A little prick and no side effects

Had my first dose of the vaccine yesterday.

I would love to have had it in a cathedral - the pictures from Lichfield and Salisbury last month were remarkable and rather moving - but it wasn’t to be.

Nevertheless I had a choice of several locations, including centres in Peterborough and Cambridge, and chose a 70-mile round trip to Newmarket Racecourse (above), ‘The Home of Horseracing’.

Very easy to drive to, plenty of car parking, no queue to speak of, and I was in and out in 15 minutes.

Compared to the flu jab I had in November, which was completely painless, I felt a little prick but that was all.

Several warnings about possible side effects (sore arm, headache, nausea etc) but nothing so far.

A friend who also got his jab yesterday had to take paracetamol but extreme reactions seem very rare.

I already have a date for my second jab (May 19) which coincides almost exactly with the scheduled reopening of pubs and restaurants indoors, so that’s something to look forward to.

Thereafter I’m anticipating some weekend breaks - Bath, Norfolk, a trip to Scotland perhaps, although wee Nicola may not be keen on marauders from England for a while yet.

Meanwhile I’m a bit surprised that some people - including one or two people my age that I’ve spoken to - appear reluctant to get the jab.

I’m not entirely sure what the issue is but I’m with the Queen. Let’s get this done!