RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted July 10, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 10, 2014 Morning and a happy birthday to Jock. Somewhat grey/overcast/damp here. We went out to the boules and meal last night. I need to work on line rather than length for the boule but coped much better with the eating part of the evening. I don't know what I'm doing today. I don't need to do any shopping and I think all the unskilled gardening tasks have been completed. I may go back to sleep! Tony 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashcombe Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Belated birthday felicitations, Jock! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Williams Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 (edited) Many Happy Returns Jock. On the question of Chiropractors. I had been suffering with lower back pain for a long time and in desperation had several sessions with one. Shortly after I developed Sciatica. Don't know if there was a connection or not. Not unrelated to back pain, I went and had a PSA test some months ago. Two reasons. Firstly, I had never had one, and secondly, back pain spreading around to the front in the lower abdomen / groin area can, I believe, be an indicator that all is not well. At the time, my back pain was spreading all over the damn place. Fortunately, test came back at 1.2 which I understand is spot on. I am not sure how often one is supposed to have these tests, that is something I intend to ask the Doc next time I visit (anyone here happen to know?) The importance of keeping an eye on things was brought home to me last week. My usual pattern in a morning is a quick trip into Redditch for a Costa coffee and a read of the paper, then the crosswords. There are a number of us who are 'regulars' in a morning - it's a bit like an unofficial club. One elderly gentleman (aged 88 but looks a LOT younger), has just been diagnosed with inoperable Prostate Cancer. I had quite a long chat with him about three weeks ago, where we compared aches and pains (this seems to be the case as one gets older, rather like making a noise when bending down). He said then that he had a nagging suspicion something was wrong but didn't know what. His response is very much along the lines of 'well I have had a good innings, as long as I don't linger'. I fear my response in such circumstances would not be nearly as stoic. Well no Costa this morning as am off to daub some canvasses this morning. Painting is going to be interesting today as I managed to slice the index finger of my right hand and slice the top of my thumb off on my left hand yesterday, whilst using a craft knife. I haven't done that for years. Clearly, it was the wrong time of the month for me! Edited July 10, 2014 by Steve Williams Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lurker Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Morning all, I shall go and read back the posts since I last logged in shortly - but I wanted to confirm that I am still the fastest man in the department! the young upstart is still over a minute slower despite me giving him 17 years head start and him actually training.....that's another year of him being constantly reminded about it then! Happy Birthday, Jock! 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lurker Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 OK, I've caught up! It's a grey morning over Borough Market Junction - there was drizzle in Sidcup when I left home this morning. Slightly stiff legged after last night's exertion. The run went OK, and afterwards, waiting at Queens Road Battersea from a train back to Waterloo, I was pleasantly surprised to see a steam special with Black 5 44932 come through with an excursion (West Coast Rail coaches) with a West Coast Rail 33 at the back. Managed to catch up with them at Waterloo and grab a couple of poor photos. I may explore how to upload - tehcnofear alert - be warned I am not a photographer and the blackberry camera is not great - and had a quick chat to someone who worked on the train up from Weymouth. He was disappointed he couldn't get a lift to Southall where it was headed next as he lived in Hayes! Right, my team member is in. Time to let him know our respective times.......! 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted July 10, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 10, 2014 Many more of them Jock, I passed milestone 66 only a couple of days ago. I am lucky in that apart from arthritis and high blood pressure, which is kept under control, my health issues are quite minor compared to some. I wish I could pass on the 'secret' but it is so secret that even I don't know what it is. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted July 10, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 10, 2014 Morning all, Many happy returns Jock - and here's to many more of them. Nice and sunny here and as I'm off to a (local for once) funeral tomorrow today will include the Waitrose visit and then on to auction type things this afternoon if all goes according to plan. Have a good day one and all and fingers crossed for Jock's appointment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jock67B Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Morning all, Just of to my oncology appointment at Colchester, with a surprisingly clear head but first wanted to say thanks for all the lovely birthday wishes. I apologise that I didn't post much earlier yesterday but the influx of visitors, family, friends and old work mates, all with bottles, meant that the day ruled me! Stewart's re-emergence reminded me that we appear to have another missing ER in 'Cathcart Circle' who was struggling for spare time due to the travel time to his new job when last we heard. Has any one had contact, I hope all is well. Like many others, I do miss the lovely Debs and her sharp observations and so if she looks in, I really hope she can resolve whatever issues she has and once more send missives from collie towers! Glad to hear Neil is enjoying the 'Little Trains of Wales so much (lucky b*gger! Yes I'm jealous) as well as the free air show. I always loved the well preserved old castles in the area as well as the steam and hope some of your superb pics will be forthcoming (hint Neil). Post later hopefully, Kind regards, Jock. