Rejected!

I turn up for a session at the brand new blood donor centre in Nottingham (very nice it is too, once you find it) and answer the usual questions no problem.

The next step is quality control - a "sharp prick" in a finger and a drop of the red stuff is captured and dropped into a tube of copper sulphate solution to see if it's OK before they take an arm-full The drop is supposed to sink within x seconds.

It doesn't!

Neither does the next drop! That's the first time in 45 years that that's happened.

"Do you mind if I take a sample from your arm to test it for haemoglobin?"

Well that's fine by me and the removed sample is carefully inserted into a red box thingy.

"It has to be 135 for us to take a donation".

The nurse and I peer at the little LED display panel and wait for the answer: 123!

"I'm sorry but because it's less than 125 I have to get the staff nurse."

The staff nurse is very reassuring ("you probably just need an iron supplement") but also insistent. "Take this (a results slip, not the actual blood sample!) to your GP. You can't donate for 12 months." (12 months!!! I'm not that flaming lifeless, am I?)

I know they don't want their donors to become anaemic (and potentially need to get their own back) but this is small consolation to the fact that I'm a reject!

On the other hand it could be a good excuse for the heavy breathing when it's my turn to serve on the tennis court (as opposed to me just being chronically unfit).