I hope you do. We've lost the one in the village, the one in the next village, the one in Dulwich and the one in West Norwood.
Meanwhile, I can't see to read properly, and the NHS can't do anything about it - couldn't be done today because it's got to go through paperwork because it's not the eye they are treating, and that one is only allowed one more jab.
What a pain @Penny S . We do have a branch of Barclays and I went along yesterday. They agreed that the email I was sent was genuine, which makes me even more annoyed with the person on their 'helpline' who obviously wrote me off as an elderly person taken in by a scam. However they couldn't do anything about it as I had no ID on me. I'm going back on Thursday morning with my ID and the letter that was forwarded from my old address that arrived today that shows I owe £12.00.
This morning husband en rouge (who usually deposits Captain Pyjamas at school) phoned in a panic because there was some kind of person-with-a-gun incident going on near the school* and the police had closed down the neighbourhood. The adults from the school were nearby, and told the parents they couldn't open and to take the children home.
Husband en rouge returned with Captain P and rushed off to work. As you can imagine, this somewhat upended my day. My plan had been to work on a translation I'm getting paid for in the morning, and then do some gardening in the afternoon if I had time. Needs must when the devil vomits on your eiderdown**, so I moved the gardening to the morning. Direction the supermarket in the rain with a trolley borrowed from the garden to buy compost (note to self: only buy two bags next time - the third one falls off the trolley) then finish installing the miniature greenhouse while Captain P potters about nearby with his little spade.
In the meantime, a message has arrived to say that the school's open in the afternoon, but no canteen. Lunch off the sandwiches of extreme precipitation, and rush Captain P off to school. Hurry back and work on the translation. It's finished because pressure concentrates the mind, but I haven't reread a word, and suspect it's going to need some major correction tomorrow afternoon (deadline is tomorrow evening).
Back to school to pick up Captain P, then come home, throw him in the bath, and finish the laundry I haven't had time for until now.
He is now fed and in his bed. Time for a large GIN and tonic.
*Discussed at the school gate this evening and no one knows quite what. It's a very chic neighbourhood and this is extremely unusual.
** with thanks to E. Blackadder
At least the roads were closed before he got to school, not after!
A few years ago I was supposed to be meeting some agency carers at an elderly lady’s house at the end of a cul de sac to reassess the problems they were having hoisting her onto the commode. I was slightly early, and while we were still waiting for the carers, a number of police suddenly appeared just down the road and wouldn’t let anyone through because there was someone with a gun a few houses down. I had to hoist her with the assistance of her very elderly husband instead, and then wait for rather a long time before being allowed to leave, while ringing round to cancel other visits and making polite conversation. The elderly couple didn’t seem particularly bothered about the gun; I don’t think it was the first time.
Technology. It can go shove itself up its own fucking arse and swivel vigorously. As can all the things leading to it, like healthcare being in a state when having access to private doctors through your employer is a good thing. But only if you have the app, which will not run on anything I own.
I hope all the diodes down your left side fucking rot.
TICTH stupid people virtue signalling in the presence of children.
After school we went to the park and ran into the kids from the hideously expensive bilingual Montessori school round the corner. (Who are spoiled and obnoxious, but that's another TICTH.) One, aged about 9, had a big sign on a stick he had obviously made today saying he loved Ukraine and he hoped they won.
Sorry but what the ever-living expletive? I get that the kids see it on the TV and it's better to talk about it, but this is the stupidest approach in the history of stupid. You can't possibly explain all the ins and outs to children of that age and the big "look at me" sign achieves exactly nothing to actually help.
Meanwhile, Captain Pyjamas' much more affordable sensible Catholic school is organising a charity collection. Which children are capable of grasping (some people are in trouble for Reasons and we're taking some stuff to help them) and actually improves the situation. Because they are less stupid than some very stupid people.
TICTH the idiots at the credit bureaus who assume that everybody but EVERYBODY has internet access, a computer, and a smartphone capable of receiving texts. Because it's not bad enough that some asshole tried to open a credit card in the name of an 85-year-old woman, but the powers that be have to make it nearly impossible for her to freeze her credit. Or for anybody to help her.
Banks that assume that all their customers have a mobile phone immediately to hand ready to receive an SMS to authorize any transaction. To transfer money into any other account, including my own with another bank, I now have to print out a withrawal form and either post it or fax it to their head office in another state.
TICTH stupid people virtue signalling in the presence of children.
