aboveboard
http://20six.co.uk/aboveboard
powered by
20six.co.uk
|
|
Spare a thought
British Gas annoyed me yesterday. I received a bill on Wed 28 December,
dated 19 December 2005. Phoned my bank the same day to pay the bill.
Bank said the payment would go the next day and take four working days
to reach BGas on 4 January. Yesterday I received another bill, dated 3
January 2006, for the same amount with the words 'Payment of this
amount is overdue' and a warning of what would happen if I didn't pay.
The first bill, held up in the Christmas post I presume, took nine days
to
reach me. My payment was delayed by the weekend and second bank
holiday. I couldn't have paid it any sooner. If BGas had waited a week
before sending out a curt reminder it would have saved itself postage
and loss of good feeling.
A taxi company recently banned its drivers from wearing corduroy
trousers; it considered them shabby. Personally, I care more about
their standard of driving than their standard of dress.
Thought for today
When her guests were awash with champagne and with gin
She was recklessly sober, as sharp as a pin.
William Plomer (1903-1973) British writer
|
8.1.06 17:04
|
|
It's nice to know
Several wheelie bins out on the pavements this morning made me wonder
if the owners knew something that I didn't; Thursday is our day for
collection. Two hours later when I went for a walk I spotted the refuse
waggon at the end of the road. I nipped back, put my neighbours' bin
out before moving mine. However, by the time I placed mine in position
the men had already emptied my neighbours' bin and had moved on smartly
down the road. I ran after them with my two bags for the landfill site
wondering if I was ever going to catch them up. Never realised they
moved so quickly.
The collection day had been changed to Monday.
'Parental choice is a powerful mechanism for raising standards,' said a
politician on the radio today. Hmm, not sure about that. 'Parents who
are dissatisfied can set up schools of their own,' he added. Possibly,
but not if they've got any sense. I doubt they'll have the experience
or the knowledge let alone the time to do that. It will be a risky
undertaking for which they will be blamed if there are problems.
I always thought allowing hospitals to become trusts was a clever ploy
of the government. When the trusts ran out of money, which many were
bound to do, the fault was theirs not that of the government.
Thought for today
All political parties die at last of swallowing their own lies.
John Arbuthnot (1667 - 1735) English writer, physcian
|
9.1.06 19:10
|
|
What will they think of next?
The government announced its latest hare-brained scheme to curb
anti-social behaviour - its 'Respect Action Plan'. Daft name for a
start. Why should people respect those they know nothing about? There
will be higher on-the-spot fines for a-s b. That supposes there'll be
police around to witness it. Unlikely. And if there are police around,
their presence is likely to deter a-s b. Yobs will wait till they've
gone.
Will yobs carry spare cash for fines? Will police give change, issue
receipts? Will I be fined if I accidentally drop a paper hankie without
noticing?
Do laws change attitudes? I fastened seatbelts long before it became a
legal requirement to do so. I stopped using a mobile phone when driving
long before it became illegal. Not to change seemed a bad idea.
Thought for today
People allow themselves to be swept along with the tide. They don't
break free and stop to reflect. They go with the loudest; are quick to
judge before taking time to gather more information, to listen to other
views; are quick to jump to conclusions. I must be careful not to
follow suit. The Brazilian chap who was shot in the summer in London
was condemned until the truth emerged.
|
10.1.06 19:12
|
|
Smitten by what?
Out for a walk this morning I spotted a female pheasant sitting by the roadside. As I approached, it stayed put and looked at me; it had probably been hit by a car. I contemplated moving it further onto the grass verge away from the road but decided it was best to avoid poorly birds and walked on.
The dead chicken in the Morrison's plastic bag in the layby has slowly decomposed and is now unrecognisable. All that remains are the feathers and the feet. Fortunately the dead badger disappeared after two weeks. By then its fur had come off and its body had become bloated. Yuk.
Thought for today
People often say 'One could be run over by a bus' to imply lives are in the lap of the gods. How many people are run over by buses? Do bus drivers feel maligned?
|
11.1.06 19:33
|
|
Misplaced concern
Sometimes staff let fear of criticism override their common sense.
An old woman in her 80s was scheduled for a minor gynaecological operation under general anaethesia. I went to see her pre-op on the ward to introduce myself and ask her a few questions. Her replies and her manner were such that I soon suspected that she had dementia.
She arrived late in the theatre suite because initially she refused to have the operation but was persuaded to do so by her granddaughter who was summoned by one of the ward nurses. Once anaesthetised she was placed onto the operating table and her blanket removed. This revealed the longest toenails any of us had ever seen; they were at least six inches long. Our eyes were on stalks. I said someone should cut them before she went to the recovery ward. Oh no, said theatre sister, we can't do that, she hasn't consented to it. I thought this irrelevant because she lacked the capacity to consent to anything. However, no one supported me so her toenails remained uncut.
When she was awake in the recovery ward I commented on her toenails. She said, sadly, 'I wish someone would cut them'. This was about the first sensible thing I'd heard her say.
Why were her toenails allowed to get so long in the first place? Had no one looking after her thought to check? People with dementia are likely to neglect personal hygiene. Why did no one try to cut them on the ward? Did the staff fail to notice them?
I went home feeling that she had been let down by many people.
Thought for today
Do you know the diffence between education and experience? Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don't.
Pete Seger 1980
|
12.1.06 20:12
|
|
Teeth: to wear or not to wear
A patient came to theatre wearing her false teeth; she wanted to take them out at the last minute.
'I'll look after them,' said the nurse.
'Will you?' 1 said.
'Well, I'll give them to recovery' she replied.
'Teeth are safer on the ward,' was my response.
'I won't lose them,' she said.
She remarked shortly afterwards that when her mother was admitted to hospital her teeth were lost. Fortunately for the hospital, but unfortunately for the mother, this turned out not to be a problem because she died.
Later, I asked the recovery nurse if the patient was given her teeth. 'I don't know,' she said. 'I'd gone to lunch.'
|
13.1.06 20:28
|
|
Progress; chance would be a fine thing
Fail to understand why some want speed limits on motorways raised. My trips on them seem fated; more often than not there will be a traffic jam. If the traffic is light (rarely) and flows through roadworks, a crash will ensure that traffic is held up.
On Boxing Day a crash left one car at the top of the embankment facing the motorway; however, several small trees blocked its path to the road. How it got up there was a mystery to me. As I drove slowly past, the occupants, a middle-aged couple, were about to climb into a police car with their possessions. Suddenly, my position, stuck in a traffic jam, didn't seem so bad.
I used to be able to drive for hours without stopping. Not any longer; old age has put an end to that. I travel armed with coffee and bananas to consume at service stations. A little organisation saves me time and money. I refuse to pay two quid for a cup of coffee.
I sit and watch the people passing by and wonder how uncomfortable some of the shoes they wear must be. Pointed, high-heeled shoes must be the western equivalent of the ancient Chinese custom of binding girls' feet. Some are martyrs to fashion.
Thought for today
Nervous trepidation looks like guilt. Guilt, firmly sustained by insensibility, looks like innocence.
Wilkie Collins, The Legacy of Cain
|
16.1.06 20:19
|
|
[first page] [previous page]
[next page]
|