to go to Ghana, please”, I said to the friendly looking lady behind the counter.
“Ghana? You could just go to Blackpool. You don’t need any vaccinations to go there”, she said.
We then got into a conversation about how I preferred Morecambe, and the ladybirds in Blackpool had driven me round the bend. After a few minutes I was rescued by the pharmacist, who actually seemed to be there to work.
Half an hour later the nurse was advising me on the vaccinations I needed – I have most of them already, so a quick rabies top-up was the only recommendation. The rabies vaccination isn’t actually a vaccination, it just slows rabies down or means you need less injections in the eyeballs or oh hang on I just realised my mother’s reading this it’s all fine.
Following a moment of confusion at the pharmacy in Sainsbury’s where the lady behind the counter for some reason got the impression I was in need of six month’s supply of female contraceptives (she still may not get the prescription right in which case I’ll apparently have both malaria and possibly my own set of breasts), I’m nearly set for medication.