After school we went to the park and ran into the kids from the hideously expensive bilingual Montessori school round the corner. (Who are spoiled and obnoxious, but that's another TICTH.) One, aged about 9, had a big sign on a stick he had obviously made today saying he loved Ukraine and he hoped they won.
Sorry but what the ever-living expletive? I get that the kids see it on the TV and it's better to talk about it, but this is the stupidest approach in the history of stupid. You can't possibly explain all the ins and outs to children of that age and the big "look at me" sign achieves exactly nothing to actually help.
Meanwhile, Captain Pyjamas' much more affordable sensible Catholic school is organising a charity collection. Which children are capable of grasping (some people are in trouble for Reasons and we're taking some stuff to help them) and actually improves the situation. Because they are less stupid than some very stupid people.
Just one thing if it's not too late - the charities on the ground are all saying they want money, not donations. The logistics of distributing random stuff apparently are a nightmare compared with being able to buy stuff where they are.
It may be better to sell stuff as a fundraiser. But I appreciate this may come too late.
I don't think the stuff is being shipped out. It's being given to the Town Hall for distribution to refugees when they arrive here. There's a specific list of stuff they've asked for.
And it's still waaaay better than getting kids to make big signs about issues they can't be expected to understand.
I don't think the stuff is being shipped out. It's being given to the Town Hall for distribution to refugees when they arrive here. There's a specific list of stuff they've asked for.
And it's still waaaay better than getting kids to make big signs about issues they can't be expected to understand.
Ah right. We've had loads of people here trying to collect stuff to take to Poland...
My doctor has cut me back from 2 pills a day to one. I have signed up for auto re-fill with my on line pharmay. Therefore I wanted them to stop auto refill as often. I have now stacked up a full bottle of unopened pills. The only choice I am given is yes auto refill, no auto refill. Why when a 2-minute phone call with a real human being fixed it all, did I spend most of my day trying to fix my problem. On the website none of the categories fit the problem I was having so when I punched buttons 1 through 8 it just kept sending me in a loop. When at last I found the very tiny phone number on the bottom right of the page and called it I was told due to traffic it would be a 30 to 40-minute wait, please hold on or try again later when we are not so busy. 3 hours later I tried again, same message, and once hour later I did indeed get a human, problem solved at once. Somehow it seems I spent my entire day trying to fix a simple problem, that was a waste of my time. I am retired so I could put up with it, but I am sure someone with a full time job would be very inconvienced.
Yes. Extremely horrifically nastily stupid. I hate those systems.
In other news, I just got off the phone with X, who informs me that she has bought a new TV and it isn't working (she blames the internet, but it's far more likely to be wrong setup), and therefore SHE WANTS TO DIE because there are NO PEOPLE in her life (conveniently ignoring yours truly plus whoever ran her to the TV store!) and the fact that my family is down with diarrhea is nothing to her woe and despair, alas! And "goodbye," rather than "goodnight," as she hopes not to be here in the morning. All in a tone of extreme petulance.
I love her, but damned if I want pseudo-suicidal histrionics on top of the week I've just had--yes, and the illness too.
Somehow it seems I spent my entire day trying to fix a simple problem, that was a waste of my time. I am retired so I could put up with it, but I am sure someone with a full time job would be very inconvienced.
And it is simple to fix it if the instructions are written in language that makes sense. So often, they're written in a manner that's comprehensible only to a person who knows how to fix it without needing them.
I've the same company of plumbers for years. Not only is their work always well done, but they also have a woman in the office who can translate plumber language into English. It's an unbeatable combination.
It appears it is not over. Today I received a recorded phone call saying, we are preparing to send your automatic refill. Press 1 to okay this order press 2 to cancel. I pressed 2. A few hours later I received another auto-recorded message. "It is important that you follow your doctor's orders and take all of your pills." Please phone us back at (Phone number said very fast) and use this code (number again said very fast) so we know we are talking to the correct person, not wishing to even try and copy down the number, I hung up. I am now saying it is their problem and not mine.
We have approximately 25 bottles of Metformin because the asshole mail order pharmacy company insists on sending us a new three month supply no matter how vigorously we have refused it every time one of us sees the doctor (which is a six monthly schedule). We have finally resorted to asking the doctor to discontinue the prescriptions, or whatever lies he has to tell, to prevent yet another fucking order from arriving at our non-refundable expense...
I had a medical appointment at 8.30 this morning which I could not attend as I have Covid.
