The Mobile Blood Bank is back in my neck of the woods this week, and because it’s so inconvenient to get to their Southbank outlet (inlet?) I try to make a point of going as often as I can.

So I planned to go along on this afternoon after picking up the kids from school (Tuesday is my short work day). It pays to book, as one time I merrily went along and found they were completely booked-out.

They generally send a letter advising of their imminent arrival, then ring later in the week to ask if you want to book. So I thought I’d await their call. Sure enough they rang on Friday.

The problem? They were already fully booked on Monday and Tuesday, and most spots taken on Wednesday and Thursday. Really, it was hardly worth them ringing.

Now, I think giving blood is a good thing to do. The Blood Service frequently advertise for more donors. But they don’t make it easy, with mobile branches booked-out, and permanent branches in inconvenient locations with inconvenient hours. I think they’re under-resourced.

Hey, wait a minute. They now have a branch in Bourke Street. When did that happen? Maybe things are improving.

Anyway, a happy ending. They rang back yesterday to say they’d found a slot at precisely the right time: 3:45pm today. Excellent.

PS 5:20pm: Apparently my blood-pressure is 115 over 70, and my blood count is 162. Or is it 16.2?