Written in North Devon, England. I remember every part of this day, most especially the magical moment ...

Today's success - the GP has agreed to do a cardiac referral as requested by the rheumatologist after a discussion with me. Heaven knows when I’ll get an appointment but it is a triumph for today nonetheless.

Today's frustration - rheumatologist telling me the GP has to handle to day to day management of my Behçets, including things like this swollen face, and the GP telling me no, that's not his remit and I must discuss my flare with the hospital team on Oct 9th. After 5 minutes of tears when I put the phone down I decided ok, energy tank is empty. I'll deal with that tomorrow.

Today's relaxation - believe it or not a lovely sleep for 30 of the 40 minutes whilst my brain scans were done.

Today's magical moment - the radiographer was South African; he grew up in a township close to where I used to live. I was his last patient so following a chance remark we sat and spoke for 1.5 hours about his homeland & my second home. We spoke about politics, and about hate; he told me his mother had petrol poured on her one day in the township and I told him about how I was almost necklaced. We spoke about the heavenly scent of the Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow bush and the clarity of the light on a high veld mid-winter's day. We talked about mealie pap, melktart and babotie, and discovered our favourite place in the bush was Oliphant's camp in the Kruger. National Park. We spoke about music and that special traditional South African song that starts so quietly with the sound of the African wind susserating so gently through the high veld grass and builds to a crescendo representing a herd of elephants stampeding across the bush. He told me about his wife and his three kids and a bit about their life here. He loves this land as much as I do his. I love my land as much as he does his. A masked African man and a masked European woman sitting 2m apart in a freezing cold MRI suite separated by absolutely nothing at all, and connected by so much. It was magical, uplifting & life-affirming. It has filled me with joy.