Alt.Mustardland

Hi, Hope you are well.
Not much to report...
Not much Happening....
Fireworks started earlier tonight........

We had a storm or two over the weekend, Aiden then a spent hurricane. No fallen trees that I know of, just rain and the wormery lid stayed put. I'd emptied it and started again. I hate fireworks with a passion. Noisy and pointless. Lockdown again won't make much difference to me. Same old, same old.

I have just returned from posting a letter to my penfriend in Australia. I also washed two large bags of laundry in a bank of machines in a petrol station. I took Cassie for a walk in the woods then collecte the contents of the machines and drove home. Now having coffee and oatcake (with ground almonds and bits of pecan nuts). I won't call them flapjacks, which I think are small pancakes served with maple syrup.

It's a bit of a stretch removing leaves from the windscreen and seemingly every possible crevice on the car. I swept the steps on Monday, and my gardener blew the leaves yesterday afternoon. It doesn't seem to have made any difference though.

Hi, Rwth.
Not much occurring here. I'm too tied up with Medical Matters at present.

In this little courtyard there seems to be a glut of money. Everyone seems to be outdoing each other in Hanging masses of coloured lights on their house-fronts.

(whoops, pushed a wrong button and posted accidentally - see if I can recover it?)

Masses of coloured lights every night. One of the oddities of this estate is that all first-floor windows are at the front of the houses (so you cant look down into everybody's private gardens). Think I'll have to find some thicker curtains.

i live near Exmoor, and it's mostly a Dark Skies area. They don't much go for Christmas lights here, so se get a terrific view of the Milky Way, and the Moon. Sometimes you can see pale colours in the moonlight when it's full. There's someone on the hill near the Church who goes over the top with a Santa's sleigh in his garden. I don't linger to see if the lights are on chasers, He must be from Birmingham.

I hope the medical matters are going OK and that Ginger George's lightning cavortings don't disturb you too much.

Without going into the Goey details... Answer is NO.......

I was delayed in Basildon Hospital as The "Op" obviously was not as good as planned. I were kept there beyond the Depts hours, and some (previously not seen by me) did some work, showing me a Letter they had sent to my GP, and would get a Nurse to contact me.
Neither GP, nor practice Nurse even knew of a minor op...
The Peabody Bod (latterly only dicussed to me via phone) leant on a Basildon Hosp (via Community Matron). Too little too late, the Shift Doc at the Hospital then told me (by phone) that she had sent details another specialist nurse - in the next town, but under the umbrella of Basildoon Hospital.
That nurse phoned me but had no direction as to what was/is happening. But I did get an appointment with her, and indeed a second appointment this last week. But the prev day I had a phone call from Hospital that I had missed an appointment at The Hospital and missed it? (i.e., an appointment that I knew nothing of) Both the specialist nurse, and me, could get no response from Basildon Hosp, So I contacted Patient Services - I was involved in trialling the original of that - albeit a different (a London Teaching) Hospital - and it is now called "Patient Advise & Liason Service" (aka P.A.L.S. - P.S. for Patient Services, but "modified" for several reasons - including that PS was an acronym for something else).
These could not raise the Dept either, but my next step, on the next day, have added their e-mailed the Dept expecting a response within five days (from Fri 13th). In the meantime, Nursey is lacxking direction and advice. Nursey will phone me on Monday.

Dark nights in Exmoor... Not dark enough here to follow any Astronomical matters - The Only Dark, away from streetlights, is in the Forest and for obvious reasons, no chance of seeing the sky there. (The RSPB Country Park).

Have another go at PALS, and complain to Healthwatch for Essex that services aren't joined up. They may do a research project on it and address the Clinical Commissioning Group with a swingeing report. Patient Outcomes are the way to go. Somerset is pretty good, I can say. I had a letter from Lloyds Chemists saying they were changing to ECHO for free delivery of prescriptions. I heard on Classic FM that the Co-op are delivering prescriptions free too. That could be nationwide.

I'm surrounded by trees, but there are some places where I can see the sky. On the North Hill above Minehead, there's lots of unlit sky when the moon isn't stealing the glory.

Hi!
Delivering Prescriptions is a bit different to getting Doc to sign them. .. and Doc (GP) knows nothing about the Hosp record.
However, a Nurse seems to be "Chief Sorter Outer" re Outpatient (Incl, Follow up's) Is being pressed by PALS. She has given me her first name and is aware of several problem's with the dept. I don't know her "rank" within the hierarchy of Basildon Hospital. I do know that Basildon is now closed to Visitors because of The Large numbers of Covid (and indeed, Deaths, in the Coved Hospital's inpatients).

She phoned back to me that The responsible Doc/Surgeon will make a Telephone consultation with me, but I'm to expect an appointment letter for the time for him to contact me; She also tells me that She has advised GP to make out a prescription. She was mostly concerned about me having enough. (who manages my Diabotical prescript with messers "Boots") to add the items as I advised her from my remaining "stock". Of course, because GP has had no advices from the Hosp Doc/Surgeon.
GP's Office asked me to confirm it by phone (before GP would sign it - I can understand her/his unwillingness to sign something She/He knows nothing about ... I wouldn't.)
Not things Kept in Stock at Boots, so they will advise when they have it in stock.