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted July 10, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 10, 2014 Happy Birthday Jock - hope you had a great day and all goes well at the Oncology unit. Dull and dismal day here at the moment, we had pretty strong winds yesterday but these have subsided overnight although still more than a breeze at the moment. just had another tyre replaced - luckily the puncture was in the most worn tyre which was going to be replaced in the next couple of weeks anyway so not as painful as it might have been, I use www.etyres.co.uk (no connection) and have had a great service every time I've used them - so if you need tyres worth a look imho. We took delivery of three Ikea Bill bookcases the other day, my boss assembled them - she insisted I didn't help, so aside from giggling as she mad a few mistakes, I didn't - last night we fitted the doors to the centre one (for my old sectional appendices and other old railway documentation, the doors are to protect them a bit) so just need to screw them to the wall and they can be loaded with books - finally my books will be available again. Have a good day all. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium skipepsi Posted July 10, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 10, 2014 Morning all, Happy Birthday Jock and many more to come hopefully. The kittens are still cute but getting bigger and just as daft. Nothing else exciting has happened so thats today's bulletin over. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted July 10, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 10, 2014 (edited) Morning all Cloudy again - poor reward for Sherry's visit, really, but weather may improve tomorrow. It will be rainy for our barbecue on Saturday, natch! Many happy returns to Jock, of course. We look forward to you being here in good form in a decade. Steve W slicing bits off his digits sounds horrendous. Hope things heal quickly and painlessly. Cleaner Alison is in Perth for her father's funeral today. In a terse email she describes her family - she has three sisters, one a serving police officer - as dysfunctional. Meanwhile here in France she tells me the estranged & cuckolded partner is apparently burning all the firewood recently delivered by the lover.... You couldn't make it up. A safe house is being sorted by Social Services for her and bambini. Cinders/Sherry now hard at work in the bathroom. Retirement is truly taking on a new meaning for me! Have a good day all. P.S. Edit etc - Meant to welcome Stewart back into the fold, especially as a fully-fledged retiree. I hope the early bath doesn't spoil things for the future too much in £ terms. Edited July 10, 2014 by Oldddudders 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted July 10, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 10, 2014 just had another tyre replaced - luckily the puncture was in the most worn tyre which was going to be replaced in the next couple of weeks anyway so not as painful as it might have been, I use www.etyres.com (no connection) and have had a great service every time I've used them - so if you need tyres worth a look imho. Lucky whatsit - I had to get a new tyre earlier this week, to replace one I had new in March after being 'potholed by a p*llock who wanted more than his due share of the road and took a liking to some of my side as well. But now the good news, as I was doing this post the real, paper, post arrived complete with a missive from Trinity House which tells us we are now members of the 'Privilege Club' having got in the required number of voyages on THV Patricia. This is even better than it sounds as it means we get early advice, and therefore priority for booking, of the programme for each season and a 7.5% discount off the advertised price. Plus a chance for any 'last minute available' cabins at 25% reduction. Not exactly a free lunch but definitely a step towards it. 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 (edited) Good job, Mike. You reminded me that I should have sent you this link regarding cruises of The Great Lakes: http://www.pearlseascruises.com/cruises/great-lakes-georgian-bay-cruise/ I saw it advertised in the Smithsonian magazine whilst waiting for the Dentist earlier this week... Best, Pete. Edited July 10, 2014 by trisonic Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted July 10, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 10, 2014 I saw it advertised in the Smithsonian magazine whilst waiting for the Dentist earlier this week... Best, Pete. The magazines at our (otherwise very nice) dentist are so old they probably advertise sea voyages to Australia for £10. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted July 10, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 10, 2014 OK, not quite a rant but are any of the programmers on ER responsible for the NHS Chooseandbook online system? My first experience was not encouraging! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted July 10, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 10, 2014 OK, not quite a rant but are any of the programmers on ER responsible for the NHS Chooseandbook online system? My first experience was not encouraging! You haven't even got to the good bit yet Tony. Having actually got it to work properly when I made my first audiology appointment (unlike neurology where I could never get it to work) I duly attended for my appointment at the right place on the right day at the right time. About 4 weeks later I started receiving letters from somewhere in the human part of the appointments system demanding to know why I had cancelled my appointment and encouraging me to rebook. I had of course destroyed all the booking paperwork I'd received originally - the human who I spoke to at mission control couldn't cancel the system because he wasn't allowed to ask me my password and I couldn't use it either as it had gone through the shredder. So had a string of letters to tear up for several months. