7th January 2023 - Catchup

Thought for the day: 'In algebra, never let x equal 10. You might have an existential crisis.'

A bit of an admin day today. Looking through documentation to try to sort Vic's estate. Seem to have found the Aviva pension though it looks as though a Legal and General pension stopped paying back in June 2021.

Managed to find a whole term life insurance policy which looks as though it is still valid, but again all offices are closed until Monday.

Caught up on the blog and daily updates to the Glamping pages so almost back on track.

Cheers !

6th January 2023 - And finally caught up

Thought for the day :"That awkward moment when a zombie looking for brains walks right by you"

An admin day today..

Had been putting the insurance renewal off throughout the Christmas period but managed to find a classic car cover for the Landrover for £75 today which was £100 cheaper than the nearest offer. Also managed to renew the house insurance though it had gone up - costing £420 this year for contents and buildings.

Also managed to catch up on the Blog - though some entries are a little short.

Found I had left one of the Crimson Moon Sings out in the  village - resting against the bus stop - I must have passed it a dozen times but it was there clear as day saying that we were open today - oops!!

Popped out in the car to fetch it and the engine light had come on again (the vectra) so popped it up to the Lads up the road and they reset the switch - seems to be a manifold flap whatever that is - we shall see if it stays off for the MOT later in the month.

Was looking at some special offers and found one in BannerBuzz...

Thought I would take advantage

   

Is a little more colourful than the ones I have made in the past - 

they are 3ft x 2ft so a reasonable size I reckon.

Presented a cheque for £200 (worth £250 including Gift Aid tax refund) to Woody's 

Cheque presented to Richard who accepted on behalf of the Charity and photo taken by Mick Leather the Activities Manager  

Have to do the same for the RNLI and HUTS - 

So - back to sorting Vic's stuff out...   still need to try to find some insurance forms ..

Cheers 

5th January 2023 - Just a thought - and a premium bond

Thought for the day :"I’m still tired from the crossfit this morning – actually it was croissant and I had four"

Nice news from NS&I today - I won another £25 and Susie won a massive £100.

Still have Susie's cheque for £25 from last month..  

Still think it is better value keeping savings in Premium Bonds than the bank. 

May change when the interest rates come up a bit more - but there is always that outside chance of Ernie coming up, so I think that we will keep the money in the Bonds..

Popped back to Llanelli today to sign some paperwork for the Funeral next Monday and took the opportunity of nosing a little and peering into the interior of No 41 ....

Not very clear but tey have redone all the walls and put parquet flooring down 

Can see the updated kitchen with black granite tops by the looks of it.

Old window into the office is now blocked up and looking at the power socket high on the wall I think that they are going to use the area to hold a large flat screen TV.

 as much as you can see...

Popped in on Mary and Malcolm Silcox as I was passing and Malcolm is doing well for 90.

Have suggested to the lodge that he should be considered for honorary membership due to his age and the fact that he is unlikely to attend again - we shall see what they say ...

Walked the dogs in the rain and  had a quiet day sorting paperwork and scanning documents ...

Days seem to be passing quite quickly - but the days are getting a little longer and it is distinctly brighter in the evenings - if only for half and hour or so...

Cheers 

4th January 2023 - Just a thought

Thought for the day :"The hospital botched my brain surgery - I have half a mind to sue"

Playing catchup again ...
Will get up to date in a while

Amazing how much effort it takes to catch up on a daily blog when you decided to skip a few days !!

 

Back to normal soon !

Cheers !

3rd January 2023 - Something wrong in the state of....

Thought for the day :"April showers bring May flowers but May flowers bring ..... Pilgrims"

Still playing catch-up but the NHS is ion a real pickle at the moment 

We have disruption with Ambulance staff, Nurses, Post Office, Rail Workers all on strike !!

Inflation is higher than ever and cost of living is going through the roof.

Weekly ASDA purchase is just one place where you really notice as prices imcrease by 10-15%  weekly on essentials !!

Saw this - thought it was worth a copy....

NHS :

Not my words, but the words of an A&E doctor:

Posted anonymously by an A&E doctor:

I'm writing this because I’m angry. Actually more than that, I’m fu*king livid.