We'll see???

Glorious Sunshine here earlier, but Clouded over now.

Another stage in my utility room metamorphosis today. The lino/vinyl floor so I have to shift the dogfood, vacuum cleaner etc out to leave the floor clear for operations. Now I can get a hero to move my washing machine and it's straight on 'til morning.

Your communication problems between Hospital and GP relate directly to the plan to make NHS records available electronically across the service without promising to exclude insurance companies from anonymised statistics. Maybe the insurance companies could have got the information from the National Statistics authority, so it never needed to be a thing for Civil Liberties to object to. I have always tried to ensure the copy paperwork from the hospital got a photocopy for me and I took the master to the GP when I went to have the stitches out. I assumed if things could go wrong, they would do so. The GPs are also aware and reception staff can get copies faxed to them via the Consultant's secretary if they know to ask. Maybe the Ward Clerk can help.

Put your fingers in your ears: I'm going to have a screeeeeaaaam.

Thats Better.

But back to your Futility room. ...
Is your Flooring Fitter due tomorrow, (or is it the Washing m/c shifter tomorrow)? This reminds of Flanders & Swann's Epic song "It all makes work for The Working Man To Do". .. Each step necessitates another worlman to do his task...... or am I thinking of my Council days.
Yesterday I was leaving home and a neighbour accosted me: Seems like someone had deposited a box in my Dustbin cupboard - but Mr neighbour and Mrs Neighbour seemed undecided whether it has been there for days, or for weeks. It was the equipment that I now need (and never needed pre-op) looking like it came from the Importers of the stuff... but I don't know whether I'm now over ordering from Corringham nurse, Hosp Nurser, or GP.

Nevertheless, the discovery was just after my whinge to the Hospital. But it does cause that the NHS/GP/Hosp Nurse/Specialist Nurse/PALS/sorting-out problems nurse are all singing from different song sheets, and then Tonight .... A phone call from Dept Nurse tonight... making "Monthly appointments" so the first appoint after my 8th Oct Op on ..... A phone consultancy on Jan 6th... Think I'd better put events in order of occurrence/non-occurrence on to paper, because I feel that ructions are probable.

I remember in hospital some equipment the Occupational Therapist thought I needed was ordered and sent to my home. It was pretty quick, so it could have been delivered while you were in hospital. Just tell them you've received it now so they can cancel the repeat order. Making a list /spreadsheet showing events planned did or didn't happen would probably help. If you decide which nurse is nearest to getting it right and stick with her, she can chase the others - with the help of your spreadsheet (keep a copy). A good scream helps to reset the little grey cells. Here, have the screaming cushion.

I started telling you about the futility room this morning. Then they came to do the job and it's done. I now will try and organise the machine shifting tomorrow. I think it's best to do it all in stages otherwise the whole thing gets overpowering. I already have a telephone phobia and doing it in small steps is a good plan.

Can't Cancel it... The Consultant(Who left the Hospital before sorting the ... errors! ( and fo far has not tended to my needs - won't even have a Telephone appointment with me FOR EIGHT WEEKS? and the Importer of this stuff has somehow found himself interposed betwixt non-existence consultant, and My GP who should be signing the prescription stuff but that she (like me) is getting no advise/instruction from the Consultant, so, the supplier/importer seems to think that I'll be needed this stuff replenished for years. I might need a bigger house. Sorry if you are detecting that I'm not in a good mood.

What? the repairers didn't even put your room back together..... Back in my working Days. (I mean "working" very loosely as I was in local Gov), I had some Standard Hours for clearing and replacing various rooms in a house pre and post working in different types of room (Bedrooms, Kitchen etc) - ditto for schoolrooms, for floorlayers, carpet layers, decorater and so on.

Later than I thought - I'm off to bed. Oh one thing: I was too late to get a note for the post in time to confer with Nursey (She's on Hols Next week) so ,I got a bus to post through The Health Ctr Letterbox. Waiting in the Bus Sheler to return, A Fox joined me - Not at all Wary, He just waited for a gap in the traffic and crossed the road into someone's garden. I've never encountered a Fox that tame.

Goodnight.

I was keeping stuff in the futility room and had to clear it out so they could lay the vinyl flooring. Now the room is ready to shift the machine into, and I need a kitchen fitter to move one of the units so the machine can be unplumbed from the kitchen and plumbed into the new room. I had the discussion with the original kitchen designer, who is now rushed off his feet. I have just been talking to a handyman who was a builder before his boss suddenly retired. They are coming on Monday to look at it and I'm hoping to get it resolved soon now.

It's very frustrating for you and I can see why you wouldn't be happy about it. I only get cross when it's something that can be changed. Maybe the consultant is pre-contract so can't work for 8 weeks. You only have the house you've got so when it's full, it's full.