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ian Hargrave Posted July 10, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 10, 2014 Just tuned in to this.Interesting......I have used the system twice in the last six months and it has worked....but....on the first occasion I saw a neurosurgeon at a private clinic in Nottingham which did contracted out work for the NHS....very quickly indeed.....then received a mail shot for a Stannah stairlift in short order.I maintain a large garden and the house is accessed by a flight of steps ! Recent issue. Phone rang 30 minutes ago....showing 003165 on the display....no one seemingly on the other end..For the next ten minutes both phones were paralysed & I couldn't do anything with either 1471 or 1571.When finally I managed to clear it 1471 blurts 'please hang up ' after bleating the above number. Curious and annoying.....any thoughts ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted July 10, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 10, 2014 OK, not quite a rant but are any of the programmers on ER responsible for the NHS Chooseandbook online system? My first experience was not encouraging! Yes, I was, at some hospitals*, but I would guess my system is long gone - which is why you are having problems ! - mine worked fine when I was looking after it. I also wrote some software for the self-service kiosks that are found in some hospitals. * there were a lot of different suppliers to lots of Trusts = hospitals back in my day. Essex wasn't one of my areas Tony, so you can't blame me ! (Nor can Mike - SM) 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catweasel Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 I don't get up 'til 06.00, but I normally retire at around 01.00. Would this count? 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewC Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 The magazines at our (otherwise very nice) dentist are so old they probably advertise sea voyages to Australia for £10. The magazines in my dentist's office are carved on bits of slate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Abel Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 (edited) I don't get up 'til 06.00, but I normally retire at around 01.00. Would this count? Welcome - you'll discover that the ER part of the group is "all-over-the-map" especially given some geographical challenges, I'm in the US for example so typically don't manage my first post until it's mid-afternoon in the UK!... I'm fairly new here, and concluded early on that ER is a mental state (well, the state of MOST of us is "mental" at least ), rather than having to be an actual physical state Chime in and enjoy. Oh, and avoid "model trains" for the most part, although at present you'll be OK sicne the model train-police aka Debs is having computer issues and hasn't been seen for a few weeks, we miss her, but do breath a sigh of relief when someone mistakenly mentions the unmentionable Edited July 10, 2014 by Ian Abel 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smiffy2 Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 I'm new here as well, and I find it a good place to be... 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Abel Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 (edited) Morning all - lemme see, football game was complete crap, I see no point in the stupid penalty/shoot-out for this level of game, personal opinion only. Hope Germany bury Argentina. Did some evening track-laying (sorry for the mention)! Lovely weather here again (especially for sleeping, Don ) was 16 overnight, 18 now and may reach 28. Clear with a few puffy clouds, dry and pleasant, light breeze. Will be taking Bob for a visit to his "foster home" today. The family the Mrs works for, where he was found as a kitten, love seeing him frequently, so he and I go for visits. They love him but due to alergies couldn't keep him. Their loss my gain, although it truly is "MY" as he's very temperamental and the rest of the family simply tolerate him <sigh> As one of the fewer and fewer "working ERs", I'd best get on with it someone needs to pay taxes so the retirees have dosh to squander on enjoyment. Have a great day everyone... Edited July 10, 2014 by Ian Abel 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted July 10, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 10, 2014 (edited) Yes, I was, at some hospitals*, but I would guess my system is long gone - which is why you are having problems ! - mine worked fine when I was looking after it. I also wrote some software for the self-service kiosks that are found in some hospitals. * there were a lot of different suppliers to lots of Trusts = hospitals back in my day. Essex wasn't one of my areas Tony, so you can't blame me ! (Nor can Mike - SM) The check in booths at our local hospital work really well and the piece of paper then issued tells you where to wait before proceeding to "sub-waiting" and then the final clinic all seems very efficient. The check in screens have lots of languages available and there are always a couple of eager volunteers to help anyone who can't cope. Is choose and book a national scheme for first appointments? Are follow ups done through the hospitals own system? For my appointment (apparently non-urgent fortunately) the offered appointment and the one alternative are both during my holiday. Even phoning up doesn't allow excluded dates to be registered so what I have to do is keep looking online and see if a more suitable date appears and then select it. If no date has appeared just before I go on holiday, I need to cancel the appointment and a new letter offering an appointment will arrive at my house about a fortnight after the cancellation. I must congratulate the "system" though, the website didn't hang and the phone was answered promptly. Edited July 10, 2014 by Tony_S Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 (edited) The magazines in my dentist's office are carved on bits of slate. The Doctors has Babylonian Mud Tablets, and cueniform. The dentists waiting room has skins and wooden offcuts with Runic heiroglyphs - so a little newer! Edited July 10, 2014 by shortliner Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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