Prior to 8.30 I was unable to get through to cancel.
I am now trying to phone to explain my non appearance. I have just been disconnected after being on hold for 16 minutes, during which I went from 8th in the queue to 2nd.
I had a medical appointment at 8.30 this morning which I could not attend as I have Covid.
Prior to 8.30 I was unable to get through to cancel.
I am now trying to phone to explain my non appearance. I have just been disconnected after being on hold for 16 minutes, during which I went from 8th in the queue to 2nd.
Catching up after a week of being unable to use my software as normal. I have, therefore, a great deal of fellow-feeling and synpathy with above posters. /Fixed just now but, oh, so frustrating!
Virgin again.... I made another attempt to communicate with them today to get access to my credit card account, and by some fluke penetrated the phone system. The first person advised me that they couldn't use non-UK mobile phone numbers and postal codes, and they can't use e-mail to send the access code, so sorry, out of luck, never mind the system worked perfectly well for years without them. I get it now: I can only get into the account by mobile phone, but not outside the country.
Fortunately I was passed to a tech type person, who said, "Yes - I can fix it for you". It took an hour on the (land line) phone, but he did it, and then e-mailed to say he'd done it. What is bizarre is the fact that they still post credit card bills to us - the only paper bill we still get. All this after losing my long-cherished UK Virgin pay as you go phone account for the second time because they sent a never-received text message warning me of changes.
If there's a phone system and a bank in Hell, Virgin will have the franchises for both.
Having thought that there'd be a bus at 2:30 I ambled towards the bus stop at about 2:15, to be overtaken by said bus no more than 100 yards from the stop.
It stopped very briefly, and I thought that as it was early it would wait for a bit but no - off it trundled without me.
Just over a ******* HOUR LATER the next one arrived.
Running early is almost a hanging offence where buses are concerned.
One of our local companies is quite good at "waiting time" if running early (frustrating for those on board though), the other less so. At the moment Covid absenteeism is causing quite a few cancellations.
Running early is almost a hanging offence where buses are concerned ...
I don't even know if it was running early, or was a previous one running late (hence the non-stopping).
When I finally got on, I said something to the driver about how nice it would be if the arrival times bore even a passing resemblance to the times advertised on the timetable, but he just muttered something about roadworks (which are an issue at the moment, but I don't see why they would necessitate a gap of an hour between one bus and the next).
In fairness to him, he must have put his foot down once we were on our way, as I reckon the journey was a bit shorter than usual.
The flowers my kids ordered for me from Marks & Spencer for Mother's Day have just been delivered by Yodel looking very sad. I've trimmed the stems and put them in water, but if that doesn't perk them up, should I tell the kids the truth, or head for the shops, buy myself a replacement bunch and send a photo of the replacement to my kids?
The label says "Despatch date - 25/03/22"
They ordered flowers from M&S for my mother, too, which still haven't arrived. At least Mum can lie - she's not online so the kids won't expect a photo from her.
I'm sorry your experience with Yodel has been bad - I've had a couple of things ordered from the interweb that were delivered by Yodel to the corner shop for collection, and they practically arrived before the electronic ink on the orders had dried!
Shingles. And the medication. It is making me really dopey, and I've slept most of yesterday and today. My doctor has given me 7 boxes of paracetamol and opium (!) plus anti virals, plus something else. TBH it's not too bad but I'm fed up of feeling so dopey! I struggle to make a cup of coffee at the moment.
Roadworks. MK is a dream to drive around and we’re fortunate that we live 10 minutes from our local hospital. But not when roads are suddenly closed for roadworks, and not just in one place but scattered round the ‘city’. Not helped by a road accident in the resultant queue that I had to drive through the debris of.
I am recalling M&S out of Hell. My replacement bunch of flowers have arrived and they are lovely! Moreover, there was a box of chocolates with the first bunch, which didn't need to be replaced, and there's a box of chocolates with the second bunch, too!
Also, I trimmed and discarded about 1/3 of the first sad bunch and put the rest in water. They perked up within 24 hours so I've had a pretty posy all week.
Thanks for the good wishes. It's not too bad - I think we caught it early. The doctor gave me boxes of painkillers and anti-neuropathy tablets but I don't really need them. Anti virals yes, of course, and paracetamol, but that's all. I feel much less dopey without all the other stuff.
