After the very enjoyable and entertaining party on Friday night, it seems that Your Lord once again succumbed to the demon brandy that he holds so dear. Late this afternoon, Lady P. visited the doctor for the results of a blood test that she underwent last week and, thankfully, she is in tip-top shape. The doctor then enquired as to Your Lord’s health.

Lady P. replied that, after being advised to telephone a counselling service at my last visit to the doctor, I had slowly slipped back into my old ways.

Lady P. quite rightly told our doctor that I had telephoned the ‘help centre’ to make an appointment in order to undertake counselling but was told by the person on the other end that I would be contacted within the next couple of weeks, owing to the fact that the person I needed to speak to was ‘on holiday’.

That was three weeks ago.

According to my good lady wife, the doctor then chuckled to himself and said ‘Oh, they are still playing that game, are they?’

It seems that many dependents, after admitting that they have developed a ‘habit’, will agree to making an appointment with a counsellor in order to obtain certain drugs from their GP which will make their withdrawal easier – and their evenings more relaxed in the company of Pink Floyd – and then discontinue with the counselling.

I initially attended our new surgery in order to register with a GP, have my ears syringed and be tested for high cholesterol but was subsequently summoned in order to be interrogated as to my drinking habits, to which I openly admitted are rather on the extravagant side.

After agreeing that I should indeed wave goodbye to my favourite tipple, it now seems that I must play a game to prove that I am serious in my quest to give up the booze.

As Lady P. was about to depart, the doctor handed her a leaflet with instructions to give it to her husband to read. Needless to say, said leaflet has been filed in the bin without perusal from my good self.

I suppose the point I am trying to make is that if one is willing to take advice about altering one’s lifestyle, it is only courteous that one’s advisors take seriously one’s effort to change, not laugh at one and treat it all as a ‘game’.

Your Lord suggests that the do-gooders keep their opinions to themselves and leave those that are happy to continue their way of life, albeit dancing with the devil, to do so.

After all, away from the Treasure Hunt, Your Lord stopped playing ‘games’ many years ago.

Cheers! I’ll see you on the Dark Side of the Moon.

Erastus