retirement looms large

At least 5 times a day I will say to my patients: "just make an appointment to see me an a month's time".
Today marks the first time when I am no longer able to say this. Because a month from now I will be retired, and although I'll continue to work 2 sessions a week on Mondays, as I have always done, I cannot guarantee they will be able to see me personally. People will have to book well in advance to avoid disappointment, and many will decide it is simply no longer practical to see me on a regular basis. But this is the way of things and I (and they) will just have to get used to it. I can think right now, however, of a hard core who will wait all day, or all month if necessary, in order to see me and only me. Pity then, that some of them I don't even like...

I've finished shelling the nuts. In 3 marathon sessions I eventually completed the task in something over 7 hours, rather quicker than I had predicted. I did not allow for practice, which gradually increased my speed till by the end I was fairly ripping through them. A satisfying job in some ways, though I would hate to do it full time...