closer

Things are still moving in the right direction - all the relevant expensive consultations have now taken place and all is well in my world. Well, it will be after the obligatory 2 week wait!

I've got the all clear on my heart murmur and raised ALT results, these being the only barriers to getting the required work permit. This is great, but the good news is tempered by the necessary delay in getting things written up, sent out and accepted.

If there's one good thing to come out of the interminable waiting while the due process slowly grinds on and on, it's the fact that it appears that I'm reasonably healthy. My cholesterol is low, my blood pressure is ideal, and due to the fact that I had to make sure I was in as best position as possible for the medicals, I've lost over a stone in weight (although I could probably stand to lose another one, but it's a step in the right direction).

All those things that have taken time to sort out would probably have been flagged up in any case some time in the near future, and I also now know that I have no nasty diseases lurking in my blood ready to surprise me some time in the future.

However I won't be fully happy until It's all over, and I'm possibly being a bit ambitious, but a start date of 29th September is looking a possibility and one that I'm certainly aiming for. Let's hope there's some cheap flights still available...