Your experience of shingles sounds like a slightly worse version of mine (about 11 years ago); it was caught in time to be treated with anti-virals, and I was very tired for a few days. That's no bad thing though, as I think all the extra sleeping was what helped me to a relatively quick and painless recovery.
It must be 35 years since I had shingles, but I remember it vividly. Probably because there were no anti-virals (or if there were, I wasn't offered them). It was on the trigeminal nerve and the Worst Headache Ever.
The breakthrough in antivirals came through with Acyclovir in the 1980s and they weren’t used more widely til the 90s in the UK. I worked in ophthalmic HIV in the mid-90s and my patients were taking very new anti-virals.
It's nothing more than a slight sting, don't worry about it. Well worth it for the knowledge that you've done what you can to reduce your chances of catching the disease itself. Relations who've had shingles describe it as extremely painful.
We'll be having our 4th covid shots in a couple of weeks. No real troubles from the first 3, and again it's worth having. After that comes the regular flu shot.
4th COVID jab will be soon I guess ( had 3rd in Nov 2021)
Found a walk-in vaccination session going on at the local shopping centre on Thursday, so got my second booster done. My first was Nov 1st, and no comment was made about being too soon, so you would be eligible and no need to wait for an invitation.
Worried a bit about queuing, but only two people ahead of me. Maybe all the other local over-75s preferred to stay home in the warm - the weather was foul.
Comments
Meanwhile, I can't see to read properly, and the NHS can't do anything about it - couldn't be done today because it's got to go through paperwork because it's not the eye they are treating, and that one is only allowed one more jab.
This morning husband en rouge (who usually deposits Captain Pyjamas at school) phoned in a panic because there was some kind of person-with-a-gun incident going on near the school* and the police had closed down the neighbourhood. The adults from the school were nearby, and told the parents they couldn't open and to take the children home.
Husband en rouge returned with Captain P and rushed off to work. As you can imagine, this somewhat upended my day. My plan had been to work on a translation I'm getting paid for in the morning, and then do some gardening in the afternoon if I had time. Needs must when the devil vomits on your eiderdown**, so I moved the gardening to the morning. Direction the supermarket in the rain with a trolley borrowed from the garden to buy compost (note to self: only buy two bags next time - the third one falls off the trolley) then finish installing the miniature greenhouse while Captain P potters about nearby with his little spade.
In the meantime, a message has arrived to say that the school's open in the afternoon, but no canteen. Lunch off the sandwiches of extreme precipitation, and rush Captain P off to school. Hurry back and work on the translation. It's finished because pressure concentrates the mind, but I haven't reread a word, and suspect it's going to need some major correction tomorrow afternoon (deadline is tomorrow evening).
Back to school to pick up Captain P, then come home, throw him in the bath, and finish the laundry I haven't had time for until now.
He is now fed and in his bed. Time for a large GIN and tonic.
*Discussed at the school gate this evening and no one knows quite what. It's a very chic neighbourhood and this is extremely unusual.
** with thanks to E. Blackadder
There are times when that is very tempting.
A few years ago I was supposed to be meeting some agency carers at an elderly lady’s house at the end of a cul de sac to reassess the problems they were having hoisting her onto the commode. I was slightly early, and while we were still waiting for the carers, a number of police suddenly appeared just down the road and wouldn’t let anyone through because there was someone with a gun a few houses down. I had to hoist her with the assistance of her very elderly husband instead, and then wait for rather a long time before being allowed to leave, while ringing round to cancel other visits and making polite conversation. The elderly couple didn’t seem particularly bothered about the gun; I don’t think it was the first time.
I hope all the diodes down your left side fucking rot.
After school we went to the park and ran into the kids from the hideously expensive bilingual Montessori school round the corner. (Who are spoiled and obnoxious, but that's another TICTH.) One, aged about 9, had a big sign on a stick he had obviously made today saying he loved Ukraine and he hoped they won.
Sorry but what the ever-living expletive? I get that the kids see it on the TV and it's better to talk about it, but this is the stupidest approach in the history of stupid. You can't possibly explain all the ins and outs to children of that age and the big "look at me" sign achieves exactly nothing to actually help.
Meanwhile, Captain Pyjamas' much more affordable sensible Catholic school is organising a charity collection. Which children are capable of grasping (some people are in trouble for Reasons and we're taking some stuff to help them) and actually improves the situation. Because they are less stupid than some very stupid people.
Just one thing if it's not too late - the charities on the ground are all saying they want money, not donations. The logistics of distributing random stuff apparently are a nightmare compared with being able to buy stuff where they are.
