All And Sundry

The last time I had a repeat prescription from my doctor's surgery, I noticed that at the end, on the second sheet (the page you tear off before handing it over in the pharmacy.) that it said that I should have a review of my medication. Infact, I should have had one around February/March time. Thinking about it, I was surprised that the surgery didn't send me a letter or even email, or even text, to remind me to make an appointment, but never mind. I wanted to make an advance appointment last week, around Wednesday, so we went into the surgery, to be told that you can't book an appointment in advance, only on the day you want the appointment. Which is annoying, considering my health condition and the fact that I have repeat prescription, but there was nothing I could do about it, except come back on Monday (today) as soon as the surgery opened at 8 a.m. and make the appointment. Sam was on an early at Maplin's, so Carol took me to the surgery and then returned home to collect him and then take him to work, but it turned out he wasn't on shift until 9 a.m., not 8.30. So she returned to the surgery. By which time I'd managed to get my appointment for 8.30.

When I arrived outside the surgery it was around 7.50, and there was quite a queue of people, standing outside, and down the steps and into the carpark. One particular woman was holding forth on all and sundry, really mouthing off about how she was going to have to  move to a smaller flat, because the house  she was in had so many bedrooms, and the Council wanted her to move to a smaller place with fewer bedrooms, then she was off on other people who were on Benefits and she was working and her shift-pattern had changed to the 'Continental Shift-System' or something (whatever that is.) She did '6-2, 2-10, and 10-6' or something. I couldn't work out where she worked or what work she did, but I can recognize the shift-pattern, having worked in care and also working in a warehouse or on a production line. Anway, listening to her moaning on and on, at the top of her voice, was rather like an episode of 'EastEnders' or some such dreary soap. Why do some people have to 'wash their dirty laundry in public' as the saying goes? The rest of the queue of people were fascinated by her rant, and we tried desperately not to laugh.

Anway, it certainly kept us all amused, and certainly me, considering I'm writing material which would benefit no end from this character before me, in full-flow, so all that will be filed in my memory banks for future use.

Anyway, I eventually got into the doctor's surgery without much of a problem. The last time it was around 20-30 minutes after the time the appointment was booked. So I was more than pleased to get in so swiftly. As I sat in the waiting area, the ranting woman was sitting immediately behind me, so I got a further installment of her goings-on. I'm sorry, but when there's such a ripe piece of entertainment going free, which not make the most of it? Life's never boring when you can spend some time observing other people, and even more so when they can be used for one's novel-writing.

The doctor went through all my medications, and I was expecting to get him to print out a prescription, which I could then just take to the pharmacy, which is conventiently next door to the surgery, to have made up. He told me that there was now 'a 48-hour rule' and that I'd have to get it done 'at the reception-desk.' As I had managed to time the medications review to coincide with my medications running out, I was somewhat annoyed by this. I have managed to set thing up so that I can order my repeat prescription 'on-line' meaning that I don't have to fill in a form and then go to the surgery. Even though the surgery is only a short walk, or drive, from home, it is more conventient to do this on-line. So, I went to the receptionist and she managed to go it on her computer, and it should be ready for collection on Wednesday, but possibly it might be ready tomorrow.

Carol came back, to inform me that Sam wasn't on-shift until later than she thought. She managed to take him to work and then return to collect me.