Presumably, it is a case of: Lecktrickery Socket wired in, Water supply (perhaps Hot and Cold, and used water Drainage - I suppose much depends of what of the original arrangements remain. There seems to be a Glut of "Handymen" - although I looked in Local newspaper and saw that most of then were "Bill" all with different area phone numbers,,, Wonder what that indicates.
I remember in a previous shortage of work (or shortage of money) three blokes (Plumber/carpenter, Electrician, and bricklayer) had the enterprise to set up a consortium called "Husbands". Each day they got one of the Wives in turn, to do the Meauring up, and buying Materials. Quite an enterprising little group.

Gotta go: I'm too tired to say more.


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I once saw a van which I assumed belonged to someone in a franchise called Handy Home Husband. Electricity and drainage already present. Just a clever builder to move a unit from under the worktop, so that machine can be extracted and moved into position. If it doesn't work and can't be repaired it will have to be replaced in the new position. I think it is repairable, but we'll see.

The workman comes recommended by a neighbour. If he achieves the feat, I'll recommend him in turn.

I just went to Minehead to collect something from Argos and return something to espares. The Post Office in its wisdom has made the door from the car park verboten, I followed the postman in when he had gone to collect post, but they got really shirty when I tried to leave the same way, so I had to walk 100 yards to the other door, then the same 100 yards outside back to the car. My legs were shaking by the time I got back in. I had to go today because I'd run out of time to collect. The email I printed ran to 4 pages with not much on, and the collection code was missing from my copy. They were using old information about my address and phone no, which didn't help with security. I got there in the end.

Hi... Only just found your post.
(excuse chocolate stains on keyboard - I unearthed a chockice from the freezer and the chocolate coating crumbled)

Electrickery and Drainage should be easy (I shouldn't say that .....?) But what about the water supply? My Wash m/c is prehistoric. It needs hot and cold supply - Some time ago they deleted the Hot water supply because the length of pipe from water heater to m/c provided a pipeful of cold water before hot water arrived, so had to be heated in the m/c anyway ... whilst the Hot water that was now in the pipe was wasted.

Was that a proper post office or just a Royal Mail sorting office... Actual Postoffices all seems to be disposed of here, into Shops and Supermarkets. All very silly now as Royal Mail is a rival to Parcel Post - its own former combined business.

I'm off for the night - needs my beautysleeps........

It's also the main Co-op. That's a good point. I can't help feeling that Post office is getting the short straw Both entrances and exits are wide enough to rope off entrance and exit lanes to street AND car park. I parked in the disabled space by the door and while I'm better than I was, if I was more disabled it would have been much worse. I think I'll whinge on Facebook. The use of commercial business was only a progression from the sub post offices.

Are you allowed chocolate? I do hope so. Those coatings are wafer thin, but it's you who have the inconvenience of the sticky keyboard. I think I'll take to cleaning mine at bedtime because I switch on in the morning without time to clean up. I have to take my pills while it's firing up.

I have had cold fill washing machine for 20 years, but there are pipes available for both hot and cold, shared with washbasin in shower room thanks. They supplied the washbasin in cloakroom before it was converted to utility. Your washing machine is not prehistoric, just reliable and long lasting touch wood. Don't read that out aloud, just give it a pat.

Don't have a Co-oP here. There was one in the New Laindon Shopping Centre before it was demolished to build ... err, well, actually it has been a building site for the last two years. The A1 design process was to Demolish the Town Centre simultaneously (and, incidentally to have our buses to by-pass the Town Centre bus station - which would connect with other buses other towns and non-town centre supermarkets - to stop outside a council-favoured supermarket) No, I won't go on about that...

Chocolate ... of course I'm allowed chocolate - food of life - but I limit it because of diabeticals.

I had a bloke on the phone - no idea why He thought I needed his contact - telling me that He had Heard ???? that I had an Indeset more than two years old and that He could sell me a new one. I think the politest way to tell my reply was that if I needed some advice I'd ask for it, but I wouldn't ask someone who was flogging a machine that needs replacement after two years of life.

I'm off for a chocolate break.....

The move has happened without fuss though he had to take off part of the lintel to do it He replaced it afterwards, with the minimum of fuss and now I have to wait for the washing machine man to come on Wednesday. I contacted a national co of repairers run by Domestic and General Insurance and they offered a date of December 16.

We have lots of Co-ops here, but only 1 with a post office. I get the impression that Essex is throwing a wrecking ball around its residents and their facilities. A friend in Braintree said it was just Basildon. They are building a new bus station and town centre. I wonder if that will seize up. It's in Priti Patel's constituency.

Indesit are a good brand for what they do. I expect he had a whole option on an order and was trying to flog them to anyone who had bought one 20 years ago before Brexit, but the email telling him to target customers missed off the zero.

Priti Patel. Isn't that Witham ... but yup, Much in the Local (County) newspaper was on about a New Town Centre,, Braintree Village, and Freeport Village.
Not a place I go to, but ... Back in my "working days" I was planning the moving-to-safekeeping two hundred and fifty years of Medical Records from a Big Hospital in Whitechapel (think Jack the Ripper) to make space for the current ones.

There is a move (?) to unite several boroughs together, including Basildon - it took 1300 years to destroy Romford, but only 50 years to destroy Basildon.

I inherited the Indeset, so its a bit older than 20 years ... and certainly no supplier knows that I have it?

Best wishes - Washing m/c will go well.......... Goodnight.