It may be better to sell stuff as a fundraiser. But I appreciate this may come too late.
And it's still waaaay better than getting kids to make big signs about issues they can't be expected to understand.
Ah right. We've had loads of people here trying to collect stuff to take to Poland...
In other news, I just got off the phone with X, who informs me that she has bought a new TV and it isn't working (she blames the internet, but it's far more likely to be wrong setup), and therefore SHE WANTS TO DIE because there are NO PEOPLE in her life (conveniently ignoring yours truly plus whoever ran her to the TV store!) and the fact that my family is down with diarrhea is nothing to her woe and despair, alas! And "goodbye," rather than "goodnight," as she hopes not to be here in the morning. All in a tone of extreme petulance.
I love her, but damned if I want pseudo-suicidal histrionics on top of the week I've just had--yes, and the illness too.
And it is simple to fix it if the instructions are written in language that makes sense. So often, they're written in a manner that's comprehensible only to a person who knows how to fix it without needing them.
We have approximately 25 bottles of Metformin because the asshole mail order pharmacy company insists on sending us a new three month supply no matter how vigorously we have refused it every time one of us sees the doctor (which is a six monthly schedule). We have finally resorted to asking the doctor to discontinue the prescriptions, or whatever lies he has to tell, to prevent yet another fucking order from arriving at our non-refundable expense...
Prior to 8.30 I was unable to get through to cancel.
I am now trying to phone to explain my non appearance. I have just been disconnected after being on hold for 16 minutes, during which I went from 8th in the queue to 2nd.
Jesus, useless bastards
Ring ring...
Mrs LB: Hello. We'd like to book a table but one of our party can't have anything with milk in it. Which main courses are suitable?
Man at Restaurant: Butter Chicken?
MLB: does that have butter in it?
MaR: yes
MLB: he can't have anything made from milk - no butter, no yoghurt...
MaR: is cream OK?
Fuck sake.
Fortunately I was passed to a tech type person, who said, "Yes - I can fix it for you". It took an hour on the (land line) phone, but he did it, and then e-mailed to say he'd done it. What is bizarre is the fact that they still post credit card bills to us - the only paper bill we still get. All this after losing my long-cherished UK Virgin pay as you go phone account for the second time because they sent a never-received text message warning me of changes.
If there's a phone system and a bank in Hell, Virgin will have the franchises for both.
Having thought that there'd be a bus at 2:30 I ambled towards the bus stop at about 2:15, to be overtaken by said bus no more than 100 yards from the stop.
It stopped very briefly, and I thought that as it was early it would wait for a bit but no - off it trundled without me.
Just over a ******* HOUR LATER the next one arrived.
I f***ing hate buses.
One of our local companies is quite good at "waiting time" if running early (frustrating for those on board though), the other less so. At the moment Covid absenteeism is causing quite a few cancellations.
Nasty story though, commiserations!
When I finally got on, I said something to the driver about how nice it would be if the arrival times bore even a passing resemblance to the times advertised on the timetable, but he just muttered something about roadworks (which are an issue at the moment, but I don't see why they would necessitate a gap of an hour between one bus and the next).
In fairness to him, he must have put his foot down once we were on our way, as I reckon the journey was a bit shorter than usual.
The label says "Despatch date - 25/03/22"
They ordered flowers from M&S for my mother, too, which still haven't arrived. At least Mum can lie - she's not online so the kids won't expect a photo from her.
Also, I trimmed and discarded about 1/3 of the first sad bunch and put the rest in water. They perked up within 24 hours so I've had a pretty posy all week.
Your experience of shingles sounds like a slightly worse version of mine (about 11 years ago); it was caught in time to be treated with anti-virals, and I was very tired for a few days. That's no bad thing though, as I think all the extra sleeping was what helped me to a relatively quick and painless recovery.
I hope it does for you too.
Oh joy…😂🙀
We'll be having our 4th covid shots in a couple of weeks. No real troubles from the first 3, and again it's worth having. After that comes the regular flu shot.
Just another reminder that I am officially an Old Chook….🙀
4th COVID jab will be soon I guess ( had 3rd in Nov 2021)
Worried a bit about queuing, but only two people ahead of me. Maybe all the other local over-75s preferred to stay home in the warm - the weather was foul.
I'm contacting the vendor for some action under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Don't hold out a lot of hope of not having a protracted battle.