Our GP has moved to an excellent system. You phone and leave your number. Between 9 and 10 you get a call back from the GP. They decide: if it's nothing; if it's something they can deal with on the phone; if they need to see you, in which case you get an appointment time, same day if desired and/or necessary. Works beautifully. They don't waste their time with people who have a sniffle, we get an appointment if we need one. Vin
Ours has a similar policy but not time sensitive. They phone you back and decide whether you should come in. Last time they said to come in I had never seen the doctors so quiet so I guess it must be working. Never understand why anyone goes to the doctors unless they absolutely have to. Not my idea of fun! All those sick people you might actually catch something.
I bought a nearly new car a month ago. I've never wanted to own a nice car because to me it's just another pressure on my shoulders, but the missus insisted it is something we must do. So I did. And yesterday, some ****er went into the back of it. I knew this would happen!
The trouble with a problem getting an appointment is that someone who rarely goes to the doctor may be put off and convince themselves they are fine and yet be seriously ill. A lot of people can have symptoms for a year before going to the doctor. I knew something was wrong with me for a long time before I was finally ill enough for someone to call 111 for me and I subsequently discovered I had critically high blood pressure and needed drugs and then stents put in.
Sorry to hear that, but I almost feel relieved when my new car gets at least a scratch or a minor dent. Waiting for the moron to come along and damage it can be very stressful.
I'm going to get the insurance to fix it! That's what I've paid thousands of pounds for over the years after all.
Over here on the mainland (way ahead of you islanders, here in the 21st century) we have telephones that we can take with us when we leave the house. Vin
Around two months ago, Mrs Onionman went for a routine blood test and the next day came down with 'flu so bad that she ended up in hospital. That's why I hate going. Vin
You also have to remember your mobile number. I always give my home number because all I know about my mobile is that it starts 07 and ends in a 5.
Picking up the electronics chat on the PL thread, I have one less working computer in the house. I gave one away yesterday evening to a niece who wants to get an administration job and the requirements are that she has to know Windows and Office. She has had a Mac for 3 years and still doesn't know how to fathom it properly and it's no use for the admin job market. So I gave her a Win10 PC with Office 2010 on it. That should sort her. In a couple of weeks I'm hoping to be able to give away a laptop to a Rambler friend who asked my advice about getting a computer ['cause you know about those things, mate] and over the 10 minute chat I discovered that he's been living upto the late 1970's, all his life and no further. He's always wanted a computer but never plucked up the courage to buy one for various reasons [I can understand that] and I am the first person he revealed that to because it embarrassed him. I'm not betraying anything here other than the principal of the secret. It won't harm him and it's worth writing because there are still people out there locally who don't know what it's like to have endless information at their fingertips. It empowers people. You can choose to be ignorant or not. You're not doomed to be. Last year I tried to offer a computer to a retired engineer, after he told me his interests in aircraft videos, information on past and present prototype aircraft, and endless obscure stuff on aviation. He then proceeded to say that he couldn't see where a computer might help him. And he stayed adamantly ignorant. Shame. Sometimes you can't even bring the horse to the water.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-35969816 Complaint has been lodged that a 3 month suspended sentence given to a woman who took abortion drugs in Northern Ireland was too lenient!!! Had no idea it was illegal in NI. She should have been more considerate about her flatmates....must have been a nasty shock for them, but absolutely amazed that they reported her to the police. Even if you disagreed with it, wouldn't your first action be to sit your friend down and make sure she was okay.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/stork-flies-8-000-miles-105911023.html?nhp=1 Nicer story....a male stork who has flown 8000 miles year after year to be with his mate who can't fly after being shot by a hunter.
Slightly gobsmacked that story is from NI. If it came from the Irish Republic it wouldn't surprise me. Just shows how diverse the values are in the British Isles.
After making my worst 20 minute curry in living memory, the other night, I decided to take a bit more notice to what I was doing this evening. Back to gorgeous.
Just watching the first series of Line of Duty on Netflix. It's bloody good, but spoiled slightly by one of my mates surprisingly playing one of the baddies. I had no idea he was in it, and it sort of spoils it a little when you know they're actually really nice!
You get perilously close to being a bit of a name dropper at times. Where's that radio interview link?
Totally scary - I'm amazed that someone who calls themselves a flat"mate" could do such a thing. It's almost unbelievable.
Here's one for you LTL. While listening to Radio 5 today there was the news that David Hepworth, music journo and ex-occasional TOGWT presenter said that 1971 was the best single year for Rock & Popular music. The idea was not about which year chimed with you [which so many people texted in and made it a personal thing which was not what it was about], but which was the richest body of high quality work in a single year. The news was something I took notice of because just the other day I was suggesting that the resurgence of the Vinyl LP might do something for music that it had done in the 1960-70s. Whilst I don't believe the LP can ever have the massive impact upon music that it had back then I do think some musicians will take it on again. As for myself, I couldn't put it down to a single year, although I agree there was some fabulous stuff made during 1971. 1966-76 would probably be the artistic peak in Rock & Pop as a whole [and no, I'm not forgetting Michael Jackson, but he was one artist], so 1971 is in good company, in my opinion. Really, if I was going to be personal about it, it would be the years that XTC were operational in, with 1986 and SkyLarking doing it for me. But I appreciate that Surfs Up, Led Zep IV, and many, many others beats the odd album by a favourite band. EDIT: Currently listening to the album Counterpoints by Argent [that's Rod Argent for those with fading or no memories/idea] and it is still excellent after all these years. The year is 1975.