I’m an A&E reg with 9+ years experience in A&E both here and overseas. This morning was the first time EVER that I cried in my car after a shift.

I was on nights over this New Years period, but New Year was not the issue, every shift is like this now.

Where 5 years ago we had 50 patients in the department on handover at night, we now have 180. It used to be around 20 patients to see with a 1-2 hour wait for clinician, it’s now 60-70 with a 10 hour wait.

People used to lose their minds if patients were coming up to 4 hour breaches. Last night 60% of the patients in A&E had been there for more than 12 hours, some for more than 40. Many I saw the night before, still in the same place when I came on.

No triage or obs after 2 hours of arrival, no bloods or ECGs or gas for 4 hours. Regularly finding people in the waiting room after 4 hours with initial gases showing hyperkalamia or severe acidosis or hypoglycaemia.

87 year olds coming in after falls sitting on chairs for 18 hours. Other elderly patients lying in their own urine for hours because there’s no staff, or even room to change them into something dry. As the reg in charge of the shift, I've had (on multiple occasions) to help the sole nurse in the area change patients by holding a sheet around the bed because we have to do it in the middle of a corridor. People lying on the floor because there’s no chairs left, trolleys parked literally wherever we can put them.

Things have been getting even worse for the last 3 months. 5 weeks I came home raging to my wife that people are sitting in their own piss for hours and it’s so inhumane. Now we’ve got to the point where people are actually dying. People who’ve been in A&E for 2-3 days,

The media and public might blame the A&E nurses and doctors for this, but honestly what the fu*k are we meant to do with 180 people in a department built for 50. With 8 nurses rather than the MINIMUM staffing of 12. 1 or 2 nurses per area, giving meds, doing obs, trying to provide basic cares to 25-30 people, an absolute impossibility. And there’s less nurses every week, because honestly why would you put yourself through this day after day?

Resus patients are quickly assessed and stepped down to make room for the next pre-alert, going to the area with those same poor nurses, already overstretched, now inheriting an severely unwell patient.

We need to accept the truth, the NHS isn’t breaking, it’s broken. And the same bastards who broke it are doing reality TV shows and writing books about how they saved the NHS whilst refusing to increase nursing pay. We try and shovel shit with spoons whilst they pour it in with dump trucks

The NHS as we knew it is dead, and it breaks my heart, because it’s a beautiful system. It shouldn’t be like this, and those of us who have been around for longer than 5 years know it wasn’t always like this.

The public have no idea, they don’t really know how dangerous this all is. When they come in they’re horrified, but most of the population don’t know how bad it is. This could be their mum on a trolley for 17 hours, or their wife or son or daughter.

I genuinely feel it’s now our responsibility to speak out. We don’t for fear that it will make our hospital look bad or harm our careers. But it’s not a hospital problem, it’s a national problem, and it’s a problem brought about by the politics of the people in power.

We need to shine a light on what they’ve done, make the public so angry that they demand a change. Massive recruitment of nurses through a proper wage/paid uni/free parking/free Nando’s if that’s what it takes would be a start.

If anyone has any idea how we could coordinate some kind of campaign to show the state of emergency departments in the UK right now please write a response, because I can’t work in this much longer, and more importantly I’m not sure the patients can survive it.

Not a good start to the year really !!!

Cheers 

2nd January 2023 - Covering Up

Thought for the day :"Somebody clipped a car battery to a copy of the new testament. It was a shocking revelation."

So as we go into the New Year the rain is beginning to get heavier thought the temperature is reasonable. 

Time to batten down the hatches once more and get the tarps out .. 

Even the new cover for the Landrover ...

Cheers !

1st January 2023 - Happy New Year

Thought for the day :"Spent 5 hours writing an essay about the youth of Asia only to find out it should have been about euthanasia...."

As a New Year Beckons..

I have been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots. Apparently, you can't go there alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.

I've also never been in Cognito. Problem is - no one recognizes you there.

I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport, so you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family, work and 'The List'.

I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not sure that's a good thing for an old man!.

I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and though I try not to visit there too often, I'm in Doubt more times than I care to be.

I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.

Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older.

One of my favourite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!

I have not yet been in Continent, and I don't remember what countries were on it. It's an age thing. They tell me it is very wet and damp there. So I'm not planning to go soon.

Cheers !